Polynesian - Anyone else NOT impressed?

[captainkidd]

It seems without a doubt, the Polynesian is the most popular Disney Resort. It had always been our dream resort. We finally got the chance to stay there a couple years back, and while we enjoyed it, I certainly wasn't as blown away as most seem to be. Here are a few things I didn't care for that make me feel this way:

- The elevators in the longhouses are small, banged up, and don't sound very secure.

- The GCH, while lovely, gets far too crowded in the evening with other guests.

- Tambu Lounge is great, but like the rest of the GCH, gets way too crowded from Ohana in the evening.

- There's no hot tub.

- Many of the tiki torches weren't lit.

- Bus transportation was worse than any Disney Resort we've stayed at.

- Front desk, while not rude by any means, didn't make us feel overly welcome, and wasn't very efficient.

I think the biggest thing for me was, it just didn't feel like a $400 a night resort. I loved the size and decor of the rooms. I loved the grounds. I loved the theming. I just didn't get the Deluxe type of feeling I get while at the Wilderness Lodge or Grand Floridian.

 

[tigsmom]

The only thing we didn't like about the Poly was that you had to travel outside to get to things. We were in Rapa Nui and got soaked walking to the main building and we could also not let the kids go to the snack bar alone because they got lost on the way back in the dark.

We did like being close to the TTC and being able to see & hear the fireworks on the beach as well as the Electrical Water Pageant. We also liked the size of the rooms and the gardens on the grounds. The WL will always be our favorite though

 

[MKCP 1985]

The Polynesian ROCKS! :king:

I feel so relaxed every time I am there. Ohana is a favorite restaurant, the monorail line coming and going for convenience of travel to and from the Magic Kingdom, and the back scratchers at Tambu.

If my budget allows, the Polynesian is near the top of the list.

 

[maggiegrace1]

One of my favorites...the smell when you walk in the GCH..Ahhhh!

The sounds , sights, LOVE the grounds so beautiful..love sitting outside with a Lapu lapu just enjoying the breathtaking view.

I never take Disney's buses because I loathe them so I understand that.

Next to FW campgrounds it is my favorite of them all..

 

[captainkidd]

FTR, I do love Ohana. We go there twice on every trip. My drink of choice is the Island Sunset.:slurp: And of course, we also loved the monorail.

I guess we just expected something more. We'd visited there so many times and read so much about how wonderful it was. It just didn't have a "wow" factor for us.

 

[disneychic71]

One of my favorites...the smell when you walk in the GCH..Ahhhh!

The sounds , sights, LOVE the grounds so beautiful..love sitting outside with a Lapu lapu just enjoying the breathtaking view.

I never take Disney's buses because I loathe them so I understand that.

Next to FW campgrounds it is my favorite of them all..

the smell is the BEST! Love the Poly, despite its flaws!

 

[zurgandfriend]

We stayed at the Polynesian this past August. I would agree with each of your points except the front desk which I was very happy with. I had read, and am still reading in the unofficial guide, that there is front desk inefficiency. I did not find that to be the case at all. We were welcomed when we checked in and were helped when we wanted to upgrade our tickets to park hopper plus to visit the water park, and when we wanted to adjust an ADR. The cast members were helpful and pleasant. The staff of the Bou-tiki was also very helpful in packaging several delicate souvenirs our DS purchased.
DW felt the resort needed some more work done to it. I believe she felt that way because the Polynesian rooms definitely have darker woodwork making for a darker atmosphere in the rooms. Also the bathrooms could use an upgrade. We stayed at the Contemporary, which had just completed its major face lift, the time before last and the rooms were bright, better lighted and the bathroom was much more modern.
I think the GCH while nice just doesn’t “blow your socks off’ like the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge or the Grand Floridian. I’m not sure however what they can do to change the Polynesian rooms and GCH without ruining the theming.

 

[Scooter]

We stay at Disney's Polynesian Resort a LOT and we've only had a few complaints in all our stays.

1) Seems like on 50% of our stays, the people who checked us in seemed less cheerful and caring than they should be.

2) Every time we stay at the Polynesian when we first get into are room there is always something broke or not working ie lights burned out, safe not working, fridge not working, dead batteries in the remote etc. They always fix things right away, but in my opinion, these things should be checked by housekeeping and reported and fixed BEFORE guests check in.

3) I agree with a previous poster that some of the longhouses are too far from the Great Ceremonial house and have on several occasions, gotten drenched by one of those sudden Florida downpours. Covered walkways would have been a nice forethought.

4) Not crazy about the Boutikki gift shop, but the other gift shops are great.

 

[CleveRocks]

- Bus transportation was worse than any Disney Resort we've stayed at.

No matter the resort, I don't think any of us can say that overall bus service at a resort is good or bad. We had our own experiences all of us, but just because it's bad a few days doesn't mean it's always that way. We're there for a few consecutive days. If we stayed there for a few MONTHS, then sure, THEN we could make an overall observation.

And to be fair, this works in both directions. For example ...

During my week at Poly, we enjoyed the best bus service EVER. We joked about it after a few days because, quite literally, we never waited more than 2 minutes for a bus. No exaggeration. And this lasted our entire week. Worked for monorails and boat, by the way, also. It was as if there were cast members monitoring our movements and calling on a bus or boat or train to be there almost as soon as we arrived at the stop/dock/platform.

