As much as Disney World is a magical place full of exciting attractions and experiences, it’s not perfect.
Things can, and will, go wrong. Rides will go down when you are just looking to ride them, you’ll wait half an hour longer for a ride than you were expecting, and it could mess with your dining reservation time or virtual queue return window. The bottom line is that things won’t always go right, and it’s best to expect that from the beginning so you’re not caught off guard. However, we just read a review of MULTIPLE things going wrong at one of Disney World’s deluxe hotels that has us all wincing.
Disney World’s deluxe hotels are the best of the best on property. This also means they’re the most expensive, costing hundreds of dollars each night.
One of the most beloved deluxe hotels is Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, located on the Magic Kingdom monorail line. This means you’re just a quick ride away from Magic Kingdom, or even close enough to walk, if you’d like!
We love when our readers leave reviews of Disney World’s attractions, hotels, and more on our website, because it helps us see what kinds of experiences they’re having in the parks! Needless to say, we stopped in our tracks when we saw this recent review from August 28th, 2024 about the Polynesian — just read it for yourself, you’ll see what we mean!
“This has always been one of my must do resorts. We had arrived late in the afternoon the night before so had booked a one night stay at Movies. Had our luggage transferred in the morning and then proceeded to Animal kingdom. Arrives to the Poly around 5:50 pm, almost two hours past check-in. We had been checking our app looking for a room assignment and never got one. So we proceeded to the desk where we were ignored for a good 10 minutes. When we told the lady who finally acknowledged us our name she told us she would be right back. She then disappeared into a back office where she stayed for 20 minutes. Eventually she came out and told us engineering was in our room and they have no idea when they would be done. We had a 5 year old and an 18 month old with us. After waiting another 30 minutes we again approached the check in and was again told our room was not ready but they would credit our room a $100 for the inconvenience. At this point we asked for another room or to be sent to a different hotel. The lady at check in called a manager over and told us the credit was the best they could do. We finally got in our room a little before 8pm to find that the shower was not working properly and engineering had to come back and work in it for another 30 minutes. By this time my 5 year old was asking to go back to All Star Movies. As beautiful as this resort is I found most employees rude, children were out of control at the pool and the rooms are not worth the price.“
So…yeah, that’s VERY much the opposite of what we normally hear from Disney World as a whole, especially a deluxe resort. So let’s break this down — this guest did exactly what we would recommend at first if you notice you don’t have a room assignment, which was going to the front desk. Sometimes the My Disney Experience app messes up and doesn’t give you your assignment, so typically this will solve the issue.
It’s not uncommon to see maintenance being done around Disney World hotels, even when no scheduled changes are taking place, because things (like the shower) do break from time to time and they’ve got people on hand to help! However, what’s frustrating here is that this family, from the sound of this review, was not told about the issue in their room being the cause for the delay until about an hour after inquiring. That’s difficult for anyone, but especially a family with two little ones!
So what should you do if something similar happens to you? This is a tricky one, for sure, because it’s a very frustrating situation to be in, but we want to send the reminder that it’s always best to be kind and considerate to the Cast Members you’re interacting with, because they’re people, too! Now, we’re not insinuating that this guest was rude in any way, but it’s always a good reminder to us all to try and not let Disney World frustration affect the way we’re treating the people around us.
Disney is usually almost always willing to do whatever they can to help solve your problem and do guest recovery, however, if you feel that the Cast Member you’re talking to you isn’t being respectful or isn’t working to solve your issue, it’s completely fine to politely (politely!) ask to speak to a manager, like this guest did. However, if you feel like your problem still hasn’t been resolved, you can also call Disney World’s customer service line. By calling (407) 934-7639, you’ll be able to speak with someone who can assist with your Disney Resort Hotel Reservations.
And if after your stay you feel like things weren’t up to par with Disney World service, you can also call Disney World Customer Service to, again, politely inform them about what you experienced. We know it’ll be hard, but instead of making it sound like you’re complaining and want something in return (even if you do), it’s better to state the issue factually, as if you’d just like to let them know that the problem occurred.
