Polynesian resort, please say it isn't so!!!!?!!!!

[Disney Padawan]

Sorry for the dramatic title but has anyone read "The Unofficial Guide to WDW 2007"? It's a very detailed book about all things WDW, hence the title. Anyway, there's a section where it rates Disney resorts according to letters from guests and also their own researchers. So, I'm going through it when a few things startle me, they gave the Poly a few bad reviews. Now, I understand that people can have bad experiences no matter where they stay but I was unpleasantly surprised by what they had to say.

First off, in a section called "complaints and comparisons" they gave the Poly an "F" when it came to sound, meaning noisy rooms, both outside and in. (It also got an "A" for lighting, "B" for pillows, and "C+" for overall.)

Second, in the "Reader's Disney resort Report Card" section, it got a "D+" for "value" and "C" for "Quietness of room." All the other categories were A's and B's. None of these grades really affected me (except for the F) until I read their official review. See, they grade every resort by their "Strengths & Weaknesses" but the Poly was the only one with a "Spotty Service" remark on it!?!

I'm not sure If I can quote a whole paragraph from a book so I'll explain it in my own words. They basically said that they received so many complaints over the past year about the Poly that they had to check to see if their survey system was still working. They state that it is and that the majority of the complaints were for valet service, front-desk service, and housekeeping!!! They believe that an unsual high number of management and cast-member turnovers have contributed to this. They have been told that the these issues have been addressed. Because of this, it goes on to say that It's difficult to recommend such an expensive resort until they see their service levels go back to it's previous high standards.

Now here's my question: Can anyone out there agree or disagree with any of these accusations? I've been planning on a trip next Spring and the Poly was my 1st choice. Has anyone experienced "Noisy Rooms", bad housekeeping, or had or heard of any problems with the CMs at this resort? What surprises me the most is, this was the only resort to get this kind of a remark! Bad CMs!?! Loud rooms!?! Bad Housekeeping!?! I thought the Poly had some of the best CMs in all of WDW? Could some of you please set my mind at ease or tell us if you've heard anything like this lately about the Poly? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pepe of ohio]

Yes, we've experienced those complaints on a few trips and stays there. Recently we switched to WL, we're not going to pay big money for spotty service. I don't feel its my responsibility to be a customer service agent. We've had pounding , running above us, late late night, banging of doors, hit and miss mousekeeping, incomplete mousekeeping. We never encountered any rude CM's, mostly good service from them but nothing over the top. The O'hana used to be one of our favorites, no more, food wasn't that good, service was terrible, waitress brought the food and we never saw her again, we had 9:15 reservations and arrived around 9:10 only to be told that it would be quite awhile because no one was leaving because they wanted to watch the fireworks from the resturant. Thats what we made reservations for to be there just ahead to dine and watch ourselves, they said it would be after 10 pm before we can seat you. No thanks, if people are finished eating, move on, its not a stadium. We've had pool issues with saved seats but that across the resorts as well but for the money, we just take the huge savings by not staying Poly anymore and just stay longer at WL.

We still check the rates on the Poly, we'ld stay only if a super good rate came out but would never pay extra anymore for a better room view or conceirge level. I know thats not what you wanted to hear but those were our experiences on the last 3 Poly stays, been at the Lodge the last three.

 

[Poly Pal]

We are returning to the Polynesian for the 10th time in less than 2 weeks. We have yet to have a "noisy room". Could you hear people running in the hall? Yes, but that is an issue that you would have at most if not all hotels with interior corridors. (That's why my kids know not to run or shout in the hall.)

As for low "value" marks, I'd say "value" is subjective. A Polynesian stay that blows through one family's budget might leave them feeling, "that's all there is - we could have stayed at a Value for hundreds less". On the other hand, if your budget allows a family to stay at the Polynesian without re-mortgaging the house, then the "value" of staying somewhere not on the monorail or not as elaborately themed, might leave them saying, "why did we try to save money / we would have been happier at the Polynesian." So, to each his own.

