Dis-ers input on deluxes

[spritna]

trying to decide on a deluxe so asking for some help. Time of travel would be around christmas, all standard room, 0 kids. Resorts are boardwalk, poly, and akl. i would like to hear pros and cons please. Thanks

 

[Babsy]

Boardwalk!!

With all adults, the Boardwalk is in the best location in all WDW! It is such a good area with lots of evening entertainment and dining choices at all 5 Epcot resort as well as World Showcase! Also you can walk or boat to both Epcot or DHS. Buses to the MK and AKL are easy. They are sometimes shared with the Swan and Dolphin, but the BW is the first pick up and drop off so it isn't a problem.

The BWI is beautiful, with gorgeous comfy rooms. Standard rooms are sometimes a good deal here. I have had standard rooms here from which you can watch the high Illuminations fireworks from the balcony.

The Boardwalk Christmas decorations are beautiful! It is a perfect place for an adults only Christmas WDW vacation!

 

[UnderTheRialto]

BW

 

[Happyjen27]

My con for the Poly is the outdoor walking required to get to the quick serve or front desk. Felt like a roadside motel, not a deluxe resort.

I have never done BW, but, I suspect being adults close to EPCOT can only be a good thing!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

One of the most important things to consider when visiting WDW over Christmas is location. It's a busy time so you'll want to minimize travel. I would choose a resort that is close to the park or parks you plan to spend most of your time. The Poly would be a great choice if you plan to spend a lot of time at MK, while the BWI is in the perfect location to be steps from Epcot. Personally I prefer the holiday decor at the BWI, plus I think it's an ideal location for adults traveling without kids. The Epcot resort area offers adults great nightlife up and down the Boardwalk, restaurants, bars, entertainment, plus Epcot has excellent adult dining locations. I love that area!

 

[TJA]

We've stayed at all 3 resorts you listed, but with 2 kids. If it were just me and DH, I'd choose Boardwalk without hesitation. Not only would you enjoy the boardwalk itself, strolling around the water, entertainment.....but you are just a short walk away from the World Showcase in Epcot where you can enjoy great meals in the countries, snacks, and drinks every night. We actually did a trip like this when our twins were babies. They'd fall asleep in our double stroller, we'd recline the seats and make them comfortable while we enjoyed a nightly walk around the boardwalk and Epcot countries. VERY fun and great bonding time.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I've only stayed at The Poly and BWV. If cost were not an issue, I would pick The Poly every single time. The reality is that renting points through David's for a studio at BWV is much less expensive than booking a room at The Poly through Disney.

Boardwalk Bakery is just awful! Captain Cooks is decent quick service food.

Bus service to MK from BW is awful! We had much better luck with buses at The Poly not to mention easy access to both monorail lines.

We like the dining options on the monorail better than those at the Epcot area resorts.

The ambience at The Poly can't be beat! The CMs were friendlier there as well.

Now don't get me wrong, BW is perfectly nice, but it is not The Poly!