You’ve paid a lot of money for this vacation, and we completely understand that you don’t want anything going wrong, but just like a trip to anywhere else, things do happen! Remember that you are traveling to a family park with kids and adults alike, so no matter what hotel you stay at or park you go to, you’re bound to run into some kids with lots of energy. We’re always here to help you prepare for your upcoming trips as best as possible, so stay tuned to AllEars!
Should you stay on Disney World property or off-site? We’ll help you decide!
What do you think of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort? Tell us in the comments!
Totally disappointed with the new dvc tower at the Polynesian. The pool and splash pad were small. The main pool was overcrowded as few people wanted to stay at the tower pool, kids especially as there was no water slide. Will have to seriously come sider whether I’ll stay at the Polynesian resort in the future
I have stayed in the All-Stars, Pop Century and Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was shocked by the poor upgrade for the money. In Animal Kingdom Lodge the shower was poor (old and low pressure), the towels were really dry, the toilet paper was cheap, the lighting wasn’t great, no room service, bar closed early etc. In comparison I stayed for 2 nights in the Hard Rock Hotel and it was amazing. Disney really phones in the deluxe part. I won’t stay in a deluxe resort again unless I get a great deal. My expectations will be low, too.
I read the problem in the second sentence. They weren’t going to be there until late afternoon and wanted to save money so booked a cheaper resort the first night. Had they just booked where they planned to stay this wouldn’t have happened.
You have to remember the Polynesian is one of the oldest resorts in the Disney footprint. You pay for the grounds and activities like character dining and beaches(shore you can’t play on since the whole gator incident) don’t expect lavish rooms unless you fork over bigger bucks. My family has stayed in ALL the Disney properties over the last 28 years going and we’ve found some hidden gems in both price ranges but things do go wrong and staff will usually take care of it gracefully. They also read all reviews. We just came back last week??
If accurate I am outraged for them. They needed to escalate immediately and keep going up the food chain. They also still need to write guest services. I would be tempted to dispute the credit card charge as they did not get the full service they paid for. At minimum comp should have been much higher, and or additional pixie dust instead of saw dust. With kids who needed to be in bed, I’d want a whole lot more.
We had a bad experience at the Poly in August 2023. It sounds so much like the experience that a few of the commenters made. It was a very, very hot day and we’d already spent a few hours at the pool waiting for our bungalow to be ready. I very politely checked about how soon we could get into the bungalow. A few times, at least half hour apart and was told they’re working on it, or it’s still being cleaned, etc. We finally got in about 5:30. Our kids and grandkids went out later to meet some cousins at Disney Springs, but my husband and I were so exhausted by this time that we didn’t go with them. As for the place being cleaned, after walking around barefoot in the bungalow for a bit, I noticed that the bottom of my feet were almost black from dirt. Took a picture. We’d been going to Disney for 39 years at that point, had been DVC members since 2005, so we felt very let down. There have been a few other times, mostly restaurant reservations, that service was very poor. So, we haven’t been back and we’ve sold about half of DVC points. The quality of the trips just kept getting worse. It’s heartbreaking because we’ve loved Disney for so many years. Always magical and fun, but not so much anymore!
They should have had the night comped. Plus my Disney did not glitch. The front desk knew they had a problem and waited to inform because the guest was not there. They were hoping that the customer would not show up till 8 pm so the room would be ready. But I have stayed at Disney many times. Twice we had room problems and both times they treated us more than fair (dinner which made us forget room not ready and a room upgrade in adjacent hotel)
For fifty-three year’s we have visited WDW. At this Resort due to the high costs we weren’t able to stay there. The Resort is beautiful and reserving dining reservations is not easy during peak times. So, we tried other Resorts over many years and found the best most comfortable and enjoyable Resort at PoP Century Resort. Easy access by bus to anywhere on WDW property.
The Cast members are friendly and helpful. The grounds is well manicured and always clean. I like it because it is a Family Oriented Resort.
The rooms are lovely as they have been recently renovated.
