Resort Popularity

[dawgsgirl]

Does popularity of a resort lead to that resort eventually going downhill?? I was thinking about this the other day. It seems that there is always a resort "flavor of the day" on the Dis. For a long time, the WL was a favorite. Now, not so much. Hear lots of complaints about it. Same for the Poly. Right now, POFQ seems to be getting a lot of love. I have stayed there 3-4 times a year for the past 7-8 years. The past several visits were fine. I have no complaints. But, I usually go in low attendence times and have noticed that at POFQ things have changed with the crowds. Crowds at the bus stops are worse, the food court is more crowded. the pool is more crowded, etc, etc. I feel that the high occupancy rated has affected the overall experience of staying of POFQ. So, does the constant high occupancy rate at a resort eventually lead to its downfall?? Opinions??

 

[poohgirl6]

I think alot of it has to do with the age of the property. It's about time for WL to get a refurb I think. Plus, the Poly is a magical place, but its age is certainly showing (along with the once reliable monorail system).

POFQ has always had its fans, mostly due to the size of the resort. Now, with is just having finished a refurb, the rooms are newly done and getting rave reviews.

Plus, management + staffing can go in cycles resulting in either positive or negative reviews.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I think alot of it has to do with the age of the property. It's about time for WL to get a refurb I think. Plus, the Poly is a magical place, but its age is certainly showing (along with the once reliable monorail system).

POFQ has always had its fans, mostly due to the size of the resort. Now, with is just having finished a refurb, the rooms are newly done and getting rave reviews.

Plus, management + staffing can go in cycles resulting in either positive or negative reviews.

I very much agree.

It always seems that once a resort gets a refurb, its moved up to the top of the popularity polls!

I also think that as resort rates have gone up so much, its made it hard not to demand and expect more.

But for sure, no resort stays on the top for long!

 

[Johndough]

I wouldn't necessarily say that high occupancy rates would dramatically reduce the "quality of the resort" but the quantity of people may affect the "quality of the experience". Maybe the time of the year could also affect people's experience of the resort. For example, I would say more people would give less favorable reviews during really busy times (eg: between Christmas & New Years) compared to non-peak times (eg: October) when the food courts are jam packed, restaurants may be booked solid, etc.

 

[Missytara]

I wouldn't necessarily say that high occupancy rates would dramatically reduce the "quality of the resort" but the quantity of people may affect the "quality of the experience". Maybe the time of the year could also affect people's experience of the resort. For example, I would say more people would give less favorable reviews during really busy times (eg: between Christmas & New Years) compared to non-peak times (eg: October) when the food courts are jam packed, restaurants may be booked solid, etc.

That is my sentiments exactly. The week after Christmas/New Year's, there were alot of posts about unpleasant experiences and I think a lot of it was attributed to the crowd level.

I was at POR the week after Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. Not crowded, so we breezed through the Food Court and onto the buses with no issues. We swam in the pool every night and mostly had it to ourselves. We had a wonderful room location with connecting rooms, and got refurbished rooms without even asking for it. We were overjoyed.

Just a few weeks later, someone started an entire thread about never returning to POR, and it seemed their biggest complaint was the food court being too crowded as well as the buses. They complained about the room location being too far away, as well as getting a room that had not been refurbished yet. The place is only about half completed as of Christmas.

What do you expect on a week that is the most crowded week in the entire year for Disney????

 

[dawgsgirl]

I visit POFQ during low attendance times and I can say that the quality of my experience has decreased since the refurb and subsequent increased popularity. The resort is just flat out much more crowded. Yes, the rooms are better. But that is not the total resort experience. I would expect this during holidays, etc., but not at the times I visit. Crowds do affect the resort stay.

 

[PelletierBears]

I think alot of it has to do with the age of the property. It's about time for WL to get a refurb I think. Plus, the Poly is a magical place, but its age is certainly showing (along with the once reliable monorail system).

POFQ has always had its fans, mostly due to the size of the resort. Now, with is just having finished a refurb, the rooms are newly done and getting rave reviews.

Plus, management + staffing can go in cycles resulting in either positive or negative reviews.

I completely agree! If I'm considering 2 same category resorts I'll definitely book the one more recently renovated. We all spend so much to stay on site why not choose the most up to date?