Polynesian Tower theme park view

[Royal Consort]

It gets worse. 8122. Here is my theme park view first floor, 2-bedroom. What a joke!

By the way, they refused to move us the first night. They’ll only move you if you persist.

Don’t waste your points on these views. Everything facing the lagoon is considered TPV.

We took our patio chairs and dragged them down the beach.

I hate this. I never want to be a painful guest but sometimes the decisions Disney makes forces you to be a complaining guest. I am glad that you approached reception that this isnt acceptable.

 

[emchen]

It gets worse. 8122. Here is my theme park view first floor, 2-bedroom. What a joke!

By the way, they refused to move us the first night. They’ll only move you if you persist.

Don’t waste your points on these views. Everything facing the lagoon is considered TPV.

We took our patio chairs and dragged them down the beach.

Picture of the view after they moved you?

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Situations like @Jwaire ’s really kill my Disney morale. Just blatant greed that isn’t doing right by the customer. Like…can you even see any theme park AT ALL?!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

If there is enough pushback such that Disney needs to re-classify those “aggressively classified” names, how would it work to reallocate points? Aren’t the total number of points fixed per year? If they can’t lower the total number of points for those rooms without raising costs elsewhere, then potentially some of these rooms could become more expensive than the flagship VGF, right? It seems like there are potentially a lot of rooms that might need to be moved.

 

[MartyParty]

Used Google Maps and the answer is...
.78 Riviera to Ball, .9 Poly Tower to Castle (though I'm approximating where the PITower is).

Thanks Ursula. Got me to thinking. I'm probably going to regret this as it might direct more traffic to BLT.

Viewing distance from BLT to:
Space Mountain 0.25 miles
Cinderella's Castle 0.50 miles

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

Thanks Ursula. Got me to thinking. I'm probably going to regret this as it might direct more traffic to BLT.

Viewing distance from BLT to:
Space Mountain 0.25 miles
Cinderella's Castle 0.50 miles

Yaaaaass

 

[Genie+]

I hate this. I never want to be a painful guest but sometimes the decisions Disney makes forces you to be a complaining guest. I am glad that you approached reception that this isnt acceptable.

This is what I really do not appreciate. They shouldn’t manage things in such a way that most people will be dissatisfied. Paints guests into a corner of deciding from 2 choices:

Tolerate being the one to get a particularly bad value

Waste time and energy being the squeaky wheel.

It gets worse. 8122. Here is my theme park view first floor, 2-bedroom. What a joke!

By the way, they refused to move us the first night. They’ll only move you if you persist.

Don’t waste your points on these views. Everything facing the lagoon is considered TPV.

We took our patio chairs and dragged them down the beach.

Hopefully you did get moved?

They need to realize this is a very bad way to start a trip. Do they really expect people to just ‘suck it up’ - being sold something extra they really did not get. Or having to complain and waste time/energy trying to correct the situation.

 

[LoveBugs]

We're staying in a TPV 1 bedroom when we travel in June. What sort of room request would you all suggest? My initial thoughts are upper floor (5th-8th floor) and east side. Looking at the few photos up on Touring Plans, it seems 8516 and 8858 both have decent views. Thank you!

 

[Royal Consort]

They need to realize this is a very bad way to start a trip. Do they really expect people to just ‘suck it up’ - being sold something extra they really did not get. Or having to complain and waste time/energy trying to correct the situation.

They've been doing this for a while but Island Tower and TPV at VGF (the room with the view of a tree that blocks the park) being most egregious. Even Preferred, sorry, Resort View, at Riviera can range from really nice to abysmal. Unless you become the squeaky wheel you won't get what you paid points for. Yes, they expect you to suck it up. The company can inflate the points chart for their bottom line with the knowledge that the CMs can just deal with the disappointed guests.

I will no longer stay in rooms that provide compromised views if I paid points for a better view. Since I stay at WDW for two weeks, I will often visit my second resort and confirm my requests in person. I've found this helps. Making requests via member services seems to do little but I still do so. I check in early to confirm my request and if it hasn't been, I ask to be moved. It's more work on my end but I'd rather that than Disney roulette.

I'm polite and friendly and found that CMs at the coal face do try to help me out.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

We're staying in a TPV 1 bedroom when we travel in June. What sort of room request would you all suggest? My initial thoughts are upper floor (5th-8th floor) and east side. Looking at the few photos up on Touring Plans, it seems 8516 and 8858 both have decent views. Thank you!

FWIW, on Disney’s online check-in you can request either Higher Floor or room ready early. That’s what I plan to do.

I’m glad they seem to be updating/expanding those drop-down options at many resorts

 

[LoveBugs]

FWIW, on Disney’s online check-in you can request either Higher Floor or room ready early. That’s what I plan to do.

I’m glad they seem to be updating/expanding those drop-down options at many resorts

That’s good to know! In the past, I’ve called member services since the online options were so limited.

We’re doing a split stay here and at BLT, so I’m a bit nervous on room choice in both locations.

 

[RichVIII]

It does put CMs in a tough spot. I’m sure some just suck it up. It’s hard with the points you spend to not see the value.

I saw a post on FB for one room that was TPV and it was on the right side of PIT (looking out) - the section above the restaurant. Since it is so set back, that wall blocks so much of the view. It was more of a CR view than anything.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

We wandered over there this past trip and I’m convinced that the designers never bothered to check out the views before designing the space. The way most of the rooms are angled there’s either a view of the Poly Bungalows, Contemporary, or Grand Floridian. If I’m paying big $$$ for a theme park view I want an unobstructed view of the castle, not leaning way over the side of my balcony to catch a glimpse of space mountain.

I really like the layout of the rooms (3rd bathroom is awesome) but the cons way outweigh the pros for us.

