Is the Polynesian worth $1,000 MORE than POR for 5 days?

[prune1977]

HELP!!! I don't know if I'm thrilled I found these boards or eternally frustrated.

We have been to Magic Kingdom with the kids twice, but are planning our first "all Disney" vacation including staying on Disney property.

We are a family of 5: two adults, and kids ages 10, 7, and 3 at the time of the trip (next summer). I thought it was a no-brainer to stay at Port Orleans Riverside since it's the most economical space for 5 and at a moderate resort to boot. We're picking dates now because we want to take advantage of free air and mileage tickets will go on sale in the next 6 weeks.

But then as I perused these boards I read harrowing tales of lousy transportation at moderate resorts and that the values are better for transport. And I read a recent thread for a family in a similar situation and most people recommended the Polynesian if they do not want to rent points or stay in a villa.

We will be taking advantage of a castmember's discount for the hotel while we stay, so that helps some with the cost, but the difference between POR and Poly is $1,000 for 5 days. Is it worth it for that kind of cost?

We love the MK fireworks and watching them from the beach on a day or two that we are not in MK sounds awesome, but I don't know if it's worth $1,000. I'm anticipating visiting each of the four parks once over the 5 days and also having an adult and the three year old head back to the resort in the true heat of each day for the 3 year old to nap/rest and on some days, the whole family will likely head back together and the big kids will rest/swim if they need a break from the park.

I know in my heart that you can't go wrong at any Disney resort, but since we have so much time to plan, I'd like to make an educated decision. thanks for any help you can provide.

WE did our first all disney stay in 20ll, had kids that were 5, 3 1/2 and 1 at the time. We stayed at WL and the transportation was fantastic, loved being able to take the boat to and from MK or take the bus.
But don't let transportation be your deciding factor.
WE stayed at AKL last year and I didn't think the transportation was quite as good but guess what? we still had a great trip and loved that resort too. Matter of fact people ask us which resort we liked better and i really can't answer. I loved them both for different reasons. On a side note Poly is our "dream" resort to someday stay at.

 

[mousedreamer]

I think it would be worth it, if it won't strain your finances! We have stayed at the Polynesian twice. We love it! It is so easy to split up and head back to the room if one of the kids need a break! (or one of the parents)The view of the fireworks is incredible. The grounds are beautiful and Captain cook's is open 24/7. The transportation can't be beat, for that alone it is worth it. You will never regret staying at the Polynesian!

 

[scottmel]

I wrestled with this EXACT scenario for this past June. We always do a split stay between YC Club Level and ?????. This year I wanted to make the ???? the Poly. However afteer reading less than favorable reviews and people PM'ing me not to stay at Poly if room conditions are important (they are for me) we opted to do POR. Loveely resort, we enjoyed it, but we are not moderate people. My next June trip will be deluxe for sure the whole time. Tried it, enjoyed it,e tc. I don't think Poly is worth 1k more though but YC CL to me would be or standard YC no club would be less yet.....So it is all about what you want. I enjoy club level that is a waste to others I am sure but that is what I enjoy. I don't mind spending money at all for something I percieve to be of value. And for me, spending more for a tired room wasn't worth it to me.

 

[1Jackpot]

I would absolutely spend the money to stay at the Polynesian. The easy monorail access is worth it to me. Have a great trip!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

Yes, I would absolutely pay the additional $1,000 to stay at the Polynesian!!! We have stayed there twice now and have been spoiled by staying there! It's such a beautiful resort, the rooms are huge, and it's so convenient! We faced this same dilemma when booking our trip for this year but decided that we loved the Polynesian so much that the extra money was worth it.

 

[1Jackpot]

I would stay at the Poly, but even if you don't, both resorts are great and I don't think you can go wrong with either one. Have a great trip!

