The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: Our BC / Poly Split Stay Review.

[Mousemommy1]

Welcome back glad to hear you had a good trip! Arghhh, your review made me sad, I was looking forward to trying POLY club level on my trip next October. Now I am slightly concerned sad to hear it didn't live up to your hopes. I was the opposite last yr. My son and I gave up our POLY ressie to stay BC CL in Feb....I left feeling underwhelmed and missing our family favourite resort....AKL CL.
This time I was leaning towards keeping my ressie at the POLY as I need the 3 sleeping arrangements....I would do Boardwalk Inn Deluxe room, but that is quite a bit more costly than my current Poly reservation.
I don't want uncomfortable beds, loud rude neighbors and unruly lounge experience though.... Oh my, now I have a yr. To my trip and maybe my resort choice is not as settled as I had hoped

Oh Chimo... I can't say I don't understand this post. I read the review to DH and he again, said "so where are we switching to now"... As you know...BC has been on our short list as well, for SAB (especially in July) and DH likes the way the rooms look....AND it's cheaper!!! But...they don't have Wishes from the beach...or the larger room....I'm really trying here...

 

[pas130]

Welcome Home!!! How's DH????? I am glad to hear you enjoyed BC (because that's HRHs choice next year) Congrats on the upgrade! Very cool!!!

Sorry you were let down by Poly. Fellow guests really DO affect your stay, like it or not...That's why we really loved SL, it was like a big family party. We all knew each other, and our kids all played during the evening storms A nice, friendly feel.

And I need to add, I am SO glad you and the family were able to make the trip, we missed you girl

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale... or somesuch.



The Poly "Ugly":

• The CL Guests. I'm sure it's not unique to the Poly nor is it really the resort's fault, however the club level guests here struck me as "overly entitled" to the point where they let their kids run wild up and down the halls and in the lounge, left their dishes on the table and generally were ill-mannered. Old buildings with thin walls, maybe? It doesn't really excuse the kids screaming in the lounge to the point where the Wishes music couldn't be heard, nor the cooler door being left open or the kid who was taking food from the tongs and putting it right into his mouth. Seriously. *shakes head* Uncouthe folks are every where, this I get, but they seemed to be in an overflowing abundance in the Hawaii building.

We are Poly lovers and have been going for over 20 years with most visits spent staying CL. I have to agree with you about the screaming kids in the lounge, the huge mess they make and the parents who just don't seem to care I am a person who normally minds her own business, but if we run across some screaming rude children in the lounge this trip, I think I will finally say something to the parents. I just don't get the attitude - teach your kids some manners and maybe actually stay with your children and enforce them. The lounge isn't meant to be an activity center for children. After all, it is my vacation too. Ok, sitting back and waiting for the flames

Unfortunately, we had a similar experience during our stay last October. We had been Poly lovers for 15 years up until then. We had no desire to stay anywhere else. After that trip we were willing to give another resort a try. We changed our Dec. reservation to BC CL and loved it. I still love the Poly, but we are going back to the BC CL next month.

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

Great review!! I haven't been to the Polynesian yet--we prefer a King Bed Sorry you didn't love it!!

You should definately try YC next time!!

We love the YC (especially YC-CL)!! We did a lot of resort research and hopping before we started staying deluxe and we totally think that YC is quieter and feels more mature. The staff was great (not just because we got a lagoon view upgrade ) - they helped us move a ton of our ADRs around because I was really sick. Storm-a-long bay is great--we love it!! We also love Yachtsman and the Captain's Grille!! We keep thinking of giving BC a try--but wonder if we'll miss the mature feeling.

 

[rusty4]

You have me looking forward to our BC stay! Thank you for such a informative review.

I am curious, did you or your parents do online checkin? Did you have any requests on your reservation? Trying to decide to request a preference or not.

 

[MickeyNicki]

The Poly "Ugly":

The CL Guests. I'm sure it's not unique to the Poly nor is it really the resort's fault, however the club level guests here struck me as "overly entitled" to the point where they let their kids run wild up and down the halls and in the lounge, left their dishes on the table and generally were ill-mannered. Old buildings with thin walls, maybe? It doesn't really excuse the kids screaming in the lounge to the point where the Wishes music couldn't be heard, nor the cooler door being left open or the kid who was taking food from the tongs and putting it right into his mouth. Seriously. *shakes head* Uncouth folks are every where, this I get, but they seemed to be in an overflowing abundance in the Hawaii building.




We found the same thing to be true during our Poly GV CL stay in Nov 09 but that could be because we overlapped some of the Thanksgiving people...before they all arrived we didnt have any of this.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've done both of those resorts and come away with the same feelings....though both nice resorts and CL offerings and mannerisms we not to our liking...especially after paying good money to do CL (glad you got to sample CL as an up grade)....though in years past, WL CL was the better of the group.....but with the higher cost and lower discounts out for a few years...we've decided it's just not worth the extra for CL anymore...

