HELP! Can't decide 'tween WL and Poly!

[Chicago526]

My BF and I are going to WDW Dec. 3 2004 for 8 nights. We both decided on the Poly, but I read the review in the Unoffical Guide and it said Poly was the pits!!!! I've stayed at WL and love it and know BF will love it, but I really want a monorail hotel. Don't like CR and GF is waaaaay too expensive.


PLEASE give me your sage advice about which resort we'll be happiest at. The review of Poly said that it was shaby and tacky.

 

[Ratpack]

I have stayed at both and you can tell from my siggie where I prefer. Now that being said, the Poly does have it's advantages. I love the monorail and the pool is bigger and you can see the MK from a lot of locations at the Poly. The rooms are huge compared to WL. And it is a nice easy walk to TTC to catch the EPCOT monorail without having to transfer. Now the disadvantages of the Poly. To get to anything, you have to go outside and go to the Great Ceremonial house. That is where the monorail, shops and restaurants are. That is fine unless it is pouring down rain or cold. Also, the shops weren't as good as the Mercantile at WL and the counter service was not as good as Roarin' Forks in my opinion. Didn't do a sit down at Ohanas so can't say how it compared. That is my comparison in a nutshell, probably more confused now than before huh? If you have any more specific questions, let me know and I will try to answer. You really can't go wrong with either, but I like the WL and the feel of being miles away from anything, yet so close.

 

[robinb]

I prefer the Polynesian over the Wilderness Lodge. It was not "shabby" when I was there in December 2002. Check out TikiMan's great Polynesian site: http://tikiman2001.homestead.com/index.html . He has some pictures of our room here: http://tikiman2001.homestead.com/aotearoa.html .

 

[Eeyore1954]

The Poly is definitely not tacky, but it is also not for everyone. My DW and I don't care for it because it's just not our style. On the other hand, we love WL and don't miss the monorail at all (a feature of the CR, GF, and Poly that we believe is highly overrated).

If it were my choice, I'd stay at someplace I loved. We went to the Poly once and while it is a wonderful resort, we didn't like it. Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Chicago526]

Thanks for the advice so far, keep it comming! It sounds like we'll be happy no matter what we do, but since this is BF's first WDW visit, I want it to be perfect! I'm hopping he "ask" me while on the trip, and if he does, then maybe we'll look into the Vacation Club time shares...

I've checked out the Poly links, it does look nice. But I also agree with the statement that the WL has the "feel of being miles away from anything, yet so close." That's exactly the feeling I get! But we'll be spending more time at MK and Epcot than the other two parks, and I haven't stayed at a monorail hotel since I was 8. I love riding the monorail!!!

Maybe we should split our stay between the two, although it seems like a lot of work to un-pack, pack, move, un-pack, pack, go home.

Again, thanks for the opinons so far, please keep posting!!!

 

[wdwstar]

we just stayed at the poly (our 3rd time)over easter and with the big rooms and the great food, sitting by the pool on the sand looking at the magic kingdom, we had a great view of the MK just a few steps out our room. we really enjoyed our stay and we would go back again. we really like the WL too, the woodys feeling and especially at christmas time. that is were we will be staying for christmas and then over to the beach club villas were we own our dvc.

if you think cr and gf are $$$$ i think you already made up your mind because the poly is more then the cr.

have you gotten quotes on the rates? if so what are the rates?

 

[Chicago526]

I'm a travel agent, and we get great rates. I checked on the CR last week, and we picked the WL or the Poly over the weekend so we still need to get quotes. But if the Poly or WL rates are even close to what we got at the CR, I'm not too worried!!!

 

[robinb]

Originally posted by Chicago526
But we'll be spending more time at MK and Epcot than the other two parks, and I haven't stayed at a monorail hotel since I was 8. I love riding the monorail!!!

If you like the South Seas theming, then the Polynesian really is for you! Monorail access is the best from that resort. You can catch the monorail to the MK (and take the boat back) and you can walk to the TTC to catch the monorail to Epcot. Don't get me wrong ... I love the WL. We're styaing there in August in a DVC Studio. I just like the Polynesian better .

 

[rscotty]

We love the Poly and have stayed there 3 times. We love the relaxed apmosphere that the Poly affords.

One of the major advantages of the poly is that you can choose a room that is no more than a 5 minute walk from the TTC. We always request a room on that end of the resort. When returning from the parks, you can grab almost any bus tthat comes by, because they usually go to the TTC after their primary destination. This has saved us tons of time.

Going back to DW in November. This time we're trying POFQ as it is just my DW and I (first time with no kids) and POFQ is reminesent of out honeymoon in New Orleans.

 

[kda]

Can't go wrong with either, in my opinion, especially if your attitude is that you're going to look for the magic wherever you are. You already know the benefits of the Poly location, and also know that you like WL.

If you really enjoy Christmas and it's decorations, WL is exceptionally warm, cozy, and very special. But, you can always visit or eat there.

While I'm not real crazy about packing up and moving, that's exactly what we do when we're 'in the mood' for 2 different types of resorts. It might be a solution, especially if you don't over-pack and if you plan your moving day so you don't need access to a room mid-day. The resort will move your belongings, if you don't have a car.

Hope you have a great trip! We might be there at that time, too (VWL).

