Beach Club vs. Poly

[TheRobbs]

We are booke at the Poly July 27-Aug 3 2004. We have never stayed there and always stay at The Beach Club. The Beach is not avail. that week so it's not even an option.
Please make us feel good about staying at The Poly over The Beach.

Thanks,
The Robbs

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

I've never stayed at the Beach Club before so I cannot compare. BUT, we've stayed at the Poly and we absolutely love it! It has a very laid back tropical atmosphere. The grounds are very nice. At night there is a torch lighting ceremony which is really cool. I like their beach and hammocks and we just had an awesome time there. Plus being on the monorail is very convenient! The Kona Cafe has excellent coffee and their breakfasts are good as well as affordable. You can hop on the monorail and go to GF or CR and have breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

Looking forward to staying there after our April 05 cruise for a couple nights before heading home.

You will like the Poly!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We have stayed at both and would definetely pick the Poly over the BC. At the Poly you can get snacks at captain cooks and quick mug refills, unlike at the BC. The Poly also has a character breakfast like BC, the pool at the Poly does not require you to wear the wrist band for admission, but I wish they would. You can relax on the beach, see wishes and the elp at night. Any monorial resort restraunt is just a ride away. Its fun to take the boat back from the mk at night. The childrens club is fantastic., the childrens activities are great, our ds favorite is the arcade challenge and the pool games when they have basketball etc. The water sport and bike options are right there. You will love the Poly. The only thing missing is beaches and cream and the little chess/checker table in your room. Get ready for your new word - aloha!!

 

[bhillier]

I've only stayed @ the Poly so I can't compare the two resorts. I can tell you that we loved the Poly. I had only seen the resort on line and pictures in books. The resort is so much more than that when you get there. The beauty, atmosphere. Its really like 2 vacations in one.

The pool and beach are only steps away from each other. Watching the fire works while swimming or laying on the beach in a hammock or swing. Wow! It was wonderful. One of the lifegaurds brought out a water basketball set and got in the pool with the kids to play. That guy was so cool. The kids and adults had a great time.

Cooks snack bar has a great selection of food. The prices are low compared to most everything else. Kona's food was awsome. The service was great. I think that you will love it. Now, O'hanas (we went for dinner) was fantastic. I loved the food. I don't eat much meat. Everything tasted moist, so full of flavor. We ate, laughed, sang happy b-day to a couple of tables. The kids participated in hula hoop and cocanut races. It was a blast. By the way I love the shaved ice.

Im not telling you a million things that I should I'm sure. I guess maybe when you get back you can share them with us. I think you will love the Poly. All you need to do is to sit back and relax. The resort is full of both disney magic as well as the best parts of the hawaiian islands. Your going to have a blast, Im sure.

 

[tammydel]

Hi there!

Just wanted to let you know that I am a Beach Club Gal and I love Poly!

I bought into DVC when Beach Club Villas were on sale because I love the area sooo much. Last year when the 4/7 deal was on my friend and I split a room at the Poly. I used to have that impression that the Poly looked dated and dark. Well no more!!! It is beautiful, convenient and relaxing. I'd say a few pluses over BC are snack bar, monorail and view of the lagoon/castle.

I have all my DVC points tied up in a big family trip for Thanksgiving this year (VWL), soo, hubby kids and I are off to the Poly this summer!

Don't get me wrong, I still love the Beach Club and will miss it a little (espcially Art!) but I also love being at the Poly.

I think of BC/YC, Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin as a (my)neighboorhood; monorail resorts are also like a neighborhood, very tied to the Magic Kingdom. Both are great!

By the way: my family - me, DH, DS (7) and DD (6) will be at the Poly 7/31 - 8/7. See you at the pool! By then you'll be lovin' it!

Tammy

 

[ilovebwv]

We have stayed at both many times, and both resorts are wonderful. You can't go wrong with either one! Enjoy!

