I admit it, I'm a tightwad!

[smorkovsky]

Admittedly, we are tight wads, but we also know that you get what you pay for, and we like nice things.

I absolutely CANNOT decide if it's worth the ~$1000 more it will cost to stay at the Polynesian versus AofA (in a Family Suite). We are only planning on park hopping three days of a 6 day stay, so we will be spending some time at the resort and at water parks.

This is our first trip, and possibly our only, leading me more towards the Poly.

I can do a lot with $1000, and I'm sure AofA is plenty wonderful and magical, with great theming which will probably bring more pleasure and fun to my kids anyway.

I've read, read, read, and read some more, and I just can't decide!

HELP!!! WWYD????

 

[Shaden]

Admittedly, we are tight wads, but we also know that you get what you pay for, and we like nice things.

I absolutely CANNOT decide if it's worth the ~$1000 more it will cost to stay at the Polynesian versus AofA (in a Family Suite). We are only planning on park hopping three days of a 6 day stay, so we will be spending some time at the resort and at water parks.

This is our first trip, and possibly our only, leading me more towards the Poly.

I can do a lot with $1000, and I'm sure AofA is plenty wonderful and magical, with great theming which will probably bring more pleasure and fun to my kids anyway.

I've read, read, read, and read some more, and I just can't decide!

HELP!!! WWYD????

Don't know how many you are in your trip, But, I'd either stay at AoA and add a couple days for the 1000

or switch to a moderate and book 2 trips for the price of one

 

[princessap]

It all depends on what you place value on. We stayed at the poly for our first onsite stay this year and LOVED it. For us with small kids, the monorail was priceless!!! We only did MK as it was a short stay but it was great for getting to Chef Mickeys as well. My kids loved seeing the castle from the pool and talk about that all the time!

the rooms are big at the poly but not separate like a suite will be.

how old are kids?? What is important for you??

 

[aaarcher86]

Personally, probably AoA. I like the themes there better and I'd have more fun spending $1000 other places over more stuff at the resort. Rooms are bigger.

I'm probably in the minority though lol. The Poly is my favorite deluxe though.

 

[smorkovsky]

I will have DS10, DS8, and DD4.

 

[mom2dina]

I've stayed at AoA twice and Poly once, the rest at POP. If this is your first and only trip Stay at Poly, the pools are great, the slide is great, the beach and fireworks are great, and the mono rail is great.
Did I mention how great i thought it was
The AoA is nice also but not the same ...

 

[gillenkl]

I would stay at a moderate (Port Orleans Riverside) which can accommodate 5 in a room and extend my vacation for a few days with the you money you would have spent. Also, just my opinion, I would skip hoppers and add a 4th day so you would have a day in each park. Three days isn't enough to see all 4 parks and since you're only doing this one visit I'd want to see all the parks.

 

[Kristibo42]

I would never pay that price for a room to sleep in. We go value all the time.

 

[princessap]

I would skip park hoppers for sure!!

If you don't have young ones I would then go moderate resort, we have young kids and the monorail for us is priceless

 

[Shaden]

I will have DS10, DS8, and DD4.

So if its just the 4 of you, you could do any Moderate, for cheaper than AoA or Poly, in fact half price of the Poly,

Garden view rooms, cheapest at Poly are 485 regular season, mods are 200 per night, give or take $10 depending on the mod.

AoA Family is 309/night ....

So yea, if it were me I would go with a moderate, and either stay longer, OR, do 2 trips for the price of one

 

[Minniesgal]

What about AKL my kids love it and it would probably be cheaper than the Poly

 

[ArwenMarie]

Admittedly, we are tight wads, but we also know that you get what you pay for, and we like nice things.

I absolutely CANNOT decide if it's worth the ~$1000 more it will cost to stay at the Polynesian versus AofA (in a Family Suite). We are only planning on park hopping three days of a 6 day stay, so we will be spending some time at the resort and at water parks.

This is our first trip, and possibly our only, leading me more towards the Poly.

I can do a lot with $1000, and I'm sure AofA is plenty wonderful and magical, with great theming which will probably bring more pleasure and fun to my kids anyway.

I've read, read, read, and read some more, and I just can't decide!

