Help! Poly or POR

[Brett S.]

Help!
We originally had a room reserved at WL.

Discounts came out and we changed as WL didn't offer discount.

Just made a reservation at Poly for 7 nights, 12/13-12/20.
We booked the Poly Garden view, tickets and dining plan for 2 adults and 2 children.
Total cost is $4279.
We stayed at the Poly in 1997 when kids were 5 and 2 and loved it.

Kids are now 13 and 10.

We stayed at POR last December and really enjoyed it. We had a room close to the front and didn't mind the size of the resort. Busses were good although sometimes they could get quite full. Bob at the lounge is awesome!
We can do same number of nights at POR w/tickets and dining plan for $2987.

That is a $1300 difference. I am having a really hard time with this.
Is the convenience and amenities of the Poly really that much better? I realize the monorail is right there, but for $1300 difference?

Any help?

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

I really like both resorts, so it is a hard call!

Personally, I'd do POR in this case. $1300 is a pretty big chunk of change!

Have you considered splitting the stay between the two? Three nights at the Poly and four at POR, for example? It's hard to figure out what the exact savings would be, since your price includes tickets and everything, but it would probably be around $600 off the Poly price.

Have you considered buying an AP for one person in the group? If great AP rates come out, you might be able to save a LOT on the Poly for those dates- value season AP discounts are usually pretty good!

 

[Mom of Sleepy Bashful and BabyDoc]

I really like both resorts, so it is a hard call!

Personally, I'd do POR in this case. $1300 is a pretty big chunk of change!

Have you considered splitting the stay between the two? Three nights at the Poly and four at POR, for example? It's hard to figure out what the exact savings would be, since your price includes tickets and everything, but it would probably be around $600 off the Poly price.

Have you considered buying an AP for one person in the group? If great AP rates come out, you might be able to save a LOT on the Poly for those dates- value season AP discounts are usually pretty good!

Good points Poly Princess.......and that is a chunk of change. Whew!!

We've done the split stay thing so we could try WL. It was wonderful. The deluxe resorts are so nice during Christmas.

 

[JayCT]

With that kind of thinking, why not stay at a Value resort and save even more money? The Poly is one of the best resorts at WDW so you are going to pay top dollar for it. Only you can decide if it is worth it. As you can see below, we have stayed at the Poly a couple of times and it certainly wasn't the cheapest resort we could get. So I think it is worth it. We will be staying at YC on our quick trip before school starts but that is because we could get any discount for the Poly. Jay

 

[Tam1067]

I've stayed at both places and enjoyed them. I'd say you are the only one who can determine whether the Poly is "worth" $1300 more to you than POR. There's a reason the Poly is more, but $1300 is a large amount of money, and with that money, you can do a lot of other cool things, so it's really your decision!

 

[Tinkerbellfollower]

I know this may sound weird but stay at poly. it is more money but its a great hotel and we rank it at the top of our list.

 

[MainStreetDad]

We have stayed at the Poly twice, both times in December. The Poly is a fantastic resort with wonderful grounds, especially at night.

 

[disney1313131313]

We have a family of 5, so I haven't stayed at POR, but $1300 WOW! I have stayed at Poly, and it is fine, but that's almost $200 per night for 7 nights. It wasn't THAT great! Have you thought about the CR? Bigger rooms, 2 queens and a day bed, more space? More than the POR ( but more and bigger beds and more space), but less than the Poly.

 

[boandmichele]

yeah everyone is saying its a big chunk of change, but that is the difference in mods vs. deluxes. this is not a special case. it is just the premium you pay. we have chosen polynesian for next september, and we are not looking back because we love it!

 

[minnie61650]

Disney does charge a premium price for their Deluxe resorts.
Deluxe guests are paying for location and amenities not for stellar customer service.
Many guests are disappointed because they think the GF is a 5 star hotel.
They expect the service of a 5 star and are disappointed when their expectations are not met.
It is in no way near a 5 star hotel even though it costs as much as many 5 star hotels.
The GF is rated 4 diamonds by AAA but most sites rate it as 3 and a half.
The Poly and CR are usually considered 3 star hotels.


To the OP: Only you can decide if the Poly is worth $1300 to you and your family.

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!

 

[Goofy_4_WDW]

MY choice would be POR for 2 reasons, To save lots of money and because we really dont spend much time in the room anyway.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I think with kids the ages of yours (stroller free) I would go with POR. I really love the Poly but now that my youngest is 3 and we'd need 2 rooms I'm staying moderate. I still loved the Poly on my last trip but when I came home to my Visa bill I had some serious buyers remorse. But the Poly sure is magical and you haven't stayed there with the new rooms yet. Those new flat TV's are awesome!

 

[EjandMD]

I'm a hotel snob and I have to say that I would stay at POR. We stayed at Poly last christmas and while it was nice I was REALLY disappointed with the food court (oh wait what food court) I was last there in May and the new food court still wasn't done. I saw so many poor father's losing their tempers while the ONE COOK tried to get everything done. So every morning there would be at least two dads with kids in tow, I'm assuming mom's getting ready and no one can get food! With kids who are preteens the food court at POR is a plus!

I have to say and forgive me I was a bit disappointed with Poly Espcially for the amount of money that was paid. I also think the water slide at POR is better, but that's just me.

instead you can take the $1300 and apply it for your next trip.

just my $.02 ...good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[EjandMD]

one more thing unless they corrected the refridgerator problem at POLY, it never got cold because they put it in the closet area where it couldn't vent properly.

 

[mrs.elliott]

You are the only one that knows what is right for your family, so ultimately it's up to you as to what hotel is better for your family. Every family is unique in terms of finances, likes, dislikes, etc - so what works for one family may not work for your family.

For me I really don't care what hotel I stay in, because I know wherever I stay in WDW is going to be a quality hotel, with theming that is out of this world. It also doesn't really matter to me, because really how much time do you actually spend at the resort, we're generally on the go and only use the hotel for a place to sleep and rest.

Good luck in your decision - either way I rest assure you are going to have a fun and when you think back on your trip where you stayed really isn't going to matter.