 

[dylansdad]

aloha cousin

BC was nice
poly is awesome

 

[BALAMAV]

We just got back from Land/Sea package we sayed at the BC. I didn't really like it. It was just OK. I expected more out of the higher priced deluxe resort We had a great time but, last year we stayed at the Poly. We loved it. The only reason we stayed at the BC this time was to try a new place. But we will never stay anywhere else but the Poly. Go to Tikimans site it is great. You will love it don't worry. Have fun. Brenda

 

[TheRobbs]

Tammydel,

Thanks for your opinion on the Poly. I have heard nothing but great things, but it is really nice hearing it from BC fan as well.
Any suggestions for a room# to request?

Thanks and we'll see you by the pool. Hopefully as we get closer to the trip we can maybe set a time to meet a fellow DISer.

Thanks,
The Robbs

 

[mkymouse4ever]

We are beach club fans too. But also love the poly !

If your set on the beach club, did you consider the YC, or BW they are in the same neighborhood? Although I way prefer the beach club to both of them.

The Poly has huge rooms compared to the BC, but the buildings are outside, so you are walking in humidity & rain sometimes getting to the main building. Also there is no SAB. We like the poly's pools but it is definately not SAB, (unfortunately) so if this is an issue you might want to consider that.

As for resturant choices remember the mk resorts are all acessible by monorail so they are easy to get to, if you are looking for something the poly does not offer.

The poly is a magic kingdom resort and BC is an epcot resort which park do you spend most of your time at? Epcot, you can walk to TTC and acess the monorail to epcot or take the resort monorail around then acess the epcot monorail but it does take a while.

All things to consider.

Good luck, happy planning, MKY!

 

[Demosthenes]

Originally posted by dylansdad
aloha cousin

BC was nice
poly is awesome

I agree.

Well, the BC is awesome, the Poly is <almost> perfect!

Seriously, DW and I love the BC (though to be fair, we prefer the YC for the full-sized balconies), but IMHO, the BC doesn't compare to the Poly in theme, transportation, views or comfort. And again, I love the BC. The Poly has some of the biggest rooms @ @ WDW. It has the monorail (and while I recognize that a bus ride can be faster, you can't beat the magic of a monorail), it has fabulous restaurants (I'd take Kona's breakfast, lunch, and dinner over the YC galley any day, the Cap May Buffet doesn't hold a candle to Ohana's, and I even prefer Kona's deserts to Beaches and Cream; the one place I think BC has better is the Yachtsman Steakhouse), and finally the views of the Magic Kingdom are the best on property ( meaning any hotel with an MK view, the CR has the best actual views of MK) IMHO. What the BC does have is a better pool, much better access to the Boardwalk, and quicker transportation to MGM. But, comparing the resorts by their amenities doesn't tell the whole story.

When you stay at the Poly, it is like you are a special guest at WDW. The CMs great you with Aloha, even the Monorail greets you with, "Aloha, and welcome aboard." The theme is so transcendent it almost feels like you are staying in Adventureland. The tiki lit pathways at night, the drums from the luau, the smell of the flowers, the sound of the water; all of it is transporting. DON”T WORRY! You’ll love the Poly. I wouldn’t give it another thought.

 

[hookedondizney]

Poly all the way, just returned from our trip. The best vacation yet! The whole atmosphere is just wonderful. Rooms are spacious and very clean (at least ours was). The CM'S were all exceptionally nice. I have visited the BC and it was nice and all but I love the "feel" at the Poly. Don't worry I have only good things to say about the poly and I'm sure you will be pleased when you arrive. Please post when you return-I would love to hear about your thoughts of the Poly!

 

[tammydel]

Hi again,

You don't say what type of room you've booked - lagoon, garden, concierge?
There are wonderful rooms, locations, views to be had in all those catagories and I believe very few bad ones.
Tikiman's sight is the best source of info on the topic.
I will try to sway you towards a lagoon view room. (I'm a bad influence like that!) Certainly the $ is a personal choice. But from a BC fan's point of view, how often do you get to look out your window and see the castle? If you're going to be at the Poly and if you are a BC fan and don't expect to stay at the Poly often...this might be the time for that lagoon view.