Have a great trip wherever you stay!

 

[minnie61650]

I have been reading more bad reports on the DIS about the Poly recently also.

Here are a couple of recent threads about the Poly:

Thread from a few days ago... Bad first Impression of the Poly

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1517813

Another thread from a week or so ago:

Dissappointed with the Poly

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1509951

These types of threads do have me concered a bit about the service at the Poly.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Minnie824]

We haven't stayed at Poly yet..we will for the first time in Oct. But we read reports on resorts and restaurants on places such as trip advisor, etc. I just wanted to mention that you need to take most of the reviews with a grain of salt. If you listened to all the reviews out there you'd never go anywhere. People love the Beach Club too...in 2005 we had a terrible stay there with terrible service that is keeping us from staying there again. I think at all resorts you'll find both negative and positive reviews. One thing I wouldn't pay too much attention to is the 'value'. People always complain of the cost and value of resorts. To me, its Disney, you know its going to cost. If you like the Poly and want to stay there, I say give it a try. You could have issues at every hotel also, and then would end up saying, I should have just stayed at the Poly.

 

[LJRJR]

We have stayed at the Poly three years in a row, most recently this spring. I have found it to be extremely quiet, I have not had any problems with housekeeping. In the middle of the night (about 2 a.m.) my infant son was sick and I needed another crib sheet for him, I called housekeeping and they were there right away with more sheets for his crib and offered to get me anything else I wanted. This is not over the top service, it is what you would expect from a hotel. I think the Poly is a beautiful resort, and I feel that a poor rating from a guide book will not harm them.

 

[boomhauer]

The Value part doesn't surprise me. At close to $400 a night, I'd expect perfect silence in my room, crystal clean hallways, etc. I've heard Poly lacks those 2 things. Alot of people complain about proximity to the Speedway.

I've always wanted to stay there. I simply won't pay the price.

 

[maxiesmom]

The only noise probelm I had during my Poly stay was the fireworks. They were pretty loud, but I didn't mind the noise. I didn't here any screaming kids or bathroom noises thru the walls, which is the kind of noise I don't like.

Most of the complaints I have read have been about relatively minor things--trash not picked up fast enough, dust in the rooms. Which you can have at any hotel. Just because they charge $$$ for a room does not make them immune to these problems. People have high expectations from the deluxe Disney resorts, and when they have even a small problem they are apt to be disapointed. For most people $400 a night for a room is a lot of money. And if you spend that much money, check in, and find something wrong, you would feel cheated. While if you spent only $99 for a room you might let it slide.

Don't let one travel guide make the decision for you on where to stay. If you have your heart set on the Poly, I think you should stay there. You can find bad comments about any hotel if you care to look for them.

 

[ilovemyears]

We love the Poly.

We've never had issues with noisy rooms and we've always enjoyed our stay there.

That being said, housekeeping there is abysmal. We came back from MK for a swim in the pool and a quick nap at 2:00 and our room had not yet been cleaned. We decided to swim first and at 3:30 our room had still not been cleaned. We laid down for 45 minutes (with no DND sign) then returned to the MK. When we returned from MK at 11:00 p.m. our room had still not been cleaned! Nor had any of the room service trays in the hallway been picked up (that had been sitting there when we originally left for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. that day!) From that point on, my husband called the front desk every day and told them he expected our room to be cleaned in a reasonable amount of time (after explaining the situation) and told them he expected room service trays to be picked up since the hallway smelled. Housekeeping became somewhat better with a phone call every day to remind them, but he shouldn't have had to do that.

We love the Poly and everything about it except for housekeeping. We are trying some other hotels now (not because of problems, but because we were in a rut) but would stay there again.

