Polynesian vs Wilderness Lodge in Nov 2014

[jjjellybean]

New member and wow - So much great info here!

We are planning a trip Nov 2014 and had planned on staying at the Polynesian but all this talk of construction in the Poly specific threads has us reconsidering. Our alternate choice is Wilderness Lodge.

Travelling with our 4.5 year old so want to be close to MK and convenience is key. We will also be on resort 3 days of the trip so access to all hotel amenities / activities also important.

Would love any thoughts on this!

Jay

 

[mickeynut1]

New member and wow - So much great info here!

We are planning a trip Nov 2014 and had planned on staying at the Polynesian but all this talk of construction in the Poly specific threads has us reconsidering. Our alternate choice is Wilderness Lodge.

Travelling with our 4.5 year old so want to be close to MK and convenience is key. We will also be on resort 3 days of the trip so access to all hotel amenities / activities also important.

Would love any thoughts on this!

Jay

We have stayed at both and since the Poly is our favorite, that would be my choice between the two; however, I do understand about the construction. With that said, I think the WL is a great alternative. The resort is beautiful, the pool and dining options are great, and it's nice having the boat to go to MK (as well as to the CR). I think the WL is an amazing resort and I don't think you would regret staying there. Good luck deciding.

 

[Tom Kurowski]

Hi. My wife and I prefer the Polynesian (but that is just a matter of preference) because we like the idea of being on the monorail as well as the tropical island feel compared to the wilderness. We have stayed at both and really there are no complaints of either; food is good at both, they both have very nice pools. One thing the poly has and wilderness does not is the fact that at the end of the night you can sit on the beach and watch the fireworks over MK where as you cannot at Wilderness. Hope this helps a little.
tom

 

[wiigirl]

We have stayed at both and since the Poly is our favorite, that would be my choice between the two; however, I do understand about the construction. With that said, I think the WL is a great alternative. The resort is beautiful, the pool and dining options are great, and it's nice having the boat to go to MK (as well as to the CR). I think the WL is an amazing resort and I don't think you would regret staying there. Good luck deciding.

x2

 

[jjjellybean]

Thank you!

Would you say one if significantly faster in travel time to MK than the other?

And can you walk/travel to the beach at Poly from WL to view fireworks?

Jay

 

[mickeynut1]

Thank you!

Would you say one if significantly faster in travel time to MK than the other?

And can you walk/travel to the beach at Poly from WL to view fireworks?

Jay

In terms of travel time, the Poly is probably a little faster as it's just 2 monorail stops from MK, whereas the boat from WL can take a little longer (IMO); however, I don't think one is significantly faster than the other. Keep in mind that this is only my opinion as others may have a different opinion from their own experience(s). There is a bus from WL to MK that is direct with no stops along the way, so that may be about equal timing with the monorail from the Poly (although I can't say for sure as we have always taken the boat).

You can definitely go to the Poly beach to watch the fireworks, but you cannot walk between the two resorts. We find it easiest to take the boat from WL to the CR and then hop on the monorail to the Poly, but others may have a different suggestion based on their experiences.

HTH

 

[Tom Kurowski]

Thank you!

Would you say one if significantly faster in travel time to MK than the other?

And can you walk/travel to the beach at Poly from WL to view fireworks?

Jay

I think from poly to MK is faster because of the monorail. But don't forget you can take the small boat shuttle to mk from the pier at the back of poly, or you can walk around poly to the transportation center and catch the BIG ferry across the lake. As for buses they supposedly run every 20 minutes. If you took the boat to the Contemporary you can even walk to MK from there, depending what you feel up to.
As for getting between WL and Poly, as the other poster had noted, you can take a boat to Contemporary, then monorail over to poly, or you can boat over to front of MK and catch the monorail or small boat shuttle over or take the Big ferry to transportation center and walk over to Poly.
No matter which way you go or how long it takes, just remember you're still in Disney!!
tom

 

[DisneyBliss7]

I would stay at Poly Beautiful and has the monorail!!

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

The Polynesian is so awesome. And I was so excited to get to stay there again in 2014...until I wasn't due to all of the construction talk. The Polynesian experience is truly magical, but my opinion is that the construction will drain the magic right out with the beeping and motor sounds from the construction equipment. We are waiting until the construction is over to return. I would hate for someone's first impression of the Poly to be tarnished by the orange cones and hard hats, especially if the pool and Great Ceremonial House end up being under construction, too. (I think I could easily avoid the sunset point construction area by just requesting a room on the other side of the resort). If Disney were offering 45-50% off rooms there due to the inconvenience, I might consider it. But, they aren't, and I just can't spend 400-600 a night with a chance of looking at a backhoe digging in the mud or what used to be the awesome volcano pool. I've never stayed at WL, but we've visited twice. Both times we rode the boat from MK. The boat ride didn't seem to take too long. But, we enjoyed the boat to the MK from the Poly, too.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

If you are still considering the Poly, you should check out Tikiman's website, tikimanpages.com/Poly