Help me choose...Poly, AKL, or WL

[lynzi2004]

Hi all, I'm needing some help planning our first deluxe stay for next Dec 2020. We are a party of 5, but the baby will be less than 3yo so won't necessarily count in max occupancy, but we will need a space for a pack n play OR he will be 2 1/2 so maybe a fold down bed will fit him better by then. I'm open to suggestions. It will be a 4 night stay with 2 park days, 1 MVMCP, and 1 resort day. Let me also say interesting food is not a draw for us. We are all (DH and myself included) cheeseburger and fries kind of people

The Poly is obviously the iconic choice with the monorail and neat pool. Its probably the top contender but I'm looking at the other two options as they are a little cheaper.

AKL is a draw based on the animals. Our kids will be 9, 7, and 2 1/2 so that is something interesting to them. The pool area looks really cool there too. Is the Poly pool or AKL pool better? They love water slides. I'm worried in December it could be a little chilly so I'm also interested in which one has the best hot tub! lol The biggest negative to AKL is that we would have to use bus transportation everywhere. Not a huge deal, but with a deluxe stay it would be nice to have closer access to the parks.

Wilderness Lodge is in the running bc if we are not vacationing at Disney parks, you will find us in National Parks! We love the looks of the old lodges around the country and I think we would feel at home there. I also think the Christmas décor would be stunning. My negative with this one is similar to AKL. We have stayed at Fort Wilderness 2x before and the boats just do not run early enough for our liking to MK. We like to be there WELL before rope drop and it usually starts running about 30 min before park open.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! I've looked at the Epcot resorts and the sophisticated look is just not to our liking. We've previously stayed at FWx2, Pop Century, and just a couple weeks ago POFQ. I royally screwed up and forgot to check on the bounceback offer. I think it would have been a longer stay, more tickets than what we were wanting but I should have checked into it.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at all 3 and you really can't go wrong with any of them, IMO. The Poly is my favorite overall, but I do love WL and AKL. The Poly will provide more room, especially if you have a pack n play. With that said, all Poly rooms come with a daybed, so the 2 yo could maybe sleep on that and you could forego the pack n play. I love all 3 resorts for different reasons, but if I had to choose, my choice would be the Poly. The Poly rooms are quite a bit larger/more spacious than WL/AKL, the pool is great as it backs up to the beach with a view of the castle in the distance (you can watch fireworks while swimming), and it would be very convenient getting to/from the party via monorail or boat. Good luck with your decision, but you really can't make a bad choice as they are all great places to stay .

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

You’re staying in a regular room?
Poly hands down. I like them all but Poly was my fave, plus I’d pick it for room size alone with your group size.

 

[KenHutch]

Well we stayed at AKL last year (loved the animals) but the girls complained about the distance from anything but Animal Kingdom. I considered WL for our next one but the oldest truly dislikes the boats so its a no go for us. The 2 of them (19 and 10) have selected the Poly for our next trip. Several things they like the poo, the monorail and we eat a lot at monorail resorts.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hi all, I'm needing some help planning our first deluxe stay for next Dec 2020. We are a party of 5, but the baby will be less than 3yo so won't necessarily count in max occupancy, but we will need a space for a pack n play OR he will be 2 1/2 so maybe a fold down bed will fit him better by then. I'm open to suggestions. It will be a 4 night stay with 2 park days, 1 MVMCP, and 1 resort day. Let me also say interesting food is not a draw for us. We are all (DH and myself included) cheeseburger and fries kind of people

The Poly is obviously the iconic choice with the monorail and neat pool. Its probably the top contender but I'm looking at the other two options as they are a little cheaper.

AKL is a draw based on the animals. Our kids will be 9, 7, and 2 1/2 so that is something interesting to them. The pool area looks really cool there too. Is the Poly pool or AKL pool better? They love water slides. I'm worried in December it could be a little chilly so I'm also interested in which one has the best hot tub! lol The biggest negative to AKL is that we would have to use bus transportation everywhere. Not a huge deal, but with a deluxe stay it would be nice to have closer access to the parks.

Wilderness Lodge is in the running bc if we are not vacationing at Disney parks, you will find us in National Parks! We love the looks of the old lodges around the country and I think we would feel at home there. I also think the Christmas décor would be stunning. My negative with this one is similar to AKL. We have stayed at Fort Wilderness 2x before and the boats just do not run early enough for our liking to MK. We like to be there WELL before rope drop and it usually starts running about 30 min before park open.

Any suggestions would be appreciated! I've looked at the Epcot resorts and the sophisticated look is just not to our liking. We've previously stayed at FWx2, Pop Century, and just a couple weeks ago POFQ. I royally screwed up and forgot to check on the bounceback offer. I think it would have been a longer stay, more tickets than what we were wanting but I should have checked into it.

