Help me pick a resort!

[Monorail Bob's dd]

After combing through these boards and looking at endless pictures with dh, I think we have it narrowed down to Polynesian, Boardwalk, and Beach Club. There will be 5 of us travelling - me, dh, 13 year-old, 10 year-old, and 6 year-old. This will be our first time as a family staying deluxe, I stayed at Poly 3 times as a kid and Boardwalk when I was 20. Dh likes the look of Boardwalk and Poly best, the girls are lusting after the pool at Beach Club. Dh is not a big Disney person so I really want to pick something he will be happy with. Probably be spending the most time in Epcot and Magic Kingdom, possibly staying club level if a summer code comes out (we are going for 5 days at the end of July). Which of these hotel choices do you prefer and why? I would love to do Poly for the room size and theming but some reports of poor room conditions have me a bit nervous. I love the Boardwalk but wish the pool looked a tad more exciting. The girls and I love the look of the Beach Club and are dying to try the pool but dh was only so-so on this when he saw pics. Help!

 

[nancyjvanwyk]

Although we stayed at the Yacht club and not the beach club----The entire complex is just great. Pool is fabulous lobby's and common area beautiful. I would vote for beach club and you are still able to enjoy the boardwalk area and have the use of storm along bay.

 

[Sandisw]

I have stayed at all 3 resorts. If you are going in the summer and your children want to spend time swimming, than BCV is really the way to go. The pool is amazing.

We stayed in the villas last summer (we own DVC) and the walk in to Epcot from BCV was quick and easy. On the hot summer days, knowing it took about 5 minutes from the gates to be inside the resort was wonderful.

Boardwalk is also a nice resort but very spread out. If having a convenient CS place is a concern, than Boardwalk would be my last choice. You have to pretty much go to the bakery which requires you to go outside to get to it. At both the Poly and Beach Club, there is someplace inside. Poly's is better than Beach club, but enough for quick things.

One plus for the Poly, IMO, is that getting to both the MK and Epcot can be done via the monorail. You can walk to the TTC and hop on the Epcot monorail or take it from the resort to MK, a big plus in the summer.

Good luck!

 

[mickeynut1]

Out of your choices we've stayed at the Poly and BC and we would choose the Poly . The BC is a beautiful resort and the pool complex is great, but the one drawback for us is the BC doesn't have a CS place . It has a grab-n-go section in the gift shop, but only has limited selections like crossiants and sandwiches. There is also Hurricane Hannahs by the pool, but for us we need a little more variety, especially for breakfast . Also, the larger rooms at the Poly are a big plus for us . We also love seeing the castle every day and having the beach to sit and watch the fireworks . Good luck deciding, although I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter which resort you choose as they are all great resorts .

 

[MJMcBride]

To me the Poly would be the best choice. You can walk to the TTC for the monorail to Epcot. The food options are top notch. The pool is great.

I love the AKL but that probably wouldnt fit your needs

 

[tinkbyday]

My pick would be BWI - location is terrific and you do not have to go outside in the morning (which you wouldn't staying CL anyway), but there is the Bellevue Lounge that has continental type breakfast stuff every morning. Plus, much quieter than BC - if your DH is not a big Disney fan, he may not enjoy how busy and noisy the BC is due to the Cape May Cafe in the lobby. BWI also has consistently awesome reviews regarding their CL experience.

We have stayed at the YC a couple of times and although we love the BC/YC resort complex, my DD (11) really didn't care for the pool once she actually used it. Also, the slide is across a public sidewalk and I did not feel comfortable having my DD walk out of the pool area out of sight to go down the slide - so, having to keep getting up to watch was not very relaxing - really poor design, IMO.

Have a terrific vacation!

 

[TJA]

All in all, I guess it comes down to location. We've stayed at all 3 of your options with our kids, and each is great in its own way. I think for your case, I may go with an Epcot resort being that your kids are a bit older and your DH is not a huge disney person ~ he can easily enjoy Espn Club on the boardwalk, there are movies on the beach each night, campfire, surrey bike rentals and fun "trail" around the water, walk to mini golf. Walking right into the Epcot countries in 5 minutes is also a huge perk ~ we love the countries and trying different foods, kids love the kidcot stations too.

