Poly VS Boardwalk????

[lala5176]

So we are tossed up between Polynesian for 9 nights or Boardwalk. We are a family of 5 and have not stayed at either resort. Convince me to stay at one or the other. Both rooms would be standard view as that's all I could get with the discount.
Thanks!!!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

With 9 nights, personally, I would split the stay between both resorts. They are both fabulous resorts and with a split, if you do MK while you are at Poly and DHS/EP while you are at BWI, you will significantly cut down on your transportation time.

 

[pixarmom]

Same here - for nine nights, we'd do a split stay. In fact, we're a family of five and we DID split a stay between Poly and BWI a couple years ago for a nine night stay. As DisneyWishes mentioned, we concentrated our Poly time at MK and AK and then concentrated our BWI time on Epcot and DHS.

 

[ariane37]

Well, we're big fans of the Boardwalk LOVE it! Fantastic being so close to HS and EPCOT and there's something special about walking slowly out of EPCOT after Illuminations, across that bridge, seeing all the lights, people strolling, sometimes the street entertainment However -

I am dying to try the Poly at some point so I'm going to agree to trying a split stay. We've done them before and with 9 nights I don't think it's a bad idea. That way you don't have to choose! And we've had standard view at BW before, doesn't lessen the awesomeness

 

[lala5176]

That's a very good point from all three who said split. We have stayed at Beach Club and Yacht club and definitely loved being within walking distance of TWO parks!!! My husband hates taking buses. Ariane37, I know exactly what you mean when you talk about leaving from the international gateway. I also love going that way in the morning before world showcase is open. There's something about seeing it without a ton of people. We stayed at GF last year and really loved being on the monorail also!! A split stay just makes the most sense, now if I can just work that out with reservations we'll be all set. Thanks so much for your advice.

 

[Dano13]

To me it is a slam dunk for the Boardwalk. I love that resort and it is the best location in my opinion. Whenever I go BWI is the first place I check out. And if it is booked I always a little disappointed.

 

[Networth]

Poly but I'm very biased towards the monorail resorts.

 

[Sandi]

I'm with those who suggested a split stay. We've stayed at both resorts and enjoyed both. BWI is my favorite and that's where I'm booked for my next two trips, but if I'd never stayed at either and had 9 nights (jealous!), I'd do a split stay. Enjoy!

 

[prune1977]

Well from my signature you can tell we've stayed at several resorts. BW was ok for us, resort itself was nothing special, we were actually disappointed in it. Poly resort was beautiful but we were very disappointed there because of several things. Now I've got a question for OP are you able to stay at BC/YC if I could do one of those instead that would be my pick. I hear the people saying split stay but my DW and I think it's a pain doing a split stay having to pack everything up on vacation before getting ready to go home is a waste of vacay time in our opinion.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

we used to split out stays with Polynesian and an each of the Epcot resorts with Boardwalk being our favorite.
Now that the kids are adults we only stay at the Boardwalk. If you have kids the Polynesian is the best with its location.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've stayed at both....and I do split stays almost every trip. I love BW...I own DVC there. And yes, the Polynesian is beautiful (or at least it will be when they're finally done redoing it!!!).
They both have something to offer. You have great access to MK at the Polynesian. And at BW, Epcot and DHS are both close by...Epcot is 8 mins by foot, shorter than that by boat, and DHS is about 20 mins by boat and less than that on foot.
I would split it up 4 and 5. Which one you stay at first or last is up to you. We usually recommend staying at the deluxe last but since they are both deluxe it doesn't much matter.

 

[mickeynut1]

So we are tossed up between Polynesian for 9 nights or Boardwalk. We are a family of 5 and have not stayed at either resort. Convince me to stay at one or the other. Both rooms would be standard view as that's all I could get with the discount.
Thanks!!!

I agree with a split stay if that's an option as that would give you the best of both worlds. If a split is not doable, my choice would be the Poly for the whole time. We've never stayed at BWI, but we love everything about the Poly and love being on the monorail. Good luck.

 

[Reed Broderick]

I would choose Poly because of its proximity to MK, viewing of the fireworks, and the delicious food the resort has to offer. I think the theming is much better there too.

 

[lala5176]

I think we may go for the split stay although as another person mentioned, my family is not crazy about packing up mid way through our trip to check in somewhere else. I'm on board just have to work on the rest of my family now.

