August 2016 Beach Club or Poly

[reggiemcp]

Help me out here. 8 nights late August and trying to decide between Beach Club and Poly. 2 adults and 12 year old boy. Love the idea of monorail for quick escapes and lots of different eating options. Volcano pool also looks great. However, Beach Club has that great pool and easy access to Epcot. Have heard that transportation is bad though. Never been to either one, would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

 

[ReluctantDisaholic]

We stayed at both this past August. We loved both of them - although the pool at BC is definitely our favourite.

The only transportation issue we had was the MK bus from Beach Club - they filled up at Yacht Club first and went straight to MK instead of stopping at BC, so we had a loooong wait. The problem would have been solved by catching the bus at Yacht Club instead, which we'd do next time. Otherwise, we loved being able to walk to Epcot and DHS.

 

[fairygagamother]

Do a split stay! That way you'll experience both places. Plan your fast passes accordingly--MK on your Poly days & Epcot & Hollywood on your BC days. We've stayed both places & love them both!

 

[Disneylover99]

We stayed at the BC last August for the first time and this August we are staying at the Poly for the first time.
The BC was great. I absolutely loved walking to Epcot every morning for breakfast. But we didn't love SAB. It was crowded and hard to find chairs together. We spent most of our time at the quiet pool, which we loved.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

With 8 nights, I would do a split stay. 4 nights Poly, 4 nights BC. Best of both worlds! While at Poly, you could focus on MK. BC, focus on EP and DHS. That way, the only time you have to catch a bus is to AK.

If you don't want to split, I would think about which parks you will go to most and pick the resort that will offer the most convenience in terms of transportation. We've stayed at both countless times and I prefer BC. I find the food choices at Poly to be really limited (Without an ADR, O'hana is impossible to get in to and Capt. Cook's is chaotic and crowded) and I don't really want to get on the monorail every time I want something else to eat. BC offers countless dining options within walking distance of the resort (everything at BC/YC, BWI, Swan/Dolphin - great food! and WS in EP). We also love the entertainment on the Boardwalk and love walking to Fantasia mini-golf.

 

[wendow]

Yep, I'd do a split stay also! Best of both worlds, and Disney makes them so easy.

 

[mmmears]

We've done a split between these two and it was fantastic. Great to experience both parts of the "world" and also nice to get to enjoy both pools and locations.

 

[lala5176]

We just did a Poly/BC split in June. We loved the location of Poly and found it very easy to get around on the monorail or ferry boats. I also love the Epcot resorts due to the fact that you can walk to Epcot and HS. We much rather not have to take a bus whenever possible. The rest of my family did not care for splitting up the time but to get the best of both worlds that's the way to go!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Help me out here. 8 nights late August and trying to decide between Beach Club and Poly. 2 adults and 12 year old boy. Love the idea of monorail for quick escapes and lots of different eating options. Volcano pool also looks great. However, Beach Club has that great pool and easy access to Epcot. Have heard that transportation is bad though. Never been to either one, would love to hear everyone's thoughts.

I agree that a split stay is a good idea since both appeal to you. It would give you a chance to try both resorts in one trip without having to choose. With that said, if a split isn't an option, my choice would be the Poly. We've stayed at both and while the BC was nice, we weren't wow'd by SAB and the limited CS is a deal breaker for us. We love Captain Cooks for quick meals/snacks and we also find more of a variety for TS options around the monorail (and at WL) than we do among the Epcot resorts.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I prefer the BC. Love, love, love Stormalong Bay and the easy access to Epcot. We never had any issues with the bus to MK. With all the issues that the monorail has been having, I just don't find it that much of an advantage.

 

[TJA]

Those are our 2 favorite resorts! They are the best of both worlds. We call one of them our "Epcot resort," and the other our "MK resort."

Stay at BC and walk to both Epcot and HS, enjoy the huge pool, boardwalk, Espn Club, rent surrey bikes and ride around the boardwalk, even walk to miniature golf.

Stay at Poly and enjoy the VIEW over the lagoon -- there's nothing like being in the sand or at the pool and seeing the Castle, boats, the GF....awesome. Watch Wishes right from the Poly too. Ohana is one of our favorite family dinner spots. Having the TTC right there gives you direct monorail to both Epcot and MK.

You can't go wrong with either one. BC does have the newly refurbished rooms right now...Poly has the larger rooms. BC has more of a luxury-beach feeling to it while Poly has more of a relaxed tropical vibe.

My vote is to split stay. Disney makes it easy to transfer, and you'll get to experience both of these awesome resorts.

If you choose to stay only at BC for your whole trip....
If you're not in a rush to get to MK, just start off your day in Epcot for a morning snack, etc., then just work your way to the front of the park and catch the monorail over to MK. It's definitely not a route to take if you're in a rush, but our family has always enjoyed doing this.

 

[mousehappync]

Split stay! We stayed 2 nights at the Poly in a new studio this past October, then moved to BC for 6 nights. It was perfect. We loved relaxing at the Poly-- we went to US our first day, and spent the evening hanging out at the Pool, Trader Sam's and doing the in-room Ohana-style feast. We LOVED this trip. The Poly stay felt like a whole different vacation, and then we moved onto,the hard-core park portion of the trip. BC is great for hitting up all the parks-- great bus service (Poly buses have never been good for us, both this trip and in 2013) and easy access to HS and EPCOT.

 

[schwaa]

I probably shouldn't throw my two cents in (and if you guys hate it, I can delete it), but I just went through this for two months, trying to pick between the two. I"m bringing my 12 year old niece and my 14 year old nephew (in August 2016)

My conclusion was neither are going to like the World Showcase (plus they are picky eaters and won't eat any of the food there except pizza in Italy). Also, no QS at BC (really no chicken nuggets except in a pail for little kids?) So BC finally was eliminated.

I just stayed at the Grand Floridian in December and after two monorail trips (Contemporary year before) I decided the monorail is a pain in the butt. It's so crowded with day guests that it takes forever to get back from the Magic Kingdom at night. (unless you wait until midnight)

We decided on AKL. I know not one of your options, but maybe my negatives above with help you decide. Or maybe they don't apply in which case a split stay may solve the problem. Ive done that before, and it is super easy.

 

[ElizabethB]

Just had the same dilemma for our August 2016 trip. We stayed at Poly a few months ago. The pool is nothing special whatsoever. We were surprised Disney didn't do a better job with it in the remodel. There is no shade anywhere and the pool is boring. Plus, the lobby looks like a Hyatt now. The thing about Poly that made our decision hard this year is the club level lounge, which is fabulous -- looks straight out on the Castle and has wonderful view of the fireworks each evening.

If you're staying club level or if easy transportation to MK is really important, pick Poly. If you want a fun pool, pick Beach Club. And, take a cab to MK and back. The buses to MK are awful.