3 resorts in 8 days !! Short reviews w/ a few pics :)

[marivaid]

DM & I just got back today from our 8 night stay at WDW.
We stayed 4 nights at the Poly, 3 nights at the Boardwalk and 1 night at POP.

Polynesian
Simply fell in love. This resort is a Deluxe but still has a relaxed atmosphere. The grounds are breathtaking. Depending on the time of day some flowers are opened and some are not so you always see different things. We also saw a lot of ducks and bunnies.
We had room 3909 in the Tokelau building (Garden View) and didn't have any issue with Mousekeeping at all. We even got towel animals every day (yes I admit, I brought the smallest one home with me ).
The rooms are HUGE. Our last resort was POFQ and we already thought the room was very nice, but this was wayyyyyyy better. We could see a little bit of the beach from our balcony.
Pools are great, the quiet pool is literally steps from the building entrance. It's not very "quiet" during the day but it is at night. Great slide at the Volcano pool !
The lobby is beautiful and has several great shops, Captain Cook's is very convenient for refilling cups and getting snacks.

The monorail... well let's just say now I understand why some will not stay on a resort that is not on the monorail route. It makes everything so much easier. A few minutes walk from our building, fast, clean... We were so spoiled by the monorail that we actually skipped AK entirely this trip just because we had to take a bus to get there.

The view from our balcony :

Stitch enjoying our first towel animal :

This little dude was having breakfast in front of our building :

Boardwalk Inn

We arrived around 2pm after taking the boat from Epcot. We'd seen the lobby before but it was still impressive. The best part was that we got upgraded to concierge!!!! It was totally unexpected and we were thrilled ! The resort is gorgeous but has a definate "Deluxe" feel to it - by that I mean you don't see many families having fun in the hallways or anything like that.

To be honest, while I thought the resort was beautiful and had a lot of charm it just isn't my kind of resort. Too perfect, and, well, some people were a tad stuck up. One of the concierges was exceptionally rude to us, to the point where I actually considered calling up the front desk and complaining. He made us feel out of place and unwelcomed, and unfortunately for me that feeling lasted for our entire stay.
However all the rest of the staff was pleasant, if not friendly.

We only used the quiet pool. We went to check out the Luna Pool once and it looked like a lot of fun however it was very very crowded and not the kind of pool you can really swim in. The DVC part of the resort was MUCH MORE lively and laid back compared to our floor.

Inkeeper's Lounge is the room on the Concierge level where you can find snacks and drinks through the day. We mainly used it for drinks since there is no place in the resort itself to refill your mug, you need to go to the boardwalk bakery in order to do that. It was definitely a big plus. We did get snacks there a few times, however for dinner and desserts in the evening, you need to be there pretty much as soon as they are served or you're out of luck. Not a big deal for us, we were very thankful just to be able to get a drink and fruit in the morning.

We LOVE the World Showcase so it was perfect for us to just take the boat & enter through the International Gateway and not have to bother with Future World at all. We only went to MGM once but still were very glad that the boat could take us there as well. The boats come regularly and are very relaxing. I loved seeing the Boardwalk, YC/BC all lit up at night from the boat.

All in all, I would come back but probably only if it was the only resort with an AP discount. It is a VERY impressive and upscale resort and I felt like I was walking on eggshells all the time - the "incident" with the concierge definitely didn't help. However I loved the fact that it felt as if we took a time machine back to the 20s - even Bell Services was in character

Our room :

The Concierge's desk :

View from the Boardwalk at night :

Friendship boat at the dock :

Pop Century

I booked our last night there, because when I booked BWI the 4th night wasn't available. We just needed a place to sleep since DME was picking us up at 10 the next morning.

After staying in 2 Deluxes we weren't too thrilled about spending a night in a Value. I was also worried that the resort would be huge and we would be very far. We got a room in the 80s section, which is pretty much as far as you can get, but it was less than 5mns to walk to the main building. We were actually pleased with this resort and if we choose to go to a value again we'll choose POP. I liked the theming, and the shop is great. We spent more on souvenirs in that shop than we spent all week combined.