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

I've stayed at both the Polynesian and BWI, and I loved both with BWI beating Poly by a few marks. Neither trip was with children. Just my wife and me.
Poly is great for quick park hopper trips over to the MK to ride BTMRR or whatever is your favorite MK ride. I also really enjoyed seeing Wishes multiple times from all over the area, both in park and at the hotel. For the most part the transportation at Poly is good, but I felt the busses to DHS and AK stopped at too many other deluxe hotels. Also, sometimes the TTC monorail cast members would put people on the resort monorail who had parked at the TTC. This would cause the resort monorail to be crammed with non-resort folks, and that was a little frustrating. We paid a lot of money for the convenience of convenient monorail service to the MK. (and I'm not talking about standing only. I'm talking about Monorail is too full, so we had to wait on the next one situation) The food at the Poly is excellent, and so are the options at the neighboring GF and CR.
BWI is great for a quick park hopper into Epcot, especially WS. It was nice being able to walk to the room from 2 parks without having to wait in line for transportation at the beginning/end of the day. Since you are going at Christmas time, the weather should be cool enough to allow easy walking to DHS (I don't think I'd want to make that walk in the summer months.) The boat transportation from DHS and Epcot to the resorts (Swalphin, BWI, BC, YC) is SLOW. It's a nice relaxing ride, but nothing great if in a hurry. Tip: If you do take the boat from DHS, you can get off at Swalphin which is only a 5 minute walk to BWI but another 15-20 minutes on the boat to BWI. I like the atmosphere of BWI. It's quaint. Disney's smallest hotel. I loved the 1940s boardwalk music that they streamed in the common areas. We liked the food options in this area, too. You have all of the Disney resort options at YC, BC (beaches/cream and cape may cafe!), and BWI, the Swan/Dolphin options, and the Epcot WS options (Via Napoli). Buses do stop at other area hotels, but we only bused to AKL. While it takes much longer, we preferred walking through Epcot FW (Stopping at Club Cool for some Inca Kola) and maybe catching another ride on spaceship earth or figment, and then monorailing to MK.
I haven't stayed at AKL, but I am considering it for our next trip. I love the grandeur from the pictures I've seen. However, I'm worried about busing everywhere. We stayed at CSR before, and we didn't enjoy the bus situation. INterested to see other's comments on AKL as well as Poly/BWI.

 

[LisaCM614]

For two adults I really thing BWI is the way to go at Christmas. You'll have easy access to Epcot and DHS. The standard rooms you can have a view of the Eifel Tower. So cool. Such a pretty resort. I like the Boardwalk Bakery and haven't had the experience @JAMIESMITH had with the MK bus. Think about where you will spend most of your time - @TigrLvsPooh gives you great advice.

 

[huntconn]

I would go with BWI if you enjoy Epcot more and the Poly if you enjoy the MK more. I prefer the monorail resorts over the boardwalk area resorts but that's just personal preference. World Showcase is great for 2 adults but I personally get a little bored with it after several nights. AK is the only one I would drop from the list. I dislike the location, too far from everything. Plus, I enjoy looking at animals for approximately 5-10 minutes at most! Lol

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I have only stayed at the Poly, out of those three, which is a truly gorgeous resort. However, a con would be construction not wrapping up until early 2016.

I have never stayed at the other two, but a major con for the Boardwalk for me would be that creepy clown pool. It freaks me out.

 

[dansdad]

I have never stayed at the other two, but a major con for the Boardwalk for me would be that creepy clown pool. It freaks me out.

That creepy clown pool has the best slide on property though, IMHO.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

For a Christmas stay the pool would be the least of my concern. I would base the decision more on my park touring plans and dining reservations. Staying at the Poly is wonderful, don't get me wrong, I was just pointing out the Epcot area has a lot to offer adults traveling without children. Of course the Poly now has Trader Sam's so that has added a hugely popular nightlife option on the monorail.

 

[spritna]

This is why I like the boards..every body has there own ideas and reasons. Makes me think of other things concerning the resorts. Thanks!

 

[hedberg1661]

My vote would be for BWI assuming you like to take a stroll and wine/dine your way around Epcot and the Resorts. Since it is an adult only trip this would be my suggestion.

 

[Judyfun]

I have stayed at all 3, and BW wins hands down! I love the location and the general feel of the resort. When my girls were little we only stayed at Poly, but I stayed there last year and the 'feel' has changed. I am checking out WL in just a few short weeks, but went to BW in March and going back to BW for Food and Wine.

 

[spritna]

If we stay at bw can we walk to epcot and get in before ws opens at 11? Like at ropedrop?

 

[busymommy2pink]

You sure can!! It's why our family loves beach club nothing like an early morning stroll through an empty world showcase great time to take pics also!

 

[spritna]

So i think we will go with bw, is there a certain section or area we should ask for as a request? Link to a map? Again its standard view. Thanks again to everyone for there input.

 

[kiford]

BWI is my favourite resort for location purposes (BC comes a close second). Having said that, we're considered AKL again early in December. It's not quite as convenient location-wise but it is lovely and staying in a Savannah or Arusha room is really nice.