Poly, AKL or CSR for July 4th week

[onceuponadream]

We are not concerned about the difference in cost...we are looking for the resort with the most convenient transportation AND a great pool as we will be spending most afternoons at the pool. We have read the CSR has many internal bus stops and the loop can take a while (we did not like this about the CBR). We have also heard that the pool at the Poly can be wall to wall people in the summer esp a holiday weekend. We have stayed at the Poly (just DH and I) and were suprised at how small the pool looked...anybody with first hand experience?

The size of the rooms and the slide at the AKL is the reason we are thinking of staying at one of the other two resorts....Maybe we should consider the Contemporary for room size and convenience...is the pool larger? The Poly theme just seems so much more relaxing (that is unless we are shoulder to shoulder with other guests in the pool

Thanks in advance!

 

[lovmy2girls]

We have been at the Poly on that Holiday, and wow it is so crowded as is everywhere else. That is why I would pick the Poly, because you are on the monorail, no standing in line for a bus to the MK or Epcot. You are just a boat ride away from the MK and can walk to the TTC. The pool was crowded but we still had fun. I would think most resort pools will be crowded, but haven't seen them first hand. Good Luck. I don't think I will ever go back in July. 2x's was more than enough for us.

 

[MareQ]

Out of those 3 I would go with AKL. It doesn't have the most convenient location but the pool MAY be less crowded because there will be no DVC members pool hopping there(we are restricted from hopping to this pool) and you will have far less "illegal" pool hoppers as it's not as convenient as the poly pool is.

Now - if you want a FANTASTIC pool and great location - I'd go with the Yacht/Beach club which isn't on your list. It's a VERY easy walk to both MGM and Epcot or take the boat and there's bus servuce to MK and AKL. The pool here also is a pool DVC members are not allowed to hop to so there will be less people trying to get in - although even if you do pick a pool that members CAN hop to - we will be asked to leave to make room for resort guests if it gets too crowded which it may get on that weekend.

 

[Philly81]

I'd choose the Poly.

 

[onceuponadream]

Thanks for the quick replies. Our favorite resort was the AKL but we are going for convenience and pool and IMHO that was not its best feature. We have stayed at the Yacht Club and although the pool was fabulous wereally missed a counter service location that was convenient or a place to refill the mugs. We also plan to spend one day at MGM , one day at AK, two days at EPCOT and two or three days at the MK so we were leaning towards a monorail resort to rest in the afternoon.

We have never been in Disney when it hasn't been crowded (twice at Spring Break, once 2 weeks in June and most recently twice at Thanksgiving). Is July 4th that much worse that Thanksgiving week? Maybe we need to reconsider our dates.....

 

[Buzz2001]

If you choose a moderate resort, then CSR is the place.

CSR is a large resort that does not share services with other resorts and offers some deluxe amenities because it is a convention resort.

CSR has a salon, spa, and a gym that other moderates do not offer. CSR has full menu room service and offers an internal shuttle system provided by golf carts to assist in getting to and from the main building to the villages.

It is also the only mod to offer suites.

CSR is situated around a 15 acre lake and CBR is situated around a 45 acre lake.

CSR has terrific transportation. It does not share with any other resort (like POR / POFQ) and it only has 4 bus stops within the resort (vs 8 at CBR). And since CSR is centrally located, you'll have a quick ride to all the parks.

And being a convention resort, the buses seem less crowded because guests are busy with their conventions.

Photo by Ducky4Disney

CSR has the best pool of the mods and probably the second best on WDW property. Best mod pool. It offers a great slide (123 ft long), an arcade, a sand volleyball court, and a playground at the main pool area.

Review from mousesavers.com!!

Coronado Springs is my Best Value choice in the Moderate category. It has several advantages compared with the other Moderate resorts. It is newer, so there has been less wear-and-tear on everything. Also, Coronado Springs is a convention hotel, so it has a few extra amenities not offered at the other Moderates, including a salon, a health club and a more upscale food court.

The theming is radically different in the three areas of Coronado Springs. You can request a specific area when booking but there is no guarantee you'll get your request.

