CR or Poly? CL or regular room?

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

Its just my sister and I.
We splurged last summer staying at a deluxe for the first time and stayed CL at CR with a TPV. (Yes I know we really just went for it lol.)

We had no intentions of doing something like that again.
However since we were supposed to go on 2 value resort trips this year and that is not happening we are thinking about making one of our two stays next year deluxe again.
Now that we went and spoiled ourselves we really want that experience again.

We are kinda torn between CR again or trying Poly mostly because we like the main building at Poly.
So first opinion I need is would you go back to CR or try Poly if it were you choosing?

We utilized CL at CR quite well and we really got the most out of breakfast and drinks/desserts brought a few things back to our room to watch the fireworks. We were also able to piece together dinner twice and one time we grabbed lunch at Contempo Cafe and sat up there to eat it with the CL soda.
At the same time we opted to skip most TS meals that we usually enjoy because we had paid a lot for the CL experience.
So my second question is CL and skip the TS again or stay in a regular room and do TS meals?

One thing I will add that is making the decision harder is that CR is nice because its all right there so staying CL or a regular room we could get breakfast and then go back to our room before heading out for the day where as at Poly whether its CL or a regular room we'd likely want to be fully ready for the day before heading to the main building. But at the same time I want to try Poly.

What would you say is better?

 

[Eastern]

I have stayed at both, I liked both. You are aware of some of the differences already.

Summary: CR has a lot of conveniences within one building and is walkable to MK. A bit stark in terms of theming, and has a busy vibe (in normal times). I do hate the sinks.

Poly is more spread out but theming is very nice, quiet and relaxing. Main building has shops, restaurants, and monorail.

If I had to choose, I would say pick Poly because you haven't stayed there.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Zero reason to pay extra for CL right now. No “free” food and no extra fast passes.

 

[Eastern]

As for question 2, CL is currently not bookable.

 

[Disneylover99]

So my second question is CL and skip the TS again or stay in a regular room and do TS meals?

If I did CL (assuming it’s available by the time you want to go) I’d skip TS. If I stayed in a regular room at The Poly I’d mostly do counter service, but maybe add a breakfast/dinner at Ohana/Kona. When I pay Poly prices, I want to relax and enjoy The Poly as much as possible without being pulled away to other TS restaurants on property.

One thing I will add that is making the decision harder is that CR is nice because its all right there so staying CL or a regular room we could get breakfast and then go back to our room before heading out for the day where as at Poly whether its CL or a regular room we'd likely want to be fully ready for the day before heading to the main building. But at the same time I want to try Poly.

Even the furthest Longhouse at the Poly is only about a 2 minute walk to the GCH. You may not find this to be an issue at all. You might even find it quicker and easier to get to the main building at the Poly, than it is to go from your room in the Contemporary to dining.

Personally, I’d choose a standard room at The Poly and eat at The Tambu Lounge, Captain Cooks and The Oasis Pool.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are kinda torn between CR again or trying Poly mostly because we like the main building at Poly.
So first opinion I need is would you go back to CR or try Poly if it were you choosing?

I've stayed at both and like the pp, I enjoyed both. The Poly is my favorite overall, but I did enjoy staying at the CR. Since you've already stayed at the CR, I'd try the Poly. You really can't go wrong as both are great resorts/CLs, but I do agree with the pp that the Poly atmosphere is very nice, calm & relaxing .

So my second question is CL and skip the TS again or stay in a regular room and do TS meals?

If it's one or the other, I'd do CL .

 

[Marthasor]

Assuming it's available by the time of your trip, I would try Poly CL. The Hawaii longhouse (where the CL rooms are) is lovely and well situated right by two pools, the beach and a short walk to the main building. The CL lounge is in the same longhouse, so it would be very easy to eat breakfast, go back to your room to get ready and then walk to the main building to get the bus or monorail to the parks. If things are back to "normal" by then (fireworks, electric water pageant), just be aware the TPV and lagoon view rooms in Hawaii can be fairly loud.

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

Zero reason to pay extra for CL right now. No “free” food and no extra fast passes.

CL isn't currently an option so I'm thinking in terms of it will be an option in a year.

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

As for question 2, CL is currently not bookable.

I realize that. I'm going by the assumption that it will be in a year from now.

