poly concierge not worth it

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by ppony
okay, I went into it a little on this post. Look for the ppony post. :


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=651763&perpage=15&pagenumber=2

SO sorry Tiffsix! Concierge may not be "worth it" in the litteral sense but it IS when it's done right and your feel really special. that's what it is all about to me. feeling like you're not just a number coming in and going out. Even though we all know we are, not FEELING like it is key! You might want to try a few nights some other time in another resort. From personal experience the GF was nice but I've heard LOTS of good about the AKL so that's where we're headed!

ITA, ppony!

And, the AKL CL ROCKS!!!!!

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by tiffsix
We just returned a couple days ago and agree with all of you. It was our first concierge stay so i don't have other resorts to compare it to but was extremely disappointed. Housekeeping was shoddy and the people at the front desk were completely disinterested in us. We have heard so many wonderful things about the Poly concierge and it didn't meet what we thought we would be getting. Our stay in a regular room at the WL last time was much more enjoyable and the CM;s were friendlier. We didn't get turn down service the first 2 nights and probably wouldn't have the entire trip if we didn't mention something. I do want to say that Tara and Melissa from IPO were a complete joy to deal with and got us and changed many PS's for us. We had several questions for the front desk whereas we had to leave a couple days early because of the storm and they just gave us empty answers. Not much help. I do also have to say that it was nice being able to walk downstairs in the morning and grab a quick bite and head off for the day and grabbing the occasional cookie if we were around in the afternoon but definitely not worth a couple hundred extra a night. Will return to the Poly but not concierge. Maybe a different resort concierge in the future.

Tara and Melissa are wonderful. And there are a couple of CMs, as well as Chef Dick that make this place a treat.

ppony hit it on the head about concierge.
"Concierge may not be "worth it" in the litteral sense but it IS when it's done right and you feel really special. "

very well said.

 

[flyball]

I'm really sorry to hear that so many have had such awful experiences at the Poly. It's a good heads up for those of us who are looking for other options in the future. We just returned from our first concierge experience at the AKL and it was SPECTACULAR, so don't discount concierge altogether. Our 11 and 13 year old DDs even knew that everything they were experiencing was special. The CMs, the lounge, the offerings, the bell staff, and the overall setting at AKL CL were definitely worth the extra $$$. So, for all you first-timers, don't give up on concierge altogether; you may find the right fit at another resort.

 

[Pattymouse]

Hi All!

At 53 years old I have NEVER done concierge! That will be rectified this Dec during our 25th wedding anniversay trip. Yes, we are dropping big bucks for this trip. I have always wanted to see Disney in the winter/X-mas time. Have only been there during the heat/rain of the summer.

I do so hope that our concierge experience is positive. I think it will be. I agree that the CM may have issues in their personal lives with all the storm damage. They have no "pixie dust" at home!

I will let you all know how it goes...but, I absulutely WANT that golf cart ride! I know I am silly!

One question...are the refridgerators in Poly conciegre empty of full of soft drinks? Just wondering.

Thank you all for all your help.

Pat

 

[gw_lit]

One question...are the refridgerators in Poly conciegre empty of full of soft drinks? Just wondering.

The refrigerators in the rooms are not stocked, however, the lounge has a supply of soft drinks all day long from my recollection.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Pattymouse - Congratulations on your 25th wedding aniversary!! We just celebrated 16. It goes so fast.

To answer your question, we had a fridge in the room and the lounge had a large barrel full of Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite. We just took a couple cans and put them in our fridge.


I hope you have a FABULOUS stay at the Poly. I have read so many great reports that I know it is possible!!

Once you stay concierge you won't want to stay any other level!!

It isn't silly to want the golf cart tour, not really. (Well maybe...)It seems like a small thing, but it is part of the fun and makes it a bit more special. I told my little girls some of the neat things I had read would happen, ex. the golf cart and the leis. I warned them not to be disappointed if they weren't given leis as I had read some complaints of guests that were not even offered those. Thank goodness the girls got the leis!!! That was all they talked about for days! They loved that little thing! I just feel bad when they are disappointed. It is kind of stupid to rely on the little things, but when you plan a trip and spend a lot of money you want good service and a bit of Disney's "Be our guest" treatment.

