Hopped 3 resorts this trip...Poly, POP & Beach Club...surprising opinion

[thelionqueen]

I just got back from an absolutely AWESOME 12 night vacation to the World. We began our stay with 3 nights @ POP (70's section-had never stayed in that section before), 5 nights @ Poly (never stayed here before) and 4 nights @ Beach Club (non DVC stay).

Let me just say that the way in which each resort was planned could not have been better.

When I first checked into POP and found out we got the 70's section (all that was left after numerous checks) I was very disappointed. We had always stayed in 50's & 60's preferred in the past. WELL, now add me to the 70's section fan section . Our stay and building was absolutely wonderful!! Short walk to main bldg. and the MOST quiet I have EVER experienced @ POP. The only downfall (which I think applies to all sections) is the distance to parking. But over all, HUGE thumbs up!

Secondly we stayed @ Poly in Samoa. We have been looking forward to staying @ Poly for YEARS and were super excited. The building and view was GREAT (although we were on the 2nd floor with no patio). The check-in CM's were fantastic! Overall our stay was OK, possibly above average, but nothing like we were expecting. I've read the rave reviews on the DIS and my own observations when visiting for dining & etc., and, while I agree it is wonderful, I would not stay there again for the price (just my opinion people, not bashing Poly ). The food court was great, apart from the front desk CM's, many other CM's were barely average (which I found throughout this stay, not just @ Poly). The location to MK was wonderful,and the view of the fireworks from the pool, fantastic. Maybe my expectations were set too high, I don't know, but Poly will not be on my "wish list" for accommodations in the future.

Lastly, we stayed @ Beach Club. All I can say is WOW . I have stayed @ BC before and it was wonderful, but with the new renovations, new bedding and decor, I can honestly say BC is the only deluxe we will stay at in the future (excluding of course our new home @ BLT). The staff was AMAZING, and we all know the magic of Art! Everything was fantastic (except one dinner @ Yachtsman) and the comfort and serenity just the best.

I didn't know whether to post this in trip reports or resorts, do if I misplaced this Mods, sorry.

This trip affirmed my total satisfaction with POP & BC and fulfilled my Poly dream. Just wanted to pass on my experience to anyone who may be interested

 

[heaven2dc]

First of all - 12 days!! What a great vacation you must have had

I've never stayed at any of the resorts you did but would like to try POP at least once (I've only been to WDW twice and both times stayed at BWV so feel spoiled and hesitant to try something new). If I had younger kids, I'd probably try POP next trip for a couple nights.

I love the atmosphere at Poly but when we walked to the Luau and saw the rooms from the outside, I didn't think I'd want to stay there but would give it a try for one night.

The Beach Club I would love to stay there but not in the DVC villas side. The view of Crescent lake & SAB would be what I'd want to pay for. I love the looks of the hotel, the pool is to die for and location is awesome. I rented points for our stay at BWV in February 08 and upcoming trip in December and saved alot of money; otherwise, I would have chosen the BC. plus I get a boardwalk view this trip

Now if only I could only afford to go again before June 09 and take advantage of the new discount, then I'd definitely stay at BC!

 

[northriver]

Thanks for the review!

Our one and only stay at the Poly in '07 left me with a similar feeling. Loved the location, Dole Whip rocks, resturants are the best onsite, Wishes from the beach is awsome - BUT we found the pool always over crowded, our room was downright dirty, mousekeeping and bell services both terribly disorganized, unreliable and NOT up to par for what we paid for the room. We tried to CR this year and were much happier with the service. We have WL booked for next year and BC is on the top of my list of places to stay in the future. We won't be back to the Poly unless the price drops in line with some of the other resorts. It was a really nice resort but overpriced even by Disney standards.

 

[MickeyNicki]

Thanks for your reviews! The first time we stayed at the Poly it was a garden view room (the costs were super high) and we did not get the feel that we built up in our minds. The second time we stayed there I booked a MK water view room (super big discount) and we LOVED the resort! We are going back there in January with our nieces purely for the location and the transportation...plus we have a 7:30 am ressie at Ohana so this makes it much easier.

Thanks for the info about BC...it has been 7 years since we stayed there and DH wants to book it for our Oct trip but I really want to go back to the BWI

 

[thelionqueen]

Thanks for all the replies, I was hoping I wasn't the only one.
As for BC, the renovations are nothing less than spectacular, and to clarify, we did get a newly renovated room @ Poly which was great. The Dole Whips daily..yummy, but I'll take BLT or BC from now on.

To the PP re: POP. Definitely give it a try! There are a lot of people who have posted about the noise and service, but I've been there now many times and have never had anything less than a great experience. For the money, it's always a great choice

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for your reviews. Would you give us a review of your dinner at Yachtsman? It's been ten years since we were there and we have a reservation in December. TIA

 

[hildarumpole]

Thanks for sharing. We're thinking about trying POP next year, but were concerned about the stories of noise and crowds. The kids want to stay in the 60's, because they think it's a cool era and like the pool, but I might try to convince them the 70's is the way to go.

 

[koolaidmoms]

Some talk about the noise and the crowds at the value resorts but for $59 a night (or less) we have nothing but praise for them. We plan our trips around certain events we know about - 1st week of December is PopWarner Footaball and Cheer at the resorts (hated it!!!! during that time).