We knew what to expect for the rooms since we'd been at ASMO before. There's only 2 of us so it was fine. Sure the beds aren't anywhere as comfortable as the ones at BWI or Poly, but it was only for one night.

Our room :

A quick pic on our way to DME :

Luggage Transfer - we used it twice and had no problem. Since we were only staying overnight at POP we asked if they could keep our biggest bags and just let us get our carry-ons and it was great not having to lug all that stuff around for only one night. Both times our luggage was there before we even got to the resort. We were told luggage is transferred between 1pm and 3pm.

Hope this helps anyone trying to pick resorts and/or planning a split stay

 

[PEANUT1]

thanks for the report. We are doing 3 resorts in 12 days this fall. Some peoplet think we are nuts...we will see ( we have 2 little kids).

 

[PrincessPaczki]

Thanks for the review and the pictures. How fun to spend your trip in 3 different resorts! Did you eat at Ohanas or Kona?

 

[marivaid]

thanks for the report. We are doing 3 resorts in 12 days this fall. Some peoplet think we are nuts...we will see ( we have 2 little kids).

It's a little bit of a hassle having to repack often but for us it was worth it ! Which resorts are you trying ?

Thanks for the review and the pictures. How fun to spend your trip in 3 different resorts! Did you eat at Ohanas or Kona?

Yes,we did 'Ohana for breakfast and dinner and Kona for lunch. We loved Poly so much we almost had to "force" ourselves to go to the parks Our dinner experience at 'Ohana was a little weird but breakfast was great. I will post dining reviews soon

 

[Redbudlover]

Thanks for the really interesting report. Having stayed at both the Poly ad the BWI, I was surprised at the negative feedback about the BWI, but agreed completely about the POLY. I loved it there. I had a different experience at the BWI. I had not expected to like the BWI as much as I actually did. I didnt find it stuffy at all, just beautiful, comfortable, and convenient. I did miss having a good store there and am sorry concierge turned out badly for you. I think it should have been such a treat. I have never stayed at that level, but the folks who have certainly rank it differently from resort to resort.. What I loved most was the little lounge where I could get a drink to take back to my room at night and the rocking chairs on the verandah.

 

[marivaid]

Thanks for the really interesting report. Having stayed at both the Poly ad the BWI, I was surprised at the negative feedback about the BWI, but agreed completely about the POLY. I loved it there. I had a different experience at the BWI. I had not expected to like the BWI as much as I actually did. I didnt find it stuffy at all, just beautiful, comfortable, and convenient. I did miss having a good store there and am sorry concierge turned out badly for you. I think it should have been such a treat. I have never stayed at that level, but the folks who have certainly rank it differently from resort to resort.. What I loved most was the little lounge where I could get a drink to take back to my room at night and the rocking chairs on the verandah.

I'm glad you had a better experience than me at BWI. My mom loved it though, especially the pool, and it was awesome to be upgraded to concierge (it would have been better if the concierge didn't make it so obvious that he felt we didn't belong there). Having the lounge there is a definitely convenient but what I liked best was the LOCATION !! We spend a lot of time at Epcot which is why I had picked it.

I should explain what happened with the concierge. We were coming back from Epcot after spending the whole afternoon in World Showcase & it had been raining so we didn't look our best. When we got to the concierge desk where you have to slide your card we said good evening to him and he basically looked us up and down with a disaproving look on his face and asked us if he could help us. I said we were just going back to our room (we were both holding our room keys) and he asked for our name which I gave to him. Then he looked in a list and said we were not on it. We gave him our room number and he didn't say anything. Still not letting us go through. Then he asked us if we'd just checked in and I said no, yesterday, and I showed him our room key and he said "hmmm right" in a very nasty tone.
At that time a family came in and he starts chatting with them like he's known them his whole life, asking what they'd been up to, how are the kids did they have fun, yada yada.. we're finally able to slide our key in and get the door opened.

So, he's talking to us like we're beggars and he's treating the next people through the door like royalty. Not a very Disney attitude.

