Polynesian vs. Art of Animation - is Deluxe worth the extra $$?

Catie.Hiltz

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 27, 2011
Having a debate over where to stay, going to WDW in September of 2013, REALLY love the Polynesian, but it would be $2,000 more to stay there than Art of Animation

Any Polynesian Resort lovers/haters out there?

Opinions needed please and thanks :cool1:
 
Poly lover here! It's so hard for me to say because I don't know what to expect at AoA. I've seen pics and it looks cool. I would love to try it in the future maybe. Here are some of the reasons we love the Poly and prefer to stay there:

- Convenience of Monorail and easy access to MK and Epcot
- Watching Wishes right from the beach/pool
- Electrical Water pageant
- Relaxing
- Great restaurant options
- Well themed
- Greens are beautiful
- Cabanas by the pool, boat rentals
- The Neverland Kids Club
- Standard room sleeps 5 (we are a family of 5)
- If its a day where it's raining, we don't feel trapped- you can take a "monorail resort tour" and essentially stay inside the whole time. Also they have hula lessons in the Great Ceremonial House along with making Leis (great for the kids!)

I can't tell you it would be better to spend the extra money on the Poly bc it isn't my place, but I can tell you that IF you did spend the extra money, that you most likely will not be disappointed. Take a look at the pics in the Poly thread too. :)
 
We've never stayed at a value and it's hard to compare a value to a deluxe, but we love the deluxe resorts, especially the Poly :goodvibes. We've had great stays at all of the resorts we've stayed at, but we absolutely love everything about the Poly.......the tropical atmosphere is relaxing, the beach is great for watching the fireworks, the volcano pool is great, Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals, and it's so magical being so close to MK and seeing the castle off in the distance every day :cloud9:. For us, the extra cost is definitely worth it, but like the pp said, you're the only on who can decide if it's worth it for you and your family as worth is different for everyone. Good luck deciding :wizard:.
 
Is Deluxe worth the extra money? YES!

Sorry, Once I went deluxe I found I could never go back. Poly is my favorite resort, but I prefer Epcot resorts for their location.
 


That's a really big difference in price! It's hard to tell someone else if it's worth it or not. My family really likes the Disney deluxe resorts, and we would rather stay in them even if it means that we go less often. So I would stay at the Poly (or split the difference and look at WL and AKL). But I can see wanting to save $2000 as well...

Good luck with your decision!:goodvibes
 
Poly lover here! It's so hard for me to say because I don't know what to expect at AoA. I've seen pics and it looks cool. I would love to try it in the future maybe. Here are some of the reasons we love the Poly and prefer to stay there:

- Convenience of Monorail and easy access to MK and Epcot
- Watching Wishes right from the beach/pool
- Electrical Water pageant
- Relaxing
- Great restaurant options
- Well themed
- Greens are beautiful
- Cabanas by the pool, boat rentals
- The Neverland Kids Club
- Standard room sleeps 5 (we are a family of 5)
- If its a day where it's raining, we don't feel trapped- you can take a "monorail resort tour" and essentially stay inside the whole time. Also they have hula lessons in the Great Ceremonial House along with making Leis (great for the kids!)

I can't tell you it would be better to spend the extra money on the Poly bc it isn't my place, but I can tell you that IF you did spend the extra money, that you most likely will not be disappointed. Take a look at the pics in the Poly thread too. :)

You described my paradise, I mean the Poly!! It is the best feeling in the world...getting your coffee in the morning, seeing the castle and watching the monorails go around the resort. All the while, you are listening to Hawaiian music and being greeted with, "Aloha." :love:
 
You described my paradise, I mean the Poly!! It is the best feeling in the world...getting your coffee in the morning, seeing the castle and watching the monorails go around the resort. All the while, you are listening to Hawaiian music and being greeted with, "Aloha." :love:

I am so with you! Walking over to the GCH with my mug, filling it up and, sitting by the pool/beach in the early am is the best. It's the simple pleasures... :)
 


I LOVED my stay at the POLY and admit that my upcoming stay at CSR will hardly compare but I WOULD NEVER spend an additional $2000 for the upgrade. First, the resort you choose will most likely not make or break your vacation considering how much there is to do outside your resort. Second, The moderate and value resorts are very nice. Lastly - my upcoming vacation price is right around the price of your upgrade, I'd use the savings for another trip.