Having said that - you certainly can enjoy the view from the beach, pool, ect... and I believe most Garden view rooms have lovely landscaping and some have good pool access. It all depends on your families priorities. How old are your children?

Again I'll say check out tikiman's site, I could give you some info but he has it ALL.

Let us know how it is going.
Tammy
I'm thinking Dis meet at the pool with Lapu Lapus for all (while kids are happy swimming)

 

[BCV23]

We've stayed at both too and much prefer the Polynesian. The BC is a pretty hotel with a great pool. The Polynesian is pure magic!

 

[TheRobbs]

tammydel and all,

We are booked for Garden View(Least expensive C.M. Rate). We call everyday to check and see if Concierge becomes available. That's what my wife really wants. We had Concierege once at BC, and it was great. Lagoon View is about 40.00 per night extra. Do you really think it is worth it? If so, maybe we will upgrade to that?

Yes, Lapu lapus by the pool when the kids are swimming sounds great. As we get closer we should set up a meeting place and time for all the DISers. :

 

[johare]

Haven't stayed at the Poly yet, but spent a few hours walking around there yesterday. Overall it looked like a really nice place. The Volcano pool is really nice and near the beach, but it seemed quite small for a deluxe resort...in fact, it looked smaller than the any of the feature pools I've seen at the 4 moderates. Another thing I found strange was there was only one person working check-in and one person working guest services when I was there which resulted in very slow moving lines.

Another thing is with the Poly you're nightlife options are really limited by whats available in the hotel (which could be enough if you've never stayed there before). With BC you have easy access to the Boardwalk and if you don't mind moderates, PO is a short boat ride from Downtown Disney.

 

[jimmalru80]

We are just the opposite; ALWAYS stayed at the Polynesian. Kids are now older, love the quick access to EPCOT and Studios, etc. so we decided on the Beach Club this year. DW and kids are looking forward to it; I'm a little apprehensive, but we'll see what happens. Anyway, we are on vacation at the best place on earth.

 

[BCV23]

Originally posted by johare
Another thing I found strange was there was only one person working check-in and one person working guest services when I was there which resulted in very slow moving lines.

Johare, did you watch the lines? Maybe we've just been lucky but we've stayed at the Polynesian around 30 times and have never had a long wait to checkin...no more than a matter of a couple of minutes. At busy times of the day, they have more people at the desk. Even during slower times, people pop out of the office when the line starts to grow. It is a smaller resort than the mods or values so they don't need to keep as many people up front at all times.

Another thing is with the Poly you're nightlife options are really limited by whats available in the hotel (which could be enough if you've never stayed there before). With BC you have easy access to the Boardwalk and if you don't mind moderates, PO is a short boat ride from Downtown Disney.

Actually, there is plenty of night life which for us centers around fine dining, watching Wishes and the EWP and reading! There are so many fine restaurants on the monorail circuit and we find it fun to travel that way to dinner as opposed to hoofing it in the BC/BW area. Of course for lots of others, the nightlife at BW is great. Just not our cup of tea.

 

[johare]

Originally posted by BCV23
Actually, there is plenty of night life which for us centers around fine dining, watching Wishes and the EWP and reading! There are so many fine restaurants on the monorail circuit and we find it fun to travel that way to dinner as opposed to hoofing it in the BC/BW area. Of course for lots of others, the nightlife at BW is great. Just not our cup of tea.

Just out of curiousity, is the operation times of the resort monorails tied to the closing time of the Magic Kingdom?

I'm actually not that impressed with the boardwalk area...I much prefer Downtown Disney for the variety of shopping, entertainment and dining options which is one of many reasons I like POR. Took the DVC tour of Saratoga Springs and that looked like it might be a nice option for us in the future too.

 

[BCV23]

The resort monorail runs until at least 11:00pm every night even during the slowest times of the year.

On nights that the MK closes late, I think it runs 1.5 past MK closing. Chip n Dale on the Transportation board is the resident guru.