Polynesian Review

[Friend of Figment]

I stayed last week at the Poly. I usually stay at the Contemporay, but everyone raves so about the Poly I thought I would try it. I wasn't that thrilled.

Positives: large room with a beautiful view
(3020 in Tahiti), lovely gardens

Negatives: very spread out, housekeeping was ok, but not great, service overall was lacking.

I guess the service was the most disappointing to me. The CM who checked me in never smiled or looked me in the eye. Either Magical express or Bell Services lost my bag for several hours and no one returned my calls about it. The last day the bellman said he would arrange a town car for me when he stored my luggage. When I came back to leave, there was no record of my reservation.

The Kona Cafe was as delicious as ever, but I can eat there and stay elsewhere.

I'll go back to the Contemporary next time.

[jsdt]

I have never stayed at either one (check that I stayed at the Polynesian when I was 6 but remember very little of the hotel). Ignoring the service at the Poly, why do you like one over the other? I have always leaned toward trying the Poly, but was curious what you like about the Contemporary that would lead you to pick that based upon the amenities? Thanks.

[TiggeRia]

I have never stayed at the CR, so I can't compare it to the Poly. However, I have to agree with you and say that I was less than impressed with the service. We were in Tahiti as well with a MK view room. Mousekeeping left much to be desired--our first day in the room the quilt from the daybed was left in a heap in the corner (where it remained the entire trip) and the coffee pot area was full of dirty dishes. They corrected the dirty dishes fairly quickly, but I wasn't that impressed overall throughout the week. Even checking in, our CM wasn't that friendly. I felt that I got better service at the POP. We were definitely paying for location, location, location. The resort was beautiful and the views were great, being on the monorail was fantastic and I would stay there again just because of those perks, but not because of the service.

[Jen C.]

Oh Boy...

Two years ago I stayed at teh Poly and I felt just the same as you. In fact the year prior I had stayed at WL, and was actually almost "disappointed" in the Poly. Part of the reason I believe is because it is so highly regarded here on these boards. I also experienced the EXACT problems you reported. Last year we stayed at CR and LOVED that too, our only complaint was the pool. This year I decided to give the Poly another chance and am doing so in 8 days. Now I'm very nervous:confused:. I'm sorry to hear that you were not impressed....for you and me both!:(

[MinniesMom]

I am so glad to see this post! I stayed at the Poly 2 years ago and was also EXTREMELY disappointed in the service. I never posted about it because as another poster said "Poly is so highly regarded on these boards." I am glad to see that I am not alone in my observations.

On top of the poor service I had an awful experience when I checked in. My family was given a room the smelled so bad (musty and smoky) that after 30 minutes, we couldn't take it anymore. I called the desk and we were given another room. Well, not more then 10 minutes after we switched rooms, I realized that I had left my daughter's brand new shoes in the other room. When I called the front desk again to inquire about getting the shoes back they said that they had already checked someone else into that room! Because it was so late, I didn't want to knock on the door so I left it up to the front desk/mousekeeping to get the shoes back. Needless to say I never saw her shoes again!

[4277]

I stayed @ the Poly this past May. I thought that mousekeeping did a great job. I had 2 negatives - check in cm was not very friendly & we had a long walk to our room (Tahiti). We stayed @ the CR our previous trip. I have to say that I like CR better as long as you stay in the tower section, that way you won't have to walk so far to get to your room.

[Jen C.]

:ill: I think I'd better stop reading this thread...

:crying::cry: Did I make a mistake???

[mouseketeer mom]

NO! You didn't make a mistake!
Never had a disappointment at the Poly. Feel happiest and most "at home" there.
I never felt like the resort was spread out. On the contrary., ..why, when we stayed at the Beach Club it was a hike and a half to the lobby, buses, food, and same with AKL.
Poly remains #1 with us!
We are thinking of trying 3 nights of the CR atrium club before our Thanksgiving stay at the Poly. I'm nervous about that! Seems sooo different from the Poly. Will I feel silly walking to the pool in my suit thru that massive busy building????:blush:Yikes. If anyone can reassure me about the atrium club, I'd love it!
Don't worry about the Polynesian!!!

