Poly vs. WL

[DisneyCrazyMomma]

Hi! We are planning to stay at WL this year, stayed their 2 years ago and LOVED it! I also was checking into Boardwalk, because I'm intrigued by it. Last night, DH said he looked at the Poly, and it's just a little more than BW... it is a chunk more than WL though... can you guys give me some thoughts/experiences on Poly? Loved WL - but its always fun to try something new, and staying at a monorail resort is kind of a dream too (and not interested in GF at all).

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both WL and Poly and although we love the WL, the Poly is our favorite. We love the tropical atmosphere, the volcano pool, the beach for watching the fireworks, Captain Cooks, and being just 2 monorail stops from MK. Plus the rooms are quite a bit larger than at the WL and all rooms come with a daybed, which we love since we have 2 teens. The WL is an amazing resort, but we love everything about the Poly and can't wait to go back.

 

[ktlm]

Those are 2 of our favorite places. You can't go wrong with either We have stayed at both multiple times. My thoughts:

WL:
Cheaper price
Everything all in one building- so I feel perfectly comfortable leaving DH and DD in the room and going off wandering by myself.

Poly:
Bigger rooms than WL
You can walk to the TTC and grab the express monorail to either MK or Epcot which saves a ton of travel time and is wonderful.
It is spread out and the paths have a lot of greenery so I didn't feel that comfortable wandering up to the Grand Ceremonial House by myself after dark (we usually request a building close to the TTC)


If there are discounts offered, we would pick the Poly because the transportation is so great from there and we really like the increased room size over the WL. If we can't get a discount, I won't pay the price to stay there and we would pick WL.

 

[karenklo]

We love the Poly! We are staying there again this July! The pool is wonderful as is watching the fireworks from the beach. It is so beautiful there! That being said-the Poly is being redone this year so various longhouses are closed for construction. We are staying in Hawaii which will be done next month. I would go to TikiMans poly page and check on construction times. You don't want to be next to building being renovated.

 

[willeve]

We have stayed at both, and prefer WL. Really liked the 'isolated' feel, you could be miles from anywhere else once you go through the gates, which to me makes it 2types of holidays, one Disney, one resort. Although we really liked the Poly, I did feel that the lobby was a bit like a bus station, always lots of people rushing around, whereas at WL it seems calmer, more like just the residents are there. Also love the all-under -one-roof appeal of WL.

 

[mmmears]

Poly is a fun resort. The rooms are much larger than the ones at the WL. Plus you have the easy boat ride (or monorail) to the MK, and you can walk to the TTC to take the monorail to Epcot. I like the central location, the views of the castle across the lake, great dining, fun pools and beach, and being able to watch the MK fireworks and the EWP from our balcony or the beach.

WL looks beautiful -- I hope to try it sometime (gorgeous lobby!). But I think I prefer the tropical theming at the Poly.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have stayed at both, and prefer WL. Really liked the 'isolated' feel, you could be miles from anywhere else once you go through the gates, which to me makes it 2types of holidays, one Disney, one resort. Although we really liked the Poly, I did feel that the lobby was a bit like a bus station, always lots of people rushing around, whereas at WL it seems calmer, more like just the residents are there. Also love the all-under -one-roof appeal of WL.

This is exactly why I like the WL better, too. I did not like having the separate buildings and the long walk in the rain to get a cup of coffee. Maybe I need to go back in a less rainy season.

But the transportation at the Poly is much better. Except for the really nice boats at WL, the overall transportation is better at the Poly. And the rooms are bigger.

 

[DisneyCrazyMomma]

We love the Poly! We are staying there again this July! The pool is wonderful as is watching the fireworks from the beach. It is so beautiful there! That being said-the Poly is being redone this year so various longhouses are closed for construction. We are staying in Hawaii which will be done next month. I would go to TikiMans poly page and check on construction times. You don't want to be next to building being renovated.

Thank you EVERYONE for the great advice!!! Can someone share a link to Tikimans page - this was great info. Thanks again to you all!

