Boardwalk Inn vs. Polynesian with kids

[mrsincredible3]

I would love some input from the experts here! We are doing a split stay this spring, the second part of the stay will be at AKL - my kids just love it there! For the first part of the stay we are debating between Boardwalk Inn and Polynesian. This will be me, DH, DS9 and DS4. We have stayed at Yacht club and loved the location and are torn between that same location or trying a monorail resort. My concerns with the Polynesian are that I've heard it can be loud in the rooms from noise from the ferries/boats, and that the AC only works with movement in the room, and that the pool will be extremely crowded. Obviously if we stay at the Poly we can monorail to MK and Epcot, but if we stay at BWI we can walk/boat to Epcot/HS. We will do AK when we stay at AKL. With two young boys which is a better fit? We plan on 1.5-2 MK days, 1-2 Epcot days, 1 HS days and two partial AK days. Does one resort have more to offer our boys? My gut is that the Poly with the volcano pool would be more exciting to them and we will still have a single stroller (and no park hoppers), but DH and I just loved being able to walk to Epcot last trip. We will either need to bus to MK from BWI or bus to HS from the Poly, so does one hotel have better/worse bus service (we won't have a car). Any advice appreciated, thanks!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The Poly rooms aren't that loud, if that's a concern. You will hear the ferries, most likely, but it's not especially loud. The loudest the rooms get is if you get That Neighbor whose kids scream at 7AM about the elevator.

Pool was not at all crowded when we were there. Dates can vary, obviously, but the two pools do distribute some of the load and the gates have helped.

I'd probably go with Poly with a stroller.

 

[buzznina]

We stayed at GF back in November and actually left our door open a crack, so we could hear the boats and the MK train etc. It was one of the highlights of our stay. We totally enjoyed it If staying at POLY and going to and from EPCOT, I would highly suggest walking to the TTC and catching the monorail there.

 

[ontheuptick]

The Poly is our favorite resort. Theming, food, etc. Awesome.

BUT, the Boardwalk is the best location on all of Disney Property IMO. Walk to 2 parks, and direct (non-shared) bus transportation to MK. No better resort for transportation than Boardwalk, and for that reason my family of 6 with DS9, DD6, DD3, and DS1 will be at the Boardwalk Villas in April. My kids LOVE the pool and pool slide.

 

[100acreHiker]

I've never stayed at the Poly, but have at the GF several times. We decided to stay at an EP resort this spring and we will never go back. LOVED walking into EP through the International Gateway and avoiding the front gate of EP. But we are EP and HS people. We only went to MK for one day on our trip last spring. Also, while I haven't stayed at the Poly, we visited often when we were guests at GF and I just didn't care for it. I am not a tropical kind of gal, for one, but also the resort was always, always busy, with so many people there for Ohana and the Ceremonial Dinner and, now, Trader Sams. Not my thing. But if you think you'll be going into MK frequently, it certainly will be convenient, and it is a beautiful resort. I think you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We have been going to WDW multiple times a year since my DS turned 1. He is now 9 and we have stayed in eac of the deluxe resorts several times. The resort that we now consistently go back to is BWI. As you point out, the location can't be beat. Walking to DHS and EP is a huge plus. In addition, you have tons of restaurant and recreation options within walking distance. My DS actually prefers the BWI slide over the volcano slide and, as a mom, I love the fact that I can stay on the pool deck (and even walk over to the bar and get drinks and snacks) and still have my eye on him the entire time as he walks up and waits for the slide.

Poly is lovely, but the last time we stayed there (August 2015), there were so many monorail issues, it just wasn't worth the upcharge to stay at the resort. We were in Fiji and we could hear the luau until 10 pm each night they performed. I also thought the food choices were extremely limited and Capt. Cook's was always a crowded nightmare. We probably will not stay there again. I just really like the convenience of being able to walk out of our resort room and simply walk to two parks and tons of restaurants without having to rely on unreliable transportation.

DS also LOVES the evening entertainment and games on the Boardwalk.

 

[CynBeth]

We did a Poly/AKL split stay last year. We really loved Poly! We don't have kids but think they would really like it especially the Electrical Water Pageant and depending on where your room is might be able to see the MK fireworks or go to the beach if they still allow that. You can take a boat or monorail to MK and you can walk to the TTC for the Epcot monorail. The bus to DHS was fine. The resort was easy to walk around and we were not bothered by noise at all.