Beach Club vs. Polynesian

[TNKim]

I'm taking my 80 year old mother to Disney April 21-26 for the Epcot flower and garden festival. We plan 2 days at Epcot and 2 days at MK. It has been 17 years since we have been to Disney and we have never stayed on site at a Disney resort. After much research and consideration, I've narrowed our resort choices to Beach Club (walking distance to Epcot) and Polynesian (monorail to MK and Epcot). My mother is in good health for her age, but like most her age, she tires easily. The Beach Club Water View is about $300 more than the Garden View. Do you think Water View is worth the extra $300, knowing the Water View could be of the lagoon or pool? As for the Polynesian, the Lagoon View is $1,000 more than the Garden View at Beach Club and $700 more than the Water View at Beach Club. Is the Polynesian that much more impressive than Beach Club? I'm a little concerned over the condition of the rooms at Polynesian also. The monorail would definitely be convenient. I want my mom to enjoy herself and the resort, but I'm trying to justify the price difference. So help me decide - Beach Club or Polynesian?

 

[Disney Fool]

Even if you stay at the Beach Club, there's still a lot of walking for an 80 year old. That being said, she would like the area. You should request a room as close to the park entrance as possible, and consider getting a scooter for her to tour Epcot easily. Its usually pretty hot during the flower and garden festival. She may be very fit, but please factor in the heat and humidity for that time of year. Also, at the Poly, there is a lot of walking around the resort. A lagoon view will not put you closer to the monorail. And. I find that the monorail exit at Epcot to have long ramps. I would stick with beach clue with a request for a room close to park entrance, pool view.

 

[ladyandthetramp2]

Poly!

 

[PHLtoMCO]

Hi There!

I have stayed at both resorts multiple times and my favorite has always remained the Poly, but the Beach Club and Boardwalk are tied for #2 for me!

There will be some construction going on at the Poly in April as they are refurbing the longhouse and pool. The pool is slated to be done by then though.

Here are some reasons why I love both:

Beach Club
- walking distance to Epcot (and technically DHS though its a longer walk)
- Storm-a-long Bay
- Marketplace (counter service) as good food IMO
- Cape May Cafe
- Quick walk (or stumble) home from Jellyrolls at the Boardwalk
- Bright, well decorated rooms
- Sandcastle Kids Club

Poly
- one of the best themed resorts IMO
- beautiful grounds (gorgeous at night too)
- Wishes on the beach
- Marina View is considered Garden View (Fiji Building) at the Poly. So you can technically have a "water view" room (though it won't be a lagoon view) at no extra charge. Fiji is also extremely close to the GCH. Less than a minute walk in fact.
- Monorail convenience (I don't have much experience with it breaking down nearly as often as people say it does. A minute holding delay, yes, but I've never had to take alternate transportation in all the times I've stayed there.
- Quick walk to TTC for Epcot Monorail
- 24 hour Captain Cooks (great for late night eats or mug refill)
- Dining Options (Ohana, Kona, SOA)
- Dole Whip!!!!
- Neverland Kids Club
- Cabana Rentals (great idea in summer months to act as a "home base")
- Hula Lessons/Lei Making in GCH
- If it's raining, you don't feel trapped. You can take a monorail resort "tour" to pass the time

I hope this helps a little. Everyone has their favorites. Poly is mine but both are great resorts and I'm confident you'll be happy at either

 

[tink_n_pooh]

This is a hard one, I love both resorts. We prefer Epcot so we would almost always opt for beach club but the poly is also really nice.

If you stay at the Poly I would ask for a room near the TTC so you can easily get on either the MK or Epcot monorail. We stayed in a room a very short walk from the bus stop (right near the arcade area) and TTC, it was my most ideal location.

BC is nice because you can walk right into WS at Epcot. You would either have to walk all the way through Epcot to the monorail and then transfer to get to MK or take a bus

 

[grimley1968]

I'd go with Poly, for the monorail access. That really does cut down a lot of walking.

However, we've never paid for a lagoon view room at the Poly, always a garden view. If you get a room on the 3rd floor, you can still see the lagoon or feature pool very clearly, yet also view their lush gardens. It's very nice. Lagoon view certainly has a much clearer view of the lagoon (as in facing the lagoon), but I personally would rather see a mix of the landscaping, pool and and maybe a little of the lagoon, and save that $1,000. You'll see the lagoon plenty when you go to the pool, ride the monorail, or whatever. Just my $.02.

 

[TJA]

In speaking for my own mother, she would highly prefer the BC over the Poly. Having her room in the same building as the lobby would make a big difference to her. At the Poly, whenever she would want a beverage, she'd have to exit the longhouse where she's staying and walk to the main building. I personally do not mind this, but my mother would much more enjoy being in one building.

 

[pixarmom]

BC and Poly are my two favorite resorts, and I prefer BC. But I can absolutely recommend Poly over BC when a particular family's circumstances make Poly a better fit. And we're staying Poly/BWI in a couple weeks, so we continue to mix it up.