And yet, I don't think this means that Poly has the best bus service of all Disney resorts ... I think it just means my family was incredibly lucky. Think about it: if we had done everything 5 minutes later, we would have been waiting 15 minutes or so for every bus and boat, and thiking that the transportation here stinks. But as luck had it, we simply arrived at the right time each time.

 

[captainkidd]

. If we stayed there for a few MONTHS, then sure, THEN we could make an overall observation.

Agreed. It can be hit or miss anywhere. We were there for 13 nights, and it was bad the entire time. We waited over 30 minutes twice for a bus to DHS, and over 45 minutes twice to DTD. We started taking taxis back from wherever we were.

 

[mickey2008.1]

Good points by everone. i have visited the poly many times, but this december will be my first time staying there since the 80's. Are there any hidden secrets about the place or places there to see that are not obvious? I understand hot tubs are going to be installed this summer/fall, is this still true?

 

[captainkidd]

I understand hot tubs are going to be installed this summer/fall, is this still true?

Hadn't heard that. It would certainly help....and it's about time.

 

[rkelly42]

I have stayed at the Poly many times and think the resort is great, otherwise I wouldnt keep staying there. I understand that somethings need to be updated but that is with just about any one of the WDW resorts as well. I have never run into a problem with the front desk either, but I can see that occasionally it could happen that you get an employee with a not so cheerful attitude. There is nothing that can be done about the distance of the Longhouses to the GCH it is what it is and everyone who stays there should know that already prior to going just by doing their homework on the resort. As for the transportation, we always rent a car and use that or the monorail. We never use the buses, they arent that good at any resort.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I stayed at the Poly last May. I can't say it's my favorite but it's by far not my least favorite. The walking outside to the longhouses is the thing I dislike the most. However, if room size means anything to you (like it does me) then that's something that the Poly has going for it. Yes, it's expensive but you're getting a much bigger room. We stayed at AKL in January. It was our first deluxe outside of the Contemporary & Poly which both have large rooms. I gotta tell ya, the tiny rooms really bothered us & would be the reason I would decide against staying there again. Also, it's my understanding the architect who designed AKL is the same one who designed WL and the Grand Californian. Both of those resorts used to be on my list of resorts to try someday but because of the room size those resorts are pretty well off the list. When I pay more for a resort it feels like I'm getting more with a spacious, comfortable room. So, for room size alone my favorite resorts shall remain the Contempory then the Poly. I definitely can identify with the cons y'all have identified.

 

[captainkidd]

Although I could tell the rooms at the Poly were bigger than the WL, I never felt cramped at WL. The biggest difference I noticed was in the bathroom size. The Poly's bathroom was huge. WL's bathrooms are very small.

 

[oochr1soo]

i've always loved this resort til i stayed in the honeymoon suite this past summer.. in comparison to a concierge room at GF it was horrible.. you're right in front of the marina with constant people walking by all the time, the room just seems old and other than a jacuzzi tub it was no different in my mind than any other room..

i also felt the main pool was rather small.. it was always packed with barely anywhere to move around in it.. i dont care too much about the hot tubs cause in the summer i really dont want to go in a hot tub..

other than the room quality and pool size, i still love the resort..

 

[COProgressFan]

3) I agree with a previous poster that some of the longhouses are too far from the Great Ceremonial house and have on several occasions, gotten drenched by one of those sudden Florida downpours. Covered walkways would have been a nice forethought.

Not sure why this is a complaint for so many people... :shrug:

The Poly is actually one of the smaller resorts on property. Walking outside to your room is also necessary at the Grand Floridian, and every moderate and value resort, all of which are much bigger and spread out.

I mean, I hate getting caught in the rain as much as the next person, but is it that big of a deal?

 

[tigsmom]

Not sure why this is a complaint for so many people... :shrug:

The Poly is actually one of the smaller resorts on property. Walking outside to your room is also necessary at the Grand Floridian, and every moderate and value resort, all of which are much bigger and spread out.

I mean, I hate getting caught in the rain as much as the next person, but is it that big of a deal?

When we stayed there I had 2 younger kids who were used to being able to go to the snack bar alone, couldn't do that there (and the paths are poorly lit at night & they got lost on the way back). Also, if I take the time to get ready to go to dinner and start to walk over to the restaurant and the skies open up...well yeah, it's a big deal. We stay at a deluxe for a reason and that is to NOT have to wander around outside to get to the food and shops; it's one of the reasons we won't be staying at the Boardwalk again even though we like the proximity to EPCOT...to each his own.

 

[disneysroyal411]

Best part of the Polynesian is the smell of "Happiness!" I also love Capt. Kooks and the art place there plus the quiet pool the light parade on the water the green grounds all of it!!!! Plus seeing the castle when your walking around sometimes you see it! One year they bumped us up to the Concierge for free and we loved!! Free pop and snacks(we never made it for lunch or dinner) but it was nice. I don't mind busing all the time sometimes though "cough cough" disney can lose the magic "cough cough" O well I love and we are goin back!

 

[NCState]

I haven't been lucky enough to stay (yet) but I do love eating at Ohanas but our last visit wasn't as nice as past visits.

I can't help to think that I'm in a Brady Bunch Hawaii vacation each time.