HELP!!! WWYD????

Well, if you're really asking me what I would do , I would go for the Poly, especially if you are planning on spending lots of time at the resort.

But really, only you can answer this question!

 

[KELLY]

I would never pay that price for a room to sleep in. We go value all the time.

Same here but we have experienced deluxes. But I wouldn't spend the money on them now. We just don't use the amenities. We actually prefer the values. I like the moderates as well. But even a moderate for our stay is 1000.00 more. No thanks.

 

[bluejasmine]

Ok here is the way we look at it.

Yes the deluxes are expensive & I've stayed value & moderate & would again in a heartbeat!

That being said the deluxes offer so much more convenience, relaxation & experiences!

Especially MK resorts, you cannot get a better view anywhere on property! The convenience if the monorail is priceless!

If you would like to take afternoon breaks to swim a bit or relax the monorail cuts transportation time immensely! Making it so easy to get to parks & resorts so quickly!

You can book meals at the other MK resorts be there in minutes vs the 90 min suggested with bus/boat..

Lastly Poly is our favorite, it's so beautiful & relaxing from the landscaping to the music to decorations, food, it's really an experience..

If you don't want to relax more at the resort then I suggest a value or a mod..

ASMU/POR Dec 16-22, 2012 & CR Sept 8-15, 2013

 

[robnoxious]

As much as we love the Poly (never stayed there but have eaten at every restaurant and checked out the hotel on several trips), for us the extra cost isn't worth it. You can do a lot with $1000!!! We literally are only in the room long enough to change and sleep and don't need to spend and extra $1000 on that. We stay at moderates and its perfect!

 

[lovelybellanotte]

Just my two cents, but I would stick with AoA. Based on the ages of your kids, I think they will enjoy the atmosphere more overall.

Don't get me wrong, the Poly is absolutely beautiful, but its more sophisticated. Kids are going to be much more enamored by giant statues of the characters they know and love than they will be by the beauty of a Deluxe resort.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip!

 

[Kimi313]

We have never stayed at the AoA but it looks fun but my suggestion is to weigh the discounts during the time you will be going, right now to me it doesn't look like there is big RO discounts for AoA but there has been for Poly. My other suggestion is that Pete and the gang here on the DIS unplugged have recently reviewed both of these hotels so you definitely need to take a look at both videos.

 

[cdhale]

Keep in mind that this advice is coming from someone who just saved $1000 by switching from a deluxe to a moderate... BUT, if this is your first and possibly only trip, I would stay at Poly. I have been there twice and LOVE it and you can't beat having the monorail run right to the lobby. I've never stayed at a value, but I can't see how it could be as magical as being in one of the original Disney resorts.

 

[DisneyMomChristine]

Here's my take on it - I will have DD4 & DD5 when we travel next, and I STRUGGLED with deciding between AoA (LM room) and CR. Because we barely spend any time at the resorts, we decided to go with CR for the incredible convenience of being able to walk to MK, as we will be spending about 3 days of our trip there.

Since you mentioned spending time at the resort, and only doing parks 3 days of your entire stay, I would lean towards AoA in your case. I could see spending a whole day just walking around AoA, looking at the statues and swimming in all the pools.

Perhaps you could schedule a meal at the Poly to experience it a bit? We did that last year - breakfast at Kona Café, and then hopped on the monorail to the parks. Just a suggestion!

 

[dimndgal1]

Perhaps do AoA and instead of park hoppers, buy Water Parks and More option - that way if you decide you 'miss' the more deluxe pools, you could spend part of a day (or two) at a water park. If you only plan on hopping 3 of 6 park days, it might make more sense to go that route anyway, but that's just my $.02

We have stayed moderate and deluxe and (don't get me wrong, loved the deluxe) but will only consider it if the difference in cost is minimal. 1k is a lot of money that could buy more meals, extra days at Disney, and so much more. For us, we'd rather save a little on the room and 'lose' some of the amenities, and bump up our meals or extras (Photopass +, other experiences).

I would definitely consider what YOU think would make this an ideal vacation and follow that gut feeling. If you think the better resort is beneficial, then go for it! If you'd rather put the money somewhere else, then there is your answer!