[Friend of Figment]

What I like about the CR:
I really like the new room decor.
The service has always been very friendly with CMs remebering you by the second day.
Any question or problem has been answered/fixed promptly.
The in room computer is great.
I have always stayed in the tower so you are much closer to shops and restaurants.

I didn't have a miserable time at the Poly, but it didn't replace CR in my heart.

[Jen C.]

NO! You didn't make a mistake!
Never had a disappointment at the Poly. Feel happiest and most "at home" there.
I never felt like the resort was spread out. On the contrary., ..why, when we stayed at the Beach Club it was a hike and a half to the lobby, buses, food, and same with AKL.
Poly remains #1 with us!
We are thinking of trying 3 nights of the CR atrium club before our Thanksgiving stay at the Poly. I'm nervous about that! Seems sooo different from the Poly. Will I feel silly walking to the pool in my suit thru that massive busy building????:blush:Yikes. If anyone can reassure me about the atrium club, I'd love it!
Don't worry about the Polynesian!!!

You will LOVE CR Atrium Club! The CM's were SO friendly. The views and the lounge are TDF! Thanks for providing me with the reassuring words.
I don't think you have to be "miserable" to have a bad time at a resort. I think disappointment is tougher to deal with. If something is out and out, without a doubt wrond that leads to misery, you can complain, and rightfully so. If you're room is just so-so clean, CM's not as friendly as you like, etc., you feel less like "complaining", because you question if there is something to complain about~at least that is what happened during my previous stay. When it really starts to feel bad is when you have to pay the bill, and you get home and think that your trip was magical, but not as magical as it could have been. That's a big bummer.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I stayed at the Contemporary with a MK view in Nov and at the Poly with a regular view in January and without a doubt the Poly was 10 times better. The CMs were so friendly and helpful at the Poly, not so at the Contemporary. I booked a MK view 6 months in advance at the CR only to be told when we checked in, sorry, we over booked it. Then they never called us to say when the room opened up, DH had to call and initiate the room change. Very disappointing:( Also the food court was a dump. Not everyone is eating at the restaurants, sometimes I just want something from the food court.
But the Poly was fantastic. I loved it there and if I could afford it I would never stay anywhere else again:thumbsup:
Jen C you did not make a mistake:mickey:

[Nekochan]

Glad to hear poly isn't that bad - I leave TOMORROW and AGONIZED over the extra money for the Poly.

[CanadianWDWFan]

We stayed at the Poly last summer and LOVED every minute of it. This was even during the Captain Cook's rehab as well. The CM's were all friendly, Mousekeeping was above anything we had experienced before. Bell services were fabulous. I loved the feel of being on the Islands, I was the most relaxed at this resort than Ihad been at anyother one.

Sorry to hear that you didn't have the same experiences as we did.

[luvdiznee]

I'm going to go in with the attitude that I did not make a mistake. :mickey:

[CanadianWDWFan]

I'm going to go in with the attitude that I did not make a mistake. :mickey:
:thumbsup: That is the best attitude to have! Don't sweat the little things in life!

[Jen C.]

I'm going to go in with the attitude that I did not make a mistake. :mickey:

Good idea:thumbsup: Me, too! Attitude is everything!:number1:

[Dicecatt262]

I feel sad that the OP had such a non magical experience. The Polynesian is so wonderful to me that we stayed there in September last year and are returning in 2 weeks! Obviously we loved it if we are going back to the same place! To the poster that is worried...don't be. Poor housekeeping and non friendly employees can be found at any resort, that isn't exclusive to the Poly and most likely the OP and the few others posting had the sour employees that every resort has somewhere. It is unfortunate, because especially when you are paying as much as you are for the Poly, you should at least have the room cleaned well and smiles from the Cast Members!