 

[Disney-Kim]

It's definitely true that different things matter to different people. Room size is not an issue for us. We're cruisers usually - my 9 year old has been on 6 cruises and we spent this past Spring Break with 5 people in a cabin for 4 - so tight living quarters roll right off us. And the money is what it is. We CAN afford it, and if it cost that $1,000 more to stay at POR I'd be fine with it. I'm one of those people who would rather invest $50 for a Land's End backpack for my kids that my oldest will now be using for her 5th school year than pay $19.99 every year for a new one that's trashed by the end of the year. But if something is just more expensive because of the name, I'll stick with the less expensive option.

My dilemma is that sometimes, with a three year old - it's like a flip of a switch. One minute they are fine, then next they are overtired and cranky. Even when we stayed off property for our last visits, we left the park in the middle of the day. Problem over 2012 Spring Break (our cruise left out of Port Canaveral, so we spent one day at MK pre-cruise) was that the baby crashed as soon as we got to the car, slept on the ride back to the hotel and then was done with napping by the time we got back to the room. Sitting in the room for a couple of hours still helped with his evening disposition, but it is impt to me to at least try minimize the transportation time to avoid issues like this if possible.

We will be going to AK and Hollywood Studios, too, so it's not a perfect world, I know. Decisions, decisions. . .

Just the fact you have a 3 yr old and a stroller..I say YES...upgrade its worth it.
the ease of using the Monorail to the MK and Epcot with a stroller are wonderful !! then only buses to HS and AK.

We don't have our own kids but have traveled to WDW with our neice at 6 mos, 1 yr, and 1.5 yr old...2 of those in mods and 1 at the Poly...seeing my Sister struggle with dragging the stroller on teh buses and the ease of just rolling the stroller on the monorail with my Neice still in it really sank in for me.

ok...and I happen to love the Poly and we have are coming up on our 4th stay there...we also splurged to upgrade. We just love being on the monorail and the vibe of the Poly.

hope this helps

 

[nkereina]

I'm rather high maintenance and expect a lot when I pay a lot, but am always satisfied at POR. I've never had a transportation issue and believe that any resort can have bus issues on any given day. So I don't believe that one resort or level of resorts is any better than another.

I personally would not spend that money to go to Poly. I stayed at Poly in the late 90s and while it was gorgeous, I'm just as happy at POR. Also, many people on these boards feel Poly is run down and in need of a refurb (POR is fully refurbed) and there's a lot of ongoing monorail issues as of late that make me iffy of paying all that money solely for a monorail resort. I'd be livid if the monorail was down 4-5 times during my stay as some posters report, especially if that's my main reason for staying there.

If I was going to cough up extra money for a deluxe it would be either YC/BC or Boardwalk for the fact you can walk (or boat) to two parka so you are not at the mercy of the monorail or buses.

 

[cmcinc]

Yes, it is to us. Give it a try, only you will know.

 

[gopfans]

I would do it in a heartbeat if you can afford it. We love the Poly and have stayed there several times. We have stayed at POR once and I never will again. Like everyone said, it is just a matter of personal preference. POR just wasn't for us and is my least favorite resort that we have ever stayed in at Disney. Maybe we just had a bad week there, I don't know. Our room was very far away from the food court and main bus stop and the buses were slow and extremely crowded especially for the time of year that we were there. You will also appreciate the extra room in the Poly. My 3 kids are used to having to bunk up together too but the 5 of us were definitely more comfortable at the Poly. It is also really nice to be able to watch the fireworks from the beach and not have to fight the crowds leaving the parks.

 

[kamgen]

I guess I think differently, and I hope I don't upset anyone with my opinion.
But I would NOT pay $1000 additional, even if I had the money. That $1000 could go to enhance other parts of your vacation, or go towards saving toward another vacation. For me, I don't have an extra $1000 to dump into lodging, especially if I plan to see all the parks, go to the pool, do some table service dining (which takes a lot of time), etc. I love relaxing in my room on vacation or taking breaks too, but for $1000 I can take a break in a beautifully decorated room at POR the same as I can at POLY. I do understand the transportation issues, but we have had more problems with monorails than we have ever had with buses. JMHO.
We have stayed at almost all the WDW resorts at one time or another, and find POR to be really nice, with a good food court, nice pool area and friendly cast members.
Whatever you decide I am sure will be right for your family. But if it were me, I would use that money for other things.

