Just back from a 5 night stay at Poly, followed by 2 nights at Orlando World Center Marriott located just outside of WDW property. We loved Poly’s proximity to MK and Epcot. Watching fireworks from the beach was amazing! Standing in the pool with the view of the castle is pretty incredible. Our kids loved the pools and water slide. The grounds were lovely. Transportation was a dream! We had no issues with housekeeping. Our room was spacious and we got connecting rooms as we’d requested.
I share these feelings as well.
That said, our 3 rooms on 1st floor of Rarotonga were tired looking, as others have stated. There was a huge line at check in and anytime we had a question for the front desk we had to wait. The restaurant options are great, except that ADRs are all taken with nothing reserved for onsite guests who are paying a premium to stay. Also, I found the number of non-Poly guests who were coming for meals made the resort seem a bit chaotic. Our last stay at WL was more peaceful, despite also being a draw for dining.
And I share these feelings as well. Our room was fine but the public areas (hallways, exterior entry doors) were dirty (as in a dirty diaper laying in the hallway for 18+ hours) and in immediate need of repairs. There is no excuse for broken door hardware at that price point. Our trip was two years ago and it sounds like nothing has changed.
The restaurant/ADR nonsense almost caused us to check out before our room was ready. We wanted to eat lunch before our room was ready and wanted a sit-down lunch after a long travel day. We were turned away from Kona because we didn't have an ADR even though the restaurant was half empty. We had to run it up several levels of management to get a table. Another day, I wanted to change an ADR by 15 minutes and was told no. When we walked into the Wave, it was 3/4 empty. In talking to the server, she rolled her eyes when I told her. She shared that Disney dining plan has caused a lot of problems with dining in general and that their staffing levels are kept very, very low.
When we moved to the Marriott, the difference between the rooms, staff availibility, service, grounds, and food were immediately apparent. Our stay at the Marriott was far and away better than Poly and for half the cost (though we actually stayed for free on points). It was interesting to experience the 2 resorts back-to-back and feel/taste/see all of the differences.
That said, we were able to enjoy the marriott because we’d already spent 5 nights enjoying the perks of such quick access to MK and the other parks while we were at Poly. And the benefit of having top FPs due to the 60+ day window, etc. I’m thankful for our stay at Poly! It helped us enjoy the parks to the maximum extent possible. Our next visit would probably be a WL/Marriott split, though.
This statement highlights the problem/issue we had with the Poly. I knew Disney resorts were different from normal resorts, I just didn't realize how different. My husband saw the $600 a night price tag and assumed he was getting the type of hard and soft product at a $600 a night non-Disney resort. We encountered a host of problems, service issues and bizarre policies the entire week.
We did have a wonderful trip overall but I cannot recommend that resort.
Would the Grand Florian be better in terms of service and condition? We ate at the GF twice during our trip and encounter management twice and they seemed professional and interested in our experience at the GF. I don't know that I can get my husband back to a Disney resort but my son would love to go again.