For me, it would depend on what your park plans are. With MVMCP in the mix with younger children, both Poly and WL hold the advantage. We typically stay at WL when attending MK special events and it has been so easy to get back on the boat at night to get back to our resort. I, personally, would not want to be staying at AKL if I were attending MVMCP.

WL and Poly also hold the advantage if it's cold out and swimming is no longer a possibility. Both WL and Poly have hot tubs and both have access to a lot of other things to do - if it's cold, you can very easily get on the monorail and tour other resorts to fill up some time.

If you can swim, Poly definitely has the advantage as it has a much better water slide than WL and AKL (their slides are really dull, IMHO). Both Poly and WL have splash pads for your younger child.

In terms of room space, Poly wins. In terms of Christmas decor, WL wins by a landslide. If you stay at WL and want to get to MK early, you can either take the WL to MK bus, or take the resort boat to CR and walk to MK.

If it were me, I would probably pick WL as this may be the last time you will be able to fit your whole family in a standard room there.

Edited to add: in terms of food, WL is probably more up your alley as well. Much more traditional American food at WL than at Poly.

 

[evr25160]

So for your choice's I would say poly only because it also has the monorail advantage that will be a lifesaver after long days at magic kingdom. Poly also has a really cool pool and if it stays consistently warm like it has I would bet they'll be able to swim I would have dad take them swimming while little takes a mid day nap if needed.

Now i will add this Beach club Boardwalk have some pretty awesome pools with beach club having what may be the best pool at DW.

 

[Babsy]

I would stay on the monorail. For us, every time we go with a child in a stroller, we have opted for the CR because we just love the convenience of walking to/from the MK. If pools are important, you might prefer the GF or the Poly. Many people prefer the Poly theme and direct view of MK, castle and fireworks. I would look at the theme of the three monorail resorts and choose the one that appeals to me the m most,. in all three you will have a spacious room with a daybed and two queen beds.

These three resorts are the best of the best, IMO. Infact they collectively form my favourite place to stay in WDW. We just can't really choose one over the other two as all three are special in their own way.

Have fun choosing!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Assuming you'll be visiting MK a lot I'd chose Poly. It's the closest of the 3 resorts you are considering and as pps have noted has the biggest standard rooms of all the deluxe resorts. I think you can get portable rails from housekeeping for the day bed but check as I've never traveled with a child that age to WDW. IMO the Volcano/Lava pool at Poly is surpassed only by the pool at YC/BC. I think all the deluxe hotels have hot tubs but could be wrong. So far we've stayed at YC, Poly, GF, Contemporary and BWI and they all have hot tubs. As for restaurants, all good to find burgers and fries at any of the hotels you are considering but if you like 'Ohana' s food you don't have to get an ADR; the same food is available via room service.

My 2nd choice would be WL since the boat ride to MK is easy peasy and you can still connect to the monorails and buses. I also like the decor there (especially beautiful during the holiday) but so far haven't stayed at either it or AKL.

HTH and have fun wherever you choose to stay.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

My favorite resort that I've stayed at so far is AKL, however like PP I would pick the Poly with your crew. The extra room will be more comfortable and with a hard ticket party night in your plans being on the monorail is great. Our kids couldn't stay awake to make it to the fireworks last time but we watched them from the beach at the Poly and then rolled them off to bed. Also, the quick service restaurant there has options to please even picky palates. That said, we are going in December of this year and have opted to stay at WL for the first time for the holiday theming. We're not doing a party night though.

 

[lynzi2004]

Thank you all for your replies! You’ve all made great points and with a little over a year to plan, I’m just going to do the Poly and save up for it! DH and I have a 15th anniversary coming up in 2021 and I think we will try the WL then! That way we get the best of both worlds.

 

[DisneyRobin]

Poly!!

 

[lynzi2004]

Poly is showing a non-discounted rate of $580 a night for similar dates in December 2020. Can anyone tell me about what they’ve averaged in a standard room? I keep seeing numbers all across the board for discounts. I was hoping to get in the $400 to $425/night range but that may not be reasonable! I know some free dining times came out last April for the December. Should I expect discounted room rates around the same time?

 

[ChristianR]

I just wanted to add that AKL will finish its room refurbishment beginning of 2020. WL and Poly are due for a room refurbishment and rumour has it that both should start very soon (with WL being the first to start). I usually don´t want to stay at a resort when I know it is due for a refurbishment because rooms might look a little dated/worn but not everyone cares that much about it as me.

 

[MDIME]

Thank you all for your replies! You’ve all made great points and with a little over a year to plan, I’m just going to do the Poly and save up for it! DH and I have a 15th anniversary coming up in 2021 and I think we will try the WL then! That way we get the best of both worlds.