 

[Jetta8300]

I have stayed at neither of these resorts, but I can tell You that we liked the Coronado Springs resort (moderate) just as much, if not more, than our stay at the Contemporary Resort (deluxe on the monorail). After the Coronado we said there is absolutely no reason for us to spend the money on a deluxe again. Yes it was convenient for the 2 days at the MK due to transportation but the other resorts we still drove to. We can afford a deluxe, there is just absolutely no need, a waste of money in our opinion for our needs. we would rather do deluxe dining

We enjoyed the food court dining options for a quick meal that the moderates offer MUCH better than the limited touch screen options for breakfast and lunch at the deluxes. There were fewer and limited options as far as quick dining at the Contemporary, a complaint that I'm shocked isn't mentioned more often. I'm pretty sure that this is common throughout the deluxes, they really want you to eat table service. Especially for breakfast. If it was like $300 more for the entire week, then maybe. But $1000? We would not.

 

[MolonLabe]

That' a tough question.

First clear up the finance side of things. After paying the extortion fees so armed federal agents don't kill you (aka taxes), How many days does it take you earn that $1,000?

I've known people who wouldn't think twice about it because it's "vacation" even though it takes them 2-3 weeks to make $1,000. Put that on top of the rest of their vacation and they just spent a month a half working for a 1 week trip.

Conversely I know people who make that in a day or two and would lose sleep over paying an extra $200 a night.

Once you decide how much of your life it's worth, go from there.

Sounds like a strange way to look at it but you only have so many days in this world, figure out how much of your life that room, or car or whatever it is, your life is worth.

No matter what, ENJOY YOUR TRIP!

I want to stay at the CR so bad. I have since I was a child. In fact, I told my grandparents I would stay there one day when I was about 4 or 5. I don't remember much from that trip, but I remember being in awe seeing it from inside the monorail.

One day I WILL stay there, in the tower. We *could* do it this year, we could afford it and it wouldn't be a strain but I'm debating a few new things this year like a big play set for the girls (for example). We could do both but when I look at... well I just can't quite see spending that much money this year.

I donno... now you've got me rethinking how much could I score a week in CR for on a lower priced week... With such an aggressive touring plan and spending 2 full days in MK, 1 MVMCP night and 2 full days in Epcot.... Arrrrggghhhh! great... must resist urge to splurge... lol.

 

[padawans]

I always say if you have to ask yourself if it's worth it then it probably isin't. We always stay deluxe, and I never think twice about it. There are always "other things" I could spend the money on, but I am completely comfortable with my choices.

 

[Olivemartiny]

IMO, nothing beats a Courvoisier on your balcony watching wishes. I recommend the Poly.

 

[gopfans]

Just throwing this out there since a pp mentioned lack of quick service restaurants at the Deluxe resorts. I find that true at the Epcot resorts but I like the quick service options at the Monorail Deluxe resorts. We have been known to jump on the monorail to eat at the CR or at the Poly when staying at the others. I think this gives you an even wider variety of choices.The Poly is the only other place you can get a Dole Whip besides MK too! As far as limited breakfasts, that is one area we always try to save money and eat in our room. Cereal, breakfast bars etc.. work fine for us and that way we can get right to the parks.

 

[Jetta8300]

Just throwing this out there since a pp mentioned lack of quick service restaurants at the Deluxe resorts. I find that true at the Epcot resorts but I like the quick service options at the Monorail Deluxe resorts. We have been known to jump on the monorail to eat at the CR or at the Poly when staying at the others. I think this gives you an even wider variety of choices.The Poly is the only other place you can get a Dole Whip besides MK too! As far as limited breakfasts, that is one area we always try to save money and eat in our room. Cereal, breakfast bars etc.. work fine for us and that way we can get right to the parks.

I wish we had been as satisfied as you with the choices. CR And Poly had about 5 hot meal choices for breakfast, 2 being breakfast sandwiches. Then tons of bagel and such. CSR had a huge breakfast buffet with create your own omelet stations, waffle stations, Grill stations etc.