That being said, our POLY vacation was VERY nice, we loved it. We lucked out with a 40% off PIN (not seen in a LOOOOONG time) and a generous mother/grandmother who paid a big chunk towards it.

Either way you'll have a great time, no doubt!
 
If money is not an issue, Poly for sure. We considered AOA because it is new and we are a family of 5. Although there is a little more space in the Family Suite, we prefer the Deluxe resort to the Value resort--it fits our vacation style better. We are staying CR next trip. Stayed at the Poly many times and love it. Good luck with your choice!
 
2K is a lot of money, for me I could go to Oahu for 6 days with airfare for with my hubby lol. However the Poly is nice, we have stayed once. If yoKu have the $$$ go for it!
 
Only you can say whether or not a stay at the Poly is worth the extra $2,000.00. The Poly is certainly one of the iconic WDW resorts and many people love to stay there.

We love the deluxe resorts, but we only rarely stay in them because of the hefty room rates. We only stay there if it's a very special occasion AND we can get a good room discount. The mods generally fit our fiscal comfort level best.

What is your comfort level when it comes to your vacation budget? There's no point in booking a stay at a top level (Disney) resort if the cost is going to gnaw at you the whole time.

If this is a once in a lifetime vacation and you can afford it, then by all means stay at the Poly. But if the cost of the resort is a cause for any concern at all, then I'd recommend staying at a value or mod and save the money for something else.
 
The Poly is my favorite Resort by FAR. However, we are trying AOA in October. Mostly because it's new and the girls like the theme. If we were only going once this year, I would insist on the Poly. Since I know we will go one or two more times within the next twelve months, I am holding out for a better discount on deluxes.
 
I stayed at a value resort when my dgtr was 2, and at a deluxe when she was almost 4. Being at the contemporary was a totally different experience. Not that All Star was bad - not at all. It was fine. but, the convenience of the monorail, being able to go back to the room for a break and not eat up an hour getting there, having the restaurant choices at GF, Poly, and CR available with little transportation time makes a HUGE difference in the experience. I would go to WDW every year, but my husband is not a huge fan. Since we will be going every other year, at best, I feel I can justify the extra cost of the deluxe resort. It's hard to make that payment when you think of it as, we could go twice for what I just paid to stay at this deluxe. But, if you know that you aren't going to go twice, even if you save the $$ by going value, then I say splurge. I am debating POFQ vs CR right now for next year's trip. My husband doesn't want to spend the $$, because he says the Value resort is fine, and you're never in the room anyway. I say that the reason we were never in the value room is because it was so flipping far away from everything. When I went with my mom last year, we spent more time at the resort, going back for breaks, park hopping and resort hopping to eat dinner. Also, for me, if I can skip dealing with the buses for a few days, it's worth it. And, I enjoyed the character breakfast at GF, and want to do that one the Ohana breakfast next time. there is no way that I can get myself, my dgtr, and my husband out the door of a value, onto the bus to TTC, then onto a bus to the breakfast resort in time for an 8:00-something ADR. Plus, my daughter keeps asking if we can stay at the hotel with the monorail and the fireworks again. Who am I to spoil her Disney dreams by saying "No, baby, it costs too much." ?;) for me, it's totally worth the extra $$$. But, $2K is a LOT of cash. You're the only one who can decide what's "worth it" for your family. My only advice: make the decision, then don't look back. You'll make yourself nuts!

Either way, the vacation will be a blast.
 
While I'm not a fan (or hater) of the Poly, I am a fan of staying at a deluxe... especially ones with rooms larger than WL and AKL.

We are more Contemporary fans, but the perks are similar to staying at the Poly. For one, the room is significantly larger. I felt cramped at Wilderness Lodge, and while part of that was b/c of our stroller I don't think we'd try anything smaller than a mod room wise once we're past the stroller phase.

The second issue is beds. For us, we need two beds and two doubles would = a beyond miserable trip for us. So, for those that take the "I just need a clean comfortable place to sleep at night" people- this makes a value resort a complete no go for us.