That is a great idea! I would do the same given the need for extra space. I’m going to suggest going to WL for dinner at Whispering Canyon (yummy “regular” food lol) and to see the decor. Maybe on your resort day? Have fun planning!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Poly is showing a non-discounted rate of $580 a night for similar dates in December 2020. Can anyone tell me about what they’ve averaged in a standard room? I keep seeing numbers all across the board for discounts. I was hoping to get in the $400 to $425/night range but that may not be reasonable! I know some free dining times came out last April for the December. Should I expect discounted room rates around the same time?

Google for the wdw free dining dates for the past few years to get an idea of what to expect in 2020. Pretty sure T.Brickman's site gives the past three or four years on one page.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

Poly is showing a non-discounted rate of $580 a night for similar dates in December 2020. Can anyone tell me about what they’ve averaged in a standard room? I keep seeing numbers all across the board for discounts. I was hoping to get in the $400 to $425/night range but that may not be reasonable! I know some free dining times came out last April for the December. Should I expect discounted room rates around the same time?

I feel like this year they were around 470.

 

[MomOTwins]

Thank you all for your replies! You’ve all made great points and with a little over a year to plan, I’m just going to do the Poly and save up for it! DH and I have a 15th anniversary coming up in 2021 and I think we will try the WL then! That way we get the best of both worlds.

This is your last chance to stay at WL with a party of 5 unless you want to pay outrageous amounts for the deluxe rooms or suites/cabins, since regular hotel rooms at WL max out at 4 guests (you are able to book them now because they don't count under 3s, but once your little one turns 3, they will not be available to book). Poly rooms on the other hand allows 5 guests age 3+. You should do WL now if you want to because soon it will be too late.

 

[MomOTwins]

Poly is showing a non-discounted rate of $580 a night for similar dates in December 2020. Can anyone tell me about what they’ve averaged in a standard room? I keep seeing numbers all across the board for discounts. I was hoping to get in the $400 to $425/night range but that may not be reasonable! I know some free dining times came out last April for the December. Should I expect discounted room rates around the same time?

We're paying over $600 for a standard room in November. $400 is not a reasonable expectation for the Poly in December, which is a peak pricing time.

 

[lynzi2004]

This is your last chance to stay at WL with a party of 5 unless you want to pay outrageous amounts for the deluxe rooms or suites/cabins, since regular hotel rooms at WL max out at 4 guests (you are able to book them now because they don't count under 3s, but once your little one turns 3, they will not be available to book). Poly rooms on the other hand allows 5 guests age 3+. You should do WL now if you want to because soon it will be too late.

This is a concern of mine and why we are considering staying there for an anniversary trip just the two of us. We stayed at POFQ this September for that exact reason! I knew it was our last time to have the opportunity. The kids are still at the age where the monorail gets them excited. But realistically I don’t know if DH will be willing to spend the money on the Poly plus extra park tickets once the baby is 3! So I’m thinking that while we aren’t spending an extra $400 on park tickets, now might be my chance for the pricier Poly! DH LOVES camping and we have stayed at FW twice, he would be more than happy to go back there and pay his $100/night for a tent site He’s about to croak at the idea of $400+! Baby steps...

I just wanted to add that AKL will finish its room refurbishment beginning of 2020. WL and Poly are due for a room refurbishment and rumour has it that both should start very soon (with WL being the first to start). I usually don´t want to stay at a resort when I know it is due for a refurbishment because rooms might look a little dated/worn but not everyone cares that much about it as me.

That’s something to look into. We stayed at Pop Century a couple years ago and even though the room was small, the refurbishment really helped and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you all for the continued suggestions! I’ve also started looking around the David’s site at DVC rentals. It might be a great option for us! Is there any downside to a DVC studio vs the standard view rooms that I should be aware of?!

 

[MomOTwins]

This is a concern of mine and why we are considering staying there for an anniversary trip just the two of us. We stayed at POFQ this September for that exact reason! I knew it was our last time to have the opportunity. The kids are still at the age where the monorail gets them excited. But realistically I don’t know if DH will be willing to spend the money on the Poly plus extra park tickets once the baby is 3! So I’m thinking that while we aren’t spending an extra $400 on park tickets, now might be my chance for the pricier Poly! DH LOVES camping and we have stayed at FW twice, he would be more than happy to go back there and pay his $100/night for a tent site He’s about to croak at the idea of $400+! Baby steps...




That’s something to look into. We stayed at Pop Century a couple years ago and even though the room was small, the refurbishment really helped and we all enjoyed it immensely.

Thank you all for the continued suggestions! I’ve also started looking around the David’s site at DVC rentals. It might be a great option for us! Is there any downside to a DVC studio vs the standard view rooms that I should be aware of?!

Studios have one bed and a sofa bed in place of the two beds in a standard. Also, you don’t get daily housekeeping with a studio when paying with points (I think it is every 4 days). And a point rental will not be cancellable/moveable like a direct booking.