First time decision - split stay YC/Poly or all BC + free dining?

[We'reGoingToDisney]

Hi everyone

I'm new here but have been lurking for a while. I have booked two cancellable reservations, and would love opinions about which one to keep. I apologize in advance for the long post! We are a family of 4 - myself, DH, and twins DD and DS who will be 13 when we visit in the last 2 weeks of August 2019. It will be our first (and in all honesty, most likely our one-and-only) visit to Orlando, so we are trying to cram as much as we can into our trip. We live in western Canada, so it's a long journey to get to Orlando. We are also throwing budget to the wind, to a certain extent, to create that once-in-a-lifetime enjoyable experience. That means staying on property at Universal so we can get express passes, walking distance to parks, nice pools, etc, and splurging on mostly deluxe resorts at Disney. We will have 15 full days in Orlando (dates settled by when we could get flights on points).

Kids (and parents, too) are big Harry Potter fans, so when we started planning this trip, the big draw was Universal. We're also space enthusiasts, so we're doing a special tour at Kennedy Space Center before the theme park madness begins! During our planning, we realized just how massive Disney World is, and that we'd need quite a few days to see it all. We also enjoy water parks, so we are definitely wanting to get in a day at Volcano Bay and each of the Disney water parks, too.

We really want to stay for at least part of our trip at BC/YC because Stormalong Bay looks awesome, and the central location near Epcot sounds great. DH loves the idea of being able to walk to DHS and Epcot (we've only been to Disneyland in California before, and he's having a hard time wrapping his head around not being able to walk everywhere!). But we also thought the Polynesian sounded amazing, and its proximity to MK and Monorail are very appealing, and kids think the Lava Pool sounds fun. Poly itself is really out of our budget, but Poly Villas were a bit cheaper, although not something we could afford for the whole trip. BC/YC was a bit more affordable, but not on the first couple nights of our stay (cheaper rooms all sold out). We are going at a time when free dining was offered, but also a 30% "Sun&Fun" room discount was on offer (and a discounted Canadian resident rate on park tickets, if we go with the room discount rather than the free dining package). Availability for free dining at the resorts/dates we wanted were pretty limited, so it wasn't possible (without spending way more $$ on upgraded rooms) to get the free dining package at BC/YC to include the Friday and Saturday nights in the middle of our trip. So we have booked two different agendas - one where we stay at BC for 6 nights with free dining, and one where we split between YC and Poly Villas, no dining package. Both have some nights at AofA in between Universal and BC/YC, to have a couple of less expensive nights. We're trying to plan our Disney theme park visits around EMH, and so that also factored into when we would move hotels. We'll have a rental car only for the first few days to get to Kennedy Space Center, then we'll be relying on Uber or resort transportation.We hope to be able to spend some time in the afternoons going back to the resort and hopping in the pool before heading back to the parks for the evening, at least on some of the days.

Here is version 1 of the plan, where we stay at what we think are our dream resorts, but no dining plan:

Th Aug 15 - arrive 10 pm at MCO, hotel near airport
F Aug 16 - beach/recovery day, hotel in Cocoa Beach
Sa Aug 17 - “Fly With An Astronaut”, Kennedy Space Center, hotel in Cocoa Beach
Su Aug 18 - 2nd day at KSC or beach, then evening check in at Universal Royal Pacific Resort
M Aug 19 - Universal parks, hotel is RPR
Tu Aug 20 - Universal parks, hotel is RPR
W Aug 21 - Volcano Bay, hotel is RPR
Th Aug 22 - check out RPR, spend day at whichever Universal parks we want to revisit, then evening check in at Disney AofA
F Aug 23 - slower day, BB water park, hotel is AofA
Sa Aug 24 - check out of AofA, day at TL water park, check in to YC
Su Aug 25 - day at DHS (EMH morning), hotel is YC
M Aug 26 - day at AK (EMH morning), hotel is YC
Tu Aug 27 - day at Epcot (EMH evening), hotel is YC
W Aug 28 - check out of YC, day at MK (EMH evening), check in to Poly Villas
Th Aug 29 - 2nd day at MK, hotel is Poly Villas
F Aug 30 - whichever park we want more of (MK closes early because of MNSSHP), hotel is Poly Villas
Sa Aug 31 - check out, fly home from MCO in morning

In that plan, we've got 6-day PH+ tickets associated with our first reservation at AofA, so we can start booking FP+ 60 days out from Aug 22. We have 8 Disney days, so we're using 6 theme park days and 2 days of just using the "plus" parts of the PH+ ticket (the water parks, maybe some mini golf). Trying to get the 6 theme parks days into the 2nd week of our visit, where crowds will hopefully be a little lower, hence "front-loading" the Disney water parks.