The pools are large and in excellent condition. The only negative issue of PoP Century is the LACK of pool side Sunbrellas. I have heard many complaints of not being able to get a table with the Sunbrella.
Some folk are taking medicines that could cause the person bad feelings or sick if exposed to the Sun for long periods. So, many older folk don’t go to the pool for that reason.
My wife and I are or were Disny fans but now after fifty-three years WDW has priced us out of visiting.
My wife and I have stayed at various Resorts, including Fort Wilderness Campground.
Loved staying there too, but that Campground is over-priced like everything else, Resorts, Food, Water bottles, Park tickets.
This is such a wild experience! On our last trip to another Deluxe resort on property, our shower broke. Within 15 minutes of contacting the front desk, we were moved to another room and our account was credited for the night. Also, engineering had to enter my in-law’s adjoining room to access the water shut off valve. For the simple inconvenience of bothering them for 5 minutes, my in-laws were credited $100.
Something similar happened to us on our first and last “split stay”. We booked a split stay with Riviera and All Stat Sports. We wanted to stay they whole stay at Riviera, but because of the LIMITED number of single units at Riviera we had to start off our arrival day at AS Sports. We checked out of AS Sports and Disney transferred our luggage. We had a dining plan as well and had been using it. We also Mobile Checked in to Riviera. We had not received our room assignment by 6pm. We were attending our first ever Not So Scary, while crowds were thinning out we went to use our DDP at Skippers Canteen, our DDP wasn’t showing active when they scanned but our reservation clearly showed us having one so Manager authorized it. After the 1st Parade and Fireworks we went to Riviera, still no room was sent. When we went to Guest Services to inquire, they were showing that we hadn’t checked in but that out room was ready and gave us our number. We told them of the issue with DDP a their best theory was because we were between reservations it confused the system. They did some Magic and when we checked our DDP status we noticed we still had a TS credit. We wanted to fix the error, but CM said it was a gift from The Blue Fairy and to enjoy the rest of our stay. We took my parents, who are Orlando residents to Toledo for Dinner one night with the pixie dust.
One should always send a letter detailing the good, bad, and ugly of your stay to customer service. After every trip I do just that. Once I received a call back, and was told that they very much appreciated the letter since I was just not complaining. We were given park tickets for for multiple days. Another time we were given a multi night stay at a moderate. Even if we get nothing, I still send one.
Things happen. Disney is not immune to mechanical issues, however (I believe) people think that they are. They think Disney should do something unbelievably magical like waive your stay, even when they ARE going above and beyond already. If you were staying at Marriott in Times Square in NYC paying $600/night and this happened, would you expect them to move you to another hotel? Poly is probably the most popular family resort on the monorail line. It is my home DVC. It is crowded. It’s not the Poly’s fault people don’t control their kids. My kids are now grown,so personally I don’t think many kids are controlled in Disney LOL!
Yes, I would expect that if Marriott didn’t have another room available at that property, they’d move me to another Marriott property, which is exactly what they’ve done for me before.
I think this guest just had bad luck with a cast member who didn’t take the initiative to solve the problem to the guests satisfaction.
I’ve been staying on property 3 to 5 times a year for the last 20 years. Unfortunately, these “mechanical issues,” or whatever they are, happen much more frequently than they used to. I honestly feel they use this as their go to excuse for their extreme housekeeping staffing shortage that they refuse to address. I would say this problem was almost non existent 10 years ago and within the last 5 years, it’s at least every other visit begins with waiting and waiting for our room.
The Marriott in Times Square doesn’t have 29,000 rooms either, but WDW does. There were better ways to handle this problem and asking them to stand around for an hour while they didn’t fix the problem isn’t the right choice. There are 2 other deluxe hotels on that monorail line and there was probably an empty room available.
Many years ago when my kids were younger, Disney was much better at this. They realized that parents might leave their homes at 4:00 AM to catch a flight. With plane changes and the ride to the hotel, families were exhausted. All anyone wanted to do is to take a quick nap. Even if we were a few hours early, we never waited for a room. I suspect that this has to do with grouping rooms together for cleaning purposes. One must also believe that it is stupid for Disney not to have a couple of backup rooms for circumstances where the room is not ready.