 

[Montana Disney Fan]

Been to both and my vote is for:

Poly!! +

 

[skiwee1]

I've stayed at the Poly 5 times in the last 2 years and the WL once. You couldn't pay me to stay at the WL again. There is no comparison between the two! The Poly has more transportation options, better transportation, bigger and better themed pool, beautiful beach with gorgeous views, huge rooms, better restaurants, and definitely a deluxe resort. The WL is pretty but that is it. The pools are too small, rooms are tiny, and the transportation is horrible. The WL was never meant to be a deluxe and it shows. Stay at the Poly and you will have a first class vacation.

 

[jacksmom]

GO WITH POLY!! We have stayed at Poly several times, the last time being in Feb. Our room was immaculate, housekeeping was wonderful! The location is excellent and, we love eating at both Kona and Ohanas! That being said, I do like WL. But between the two, I would always choose Poly!

 

[slimplaw]

I have stayed at both and my favorite is WL. The only advantages the Poly has over WL is that the room is larger and the monorail. I would not say the Poly is shabby, but the lobby definitely needed a good dusting the 2 times I was there. Our room was very neat and clean.
However, I notice you are going in December and WL is beautiful with the Christmas decorations. It is an awesome sight when you walk in and see the tree and all the decorations. I would either split my stay or go with WL the entire time.

 

[BALAMAV]

We just got back from Land/Sea package and stayed at the BC we didn't like it at all. We stayed at the Poly last year we loved it. We were very worried about the fact that the Poly is an older resort but that have redone the rooms. They redid the pool also. We liked stormalong bay at the BC. But we liked the volcano pool at the poly better. We stayed in Tokalou we asked for a room as close ro the water as possible. We got one 2 down from water. We could go out on the patio look to out right and see the castle, space mountain, the water parade and the firworks. These rooms were considered standard rooms so they were not as expensive as the rooms that face the castle. We visited the WL last week for dinner. Which by the way was great. The place is very pretty. We looked at one of the rooms they are small and sorta dark. But it was a very nice resort. We just really love the poly. I like the Hawaii feel of it. Hope that helps. Brenda

 

[dizcrazy]

We just got back from a Feb trip and stayed at Poly concierge and at WL concierge .

My vote is for the Poly - the transportation can't be beat! Especially when it's late or you're tired - nice to take the monorail and get back quickly. We also liked being able to walk to the transportation or take the boat - more options. And the room at poly was noticeably larger.

HOWEVER, this assumes that you don't mind paying more money to stay at the Poly.

You really can't lose - WL also had beautiful grounds and we felt the staff was friendly and more helpful at WL.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I have stayed at the Wilderness Lodge during the Christmas season and liked it very much. It is a beautiful place and wonderfully decorated. That being said we are going to try the Poly this December. Although I like the WL I didn't like the fact the the rooms were very small and dark. We had a bunk bed in our room ( kids wanted it) but that made the room feel even smaller. I also didn't care for the transportation to the MK. I remember being cold waiting for the boat to come and cold on it. Thankfully it moves quickly( not like those Epcot resort boats

I would like to stay at the WL again but only in a junior suite or at the villas. As for the Poly we are excited to give it a try for a few days. Staying at the BCV's for first 4 days and then off to a lagoon view room at the Poly for New Years. I hope it doesn't get too cold or rain. This will be family's 12th trip to Disney but first at the Poly. I think it is important to try new hotels and do different things to keep our Disney vacations exciting. You will enjoy which ever resort you pick.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I've never stayed at WL and LOVE the Poly so I am biased. I've stayed at YC, BWV, Dolphin and POR and at the time thought they were all great hotels but after staying at the Poly I feel in love with the real resort feel of the place! I cannot imagine a more romantic Disney resort with the hammocks and swings on the beach and the music and tiki torches at night.

I wanted to stay at the Poly first time because of the transportation options because I was 6 months pregnant and taking DD(3 1/2) on her 1st trip. I read lots of negative reviews before I went but we did not notice any smells and it did not feel like Brady Bunch does Hawaii to me. I can't wait to return this fall.

I would think you'd be spending several nights at Epcot in December because it is the only park open late in off season so I would think you'd love that direct monorail back to Poly.

Have a great trip!

 

[Chicago526]

Thank you all for your feedback!!

As you can see from my signature line, we are booked at neither the Poly nor the WL, but the CR. My discount as a travel agent is fantastic, but the number of rooms available to TA's is limmited, and there are none available at either the Poly or the WL. So, we're staying at the CR afterall. I will continue to call and "pester" central res to see if the Poly or WL opens up. Poly is now our first choice, and WL our second.

Really, I could stay in a cardboard box and be happy, as long as I'm on property at WDW! But BF has hinted that he will "ask" me during this trip, so I'm looking for somthing extra special.

 

[PamNC]

I just can't imagine anyone calling the Poly "The Pits" but it takes all kinds. We love it - love the tropical, relaxed feel, the pool, the views, the big rooms, the theming, the CMs. Not to mention the convenience. We were there in Feb of this year and up until then the YC/BC was our favorite. The Poly has taken first place. So much so that we're going again in July.

On the other hand, I think WL isn't so great. We stayed there last year and we were so disappointed. It's a lovely resort but the rooms are tiny, nothing special about the tiny pool, the CMs were absolutely the worst we've encountered and more than anything it felt "far removed" - the boat transporation sucked.

Again...everybody has different likes.

PamNC