2 Adults 3 Children - Which Deluxe Resort?

[luvmyguyz]

We are planning our next WDW vacation for November 2013, and would really love to try a deluxe resort this time. We are most interested in WL, but because we are a family of 5, we would either need 2 rooms or 1 deluxe CL room, which is quite a bit more than the other deluxe options. It looks like Poly, GF, and BC all have standard rooms that sleep up to 5, each having 2 queen beds and either a day bed or a sofa bed.

We're not sure which resort to pick. I did some quick calculations for a Sunday to Sunday trip with 7 day base tix and regular DDP, and determined the following:

* 2 woods view rooms at WL = $8403
* 1 CL deluxe room at WL = $8312

* 1 standard view at Poly = $6547
* 1 Lagoon view at Poly = $7525

* 1 Garden view at GF = $6957

* 1 Garden view at BC = $6085

Our cheapest option is BC, but hubby is interested in being close to MK. I'm concerned that a standard view at Poly will be ugly (parking lots??), but the cost of a Lagoon view is sooooo much more. But I like Poly better than GF. I mean, GF is gorgeous, but we're not the right family for that resort. Every time we eat dinner there, I just feel out of place. LOL

Anyone who has stayed at any of these resorts, preferably those who stayed in a room with 5 people, can you tell me the pros and cons and help me decide on a resort?? Thanks!!

 

[mickeynut1]

We are a family of 4, but have stayed at all of those resorts and the Poly is our favorite. All of them are great choices, but we love the Poly for the tropical atmosphere, the pool, the beach for watching the fireworks, Captain Cooks, the close proximity to MK, and the ability to walk to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail. We've had great stays at all of them and wouldn't hesitate to stay at any of them again, but if given those choices, the Poly would win out every time for us. I also wanted to mention that out of the Poly, GF, and BC, the Poly is the only guarantee for a daybed as all rooms come with one. At the GF, most rooms come with them, but there are some that don't. When we stayed there in December 2010 we were assigned a dormer room that did not have a daybed. After politely asking if there was a room available with a daybed, we were happily accommodated to a different room. The BC is also a resort that does not have a daybed in every room; however, parties of 5 are usually given preference for those rooms (although sometimes they are not available). If one is not available, they would provide you with a roll away. With all of that said, if you want a guarantee of a daybed, Poly would be the way to go, followed by the GF as the majority of rooms there have them. Good luck, although I don't think you can go wrong with any of them as they are all great choices.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Poly is gorgeous! Get on Tikiman's website for,more info. Our family of 5 loooove it. Pool is awesome, food options are yummy, grounds romantic, monorail convenient, and they are refurbishing all the rooms this year. By the time you go they should all be about done. Did I mention how nice it is to watch Wshes from the beach while the kids play in the sand?

Garden view rooms Are really beautiful. Very few, if only a couple face a parking lot. Lots of foliage would cover that.

Good luck!

 

[searlproudbottom]

Personally I would rent points and stay in a one Bedroom Villa at Bay Lake Towers with a lake view. I checked the price for November and staying 7 nights would take 241 points. You should be able to rent the points for between $11.00 and $13.00 per point. Evin at a high of $13. your cost would be $3,133.00 There is a Rent Trade Board on this site. make sure you read the stickeys.

 

[Jessica527]

Beach Club is my quick, short answer due to the amenities specifically the pool for the kids in your group!

 

[stargazertechie]

Personally I would rent points and stay in a one Bedroom Villa at Bay Lake Towers with a lake view. I checked the price for November and staying 7 nights would take 241 points. You should be able to rent the points for between $11.00 and $13.00 per point. Even at a high of $13. your cost would be $3,133.00 There is a Rent Trade Board on this site. make sure you read the stickeys.

renting points would be my suggestion as well. Unless you're looking at Thanksgiving week, you could expect to pay roughly $3600 for a 2-bedroom villa at Beach Club villas (which would be my suggestion for kids). You'd have the same cost for a 2-bedroom at Wilderness Lodge Villas as well. That's assuming $13/point. If you could find it for lower you could save between $250-$550 off of those prices.

 

[twinboysmom]

Have you considered the CR? Walkway to the MK? The rooms sleep 5 and if you are willing to forgoe the tower views, the garden wing rooms are very reasonably priced for a monorail resort. Some of the views are of the water as well. If you are not interested in the CR I would choose the standard Poly view.

 

[ElizabethB]

With a one bedroom villa, two kids have to share the sofa bed. In our experience, the sofa beds are not nearly as comfortable as a regular hotel room bed.

I think a better option is one room at the Contemporary. It's easy to walk from the Contemporary to MK, which is likely where the focus of your park-going will be. The rooms are large. We had a room on the first floor of the garden wing. We had a garden view room that looked out on a pretty pond. We had a patio and various animals came by (bunnies, ducks) which was fun for the kids to watch.

Poly is also a good choice.

 

[GaBelle]

We've stayed at both GF and Poly. My kids would pick Poly again for the theming alone. And unless you are going Thanksgiving week, you could request a Standard room not facing the parking lot and you should be ok.
But for me, I would go with GF. No question! The theming is not as extreme as some of the others, but the service is phenomenal!

 

[WDW1979]

We are planning our next WDW vacation for November 2013, and would really love to try a deluxe resort this time.

Based on what you wrote, I would suggest the Polynesian. Wilderness Lodge is beautiful inside and out, but if this is your first time staying in a deluxe I would advise a resort on the monorail line. All the more since your DH would like proximity and ease of access to Magic Kingdom. And since you indicated a preference for the Poly over the GF, that makes the decision easier.

Years ago I stayed at the Polynesian and had a clear view of the Magic Kingdom from the window of my room. From my bed as I fell to sleep each night I could see Cinderella Castle lit up in the distance. That was wonderful. But the lower price of a garden view room at the Poly is a factor, as you indicated.

So I would suggest the Polynesian for your family, and leave the decision on Garden View vs. Magic Kingdom view to your travel budget, which is not an easy decision due to the niceness of the MK view vs. the much less expensive Garden View.

 

[Kwaschitz]

We stayed at the Poly with a garden view - our first room (for 5 minutes) faced the quiet pool (but had some shopping bags in the armoire so we were moved to a room on the opposite side of the building and downstairs). Our 2nd room's view was still lovely and we had a family of ducks that spent their mornings on our patio. In fact, I never saw the parking lot except for the times that we caught the Epcot monorail at TTC instead of making the MK loop from the Poly.

Of the resorts you're choosing from, it would definitely be my pick. It's just so very peaceful and the proximity to MK monorail/ferry with the ability to walk to TTC for a direct monorail to epcot? Perfection!

 

[jennyjinx3]

We are the same size family as yours, and stayed at the Poly twice. We had standard view both times, and our view was lovely. (they called it Garden view then). Here was the view from our room in Tokelau #2912.

Hope this helps! It is a wonderful place. We are trying BC CL this time, but the Poly is special to us.