When we are renting 3-4 rooms at a time for family members this is the best way to go for us. We are only in the rooms for a short time, there are 2 pools and during the day they are not usually that crowded during non-peak times. There are not the extra amenities - ironing boards, etc... but I am on vacation and don't plan on pressing my shorts.

 

[autumnsmommy]

Some talk about the noise and the crowds at the value resorts but for $59 a night (or less) we have nothing but praise for them. We plan our trips around certain events we know about - 1st week of December is PopWarner Footaball and Cheer at the resorts (hated it!!!! during that time).

When we are renting 3-4 rooms at a time for family members this is the best way to go for us. We are only in the rooms for a short time, there are 2 pools and during the day they are not usually that crowded during non-peak times. There are not the extra amenities - ironing boards, etc... but I am on vacation and don't plan on pressing my shorts.

There are ironing boards at POP, not that I would use one, either.

 

[Gixer]

Thanks so much for posting your review! Im so glad you Loved the Beach club, I have booked a week stay there in April. DH said I could book any resort I wanted and it was a tough choice between the Poly & Beach club, I picked beach club in the end because of the awesome pool and its close proximity to Epcot which is our favourite park

So glad you had a wonderful vacation!

 

[wlwilliams9]

Oh man, I'm sooo confused now! I booked BC for our trip in May and then switched to Poly, but now I'm second guessing myself! I LOVE the pool at BC and the rooms are luxurious, but I have never stayed at the Poly before and it is so convenient with the Monorail (we have a 2 yo, so stroller and breaks during the day!) Help me make a decision!!!

 

[Shmily1]

I'm so glad you had a great time and I totally agree about all three resorts!! I love all the values because they are really fun (stayed at all but AS Sports and we've been to POP 9 times)!!! Poly is a great resort for those who like that, but I wasn't impressed either. Now, BC... that's a totally different story!!! I don't know of any other resort on property that I love as much as BC!! It is very convenient and soooo wonderful!! Did you get some gelato from the marketplace??? We also love to go visit Art and have breakfast at Cape May!! My entire family looks forwar to each visit to WDW so we can do breakfast there even if we aren't staying there that trip.

All the rest of the PPs that are going soon, I hope you have a great time!!! You've picked some great resorts!!

 

[Luna_Lovegood]

Since the 4/3 deal came up, I tried to get Beach Club as it was next on our "to-do-when-we-can-afford-it" list, but the standard views were all booked up for our dates. We're going to try for Boardwalk next.
And about the noise at POP, when we stayed there I mentioned to the CM at check-in that we had a son with autism and that a quieter spot would sure make our lives easier. She put us on the 4th floor of the 70s building, and it was wonderful. Glad you had a great trip!

 

[thelionqueen]

Oh man, I'm sooo confused now! I booked BC for our trip in May and then switched to Poly, but now I'm second guessing myself! I LOVE the pool at BC and the rooms are luxurious, but I have never stayed at the Poly before and it is so convenient with the Monorail (we have a 2 yo, so stroller and breaks during the day!) Help me make a decision!!!

That's a toughie. The convenience of the monorail to MK cannot be beat, nor the view of the fireworks @ Poly. But the luxury of the beds, proximity to Epcot, and the large amount of dining choices, is more of a draw for me. However, both my boys are mobile, and we don't have a 2 year old.

I don't think you can go wrong with either, but if you're asking me for my personal opinion, it's BC hands down. Enjoy your trip no matter which resort you pick!!

 

[Mastiff]

thelionqueen,

So glad to hear you had a nice vacation! You've got me thinking again about BC. We are planning to spend 2-3 days at WDW before our Disney cruise in May and I was planning on going back to the Poly. We stayed there a couple of years ago and really liked it. I think we enjoyed the ease of the monorail the most.

So I have a couple of questions I'm hoping you can help me with.

1. What room or section did you stay in at BC?
2. Do you take buses to the other parks? Is that a pain?
3. How long of a walk is it to Epcot?
4. Is Stormalong Bay totally awesome? I think I want to go more than my kids.

Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Redbudlover]

I have stayed at POLY and BC and ASMU - as well as BWI, AKL, WL. I just bought into BWI and am thrilled with it. But of all the resorts I truly love BC like you. It has the best service of any of them, imho. I liked what you did about the POLY, but disliked walking outside for such a distance to get to my room. The room could have been cleaner, too. I love Kona and the location and the marina, but for the money give me BC!

 

[mdoc]

Regarding your impression of the Poly, I had a similar feeling about all the deluxe resorts I've stayed at at WDW (Poly, Contemporary and Wilderness Lodge). They were nice, but nothing all that special for the price. But for the proximity to the MK and the monorail, I preferred Pop to the Contemporary. We pretty much always stay at the Fort Wilderness Campground these days, but if I was going to try another Deluxe, it would definitely be Beach Club. If BC, with its super cool pool, disappointed me, I'd swear off the WDW Deluxe Resorts forever.

 

[Eastern]

We have stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, Contemporary, and BC 2x, this April will be our 3rd time. We love BC

 

[luvthemouse71]

I stayed at the Poly for the first time in September, and loved it. It's my favorite resort now. We had a clean room, excellent CMs, and I loved the theming, the monorail, and the atmosphere. I'm now officially a Deluxe snob. I've heard Pop is cool but I don't do values anymore because of the noise factor.

Glad you had a good trip, OP.

 

[rapunzal]

What is transportation like EMH to MK from Beach Club? What time do I need to be waiting for the bus?