Beach club or pay extra for Polynesian?

[Turksmom]

Ah thank you for replying. It's great to know you've been and loved BC... I think this has convinced us to stick with it! Did you find the bus service to magic kingdom and animal kingdom okay?

The bus service was very good when we were there. We always had a seat going to parks. With so many resorts so close together, if the line was too long leaving the parks, we'd bus to a different resort and walk over. We'll be staying at Yacht Club in about 2 weeks and are very much looking forward to it!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'd choose BC over Polynesian just for the easy walk to Epcot from BC. Especially if you are going to be there for one of the Epcot Festivals (Food & Wine, Flower & Garden, Holidays, Arts).

We stayed at the Polynesian 22 years ago on our first trip and that is the last time we have stayed there. I know they have changed things in 22 years, but it still seems the same, rather old.

 

[fairygagamother]

Both resorts are our favorite deluxes. Each spectacular in its own way! I don’t know what kind of discounts are available, but you might look into upgrading to club level at Beach. If the cost is about what you’d spend at the Poly, do consider doing it. You would have breakfast in the lounge as well as snacks & drinks (beer, wine, soft drinks) throughout the day. The evening offerings are usually substantial enough to pass as dinner. It just adds another dimension to your trip to make it extra special!

 

[han22735]

We have also stayed at both and loved them. But my pick would be BC...being able to walk to HS and Epcot was great.

 

[Hopefully]

Beach Club for sure. It is better than Poly for young singles. Location Location, Location.
Bus transportation to MK and AK is fine. From Poly you have to take a bus to AK or DHS. You can have good and not so good bus experiences from any and every resort on property.

 

[Summer2018]

Hi! First post from me... me and my partner (20's) are booked to stay in beach club this September. We have only ever stayed at riverside which we love so can't decide if beach club is best for us. We have called Disney and for extra £ we could stay at the poly. Would you save the cash and go to beach club? Or upgrade to poly? Also if you've stayed at beach club could you let me know if you loved it for some reassurance! haha.

It really depends on what kind of experience you are looking for.

We loved the Beach Club. Stormalong Bay is worth spending a full day or two to really enjoy. The ability to walk into Epcot through France is great. The Boardwalk is fun.

Our favorite resort is the Polynesian. The relaxing Hawaiian music playing throughout the entire resort is heavenly as are the smells and gorgeous foliage. It is so beautiful and breathtaking to be in the Polynesian environment. My blood pressure lowers as I enter the resort lobby. We didn't experience any chaos in July. The shops are great. The restaurants are excellent. We make sure to have both breakfast and dinner at least once at 'Ohana. Trader Sam's is definitely a must-do. I love both pools, but since the Volcano pool can get crowded, we tend to go to the quiet pool and rent a cabana for at least two days. The close proximity to Magic Kingdom and the very easy transportation by boat or monorail is very important to my family since it is our favorite resort. On our last trip, we didn't ride one bus. (We didn't bother with AK or HS) Getting to Epcot via the monorail is simple.

We might do a split trip someday in the future and spend one night at BC just for a day at Stormalong Bay. Otherwise, the Polynesian wins every time for us.

 

[glocon]

We’ve stayed at BC and would do it again in a heartbeat. It’s beautiful with a great pool area and close to two parks. Would totally do Poly if it was ever in my budget.

 

[disny_luvr]

That’s a really hard question as they are both wonderful resorts and our two favorite deluxe resorts (YC, too).

Nothing beats the proximity to two parks when staying in the Epcot resort area and SAB is awesome. That said, my one hiccup with YC/BC is the lack of quick service options. We are always stumped as to where we should eat quickly when we stay there. The Marketplace does not have a lot of options unfortunately. Yes, you can always walk to the Boardwalk or even head into Epcot, but sometimes that just isn’t feasible with our plans.

We adore the Poly. There is something magical about walking into the lobby and seeing the castle across the lagoon. I love hearing the train whistle when walking around the resort. For two adults, I think the resort is romantic with the tiki torches and Hawaiian music piped in. I love the pool (it is on the small side), but the quiet pool is just as nice. I also like the food options at the Poly - there is a nice quick service option, plus Trader Sam’s is there, too. You can also hop on the monorail and be at two other resorts with great food options in a matter of minutes. Many mentioned the lobby full and chaotic, but we never feel it’s that way. I think the lobby at the BC can also be full and chaotic because of Cape May Cafe and lots of families are there, too. I think you need to figure out which park you are going to spend the most of your time and make your decision off that. I know if you switch to the Poly, you won’t be disappointed.

 

[georgiedisney]

That’s a really hard question as they are both wonderful resorts and our two favorite deluxe resorts (YC, too).

Nothing beats the proximity to two parks when staying in the Epcot resort area and SAB is awesome. That said, my one hiccup with YC/BC is the lack of quick service options. We are always stumped as to where we should eat quickly when we stay there. The Marketplace does not have a lot of options unfortunately. Yes, you can always walk to the Boardwalk or even head into Epcot, but sometimes that just isn’t feasible with our plans.

