Tikiman update

[ReneeDisney]

Staying at the Poly in Feb 2005 and looking forward to reading Tikiman's update.

Thanks for the great site and your hard work Tikiman!

 

[outahere]

We leave in 2 weeks for Poly LVC...... can't wait to hear the latest from Steve.

 

[Tikiman]

Well I will have more details but here is what is coming.

Review of our Dolphin stay.
New details of all Lagoon views
Details about every longhouse and new information about garden views.
Some info about changes to rooms and big resort changes in the future including changing of the GCH.
Stories about guest abuse of lounge area and CM’s.
The real reason water is no longer offered in the lounge and why food offerings may change if some keep abusing the privilege of the offerings.
Resort Ids being checked (sometimes) at the pool and the whole family we saw take over all the chairs at the pool who were staying at a moderate resort!!!
Lots of great stories and a few bad ones.

I may not end up posting all of the information here since I am writing a full report somewhere else and it may be too long for everyone to read. Also I am not interested in any more harassing emails.

I will be posting all the new photos in the next few weeks with lots of new view information on my web page. I did get to see some of the “Test room” stuff but I was asked not to post photos and I will not be giving out the location of the test rooms.

I will say our stay was one of the best and we met some of the nicest people ever!!! Thank you to all who had cards sent to our room and gift baskets. It was not necessary at all.

 

[BCV23]

Glad you had a good stay, Tikiman. Very curious to hear your details.

Can you tell us the new colors for the rooms?

Can't understand harrassing emails to anyone much less you! What a shame!

 

[DisneyFans4]

Hey Tikiman
I don't like that you've been getting harrassing e-mails!! Your are such a great help to alot of us and it's not right. You have always stated that everything you say is based upon your opinion so you've always been up front right from the get go.
I myself can relate to the guest abuse as I saw it firsthand last Aug. I had stayed concierge and there were some guests that received a free upgrade to concierge that did not know how to behave.
I had seen people only dressed in their robes coming to the lounge and I had also seen MANY people with plastic bags come to the lounge and fill them up with food not having any consideration for the rest of the guests. Children just coming in with filthy hands dripping in their bathing suits and not using the thongs and just grabbing at food....unfortunately it just goes on and on.
I think it's a good idea to check resort ID's because I too had seen people who were not staying at the Poly be at the pool.
I had a feeling the time would come when changes would have to be made.
I would like to know the reason for not having the water. They did have it when I was there last year so it must have just stopped after I left.
I look forward to the updates and Tikiman, there are alot of us who support you and don't let those few discourage the fantastic work you do here!!

 

[dutch63]

Aloha Tikiman

I am happy to hear that your trip went well. We leave on Aug 10th for the Poly and have reserved a lvc. I wanted to tell you how much your information has helped me with last years trip and this years. I can totally empathize with the hectic nature that typically ensues upon return to civilization. I only ask that if you are able to post report before next Tuesday could you make sure and let us know how to access it. You mentioned perhaps posting it somewhere else due to length. Again on behalf of so many we do appreciate your insight and reporting on the Poly and sorry to hear about the email onslaught.
Mahalo Nui Loa Dutch

 

[Tikiman]

BCV23,

The new colors (subject to change still) are very dark. Even darker than the AKL rooms. Lots of rusty orange and natural textures. The light colored bamboo chair rail is dark brown also. Everything in the room is new including a dresser with a 27” TV and desk area. The day bed will still be there but it will fold so it is smaller when not used. More to come later.

DisneyFans4,

It is no big deal with the emails. I was as surprised as you when I received them but there is one in every crowd. I have plenty of other places to post my opinion. I will try to keep most of my info here facts unless asked directly.

The water issue was that the Polynesian was one of the only concierge lounges to have it available and once management found out that housekeeping was finding 6-8 (on average) bottles of water unused at checkout time stashed all around the rooms they looked into water concussion and they were using about 30 cases a day. They decided to pull the plug on the water bottles. I was also told that if people keep hording all the food the way some do they will offer less hot items. We saw a few families where one member would load up the tray from the room more than once and bring it to the room. We watched one person take all the PB&J sandwiches and a girl take 12 deserts which she threw them all away after tasting it and not liking it.

We did also see some people in just robes (nothing else) and families right from the pool dripping their way through the lounge.

The food offerings were great and I will list them all later but if some people don’t get a clue they will ruin it for the majority of us as was done with the water.

 

[DisneyFans4]

Hi Tikiman
Well it seems nothing has changed in another year as far as the concierge lounge. I just don't understand some people! As you indicated...they will ruin it for the others. Why would people take all that water when they know it's readily available in the lounge at all times??
Last year I had seen people literally make an entire meal out of the evening service and other guests, myself included, watching in amazement while standing in the line wondering if they would leave anything for us. I remember seeing Dick in such disgust because he had to work so hard to make more food because there wasn't enough and at that time it was real tough because concierge was in the Tahiti building where there wasn't a kitchen and he was cooking in one area and bringing the food to Tahiti so I felt bad for him.
They are going to have to start to crackdown because this type of behavior just cannot continue. I swore that alot of people were not even staying concierge but were just getting right into the building (which was very easy to do) and helping themselves.