 

[HairyChest]

The Poly. 7 seas lagoon and the monorail line are so disney and magical for me, i would miss not staying there. Ive done split stays but if you are staying at the best resort, why downgrade and pack in the middle of your stay? Thats the way i look at it, im selfish like that with my fave resort lol.

The other thing is people say to stay where you want to spend the most time but that doesnt work for me. I think its more important to stay where you want to be IN THE EVENINGS. Leaving the parks at the end of a long day is when you are the most worn out so having your resort be close by is the most valuable. Magic kingdom is the most magical at night and where i like to end my days (plus latest hours among the parks) so thats where i like to be.

 

[chainkid]

I would not be inclined to choose the poly right now unless you want to deal with a lot of construction and decidedly less than magical surroundings. When the resort is done with all construction then I would say do a split stay. personally I love the Boardwalk so after trying the Poly once I would still probably always choose boardwalk first. I tried the Grand Floridian Villas and thought they were exceptionally nice décor but less than happy that monorail service abruptly ended during a lot of time during my stay. Never been disappointed at BWV. Location is best in all of Disney IMO

 

[huntconn]

Both are awesome resorts. I love the theming at both. I think it really depends on if you will be spending more time at MK or Epcot. The Poly has always been my favorite but I would probably wait until all of the construction is done.

 

[goofy4tink]

The Poly. 7 seas lagoon and the monorail line are so disney and magical for me, i would miss not staying there. Ive done split stays but if you are staying at the best resort, why downgrade and pack in the middle of your stay? Thats the way i look at it, im selfish like that with my fave resort lol.

The other thing is people say to stay where you want to spend the most time but that doesnt work for me. I think its more important to stay where you want to be IN THE EVENINGS. Leaving the parks at the end of a long day is when you are the most worn out so having your resort be close by is the most valuable. Magic kingdom is the most magical at night and where i like to end my days (plus latest hours among the parks) so thats where i like to be.

That's pretty much how I feel about BW! The one time we stayed there, my dd, then 10, was so disappointed. She had wanted to stay there so badly, so when we got a great pkg deal, we booked. But, when we got there, her comment was 'its just not very Disney-ish here. I wish we had gone to POR.' So I guess the 'magic' is in the eye of the beholder. Now? She's a BW kid all the way. At 21, she feels like she's 'home' at BW.
Resort preference is so personal.....one person loves a specific resort, while another person just doesn't care for it!

I like the Polynesian, I do. But, with the construction there I would be very hesitant to book it for awhile. And don't get me started on the darn monorail! Man, that mode of transportation has caused me to almost miss ADRs. Just seems to be a common occurrence lately to have issues there.

Split stays do take a certain amount of planning. I like to get all packed up the night before. Then I do one of two things...
1. Hand bags over to Bell Services to move to the new resort (you won't get your bags until later in the afternoon though). Then I head to a park until around lunchtime. Then I head to the new resort and get checked in.
Or
2. Take my bags with me, in a cab, to the new resort first thing in the morning. Sometimes my room is ready, sometimes not. If not, BS can store my bags until later. I head off to a park. Then I return when my room is ready.

Yes, you can be 'homeless' for awhile. But if you don't have really little ones, it's not a big deal. If I send my bags with BS, I like to keep bathing suits with me. I can grab a bite to eat and swim if I want.

 

[HairyChest]

Definitely in the eye of the beholder.

Im starting to think the resort that you first stay in when you first visited wdw, is your fave resort. Nostalgia and memories attatch to them and from then on you associate the disney feel with that resort. Almost how the theme park itself brings us nostalgia and memories which make us come back time and time again. The polynesian was my first and is my fave only rivaled by the grand which also was a first visit with a different person.

 

[Babsy]

I agree with a split stay if that's an option as that would give you the best of both worlds. If a split is not doable, my choice would be the Poly for the whole time. We've never stayed at BWI, but we love everything about the Poly and love being on the monorail. Good luck.

A split stay definitely does give the best of both worlds. And, yes, if you are only doing one, the Poly is my choice between the two as well.

If you are organized, it really takes very little effort to move resorts. It is so nice to be convenient to the MK for a while and then move over to an Epcot resort where you can walk to the DHS and Epcot. The BWI is a very nice place to stay with a standard room. almost all these rooms have very nice views and you can often even see the high part of Illuminations from your balcony.

Depending upon when you are going you should be aware of the construction going on at the Poly. It is not as bad as it has been but it is still ongoing until sometime next year. I would take a look at the threads on here dealing with it &/or Tikiman's site to be sure that the situation won't bother you.

However you decide, these are great resorts. Enjoy!