We adore the Poly. There is something magical about walking into the lobby and seeing the castle across the lagoon. I love hearing the train whistle when walking around the resort. For two adults, I think the resort is romantic with the tiki torches and Hawaiian music piped in. I love the pool (it is on the small side), but the quiet pool is just as nice. I also like the food options at the Poly - there is a nice quick service option, plus Trader Sam’s is there, too. You can also hop on the monorail and be at two other resorts with great food options in a matter of minutes. Many mentioned the lobby full and chaotic, but we never feel it’s that way. I think the lobby at the BC can also be full and chaotic because of Cape May Cafe and lots of families are there, too. I think you need to figure out which park you are going to spend the most of your time and make your decision off that. I know if you switch to the Poly, you won’t be disappointed.

Ahh this is such a lovely reply, thank you so much. Our favourite parks are MK/AK first so It would be really handy. But its a huge jump in price so trying to work out if its worth it. The atmosphere sounds brilliant at poly

 

[Tammy A]

I love both of these resorts, however we have had issues from time to time at Poly as the rooms are aging. The Beach Club rooms were recently refurbished and they are nice. I would stick with Beach Club and save the money for a couple really nice dinners or some nice souvenirs for those loved ones you are leaving behind and of course for yourselves.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

Another vote for BC. BC has been our favorite resort (although YC may have replaced it after our last stay). We have only stayed at the Poly once. We did it as a split stay starting at Poly then moving to YC. We really enjoyed the Poly. The grounds are beautiful and we loved watching the fireworks from the beach. We also liked being able to get the twilight feast from Ohana as room service. All that said, we still prefer the BC/YC resorts. Pros for us are being able to walk to 2 parks. The rooms are more recently updated. We love SAB and enjoy the quiet pools also. For QS options we feel that we can access BC, YC, Boardway and Swan/Dophin easily if we want more options not to mention all the choices in Epcot. We haven't had any long delays with the bus to any of the other parks.

You can't go wrong with either resort. They are both wonderful places to enjoy Disney.

 

[lmhall2000]

If you’re a fan of MK- stay at Poly- getting there in 5 minutes is awesome! If you spend more time at HS- or Epcot- stay at BC

 

[jbehr12]

Hi! First post from me... me and my partner (20's) are booked to stay in beach club this September. We have only ever stayed at riverside which we love so can't decide if beach club is best for us. We have called Disney and for extra £ we could stay at the poly. Would you save the cash and go to beach club? Or upgrade to poly? Also if you've stayed at beach club could you let me know if you loved it for some reassurance! haha.

I think the deciding factor here should be which park you plan to spend the most time is. If it’s Epcot if HS, definitely BC. If it’s MK you def want to Poly. I’m bias though because the Poly is my favorite resort.

 

[Karebear]

I am a BC/YC person. We have stayed at the Poly and were not fans. The monorail was nice but we had bad luck with the bus to HS and AK both of the times we stayed there. I also feel that the pool is too small for the size of the resort. I have stayed at the YC/BC on multiple occasions and have never had an issue with the bus to MK or AK. We usually stay 9 or 10 nights and have enough room for luggage and all...we are a family of 4. Happy planning!

 

[georgiedisney]

I am a BC/YC person. We have stayed at the Poly and were not fans. The monorail was nice but we had bad luck with the bus to HS and AK both of the times we stayed there. I also feel that the pool is too small for the size of the resort. I have stayed at the YC/BC on multiple occasions and have never had an issue with the bus to MK or AK. We usually stay 9 or 10 nights and have enough room for luggage and all...we are a family of 4. Happy planning!

Ahh this is good to know as we're staying for 10 nights too. Thank you for the reply!!

 

[goofyintoronto]

I'd stay with Beach Club. You can walk to both Epcot & HS from there. Plus its nice to be close to the boardwalk (jelly rolls!) amongst other things. For me the draw would be epcot. So much to see, eat, and drink in the countries!

 

[MainMom]

I have stayed at Boardwalk and Yacht Club and have visited Beach Club. I have also stayed at the Polynesian. We prefer the Epcot resorts and Boardwalk area. Since we visit all parks pretty much equally location to park among these resorts is equal for us. We just love the whole Boardwalk vibe the most.

 

[raddisneyfan]

I've stayed at both a couple of times. Between these two, I would go by price. Although I enjoy the theming at Poly a lot more, if BC is cheaper, I'd stick with that.

 

[FSU Girl]

What I really don’t like about Poly are the outdoor buildings to get to your room from the main building. If there’s any rain or thunderstorms you won’t have much choice, but to get wet. Beach Club is all under one roof and there’s dining in the building so if you wanted to go eat and it’s pouring you wouldn’t have to worry. It’s also really nice being able to walk to two parks to save time on transportation.

I’m not a huge fan of buses, but unless you’re spending most of your time at Magic Kingdom it won’t be too bad. Animal kingdom will require a bus from either resort.

I would stay with Beach Club and save the money to do something fun while there. With a 10 night stay though you could easily split your time between the two we do those a lot and plan our parks around which hotels we are at. It would like you experience the monorail and the Epcot resorts so it’s something to think about. The resort will transfer your luggage for you so you wouldn’t be missing out of a day of fun to move.

 

[elsbit]

I am a huge fan of split stays and have one planned in December. IMO, for what it is worth, a 10 day stay is a great for splitting. I also recommend renting points from one of the reputable points sites. I have stayed at BC and Poly renting points... waaaay cheaper. The pool is better at BC, but I loved the rooms and resort much better at Poly. That said, if you are a huge Epcot fan, it is pretty darn nice to just pop over there for a snack (if you have park hoppers and take mid day breaks at your hotel).