Polynesian Pool Problem

[Pooh Bear Hugs]

Tiki can I have a favour before you go.

Can you put some info / prices for the pirate cruises up on your site as I think they are great and people might enjoy them. Also couldn't find the phone number.
Cheers.

 

[Cass]

Before this thread is locked or goes down in flames I wanted to add my 2 cents.

I think pool hopping is really only a troublesome issue during peak times.

I don't think guests have to be militantly policed by pool guards all year round, or all day long but only when it is obvious the pool & pool deck is packed.

This could be at 3 in the afternoon somedays and not at all other days, during march break or not (if the weather sucks and there is hardly anyone by the pools)

Common sense in implimenting a system to protect the recreational facilities for resort guests when necessary.

There seems to be 2 issues here

1) guests not being able to use/enjoy the pool because of crowding

and

2) people with a thorn in their side that there might be a non-guest at their pool. (even during quiet times)'

Having said that, I don't really want to be tagged to wear a bracelet all the time but I would sure welcome it during problem times (and appreciate the effort)

 

[Tikiman]

Tiki can I have a favour before you go.

Can you put some info / prices for the pirate cruises up on your site as I think they are great and people might enjoy them. Also couldn't find the phone number.
Cheers.

I would be happy to add the information after I return in December (unless someone going sooner can get it) or I will try and have the Polynesian send it. It is not listed on the marina price list or the Island Palm Press. I will add it with the other boat rental and fishing excursion prices on this page http://www.tikiman2001.homestead.com/poly10.html

You might be able to call the recreation number that you call for the fishing excursion at 407-939-7529

 

[ducklite]

Uk tour operators wern't offering the dining plan let alone free dining. They are as of next year but this only came out a few weeks ago.

And you are under ZERO obligation to use one of those "UK Tour Operators." You could have booked it all yourself and gotten the same benefits as anyone. It would seem that FREE DINING would certainly cover the cost of a couple of phone calls.

Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face...

Anne

 

[ducklite]

I could book the hotel and tickets with disney but would have had to pay more for the airfare as my local airport only does charter flights.

Uh, so you drive an extra hour or two to a different airport.

Anne

 

[kaytieeldr]

As I've said I don't want wristbands, certainly not with a 20 min wait in the heat to get one. I will be writing to the poly to state this. I do understand people get upset but feel you are trying to change it for the worse.

Why would anyone have to stand out in the heat? Couldn't wristbands be distributed inside the hotel somewhere? Or at the boat rental counter? Besides, aren't Guests going to BE out in the heat once they get to the pool?

I think that the pool should be restricted to those with an active key card. If you have previously checked out you could arrange upon check out to use the pool until the end of the day.

I think the key cards are active for everything except room access and charging, until midnight of the day you check out? So this really wouldn't be an issue, would it?

You pay more to stay at the Poly for a reason

Just one more argument FOR the Value resorts - they're not convenient to non-Guests, and really, almost nobody wants to hop there anyway

Pool hoppers don't bother me that much, other things do more such as the free dining available to Americans every year that we don't get.

No longer a valid issue , since ONLY Guests from the UK are able to book the free dining for next year - and y'all can do it NOW.

By the way - on a travel message board entirely unrelated to Disney, I've seen this described as pool CRASHING

 

[disneyfan67]

Before this thread gets closed I just want to say thanks to Steve, again, for his dedication to the Polynesian Resort. The amount of time he must spend on keeping his website updated and running, has to be more than most of us would contribute. I appreciate the fact that he sees a problem at a popular resort that is loved by many and wants to correct it. The thing I like about all of this is, that he doesn't do this for money but to actually help the resort and the people who stay there. That's a rare thing nowdays and it's hard to find someone who would provide help or info without them playing the "What's in it for me" angle.


The pool hopping debate has been re-hashed over and over again. Sadly, it's time that the higher ups at WDW get off their butts and do something about it. I see the replies of "It will destroy the magic" or "It's un Disneylike" and you can fill in the rest. It's pretty obvious that people aren't paying attention to the signs and won't as long as their isn't an actual force to back it up. Just like the policeman who sits in his car with a radar gun and monitors the speed of the traffic. You can have all the signs you want stating the rules but it seems only a person of authority can make certain people in todays society, follow them. It's a sad fact.

At the rates the Polynesian charges just for the rooms, they can easily afford to have a CM do a discreet check of wristbands or ID cards, etc, etc. It will help make the pool area safer and cleaner by having a extra pair of eyes to see what's going on. There's just too much to do for the life guards to add that to their duties. Just on extra person working there can make a difference in a guest's experience at the Poly.


Thanks again Steve and don't some negative opinions from some, cause you to stop what you're doing. A lot of people appreciate what you do, don't forget that.