Lunch and dinner went about the same. Poly and CR with a couple standard sandwiches, salads, and NASTY flatbreads. CSR again had a massive lunch and dinner buffet/food court with probably 40 choices from Italian to enchiladas.

Again just my opinion, loved the CR rooms but not even close to enough to justify the cost. We even had a tower room facing the castle.

 

[jojomoore]

We have been to WDW three times, and each time been lucky enough to stay in a deluxe villa. OKW 2 bedroom with extended family, and BCV and ACV studio room with the four of us. However over the past couple of years WDW has increased prices of tickets, dining, rooms, etc. THis all adds up to be a considerably more expensive vacation. So we have decided to stay in a moderate or value this year. My biggest concern is difference in transportation. I dont mind waiting for buses or bus rides, but i dont necessarily prefer to stand but i will give up my seat to a parent with a young child or share my seat with my daughter to make room for others. At a value or moderate, I am afraid that a bus will arrive and there will be more than enough people to fill it, or it will already be full, etc. Do i show up earlier or later at the bus stop to avoid this, or do i drive. Assuming the bus is not standing room only, i enjoy bus rides more than driving. Its easier than parking, traming, and monorailing. As for the monorail, I really dont like it. But then again i have never stayed at an MK resort so my perspective may be different from those who have stayed in MK resort area. I prefer to travel by boat and buses. there is ferry that travels between the poly and MK btw.


I find my self asking the same question, is it worth the money to stay at the deluxe resort over a moderate or a value resort. I do not have very young children and I think back to the first time i was planning a WDW vacation and i was more than happy to stay at a moderate resort. But as fate would have it, i was sitting in front of my computer planning my vacation when the phone rang and it was a family member calling to say. "Hi, would you like to go to WDW in a couple of weeks and stay at OKW in a two bedroom villa?. Impromtu trip, we all had fun

I am currently booked at AOA LM standard room, but have all but decided to change to POR - RGR. The pictures of the resort look amazing and i believe my family would enjoy the activities the resort offers. the rooms and lobby has been recently renovated and the grounds look amazing. I think on arrival day we will just plan a resort day. The moderate resorts have food courts but deluxe resorts are very limited on quickservice options.

I always get or at least try to consider my family's opinions in my decision. I fell in love with BCV and could stay there everytime, but my DD and DH didnt care that much for it. But im like, What?, how could you not love it, what is not to love? (other than a long bus ride to MK and Ak). They much prefer AKV and i love it too. It would be nice to stay a couple of nights at AKL at the end of our next trip. Surprise my DD! Oh the possibilities. Oh well!I will eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My biggest concern about staying at a moderate is about transportation more than anything because of the stories i have read, (ive really never experienced a bad bus ride at deluxe resorts, well maybe having to wait awhile on DTD buses but that happens at everyresort from what i have heard)but i just keep asking myself, " What could i do with that extra money?" Wild Africa Trek, Christmas Party, Gaylord Ice??? Then I feel like maybe its worth a few small sacrifices or maybe not so much sacrifice as to deciding to forgo a couple of conveniences to have amazing experiences or choosing to have different amazing experiences than we had in a deluxe stay.

I hope you have a wonderful trip whatever you decide. I think your trip would be magical whether you stayed at POR or the Poly.

 

[PrincessShea]

Well as many others have said, only you know what $1000 means to your family...I will however suggest you look into the Swan & Dolphin. I want to preface by saying it's not an "official" Disney hotel. There aren't hidden mickey's in the carpet, but it's in the Boardwalk area. I don't think the average person would even realize it's not a "real" Disney hotel. You get the benefit of Extra Magic hours and an extremely slick location that is walking distance to Epcot and a 15 minute walk to DHS.

You can read about the finer details in the official thread. But basically you are in a deluxe location for a moderate price. You can bring the cost of the room down further with Gov't rate, AAA, AARP discounts. It's something I would look into.

 

[mad madam mim78]

Not worth it to me. It's a thousand bucks. Worth it to you? Only you would know that.