However, if your family wants to be closer to MK and see the Castle 24/7, then the Poly fits the bill! Direct monorail service to both MK and Epcot is a great perk. Love the restaurants at Poly and also how easy it is to eat at the other monorail resorts. Rooms are larger than at BWI and BC, yes. Main pool is a bit smaller than others and can get overly crowded, fyi. There is also a quiet pool that we use quite often.

I'd say pick your location and go from there. If you pick Epcot location, then next pick which theme you want. BC is beach-like and bright. BWI is a bit more formal inside the hotel part, but then outside it's carnival-type fun. If you pick the MK location, then you have an easy choice in the Poly!

 

[POP!ns]

I always narrow it down to price if u cannot decide go w/ the best price. Or the best view for the price or the best location for what u want. I'm sure everyone will LOVE them all. If all else fails pick from a hat. =) If it was me,I like the retro feel of the Poly & how close it is to the MK.

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I've only stayed at BC and Poly out of your choices. BWI never has appealed to me and that clown pool freaks me out! It's a hard choice between Poly and BC. I prefer the Poly because of the location and the monorail. Quick ride to MK and quick walk then monorail ride to Epcot. The Poly has better food options. The BC has limited counter service although you can just pop into Epcot and grab something at France, UK, or Morocco pretty easily. The BC does have Stormalong Bay but I have a hard time finding seats there and you really have to keep an eye on your kids because you can't just find one spot and see the whole pool. I like Poly's theming better and enjoy both pools there.

Here's something interesting - the BC has sinks outside the toilet area. Some people like this, I do NOT. It was loud and noisy with everyone brushing their teeth in the mornings and evenings so those lounging in bed or just hanging out to watch TV did not get some quiet time. I prefer the Poly bathrooms with the sink inside the toilet/shower room (but many rooms only have one sink).

And while I prefer the Poly, the BC is a great resort and a great location and I would go back if I were to spend the majority of my time at Epcot.

 

[msminnieears]

Stay at the Poly. The access to the monorail is wonderful and if your 2 most traveled parks are EPCOT and MK makes perfect since. Our first deluxe stay was at CR and loved the monorail, so convenient.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would highly recommend going with the Boardwalk.

 

[asdfghjkl13]

The Boardwalk never really impressed me...when I stayed at the Beach Club I was so impressed with it that I will always stay there. Poly is my second favorite hotel after BC so if BC is a no for you guys then go with the Poly

 

[KatMark]

We've only stayed at the Polynesian and love everything about it. We hope to try to the Beach Club in a few years (we're probably trying AKL this next trip); the Boardwalk holds no appeal to us whatsoever (theme wise, decor, pool, etc.). I would go with the Poly or the Beach Club and if DH likes the Poly the best of those two, I'd definitely go with the Poly to make him happy.

 

[kaffinito]

BWIis a wonderful place to stay, there is CS stuff at the Bakery and at the lounge. It's not as spread out as it seems, and the rooms were recently redone. The main pool is nicer than it looks in the pictures, and it has 2 quiet pools as well. It's a short walk from there to EPCOT too.

Now I haven't stayed in a rundown Poly room yet, but did get a dirty room once. So that's one yucky room and three supe clean rooms. But even after that the Poly is still my favorite place to stay.

 

[magicalmcwho]

I would go with the BC for the pool. It will also give you quick access to Epcot and boat ride to HS if you want to go there. Also it's a short walk or boat ride over to the BW area to walk around and enjoy the activities there.

 

[michael's mom]

We've only stayed at the Polynesian and love everything about it. We hope to try to the Beach Club in a few years (we're probably trying AKL this next trip); the Boardwalk holds no appeal to us whatsoever (theme wise, decor, pool, etc.). I would go with the Poly or the Beach Club and if DH likes the Poly the best of those two, I'd definitely go with the Poly to make him happy.