 

[johnsonet]

Gosh - it just makes me so disgusted to hear all of this. Why do people just not act right! It's pathetic! I hate to think that the wonderful food offerings in the concierge lounges might not be as wonderful and varied if the creeps that "horde" and abuse their "priveleges" don't chill out!
I was at BWI CL a couple of weeks ago and it is such an incredibly dignified, lovely place with just wonderful people working there and on the welcome letter they add at the bottom "While enjoying our lounge amenities, may we suggest footwaer; and for swimmers, a beach cover-up." I mean, is that a sad state of affairs, or what?
As to guests taking "all the PB&J sandwiches"or "12 desserts" - what are they thinking? They should be ASHAMED! Instead, I'm sure they couldn't care less! And please don't anyone respond with "How do you know the girl wasn't taking one for each of her parents and 9 siblings..."

 

[wdwfan]

I'm beginning to think that the people who horde food must think that the concierge lounge is an all you can eat buffet! It's unbelievable!

 

[skiwee1]

Unfortunately there will always be people that think nothing of making a meal out of the offerings simply because they paid for concierge. I just read a trip report where some family ended up not going to dinner a few times because the offerings were so good at the concierge lounge. Personally I don't blame them from taking the water bottles away. I believe that if one can afford concierge then they can afford to buy bottled water. From what I have read on these boards about folks acting like pigs and grabbing all the food to the bumpkins that turn up in a public lounge wearing robes just makes me not want to waste money staying with such clowns. I really don't think it has anything to do with some getting upgrades and not know how to behave in concierge. I've read too many times here that there are folks that always stay concierge and think nothing of turning up at the lounge in their robe! Unbelievable!

 

[thatdarncat]

Here's a totally random question... I am keeping on top of this thread due to tikiman's generousity in informing us with the Poly updates and such, and I never stayed concierge. I was just wondering what comes with staying concierge, besides these snack offerings I keep hearing about on the boards. I was toying with the idea of doing it, but I'm not sure if it's for me. Can anyone tell me about it?

 

[DisneyFans4]

As I indicated in a previous post, I personally witnessed families making "meals" out of the evening service and they downright had that home feeling.
In the morning I had seen many men, and actually more women, arrive in the lounge for the breakfast service with their robes on and obviously nothing else underneath. I'M talking "straight out of the bed or shower" look. I mean come on..let's have some dignity!!! I had even come across a man in the laundry room who was doing his laundry in just his robe!!! Now if that doesn't take nerve!!! And the make matters worse, it was these people that would leave the table and not even clean up after themselves!!
It is ashame what it's come down to and in time they won't even do this anymore.

 

[Tikiman]

Thatdarncat,

The offerings in the lounge are part of the service but the other part is having the concierge desk in the building to help with what ever you need. Also the location of the concierge building is one of the best spots at the Polynesian. You can read and see more about concierge on my concierge page of my web pages.

There is talk about when the rooms get changed that the concierge rooms will have additional features that are different than the standard rooms. Right now the rooms are the same other than the refrigerator.

Our room was also a test room for a new wall texture that is one of 3 rooms in the Hawaii longhouse to look slightly different than the others but the big changes are yet to come.

Aloha

Steve

 

[tinkerbella22]

Tikiman,

When will the changes come? Also pleae let me know where you are posting your report. Either PM meor e mail me. All you have done is provide a wealth of information for people. Who could be mad about that? The same people in their bath robe eating 12 desserts.....

 

[thatdarncat]

Excellent thanks! I can hardly wait to get there. I am looking forward to my first time Poly stay and to get back to Disney after such a long time!!

 

[ValerieK]

I am looking forward to your updates. We will be at the Poly GVC in Oct/Nov. We haven't stayed at the Poly since 2000, I am looking forward to going back. DH and I honeymooned there, we had such a wonderful time.

You now have me worried about our trip to the Dolphin. We will be there for a conference that DH has. I hope it is not bad.

That is sad that people are sending you harrassing emails. YOur site and the information you provide is wonderful.

As to the 12 year old girl taking a bunch of desserts. We stayed BC CL in May, well DS10 filled his plate up with desserts, it was stacked high. I was so embarassed. I made him eat all of them. I told him it was inappropriate and rude to others to do that. Well he didn't do it again. I could understand a 12 year old not knowing any better, but the adults. I hope they don't ruin for others.

We stay CL because I am spoiled and like the level of service and the help I get from the CM's, yes the food is nice, but not the reason we stay CL.

 

[susy]

Wow! I am almost happy that I cancelled the Poly concierge in favor of POFQ! I would not want to see that type of behavior-especially since we would be spending a good chunk of our vacation fund to stay there. No... I think French Quarter will be just fine. We are only going for three nights anyway. I think I want to save the Poly for a longer vacation -at least seven days...

 

[k&a&c'smom]

Tikiman - Welcome home, and so glad you had a great trip! DD and I leave for the Poly CL in about 10 days. I, too, would like to read your full report, if you could let us know where to find it.

 

[SeaSpray]

Steve:

Welcome home! And as always, thank you for the time and effort you put into giving us up to date info regarding the Polynesian resort

I will be staying at the Polynesian, in a lagoon view concierge room, for the first time, in about 4 weeks. My entire family can't wait. We fell in love with the resort while dining at the Kona Cafe back in 2001, and we decided back then that our next family visit would be at the Polynesian

I am looking forward to your info and photos.

Sincerely,
Terry