Polynesian v. Yacht Club?

[kblinde]

We are going to WDW for the first time -- just 4 nights - with our 4 & 6 yr. olds. We can't decide if it's necessary to stay at a monorail resort. We're leaning toward YC --kids will love the pool but think maybe Poly. b/c of its monorail access. Any help/guidance is welcomed!

 

[pixiepower1971]

If you think that you will spend most of your time at MK and Epcot, I would vote for staying at a monorail resort. The convienence can't be beat!

 

[minniebeth]

For your first time and with young children like you have, I would say yes to a monorail resort. It has the convenience and the WOW factor of being in the heart of the Magic Kingdom area. As they get older, there are so many other amazing locations, but for now, that would be my vote!

 

[mtemm]

I tend to think against the norm, at least here on the boards. we are going in october with our kids (4, 2, 2) and specifically chose the y/c because we figured an epcot resort would work better for us. our thought process was yes, we will be spending plenty of time at the MK, but we'd also like to spend time at epcot. dh and I love epcot, especially WS. since epcot is a short walk away, it makes it easier to hop there in the late afternoons/evenings, rather than planning a long day there. I think the kids will like it in smaller doses. we could be wrong, this is our first trip with kids.

I'm sure a monorail resort would be nice, too, of course, and maybe next time we'll try it. but for now this is what makes the most sense to us. time will tell if we are right!

 

[kvogel11202]

We like the YC for the pool, and also we like having the lobby right downstaris, not being in the sepreate buildings. Just our preference.

 

[Poly Pal]

The Polynesian will be much more convenient if you plan on taking a mid day break and nap.

I advise taking umbrella strollers for both children. the monorail will allow you roll on and roll off convenience at the Polynesian whereas at the Yacht Club you will be dependent on busses. You will have to fold the stroller and your tired / sleepy children may have to stand on the bus. (Even in the most magical place on earth, most adults on those busses won't give up a seat to a child or parent holding a child.)

Also, while the Yacht Club is convenient to EPCOT, it is still a 10 to 15 minute walk with little ones in tow from the International Gateway.

Have fun wherever you stay!

 

[jjohnson]

Because of the age of your children I would go with Polynesian. Yes YC has a great pool but it is large & spread out. It is much easier to keep an eye on your children at Polynesian. Also I've never had any luck with the buses from the Epcot resorts to MK.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

The convenience of the monorail is the best. especially with kids your age.

We stay at the Poly every year, past 2 years we've split the stay with the YC/BC.

I now love both. but my kids are 12 & 15.

 

[nannon16]

if you're planning on spending a lot of time at MK, definately go with POLY. If most of your time will be at EPCOT, either one works well. Obviously you can walk there from YC, and it's a short walk to the EPCOT monorail at the TTC from POLY.

 

[Schmeck]

The Polynesian will be much more convenient if you plan on taking a mid day break and nap.

I advise taking umbrella strollers for both children. the monorail will allow you roll on and roll off convenience at the Polynesian whereas at the Yacht Club you will be dependent on busses. You will have to fold the stroller and your tired / sleepy children may have to stand on the bus. (Even in the most magical place on earth, most adults on those busses won't give up a seat to a child or parent holding a child.)

Also, while the Yacht Club is convenient to EPCOT, it is still a 10 to 15 minute walk with little ones in tow from the International Gateway.

Have fun wherever you stay!

You have to take a bus from the Poly to AK and MGM, while you only need to use a bus to get to AK if you are at BC/YC. BC/YC is a 5-10 minute walk to EPCOT, a boat ride to MGM, and two monorail rides to MK (with a walk through EPCOT)

The BC/YC has the best pool for kids - there's the whole sand bar end of Stormalong Bay, and there's a little kids' slide and pool near the beach, where you go up for the larger slide.

My choice would be the YC, as I've also heard the Poly pool can get very crowded!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We have never stayed at the Poly and we don't have a child yet BUT
We have stayed at the Yacht Club. I'm not going to say which one would be better since I'm really not sure but These are the reasons we loved the YC

Loved the light airy feel to it
Loved the pool area and the lake right there
Loved being so close to Boardwalk and Beach club
Loved Beaches and Cream
Loved being sooo close to EPCOT and MGM
Loved that the bus service was excellent- Never had any issues going anywhere
Loved that after EPCOT we could just take the monorail over to MK
Loved the service and our room at YC- Could not have been better(and DH is PICKY!!!! LOL)

 

[pepe of ohio]

if you're planning on spending a lot of time at MK, definately go with POLY. If most of your time will be at EPCOT, either one works well. Obviously you can walk there from YC, and it's a short walk to the EPCOT monorail at the TTC from POLY.