But, two things worry me: (1) are we being dumb not booking "free" dining plan, given that our kids are technically adults, and hence buying dining plan out of pocket would be $300/night? and (2) are we moving too many times?

So, here's the best I could do in terms of getting free dining plan for the resort we wanted (YC/BC because Poly was too much - I had several long conversations with DH about how we could get 8 nights of free dining if we stayed at a value resort, even upgrading to the DDP, but he is adamant about wanting the experience of staying at one of those 2 deluxe resorts in particular). We can do 6 days/nights at BC with a package that includes 6-day PH+ tickets and free DDP, but only starting on Su Aug 25. That means that we'd have to stay at AofA on Sat night, check out on Sunday morning, but still hoping to get to DHS early on Sunday morning because of EMH at that park. That's a minor inconvenience, though. The bigger inconvenience is that our 6-day PH+ ticket won't start until Su Aug 25 - so what do we do with those two days Fri, Sat between Universal and Disney? I did call and speak to a helpful CM about whether I can use any of the "plus" part of the PH+ tickets before we check in to BC on Sunday, and she said yes. I'm a bit skeptical that this really will work, but she said that you can activate the ticket 2 days in advance and confirmed that if I just want to use the "plus" parts like water park visits, then I'm all good. So we can do the water parks BB and TL on Fri, Sat. FP+ booking starts 60 days out from that Sunday BC reservation.

So with that revised plan, we're looking at first half of the trip being the same then:

F Aug 23 - slower day, BB water park, hotel is AofA
Sa Aug 24 - slower day, TL water park, hotel is AofA
Su Aug 25 - check out of AofA, check in to BC so our 6 day PH+ ticket and 6 day dining plan officially start. Spend day at DHS (EMH morning), hotel is BC
M Aug 26 - day at AK (EMH morning), hotel is BC
Tu Aug 27 - day at Epcot (EMH evening), hotel is BC
W Aug 28 - day at MK (EMH evening), hotel is BC
Th Aug 29 - 2nd day at MK, hotel is BC
F Aug 30 - whichever park we want more of (MK closes early because of MNSSHP), hotel is BC
Sa Aug 31 - check out, fly home from MCO in morning

What would you do? Is it easier to stay put at BC the whole time (after those first few nights at AofA)? Or is the Poly really something work experiencing, and hence worth moving hotel for?? Will the MK part of our trip be enhanced by staying at the Poly Villas? Is being able to book our FP+ starting on Aug 22 really any better than starting on Aug 25 (and then there's the "what if it I can't activate my ticket 2 days early like I was told!" worry).
Cost difference: for the 6 days/nights at BC with the DDP, we are paying $854 more than for plan where we mix up YC and Poly Villas. In either scenario, we are paying out of pocket for the first 2 days of food at Disney. So we're effectively paying $142/day to get DDP for the 4 of us for those 6 days = $35/person/day. We will spend at least that much on food, for sure. But I'm not sure we'd spend a lot more than that? We're not planning much in the way of character dining, etc. However, if we did have the DDP, we might actually book some things that we otherwise wouldn't -- buffet character meals where our "adult" kids cost $50+, and that might actually make it worthwhile?

I think I'm more concerned about having the best experience than having the cheapest deal, but given a choice between those 2, what would other people do? My heart is leaning towards the plan that includes staying at the Poly ...

 

[disny_luvr]

If your heart is saying Poly, I’d go with your first plan and do the YC/Poly split. Honestly, I can never decide between the BC/YC and the Poly and we usually always split between the two - it really is this best of both worlds. The YC and Poly are our two favorite resorts. We prefer the YC over the BC, but stay where we can get the cheaper rate.

To answer your question about free dining, we are not dining plan people. I think we save money paying OOP. I’d rather take the discount on the room. Are you booking a lot of table service restaurants? I’d look at All Ears and price out the food you think you’ll eat to see if the dining plan would be in your favor.

Good luck with whatever you decide! You’ll have an amazing trip no matter what.

 

[Micharlotte]

I’m a new western Canadian too! We love the dining plan as character meals with a Disney “adult” are a huge part of our vacation. As someone who planned a one and done vacation I loved the dining plan. I felt like we could meet all the characters and not wait in line, but I would pass out if I had to pay the bill at the end, never mind if I convert to Canadian dollars! We stayed at BC last year and loved it! Your kids will love the pool and slide. I have never stayed at the Poly and I don’t really have a huge desire to. I also wouldn’t want to have to move that many times. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks and lots of fun! You need to do what you really want to do, everyone here will have a different opinion on what to do. We arrive on the 29th of August so we’ll be just starting our busy two weeks as you’re ending yours! Have a great trip!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Feeding teenagers at Disney is very expensive. Very expensive.

