Need help....POR or Poly

[HappyMomma]

I've been mulling this over and over and over. I'm going to start bleeding out of my ears soon. We are going to WDW in January. I can't decide between POR or the Poly. We have never stayed at a deluxe, but always wanted too. I have the money for either. But we always weigh what's worth it, and what's not when we spend it. Our kids will be 16, 12 and 5 at time of travel. Can anyone talk me in to or out of one? It's another 2,000 for us to stay at Poly.

Things I hate about moderates......when I get up early (5am) to get ready I wake everyone else. I hate having the vanity area only covered by a curtain.

Another thing, we are driving our own car. It would be nice to jump on a monorail instead of drive/park/tram.....every.single. day.

Other than that.......moderates are completely suitable to me. I don't mind the smallness of the rooms too much.

And POR has great pools, and entertainment for the kids.

I'm hoping if we do stay at POR that I can get Magnolia Bend. Alligator Bayou is kinda busy to me. NMS.

We stayed at POFQ last time (liked it just fine with the exceptions posted above). And before that, the values......hate those. I think Alligator Bayou reminds me a bit of them I guess.

Thank you for your input.

 

[mad madam mim78]

I've been mulling this over and over and over. I'm going to start bleeding out of my ears soon. We are going to WDW in January. I can't decide between POR or the Poly. We have never stayed at a deluxe, but always wanted too. I have the money for either. But we always weigh what's worth it, and what's not when we spend it. Our kids will be 16, 12 and 5 at time of travel. Can anyone talk me in to or out of one? It's another 2,000 for us to stay at Poly.

Things I hate about moderates......when I get up early (5am) to get ready I wake everyone else. I hate having the vanity area only covered by a curtain.

Another thing, we are driving our own car. It would be nice to jump on a monorail instead of drive/park/tram.....every.single. day.

Other than that.......moderates are completely suitable to me. I don't mind the smallness of the rooms too much.

And POR has great pools, and entertainment for the kids.

I'm hoping if we do stay at POR that I can get Magnolia Bend. Alligator Bayou is kinda busy to me. NMS.

We stayed at POFQ last time (liked it just fine with the exceptions posted above). And before that, the values......hate those. I think Alligator Bayou reminds me a bit of them I guess.

Thank you for your input.

If fixing a couple minor inconveniences is worth 2 grand to you that's your call. I would stay at PoR, spend the two thousand on iPads for you and your kids and have a blast. Unless poly had people coming in everyday to massage my aching feet, fix my hair in the morning, and put clothes on my kids there's no way I would spend an extra 2000. That's just me though

 

[woody5]

Are you getting two rooms? If not then you be in the bayou rooms as they are the only ones that sleep five. I always think about booking the Polynesian but never for us justify the additional cost. We are park commandos and spend very little time in the room so a moderate suits us just fine. My kids are older as well. For me personally $2000 extra to stay at Polynesian would not be worth it for our family. heck that is a whole extra trip to Disney! We do not like the values either.

 

[HappyMomma]

Are you getting two rooms? If not then you be in the bayou rooms as they are the only ones that sleep five. I always think about booking the Polynesian but never for us justify the additional cost. We are park commandos and spend very little time in the room so a moderate suits us just fine. My kids are older as well. For me personally $2000 extra to stay at Polynesian would not be worth it for our family. heck that is a whole extra trip to Disney! We do not like the values either.

Oh, I didn't realize they didn't have extra beds in any of the Magnolia Bend buildings. I had a note added to our ressies that we prefered MB, and they didn't bat an eyelash. I even called PoR and she said two of the buildings were out, but that two of them had the extra bed?

@ MadMadam......LOL! Hilarious! You have a very good point.

 

[Danjocass]

I too had the exact same dilemma as you. We have never stayed at deluxe either. I really weighed it out because it was just about $2,000 more. We decided to stay at POR in the Royal Rooms. A couple of reasons were:

1) Yes, it would be great to just hop on the monorail to get to MK & epcot but, when you are going to AK, HS & DD, you are busing it just the same.

2) POR rooms have just been refurbished....Poly rooms look like they need it.

3) Although we could afford both, the money we are saving can be used for so many other things.

In, the end, there seemed to be more pro's to stay at POR than Poly. We have an ADR at Poly and plan on seeing the Electrical Water Paegent and Wishes from the beach so we will enjoy the resort even if we aren't staying there. Either way you decide, your trip will be magical Ultimately, its what you make of your vacation, not where you sleep.