• The Spanish-style Casitas at Coronado Springs are very peaceful, with courtyards featuring tiled fountains. Casitas Buildings 1, 3 and 2 (in that order) are the closest to the restaurants and services. Casitas Building 4 contains the salon and health club, if those are important to you.
• The Cabanas at Coronado Springs have a beachy Caribbean feeling. Cabanas Building 8A is very close to the feature pool, which may be a blessing (convenience) or a curse (noise, light). Cabanas Building 9B is closest to the marina and relatively convenient to the restaurants and services.
• The Ranchos at Coronado Springs feel quiet and secluded -- some would say isolated -- and feature desert landscaping and pueblo-style architecture. They look closest to the main pool on a map, but in actuality they are separated from the rest of the property by a swamp, so it can be a fairly long walk from these buildings to the pool, and a very long walk to the restaurants.

 

[onceuponadream]

Thanks Buzz2001~ I have visited your beautiful website many times. Maybe you could help answer a few questions for me. We are worried about the distance to the Peppermarket from some of the buildings as there is no "preferred" building we can book like at the CBR. When returning from the parks the kids are always ready for a drink in their refillable mug or a quick snack. If we needed to walk a long way I know it would make it inconvenient. We are also concerned about the 4 internal bus stops within the resort. I have read that it can take as much as 25 minutes to make the full round of stops within the CSR resort before the drive to the parks. I have also read that the ride to the MK can take 20 minutes. That would be a total of 45 minutes if the bus arrives right when you get to the bus stop. Reasonably adding in a 10 minute wait for the bus would make the MK almost an hour away. Is this what you have experienced or have I read things incorrectly? Actually, we had originally booked at the CSR. We are only in the room for a break in the afternoon and have shared staterooms on cruises so we don't mind being a little crowded with 8 people in two rooms. We love the large pool and the fact that hopefully some of the resort guests will be convention goers so maybe the pool won't be as crowded. We can overlook the price of the Peppermarket for our family of eight for a quick bite as the food looks like it has a nice variety. We don't even mind the bus rides as we loved the nonstop bus service at AKL. However, it is the possible distance from the rooms to the Peppermarket and pool area and four internal bus stops that made us switch to the Polynesian. Hmmmmm

 

[Buzz2001]

We are worried about the distance to the Peppermarket from some of the buildings as there is no "preferred" building we can book like at the CBR. When returning from the parks the kids are always ready for a drink in their refillable mug or a quick snack. If we needed to walk a long way I know it would make it inconvenient.

Casitas and cabanas are close so your only worry is the ranchos which are about a half a mile from the main building.

We are also concerned about the 4 internal bus stops within the resort. I have read that it can take as much as 25 minutes to make the full round of stops within the CSR resort before the drive to the parks. I have also read that the ride to the MK can take 20 minutes. That would be a total of 45 minutes if the bus arrives right when you get to the bus stop. Reasonably adding in a 10 minute wait for the bus would make the MK almost an hour away. Is this what you have experienced or have I read things incorrectly?

CSR only has 4 internal bus stops and it only takes 5 mins for the bus driver to make his 4 stops. MGM, AK and Epcot along with Blizzard Beach are very close. From the time you step on the bus to reaching one of these parks is 10 mins tops. MK is about 15 mins. I'm going again this April and will time the buses.

But back to your question about snacks, CS also offers a internal shuttle that will take you from the main building to your village.

INTERNAL SHUTTLE
CSR offers an internal shuttle system to help guests get around the resort. It's not a perfect system but it is the only resort to offer it.

WALK
The distance around the whole lake is just under a mile (.97 miles).

Walking Distances
From El Centro moving clockwise around the lake path to:
Casitas 3 = .16 miles
Casitas 4 = .24 miles
Casitas 5 = .27 miles
Ranchos = .46 miles

From El Centro to the Dig Site, via the bridge near the Cabanas
= .35 miles

From El Centro moving counterclockwise around the lake to:
Cabanas 9B = .16 miles
Cabanas 9A/8B = .22 miles
Cabanas 8A = .31 miles

I've stayed at the Cont, and the buses there share with the GF & Poly and those buses took longer to get to the parks than from CSR. And as for the monorail, by the time it made all its stops and waited for guests to load and unload, it was just as long to MK from the Cont as it was from CSR to MK. Leaving MK was quick because the Cont was the first stop.