Our trip in 2015 I did a deluxe hotel (split between Poly and BC) on an agency exclusive and decided against doing a moderate with free dining. I don't have any regrets but I would have saved a ton doing free dining with a teenager and preteen. If and when we ever go back as a family of 4 I will definitely do free dining if it's offered. Last trip was just DD12 and myself so we rented points and paid OOP for food which wasn't bad. But bringing along my SO and DS18....it would have probably tripled our food costs. They can EAT!

If I were you I would do BC with free dining. I absolutely love the BC and preferred it over Poly by a mile. Poly pool is small and not that exciting to me or my kids. They absolutely loved the BC and you can't beat the walk to DHS and Epcot.

 

[iivye]

I would do BC and dining plan. Not having to change resorts three times at Disney will be nice. Either way, your trip sounds amazing!

 

[Nancyg56]

Feeding teenagers at Disney is very expensive. Very expensive.

Our trip in 2015 I did a deluxe hotel (split between Poly and BC) on an agency exclusive and decided against doing a moderate with free dining. I don't have any regrets but I would have saved a ton doing free dining with a teenager and preteen. If and when we ever go back as a family of 4 I will definitely do free dining if it's offered. Last trip was just DD12 and myself so we rented points and paid OOP for food which wasn't bad. But bringing along my SO and DS18....it would have probably tripled our food costs. They can EAT!

If I were you I would do BC with free dining. I absolutely love the BC and preferred it over Poly by a mile. Poly pool is small and not that exciting to me or my kids. They absolutely loved the BC and you can't beat the walk to DHS and Epcot.

I agree. I love the Poly but given a choice of feeding the family for free or paying OOP_ I go with free every time. Food is expensive. Given a choice between Poly and BC, all things being even, I would choose the BC every time.

 

[CynBeth]

Honestly I would skip the water parks and plan a second day at both Epcot and AK.

 

[marchingstar]

hi from another western canadian disney lover!

a few things i’d mention:
- if you have the option, it might be worth reconsidering the order of your trip. because you’re used to disneyland and walkability, i think going from universal (where you can walk to 2 parks) to disney (where you’ll need transportation at least sometimes) might be a bit extra tough. add to that the move from express pass to disney’s fast pass system, i think you might feel a bit let down by disney.
- i love split stays between epcot area and MK area resorts. we’ve done BC/GF before, and it was wonderful. you can organize tour park days to maximize your stay (plan to be in MK most during your monorail stay). we stayed at Poly last year and loved it. it’s busy, but so fun.
- by poly villas, do you mean a bungalow or a studio? i only ask because the studio has one queen size bed, one convertible couch, and a small murphy bed. one or both of your kids would be sleeping on a couch. i don’t know how you feel about that, but i personally would have a very hard time paying more for my kids to sleep on a couch. maybe you could swing a shorter stay at the poly but in a standard room?

i hope this detail helps. i was a bit confused by some of the details so if anything here isn’t helpful, just chuck my thoughts aside. whatever you end up doing, it sounds like you have an awesome blowout vacation planned and i bet you’ll all have a blast.

 

[FSU Girl]

That is a lot of hotels. I love split stays, but would do just two hotels. I think if you didn’t have that extra hotel at Disney for the cheaper nights doing the split would be ok, but three Disney hotels is a lot.

I never use the dining plan, but it can be expensive when kids are considered Disney adults, especially if you’re planning buffets. So the free dining could definitely help.

For your universal portion you’re going to love that hotel, it’s really nice and a short boat ride or walk to the parks. Definitely ride the train between the parks it’s a different experience both ways between the Harry Potter lands. You’ll need park hopper tickets for that. There’s some great dining in City Walk too

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If this is truly a once-and-done trip, I would do the Poly/YC split. Nothing screams "I'm at WDW!" more than checking into the Poly and then walking out to the beach and seeing Cinderella's castle (and seeing the fireworks from there at night!). It is truly a magical experience. Poly is one of the original WDW hotels and it is absolutely, quintessentially Disney. A Poly/YC split is the best of both worlds and it will cut down on your travel time quite a bit. I don't think splitting the hotels is that big of a deal. We were in Europe for 3 weeks over the summer and stayed in 7 different hotels, some for only one night each. It was fun to experience a new setting and we packed light (did laundry a few times) and it was easy to move around. If you will never return to WDW, I highly recommend staying at Poly!