Why I like the Poly and it remains my favorite resort: The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are large and well appointed, the lobby is gorgeous, the restaurants are good, the shops are fun, the pool is fun, the view is magnificent, the transportation is so convenient, and the Cast members (usually) aloha you all over the place.

[SurferStitch]

DH and I are staying there for the very first time in 106 days, and I have no worries at all!!

I've heard SO MANY glowing reviews that I'm sure our stay there will be just as magical. :cloud9:

[jwallace378]

i stayed in the Hawaii building @Poly in May of 2005 and everything was great. I'm sorry to see so many people have complaints about Poly.

[pox24]

Never had one... our 6th trip to the Poly is coming up in Oct. and we can't wait. We always got our room request too. Maybe it was just bad timing. CR, GF are also on our five finger list and they are just as great and have never given is any concern.

[NJMan66]

I work with numbers so consider this:

1000 people stay at the Poly;
90% are extremely happy
7% are happy
2% are slightly un-happy
1% are extremely unhappy

3% = 30 people who were either un-happy or extremely un-happy; but 900 people are extremely happy. Unhappy people tend to post their feelings more in forums than happy people. That's just human nature. I am not belittling negative comments. In fact the more negative comments the more information WDW has to correct it's mistakes. However, I would suggest not making any changes to hotel reservations based on a few negative posts.

[boobalk]

:twocents: We've tried them all. If your looking for excellent rooms, great mousekeeping, very friendly CMs, try the WL. Deluxe accomodations just a short boat ride from MK and TTC. :thumbsup:

[chechas]

My daughter and I started the tradition a few years ago of spending Xmas at the Poly. This year with the change in policy (each night can be charged at a different rate) we were going to change hotels due to the much much higher cost since I would not be getting the Florida Resident discount for all 6 nights but we just couldn't do it. LOL Polynesian Resort has become so much a part of our Christmas tradition that we decided to give up a couple weekend trips between now and then and drop a night in order to go and stay at the wonderful Poly!

Just my 2 cents. LOL

[mttafire]

I work with numbers so consider this:

1000 people stay at the Poly;
90% are extremely happy
7% are happy
2% are slightly un-happy
1% are extremely unhappy

3% = 30 people who were either un-happy or extremely un-happy; but 900 people are extremely happy. Unhappy people tend to post their feelings more in forums than happy people. That's just human nature. I am not belittling negative comments. In fact the more negative comments the more information WDW has to correct it's mistakes. However, I would suggest not making any changes to hotel reservations based on a few negative posts.
I agree 100%. Like alot of things in life the "3%" folks DO voice thier opinions more often and loudly. Overall the Poly like ALL Disney resorts is TOP NOTCH and the few complaints they do get is few and far between. Certainly no need to change a thing. I also agree this is NOT to belittle anyone, It just seems that the "complainers" do complain loudly. Thats just the way it is.

[Clotho]

Just in general, I am sure that in any hotel there will be a hand-full of bad experiences--even enough to resolve those patrons to take their business elsewhere. It doesn't negate the hundreds of glowing reviews that are all over the place.:thumbsup:

Sorry, OP, that your stay was a disappointment. For me, I am thrilled that 8 days from today I will be at the Poly sipping a Lapu Lapu on the beach!

[vamaggie]

I am a firm believer in trying to rectify any "problems" while there rather than waiting til I get home to complain. If a service industry person is having a bad day and really is not helpful, I will ask to talk with a manager. I don't see it as "narc-ing" on someone but letting mgmt know so improvements can be made (who knows who the next guest the person waiting on may be). If housekeeping is less than acceptable (and dirty dishes and bunched up bedding is NEVER acceptable) I will ask that it be fixed and expect it to be fixed. If I speak with mgmt and things still do not get corrected then I will write a letter or complain up the chain and/or take my business some place else. I believe that even in this economy/work attitude time, service and "hospitality" are still an essential part of the "hospitality industry".