 

[Redbudlover]

Ooooh. I would have been so ticked! What a jerk! After the fact, of course, but it would have been great if you had asked him if he wasn't supposed to be there to help you, not hold you up! I think I would write Disney and complain about him.

 

[marivaid]

Ooooh. I would have been so ticked! What a jerk! After the fact, of course, but it would have been great if you had asked him if he wasn't supposed to be there to help you, not hold you up! I think I would write Disney and complain about him.

I thought about that but we had been upgraded so I didn't feel like it was appropriate. They don't upgrade that often and we decided to just be thankful and ignore the guy if we saw him again.

We DID look like a mess after the rain, and we were holding shopping bags, so he probably thought we came to steal from the Inkeeper's lounge.

 

[Redbudlover]

Bless your heart - you are much sweeter than I am. But he had a choice - he could look at you and see special guests who had been caught in a rain that fell on everyone and guests do do a lot of shopping Disney hopes.... or he could choose to be a snob. He had no idea how you came to be staying on concierge level - his JOB is to take care of those guests. Disney CMs are trained to make everyone happy - you as much as anyone.... and wet guests maybe need more than dry ones IMHO

 

[square pond]

I thought about that but we had been upgraded so I didn't feel like it was appropriate. They don't upgrade that often and we decided to just be thankful and ignore the guy if we saw him again.

We DID look like a mess after the rain, and we were holding shopping bags, so he probably thought we came to steal from the Inkeeper's lounge.

Sorry you had a bad experience with concierge. If you don't mind me asking what kind of room did you have booked before the upgrade. I am wondering if they upgrade to concierge level from a standard room??

 

[PEANUT1]

We are doing 2 nights at the wilderness lodge villas, 5 nights at animal kingdom villas and 5 nights at Saratoga Springs. I think it will be an adventure it was my hubby's idea. i was ok with 2 resorts...he pushed for the third bc he knows how much i love the wilderness lodge.

 

[Lives4Disney]

THanks for the review and pics.

I have stayed at Poly and BWI. We stayed BWI concierge deluxe and while I really loved the room & location, the concierge did nothing for us and really I am so surprised when I hear people raving about the BWI concierge staff. They were nothing special while we were there, but everybody has different CMs they run across. We had some weird and really bad housekeeping incidences there, too. The worst we've ever had on Disney property. I like the BW enough to consider giving it a second go, but I am not sure it's even worth the risk, haha.

Our fave is the GF concierge and believe me, we show up PLENTY of times drenched and in our rain ponchos returning from the parks, and they always treat us so nicely - probably like that family you describe BUT I have always seen them treat everybody with respect & graciousness. (I know some people think the GF is snooty, but it is not at all - stayed there many times and I have seen a lot) I can understand how you felt being treated like you were. Kind of sad & sorry it put a damper on your stay.

PS....don't feel guilty about taking that towel animal!! The CMs at the GF told us more than once that they are for guests to take home.

Love the pics!

Lives4Disney

 

[Caballero]

We also did 3 resorts in one trip. It was over Christmas 2005. The resorts we stayed at were Boardwalk, Beach Club, and Saratoga Springs. It was nice seeing all the different resorts decorared for the holidays, but hated the constant packing and unpacking.

 

[WAHMto5]

Sounds like you have fun! Glad that you enjoyed Poly, we are looking foward to our first trip to Poly in a couple of months!!

 

[Blondie]

Overall, sounds like you had a really fun time! I'm just wondering what this means though:

We went to check out the Luna Pool once and it looked like a lot of fun however it was very very crowded and not the kind of pool you can really swim in.

Was it so crowded that you couldn't swim in it? Or was it the theming? I know the clown a the end of the water slide would freak me out!

 

[grumpymakesmehappy]

Thanks for the resort report!!! I completely agree with you that the Polynesian is worth every penny. Along with the WL, it has long been a favorite of our family. By the way, you really must try the WL someday. It is a fantastic resort. Very laid back with some of the nicest CM's ever. I think the BWI is beautiful and would like to try it out at some point. And if I ever decided to try a value it would be the Pop.