Just for the convenience of the monorail to the MK, our field of endeavor is the Poly, but some occasions to save a buck we stay at WL. The short boat ride to MK does not bother us knowing the moneywe're saving by staying there rather then the Poly. when rates are good, we pick the Poly, short walk to the monorail to get to EPCOT, extra added convenience. We're not AK lovers , half day there or no day is enough and MGM has its qualities but not a whole days worth like EPCOT and the MK. Buses are no bother for us, we're on property for at least 8 nights and there is plenty of time to see everything and ride the Disney transportation no matter how long a wait. Either boat or bus, we never have waited a long time, we just take it in stride, we're on vacation, do not have to drive or use a car, a blessing for us and why we pick WDW for our vacations 38 some visits.

 

[AKLRULZ]

Both are nice, the Yacht Club is much more upscale, self contained, has an amazing pool (Poly's is nice, but small), and you can walk to Epcot. I'd chose YC over the Poly even with small kids.

 

[Samsma]

We loved the YC, and in regard to the pool being too spread out, we play with the kids in the waterslide area, then limit them to the shallow sand area near the YC when we get tired of following them.

 

[JKW]

We have stayed at both several times. Poly was our first experience at WDW. It was wonderful. Our kids were 1 and 2. The convience of the monorail at their ages was one of the reasons we had such a wonderful experience. They are now 11 and 12 (we have added another since at age 6). We go every year and the as the kids got older they enjoyed the YC more. In fact, we go every year and we tend to do a split stay at the Poly and YC. Hubby and I really like the Poly and the kids like the YC.

I have no regrets about staying at the Poly the first 2 years. Either resort is great and I'm sure that you all will have a great time..........

 

[tecdavidt]

With the age of your children I would tell you to stay at the Poly. The walk to Epcot is a long walk for a small child. Our daughter was 7 when we did the walk from Boardwalk and she had problems when we hit the end of the day. I also remember she thought Epcot was boring.

Now, at age 14, she prefers MGM and Epcot over the Magic Kingdom. You and your spouse may prefer Epcot but remember you have small children to entertain, would they like what you like/ can they do what you two prefer to do? If you plan to ride the thrill rides, one would have to sit outside with the little ones while the other is riding. Put yourself in their shoes, would you like the wait time it takes for an adult to go through a line, even with fastpast? Just food for thought and you know your children best.

Our daughter was bored at age 13 with the world area of Epcot but she loved the side with the rides. Your children will be too young for most of the rides although they should love the "Living Seas" and don't miss Talking with Crush. Crush is a must do with children. Now there will be another new attraction inside the Living Seas that read like it would be ideal for small children.

The Poly and YC are great hotels. Consider all of the options and what ifs then choose your resort. Have a great trip. Kathy

 

[wdwbeforetn]

The Poly also has the boat access to MK and Grand Floridian. The boat is quick and fun, but at night after Wishes.... its wonderful to hop on the boat while the huge crowd of people are waiting to get on the monorail. Also, Poly has its own beach for the kiddos to play and to watch the water pageant. The pool is crowded, but it also has a small play area with the little fountains from the ground (I forgot what those are called) for the kiddos to play in.

 

[DaisyD]

I've never been to the Y/C but love the Poly. For convenience alone I would chose the Poly. You will spend so much time at the MK that you will love the monorail access. DD, now 7, loves the Poly and the MK but really only likes EPCOT one day. We are at the MK probably 8 days out of our 14 days trips!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

We did a split trip in July - 7 nights YC/4 nights Poly. The convenience to MK from the Poly can't be beat, especially with small children. Our kids are now 6, 7 and 9 but when we first started coming to WDW they were 2, 4 and 5 and we stayed at the Grand Floridian and loved being able to push the stroller right on the monorail and to be able to see Wishes without leaving our resort.

However to be perfectly honest we preferred the YC over the Poly. The pool couldn't be beat and although the Poly has a cool pool it seemed to small for a resort this size to us, and it was always super crowded.

Either way you'll be staying at a deluxe resort and you'll have a great time. Have fun deciding.

 

[bkfree]

We are going in January with our 5 and 7 year old kids. After intense scrutiny and research on hotels we decided on the Yacht Club. For us it held the most pros. Walking distance to two parks, Epcot and MGM. Boat, Bus or through Epcot to the Monorail for transportation options. The close by entertainment and food options of the Boardwalk area and within walking distance to Boardwalk,Beach Club,Swan and Dolphin Hotels. Because we are flying in, not renting a car and wanted many choices close by that only used our feet to get to tipped the scale in the Yacht Club's favor. Stormalong Bay is a nice bonus to the rest.
Poly is nice, yes and hs the monorail but for our needs that was its only two pro points.