In OP's case, I'd say definitely BC. My grandma is 90, and without a doubt, she would prefer the decor and theme at BC. Poly has a more fun, campy theme and we love that, but it's not so much her style.

As for BC transportation/location, the proximity to Epcot is a huge benefit, and I agree with the previous poster who suggested a request for "close to Epcot." We never take the boat from Epcot to BC, but it's an option. At the end of the day, there really is nothing quite like just strolling out the international gateway and back to your room. No waiting for a monorail or bus and then walking again.

While the monorail from Poly is usually great to both MK and Epcot, I'd be concerned about the monorail issues that many (including our family!) have been experiencing lately. For us, it's not that big of a deal - our kids are young and energetic and we've been to Disney many times so delays and re-routes are annoying, but less significant. And we'll be switching over to BWI mid-week, so we'll know monorail worries will soon be behind us. But that would be different if you haven't been to WDW recently, are spending 1/2 your time at Epcot, and it would be tired changing plans and getting yourself to a bus in the event of breakdowns or delays.

 

[Masonmj84]

I just finished a split stay at Poly and BC with my parents (both in their early 70's) and, while I somewhat preferred the Poly, my parents somewhat preferred BC.

At Poly, we had connecting garden view rooms on the first floor of Tokelou (opposite side of the quiet pool). View was very nice and relaxing (mostly of the landscaping and Tahiti longhouse). Can't speak as to whether an upgrade to a lagoon or MK view would be worth it.

At BC, we reserved garden view rooms and requested full balconies. Instead, we were upgraded to water view rooms (3rd floor) with small balconies (our rooms were above the volleyball court and looked out over the water toward the dance hall). Very nice view, but not sure I'd have paid extra for it.

Even with the pixie dust room upgrade at BC, I slightly preferred Poly, because, first and foremost, I just love the Poly's theming and landscaping (and can't get enough of the smell inside the GCH). Plus, I like the idea of being on the Monorail to the two parks we spend the most time at. Moreover, the Poly seemed more relaxed and less chaotic to me than BC.

My parents slightly preferred BC, because they loved being within easy walking distance of World Showcase (Epcot is their favorite park) as well as being near the Boardwalk. They also liked the rooms a bit better, even though BC rooms are somewhat smaller than Poly rooms (they preferred the lighter decor as well as the fact that the beds have duvets instead of bedspreads). In addition, they thought the BC seemed a bit "classier" than Poly (I didn't find this to be true but they did).

FWIW, I thought the room condition was comparable at both resorts (some wear and tear was there, but you had to look for it - in neither case, did room condition detract from our overall experience).

 

[pixarmom]

In speaking for my own mother, she would highly prefer the BC over the Poly. Having her room in the same building as the lobby would make a big difference to her. At the Poly, whenever she would want a beverage, she'd have to exit the longhouse where she's staying and walk to the main building. I personally do not mind this, but my mother would much more enjoy being in one building.

And this too!

 

[Wood Nymph]

My parents slightly preferred BC, because they loved being within easy walking distance of World Showcase (Epcot is their favorite park) as well as being near the Boardwalk. They also liked the rooms a bit better, even though BC rooms are somewhat smaller than Poly rooms (they preferred the lighter decor as well as the fact that the beds have duvets instead of bedspreads). In addition, they thought the BC seemed a bit "classier" than Poly (I didn't find this to be true but they did).

This is the way we feel about the BC, too. We went to the Flower and Garden Show in 2011, and staying at the BC was perfect for that. I vote for staying at the BC because it will be easier for your Mom to get to Epcot. The closeness to the Market Place for food is a plus, too. And the bus to MK from the BC is a lot more convenient than the monorail from the Poly to Epcot is.

 

[DVCMikey]

I would say go with the Beach club. Its really great and is so close to Epcot its worth it. Walking from the poly to the monorail, then you have to get off the resort monorail and walk back up to the epcot monorail then back down and then do it again on your way back.

We have stayed at poly before and walked to the TTC for the epcot monorail but its a lot of walking for an older person.

With beach club, you can always sit out on the beach and look at the lake or sit near the beach club pools and look out.

 

[Angeejoe]

We stayed in BC in 2011 for Flower Show & YC in 2012, and I think we prefer the BC. My husband has a bad knee, epcots out fav, and we find it the most convenient. We stayed next to the quiet pool which is closest to Epcot & has its own "secret" enterance & another elevator. We had water view with full balconey of quiet pool & the boardwalk. loved it! I love sitting on balcony & watching everything going on. We've never stayed at POLY, just visited for dinner. The lobby seemed a little dated & smelled a little musty, could've just been that day. I do like idea of monorail!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and while we did love the BC, my choice would be the Poly. It is great being close and within walking distance to Epcot from the BC, but the bus transportation to MK is hit or miss and can possibly be a long process with the buses sharing among all 5 resorts; or you can hit it just right and have bus service between just the BC & YC. With that said, you really can't go wrong with either one as they are both great places to stay. Good luck.