Help! Saratoga vs. Old Key West vs. Polynesian with little ones

[ccgegg]

I'd appreciate any advice (pros/cons) on staying at the Polynesian vs. Old Key West with a 4yo and 1yo. The extra living space and separate bedroom (1br villa) are nice in OKW esp with putting the 1yo down earlier than the rest of us, but the convenience of the monorail and proximity to TTC is a plus at Poly. How is the transportation to and from the 4 major parks at OKW? We plan to visit each of them, but not hop to and from during the day. Also do not plan to take naps.... at least not in our hotel room. We need advice from experienced folks like yourselves.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

With the kids so young I would go for the Poly. Transportation is a big issue for him ( I have little ones too). ALso since they are young I think a room at the Poly has plenty of space.

 

[chipnwendy]

Aside from the boat that takes you to Downtown Disney, all of the transportation to Old Key West is by bus. However, the resort is served by its own bus at all of the theme parks. In other words, you won't be stopping at other resorts along the way to drop off other guests. It's always a straight shot.

 

[robinb]

I love OKW and the Polynesian ... it's a hard choice! I'm torn because you said you are not planning to take breaks.

The 1 BR at OKW is very spacious and you can prepare meals in the kitchen. The 1 BR really comes in handy in the mid-afternoon or evening when you return from the parks where you can put the kids down in the bedroom and you can still hang out in the living room. But ... if you're going to go-go-go then you won't have time to enjoy it.

The advantage of the Polynesian is location and the zero-entry pool for the kids. Your 4 year old will enjoy sleeping on the daybed. I guess I would choose the Polynesian. I also encourage you to reconsider taking an afternoon break with 2 kids under 5.

 

[ccgegg]

Great points from everyone. To complicate matters more, when I called this morning to make a ressie, Saratoga Springs had a 1br villa available at the same price as OKW. The rep recommended SS over OKW, so I bit. Now I'm having second thoughts and still considering Poly.

As for not taking a break with the little one, that is a concern. Our hope is that the 1yo will nap in the stroller (he usually does), but in the event he doesn't, it would be nice to be close enough to take a break and meet back up with the other half of the family. We're not worried about the 4yo-- she can handle the 9am-7pm day, no problem. (going Feb 14-19)

 

[robinb]

ccgegg,

If you're going on 2/14-2/19 you may want to look into renting points from DVC members. I don't know what kind of rate you're getting at SSR, but it takes 158 points for a 1 BR. At the going rate of $10 per point you would send $1580 for the 5 days or $316 per night with no taxes due. OKW would be 138 points, almost $200 less. If you shirfted your dates to 12/13-12/18 it's 129 points at SSR and 104 points at OKW since you wouldn't be staying an expensive Friday.

You can rent points from DVC membere here:
http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=29

Good luck!

 

[spiceycat]

how about VWL - it also has a 1-bedroom.

It is close to the MK - a boat ride (not monrail) - but transportation is pretty nice.

Since the MK is your main park.

Or you can also stay at FW cabins.

both the 1-bedroom at OKW, VWL, SSR have a kitchen. So does FW.

the Polyn does not.

I would think a kitchen would be necessary with a 1-year old.

Yes I would also go with trying to rent points from a DVC owner instead of CRO - definitely less expensive.

these resorts would be - dvc resorts - OKW, SSR, VWL, BCV or BWV.

FW and Polyn go through CRO.

 

[ccgegg]

I looked into renting points, but the 30-day cancellation scares me with two little ones in Feb who get their fair share of illnesses. Also, I'm using a promo code to get OKW or SSR for $1500 incl taxes for 5 nts.... not bad. Wilderness was not available on our dates with this promo code.... OKW and SSR were the only home-away-from-home.

I've read that transportation from VWL is somewhat cumbersome except for the boat to MK. "convoluted" is the exact word used in The Unofficial Guide. Is that true? Kind of scared me off having the 2 little ones.

Thanks for all the help so far. Like all of you, we want this trip to be the best it can be.

