Just back! Poly/VWL/BWI CL

[kpm76]

We just returned from our magical vacation! We did 2 nights at the Poly, 2 nights at the VWL and 4 nights at the BWI CL. We love to resort hop and rent a car, so moving is never an issue. We did decide that 2, 2 and 4 is too much moving though. Next time, we will stick to 2 resorts. Here's a recap:

Poly: Checked in at 11am and our room was ready, but it didn't have a balcony. I asked if we could wait for a balcony room, and the CM checking us in was very accommodating. We got our room about 4pm. It was 2nd floor of Tokelau. We loved it! Great location, beautiful garden view. They were doing some electrical work on our floor, but it did not bother us at all. 2 nights is not long enough at the Poly though

VWL: We had a first floor room, which was ok. We own DVC, but this was our first stay at VWL. We have had very nice stays at WL, but to be honest, there was nothing "magical" about VWL. I felt like it was very remote, no CMs around. Our patio overlooked trees, which is to be expected. I think one of the issues is that our experiences at the Poly and BWI were over the top amazing so VWL came up very short. I think our DD6 has pretty much outgrown the slide, though DS3 loved it. Would I stay here again? Maybe but definitely not my first DVC resort choice.

BWI CL: We saved the best for last!! AMAZING!! We drove over to the BWI about 9am and were greeted by Claudia, who said she would assist us with check-in. She escorted us to the 4th floor Innkeeper's Club and said that she only needed one adult to do check-in and she would bring the rest of the family to the lounge. Initially, we were assigned a King room because of availability. Not ideal given that we have 2 kids, but they were super nice about it and said we would get a Queen room ASAP. I went to the Lounge and a CM came up to me saying they had a Queen room available on the 4th floor right outside the Lounge doors. We took it and it was incredible. Water view, nice view of the BW and we saw Wishes at night

We have not stayed CL since our honeymoon 9 yrs ago. Truthfully, we usually stay DVC but had APs this year and visited WDW a few times so we took advantage of the AP discounts.

Our CL experience was indescribable. Incredibly magical!! The CMs at the BWI CL are really outstanding. We felt like family by the time we were checking out and the kids cried because they were going to miss their new friends Our family is very outgoing and I think that helps in defining a CL experience. We engaged the staff and in return, we received very special, personal attention. Each time we entered the lounge, one of the CMs ran to get the kids chocolate milk because they knew they loved it. The food offerings were perfect for us. We spent a lot of time at the resort. With such a long trip and given the heat and humidity, we decided we wanted to relax the last 4 days of the trip, so we decided on CL. We still visited the parks but mostly in the morning and later at night.

During our stay, our son celebrated his 3rd birthday and the CL staff sent him cupcakes to the room and a card from Mickey. It was so thoughtful and much appreciated.

We met many amazing CMs, but in particular Tracy was super sweet to the kids and they really connected with her. She has an amazing way with people Jackie, Pete, Scott, JJ, Anita, Christina and Janice were awesome as well!

Any questions??

 

[KerryCM]

So happy to hear you enjoyed the BWI. The cast there are fantastic!! My grandchildren love all of them. Janice and I worked together years ago at a Disney Store in MA before she moved to FL. She is a very dear friend of mine, as are everyone else you mentioned. Anita is such a fun person and Jackie, JJ and Pete will do whatever it takes to make your trip special. Scott has been there since we have been going and is such a wonderful guy.

Trying a new resort for our family tip this December is not going over big with my grandchildren, but it was not possible to get 4 rooms at the BW this year. I have promised them we would go over to visit!

 

[Jrabbit910]

So glad u posted this!!! My dh and I have been going back and forth about a split stay for our upcoming nov trip.. We were booked for the 9 days at the poly but hearing construction is on its way we decided to cut the poly short for just a long wknd and do the rest of the stay at the bi. I have 3 toddlers and if the rumors are true the construction will be day and night!
You wrote that 2 nights were just not enough so my question is were u still able to experience the poly like u wanted to? We're u able to watch the fireworks from the beach?
And as for the BI. I heard they just redid the pool area. Was it always crowded? Did they check Id's at the pool? And lastly did u get the magic bands there?
I really appreciate any insight u can give tysm!!!

 

[kpm76]

So glad u posted this!!! My dh and I have been going back and forth about a split stay for our upcoming nov trip.. We were booked for the 9 days at the poly but hearing construction is on its way we decided to cut the poly short for just a long wknd and do the rest of the stay at the bi. I have 3 toddlers and if the rumors are true the construction will be day and night!
You wrote that 2 nights were just not enough so my question is were u still able to experience the poly like u wanted to? We're u able to watch the fireworks from the beach?
And as for the BI. I heard they just redid the pool area. Was it always crowded? Did they check Id's at the pool? And lastly did u get the magic bands there?
I really appreciate any insight u can give tysm!!!

We were very fortunate this year. Disney offered DVC owners a golden opportunity to purchase Premium Annual Passes for $399 (I think that's a $300 savings) so we did that and this past trip was our 3rd since last Oct. I say this because we felt that this was a "bonus" trip and we did not go commando like we normally would if this was a 1x/year trip. Additionally, the heat and humidity during the summer months almost forces you to enjoy the resort a little more than you would in January. So, this is a long answer to your short question about enjoying the Poly Yes, we felt we were able to enjoy it even just for 2 nights. BUT, that is because we didn't spend morning 'til night in the parks. One night we watched Wishes from the beach and another night we even got a swing on the beach. We had several hours of pool time each day as well. I said it wasn't enough because the Poly and BWI are my absolute favorites so a stay at either is never going to be long enough If we send 8 nights again, I would do 4 and 4 or 3 and 5.

As for the BWI, they din't redo the pool area, they just refreshed it. Nothing major changed. Typically, the pool closes in Jan/Feb for several weeks to maintain the slide etc. We LOVE the pool!! I stayed at the YC in May with DD and while Stormalong Bay gets rave reviews, I just didn't feel the love. It's a very choppy set up and with little ones you really cant just sit and watch them like you can at the BWI. The pool was never overly crowded and we were always able to get chairs (and this was in the summer). No checking IDs while we were there and no magic bands at the BWI right now.

Hope this helps!

 

[Jrabbit910]

Thank u KPM! U have helped. The BI never really appealed to me because of that clown ( I always think of "it") lol... But I know my kids would love it and the more I see and read things about it, I want to stay. Especially reading what u wrote.
Both resorts would be new to our family and being that were traveling with 3 kids I thought the monorail resorts would be perfect, until I heard about the construction that's about to happen. I was going to stay poly for the first 6 days and then do cl at the bi for the remaining 3 but I now think I should change it to the other way.
We stayed at the bc last year and I thought the same as u 2.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Thanks so much, we are considering adding CL to our BWI stay in November, and you make it sound magical!