Ignore the complainers. For everyone of those there are 1000’s of people who are satisfied.
We have a DVC and our stay at Poly last October was no better than a visit to the local Courtyard. Our last trip to Disney was at a 5 star Disney partner hotel and was impeccable. We will reserve our DVC for when family or friends travel with us but I’m done with Disney Deluxe Resorts.
Why be satisfied with less than average service when you’re paying for top tier? You don’t build a brand reputation by ignoring when a problem happens.
Just got back from a week at the Poly. Upon arrival at just about 4 and no room, I went to the front desk. I was then told that housekeeping was understaffed and my room was not yet ready, and I could speak to a manager if I wished. I opted not to because, as we all know, that gets us nowhere. She suggested, as they all do, that we check our bags and head out to a park, blah, blah, blah but going to a park after a day of travel and being exhausted was a hard no thank you.
Our room was ready at 5. My problem is these rooms are sooo very expensive, even when discounted, and some sort of compensation should be given, no matter how small, for every extra hour you wait. Their customer service has taken such a dive, especially in the last 10 years.
That is so sad. With little ones you need your room ASAP. We had an experience with Port Orleans Riverside. My daughter locked herself in the bathroom (for privacy), then she couldn’t get out (the lock was stuck). I called for maintenance and they transferred me to 911. A fire brigade was going to rescue my 25 year old from the bathroom. I told the 911 operator, “I just need a maintenance man.” Maintenance finally came but said firemen would probably still show up. I told the maintenance man to call them off. They finally agreed that would be a good idea. We had other problems with the room. Disney gave us a credit as well. Which was nice. Very happy
Had an issue at Pop Century with a accessible room. I wrote an e mail to Disney they were super nice & helpful & gave me two free nights to come back.
I have a recently situation like that, it’s was so sad.
The magic is gone sadly!!
We also had a bad experience at the Polynesian. We booked two rooms in the concierge building. We got to the hotel with our kids and wanted to check in quickly and get to the parks. We were told we’d have to wait for the concierge to come and get us in the lobby, and that there were people ahead if us. After waiting 45 minutes with restlwss kids we went over to the concierge building. The Concierge quite rudely told us that we should
There seems to be a common issue of the room not showing up in the app when transferring to the Poly.
We transferred from the Riviera to the Poly today, and our bands wouldn’t work at the pool area. We had to go to the front desk to have them reprogrammed.
After she was finished, she asked if we wanted a map to our room. I told her the app didn’t show it as ready yet. Turns out it was,and the app just hadn’t updated.
I can second an experience JUST like this. We stayed at the Poly a few months ago and I was absolutely shocked by how rude the front desk staff was. We were past our check in time as well so we went to the front desk to see how much time they thought it would be so we could plan around it, whether we waited for a bit or went to the park and came back later. The one staff member who was sweet told my husband it would be five minutes. Then it was another five then another five. Then she leaves and they have a shift change. After forty five minutes and both my 2 and 4 year old losing their minds sitting in the lobby, I asked if there was any update. They said the person checking the rooms said they were going but they don’t know how long that process takes or when it would be finished. That alone surprised me because I feel like a system that works well should have a general idea of how long that process takes or good enough communication among the team in place to relay information. They kept disappearing either to the back or to huddle with other staff members where one point they all turned and looked at me before huddling again. That’s what eventually starting pushing me over the edge. I didn’t mind if the room was going to take a while, I just asked if I could have a general idea so we DIDNT waste close to an hour just sitting her because they kept brushing us off every 5-10 minutes with no new news. Her respond to me eventually was extremely snarky that I was too taken aback to even respond to but all of as sudden our room was magically ready. I wish I got their names that day so I could’ve somehow posted a better, specific review to someone higher up that has control over staffing.
Anymore you are always going to have bad experiences somewhere. The best way to handle it is 1, to review on social media (it’s the only place where some companies actually care) and 2, vote with your wallet.
Customer service is a lost art. Some set the standard. Some used to set the standard. Others were never close.