 

[wdwmaw]

POLYNESIAN all the way baby!! If money was not a factor at all I wouldn't think twice about it. Poly for us would be over $6000 more, , just the room part is more than our currant trip with tickets and free dining. We have never gotten to stay there, been to AKL, CR, OKW, BC, POP, CBR and loved all of those but Poly or POR discounts never been available during our stays.

Untill now!! We are staying at POR this year for 14 nights, just about went through the roof when it opened up to public for free dining, had CBR booked from a PIN. Promised DS years ago when he graduated we would take him to POLY (his favorite), but life happens (DH in auto manufacturing industry, just had total knee replacement, and countless of other health problems). Thank goodness POR is the other place he has always wanted to go. When DS was 4, I let him look at a book and he picked what is now POR for our first stay, and of course we didn't get to stay there then. He assures us 14 nights @ POR over christmas is OK with him. We are eating at Kona, 'Ohana's, and have resort photo session booked.

 

[Masonmj84]

I had this same dilemma.

POR had the advantages of lower cost + more recently refurbished rooms.

Poly had the advantage of better location + bigger rooms (and, for us, slightly more attractive theme).

Added to this were a few extra considerations:

1. Have some extended family planning to stay at POR.

2. We have 2 young kids. Parents are joining us from West Coast (in separate room). Mom is not an early riser. We have several early morning character breakfasts scheduled (2 of which are in MK). We're also planning on attending MVMCP.

3. This is a very special once in a lifetime trip.

Finally, the discount situation factored in:

Free dining (the better discount for POR) only covered 6 of our 8 nights (requiring a RO the first 2 nights). Room discounts (the better discount for Poly) covered all of our nights.

Ultimately, factors 2 and 3 and the discount situation resulted in us leaning Poly (actually, we settled on a Poly/BC split stay).

If, however, free dining would have covered all of our dates, we might very well have gone with POR (it was that close!).

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Klib624]

We have stayed at POR for the past three years. Always in Magnolia Bend area riverview with a corner room (we requested and it was ALWAYS granted to us. Acctually two years in a row the exact same room). This year we got to enjoy the Royal Room and it was nice.

Our only hangup with POR is that EVERYTHING is so spread out. After three years we wanted to change it up a bit, so we have been back and forth between the Poly and WL. We vacation in the summer and we have NEVER gotten a PIN or a discount. So we are always stuck paying full price. We have to vacation when my DH and DS's are out of school. Because of our jobs holiday vacations are not an option (we Pastor). I was shocked to find that the Deluxe resorts really are not too much more than what we paid this past summer for DDP, Royal Riverview Room and PH for 7 days at POR.

We are changing up simply to try something different, but you can NOT go wrong at POR and you will LOVE Magnolia or Oak Manor area! The Food court is amazing (one thing I will miss at a Deluxe) ! Whatever you decide you can't go wrong!

 

[HappyMomma]

If we were a group of 4 and we could get a Royal Room, we'd do that. But alas, we are 5, so we don't qualify. Being 5 is sucking!

I'm really appreciating all the feedback. It's really helping me to sort things out. Keep em coming please!

ETA......we aren't food court people. We don't like those refillable cups either. I have germ issues. I can just imagine the E coli from people not washing the cups properly, and even if they did, they are doing it in a bathroom sink and then refilling at a drink station? I can't handle it. So no loss for me there. We generally breakfast in room as we are fruit and cereal people. It's fast, cheap, and easy. And the kids can eat while I get ready, I take a looooong time straighten my hair and such.

 

[mickeynut1]

I'm in the minority as my choice would be the Poly. We've never stayed at POR and have only stayed at one mod (CBR) and although we had a great stay at CBR, we love the deluxe resorts. We love the Poly for the atmosphere, the large rooms, the pool, the beach, and a variety of transportation options. With that said, we do spend alot of time at the resort so where we stay is a big factor when planning our trips. Good luck deciding, but I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter which resort you choose.

 

[HappyMomma]

I'm in the minority as my choice would be the Poly. We've never stayed at POR and have only stayed at one mod (CBR) and although we had a great stay at CBR, we love the deluxe resorts. We love the Poly for the atmosphere, the large rooms, the pool, the beach, and a variety of transportation options. With that said, we do spend alot of time at the resort so where we stay is a big factor when planning our trips. Good luck deciding, but I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter which resort you choose.

How long do you generally stay when you go? We are going 8 days.......

