Is it crazy to switch CBR to Poly

[npmommie]

When I was booking it was sooooooo hard to choose a resort.........i went back and forth between several so many times and i narrowed it to CBR and Poly.....
so I booked CBR because hubby had me convinced it was crazy to spend the poly prices .............and CBR appealed to me anyway, I like that it is spread out, i like that it has so many pools, we booked a preferred room so we will be close to the main area.
but the Poly appeals to me because of the monorail, and how close it is to MK.
so the cbr has been booked and paid for, and i of course being undecisive kept rehashing the plan, but the Poly was full the times I checked after.
anyway, tonight again I was looking and it happens the Poly has openings but its a Garden view room
hubby thinks I am crazy for wanting to switch just because it's on a monorail line.........he thinks we should stick to our original plan. I am so torn, I think we will love CBR but I also think we would love Poly, but not knowing much about it, I am afraid of where the garden view room might be. I am afraid we may end up with a room far from the pools, far from the restaurants, etc.
any advice out there?? should I just stick with our plan as it is, my gut is not really telling me anything, hubby only sees more $$$, but he said do what I want.

 

[stellablue]

Hey there,

Would you consider a split-stay? We couldn't narrow it down to just one resort either, so we chose 3 days=CBR, 3 days=AKL. Never done a split-stay before, but I've heard that the transition is positive and they move your luggage for you.

I used to stay at Poly when I was a little girl (can't afford it now as a grown up )
and I'll tell ya, it was an AMAZING resort!! My favorite one-the volcano pool is awesome, great food, having the monorail really is worth it, SPECTACULAR surroundings & hotel room. The garden view is great. If you go to allearsnet website, I think they have photos of a garden view room.

Next year will be our first trip to CBR, but we have heard great things about it. It's supposed to be the largest of the moderates and *I think* the largest rooms. Scenery is supposed to be quite pretty, relaxed and festive atmosphere, and lots of boating activities.

Anyways, a split-stay is a good compromise-you are only spending the $$ for it for half your time and you will get to experience both resorts.

Good luck and have a wonderful trip!!

 

[Lynne M]

CBR is a perfectly fine resort, but in no way does it compare to the Poly. It's not just the monorail. At the Poly, you'll have queen beds instead of doubles at CBR. It's all the amenities of a deluxe resort. Two great restaurants.

Being on the monorail, you also have easy access to the GF and CR, and all of their restaurants.

Don't be concerned about the distance to food, etc. with a garden view room. They're not in a remote location; when we stayed in a garden view several years ago, we were a few steps from the main building (shops, restaurant, monorail).

 

[Rustysmom]

I LOVE CBR, but if you can afford the Poly, you should go for it, just for the monorail.

We stayed at CBR in August and our trip was wonderful, except for the buses. They ran fine, but it was the first week of free dining and the buses were packed every day, which stinks when you have a stroller like we do.

Then we stayed at BC last week and ahhh, it was so nice to be able to walk to Epcot and take the little boat to MGM, although the buses to AK and MK weren't bad this time.

I think it depends on what time of year you want to go, if it's a crowded time or not. If it is, you should go with the Poly. If not, you'll love CBR. You'll love either of them if you like the tropical kind of theme like I do.

Don't forget that they're doing the pool rehab starting in Jan, so if you're going at that time and the main pool is important to you, you shouldn't go to CBR.

 

[3dog2kidmom]

I originally had us booked for 5 nights at Christmas at CBR, and switched to 4 nights in January at the Poly. It is still more, but I loved the Poly when we were there this year for the land part of our land/sea vacation and really really wanted to go back. So we compromised with a less expensive time of year and one less night to help make up the difference in price.

If you can afford the Poly, I don't think you can go wrong. There are some amazing garden view rooms and the deluxe resort can't be beat

 

[robinb]

I'm always more budget-minded than a lot of people on the DIS when it comes to staying at Disney resorts. I simply refuse to pay too much for a resort because I just don't think it's worth it. If you look at my signature you will see that I have stayed just about everywhere, but always at a big discount.

I also see that you are new to the DIS. One of the things that I often see here is what I call "resort creep". People start out with one level or resort but they read about others having so much fun at a different resort. So they ask if they should change (like you did) and they hear what they want to ... which is YES! Change! Go for it! It's worth it! One of the things that I often see here is that people on the DIS are more than willing to spend someone else's money, LOL.

Exactly why do your want to stay at the Polynesian? Sure, the monorail is cool but it's really not "all that" IMO. The theming is nice at the Poly and the rooms are bigger. But CBR has a nice theme and big rooms too, the biggest rooms of all the moderates! It has sit-down restaurant and a real food court (as opposed to a snack shop). It has a perfectly fine pool for your young children.

I don't mean to be the downer on this thread, but I am with your husband. There is NO WAY that I would pay $300 or more per night for the Polynesian. You're willing to spend $150 more per night to ride the monorail to the MK? That's insane! Save your money and book dinner at the Polynesian instead.