 

[Lauralee131]

We too have had a bunch of less than desirable issues with our stay at the Poly in December of '06. While it is a beautiful hotel and has a bunch of great features, i.e. monorail accessibility, the views/location - with the beach and being able to watch the fireworks and view the MK, as well as the awesome volcano pool; we had a lot of irritating issues (although seemingly minor) with room noise, bathroom/water issues, refrigerator issues, front desk CM's, etc...but I think for over $400/night, those picciune little things tend to overshadow the good stuff. BUT, and I have to stress this, everyone's experience is clearly different, and everyone's opinions are as well. Just because we had a few issues during our stay doesn't necessarily mean that you would, KWIM?

So please don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying DON'T stay there...I truly believe everyone should stay there at least once...I myself have stayed there several times over the years since it opened, but I personally think it's over-priced. Well, maybe that's not quite the right way to say it. If you think about it, just about all of Disney is over-priced ...

But if you're scrimping and saving for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation experience and spend it all on a hotel that seems like the walls are paper thin, the neighbors infant keeping you up all night, the refrigerator's not working (we went through 3 of them and finally gave up), etc...those little things are going to scream loudly in your head and over-shadow the beautiful resort itself...We're DVC members and used 2 years worth of points to stay there and were pretty disappointed that we'd used all those points for a less-than magical stay (in our opinion), but it wasn't completely UN-enjoyable. And I'm not saying I'd never stay there again... I believe any hotel could be hit or miss any time...

I'd say don't NOT stay there due to a few bad reviews...Maybe you could do a split-stay... just in case you're wary of staying there. Try it out for say, half of your stay or something. That way if you find out that you love it, you know for next time and if you find that it's not worth the money, then you didn't spend your entire vacation lodging budget on it.

Good luck with your decision ...I know what an overwhelming one it could be!

 

[ADP]

Resorts & restaurants for that matter at WDW will always be a "crap shoot" in my opinion. Will you run into CMs that are having a bad day? Yes, absolutely. Will that effect your experience negatively? Probably!

My point is you can read reviews from books and even here on the DIS and get varying opinions about resorts and restaurants, but the bottom line is you really need to experience it for yourself to form an opinion.

As for the value of the deluxe resorts they will always be rated low. At Disney owned resorts you are not paying for service unfortunately, you are paying for convenience/location (monorail, boats, views, etc) and amenities (number of onsite restaurants, spas, onsite shopping, etc).

One other note, and I'm not trying to make excuses, but Disney World employs 60,000 people. They have incredible turnover. It's a huge challenge to keep the entire resort staffed. This is a big reason Disney has turned to the Four Seasons and soon other hotel chains to build on there property because they simply can't keep up with staffing demands in the Orlando area.

 

[minnie61650]

Resorts & restaurants for that matter at WDW will always be a "crap shoot" in my opinion. Will you run into CMs that are having a bad day? Yes, absolutely. Will that effect your experience negatively? Probably!

My point is you can read reviews from books and even here on the DIS and get varying opinions about resorts and restaurants, but the bottom line is you really need to experience it for yourself to form an opinion.

As for the value of the deluxe resorts they will always be rated low. At Disney owned resorts you are not paying for service unfortunately, you are paying for convenience/location (monorail, boats, views, etc) and amenities (number of onsite restaurants, spas, onsite shopping, etc).

One other note, and I'm not trying to make excuses, but Disney World employs 60,000 people. They have incredible turnover. It's a huge challenge to keep the entire resort staffed. This is a big reason Disney has turned to the Four Seasons and soon other hotel chains to build on there property because they simply can't keep up with staffing demands in the Orlando area.

i agree.

As I stated on another thread the Disney deluxe resorts are laking when it comes to customer sevice.

----------------------------------------------------------------


One of the reasons I think (JMHO) that Disney has a hard time getting a solid 4 star rating (note they have never achieved a 5 star rating) is because they sorely lack in customer service.

Most 4 and 5 star hotels have experienced staff at the front desk checking in guests and handling customer's question and complaints. The check in is handled much speedier in most cases than at Disney. The staff at a 4 or 5 star is more prepared to answer questions and has the authority to handle most of the guest's complaints in a speedy fashion and to the satisfaction of the guest.

