Great! Another resort to add to the list!!!!
After reading Dancemom03's post, I need to check out BC/YC...those are two I never even considered! How do they sleep 5? Daybed?
Sorry, didn't mean to muddy the pool waters of your decision. They have two queens and a twin size daybed that you can request be made up each evening with turndown service.
BC/YC is less expensive than the Poly and IMHO, it's the best pool on property but rates are also a little more than CR. On the plus side, you are more likely to find an AP rate at BC/YC in a standard room than you are at CR or Poly lately. Location features access to the boardwalk area, plus a sidewalk or watertaxi to Epcot & MGM.
For smaller children I think there's no better pool around and they also have a bonfire on the beach many nights along with movies on the big screen on their sand beach afterwards.
If you're planning on staying in any deluxe, I'd definitely get at least one AP for the room discount - it's never guaranteed but AP rates are usually available at BC/YC closer to travel dates.
With an AP you can also buy the Disney Dining Experience card which saves us quite a tidy bit of change as opposed to the dining plan (unless we're talking about
free dining of course, then there's obviously no comparision). With two teens and two adults in addition to DD6 we save enough in one or two meals to pay for the card and the rest of the year/trip is all discount/profit.
Our family doesn't tend to eat appetizers and desserts if ordering ala carte so the dining plan meals don't always offer as much of a value for us - plus you can't buy
DDP with some discounted room rates but you can always use the DDE card.
We do eat at least one nice TS meal per day but after the 20% off with DDE (added to the fact that DH and I almost never order appetizers or desserts ala carte) we do better without paying extra for the dining plan.
When we did free dining in 2006, we ended up with over 20 snacks to use on our last day and 13 CS credits. It's was a last minute smorgasboard of conspicious food buying to use those last CS credits which ended with us treating two other families to dinner just before Earl of Sandwich closed late that night. The girls spent the remaining snack credits dipping marshmallows and pretzels in chocholate & candy goo at Goofy's Candy Shop as they were locking that store's doors before midnight to bring home gifts for friends.
The dining plan was nice but we obviously don't know how to effectively use it...
10, and DS
7)was a pool with a waterslide. This eliminated the values for us. DD
5 just wanted a "nice" hotel. That was the only thing they wanted and I felt is wasn't unreasonable. We have gotten the whole family in for the saving and the kids have really saved a lot. They will use their money for spending on extras. They were even willing to help put their money towards staying at a hotel with a waterslide. The thing is they think we are staying at a mod next summer but we are really staying Deluxe this October.
