Polynesian

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Years ago we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian, the Yacht Club and we had a terrible night at the AKL. Pricing level was still quite reasonable then, we could not only afford to stay there easily but we thought the price level was really acceptable. Today especially in the Poly and Yacht Club, the prices have reached an insane level, which is unacceptable because what you get isn't worth it. Disney hotels have a HUGE problem with the housekeeping, we had a lot of cleanliness issues and we do not pay easily 400 bucks and more for rooms where we have to ask for a SPECIAL CLEANED room to get something, that is standard at pretty most all other luxury hotels, Disney deluxe is only deluxe in one meaning, deluxe prices.
We will also not return to the Polynesian under any circumstances because we cannot accept the results of the last "refurbishing" which led to the gutting of the GCH and took away the tropical waterfall garden in the lobby.
When we return we will stay value, the Pop is a classic, we love it and we save a LOT of money. If we need more comfort we go moderate, we liked the CS and are quite curious about the PO but deluxe is over for us.

 

[Deno]

My family and I won't stay anywhere but the Poly now. My son has a few mobility issues which make staying there so convenient with MK being our favourite park.

However I completely agree with every single point in your post. Imagine a hotel offsite you can get for $500 a night. You'd be getting some REALLY fancy accommodation. It is overpriced and we experienced the exact same problems with housekeeping. We like the location and the ambience though but would never pay full rack rate. This year we paid around $260 per night which is still a little on the high side but a bit more manageable.

 

[Debbie]

When my boys were younger and required naps, staying at the Poly or Contemporary was wonderful. We did spend more time at the resorts, and we were not the type to try to fit in everything everytime we vacationed there. My in-laws enjoyed sitting out on our balcony, relaxing and taking it all in. Now that my boys are grown, and we can split the costs of a room 3 ways, Pop Century is their favorite. Go figure.....

 

[JusticeDisney]

My favorite resort, by a mile, is the Beach Club. And there's no doubt that the Poly is phenomenal as well. That said, the answer to your question might just be the Dolphin. It is every bit the equal of all the other deluxes on property, and for only a fraction of the price. Some people complain about the lack of theming at the Dolphin, but to be perfectly honest, a lot of the Disney deluxes are quite lacking in theming themselves (I mean, seriously, what's the theme of the Contemporary, an ancient parking garage, lol?).

Anyway, best of luck with your decision and have a great trip!

 

[correcaminos]

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We will also not return to the Polynesian under any circumstances because we cannot accept the results of the last "refurbishing" which led to the gutting of the GCH and took away the tropical waterfall garden in the lobby.

You know they had to remove the waterfall right? I don't care where people stay but if that's your reasoning then I find it silly since the waterfall had to go. While I lived the waterfall I prefer the smell of the lobby now. I'm sure most others do too.

 

[COProgressFan]

You know they had to remove the waterfall right? I don't care where people stay but if that's your reasoning then I find it silly since the waterfall had to go. While I lived the waterfall I prefer the smell of the lobby now. I'm sure most others do too.

"Had to remove" the waterfall? What exactly do you mean by that?

This was discussed ad nauseum on these boards when it occurred, and the bottom line is that the center waterfalls did need to be repaired/replaced and there were issues with air quality, etc. that would need be addressed.

So I guess, yes, technically the waterfall "needed" to be removed, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't have been replaced with a newly designed water feature that rectified the issues of the original. Disney just didn't want to deal with the cost of doing so.

 

[correcaminos]

"Had to remove" the waterfall? What exactly do you mean by that?

This was discussed ad nauseum on these boards when it occurred, and the bottom line is that the center waterfalls did need to be repaired/replaced and there were issues with air quality, etc. that would need be addressed.

So I guess, yes, technically the waterfall "needed" to be removed, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't have been replaced with a newly designed water feature that rectified the issues of the original. Disney just didn't want to deal with the cost of doing so.

Well you just kind of responded to your own question didn't you? Except don't you think the same issues would come into play a bunch of years from now? I do not blame them for not wanting to do the same thing and run likely into similar issues all over again.

As I said I adored the waterfall, it's a part of my love of the resort and grew up with it, but I get it when issues come into play. A regular water feature wouldn't have been the same either. The ones outside are just fine for me and I actually love what they did with the space, definitely better now all the plants by the water are gone. Yes I said it, and yep I'm a huge Polynesian lover (I even bought DVC there due to that)

 

[JusticeDisney]

Well you just kind of responded to your own question didn't you? Except don't you think the same issues would come into play a bunch of years from now? I do not blame them for not wanting to do the same thing and run likely into similar issues all over again.

As I said I adored the waterfall, it's a part of my love of the resort and grew up with it, but I get it when issues come into play. A regular water feature wouldn't have been the same either. The ones outside are just fine for me and I actually love what they did with the space, definitely better now all the plants by the water are gone. Yes I said it, and yep I'm a huge Polynesian lover (I even bought DVC there due to that)

I don't have a dog in this fight, but the idea that Disney couldn't have redone the waterfall in a way that would not cause similar future problems is just plain silly. We can literally clone living things in this country. Surely, a proper waterfall is not beyond possibility. Disney could have done this had they chosen to, but they chose not to. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[correcaminos]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but the idea that Disney couldn't have redone the waterfall in a way that would not cause similar future problems is just plain silly. We can literally clone living things in this country. Surely, a proper waterfall is not beyond possibility. Disney could have done this had they chosen to, but they chose not to. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

I don't care to argue this because you had your mind made up already. They chose not to for a reason and whether you like it or not is your deal. A waterfall isn't hard but to recreate the old? Well that's what caused issues in the first place.

I personally think it's silly to get all worked up over one thing like that though. I'm more annoyed that the shops are far more bland than they used to be there than losing a beautiful yet very stinky indoor tropical island of sorts.

 

[JusticeDisney]

I don't care to argue this because you had your mind made up already. They chose not to for a reason and whether you like it or not is your deal. A waterfall isn't hard but to recreate the old? Well that's what caused issues in the first place.

I personally think it's silly to get all worked up over one thing like that though. I'm more annoyed that the shops are far more bland than they used to be there than losing a beautiful yet very stinky indoor tropical island of sorts.

Had my mind made up already? Huh? You mean just the same as you had your mind made up already? And who's all worked up over this? I'm certainly not. Are you?

 

[correcaminos]

Had my mind made up already? Huh? You mean just the same as you had your mind made up already? And who's all worked up over this? I'm certainly not. Are you?

Okay... that crazy just came out of left field. As I said I do not care to argue so have a good evening.

 

[JusticeDisney]

Okay... that crazy just came out of left field. As I said I do not care to argue so have a good evening.

Uhhhhh, someone's being a tad weird. Lol!

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

"but I get it when issues come into play"

The only issues that come into play are the greed of TDO who charge increasingly insane rates but continiously reduce the quality of the resort and of a stay there. It would have been no technical problem to build new waterfalls, there are hotels throughout the word that feature sometimes even more impressive water features but it would have cost more than the cheap "Honolulu Hilton" solution they chose and that's about it, TDO is ONLY about money and this was different in the early 1970ies

 

[LAKid53]

We absolutely love the Polynesian. Being able to get to MK and Epcot (walk to TTC) is worth it. Love all the near by food options as well. The theme is right up my alley too.

We spend so much time in our room/at the resort that bigger rooms and more options are important to us. Part of why we are DVC members. Our trips are more relaxing and I like staying in places that really make me feel at home.

My thoughts exactly.