It is the little touches that really make me feel that it is worth the cost of the deluxe resort.

Usually everything is wonderful. I don't expect perfect - just a friendly - maybe helpful attitude.

 

[hookedup]

ITA the concierge staff can set the whole tone of your trip. And to me it impacts me a lot more than regular check in. Perhaps because it is so personalized. Perhaps it's because I expect higher standards for paying for concierge.

I had a bad CM experience at GF last year. The two concierge staff members got into an argument over who should be checking me it - right in front of me while I was sitting there!! I was so uncomfortable. One of them was expecting an important phone call (from her roommate) and the other had just checked someone in so he felt that is was the others CM's turn. It really tainted my whole experience there. At a time when you should be making a great first impression and welcoming your guest you do just the opposite. If I had any sort of backbone I would have said, "Well I guess I'll just walk over to the front desk to check in since I am bothering you here!"
Instead I just sat there and stared at my feet like a dope until they finished fighting. Then the guy resentfully checked me in. He was curt and very ungracious. It was some of the worst customer service I have ever had at a hotel. And it was GF concierge!!! Yikes...dh said NEVER again would he pay for Disney concierge.

Anyway, I just wanted to post this story because I know that the staff really makes the difference in the resort experience.

Sorry you had a bad one at this trip to the Polynesian.

 

[currycook]

Not great stories to read and it would make me not want to stay at the poly. We have stayed at the BC and WL concierge and both were very very positive stays.

I think part of the problem is you pay a lot more for concierge and you do, rightly so, expect that extra service.

 

[Lewisc]

This doesn't apply to the posters in this thread who seem to have legitimate service issues with their recent stays.

Some other posters are trying to justify paying the extra money for concierge on the basis of food and drinks. Concierge gives you premium room locations, more personalized service and some extra amenities like robes. Basically for people who are able/willing to spend extra $$ for a little extra.

Anyone who thinks you can eat and drink enough to justify the extra money is probably setting themselves up for disappointment. This is particularly true if you're paying rack rate for concierge.

 

[litlpixie]

Not too happy about the amount of people w/ the same complaints lately on the Poly. We are planning our 1st trip there next Summer. We stayed at AKL Concierge in April and we loved it. It would be such a dissapointment if the Poly didnt rise to my expectations, not that I have many, just have my room cleaned at a decent hour and if I have a question, dont look at me like I have lobsters crawling out my ears. As far as rude CM's go, being from NY I'm probably mouthy by nature and most likely wouldnt take to kindly w/ rude and unhelpful behavior. I do hope that these problems straighten out soon. And, Damnit--I'm gettin' my golf cart ride too!!!!

 

[Jen D]

freediverdude, your experience sounds just like ours! We also just returned from the Poly, but not concierge. We were also Tuvalu, but on the third floor. We got our golf cart ride. All the bellhops came over to help unload luggage, and then gave us the card and said after checking we could go to our room and call for the luggage or come to the bellstand to ride over. We checked in, ate at Kona, and did the golf cart ride. It was a nice little tour of that side of the resort.

I'm very sorry for everyone's negative experiences. There is always a lot of debate about what exactly you're paying for when you pay for concierge, but I think at the very least you're paying for a higher level of service.

Since so many have had bad experiences in the last few months I would strongly encourage you to write letters to the manager-- not looking for compensation or anything, but to alert them. They need to know if there is a problem.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

Originally posted by lainie25
the housekeeping and the people at the desk were horrible. They were rude and if you went down to ask them anything it was like you were bothering them. My dh lost his wallet on dinosaur at the AK and I called the concierge desk to cancel the charging on the key and they were so nasty about it stating we had allready cancelled one card and now he was asking for another, which wasn't true. At check in they made and error and printed the wrong thing on one of the cards but she never apologized.