[Spaceship Tigger]

If I went by these boards regarding bad service, then I probably never would have stayed at the WL or AKL either. I've seen people bring up terrible experiences at those as well, and I've never had anything but great times there.

[Sunshine1010]

Just wanted to share:

Whenever I deal with anyone that is giving me bad service, not smiling, etc......this is what I do:

They will be doing their paperwork, job...whatever....and I look at them and go......"having a bad day?"....or ...."you don't like your job very much do you?"

They are usually shocked that I would say something like that in a very sweet, nice and non-aggressive way. They usually (99% of the time) apologize and they actually start smiling.

That's one of the lessons my mama taught me in life....."always be positive".

he he

[dog-ears]

Interesting thread to me - we will be staying at the Poly in November, and are requesting the Tahiti bldg. I have always wanted to stay at Poly and this will be our chance to see for ourselves what we think.

Having stayed in most Disney resorts before, and having had a spectrum (although mostly good) of experiences, I am not surprised hearing good and bad. The experiences each person has had is their reality, but you have to look at the big picture, which can be hard to see.

I think that extremely happy, happy, slightly un-happy and extremely unhappy views are represented here and it is not just the "complainers" who post. Just MHO.

[4277]

We stayed in Tahiti but I thought it was a long walk to the GCH only b/c my husband has bad knees & it was a long walk for him. It really isn't that bad though. We were really close to the smaller beach & it was like our own private beach. We watched the fireworks from there almost every night. I think you will like Tahiti. Nice & quiet.

[ravsluvdisney]

First off, where you stay is really all about personal preferences and expectations. One man's POLY is another woman's CR (yeah, that made sense). I've stayed at both and the service at CR is top notch. You have several transportation options at your doorstep. Good restaurant choices on site. "Disney" ambiance lacking.

POLY is our fave first and foremost for the one thing CR lacks. The beautiful grounds with tiki torches lit at night, nicely themed pool, watching the MK fireworks from your own little beach...it's almost like a vacation within a vacation! And we've never had any glaring CM problems with housekeeping, check-in etc. I'm sure it does happen at POLY, CR and the other resorts but we have luckily avoided any realnegatives.

[Mom2princesses]

I have stayed at the Poly two times and we are going back again to on Saturday! :woohoo:I just love it and have never had any problems. I have stayed at the CR before I went to the Poly and I liked it but I think if I went back I would miss the Poly and be disappointed. There is nothing wrong with the CR at all but my :heart: is with the Poly. :tikki: :lei:

[tikiman]

If I went by these boards regarding bad service, then I probably never would have stayed at the WL or AKL either. I've seen people bring up terrible experiences at those as well, and I've never had anything but great times there.

Well out of the Ops original complaints I find it hard to not want to return but than everyone has the right to their opinion. I think Spaceship Tigger said it best, there are going to be complaints and bad experiences at every resort but you just have to try it yourself and maybe even try it more than once.

I will say that out of every resort I have stayed at (Polynesian, Yacht Club, Boardwalk, Dolphin, Swan, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Pop Century) and all the resorts I have visited people in their rooms (all the rest) I would say the Polynesian had the least amount of walking to get from my room to other things around the resort. I even stayed in Tahiti twice. I walked the whole resort from end to end while stopping to take photos and it took me 7 minutes. Doesn’t seem like a big resort to me. Also any issues with ME should not be blamed on the Polynesian. They have no control over them.

I met 10 families that tried the Polynesian for the first time this July because of my recommendation and they have stayed at many of the other resorts, they said they will only stay at the Polynesian now.

[mickeefan]

As you can see we love the Poly and can't wait for our October trip.
We are also very excited about taking the Wildlife Discovery Excursion. I understand this is a remarkable tour.

[PetefromRI]

We think that the Poly's the best.It's been a few years since we stayed but overall we didn't have any problems.I agree that every now and then a CM has an attitude where ever you stay and I try to remind myself that this is a job for them and sometimes they may have personal problems at home.Granted,they shouldn't bring their problems to work but they are only human so I try to make their day a little better and act as cordial as possible.
By all means,have a great time.The Poly is a Disney original and we think the most beautiful resort in WDW.