 

[n2mm]

How well did the resorts do in transferring your luggage. We are doing a split next month (I hate split stays...but it happened). Even though we have cars, we decided it's easier to have the resorts transfer our luggage. Any suggestions or tips you can pass on? We are going from OKW to BCV with a party of 8.

 

[marivaid]

Sorry you had a bad experience with concierge. If you don't mind me asking what kind of room did you have booked before the upgrade. I am wondering if they upgrade to concierge level from a standard room??

We had booked a standard room at AP rate. I didn't even think that you could get an upgrade if you were not paying full price,but we did ! Thank you Disney and Hermie

Overall, sounds like you had a really fun time! I'm just wondering what this means though:

Was it so crowded that you couldn't swim in it? Or was it the theming? I know the clown a the end of the water slide would freak me out!

The water isn't very deep at all in some parts of the pool I guess because kids mostly play there and don't really swim. Also, with so many people in there it'd have been hard to swim without constantly bumping into others. I thought the theming was cute !!

By the way, you really must try the WL someday. It is a fantastic resort. Very laid back with some of the nicest CM's ever.

We went to WCC and finally got the chance to see this beautiful resort. It's sooooo warm and cozy in there ! We were almost an hour early for our ADR which gave us a chance to look around. Since we don't have a car I'm not too crazy about the transportation options, but we're definitely going to try it someday.

I have stayed at Poly and BWI. We stayed BWI concierge deluxe and while I really loved the room & location, the concierge did nothing for us and really I am so surprised when I hear people raving about the BWI concierge staff. They were nothing special while we were there, but everybody has different CMs they run across. We had some weird and really bad housekeeping incidences there, too. The worst we've ever had on Disney property. I like the BW enough to consider giving it a second go, but I am not sure it's even worth the risk, haha.

We had no need for the concierge either. I needed to change ADRs once when we were there but it was faster to just call Disney Dining. One of the ladies from the lounge did help DM find her way after she got totally lost trying to go to the pool one evening. Poor Mom was a little freaked, I'd kept doing The Shining in the hallways to creep her out ("Come and play with us, Danny!!").
We didn't have any issue with housekeeping in our room though I did notice that people left plates outside their room in the evening and they were still there the next day.

We are doing 2 nights at the wilderness lodge villas, 5 nights at animal kingdom villas and 5 nights at Saratoga Springs. I think it will be an adventure it was my hubby's idea. i was ok with 2 resorts...he pushed for the third bc he knows how much i love the wilderness lodge.

Wow, this sounds awesome. I really want to try AKL someday. Don't be scared split stays really aren't that much trouble at all.

How well did the resorts do in transferring your luggage. We are doing a split next month (I hate split stays...but it happened). Even though we have cars, we decided it's easier to have the resorts transfer our luggage. Any suggestions or tips you can pass on? We are going from OKW to BCV with a party of 8.

They did great. We'd call them as soon as we were ready in the morning and they showed up in a few minutes, took our stuff gave us a receipt with our name, number of bags and a "tracking" number. Then once we got to BWI we just called and gave them the number and they brought it all to our room. At POP we just came to pick them up.
Try to pack the night before and just keep enough stuff for the next morning so you don't have to rush the next day ! Enjoy

 

[jcpuppy.com]

We are doing a hubby and me only this trip in Sept. He hates split stays, but this is a chance for me to try the mods(no kids and their junk to lug around) and I also need to use some points from our dvc. So, we were doing 3 nights csr, 2 nights bwv and then 2 nights por we will have about 3 full days at each resort due to our flights.
My question is was it enjoyable to try the different ones? How much time do you think you wasted with checking in/out? Do you feel like 3 was too many for your trip(which sounds close to our length of time)
Do you think you had enough time at each so you could decide for future trips which one you would want to spend more time at?

Thanks for the pics and trip report

 

[kutchyone]

You were told that they transfer the bags between 1:00 and 3:00? That's good news, I was going to do it myself via taxi but this would make is so much easier. I may still take a small bag with us to Blizzar Beach with our clothing in it for the evening. We have dinner reservations at the Yachtman @ 6:00 and will be transferring to the BCV's. I was worried about the bags getting their on time.