First time staying on site. Debating between hotels

[lovemymac]

OK we have never stayed on site except 1 night at Dolphin and 1 night at the Boardwalk. That was in 06 so thats quite some time ago and i know things have changed much since then. No flat screens back then or wifi.

Anyway we love MK and Epcot those are the parks we spend the most time in usually 3 days in MK and 2 or 2.5 in Epcot.
So after tons of research i liked contemporary, POLy, Boardwalk, beach, yacht and swan or dolphin. However after seeing picts and video of Contemporay it just seems BLAH. Other then being on disney and having the monorail run through it i dont see allot of theming and the pool looks like any resort hotel. Infact its worse there are some really cool pools in orlando with lazy rivers and more.

So then i thought poly for connivence to MK and to epcot but i read lots of reviews about in off times it is horrible because the monorails tend to not be working and then it takes forever to get around. So i thought epcot resorts because you can walk to boardwalk, and Epcot and short boat to HS.

But so many reviews saying the beach and yacht need updating badly.
There will be 2 adults a 10.5 yr old and a 5.5 yr old and we are thinking of going either in early NOV before thankgiving or waiting till JAN to go. SO if its to cold those times then stormalong bay i assume is not heated so wouldnt be a need for a cool pool then.

First preferences for me.
1. Comfy bed which is why i like the swan and dolphin because i know there beds are the best next to a memory foam bed (what we have at home)
2. location and quick transportation because the one thing we have never done is take a break in the middle of the day and go back. Because when your off site at least for us it seems like a chor to go back and park again and catch a tram and all this.
3. Room size. When we are in the room its nice to be able to spread a little and not be on top of each other like at the values or moderates. (no personal experience but from what i have read and seen in room size).
4. We tend to not eat on site allot but since none of the hotels serve like a continental breakfast and you dont have kitchen to cook. It would be nice to have a place to catch breakfast before playing all day. Maybe you have a suggestion if the hotel doesnt have such thing as to what some of you guys do.

Ok sorry for the book but really trying to explain so i get the best answers for what im looking for.

Thanks

 

[themilesfamily]

If I had to pick a hotel for you, I'd pick the Poly.

It has some of the largest standard rooms on-site. GREAT theming. I think transportation would be excellent for you. Very convenient to come back for a midday break. (I've never heard of the monorails totally shutting down for any extended period of time. I don't think that will be a problem for you, at all.)

There are also a lot of dining options at the Poly with excellent breakfast choices. I'm thinking specifically of the Tonga Toast at the Kona Cafe!

The Poly has a large and loyal following on the DIS. People do seem to love the place. I bet you will, too!

 

[mickeynut1]

My choice would be the Poly as well . We've stayed at both the Poly and BC and while it is great to be able to walk to Epcot and DHS (or boat) from the BC, the Poly has larger rooms, all rooms come with a daybed, and Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals/snacks. Plus, MK is just 2 monorail stops from the Poly and it's only about a 5 minute walk to the TTC where you can catch the Epcot monorail. Both the Poly and BC are great resorts and I'm sure you'd have a magical stay at either one, but for more room space and more CS options, the Poly would be my choice .

 

[waynesgirl]

I have stayed at the YC with a 14yr old and a 5 yr old and me and DH. The rooms, while not being massively huge, were roomy enough. WC with the shower is a bit small but the sparate counter space and room in the foyer part of the room is good.

The bonus there is most rooms have balconies or patios so my DH and I could enjoy a cup of coffee in the mornings and at night, we watched the fireworks from ours. The room was comfortable for us and the themeing was nice. But we also enjoy the proximity to EP and DHS and the monorail.

 

[lovemymac]

My choice would be the Poly as well . We've stayed at both the Poly and BC and while it is great to be able to walk to Epcot and DHS (or boat) from the BC, the Poly has larger rooms, all rooms come with a daybed, and Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals/snacks. Plus, MK is just 2 monorail stops from the Poly and it's only about a 5 minute walk to the TTC where you can catch the Epcot monorail. Both the Poly and BC are great resorts and I'm sure you'd have a magical stay at either one, but for more room space and more CS options, the Poly would be my choice .

what are the beds like at poly? i know the night we stayed at boardwalk they were hard but again that was in 06 so im sure things have changed since then.
The poly is different then the other deluxe since it is not all inclosed. FOr those who have stayed does club level really worth it or is not that much better? I was thinking of staying if not club level the smallest long house or the one closest to the TTC.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I would also choose Poly for your family. We also spend the majority of our time at MK and Epcot and Poly is perfect for transportation to these parks. Yes--the MK Resort monorail sometimes has issues but you can take the resort boat that shares with GF over to MK or walk over to the TTC and take the ferry. I have never experienced any monorail issues from TTC to Epcot but I cannot say it never happens. Note that at YC/BC, bus rides can be a bit longer than you would expect. They often share with BW, and the Swalphin. It made the rides to MK longer than you would expect which was disappointing for our family as we spend alot of our trip at MK. We realized that trip(YC stay) that we are really MK resort people. We feel the happiest when staying across the lagoon from MK....esp at the Poly

Poly has great CS and TS options. Captain Cooks has really good breakfast items. DH loves the breakfast platter with sausage/potatoes/eggs and I like the Tonga Toast with a side of sausage. Yummers! BC/YC is sorely lacking in breakfast options for a quick bite. One of the disappointments during our stay there.

