Hello everyone,
Today, we experienced a truly challenging day at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Shortly after 10:00 am this morning, we lost power in Pago Pago. Aside from affecting the amenities in the studio, such as air conditioning and lighting, the loss of power affected both the elevator and sliding glass doors. We were on the third floor and the locked sliding glass doors prevented us from evacuating Pago Pago. Moreover, my mom, an 84-year-old woman with a hip replacement, was informed that she would have to walk down the stairs to exit the building. It seemed as though we had no choice and, because we were unaware of the ramifications of the situation, she walked the three flights. Upon getting into her wheelchair on the ground level, she felt sore and lightheaded. The cast member that aided in the evacuation apologized and wished us a nice day.
After the stair experience, I went to the front desk to inquire about the possibility of another room. Initially, the cast member was unaware of the blackout and, after some back and forth with her supervisor, informed me that there was nothing that could be done. Frustrated and unsure of how to proceed, I called DVC member services and spoke to a manager. The manager informed me that Reedy Creek cast members should have responded to assist my mom and a short-term room offered for her to rest. Although I was told that someone from the resort would call, no one responded.
Power was still out when we returned to the resort after 5:00pm. We were told that power would be restored shortly, but it took about an hour for it to finally come on. In the time that had past until it did, we were again without power and the elevator, which had come back online briefly, was out again. Reedy Creek was dispatched to help my mom down from the third floor, but they ended up using the elevator because it came back online during the time it took for them to respond. Ultimately, we were moved, but it was only after much frustration and aggravation.
With this post, it is my intent to note several things. Regarding safety, it is certainly alarming to know that the sliding glass doors cannot be opened when power is lost; the doors need to be opened from the outside by a cast member. If an emergency evacuation is required in Pago Pago, second and third floor guests would need to jump from the balconies, break the glass doors, or wait for a ladder rescue.
I know things happen, but there should always be some type of policy or procedure in place to ensure guest safety during an outage. Not everyone can spend 7 hours in the parks on a 90 degree day waiting for power to be restored. Moreover, it is reasonable to expect older guests and guests with disabilities to require some assistance after walking three flights of stairs.
Finally, when there is a problem, it is truly challenging to be a DVC member because there is no one at the resort to advocate for us. There were many “I am sorry, but there is nothing that I can do” responses before my mom had air conditioning and a place to rest. Prior to our move, several cast members made a clear distinction between the Villas and the Village.
As a DVC member, my only expectation is a clean, well-maintained room. Today, I never asked the cast members for anything other than a place for my mom to rest because the evacuation walk significantly affected her. I did not ask for an upgrade, free dining or even a Dole whip; I just wanted her to be comfortable. Although we are grateful to have a functioning room, the initial and continued response today was truly frustrating. As was stated by the DVC member services manager, we may be DVC members, but we are guests of Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Jim
Today, we experienced a truly challenging day at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. Shortly after 10:00 am this morning, we lost power in Pago Pago. Aside from affecting the amenities in the studio, such as air conditioning and lighting, the loss of power affected both the elevator and sliding glass doors. We were on the third floor and the locked sliding glass doors prevented us from evacuating Pago Pago. Moreover, my mom, an 84-year-old woman with a hip replacement, was informed that she would have to walk down the stairs to exit the building. It seemed as though we had no choice and, because we were unaware of the ramifications of the situation, she walked the three flights. Upon getting into her wheelchair on the ground level, she felt sore and lightheaded. The cast member that aided in the evacuation apologized and wished us a nice day.
After the stair experience, I went to the front desk to inquire about the possibility of another room. Initially, the cast member was unaware of the blackout and, after some back and forth with her supervisor, informed me that there was nothing that could be done. Frustrated and unsure of how to proceed, I called DVC member services and spoke to a manager. The manager informed me that Reedy Creek cast members should have responded to assist my mom and a short-term room offered for her to rest. Although I was told that someone from the resort would call, no one responded.
Power was still out when we returned to the resort after 5:00pm. We were told that power would be restored shortly, but it took about an hour for it to finally come on. In the time that had past until it did, we were again without power and the elevator, which had come back online briefly, was out again. Reedy Creek was dispatched to help my mom down from the third floor, but they ended up using the elevator because it came back online during the time it took for them to respond. Ultimately, we were moved, but it was only after much frustration and aggravation.
With this post, it is my intent to note several things. Regarding safety, it is certainly alarming to know that the sliding glass doors cannot be opened when power is lost; the doors need to be opened from the outside by a cast member. If an emergency evacuation is required in Pago Pago, second and third floor guests would need to jump from the balconies, break the glass doors, or wait for a ladder rescue.
I know things happen, but there should always be some type of policy or procedure in place to ensure guest safety during an outage. Not everyone can spend 7 hours in the parks on a 90 degree day waiting for power to be restored. Moreover, it is reasonable to expect older guests and guests with disabilities to require some assistance after walking three flights of stairs.
Finally, when there is a problem, it is truly challenging to be a DVC member because there is no one at the resort to advocate for us. There were many “I am sorry, but there is nothing that I can do” responses before my mom had air conditioning and a place to rest. Prior to our move, several cast members made a clear distinction between the Villas and the Village.
As a DVC member, my only expectation is a clean, well-maintained room. Today, I never asked the cast members for anything other than a place for my mom to rest because the evacuation walk significantly affected her. I did not ask for an upgrade, free dining or even a Dole whip; I just wanted her to be comfortable. Although we are grateful to have a functioning room, the initial and continued response today was truly frustrating. As was stated by the DVC member services manager, we may be DVC members, but we are guests of Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
Jim