A lot of the CM's at the front desk at Disney's resorts --even their deluxe resorts are trainees-- many of these trainees are college students who are only there for a semester.

I do applaud Disney's college program and think it is great learning experience for them.

But having so many (inexperienced CM's) at the front desk slows down the check in process. Also if a guest has a problem a phone call quite often does not solve the problem.
The guest then needs to go to front desk to talk to talk to a CM in person but there is a long line of guests
so the guest with the problem(s) needs to wait in line which makes the guest even more frustrated.
Once the guest talks with the front desk CM the guest is often told they need to talk with the manager.
Why the manager?
Because the "trainee" CM does not have the knowledge and /or the authority to solve the problem.
What happens if the manager is unavailable?
The guest is given a phone number and told to call the manager later.

Those situations very rarely happen at most 4 star hotels but they happen way too often at Disney !

JMHO

 

[BCV23]

We've stayed at the Polynesian 30 times and absolutely love it. I find the rooms quieter than other WDW resorts we've stayed at. If someone lets their children run through the halls, of course there will be noise...Ritz Carlton, Polynesian or outside your window at Pop.

Check in is usually fast at the Polynesian. A few years back there were a few surly CMs at the front desk...not CPers BTW... but it seemed a short lived problem. We've been staying there since 1983 and most front desk CMs are delightful.

Having phone calls from the room go to a call center instead of the actual front desk is an issue but it is true at all the resorts.

I suspect the UG's rating on the Polynesian is skewed this year. I know Steve was encouraging people to send him reports of bad experiences a year or so ago. Some experience he had irritated him. I've been there so I understand. Any bad report is not acceptable but if they're collected for any WDW resort...any resort anywhere for that matter...it looks worse than the reality I think.

I think you will have a wonderful time at the Polynesian. I know we can't wait for our next stay there. Its fans are legion

 

[Geoff_M]

While we do like the Poly, I do agree that in the value part of the equation it is pretty weak. If you were to physically swap POR and the Poly, there would be little to keep the Poly from being considered a "moderate" resort.

 

[DisneyFans4]

I had an issue during my last stay at the Poly and as you can see from my signature I have never gone back. I stayed concierge and had an issue with a CM and management did nothing about it so I was very upset. I did send a letter to guest relations regarding that particular stay. My first stay there I had a wonderful time. That particular stay was just a bad one.

However, back to the issue on point, I was in the concierge building and it was noisy. I could hear guests in the rooms next to us and they weren't very loud. Compared to stays at other resorts their walls must be very thin.

I also didn't like the way the lounge was handled. I'm paying extra for the service and here are guests that somehow got access to the building and are bringing bags to stock up on food and I can see these guests leaving the building with them. I think someone should be posted at the entryway to make sure it is the concierge guests that are coming into the lounge.

There were other issues as well, however, rather than go into them I can see why the book has given the Poly the grades it has because it's obviously an issue with alot of guests.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have never had any real issues at the Poly. I have read the UG reviews (last one I have is 2006). I can say that although he consistently mentions speedway noise, I have never heard it at all in the buildings I have stayed in or at the pool or GCH.
Robin M.

 

[SeaSpray]

I bought the UG when I was planning my first big family trip to WDW and I had to stop reading it because it was too depressing. They made EVERYTHING sound negative and I felt it was being too picky about things that could change from one visit to the next (for example, noise in the hallways; who's to say next time there won't be quiet people in the hallway? Who's to say there isn't noise OR quietness at ANY of the resorts at any particular moment??). I just didn't like the writing style of the UG.

I want to add that while I was reading that book, I was planning our trip for Carbbean Beach Resort, and researching all of the WDW restaurants. At that time I wasn't even thinking of staying at the Polynesian!

