CL WL or Poly w/3 year old

[cmdg]

I know that everyone has his or her favorite resort, but hoping some parents can give their two cents

We booked a deluxe CL room at WL next July and have been rethinking the deluxe bc of the expense. It's not out of the budget for us, but it is so much more than a regular CL room that it is beginning to feel hard to justify. Initially we thought we would like to have DS in the extra room as he is a light sleeper and we don't want to have to watch movies on our Ipad in the bathroom each night

So we are thinking of moving to a courtyard CL room at WL. But, then we also got to thinking... the Poly rooms seem so much larger. We wouldn't do CL at Poly (that's just as much as a Deluxe WL), but I wonder if that extra space is worth it?

We love the WL and our family will be staying at Ft. Wilderness (with golf carts), so that adds another piece to the puzzle.

[Maggie'sMom]

Originally Posted by cmdg

I know that everyone has his or her favorite resort, but hoping some parents can give their two cents

We booked a deluxe CL room at WL next July and have been rethinking the deluxe bc of the expense. It's not out of the budget for us, but it is so much more than a regular CL room that it is beginning to feel hard to justify. Initially we thought we would like to have DS in the extra room as he is a light sleeper and we don't want to have to watch movies on our Ipad in the bathroom each night

So we are thinking of moving to a courtyard CL room at WL. But, then we also got to thinking... the Poly rooms seem so much larger. We wouldn't do CL at Poly (that's just as much as a Deluxe WL), but I wonder if that extra space is worth it?

We love the WL and our family will be staying at Ft. Wilderness (with golf carts), so that adds another piece to the puzzle.

I've stayed at both Poly and WL, but not CL at either resort. And really, I don't think the CL comes into the equation here.

The Poly is my favorite resort, but the WL is a really close second. I've said several times recently that you can't go wrong with either resort.

In my experience, kids that are normally light sleepers don't have that problem at WDW because they get so worn out during the day that they can sleep through just about anything at night. On my first trip alone with DD, she was 3.5yo and I was concerned because she had a hard time falling asleep at home. I thought I would have to go to bed the same time as her or sit in the bathroom reading. I needn't have worried. She zonked out as soon as I put her in bed. I could lay on my bed reading or watch TV with the sound on low and she never woke up. It's been this way on every WDW trip we've taken. I will wait until she's asleep to turn the TV on, but I will lay on my bed with a light on, reading until she falls asleep. From this experience, I don't think you have to spring for a deluxe room in order to not spend your evening in the bathroom. At the WL, all rooms have balconies. If you really felt your DS couldn't sleep if you were awake watching a movie or had a light on in the room, you could sit out on your balcony. I had a woods view room at the WL and loved sitting on my balcony in the evening after DD was in bed and having a drink.

The rooms at the Poly are significantly larger, which you might enjoy, but with only 3 of you, I don't know that you need that much extra room. A bigger advantage to the Poly is the multiple modes of park transportation. It's a short walk to the TTC where you can catch the monorail to Epcot. Or you can get the express monorail to the MK or ferryboat to the MK from the TTC. You can also hop on the monorail at the Great Ceremonial house or get the boat launch from the Poly to get to the MK. There are a couple drawbacks to the Poly. Not all the rooms have balconies. Some of the longhouses do not have balconies on the second floor. You can request a 1st floor room which would have a patio or a balcony room, but you aren't guaranteed either. Another disadvantage for you is that you would be further away from the rest of your family. There is a walking path between the WL and Fort Wilderness or you could take the boat from the WL to Fort Wilderness. I believe the boat stops at the Contemporary after leaving WL before going to FW. At the Poly, you would have to go to the MK first and transfer to the boat launch to Fort Wilderness to go see your family, or reverse that if they wanted to come see you.

Personally, I'd go with a regular CL room at WL in your situation.

[missycj96]

For the same money , id rather be at poly . The monorail with kids makes life so much easier. I've stayed at both (though no CL at wl) and love the poly location etc.

[MUFFYCAT]

We've done CL at both and we liked the Polynesian better. Why are you doing CL deluxe? If it's 3 people a regular CL at WL would be fine.

We prefer the Polynesian for it's location- monorail is awesome, short boat ride to MK. the atmosphere, lounge and the big rooms are a plus.

[TigrLvsPooh]

Originally Posted by cmdg

I know that everyone has his or her favorite resort, but hoping some parents can give their two cents

We booked a deluxe CL room at WL next July and have been rethinking the deluxe bc of the expense. It's not out of the budget for us, but it is so much more than a regular CL room that it is beginning to feel hard to justify. Initially we thought we would like to have DS in the extra room as he is a light sleeper and we don't want to have to watch movies on our Ipad in the bathroom each night

So we are thinking of moving to a courtyard CL room at WL. But, then we also got to thinking... the Poly rooms seem so much larger. We wouldn't do CL at Poly (that's just as much as a Deluxe WL), but I wonder if that extra space is worth it?