As far as comfy beds goes.....of the resorts we have stayed, I would rank as follows. CR--POLY--YC--CSR Although none were uncomfortable, I will say CR mattresses were the most plush.

All of the pools on property are heated throughout the year so I would not worry about that issue. Given the outside temps during the timeframes you mentioned, the pool will not be as big of a consideration anyway.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I would suggest the Yacht Club - or even club level at the Yacht Club which would give you the continental breakfast - access to the club lounge for snacks and drinks/desserts in the evening.

 

[lovemymac]

I am really looking into the poly. It seems like after looking at tikimans site it is actually closer to things time wise then even the beach and YC. And with the new rehabs going on that would really make things new when we go.
Plus the not having a hot tub sucked but now they will have one so that's cool.

It just would be nice to know we could get the longhouse we want.

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[Sparrow624]

Boardwalk beds are hard, I agree there. Which is sad, because we really enjoyed that hotel otherwise. The GF has great beds which always seem comfortable. Never slept in a bed at POLY, but our friends said they were very comfortable.

 

[lovemymac]

Boardwalk beds are hard, I agree there. Which is sad, because we really enjoyed that hotel otherwise. The GF has great beds which always seem comfortable. Never slept in a bed at POLY, but our friends said they were very comfortable.

I wonder why the boardwalk beds are so hard. You'd think like most all other hotels in that price range have either something like the heavenly bed or a foam bed. Plus I never understood why all the deluxe hotels don't all have nice beds infact the same beds.

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[spiceycat]

with your kids ages would definitely go for a Mk resort. Now would go with BLT renting a reservation from a DVC member.

the studio is tiny - so don't recommend it. but a 1-bedroom would be great for your family.

a king bed in the master, a queen sleeper sofa and chair bed in the livingroom area. it has a complete kitchen with washer/dryer in the villa too.

then you can walk to the MK - so if the monorail is working does not apply to BLT/CR. plus getting to Epcot is a quick trip on the monorail to TTC (next stop after CR) then transfer to the Epcot monorail.

BLT is for me a little more upscale than CR.

 

[Masonmj84]

Are you open to doing a split stay?

We're trying this for our next trip (Poly and BC).

Doing this allows us to be a short walk or monorail or boat ride from every park except AK, as we plan to go to MK during our Poly leg and EP/HS during our BC leg (we're also planning to go to EP on the transfer day).

In addition, we think it will be sort of fun to experience two different resorts on the same vacation.

 

[lovemymac]

Are you open to doing a split stay?

We're trying this for our next trip (Poly and BC).

Doing this allows us to be a short walk or monorail or boat ride from every park except AK, as we plan to go to MK during our Poly leg and EP/HS during our BC leg (we're also planning to go to EP on the transfer day).

In addition, we think it will be sort of fun to experience two different resorts on the same vacation.

That could be very interesting. Didn't think of that. I don't visit the same park usually 2 days in a row. Lst time we were there my touring app said MK was great 1 day but the next day it was the park to avoid. Epcot was lowest park that day so we went there. But even so both resorts would work. I think the kids would love SaB. I know I would but as my wife would say I am a kid.

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[tiggersmyguy]

I would suggest the Yacht Club - or even club level at the Yacht Club which would give you the continental breakfast - access to the club lounge for snacks and drinks/desserts in the evening.

I second this. We stayed Poly when my DD's were 9 and 13. They were not overly thrilled with Poly. We've stayed 3 times at YC. It's our favorite! We have a Tempurpedic bed and I actually liked the beds at YC better than my own. The club lounge is also great at YC.

 

[lovemymac]

I second this. We stayed Poly when my DD's were 9 and 13. They were not overly thrilled with Poly. We've stayed 3 times at YC. It's our favorite! We have a Tempurpedic bed and I actually liked the beds at YC better than my own. The club lounge is also great at YC.

I always thought YC was stuffy and not as kid friendly as BC? I know either one is good because you get SAB for a pool. BUt in Jan im not sure how much we would use it. We have gone in Dec and not used the pool that much because it was cool out. And we are from KS where its freezing in DEC. Now during the day its nice but by the time we are done at the parks its always cool out. But we again have never stayed on site so not sure what the pools are like that time of year.

Maybe we will do a split stay and do Poly and then YC or BC. If we dont do the Dining plan anyway. I know you can split a stay if you do that

 

[lovemymac]

Question. Are the yacht club rooms with daybed any bigger then those that do not?

Do they have daybed room that are lake view or just standard view?

 

[tiggersmyguy]

I believe the daybed rooms are thru all views. We've had garden view w/daybed and waterview w/daybed. Last year we had an awesome lagoon view without a daybed. The room size is the same for all except the room we had last year. It was a corner room so is was a little larger.