My point is, and others have already said this, but if you see a place that looks good to you, go and try it yourself. I've stayed at the Polynesian on 3 different trips and the ONLY time I heard noise in our room was our first night on one of the trips, we heard people talking out on their balcony late at night, and we realized that this particular group had just arrived and were thrilled to see the castle right from their room. In a couple of minutes they quieted down. (But hey, it is an exciting moment the first time you walk through your room and see the castle, so I totally understood their excitement).

I'll be back at the Polynesian in 9 days and when I come back I'll be giving a report. So stay tuned.

 

[CoolPool]

If you read tikiman's website you will see that AAA awarded the resort 4 diamonds on Feb 18, 2007 after an inspection.

re: noise - at the AKL I'd often hear noise on balconies because people get so excited when they see the animals on the savannah. They start yelling "LOOK! Look at the zebra!" etc, etc. Am I going to call the front desk and complain? Really, cut your fellow travellors some slack sometimes. People get excited. Kids in particular get excited and there are a lot of them at Disney for some reason. Relax, you are on vacation.

 

[Disney Padawan]

I bought the UG when I was planning my first big family trip to WDW and I had to stop reading it because it was too depressing. They made EVERYTHING sound negative and I felt it was being too picky about things that could change from one visit to the next (for example, noise in the hallways; who's to say next time there won't be quiet people in the hallway? Who's to say there isn't noise OR quietness at ANY of the resorts at any particular moment??). I just didn't like the writing style of the UG.

I want to add that while I was reading that book, I was planning our trip for Carbbean Beach Resort, and researching all of the WDW restaurants. At that time I wasn't even thinking of staying at the Polynesian!

My point is, and others have already said this, but if you see a place that looks good to you, go and try it yourself. I've stayed at the Polynesian on 3 different trips and the ONLY time I heard noise in our room was our first night on one of the trips, we heard people talking out on their balcony late at night, and we realized that this particular group had just arrived and were thrilled to see the castle right from their room. In a couple of minutes they quieted down. (But hey, it is an exciting moment the first time you walk through your room and see the castle, so I totally understood their excitement).

I'll be back at the Polynesian in 9 days and when I come back I'll be giving a report. So stay tuned.

Thanks, I'll be looking foward to your trip report on this thread, have a great time!

 

[Disney Padawan]

I really appreciate you guys not watering anything down, it really helps to hear real past experiences. Reading these reviews doesn't ease my mind but I've heard Disney reads them so maybe improvements will be in order.

Now about some of my concerns, If I were to stay at the Poly I would pick "Rapa Nui" or specially "Tahiti." I really don't mind the 5/10 minute walk to the GCH. I was wondering if anyone has experienced exessive noise while staying at any of these areas? See, the book states that they tested outside/inside room noise with a radio playing a CD. They state that the Poly was one of the worst in this category. This is also why it got a bad "Value" grade, because resorts of this price should not have these issues.

My main concern however is not noise level, it's "Mousekeeping." If they felt the need to mention it, because of all the letters they received and their own researchers, then that worries me. The Poly was the only one who got a "Spotty service" statement as one of their "weaknesses!" (And I thought the all-star resorts had the most complaints?)

All in all, I can barely afford a stay at the Poly but I'm doing it for my DGF. This would be her first trip to WDW and she loves anything with an Island theme, plus I'm keeping the resort as a surprise. However, I know how she is, and she would be mortified if the room wasn't clean after we got back. I know this can happen at any resort but the Poly is very expensive and you'd expect a little better service, that's all. Obviously, I'm just hoping for everything to go smooth. I guess "bad service" is more forgiveable when you're not paying so much but these are supposed to be the "Deluxes" right?

Anyway, the more stories I hear (good or bad) the closer I'll get to my desicion. If anyone can answer my above question about "Rapa Nui" and "Tahiti" I would be grateful. Hopefully Disney will solve these apparent problems with the Poly very soon, maybe they're monitoring right now. Well, they need to hear these kind of things or else they'll never be resolved. Thanks for posting you guys, keep them coming.