Convenience is also huge. While we wasted a ton of time waiting for buses at WL (boats were much better) we experienced little to no wait time at the Contemporary. We could walk to MK, the monorail to Epcot was easy, and we got buses to the other parks almost instantly. Dining was also a breeze...I mean, anything on the monorail was a short ride away and anything at another resort was super easy since we could just walk over to MK and grab a bus to that resort. Even better if your TS meals are in your resort...i.e. a short walk to dinner at 'Ohana or breakfast at Chef Mickey's (depending on where you're staying obviously).

While GF and the Poly are a bit more spread out, it seems like most of the deluxe resorts aren't spread out over a sea of buildings like the mods and vals. i.e. less walking to get from point a to point b means less time wasted and more energy for the parks.

While I'm not a huge fan of the Contemporary pool (although my crazy kids liked it better than the Poly's and WL's), the deluxe resorts usually have nicer pools. So, if you're planning on a break day or break time, it is a nicer spot for down town.

Now assuming all goes as planned, we'll be staying at the Contemporary again in November. I offered my girls a royal room at POR, but they said while cute and all- they didn't want to stay there. They wanted to go back to the place with the beach and bathtub they liked (CR). :rolleyes1 Like I said, crazy kids!!! :rotfl2:

While all this is good and all, you also don't want to kill the budget. Have you considered a moderate? While you don't get the convenience factors...the rooms are at least a bit bigger, bigger beds, etc.?
 
I have stayed at the Poly many times. When staying deluxe I'm not really a fan of not being able to walk from my room to the main building if it's raining.

It seems the Poly GCH is just always full of people, probably due to the popular restaurants there....It seems like the pool is always crowded, maybe from folks not even staying there? Who knows why, it just always seems crazy there, not the relaxed Polynesian atmosphere you may have counted on.

I like all levels of resort, I have stayed at Pop and liked that. If I had a choice right now I'd probably prefer CSR over Poly any day.

But, to answer your question, I'd choose Poly over AoA.

The pictures of AoA just look like they did this resort so much on the cheap that I don't think I could enjoy myself there.

Open closets in your room? Give me a break, at least put them behind a wall, or maybe put a curtain over them.

Kitchen table bed? You have to be kidding me. That's what they use in RV's. "Hey kids, get up, Dad wants to sit at the table and have a cup of coffee"

The furnishings and rooms look so cheap that I would think $2000 additional is a small price to pay to move to the Poly.
 
I was about to write how I'm planning to stay at AoA and think it looks amazing, more than any of the more subtly themed hotels would be for my 3 year old. However, I have a 3 year old. I won't mind if the look of the resort is still a "value" because my son will think Nemo really might be lurking around the corner. And then there's Cars, LK and LM too! Kids don't care if things are made of higher quality materials, just that they recognize their "friends" all over the resort. I imagine plenty of adults feel that way too. And you can hear Nemo and Dorry underwater in the pool!

I looked at your blog bio. If I were still your age and childless and could comfortably afford it, I'd probably stay at the Poly. I imagine it will be more romantic and if children are on the horizon, your days of spoiling yourself in romance might be limited. :-) I guess it just depends on what kind of trip you want.

Of course this is just my humble supposition as I have never been to WDW, just Disneyland.
 
As a family of five, the Poly was our choice for our visit five years ago since we "probably wouldn't make the trip again so we might as well splurge". Needless to say, we got hooked and are heading back there for our third stay at the Poly this summer. :)
 
We are huge poly fans here. We're in the process of planning a month long stay there, in one of their suites. Can't wait! Super excited!!

Have a great trip!
 
I've got two nights prior to cruise, visiting MK one day. thought monorail would be real convenient for this trip and since its only two nights worth trying.
But I was not sure if it was worth the cost of two nights at Poly since we arrive late on Firday, Saturday at MK, very little time at resort.
I've never stayed at a monorail resort nor a value. We love the villas if doing Disney a full week for the space.
I have the AOA Nemo suite booked because that is what my 8yo saw and wanted. My 11yo is all about having her own space, my 8yo loves the themed pools. So where you stay really depends on what your family likes. A villa is too much for a two night stay so I think the AOA suite is a good alternative. My AOA suite is $400-$500 less than Poly. I figure I could try it for two nights and that is a big saving for a room I will not be in that much.
Good luck planning!
 
I have only stayed at deluxe resorts and the Polynesian is my favorite. We live it and try to get there once a year. It is worth it for us, I don't think you will be disapointed
 

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