Heart says Polynesian, head says Beach Club!

[Alexsandra]

My husband and I are currently planning a romantic getaway without the kids in September of this year. It is the first time we take a trip without them. (DS6, DS3). It breaks my heart not to bring them but a little Mommy and Daddy time alone will be good for everyone, plus, it is for our 10th anniversary.

We chose to go in September because of low crowds and low prices and MNSSHP. Since we wanted to stay at a deluxe resort for the first time, the prices are at their lowest in Sept.

So here comes the dilemma, we always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. We love the tropical theme and the idea of having breakfast at Kona cafe most mornings. I love the idea of romantic evenings, sitting on the beach, watching the fireworks and the convenience of being on the monorail. I have to say that the Volcano pool is not that attractive to me with its small size and the fact that it always seems packed but hey, I can live with that!

We also looked into staying at the Beach club or Yatch club since we got married in Maine New England and it seemed a fitting theme for our anniversary trip. PLus being close to the boardwalk and Epcot is attractive, as well as having a water park at our doorstep. However it seems less romantic to me and the resort food option are less appealing to me than at the Polynesian. My husband does like working out at the gym and Beach club wins a point for that over the Poly that seems to have none.

It is not only the amenities that pulls us toward whichever resort. I checked prices and Poly is almost $800 more expensive than BC. We got a free dining pin but looked into using the room only discount offer instead. It comes out cheeper for us to use the room only discount since we can get our park hopper tickets using points with "Aeroplan". If we did the free dining we would have to take a 5 day park and room package. The room only discount offers 30% on YC or BC stays and only 20% at the Polynesian.

So the smart thing to do would be to save the money and stay at the BC or YC but my heart seems to ache when I think of not going to the Polynesian.
Any advise on what I should do?

 

[Tropics]

Having stayed at both... It was the Poly that I fell in love with. I found the whole atmosphere relaxing, almost like a vacation within a vacation. Do you want a relaxing atmosphere? Can you afford the Poly? Does a South Pacific/Caribbean style resort appeal to you? We loved the relaxation of the poly so much that we're going back. For us it is worth the extra cost. Tahiti is my ultimate happy place... The Poly is the next best thing for me.

 

[Alexsandra]

Having stayed at both... It was the Poly that I fell in love with. I found the whole atmosphere relaxing, almost like a vacation within a vacation. Do you want a relaxing atmosphere?
Yes
Can you afford the Poly?
yes
Does a South Pacific/Caribbean style resort appeal to you?
We wanted to go to hawaii for our anniversary but it was too far
We loved the relaxation of the poly so much that we're going back. For us it is worth the extra cost. Tahiti is my ultimate happy place... The Poly is the next best thing for me.

I know what you mean, that is why my heart says POly but my logical/practical side says Beach Club is a great deluxe with great amenities for $800 less. I am driving myself mad

 

[freckles04]

I haven't stayed at either, but if it would not put a financial burden on you... and if it were me... I'd go with my heart!! You will have a wonderful time wherever you stay!

 

[EvilQueenT]

what about a split stay? that way you can have your cake and eat it too.

 

[Dannek]

I was in the same situation as you when I booked my September trip a few weeks ago.

I was planning on staying at the Poly with the 30% RO discount, but when the summer discounts were extended, the Poly discount dropped to 20%.

I checked prices (rack rate) and saw that a garden view room at the BC/YC was about $100. per night cheaper than a standard room at the Poly when applying the discounts listed above.

What you need to be aware of though is that when I tried to book a room at the BC using the extended summer discount RO rate of 30%, only the Pool & Lagoon rooms (and above) were available for the 30% off discount. It did not apply to the garden view rooms. This made a big difference.

Originally I figured that a standard room at the Poly would be $379.81 per night including taxes after the 20% discount, which it was. I had figured that the BC/YC garden view room would be $283.00 per night including taxes after the 30% discount, for a savings of almost $100. per night. But since the 30% off only applied to the more expensive Pool/Lagoon rooms, the total price for one of those rooms at the BC/YC came out to be $343.36 per night including taxes.

So in the end the savings between the Poly and the BC/YC was only about $36.00 per night, not the $100. per night that I had anticipated. That made my decision easy. For the extra $36.00 per night I chose the Poly. If the garden rooms at the BC/YC had been available at the 30% off RO rate, I would have had a hard decision...

Keep that in mind when comparing prices between the two resorts if using the extended summer RO discount.

 

[clapton]

IMO the Poly is not worth the extra $800. There are so many more things to do at BC , there are tons of restaurants between BC, YC, & Swan & Dolphin. A 5 min walk to Epcot and a great pool!

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

I would say YC.. While I loved the Poly ( my daughters first Disney trip) the YC has so much more to do.. The boardwalk.. DATW in Epcot just steps away.. yachtsmen steak house is romantic and my DH and I love it and have it booked next month for my birthday!

You can always catch a meal at kona.. But YC is just more "adult" to me

 

[jenjersnap]

I love both resorts (planning our second split stay between them) but I think BC & YC is so ideal for an adult only trip with access to Epcot and the great restaurants and lounges in the Epcot area. Saving money on top of it is gravy!

 

[SlightlyocdDisneyfan]

One of the most magical moments of our last stay at the Poly, was my morning runs along the pathways between the Poly and the GF. The view of the castle in the early morning light was breathtaking. Perhaps, this would help to ease the lack of on-site gym facilities for your husband. Enjoying a cup of Kona coffee after the run, on the quiet, tropical Poly grounds started every day off perfectly.

 

[mariamouse]

I haven't stayed at either, but if it would not put a financial burden on you... and if it were me... I'd go with my heart!! You will have a wonderful time wherever you stay!