[Polynesian Dweller]

All I can say is we've stayed at the Poly for 16 years and the service has always been top notch and the place is magnificent with its grounds, its views, everything. I'm sure there have been things less than perfect over the years, there are at every hotel but the positives of this hotel are so many that I haven't remembered any of the negatives.

[dtootsie42]

I'm so sorry that the orginal poster had such a bad experience. With the exception of our first visit to Disney World we have always stayed at the Poly. We love everything about this resort and have never had any problems. It is a terrific place to stay and we are looking forward to our upcoming trip.


Dec. 97-Contemporary
Dec. 99-Poly
2000-Disneyland
Dec. 2001-Poly Concierge
Dec. 2003-Poly Concierge
Dec. 2005-Poly Concierge
Upcoming trip
Nov. 2007-Poly Concierge

[LudwigVonDrake]

:ill: I think I'd better stop reading this thread...

:crying::cry: Did I make a mistake???

No. I stayed at the Poly last month (7/6 - 7/12) and LOVED IT. The cast members were cooperative and nice. The food at Kona Cafe and 'Ohana was delicious. The room was beautiful. Stay at the Poly and if you don't like it, don't stay there. I had NO complaints and plan on going back next summer :tikki:

[NJMan66]

One of my favorite comments was made by Sunshine1010 during this string when he/she dealt with how to handle less than friendly CM's. I always take this attitude when I travel:

1) I paid a lot of money for my vacation.
2) My vacation will only be as good as I make it.
3) As in life, I don't sweat the small stuff.
4) If a problem comes up or if I am unsatisfied with something, I address it then and there.
5) If you are nice to others, they will be nice to you.

10 days and couting to my next WDW trip. My daughter is standing next to me as I write this and is so excited to go to the Poly!:thedolls:

[kmo84]

I was there for a week back in May. We had a great trip.

The cast members we encountered were all very friendly. Our room was in a great location.
Close to the main building and the bus stop.
O'hana and Kona's are two of our favorite places to eat. We were in heaven!

I'm sorry to hear about the unhappy experiences of the other posters. I know that these things happen. And I sure wouldn't be happy if it happened to me!:mad: Doesn't make it any easier to take, especially considering the cost.

[EmisDisneyMom]

Our first trip to Poly was great. 2nd not so good. I have the same complaints as everyone else AND....room service took 2 hours for one pizza and the foodcourt was ALWAYS a disaster.

[Friend of Figment]

A word from the OP:

I had no idea this would set off such a striing of responses. I didn't have a miserable time. I did discuss the shortcomings with the appropriate departments.
My original post was just my experience. I have never read anything but glowing comments about the Poly and wanted to add a different opinion. I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to change reservations because I like the CR better than the Poly.
As far as ME - my complaint in terms of the Poly was that the bell staff blamed ME and ME blamed the bell staff and neither side called me to let me know what was going on. When I finally talked to the manager who said he would find out and call me back, I never heard from him again. Obviously I got my bag and I certainly didn't spend a week in the happiest place on earth thinking about it. I do think that the forums are most helpful when they say the good and the bad so that folks can weigh their options.
I would reccomend the Poly to folks who like the theme or the pools or who will use the beach. I love to eat at Kona Cafe. My bottom line is that I prefer the CR- It's good news for the Polynesian devotees - one less competing for the rooms!

[thejens]

I read this thread with interest because I am contemplating staying at the Poly next time. I absolutely love the AKL the best, but like to try new things. My Mom and sister stayed at the Contemporary and one thing I noticed is how unbelievably magically friendly the staff (CMs) was there. I would imagine that each resort has its strengths and weaknesses and its good days and bad days. Therefore I am undertaking the happy task of discovering all these qualities for myself. If the Poly isn't perfect, it will simply give me more reason to come back and try another resort. I find the worst day at WDW is still pretty wonderful! :cloud9: