Beach club or Poly?

[Cappy81]

I have only stayed at Poly but LOVED it! It was great to sit on the beach and watch the MK fireworks, beautiful landscaping, great location and food!

 

[Carrie772]

I love all the responses! I am weighing between those two for our trip next year! Keep em coming!

 

[scottmel]

I love BC/YC - have stayed club there the last 3 summers and again this summer. This year I got a pin and applied fo the poly for 3 nights and bc cl for 3 nights. The more I read about the Poly the less enchanted I became. For me, an updated resort is important. I love newer carpet, mattresses, airy, etc. And from what I have read it is a real dice roll on the poly. I have read reports of people just getting back and saying peeling wallpaper, worn decor, frayed bedspreads, etc. Just doesn't sound like where I want to spend 1050 for 3 nights . Believe me I am no stranger to spending money and have no problem with the BC Club Level price tag. But in the end, storm along bay wins for us. That and the bright airy decor. We love being close to Epcot, boardwalk and the epcot resort area. So in the end, I ditched poly on a 35% off pin....I have read/heard the pool is small and gets extra guests in it...again we are pool users in June and don't want the hassle of a crowded pool. I have gone to SAB the last 3 Junes and can honestly say I always get a chair, and never think OMG this is crowded. Never.

 

[Chelley00]

If it's busy, the Poly Volcano pool will be super crowded because it's so small for the size of the resort.

Since it's July, I have a feeling not only will the pool be crowded, but the beach will be a zoo every day/night too. We were there in October and there were nights that there were so many people exploring the resort, watching the fireworks etc that we couldn't find a spot to sit! At least at the Beach Club, they limit the pool to people who are staying onsite. The Poly never checks and we had conversations with people in the pool who weren't staying there.

I didn't have my teens with me, but I think they would have been bored at the Poly. I think the BC would be better for teens.

 

[padawans]

I have stayed at both multiple times. I'll give you my opinion.

Better rooms- Poly

Better bathroom-Poly. I have never been in a hotel that had smaller bathrooms than the BC or BW. Very poor layout. Make sure you close the door before you take a seat.

Better theme-Poly IMO

Better transportation-Poly. Epcot resort busses were horrible.

location- toss up. It really depends on what park you want to be closer to.

Better pool. Toss up. The BC is bigger, but I think its overated. It's has a super confusing layout. It's a real pain in the butt trying to keep track of your kids. Pool bar is in a ridiculous area. and inconvenient to get to. Slide across public walkway. Who's idea was that? Bathrooms same thing. The one great thing the BC pool has is the sandy bar area. Kids love that. Poly pool is small, but the layout is better, and the view can't be beat. Waayyy more relaxing with young kids.

Resort layout-Poly by a mile. I hate the long confusing hallways. It's like being a rat caught in a maze. I would much rather be walking outside.

Better cs-Poly-Bc doesn't have one.

Restaurants- Toss up. More selection at BC. The best restaurants on the monorail.

Better laundry room-Poly. Why is the Bc laundry room so far from the main Pool?

Price-BC of course. I'm expecting the Poly pool to be empty this spring due to the crappy discounts. Still lots of availabilty In April and May.

Health club- This is the area that BC wins. I love the healthclub right next to the pool. Poly..well it's a workout just getting there.

As you can see we're staying at both resorts. My kids like the pool at BC. My dh likes the location. I'm pretty happy anywhere as long as I'm not at work. Overall I prefer the Poly.

 

[jujube]

I have stayed at both multiple times. I'll give you my opinion.

Better rooms- Poly

Better bathroom-Poly. I have never been in a hotel that had smaller bathrooms than the BC or BW. Very poor layout. Make sure you close the door before you take a seat.

Better theme-Poly IMO

Better transportation-Poly. Epcot resort busses were horrible.

location- toss up. It really depends on what park you want to be closer to.