Eddie. (Disneyfan67)

 

[TiggerAllie]

Some pool-banding observations:
When we were at BC we were made to stand in the heat, out on the pool deck, waiting in line. The guy with the bands and towels had an umbrella. It was poorly organized, and very very very slow. Perhaps it was better on other days.
However, they only implemented the wristbanding on 1 afternoon of our week-long trip (July/Aug). Had they done it so poorly again, I would have spoken to the hotel manager about it.
It didn't seem to do much, as the pool was *very* crowded already when we arrived. However, at SAB, I think YC, BC, and BCV guest are enough to make it feel crowded anyway. We were able to find 1 chair to use. Mostly, we wanted to swim, though. It was crowded, but not uncomfortable.
During our trip, I was unaware of any pool-crashers. (Maybe they were just quiet about it.)
The wristbands certainly could work, and wouldn't necessarily need to be used all the time--they just need to be more organized about it. I like the idea of approaching guests at the pool rather than waiting in a line.
We'll be at the Poly for the 1st time in Dec, so it will be interesting to see how it goes there.
Thanks for all the info Tikiman!

 

[mmmears]

Steve,

Thanks for this great post.

We stay in a hotel in Maui that has lots of slides and other water features. The property is accessible for guests from all sides. The pool, however, is reserved for hotel guests only. When we go to the pool, there is a person who checks on your room number, gives us bracelets and however many towels we want. It is very convenient, since we have to go there to get or pool towels, anyway.

All of the pool attendants, food servers, or lifeguards out there will make people either get a bracelet or leave the pool area. This is so strongly enforced by employees who work at the pool (with other duties, too) that they dont even need dedicated people for this job.

This pool is way bigger and fancier than the Poly pool -- so it is much harder to enforce since there are so many people there -- but they do a great job of it. It is NEVER an issue there. Disney is more than capable of enforcing this rule at the Poly.

We're looking forward to our 1st stay there, but really worried about the pool issue. Thanks again for the great post!

 

[Castillo Mom]

Tikiman, thanks again for your contribution. I know that some of we DISers can be hand full sometimes, so I hope you're not discouraged and continue to drop by with your priceless information about the Polynesian. Even though your website is incredibly helpul, it's nice to have you come around the boards every once in a while. We enjoy directly hearing from the man himself!

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

Tikiman thanks for the info. I agreee that pool rules need to be enforced. Do CMs escort pool hoppers if they are reported?

 

[safetymom]

Please try to keep your replies on topic so this thread can stay open. If you have problems with other issues at a Disney resort please start a new topic. Thank you everyone.

 

[Tam1067]

Thanks for taking the time to look into this, Steve. Pool hoppers are a problem at the Poly, and I intend to write a letter to the resort management as you've suggested because the obvious pool hoppers did detract from our otherwise wonderful stay in July.

 

[Ms.Pixie]

Thanks Steve. I can't believe that people would do this. I honestly am not being mean when I say this but, pool hoppers should realize that if they use the pool they can be taking up room and making it so that the Polynesian Resort guests cannot stay there. They also take up beach chairs which makes me angry :].

 

[clombardi]

2) people with a thorn in their side that there might be a non-guest at their pool. (even during quiet times)'

I don't think it is a matter of a thorn in the side. I think it is a matter of the wallet. When we can afford it, we pay the extra amount to stay at the Poly. A big draw for us is the pool.

When we can't afford it, we stay at POP and the kids swim in the POP pool. I truly believe that if you didn't pay the several hundred dollars extra/night to stay at the Poly, you shouldn't be able to use the pool.

 

[Kay1]

Personally, I am unable to look at someone and know what resort they're staying at. Are you sure this is a genuine issue? Maybe the pool area is just too small for the number of rooms. I've stayed at the Poly many times and was never impressed with the pool. It's hard to imagine anyone scheming to get in. SAB is a different story.

 

[Lynne M]

Personally, I am unable to look at someone and know what resort they're staying at. Are you sure this is a genuine issue? Maybe the pool area is just too small for the number of rooms. I've stayed at the Poly many times and was never impressed with the pool. It's hard to imagine anyone scheming to get in. SAB is a different story.

No, you can't tell by looking, but it's amazing how often pool-hoppers will brag to anyone in the immediate vicinity about what they're doing.....

 

[disqueen2]

We once toured at a resort (during a cruise) where you had to show your key card to use the pool. They handed out towels to each family and the towels had the resort name printed on them in big letters, so you wouldn't be able to smuggle in your own towel that was the same color. Don't know if that would work at the Poly, but it seemed to work at that resort. Their pool was amazing, so alot of people wanted to swim there. The tour guide said that took care of their problem.

 

[Zip-a-dee-dude-da]

Oh get a life people....its as if pool hoppers are the riff raff who arent good enough to touch deluxe waters...(BTW 99% of them are staying at the Floridian or Contemp. too hotels just as expensive as the Poly). Lighten up and hop the monorail for a swim at thier digs all the cool kids are doing it

 

[MermaidsMom]

Personally, I am unable to look at someone and know what resort they're staying at. Are you sure this is a genuine issue?

It will be real easy to figure this out when they are wearing a wrist band. That is the entire point of this thread.