CSR or Poly?

[nosaj72]

I need quick advice. I am going to Orlando in a few weeks for a convention, and I'm bringing my DW and DD7 and DD5 along so they can hang out at the parks. I will be with them for 2 days and 4 days I will be at the convention during the day (but hope to join them at night.) We've recently changed our minds and decided to switch to an on site hotel for all the conveniences. Problem is we can't make up our minds.

We've narrowed it down to CSR and the Polynesian. The price difference between the two is about $1500 for the whole stay. The things we are concerned about are:

1. Ease of getting to the parks. We stayed a few years back at AKL and had to deal with buses the whole time, and it got kind of old (plus it took forever to get to our room from the bus stop). I've heard CSR is pretty good as far as the buses go, but nothing would beat the monorail/boat to MK from the Poly. Especially when its just my wife and the girls.

2. Room: bigger is always nicer, but one plus for the Poly is the queen verses double beds - especially with 4 of us. Plus I'll be getting up and leaving on my convention days before they get up, and the Poly bathroom layout looks like it might be more conducive to getting ready without disturbing them.

3. Food. We are really not table service people. When we were at AKL we only ate at the hotel table restaurants for breakfast (which was an excellent buffet). CSR is supposed to have a good "Food Court". I've heard good things about the Kona Cafe, but not much about the counter food there.

4. Since I'm going to have to drive to the convention center now, I'm wondering if the distance/traffic to the interstate is any different for either one.

Is there any other things I need to consider I'm not thinking about? The biggest question is if the benefits of the Poly are worth the extra $$$. We leave in a week and a half so I need to book this ASAP.


Thanks,

Jason.

 

[Lilolvr]

If money is no object, then the Poly is the way to go. Monorail access, great views, awesome theme. I love CSR and its my favorite moderate but I would jump at the chance to stay at the Poly. But if you are looking for a lower cost alternative, CSR is a great resort in its own right too. You can lose wither way. Enjoy your trip!!

 

[hammie59]

I agree with lilolvr. If you can afford the poly then go for it. I stayed at CSR and loved it, but would really love to try the Poly someday. I love the idea of just hopping on the monorail. The rooms at csr were a good size and have a privacy curtain between the room and the bathroom area. There were 4 of us as well, plus we had 2 strollers and a crib in there. The pepper market (that's the counter service) was very nice. The only drawback is that it's hard to coordinate everyone's food since most of it is made fresh at different stations, so your wife might have a hard time by herself with the kids. The buses were ok. Not as crowded as some since they don't share with other resorts. The pool and play area are very nice. And the pool has a really fun waterslide. You can't go wrong with either choice since CSR is more inbetween a mod and a deluxe. Your family is really lucky you have a convention at WDW! Have a great trip.

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at both--Poly twice and we will be at the CSR for the 7th time in September. My DH offered for us to stay at the Poly this year for our 25th wedding anniversary as a treat, but I said I would prefer to stay at the CSR. That being said, since you have little ones and, if money is no object, I would stay at the Poly for the convenience for your wife and kids. It is a lovely hotel and we really enjoy it. I do not like the food court at the Poly and love the food court at the CSR. I prefer the pools at the CSR over the Poly.

But I am sure whatever you decide you will all have a great time.

 

[Coconuts]

Have stayed at both and agree that if you can afford it go with the Poly. You just can't beat the convenience of the monorail or closeness of TTC. CSR does have better CS food options. Both pools are awesome. I would forego the food dilemma and go with the Poly.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If you can afford the cost then you should go with the Polynesian, because you will have the Monorail, boat and walkway to the TTC to catch the Epcot Monorail. As for the Polynesian's counter service location, my family and I enjoyed Captin Cook's and found nothing wrong with it.

 

[Buzz2001]

I love CSR but the Poly is the one place I want to stay. Don't pass it up if you get the chance to stay there.

 

[frdeb1999]

I agree...go with the Poly! It's a wonderful resort!

 

[chocovrdmicears]

We love the Poly but stayed at CSR for the first time this past Sept.
Next Sept we are returning to the Poly..CSR was not a bad choice...just didn't work for our family.(kids were 4 & 5)
Transportation:Bus system was very efficient at CSR...but it doesn't compare to the monorail acess for us.
Food: We prefer the food choices at the Poly..I know some love the Pepper Market..but it was either too busy for us to get in/out of quick enough or when we did manage to get in, with two small children we never could eat together because we were in different lines for each person. We love Kona and we really enjoyed Captain Cooks and Ohana is fun. And we LOVE Kona coffee
Rooms: MUCH more room at the Poly...The beds, the bathroom, the closets, the room layout...the TV prefered them all there.
Pool: CSR has a lovely big pool and playground that my children both enjoyed..however they LOVE the sandy beach @ the Poly and DH and I both MUCH prefered the zero entry pool for our kids .
CSR grounds were pretty but much to big for our comfort. Poly grounds are just fabulous...very tropical and pretty.
For us nothing beats watching the Electric Light Parade or the MK fireworks from the beach.
While I am glad I tried CSR...The Polynesian is our families favorite vacation resort.

 

[mrincredible2008]

We stayed at CSR last year and loved the resort. We picked the resort based on the advice of BUZZ(who has posted on this thread also). We loved our room, water views, the pool was great and close to bus stops and food court.
We are finally staying at the POLY this year and hope it compares to our experience last summer at CSR.

 

[nosaj72]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! We went ahead last night and booked the Poly. It will be a stretch, but we can make it. When we get back, I'll let you guys know if it was worth it!

Thanks again!

Jason.

 

[Buzz2001]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! We went ahead last night and booked the Poly. It will be a stretch, but we can make it. When we get back, I'll let you guys know if it was worth it!

Thanks again!

Jason.

Have a great trip! Look forward to reading your report.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Enjoy the Poly!

R/E Captain Cooks: We really enjoyed the food at CCs. We ate here alot on our last stay and found everything above average. The bbq sandwich thingy was awesome, the kid's chicken strips were some of the best I've ever had, the asian inspired salad was good, the pizza was good, the Tonga Toast is just heaven, and DD loved the fresh doghnuts and cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

I will say I was not impressed with the room service pizza...too much cheese actually made it unedible.

Oh!!!!and the pool bar has really yummy Pina Colavas

 

[scrdofbugs]

We loved both for different reasons.

We loved the buses at CSR. There was never a wait and most of the time the buses were empty. So that was a HUGE plus.
We loved the Pepper Market. We are huge counter service family and the Pepper Market has something for everyone. The mexican stand was wonderful!!!
The rooms were SMALL for us and the double beds. That is the only bad things.

We loved the space and queen beds at the Poly.
We were not impressed with the Capt Cooks..There was not a huge selection and it would get crowded so we took the food to our room.
The monorail was incredible but the bus wait was very slow compared to CSR.

With that being said, I don't know if my family will ever go to a standard room at CSR again. We thought about doing a junior suite which is slightly cheaper than the deluxe room at Contemporary MK view we have booked for Dec and you get 2 bathrooms. We decided on the Contemporary for the monorail.

BWT - Both pools and landscaping are WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! We went ahead last night and booked the Poly. It will be a stretch, but we can make it. When we get back, I'll let you guys know if it was worth it!

Thanks again!

Jason.

Congragulations and have a great time staying there.