I'm a big service person. Do you receive better service at a Deluxe? I wanted to do Club, but it's sold out.

 

[married2mm]

For me personally $2000 extra to stay at Polynesian would not be worth it for our family. heck that is a whole extra trip to Disney! .

you are so lucky,you can vacation for $2000.

our tickets and pofq accomodation for next year is over $4800-then we have flights,airport hotel,airport parking, car hire-oh my, the list goes on!

back on topic-op-i could not justify the extra $$$-it is still essentially "just a room" albeit, i'm sure a very pleasant one

that's not to stay as the contempory or grand floridian don't appeal either-but the price-even taking into account their location-
is simply not worth it.
especially if you have a car.

 

[HappyMomma]

you are so lucky,you can vacation for $2000.

our tickets and pofq accomodation for next year is over $4800-then we have flights,airport hotel,airport parking, car hire-oh my, the list goes on!

back on topic-op-i could not justify the extra $$$-it is still essentially "just a room" albeit, i'm sure a very pleasant one

that's not to stay as the contempory or grand floridian don't appeal either-but the price-even taking into account their location-
is simply not worth it.
especially if you have a car.

We are driving. For our 8 days, with PH tickets and free dining is 3,500 at PoR. To go Poly we'd be 5,700 for all the same. We are driving and all our hotel rooms on the way down and back are free because of rewards we earned.

 

[mickeynut1]

How long do you generally stay when you go? We are going 8 days.......

I'm a big service person. Do you receive better service at a Deluxe? I wanted to do Club, but it's sold out.

We usually go anywhere from 7-9 nights. We have stayed at 1 mod and most of the deluxes (WL, AKL, Poly, GF, & BC) and have received great service at all resorts. We love the extras at the deluxes like a larger room, different transportation options (with the exception of AKL, which is just buses), and a variety of TS options. With that said, we have had great stays at all of the resorts we've tried, but the Poly is our favorite. The tropical atmosphere is relaxing, the pool is awesome with a distant view of the castle while swimming, and you can't beat the beach for watching the fireworks. Our first stay onsite was at CBR and while we had an amazing stay, we then tried a deluxe and have been hooked on deluxes ever since.

 

[Paradise18]

As much as I would love to stay at the Poly I can't justify the extra cost. We have stayed at POR and really liked it. OP, you mention not liking only having a curtain to close at the vanity - have you considered CSR? CSR has sliding doors instead of a curtain.

 

[HappyMomma]

As much as I would love to stay at the Poly I can't justify the extra cost. We have stayed at POR and really liked it. OP, you mention not liking only having a curtain to close at the vanity - have you considered CSR? CSR has sliding doors instead of a curtain.

We are a family of 5. I believe PoR is the only made for 5 moderate.

 

[Mousemommy1]

We are a family of 5. I believe PoR is the only made for 5 moderate.

Other than the FW Cabins, you are correct.

Also, I think that $2000 is a big difference, and I would probably opt to stay at POR. You could use the $2000 for a lot of extras or put it towards your next trip.

I have considered Poly CL for our upcoming trip, but it is $1500 more than our GV room at Beach Club...$1500 can go a looooong way, so we're opting to save that money for now.

 

[married2mm]

We are driving. For our 8 days, with PH tickets and free dining is 3,500 at PoR. To go Poly we'd be 5,700 for all the same. We are driving and all our hotel rooms on the way down and back are free because of rewards we earned.

i know thread is por or poly-but have u considered one or two bedroom villas?

we have stayed in 2 bed at okw and ssr-both lovely.
with the addition of the kitchen plus an eating area for your breakfast-and more space for your morning beautifying you would be set!!

 

[NMDisneyFan]

If we were a group of 4 and we could get a Royal Room, we'd do that. But alas, we are 5, so we don't qualify. Being 5 is sucking!

I'm really appreciating all the feedback. It's really helping me to sort things out. Keep em coming please!

ETA......we aren't food court people. We don't like those refillable cups either. I have germ issues. I can just imagine the E coli from people not washing the cups properly, and even if they did, they are doing it in a bathroom sink and then refilling at a drink station? I can't handle it. So no loss for me there. We generally breakfast in room as we are fruit and cereal people. It's fast, cheap, and easy. And the kids can eat while I get ready, I take a looooong time straighten my hair and such.

E coli from dirty cups? Never heard of that happening before...

 

[HappyMomma]

E coli from dirty cups? Never heard of that happening before...

I never said I was rational.