 

[OctDisney]

We have stayed at both resorts and really like both of them.
If the CBR's pool is being refurbished then I would take that into consideration.

We do split stays so that is what i recommend. When at CBR do AK and MGM and some Epcot and when at Poly concentrate on Epcot and MK to take advantage of the monorail. This saves a lot of time.

With the Poly you also get the Contemporary and GF and all their restaurants.

We love both resorts so I guess I am telling you what we would do.

 

[disprincessatheart]

We recently stayed at CBR (sept 07) and are staying at the GF in a few months for our wedding/disneymoon. If pools and restaurants are a big concern, also take into account the pool rehab going on at CBR in 08. Not sure what dates you're going, but the main pool will be closed for a good portion of 08 so being close to the main area will only be close to food and a regular pool, not the feature pool. While we liked CBR, we liked CSR Better - we thought the rooms at CSR were nicer and we thought CBR was too spread out, though we did like the theming of the grounds.

So, as someone else who is splurging on a Deluxe soon, if you can reasonably afford to do it, it might be worth trying the Poly.

 

[storzo]

I had the exact same problem. I stayed at CBR this August for the third time and for months I debated switching to the Poly (always wanted to stay there since I was little and never have).

In the end I decided that it just wasn't worth the $1500 extra it was going to cost us. That amount of money can pay for a second Disney trip in a value or half for a Disney moderate or Mexico (our second vacation spot).

I did make it to the Poly for breakfast at O'Hana and got a little upset seeing where I could have been staying. But to be honest, in my experience and I don't know if this is normal, the buses at the Poly were really slow. My DS decided he wanted to go to AK after breakfast (I don't know why when the monorail was there?) and we must have waited 30 minutes for ANY bus to show, then another 10-15 minutes for the AK bus. Then the bus stopped at the GF and it was PACKED! People on board were actually complaining that they paid for a deluxe and each resort should have their own bus. Like I said, I don't know if that is normal, maybe I hit a bad day, but it is something to consider. I never had a problem with the buses at CBR.

 

[npmommie]

just an update,
i decided to keep things the way they are. it just didn't feel right for the planner in me to change this close to the trip date! and no we won't be there during the pool rehab........that would have been the deal breaker for me!
so CBR it is.
like hubby said, we can always stay at the poly on the next trip, and get a lagoon view room if we book early enough.
don't ya love that he is already thinking ahead to the next trip!!! gotta love it!

 

[robinb]

don't ya love that he is already thinking ahead to the next trip!!! gotta love it!

He's a keeper! Good choice. For most of us on the DIS there is always a "next time".

 

[cdotla]

We recently stayed at CBR (Sept/Oct.07) - LOVED it!

One nite we popped over to the Poly for dinner and took in the electrical parade and fireworks (simultaneously!) from the Beach. WELL...I got to tell you, the atmosphere at the Poly was absolutely amazing. No, you don't pay for just the monorail. You get much more!

I last stayed at the Poly in 1977 when I was 4. I thought it wouldn't be my thing - too 70s. However, what fantastic theming. It was great!

I made a vow then and there to stay at the Poly again soon.

However, as our next trip is in Dec, I just booked CBR again. I figure part of the magic of Poly would be swimming in the pool at nite, seeing the Castle, ect. This may or may not be possible then. So I will wait to shell out the big bucks when we are in a guaranteed pool weather time.

So, bottom line - I think you will be happy with either resort. I personally loved CBR. WHy don't you just plan to spend an evening at Poly to at least take in the atmosphere while you are there.

 

[Nancyg56]

We stayed at CBR in October. It is a lovely resort, has a TS restaurant that we loved, the bus service was okay and plenty to do. I enjoyed it.

My DD and her DH had tried to change the the reservation to the Poly but that resort was fully booked by the time they decided they really wanted to make the change. They spent the week comparing both resorts and unfortunately for them, CBR was lacking in comparison.

There really is a difference in amenities and atmosphere, and the monorail is the kicker. If you want the Poly you may want to make the change.

I was happy with CBR and given the choice of two trips but stay at a Moderate, one trip stay at the Poly, I would choose the moderate. My DD and DSIL would not. I suggest that you be realistic about what you look for in a vacation and what amenities you expect in a resort, then determine if the difference in price is enough of an offset for you. They really were disappointed with the choice and I think that while we had a wonderful vacation they did a lot of wishful thinking while we were there.

 

[npmommie]

I don't think I will be doing wishful thinking, I really think we will love the CBR, It seems like a beautiful place, and yes the Poly seems beautiful and amazing too.
There will be a next time for sure, and I will book early enough to get the type of room we would really want anyway.
I am looking forward to the CBR!

 

[Nancyg56]

I really liked it and would stay there again. I loved relaxing on a hammock with a book. This was the closest I will get to the Caribbean in a long time. I know that you will also enjoy your stay.