Better pool. Toss up. The BC is bigger, but I think its overated. It's has a super confusing layout. It's a real pain in the butt trying to keep track of your kids. Pool bar is in a ridiculous area. and inconvenient to get to. Slide across public walkway. Who's idea was that? Bathrooms same thing. The one great thing the BC pool has is the sandy bar area. Kids love that. Poly pool is small, but the layout is better, and the view can't be beat. Waayyy more relaxing with young kids.

Resort layout-Poly by a mile. I hate the long confusing hallways. It's like being a rat caught in a maze. I would much rather be walking outside.

Better cs-Poly-Bc doesn't have one.

Restaurants- Toss up. More selection at BC. The best restaurants on the monorail.

Better laundry room-Poly. Why is the Bc laundry room so far from the main Pool?

Price-BC of course. I'm expecting the Poly pool to be empty this spring due to the crappy discounts. Still lots of availabilty In April and May.

Health club- This is the area that BC wins. I love the healthclub right next to the pool. Poly..well it's a workout just getting there.

As you can see we're staying at both resorts. My kids like the pool at BC. My dh likes the location. I'm pretty happy anywhere as long as I'm not at work. Overall I prefer the Poly.

I disagree with just about everything in your post except the laundry room location.

In particular, I disagree with the layout because I prefer having all of the rooms in 1 building. If it rains, which it does often, it's nice to have your room and the restaurants all under the same roof. It really is not that hard to figure out the hallways. I always say that if you put me in a square box with one door, I'd get lost but I've never had a problem finding my way around the BC or the the BW for that matter.

Cannot stand the counter service, Captain Cooks, at the Poly. The luau is atrocious and Ohanas is ok.

Location-BC, you cannot walk to 2 parks from the Poly. Plus there are the rental surrey bikes and free outdoor entertainment nightly on the BW.

The rooms at the Poly are so dark that they remind me of a funeral parlor. If there was better lighting in the rooms, this might not be so bad but there isn't.

The buses at the Poly are not great either. Buses are shared with the Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts. To get around this, we either rent a car or take a taxi.

The Volcano pool is waaaaayyyyy too small for the resort. People say use the quiet pool-ok but tell that to a child.

 

[Carrie772]

I disagree with just about everything in your post except the laundry room location.

In particular, I disagree with the layout because I prefer having all of the rooms in 1 building. If it rains, which it does often, it's nice to have your room and the restaurants all under the same roof. It really is not that hard to figure out the hallways. I always say that if you put me in a square box with one door, I'd get lost but I've never had a problem finding my way around the BC or the the BW for that matter.

Cannot stand the counter service, Captain Cooks, at the Poly. The luau is atrocious and Ohanas is ok.

Location-BC, you cannot walk to 2 parks from the Poly. Plus there are the rental surrey bikes and free outdoor entertainment nightly on the BW.

The rooms at the Poly are so dark that they remind me of a funeral parlor. If there was better lighting in the rooms, this might not be so bad but there isn't.

The buses at the Poly are not great either. Buses are shared with the Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts. To get around this, we either rent a car or take a taxi.

The Volcano pool is waaaaayyyyy too small for the resort. People say use the quiet pool-ok but tell that to a child.

I totally get what you are saying. Big pool, fresh and light rooms, and being close to Epcot does sound nice!

But just curious: With no CS, where do you get breakfast? At a market in the resort?

 

[padawans]

I disagree with just about everything in your post except the laundry room location.

In particular, I disagree with the layout because I prefer having all of the rooms in 1 building. If it rains, which it does often, it's nice to have your room and the restaurants all under the same roof. It really is not that hard to figure out the hallways. I always say that if you put me in a square box with one door, I'd get lost but I've never had a problem finding my way around the BC or the the BW for that matter.

Cannot stand the counter service, Captain Cooks, at the Poly. The luau is atrocious and Ohanas is ok.

Location-BC, you cannot walk to 2 parks from the Poly. Plus there are the rental surrey bikes and free outdoor entertainment nightly on the BW.