We've moved onto other resorts where we feel not as crowded, better loafing lounges and alot less passing guests that overcrowd the resort....we're still deluxe stayers, just pass on the CL aspect and just take that savings and pick up snacks and alcohol and drinks in route and have our own CL in a regular room at half the cost.....seems like the CL lounge got to be like cafeteria's.....no more ambiance etc.....

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

The Poly "Ugly":

• The CL Guests. I'm sure it's not unique to the Poly nor is it really the resort's fault, however the club level guests here struck me as "overly entitled" to the point where they let their kids run wild up and down the halls and in the lounge, left their dishes on the table and generally were ill-mannered. Old buildings with thin walls, maybe? It doesn't really excuse the kids screaming in the lounge to the point where the Wishes music couldn't be heard, nor the cooler door being left open or the kid who was taking food from the tongs and putting it right into his mouth. Seriously. *shakes head* Uncouth folks are every where, this I get, but they seemed to be in an overflowing abundance in the Hawaii building.

We have stayed at the Poly 4 times, twice in Club Level. That being said, we have also stayed at WL, BC, and YC in Club Level and we've found there are entitled guests everywhere.

In September 2010 we saw some particularly obnoxious families like a "gentleman" that asked for 3 beers, proceeded to suck back all three in the span of 45 minutes and then asked for 6 more! The wife from this family was the type who "took over" the food area, butting in front of people, etc...and the children nearly forcibly removed other children from the kid's area.

Sadly, they were there nearly our entire week. Sometimes, I feel like we generally notice the bad more than the good. Everyone noticed the screaming child throwing a fit, but we tend to fail to notice the half dozen other well behaved children in the same area.

Unfortunately, some people just feel entitled to whatever they want, whenever they want it.

I guess I'm trying to say, for every bad guest, there are usually a lot more good guests.

 

[MAGIC...itis!]

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale... or somesuch.

Thanks for your honest review. I enjoyed it, and Im glad you enjoyed your vacation.

We really enjoy BC (and YC) an awful lot for all the reasons you've also mentioned. Our last BC CL visit in DEC 2010 was pretty good overall (but not great), but no worries, every resort and every person has a bad day sometimes. We'll still go back to BC in a heartbeat.

We do like Poly for the most part, but we definitely are also Poly lobby un-lovers. I just don't get that relaxed vibe in such a noisy and usually busy environment. We try to avoid it whenever possible. We haven't stayed Poly in a while as we were on "strike" due to two main issues: refurb and Volcano Pool madness. That said, for now Poly IS back on our Aug 2012 calendar... the refurb hasn't occurred yet , but they did start issuing wristbands at Volcano Pool.

Time to pack for Chicago...

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Christine! Helloooooooo!

Regarding the room size, our room was on a corner; are these normally bigger? All I had to compare it with was my parents' room right next door (non-corner) which had no daybed -- it was much bigger than theirs. Not sure about the Poly room, though the BC one seemed bigger -- it could be due to the difference in colour schemes between the two: the darker Poly woods and browns with the white-washed BC theme.

I'm so with ya on not spending the dough on CL but putting it toward a better view. It was definitely nice to get the pixie dust upgrade but I'd not book CL for us again.

I'm not sure which, but a BC CM told me about some extra large BC rooms with a daybed - when I checked the location these were corner rooms, though the ones I saw had a full size balcony. It does sound like you lucked out with an exta large room and a chance to try CL! So happy for you!!!

 

[heidijanesmith]

Sit right back and you'll hear a tale... or somesuch.

[Other "Goods" from the Beach Club:

• Stormalong Bay. Seriously. It's an amazing pool. It practically felt like we had the place to ourselves. We spent the majority of our swim-time in the lazy river bit and the kiddo adored it. Can't wait to try it out. My kids are really exciated about SAB.
  
• Walking to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. This was the probably the best part of staying here -- along with the pool. We loved being able to just hoof it back and forth to Epcot, Hollywood Studios and over to the Boardwalk every night. Also, walking to the Dolphin (or as we called it the "Goldfish") for breakfast at Fresh was well worth it. Do yourself a favor and check out Fresh for their AM offerings ... and real coffee (Starbucks). It's a welcome break from the overpriced sameness of Disney nosh. We love EPCOT, so it's great to hear that the walk is enjoyable.
  
  
  We love the Poly and totally agree with you on location. So easy to walk to the TTC.
• Location. We realized after our only ride on the Resort Monorail, why we preferred to walk over to the TTC to catch the monorail. Walking over to the Grand was nice, too.
  
• The Grounds. Love to stroll around the longhouses. (Much better than perusing the lobby, see below.) One of our favorite things to do is explore the grounds
  
• Watching the fireworks from the beach. Can't beat this view for MK fireworks. We like watching Wishes from the Poly beach better than at MK, no pushing crowds!
  
