Polyenesian Resort with children

[lindzegurl]

Hi there! I'm new here and planning our families first trip to WDW in March 2010.

My DH and I will be traveling with 4 yr old DS and 9 mo. DD.

From everything I've read and seen, I love the "feel" of the Poly. resort. The beach, tiki torches, lush landscaping...etc! (On the monorail as well).

I'm still confused as to what longhouse we should request. We will be using s stroller everyday and would like a 1 bedroom villa (seperate master). Suggestions?
What are the pros/cons of a patio vs/ balcony? Is saftey a concern with being on the first floor? (it might be easier with the stroller!)

TIA for any advice!

[Mississippianna]

The only longhouse with rooms kind of like a 1-br Villa is Tonga, which is the concierge suites. This site is a great place to go for details about the Poly: http://tikimanpages.com/tiki

This thread is also the place to go on the boards for all things Poly: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2293429

I haven't stayed there yet, but I'm hoping we'll be able to get a first floor room. Not all the rooms have balconies, but all the first floor rooms have little patios. I want to be sure DH and I have a space to relax while our DD naps in the afternoon. Also, with a patio, one of us can just step off the patio to come and go as we please to refill mugs or get snacks, without going through our room.

[United544]

Last January, we stayed in the concierge Hawaii longhouse with our three kids, ages 5, 3, 1. So, at times we actually had two strollers. We stayed on the third floor and honestly the strollers weren't an issue. We would just go right in and take the elevator, never having to fold up the stroller until we got to the room.

We *really* liked having the third floor balcony, because it allowed us to be above most the foliage and had a great view of the castle, fireworks and water parade.

[kaffinito]

As a pp said, the only place that has a separate master bedroom at Poly is one of the Tonga suites there.

The longhouses all have elevators, so you could request a first floor room near the Grand Ceremonial Building for easy access.

The Poly is a really beautiful resort, and little kids have a blast there.

[Hopefully]

As others have said, there are no one bedroom villas at the Poly, only one bedroom suites. These are very expensive. The difference between this and a DVC villa is great. The DVC villas have a LR/DR combination and a fully stocked, fully equipped kitchen. The have a separate king bedded Master Bedroom and a whirlpool bathroom with separate shower room, as well as a washer and dryer in the unit.
The closest to the Poly are the new Bay Lake Tower Villas at the Contemporary Resort, or the Villas at Wilderness Lodge at the Wilderness Lodge.
Take a look at the DVC forums for additional information.