 

[jhoannam]

I would do the YC/Poly, I think that seems like the best plan overall.
We are doing a similar Disney split stay in August. Pop Century, YC and CR.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I’m also a fan of a MK resort / Epcot resort split, get a bit of the best of both worlds. A Poly / YC split would be our go to choice. They are very different resorts and experiences, but we love both.

Wish you had a few more days at each, but you have your reasons I’m sure.

Happy planning.

 

[mrsap]

I’m all for a split stay... BC or YC and Poly is great - best of both worlds. We just did a BC/Poly split this past summer and we loved it. It was nice being walking distance from HS/Epcot and then a boat ride or monorail ride to MK. Also, if you’re doing US, Anything Harry Potter was amazing!! I’d go back just for the Harry Potter areas!!! We thought Portofino was beautiful but never stayed at RPR.

 

[Karebear]

I would do the free dining and stay at BC the whole time. I would also keep checking on your other 2 dates so you can stay at BC the whole time and skip AofA. I have a boy and girl who are similar in age to your two and they love Tusker House buffet and Be our Guest etc. Those get pricey when you have “Disney adults” and the dining plan really helps with that. I have stayed at the Poly 2x and was not a fan. I felt that the main pool was too small for the size of the resort and we experienced very slow bus service on both visits. We have stayed at YC/BC numerous times and have always had good bus service to MK and AK. We walk to Epcot and either walk of boat to HS. My kids also love the pool there. Good luck with your planning!

 

[We'reGoingToDisney]

Wow, thank you all you lovely people for your replies! Lots of different opinions, lots of food for thought! Seems like quite a few of you are fans of the Epcot/MK split.

@marchingstar I get what you're saying about going from Universal EP to Disney FP+ system. My plan originally had been to do Disney first then Universal, but hotel availability at Disney really pushed me into doing it this way - substantially better availability and affordability by being at Disney for that last week of August, while the hotel pricing and availability was good for Universal for either week. Yes, at the Poly villas, we're talking a studio! Kids are actually ok with the sofa bed idea, and DD especially liked the look of the pull down bed. I agree, it's a heck of a lot of $$ for a sofa bed! But we'd be staying there more the ambience of the resort as a whole. And in a standard hotel room with 2 queen beds, we always end up 1 adult with 1 kid in a bed. At the studio villa, we'll be able to do mum and dad in 1 bed, DS in the sofa bed, DD on the pull down - I think it will be an improvement!

@FSU Girl I know adding those couple of nights at AofA are really adding an extra level of complication to the plan. But for those 2 nights, it'll save us over $300, and we could put that towards food! But you're right, it does make it feel like a lot more moving. Maybe I need to rethink whether saving $300 is worth it compared to the hassle of moving hotels. I could simplify things even more by adding one more night at the Universal hotel. I was just trying to save a few $$

@CynBeth thanks for that feedback. I'd definitely considered a 2nd day at Epcot, but not a 2nd day at AK. I'll have to see if we can make that happen.

@mi*vida*loca and @Nancyg56 You make persuasive arguments, teenagers are expensive to feed!

@disny_luvr My initial instincts were to go with the room discount and pay OOP for the food, but it's so hard to know if that's the right thing! Seeing so many others who are enthusiastic about the YC/Poly split stay, I do think that's the way I'm leaning.

I'm going to revisit a couple of ideas you've all given me and see if I can simplify my plans a bit!

 

[marchingstar]

@marchingstar I get what you're saying about going from Universal EP to Disney FP+ system. My plan originally had been to do Disney first then Universal, but hotel availability at Disney really pushed me into doing it this way - substantially better availability and affordability by being at Disney for that last week of August, while the hotel pricing and availability was good for Universal for either week. Yes, at the Poly villas, we're talking a studio! Kids are actually ok with the sofa bed idea, and DD especially liked the look of the pull down bed. I agree, it's a heck of a lot of $$ for a sofa bed! But we'd be staying there more the ambience of the resort as a whole. And in a standard hotel room with 2 queen beds, we always end up 1 adult with 1 kid in a bed. At the studio villa, we'll be able to do mum and dad in 1 bed, DS in the sofa bed, DD on the pull down - I think it will be an improvement!

all great points! it sounds like you have done so much research, so even though you aren’t disney world regulars it sounds like you know what you’re getting into! and if everyone is good with the Poly layout...go for it! sometimes on these boards people don’t realize there’s just one normal bed, but if it isn’t a disappointment then it’s not a bad use of your money we stayed in a studio there last year and i absolutely loved it. the layout worked for our family too, and the resort is even more amazing than you’re imagining. dole whip every day!!

