Poly Concierge vs. Beach Club Concierge

[cjsmom5]

We usually stay at the AKL concierge but our next trip it isn't available. We are trying to decide between the Poly concierge and Beach Club concierge. There will be three of us -- DH, myself and DS(8). We spend equal time at all the parks. The theme really isn't a big deal either way for us, at either resort. We are curious as to the overall condition/size of rooms as well as the lounge, its offerings, staff, kids programs, etc.

What experiences, both bad and good, have you had at both. Price is similar for both -- so that isn't an issue. This will be our 17th trip so we are very familiar with Disney. We will be there the first part of December. Any thoughts, either way?

 

[TammiMcMan]

BC Pros:

Great proximity to both Epcot & MGM.
Decent bus transportation to the other parks.
Incredible pre-planning department.

BC Cons:

Lounge is very small.
Standard rooms overlook the parking lot.
Rooms have varied balconies. Some have none, others are standing room only, some are full sized.

YC Pros:

Newly remodeled rooms.
Large lounge, lots of seating and beautiful views of Wishes.
More variety with their food offerings.

YC Cons:

Bus transportation to other parks can take some extra time.
Rooms on the 2nd floor of Hawaii do not have balconies.

 

[MissionMouse]

I would rate the AKL Concierge Lounge better than the PR. I would rate it higher based upon it's food offering, lounge's layout, and staff. The concierge staff on the AKL and PR were both good, but the PR Ceremonial House can quickly rub guest the wrong way.

The Poly lacks the concierge lounge atmosphere by adopting a mess hall orientation to accommodate the massive surge of guests who perceive the lounge food offerings to be a place to dine for a "meal." Thus, the lounge is a table filled room where one must squeeze between tables, chairs and guest to navigate from one end of the "lounge" to the other.

The rooms in the Hawaii building are going to be one of the larger room in WDW, since the original resorts were made with larger floor plans then resorts which followed. The Hawaii building was rehabbed in 2005, so they are fairly nice. The Poly is also noted for its Neverland Club and Volcano Pool. It also has a walk path to the Grand Floridian where they offer the Pirate 'Cruise' for kids.

 

[Misti]

BC Pros:

Incredible pre-planning department.

Have to agree! Mary Jo has been wonderful. I inquired about something that required a credit card to book. When she realized that there were only a few spots left for booking, she not only left emails but called me twice at home until she could reach me. She didn't want me to be disappointed and miss it because of limited availability. To me, that is going above and beyond. Our visit there was so great back in February that we decided to book another short trip for the Flower and Garden Festival in April.

 

[jamal]

We just got back Saturday from the Poly Concierge (9 nights). The rooms are big and lovely, we were on the first floor so walked out our patio to the beach, watched Wishes and the Electric Water Pagaent from our beds two nights. The lounge crowds were bigger than at the Contemp. Conc. because they have so many rooms in the Hawaii bldg (100ish). We had breakfast around 7:30 most AMs and had plenty of seating and attention but the one AM we slept in and were in the lounge from 8:00-9:00 it was packed! We, of course, wondered why all those people were just getting up with park time burning, but it explained the earlier AM privacy. The lounge is large and has a third floor with more seating and a second TV.

The staff was wonderful about helping us with any needs and happily arranged a purchase and delivery and packing for us to transport a large birthday gift for our son. Special kudos to Allison who is fabulous in her job!

We found bus servce to MGM and AK and DD fine.

We've never stayed at any of the EPCOT resorts so I'm sorry I can't help you with that.

Good luck!