 

[swilphil]

Unless you really want to be able to cook in your room, I'd do the Poly. I personally don't like to cook while on vacation. We do get snacks, breakfast and sandwich fixings and keep in a cooler or small fridge. I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, and the less time you spend on a bus the better. I also like being able to go back and forth between the room and the park quickly. I also like Poly for the monorail so no folding up the stroller. The Poly also has nice size rooms.

The only way I would stay DVC is to rent points. It seems extremely expensive otherwise, but I'm like you and I don't like the cancellation policy.

 

[SueM in MN]

Even if you don't cook, at the DVC, you would have a refrigerator and microwave. Nice with kids (and very nice for making yourself a snack late at night or coffee early in the morning). The DVC villas also have washers and dryers (full size at OKW, small stackable ones at the other resorts).
When we stayed at VWL, there was the boat to MK (which was shared on some trips with Fort Wilderness and was about a 15-20 min trip on those rides). To the other parks, the bus took you to the TTC and from there you either got on the monorail to go to Epcot or a bus to go to the other parks -I'm not sure if it's still that way or not.

OKW and SSR have dedicated buses.

 

[ccgegg]

After much discussion, we've decided the separate bedroom and kitchen are more valuable than transportation and proximity to MK. With the parks closing early in Feb, we know our 1yo will not sleep in the same room as us and we don't really want to go to bed at 8pm. So a 1br villa it is! Now we have to choose between Saratoga Springs and Old Key west.... 1br villa.... identical price.

Between SSR and OKW, which has the more excluded master bedroom so our 1yo will not be disturbed?

Looks like the jacuzzi and possibly other parts of the bathroom at SSR are separated by some blinds from the master bedroom.... not good when a 1yo is trying to sleep. Is OKW a better setup? I can't find a room diagram for SSR and the one I found for OKW (in The Unofficial Guide) is rather confusing.

 

[stacy6552]

we found the bedroom door in the 1bedroom to be priceless when our son was 1.

I completely vote for SSR (top reccommendation) or OKW. Convenience isnt always in the location, especially with little ones. In addition to the bedroom door (did I mention its priceless?), you get the full kitchen so juiceboxes and snacks and breakfast and sandwiches are all super easy. The space factor is also great for strollers.......

SSR is brand spanking new and just wonderful, though OKW has bigger rooms.

 

[Deb & Bill]

In both SSR and OKW, the jacuzzi tub is separated from the master bedroom by the louver doors/window. The shower room in OKW is separated from the tub room by door. In the buildings above 30, there is also a door from the laundry room (full sized, by the way) to the bathroom at OKW.

The rooms are much larger at OKW than SSR. Also, you will have a large porch versus a small narrow balcony.

Parking near your room is much easier at OKW than SSR. SSR has very long, winding corridors (similar to BWV), whereas OKW has shorter walkways. Not as many elevators at OKW as SSR. Each building at SSR has an elevator, but your room may be a long haul from the elevator. At OKW, there are only three buildings with elevators, 62, 63 and 64, which are located near the Hospitality House.

The Congress Park villas (only ones open right now) are a good hike from the themed pool, but the leisure pool is very nice, just no slide. At OKW, the main pool has a slide (under construction as we speak), but none of the leisure pools have them.

SSR villas are nearly identical to BCV, VWL and BWV in their set up. There is parking at each building.

 

[debm]

We just returned from 5 nights at BCV and 5 nights at Saratoga. You didn't say when you would be going. Will it be warm enough to swim? If so I vote for Saratoga. The pool was incredible. We have 4 young kids and even though we love Beach Club it was much easier watching all the kids at Saratoga. The slide was great---even a little tiny one for the small kids. And the zero entry pool was perfect. And then there was the water play area that your youngest could enjoy with the spouting water and areas to splash in. All the villas are made generally alike as far as the 1 bdr. We have not stayed at Key West though but I know it is bigger. There are some differences between the newer resorts as far as a foot or two here and there--laundry, closet, toilet area, etc. Nothing anyone else would probably notice. SSR will be HUGE when the entire complex is finished but right now it is still wonderful. The food court was perfect! If you get a chance to visit DTD and look across the water from Legoland to the resort it is breathtaking. Enjoy!