This. I love the Poly and BC equally, but it sounds like you already have your mind made up. How much will you miss that $800 down the road? I suspect not as much as you might regret not having followed your heart. Both resorts have their pros, so at least this is a win-win!

 

[Micca]

We're finally hitting the BC for the first time next trip, but the Poly sure is cool (and expensive). They're both really nice, you can't go wrong.

 

[disn3yw0rld]

Both of these resorts are the two that I normally stay at. What I do, is half and half, I know most people don't like doing that, but to me it is the best of both worlds because you can walk to Epcot and DHS from The Beach Club (and the pool is awesome) and then you can go to the Polynesian at the end of your trip you can take a boat or monorail to the parks. I love Y&B because of location, but LOVE Poly because of the feel and the fact i've been going there 4x a year for over 6 years.

 

[Cotillard]

we always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. We love the tropical theme and the idea of having breakfast at Kona cafe most mornings. I love the idea of romantic evenings, sitting on the beach, watching the fireworks and the convenience of being on the monorail.

Polynesian!

 

[sjs314]

I'd say stay at the Poly before DVC is built there. With the refurbs your looking at a fresh new room over the BC which could use an update plus rates will only go up.

 

[Alexsandra]

I was in the same situation as you when I booked my September trip a few weeks ago.

I was planning on staying at the Poly with the 30% RO discount, but when the summer discounts were extended, the Poly discount dropped to 20%.

I checked prices (rack rate) and saw that a garden view room at the BC/YC was about $100. per night cheaper than a standard room at the Poly when applying the discounts listed above.

What you need to be aware of though is that when I tried to book a room at the BC using the extended summer discount RO rate of 30%, only the Pool & Lagoon rooms (and above) were available for the 30% off discount. It did not apply to the garden view rooms. This made a big difference.

Originally I figured that a standard room at the Poly would be $379.81 per night including taxes after the 20% discount, which it was. I had figured that the BC/YC garden view room would be $283.00 per night including taxes after the 30% discount, for a savings of almost $100. per night. But since the 30% off only applied to the more expensive Pool/Lagoon rooms, the total price for one of those rooms at the BC/YC came out to be $343.36 per night including taxes.

So in the end the savings between the Poly and the BC/YC was only about $36.00 per night, not the $100. per night that I had anticipated. That made my decision easy. For the extra $36.00 per night I chose the Poly. If the garden rooms at the BC/YC had been available at the 30% off RO rate, I would have had a hard decision...

Keep that in mind when comparing prices between the two resorts if using the extended summer RO discount.

Oh, I did not know that. Thank you! That changes things for sure. I will check it out right away.

 

[mickeynut1]

My husband and I are currently planning a romantic getaway without the kids in September of this year. It is the first time we take a trip without them. (DS6, DS3). It breaks my heart not to bring them but a little Mommy and Daddy time alone will be good for everyone, plus, it is for our 10th anniversary.

We chose to go in September because of low crowds and low prices and MNSSHP. Since we wanted to stay at a deluxe resort for the first time, the prices are at their lowest in Sept.

So here comes the dilemma, we always wanted to stay at the Polynesian. We love the tropical theme and the idea of having breakfast at Kona cafe most mornings. I love the idea of romantic evenings, sitting on the beach, watching the fireworks and the convenience of being on the monorail. I have to say that the Volcano pool is not that attractive to me with its small size and the fact that it always seems packed but hey, I can live with that!

We also looked into staying at the Beach club or Yatch club since we got married in Maine New England and it seemed a fitting theme for our anniversary trip. PLus being close to the boardwalk and Epcot is attractive, as well as having a water park at our doorstep. However it seems less romantic to me and the resort food option are less appealing to me than at the Polynesian. My husband does like working out at the gym and Beach club wins a point for that over the Poly that seems to have none.

It is not only the amenities that pulls us toward whichever resort. I checked prices and Poly is almost $800 more expensive than BC. We got a free dining pin but looked into using the room only discount offer instead. It comes out cheeper for us to use the room only discount since we can get our park hopper tickets using points with "Aeroplan". If we did the free dining we would have to take a 5 day park and room package. The room only discount offers 30% on YC or BC stays and only 20% at the Polynesian.

So the smart thing to do would be to save the money and stay at the BC or YC but my heart seems to ache when I think of not going to the Polynesian.
Any advise on what I should do?

We've stayed at both and while we did like the BC, the Poly is our favorite and that would be my choice without hesitation. We love the tropical atmosphere, the beach for watching the fireworks, having a distant view of the castle while swimming, and walking around at night under the lit tiki torches. With that said, they are both great resorts and I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter which one you choose, but I think the Poly has a more romantic setting than the BC and would make for a great anniversary trip. Good luck.

 

[Alexsandra]

Both of these resorts are the two that I normally stay at. What I do, is half and half, I know most people don't like doing that, but to me it is the best of both worlds because you can walk to Epcot and DHS from The Beach Club (and the pool is awesome) and then you can go to the Polynesian at the end of your trip you can take a boat or monorail to the parks. I love Y&B because of location, but LOVE Poly because of the feel and the fact i've been going there 4x a year for over 6 years.

I have never done a split stay but am worried about finding the switch too much work. We like to arrive and settle in and relax, however it does sound tempting this time around. I will discuss it with my husband.

 

[yaddakal]

I would like to try both and I think you would too. If I were you I would do poly just you two this time. .....and then plan beach club when you has kiddos next time

 

[foreUT]

Stayed at both and for just you and dh, I would definitely take the Poly. Hope you have a wonderful time, whichever you choose.