Map shows how close the 3 parks are to CSR

 

[java]

AH! The Ranchos! That was our problem. Several years ago we stayed at CSR and were not fans. Buzz's website looks nothing like what we saw. Now I know we were in the worst possible location! Everything was such a walk but we are walkers- so we all walked everyplace. We walked to the pool once because it was a looooong walk around that swamp(and hello there was a gator) That being said we are going to be at the Poly this July 4th. I am thinking maybe we would have a different opinion on CSR if we hadn't stayed at the Ranchos.(the hotel was EMPTY when we were there and it was a holiday week so I don't know why we got put there and who knew? this was way before I found the DIS) You know last year we had plans on hanging by the pool(we were at the GF) but we just kept going and going and going that we never even got there! I picked the Poly for several reasons but Location was the biggie. During the July 4th week you want to be as convenient as possible to all locations. I loath the bus(sixteen candles anybody?) So unless you will have a car I would avoid a non- monorail or boat hotel. Especially during this week.

 

[DVC Sadie]

If you want to leave the crowds and enjoy the fireworks in the enening you would be a lot better off in a monorail resort. Last 4th of July we spent the week at the Poly and while it was nice and convenient it was too CROWDED. We had to arrive in the am by the pool to be able to get chairs. For us it was worth the crowds so we could order room service and watch fireworks from our balcony. Have a great trip.

 

[ADisneygirl]

I've been to AKL twice now and love it, but for convenience I'd choose the Poly. Nothing like being on the monorail. AKL and CSR only have bus transportation.

All summer long you will find WDW crowded but especially so on July 4th. Many times I've seen the parks close to visitors due to the high volume of people already inside. Be prepared for crowds everywhere including your resort pool. It is so hot here in June/July/August that nearly everyone takes the afternoon break from the parks at the pools. We always go in the summer because that is when the kids and I (teacher) are off. Kids schedules make this hold true for a lot of families.

 

[SeaSpray]

We stayed at the Polynesian last year, the week of July 4th. We LOVED it. Especially in that heat and humidity, it was wonderful to have our resort so close to the MK. Even when we took afternoon breaks to swim, we still felt like we were in the middle of "Disney" because you can see the castle right from the pool. And don't miss seeing the fireworks from the pool at night. Amazing!

We didn't find that the pool was overly crowded. I don't know if we just timed our pool time right, or what. A few times there were a lot of people in the pool but I never felt crowded in, and many times there weren't many people in the pool at all.

 

[onceuponadream]

Thanks SeaSpray! I hope we have the same experience. We have decided to definitely stay at the Poly. Thanks for all your help!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

I would definitely pick the Poly. We were at WDW last 4th of July and I couldn't imagine being there and not being on the monorail. It makes your life so much easier.

Here's a tip - go to MK on the 3rd of July to see the fireworks they do a preview. Then on the 4th just relax at the Poly and watch them from the beach.

We'll be back for the 4th of July in 2007 (Going later in July this year) and we're going to stay at the Poly.

 

[sportears]

Here's my order of choice:
1 Poly - Large rooms, Monorail, Atmosphere, very good pool, Bus waits short.
2 Beach Club - Location, location, location, Best pool in all of WDW.
3 Wilderness Lodge - Great Atmosphere, good pool, Location not great.
4 AKL - Everything is very good about this resort, Location is Bad.

 

[onceuponadream]

Thanks everyone!!!

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

If you're going to book Poly, you need to do it asap. I was trying to book my dad in there and the week of July 4th and almost all of the room categories are sold out. ONly the Magic Kingdom view were available. That was just yesterday. Good Luck and Have a Great Trip!

 

[java]

If you're going to book Poly, you need to do it asap. I was trying to book my dad in there and the week of July 4th and almost all of the room categories are sold out. ONly the Magic Kingdom view were available. That was just yesterday. Good Luck and Have a Great Trip!

Oh boy do you think that will negate my chances of switching to an AP rate if they ever come out? Right now I am LV at a AAA rate. So I guess I should be