The rooms at the Poly are so dark that they remind me of a funeral parlor. If there was better lighting in the rooms, this might not be so bad but there isn't.

The buses at the Poly are not great either. Buses are shared with the Grand Floridian and Contemporary Resorts. To get around this, we either rent a car or take a taxi.

The Volcano pool is waaaaayyyyy too small for the resort. People say use the quiet pool-ok but tell that to a child.

You can disagree all you want. Its just my opinion. That's what op asked for.

 

[TaraPA]

I do have to agree, even though I'd have to pick BC over Poly if you said "pick right now", the bathrooms at Poly are HUGE. I mean HUGE compared to BC. We could have had a party in that bathroom in Tokelau, it was seriously that big. And it was sooooo luxurious & seemed much newer and fresher than any bathroom I'm had at BC. The bathroom at BC was so small, like the OP said, you had to go in & sit before you could close the door! What's up with that?!

 

[papertraveller]

Poly.
I was sooo looking forward to the BC, but it disappointed. The pool wasn't nearly as amazing as I expected, and the slide across a public walkway (as a PP noted) is kinda crazy.

Did love being able to walk to Epcot, and being across from the Boardwalk was very nice indeed.

But the Poly has the fireworks on the beach, the monorail, excellent bus service. Yes, the rooms are dated, but that sort of adds to the charm.

The truth is, you're going to be at Disney! Nothing wrong with that!

 

[jujube]

You can disagree all you want. Its just my opinion. That's what op asked for.

I know. There is nothing wrong with your opinion. I was just stating mine. What's so great about Disney is that there's something for everyone!

 

[jujube]

I totally get what you are saying. Big pool, fresh and light rooms, and being close to Epcot does sound nice!

But just curious: With no CS, where do you get breakfast? At a market in the resort?

We either grab something at the Beach Club Marketplace or we have something quick at the parks if we don't have a breakfast reservation.

 

[Carrie772]

I have stayed at both multiple times. I'll give you my opinion.
As you can see we're staying at both resorts. My kids like the pool at BC. My dh likes the location. I'm pretty happy anywhere as long as I'm not at work. Overall I prefer the Poly.

Thanks for giving your opinion! I appreciate the pro/con info!

 

[Debbie6221]

Is there a bad lagoon view at the Poly? It seems unnecessary to pay to upgrade to get MK view but maybe I am missing something.

 

[padawans]

Thanks for giving your opinion! I appreciate the pro/con info!

Your welcome. Some people make comments, and they haven't actually stayed at both. Some of my comments were opinion, and some are facts. Such as the small bathrooms, the long walk from room to pool, and the slide being across a public walkway. Those are facts.

I enjoy both resorts, and can be happy at either. The Poly has it's negatives like no hot tub, and the gym being at GF. The pool size has never bothered me because the beach makes up for it. My kids love playing in the sand more than swimming.

I have stayed at almost every deluxe, and have never had a bad room. I can honestly say I have never been disappointed. The only thing looking rundown is my house due to all the money spent at Disney.

 

[tinacaplan]

The BEACH CLUB!!!! Absolutely no question. We stayed there this past July and loved everything about it.

That said, I caved to the pressure and thought trying a monorail resort would be so cool, especially with a four year old, a shorter than usual trip, and wanting to spend plenty of time at MK. Pictures of the resort really sold me, too. You can see the castle from the beach and the pool, watching the fireworks, and the electric water pagent. What could be more Disney?

But the truth is that the Poly is just in rough shape. The pool is tiny with no hot tub (which I knew going in, but it did bother me). Coronado Springs, a mod, has a much bigger, more interesting pool, IMO. Furniture had peeling paint, the sliding automatic door into our building kept coming off its track and the bathrooms are not very well laid out. We found a sheet of plywood under one of the beds as some sort of easy "fix."