 

[cjnix29]

I prefer WL to Poly, but we love BW as well. Poly was always my dream resort, and I was less than impressed. The rooms were a good size, but I hated having to walk to a separate building to get my mug refilled. (yeah, I know, BW is a whole separate topic on getting the mug filled). But even to go to the lobby, I hate going to a separate building. Especially in the pouring rain. Thought it was always so busy with O'Hana being there. Didn't think the pool was all that either. And now with the construction going on at the GF, you can't walk over there, which we liked to do. It was about 5 years ago when we stayed at the Poly, and I thought it was high priced then, but I would not pay their prices now. I would stay at the Contemporary if I wanted to be on the monorail. Now, we stay in the Epcot area, because that is where we spend most of our time. I would choose BW over Poly. But only you could decide where you think you want to spend your vacation dollar...it's YOUR vacation!

 

[mmmears]

Thank you EVERYONE for the great advice!!! Can someone share a link to Tikimans page - this was great info. Thanks again to you all!

If you just google tikiman it shows up.

 

[Fab4@disney]

Another vote for the Poly here! We have stayed at both and while the WL is gorgeous the walks down the long hallways did me in. Also it seemed like the walk down to the boat launch was forever. The poly was a once in a lifetime stay for us and I will never forget it.

 

[jwill]

These are my two favorite resorts. I love them both equally and if forced to pick an absolute favorite would probably go back and forth many times. With that said the price difference between them would lead me more often to choose Wilderness Lodge. If you can live without the monorail you can save a chunk of money and still get an amazing deluxe resort.

 

[Bob NC]

I have stayed at the Poly & WL three times each.

I prefer the WL.

As someone else mentioned, for various reasons the Poly lobby is frequently crowded with visitors and folks waiting for their 'Ohana ADR's.

I also prefer that WL has everything under one roof.

I like that WL has a hot tub.

The pool ALWAYS seems overcrowded at the Poly.

Some folks like the monorail at Poly, I consider the boats at WL vs the monorail at Poly to be a wash.

If you have stayed at WL before but never stayed at the Poly, I'd recommend Poly just to try it. If I had a choice between the 2, I'd pick WL every time.

I have stayed at many WDW resorts and have not been disappointed in any of them.

Just pick one and then forget about it or you will drive yourself crazy with all the choices.

 

[DisneyCrazyMomma]

Thanks again! There is no hot tub at Poly? I was in that thing at WL everyday! Good to know.

I appreciate all the advice. We are a family of 3 so the bigger room isn't a huge deal to me. Guessing we will stick with WL - we drive so don't use the transportation that much anyway. Have a great day all!

 

[mmmears]

Thanks again! There is no hot tub at Poly? I was in that thing at WL everyday! Good to know.

I appreciate all the advice. We are a family of 3 so the bigger room isn't a huge deal to me. Guessing we will stick with WL - we drive so don't use the transportation that much anyway. Have a great day all!

Yep -- no hot tub at the Poly. There are rumors that they will build one (but that's been talked about here for years). If you need a hot tub, then Poly is not a good match.

 

[topmonkeygirl]

You can't go wrong either way. Both are beautiful, both have good food, both are close to Disney (one by boat one by monorail), lots of exploring can be done, and lots of activities at both. Our next trip we're staying at the Poly, but our last 2 trips have been at WL. We love both, it's a win win situation.

 

[monorailsilver]

I have stayed at both.

WL twice, Poly more then that.

The first time I stayed at the WL, it was just me & my sister met me as did my cousin (She lived in FL) with her kids. It was just for a night or two so it wasn't that bad.

I enjoyed the boat ride to/from the MK.

The next time I stayed there I took my dh (then boyfriend) & I decided I hated the buses. We did have a rental car so we used that here & there. I still liked the boat to the MK.

The rooms were fine, the resort was fine but it just wasn't for me.

I missed the Poly & the views of the MK plus the monorail. Some people hate the rooms saying they are too old/dark/drap (they are remodeling now) but I really can't say I give the rooms a second thought.

For me, once I cross that threshold into the lobby, check in & then walk out of the GCH & hear the pool water rushing, hear the boat horn blowing, hear the train from the MK, hear the howl from the HM and then I see it...I see the castle...ahhhhh...I know that is where I want to be.

But that is me. You may not like it.