 

[FSU Girl]

@FSU Girl I know adding those couple of nights at AofA are really adding an extra level of complication to the plan. But for those 2 nights, it'll save us over $300, and we could put that towards food! But you're right, it does make it feel like a lot more moving. Maybe I need to rethink whether saving $300 is worth it compared to the hassle of moving hotels. I could simplify things even more by adding one more night at the Universal hotel. I was just trying to save a few $$

Saving money is always good, but it can be a real hassle moving that many times in such a short amount of time. Each time you check out you're pretty much homeless from 11-3. I really love split stays and I do think you'd love doing a MK resort and Epcot resort, but I think you should eliminate this other hotel. It give you more time at the other hotels to really relax and enjoy them instead of constantly moving.

 

[monorailsilver]

I would do the split and skip the dining plan.

It sounds like you will have a car, go to the store and grab water, breakfast foods and some snacks.

When we went in August 2018, my kids were 17, 14 (almost 15) and 12. We do not do dining since it costs more for us. We split quite a few meals between dh and I and a few times we got 2 meals and split between dh, myself and our 14 yo son. We mainly eat quick service and do a few sit downs but even with that we came out ahead. We ate at Casey’s twice, not the best hot dog but it is food and my girls like the corn dogs. The first time we went as I was looking at the menus, I saw the foot long was a few dollars more the regular size hot dog. Well dh and I got that and split it and we split the fries and had our water that we brought in!

A few times my kids skipped meals as they were not hungry (a dole whip can do that to you).

BC/YC pool is so nice...oh how I miss it. We moved from the BC to the Poly in August and did 5 nights at each. The Poly is my favorite resort! While at the BC my dh kept saying he didn’t like it sicne he really only stayed at the Poly. When we moved, he looked at the pool and claimed he missed the BC. And he is not one that is in the pool all the time, this is me!

My kids still played pool games at the Poly, I helped them with trivia. At the BC my younger 2 were at the volleyball net all day long!

 

[We'reGoingToDisney]

@Micharlotte When you do character meals with your Disney "adults", when on the dining plan, do you have sticker shock on the tip? I am going back forth on this one. If we go to the BC with the DDP, then I will definitely book some character buffet meals. Paying around $50/each for us to do that isn't something I was likely going to do, if I were paying OOP. So I could see us definitely getting value out of the DDP, in that it does free us up to do some experiences we wouldn't otherwise do. But then on the flip-side, if we do those expensive buffets, we also have to leave a big tip, and that's money that we wouldn't have been spending. It's a conundrum!

I'm surprised that people say the pool at the Poly isn't great. I can see that it would feel like a step down after Stormalong Bay. And even though I totally feel what @DisneyWishes14 says, "Nothing screams "I'm at WDW!" more than checking into the Poly and then walking out to the beach and seeing Cinderella's castle (and seeing the fireworks from there at night!)", I'm wondering if we can experience that same thrill by just visiting the Poly, watching the fireworks from there one night? So today, I'm leaning heavily towards BC with DDP. Yesterday, I was thinking split stay. Ugh. I need to decide, because I'll have to start making ADRs soon, and I want to do it on the reservation that I'm keeping.

 

[Micharlotte]

@Micharlotte When you do character meals with your Disney "adults", when on the dining plan, do you have sticker shock on the tip? I am going back forth on this one. If we go to the BC with the DDP, then I will definitely book some character buffet meals. Paying around $50/each for us to do that isn't something I was likely going to do, if I were paying OOP. So I could see us definitely getting value out of the DDP, in that it does free us up to do some experiences we wouldn't otherwise do. But then on the flip-side, if we do those expensive buffets, we also have to leave a big tip, and that's money that we wouldn't have been spending. It's a conundrum!

I'm surprised that people say the pool at the Poly isn't great. I can see that it would feel like a step down after Stormalong Bay. And even though I totally feel what @DisneyWishes14 says, "Nothing screams "I'm at WDW!" more than checking into the Poly and then walking out to the beach and seeing Cinderella's castle (and seeing the fireworks from there at night!)", I'm wondering if we can experience that same thrill by just visiting the Poly, watching the fireworks from there one night? So today, I'm leaning heavily towards BC with DDP. Yesterday, I was thinking split stay. Ugh. I need to decide, because I'll have to start making ADRs soon, and I want to do it on the reservation that I'm keeping.

I try not to think of the tip as tip, I think of it as the total cost of the meal. Lol we are a family of 3 so it’s not as bad for us, but last year my sister came with us so 3 adult beverages and 4 meals. The total cost of those meals was unbelievable! I would never pay for them out of pocket so for us it’s a bargain as just the tip. We are also Canadian so our meals would be almost $500! I set a total trip budget and include tips as well.