We had a similiar experience with the CM's on our trip in August.
We were told to walk to the Hawaii building unstead of the cart "Because they were busy checking guests in" -What were we?? After e-mailing them numerous times before we arrived for some special requests. My last e-mail was sent 2 days upon arrival, they replied "We have everything in order". Well we got there, and nothing was done. After wasting 4 hours we were finally in our room at 4:00. We were on the 6:00 a.m. flight from JFK that day, so we were pretty tired. They weren't very polite or helpful the whole week. We also had something wrong with our keys which included the park passes. One CM told me if I lost the card , it won't get replaced " So I better be careful" There was also another family that was having room problems and they spent their complete day trying to straighten it out. I did notice some new CM'S, maybe they won't stay there long.
I've stayed Poly concierge before and loved it. So I'm hoping this was just a bad day. I will try them again next year, but will split the stay with the Yacht club.

 

[denman007]

These stories are such the opposite of what we experienced. Maybe becasue it was off season last week.

As far as room keys, here's another example....

One evening I gave my keys/passes to my mom and dad to take my daughter to MK for a couple of hours. Shortly after they left I realized I wouldn't have a key to get into the building or the room. I walked down the the concierge desk and asked if I could get another key made just for that evening. Took him 30 seconds and he didn't even ask why - just happily did it for me.

Also, everytime they saw me coming with my hands full from shopping or pushing a stroller, they opened the sliding doors for me.

It really was a pleasant experience.

 

[erinz]

These threads are making me nervous!

Has anyone out there experiences the CR 14th floor Concierge? Help! I need to know what it was like!

I'm going to be spending more in two nights than I did for our 10 day hotel stay in 2003!

 

[BambiTamby]

Originally posted by erinz
These threads are making me nervous!

Has anyone out there experiences the CR 14th floor Concierge? Help! I need to know what it was like!

I'm going to be spending more in two nights than I did for our 10 day hotel stay in 2003!

The 14th floor CR CL is simply fabulous!

Click here for pictures and room floorplans for the CR and other resorts!

No need to be nervous about the CR14th!

 

[Kimberle]

Originally posted by erinz
These threads are making me nervous!

Has anyone out there experiences the CR 14th floor Concierge? Help! I need to know what it was like!

I'm going to be spending more in two nights than I did for our 10 day hotel stay in 2003!

Yes, it's great. It is TOTALLY worth the money to sit in the lounge and watch the fireworks. They even play the music!

 

[erinz]

Thanks you guys!

BambiTamby: You are awesome!!!

Those pictures were EXACTLY what I was looking for!

Just a couple questions though: Are all the rooms suites on the 14th floor? Or are there just a variety of rooms, with the $495 rooms being just a standard CR room?

If they are all suites, I'm going to have to run to the bathroom!


One of the pictures looked like a standard room, but I didn't see a daybed. Do the standard rooms on the 14th floor have a daybed like the other CR rooms do?

 

[sfbank]

BambiTamby--AWESOME pics!! I have also been looking for pics of the BW Concierge so I can get excited!! Thanks!

 

[freediverdude]

Jen D, yes that's similar to my experience. And I think part of it was the fact that I was just in a pleasant mood and ended up doing the right thing to get the golf cart ride- i.e. I went back out to the bell services desk after checking in. On the way back out to bell services, I saw someone on their way in, carrying their own luggage and not looking very happy. I have a feeling that person wasn't nearly as impressed with the resort, while checking in and getting to the room carrying his own luggage and trying to roll it through all the pathways and everything, and not knowing where anything was, if he was a first timer. The golf cart tour really got me acqainted with where the main things were, and was a nice introduction. That checking in process with the leis and using bell services and getting the golf cart ride really set the tone for the trip, and I can see how people who choose not to use the bell services or can't because it's too busy, don't start their trip off nearly as well, because the Polyesian is not set up as a "drive your car up to the room and tote your luggage in" type of resort.

 

[Tikiman]

I am just curious but did anyone who had tese problems tell anyone while they were there so they could try to do something about it or make up from the problem?

Just curious.

I just got 3 emails from people who were there the same time and had a completely different impression of the concierge at the Polynesian so I am confused.

I do appreciate you sharing your experience with all of us.

Aloha

Steve