 

[JOLT]

I am still trying to get in contact with members services after my initial email. the person I have been assigned never picks up their phone. I've also sent Yvonne an email regarding the view issues with no reply.

there are too many bad views to justify the gamble.

If they recategorize are they able to amend the initial point total since they have not sold out the resort or will they keep the total points and raise up resort/preferred?

 

[Genie+]

TPV at PIT is more like paying a point premium for late bookings - with the bonus of possibly getting a great view.

 

[ehh]

The monkey paw effect from all of these complaints is gonna be that they rename Theme Park View to Premium View (like they preemptively did with Duos).

They will change nothing else. The naming scheme will only get more confusing by moving to "Resort", "Preferred", and "Premium".

(As an aside, I loathe the tandem of "Preferred" and "Premium" as they sound way too similar, abbreviate similarly, and don't have any implicit hierarchy...in a world where TPV is renamed to Premium view, people are going to hear that they need to book Premium to see fireworks and book Preferred instead and then be disappointed...maybe a rename to "Fireworks" view would work?)

 

[Jwaire]

FWIW, on Disney’s online check-in you can request either Higher Floor or room ready early. That’s what I plan to do.

I’m glad they seem to be updating/expanding those drop-down options at many resorts

It doesn’t matter. I requested high floor at Island Tower not only on check in but through DVC.

They didn’t end up moving us because by the time my “complaint” got to the right person on night one, they didn’t have anywhere to put us.

The next day was our “resort day” and I was going to have to check out of the first floor room and be stuck without a room until 4 p.m. or after on night two.

My family, specifically my 81 year old grandmother, didn’t want that. We only stayed at Island Tower two nights.

I will say I left them with a list of issues in our non-requested accessible room from no water line to the fridge (so, no ice even though you had an ice maker), stuck barn doors where your family could see (and smell) you using the bathroom, broken/loose electrical outlets, the washer/dryer was a same drum/heat pump Whirlpool unit that was god awful and wouldn’t dry your clothes (so we left with damp clothes), leaking shower heads/wands, screeching shower door that wasn’t installed at level, etc.

It was an overall a huge disappointment and I’m an owner that so thought this would be the highlight of our trip!

The tower is beautiful. The restaurant, Wailulu, was amazing.

But our experience was borderline terrible. My worst and most expensive DVC experience by far.

On a happier note, when we got to Riviera our luck changed and we end up getting a Touring Plans-pick preferred room that was easy access to everything, immaculate, had a great view and everything works (including the ice maker!).

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

It doesn’t matter. I requested high floor at Island Tower not only on check in but through DVC.

They didn’t end up moving us because by the time my “complaint” got to the right person on night one, they didn’t have anywhere to put us.

The next day was our “resort day” and I was going to have to check out of the first floor room and be stuck without a room until 4 p.m. or after on night two.

My family, specifically my 81 year old grandmother, didn’t want that. We only stayed at Island Tower two nights.

I will say I left them with a list of issues in our non-requested accessible room from no water line to the fridge (so, no ice even though you had an ice maker), stuck barn doors where your family could see (and smell) you using the bathroom, broken/loose electrical outlets, the washer/dryer was a same drum/heat pump Whirlpool unit that was god awful and wouldn’t dry your clothes (so we left with damp clothes), leaking shower heads/wands, screeching shower door that wasn’t installed at level, etc.

It was an overall a huge disappointment and I’m an owner that so thought this would be the highlight of our trip!

The tower is beautiful. The restaurant, Wailulu, was amazing.

But our experience was borderline terrible. My worst and most expensive DVC experience by far.

On a happier note, when we got to Riviera our luck changed and we end up getting a Touring Plans-pick preferred room that was easy access to everything, immaculate, had a great view and everything works (including the ice maker!).

That all really stinks. Not surprised by the Riv contrast (we own both). I have the exact same itinerary coming up…

Honest question - could you see any of Magic Kingdom from your first floor room?

For argument’s sake, simply a very expensive room is a you problem, but not being able to see a theme park in a theme park view room is Disney’s problem. Pitchforks out for the latter.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

How many years did it take Disney to readjust BLT “TPV” to SV for the lower floors? Seems like PIT is on a collision course for that right out of the gate.

 

[drusba]

If there is enough pushback such that Disney needs to re-classify those “aggressively classified” names, how would it work to reallocate points? Aren’t the total number of points fixed per year? If they can’t lower the total number of points for those rooms without raising costs elsewhere, then potentially some of these rooms could become more expensive than the flagship VGF, right? It seems like there are potentially a lot of rooms that might need to be moved.

DVD has a long "excess greed" history of creating higher point cost rooms that should not be, e.g., when BLT first went on sale, the theme park view rooms included the third and fourth floors at the front of the building above the lobby from which the view was essentially only of a large parking lot. After DVD gets enough complaints, it make changes although even those may not be enough, e.g., with BLT those theme park rooms became standard view but the reality remains that the fifth and sixth floor theme park view rooms still have a main view of the parking lot and a monorail track.

And you are correct that any change cannot be done which changes the total points applicable to the resort. Instead, DVD shifts some points from those rooms changed to a lower point class to other rooms in a lower point class, e.g., when the change was done to BLT, all lake view rooms increased in point costs per night a little. A like transformation was made from AKV savanna view rooms to standard view in 2012 when the number of standard view rooms was significantly increased as a result of complaints that a a number savanna rooms did not have good savanna views. At SSR, all rooms of the same size used to have the same point costs per night, and that was changed to standard and preferred rooms with different point costs because of complaints that the most requested rooms were those in the Congress Park and Springs area, with the result that rooms in those two areas increased in point cost while rooms elsewhere decreased.