  The Poly "Bad":
  
• The Pool. This is a direct result of being thoroughly spoiled by the immense Stormalong Bay. The Volcano Pool just can't compete with that. Unfair maybe -- but there ya go. Totally agree, this was the one thing that we thought needed improvement. The pool was small and crowded. We liked the quiet pool better, but now the deep end is filled in, so I'm not sure we would like it still.
  
  
  
  

• 
  
  Thanks for your great review of both resorts. I appreciate all your great info

 

[Sammie]

Glad you had a good trip. Sadly the bad apples and I don't mean the kind you eat have ruined CL at Disney for us forever.

For the cost, it is not worth it to us.

 

[meg_twittles]

Thanks for the review

 

[chimo2u]

Oh Chimo... I can't say I don't understand this post. I read the review to DH and he again, said "so where are we switching to now"... As you know...BC has been on our short list as well, for SAB (especially in July) and DH likes the way the rooms look....AND it's cheaper!!! But...they don't have Wishes from the beach...or the larger room....I'm really trying here...

Mouse Mommy! ai, ai, ai....I haven't changed yet...trying to hold strong!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Mouse Mommy! ai, ai, ai....I haven't changed yet...trying to hold strong!

I'm sooooo WEAK!!!!!

 

[kaffinito]

We are Poly lovers and have been going for over 20 years with most visits spent staying CL. I have to agree with you about the screaming kids in the lounge, the huge mess they make and the parents who just don't seem to care I am a person who normally minds her own business, but if we run across some screaming rude children in the lounge this trip, I think I will finally say something to the parents. I just don't get the attitude - teach your kids some manners and maybe actually stay with your children and enforce them. The lounge isn't meant to be an activity center for children. After all, it is my vacation too. Ok, sitting back and waiting for the flames

I totally agree with you. Besides the behavior of the patrons in the lounge, the children running up and down the hallways screaming in the Hawaii building, and the very poor service we had there will keep me away from Poly CL. I would still book a GV or TPV room there, but won't do CL there again!

Welcome back glad to hear you had a good trip! Arghhh, your review made me sad, I was looking forward to trying POLY club level on my trip next October. Now I am slightly concerned sad to hear it didn't live up to your hopes. I was the opposite last yr. My son and I gave up our POLY ressie to stay BC CL in Feb....I left feeling underwhelmed and missing our family favourite resort....AKL CL.

Honestly I would do AKL C again before I'd stay at Poly CL again! It's an underwhelming experience, and really made me miss AKL CL. (We did an AKL/Poly CL split that year)

They do have a CL room with bunk beds at AKL CL...

 

[kaffinito]

Shoot!

I forgot...

Glad you're back Miss and thanks for the review!

 

[padawans]

Welcome back glad to hear you had a good trip! Arghhh, your review made me sad, I was looking forward to trying POLY club level on my trip next October. Now I am slightly concerned sad to hear it didn't live up to your hopes. I was the opposite last yr. My son and I gave up our POLY ressie to stay BC CL in Feb....I left feeling underwhelmed and missing our family favourite resort....AKL CL.
This time I was leaning towards keeping my ressie at the POLY as I need the 3 sleeping arrangements....I would do Boardwalk Inn Deluxe room, but that is quite a bit more costly than my current Poly reservation.
I don't want uncomfortable beds, loud rude neighbors and unruly lounge experience though.... Oh my, now I have a yr. To my trip and maybe my resort choice is not as settled as I had hoped

I really don't understand why people change resorts based on somebody elses good or bad experience. For every good review you will you will find a bad one. Bed comfort is purely suggestive. Loud guests are everywhere. You really should try a resort and make up your own mind. I am trying Bc next week. There is nothing about this resort that I like based on the pictures, but I am willing to give it a try to make up my own mind. If I changed my mind everytime I read a review I would be changing everyday.

 

[21hearts]

Sounds like you had a pretty good trip. Thank you for your reviews - especially about the Beach Club. My DH wants to try it out next May.

 

[chimo2u]

I totally agree with you. Besides the behavior of the patrons in the lounge, the children running up and down the hallways screaming in the Hawaii building, and the very poor service we had there will keep me away from Poly CL. I would still book a GV or TPV room there, but won't do CL there again!



Honestly I would do AKL C again before I'd stay at Poly CL again! It's an underwhelming experience, and really made me miss AKL CL. (We did an AKL/Poly CL split that year)

They do have a CL room with bunk beds at AKL CL...

Sad to hear that Kaffinito unfortunately bunk bed room won't be good for us, too small for my monster son, and my GF wouldn't want to be relegated to a bunk bed, ....even though she is a petite thing!
I will just have to take my chances with POLY Club and hope going first week of Oct, it is a little slower and not overrun by crowds of unruly people! I hope my experience is a good one!