The Beach Club is gorgeous, inside and out. Its bright and sparkling white. The pool is incredible and I think Storm Along Bay is one of the things on the Dis that actually lives up to the hype. Its huge, has a lazy river, a sand bottomed play area, several hot tubs, awesome slides.

CMs went out of their way to be gracious and outgoing. Our room was bright and beautiful, with new, fluffy white cotton linens. Much nicer than the dated, scratchy, icky bedspreads at the Poly. Might seem small, but its important to me.

And the location is amazing. EPCOT is right there and we are much more likely to just pop into EPCOT to eat, ride a few things, tour WS, than we are to do the same at MK.

 

[chimo2u]

I stayed at the Beach Club in Feb 2011: club level too...my son (15 at the time) and I just didn't feel the magic there..The club level was small, the pool was huge and too meandering...I didn't like having to get out, walk across a walkway to get to hot tubs and the slide....I found it a bit TOO big! I prefer a more intimate pool.....it didn't have that special something I was hoping to feel....we actually thought about transferring over to AKL CL, where we've stayed our previous 2 trips, and KNEW we LOVED! But because we where only in WDW for 4 nights, we decided to stick it out. I don't think I'd chose to stay there again.....I am not saying NO to Epcot resorts forever, I would love to try the BWI one day....,but this upcoming trip, I am very much looking forward to the ambience of the POLY and feeling that Disney Magic.....that special feeling that I get when I am wrapped in Disney ambience! I truly hope I fall in love with the POLY charm

 

[maryj11]

I have never been to BC but we stayed at the Poly this past Sept. Over the past years we have stayed at ASM, POR,POP,CSR, WL, and the Poly. The Poly is my favorite. It was just comfortable to me because it is not a large resort which means less walking, the rooms had alot of room, the transportation was the best I have ever had at Disney, the grounds and lobby were beautiful, we loved the restaurants there, and the pool was great with its zero entry and being right on the beach being able to watch the fireworks and electical parade at night. I do not know about BC but it seems like it is a large place with a lot of walking and seems like it would be hard to keep track of the kids at the pool ?

 

[stepdisney]

Interesting discussion. I am torn between the two resorts and am so happy that the OP started this thread. We stayed at the YC last year and loved it. My DH wants to try Poly. While it has a 70's feel, it is an authentic Hawaii longhouse feel. I believe that the Poly was modeled after the Coco Palms in Kaui where the film Blue Hawaii was filmed. We stayed there in 1991 during our honeymoon. The night ceremony with the torch lighting is very similar. That being said, I am very concerned about the pool/beach situation.

One thing I loved about YC last year was that you had to have your room key to use the facilities. Just my opinion but I would have a problem with "sharing" the facilities with non-paying guests. I would love it if the Poly pool and the "PRIMO" viewing area was reserved for paying guests. Not saying that others couldn't watch from the beach BUT there should be an area where guests from the hotel could be be sure to view from. I believe that a PP stated that the area is bombarded with other guests. Just doesn't seem fair and this has stopped us from booking the Poly. JMHO.

 

[stepdisney]

Interesting discussion. I am torn between the two resorts and am so happy that the OP started this thread. We stayed at the YC last year and loved it. My DH wants to try Poly. While it has a 70's feel, it is an authentic Hawaii longhouse feel. I believe that the Poly was modeled after the Coco Palms in Kaui where the film Blue Hawaii was filmed. We stayed there in 1991 during our honeymoon. The night ceremony with the torch lighting is very similar. That being said, I am very concerned about the pool/beach situation.

One thing I loved about YC last year was that you had to have your room key to use the facilities. Just my opinion but I would have a problem with "sharing" the facilities with non-paying guests. I would love it if the Poly pool and the "PRIMO" viewing area was reserved for paying guests. Not saying that others couldn't watch from the beach BUT there should be an area where guests from the hotel could be be sure to view from. I believe that a PP stated that the area is bombarded with other guests. Just doesn't seem fair and this has stopped us from booking the Poly. JMHO.