We love the WL and our family will be staying at Ft. Wilderness (with golf carts), so that adds another piece to the puzzle.

The Poly is one of my favorite resorts for sure, but looking at your situation I would suggest sticking with the WL. Your family is staying at Ft. Wilderness so that is going to be much more convenient for meeting up with them. I wouldn't worry too much about the sleeping situation. When my kids were 3yo they were always so exhausted by the end of the day they were asleep on the bus in my arms. Once back to the room a herd of wild elephants probably wouldn't have woke them up. Plus you will be tired too and probably will fall asleep as soon as your body meets your bed! We always bring a fan to run for background noise, that might help your son sleep through any sounds you might make. Sometimes if the kids were really overly tired and cranky, DH and I would take turns leaving the room to hang in the CL lounge, but I'd say 99% of the time we all crashed together. I really think you'd be fine to downsize to the regular WL CL room since there are only 3 of you. Don't forget you'll have a balcony you can hang out on too if your son is sleeping. Our room had a nice view of the Electrical Water Pageant. Also having the CL lounge is like having an extra room! Sometimes if I can't sleep, or I want to upload a bunch of pics on my laptop, I'll go down there and hang out. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed WL CL and Poly (not CL) and although the Poly is our favorite, the WL runs a close second as we love both resorts for different reasons. CL at the WL is great......the lounge is convenient, the food offerings are good, and the CMs are some of the best . But if I had to choose between the two, my choice would be the Poly for the larger room, the monorail, short walk to the TTC for the Epcot monorail, and the beach for watching the fireworks. But with that said, you really can't go wrong with either one as they are both great places to stay. Good luck deciding, although I'm sure you'll have a magical trip no matter which resort you choose .

[Kimberle]

We had a wonderful WL stay when our dd was 4 yrs. During the summer, you get freqent (nearly daily) rain storms. Being under 1 roof at WL was priceless. We could wonder around the resort, get something to eat, shop, etc. without going outside to another building was priceless. WL also has lots of wonderful hidden corners to sit and relax. WL has a seperate kiddie pool, too.

It is also easy to get from WL to FW. There is a small boat that circles WL/FW/CR from around 7am to 11pm. There is also a walking path (abt a mile) between the resort. AND, there is a bus that runs WL - FW all day. If you stay at the Poly, you'll have to monorail to CR, then take the boat to FW. Or, go to MK, and boat to FW.

P.S. Pete just did a Poly review on last weeks podcast. If you don't have an ipod, you can listen to it on your computer.

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Cosidering the 3 year old I would go with the Poly because of the larger rooms and much better transportation. The ease of walking to the TTC and getting on the Epcot monorail directly is wonderful. That large room makes it easy to just push the stroller in without having to break it down and empty. It is faster and easier to get to the MK. Zero entry pool is better for toddlers.

[pepe of ohio]

WL and Poly. regular and CL.....Poly was great but thru the recent years have out priced themselves for what they offer....the monorail is not that great for the money, we can get to the same places from the WL for alot less.....

Now as for room or sq. footage...yeah the Poly rooms are bigger but you're not going to play tennis in there, with furniture arrangements and such, both resorts have ample room for 2 adults and on child....

Now we'll take Club Level, really not needed, again, back in the day, CL wasn't so expensive, had better offerings.....unless you're going to be hanging out at the resort at those specific hours that the offerings are out, total waste of money....even so, goldfish crackers etc for noonish offering and cereal and danish for breakfast....that's alot of money for medicore food....especially with a 3 year old...

Personally, I'd go with the WL, skip CL, not a fan of the dining plan either, and do a grocery stop and stock up on what my favorite snacks and food items would be, same for the youngster and put the money savings in my pocket.....Disney is about the parks and characters, CL and dining is secondary!!

[Robbi]

With a 3 yr old, I'd say stay where you'd like to stay. A child that age will love any resort.
Are there club level bunk rooms at the WL? We booked a non club room there last April and it was fantastic. My 18 yo daughter and her friend slept on the bunk beds and said they were comfortable. Both pack as though they were moving to WDW and we didn't feel crowded.

[padawans]

I have stayed at both. The poly has a much better club level, and its also closer to the pool and beach. The rooms at Poly like are much bigger. There is no guarantee you will get a courtyard view when you book Cl at Wl. I requested a courtyard view, but got a view of an ugly service road. I thought it was horrible room for the price a paid. In the Hawaii building there are no bad views. The only negative about the Poly is the lack of hot tub, but I don't think you will miss that in July. The boat service takes about three times as long as the monorail. Just something else to consider.

[cmdg]

Thanks for all the advice! We are going to switch to a regular club level room at the WL bc 1) we love it there and 2) it will put us closer to our family at Ft. Wilderness. I hadn't even thought of how nice it would be to be in just one building in case of a rain day.