First off, Poly is and always will be my dream deluxe. When I can finally afford it, that's my first stop. But for now, my desire to be in Disney every other year trumps my need for Poly so we do mods instead. As a kid, we always stayed at Poly, before the mods were built, and I have GREAT memories.

My vote is defintely for Poly. Not just because it's my favorite, but because I agree with KatMark. If DH isn't a huge Disney person, and he's not too interested in the Beach Club, I don't think that's the best option. Your kids will have a blast anywhere. I like the pool area at the Poly, particularly it's proximity to the beach there. That might be fun for your 6yo to play in the sand while the older ones swim.

Also, it seems to be the best bet for getting to the two parks you want to spend the most time in. The monorail is a quick, fun, and most importantly cool way to get there.

Best of luck!

 

[Monorail Bob's dd]

First off, Poly is and always will be my dream deluxe. When I can finally afford it, that's my first stop. But for now, my desire to be in Disney every other year trumps my need for Poly so we do mods instead. As a kid, we always stayed at Poly, before the mods were built, and I have GREAT memories.

My vote is defintely for Poly. Not just because it's my favorite, but because I agree with KatMark. If DH isn't a huge Disney person, and he's not too interested in the Beach Club, I don't think that's the best option. Your kids will have a blast anywhere. I like the pool area at the Poly, particularly it's proximity to the beach there. That might be fun for your 6yo to play in the sand while the older ones swim.

Also, it seems to be the best bet for getting to the two parks you want to spend the most time in. The monorail is a quick, fun, and most importantly cool way to get there.

Best of luck!

I think we have come to the conclusion that if we can get any kind of summer discount code, we will book the Poly. With no code, we will probably do a standard room at the Boardwalk. Thanks for the opinions, everyone!

 

[CathieArms]

After combing through these boards and looking at endless pictures with dh, I think we have it narrowed down to Polynesian, Boardwalk, and Beach Club. There will be 5 of us travelling - me, dh, 13 year-old, 10 year-old, and 6 year-old. This will be our first time as a family staying deluxe, I stayed at Poly 3 times as a kid and Boardwalk when I was 20. Dh likes the look of Boardwalk and Poly best, the girls are lusting after the pool at Beach Club. Dh is not a big Disney person so I really want to pick something he will be happy with. Probably be spending the most time in Epcot and Magic Kingdom, possibly staying club level if a summer code comes out (we are going for 5 days at the end of July). Which of these hotel choices do you prefer and why? I would love to do Poly for the room size and theming but some reports of poor room conditions have me a bit nervous. I love the Boardwalk but wish the pool looked a tad more exciting. The girls and I love the look of the Beach Club and are dying to try the pool but dh was only so-so on this when he saw pics. Help!

Honestly, I love the Beach Club. Poly doesn't really appeal to me, but BW looks fun. I'd go Beach Club, though, because you're going in the summer and the pool at BC is AMAZING.

For me, in order of preference:

1. BC
2. BW
3. Poly

 

[Stitch2244314]

Out of your 3 options, we have only stayed at the BW, but we have spent a lot of time at the BC and Poly. We really enjoyed our stay at the BW, so I would not hesitate to recommend it. The location is incredibly convenient to Epcot and HS, and I really liked the atmosphere and transportation options. We had a lot of fun in the pool (with that clown slide), but it's not the biggest pool out there (I'm sure SAB at BC is better). That said, I would really like to stay at BC, and that will probably be the next deluxe we try. The Poly doesn't appeal to us much, although the location is incredible. It seems kind of dark a little bit dated. But I would still really like to try it one day. Since I've only stayed at the BW, I would recommend the resorts in this order: BW, BC, Poly. Of course, remember that these are three Disney deluxe resorts, and you definitely can't go wrong with any of them! Have a great trip!

 

[jeanylaser]

I would like to stay in the Contemporary!