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

Assuming it's available by the time of your trip, I would try Poly CL. The Hawaii longhouse (where the CL rooms are) is lovely and well situated right by two pools, the beach and a short walk to the main building. The CL lounge is in the same longhouse, so it would be very easy to eat breakfast, go back to your room to get ready and then walk to the main building to get the bus or monorail to the parks. If things are back to "normal" by then (fireworks, electric water pageant), just be aware the TPV and lagoon view rooms in Hawaii can be fairly loud.

Awesome! I did not realize that the CL lounge was in the CL longhouse and not the main building.
This may make our decision easier.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would try something different. We’ve done a regular Poly room and the location can’t be beat.

Also if I were to do CL I would cut back on most TS meals.

Have you looked at the Epcot deluxes? We did a split with Poly and BC and preferred the BC and Epcot area much more, especially for an adults only trip.

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

I would try something different. We’ve done a regular Poly room and the location can’t be beat.

Also if I were to do CL I would cut back on most TS meals.

Have you looked at the Epcot deluxes? We did a split with Poly and BC and preferred the BC and Epcot area much more, especially for an adults only trip.

We have looked into the Epcot resorts but we aren't terribly thrilled with the theme.
We tend to just eat in the park we are at and don't go to Epcot specifically for meals like some do.
We also spend more time at MK than any other park.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We have looked into the Epcot resorts but we aren't terribly thrilled with the theme.
We tend to just eat in the park we are at and don't go to Epcot specifically for meals like some do.
We also spend more time at MK than any other park.

You’ll have a great time at Poly. It’s a great resort !!

 

[glocon]

Another vote for Poly. I’ve never stayed there, but feel like it would be fun to try another resort. We did looovvve CR when we stayed there (garden wing, no CL) and thought it was a beautiful magical totally Disney experience with the Mary Blair artwork, the monorail going right thru it, loved The Wave and the qs there. But another vote anyway to try another resort. And if you try a new resort and like the CL, try that too!

 

[Marthasor]

Awesome! I did not realize that the CL lounge was in the CL longhouse and not the main building.
This may make our decision easier.

Yes, it's a beautiful lounge with an amazing view!

 

[CynBeth]

Assuming it's available by the time of your trip, I would try Poly CL. The Hawaii longhouse (where the CL rooms are) is lovely and well situated right by two pools, the beach and a short walk to the main building. The CL lounge is in the same longhouse, so it would be very easy to eat breakfast, go back to your room to get ready and then walk to the main building to get the bus or monorail to the parks. If things are back to "normal" by then (fireworks, electric water pageant), just be aware the TPV and lagoon view rooms in Hawaii can be fairly loud.

I agree except we did not experience any loudness the one time we stayed there.

 

[Blondie58]

What is TPV?

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

What is TPV?

Theme Park View

 

[Babsy]

We loved CL at b both the CR and the POLY. A few cons to the Poly CL experience:

Be aware that some rooms at the Poly do not have balconies, even in CL. The lounge is lovely, but we didn't enjoy the food offerings as much as those at the CR (personal preference, however, which may differ for your party). The longhouse also requires walking outside in order to go to the main building for monorail (or other services) access.

Just wanted you to be aware. None of these are deal breakers for us and we very much enjoyed the Poly CL experience in Hawaii long house. The atmosphere in the Poly is second to none! The location is great and TPV is awesome!

 

[Pixie Dusted Dee]

We loved CL at b both the CR and the POLY. A few cons to the Poly CL experience:

Be aware that some rooms at the Poly do not have balconies, even in CL. The lounge is lovely, but we didn't enjoy the food offerings as much as those at the CR (personal preference, however, which may differ for your party). The longhouse also requires walking outside in order to go to the main building for monorail (or other services) access.

Just wanted you to be aware. None of these are deal breakers for us and we very much enjoyed the Poly CL experience in Hawaii long house. The atmosphere in the Poly is second to none! The location is great and TPV is awesome!

Can you recall what any of the offerings were for breakfast or the 5-7pm time?
At CR we really enjoyed breakfast. I had oatmeal and a boat load of the hard boiled egg with cream cheese (or whatever that was on it lol all i know is it was amazing). My sister often had a bagel sandwich and pastries.
For dinner there were a couple days it was mostly seafood based which my sister does enjoy but I will not eat seafood so we skipped it.
The days there were chicken/steak and soup we easily pieced together a meal.
I just wish there were both options daily instead of being heavy on one or the other.