Just returned from our first visit to WDW. We had a wonderful time and it was quite magical! The memories we have are priceless.
Here is the down and dirty as to staying at a Disney resort.
We stayed at the Poly and overall we enjoyed it. As for the cost of a deluxe resort, I don't think you can justify the cost if you are only going to compare by the rooms and properties. I don't mean comparing the Poly to other Disney resorts because I can't, I have never stayed at other Disney resorts. I am comparing the Poly to other resorts we have stayed at over the past 15 years my husband and I have traveled. At over $300.00 a night, no, the Poly is NOTHING special compared to other resorts I have stayed at, at that price. Our room was fine, nothing special. We were in Tokelau room 2916. Most CM's are nice and helpful. We did encounter one CM that was nothing but rude and most unhelpful! Housekeeping was adequate. We did have mold, little black mold spots in the shower that I pointed out but were never cleaned. They brought more towels up right away when we asked on our first day and then kept replenishing throughout our stay so that was nice. I really don't think they vacuum the rooms on a daily basis. Never once heard or even saw a housekeeping person with a vacuum cleaner. The grounds are beautifull, the pool is nice. There is a definite shortage of pool chairs for a resort of that size. If you were not at the pool by 11:00 a.m. to claim your spot don't even think you will be able to find something at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. There was a quiet pool too which was nice. We did not swim at that pool so I don't know how crowded it got. If you are a light sleeper you may have some issues, the air conditioning is a little loud, not that bad. But you can really hear through the walls. We could hear the people talking in the rooms next to us no problem or hear the tv show they were watching. But this is a problem in a lot of older hotels so you kind of have to live with it.
What you are paying for is convenience to and from the parks. That is the bottom line! The Poly has the monorail and boat service to the Magic Kingdom. You can not beat that. You are also a 5 minute walk to the TTC, where you can get on a monorail to Epcot. You can not beat that. And right out the front door of the Poly is the bus stop where you wait for a bus to MGM, AK, and water parks. It is very convenient. Don't get me wrong, when MK closes after Wishes you are still waiting in line for a boat or a monorail like everyone else. The thing is, is that once you are on that monorail or boat, you are at your hotel and in your room in 20 minutes. That is a blessing after a long day at the parks when you have little ones.
So if saving time is of great importance to you and you can afford to stay at a deluxe resort then I would do it. I am not a believer of putting my self in debt to go on vacation or stay at a certain hotel. DISNEY is MAGICAL. It is the memories of your children's faces riding Dumbo for the first time or seeing Cinderella. Those are the images you are going to cherish. So if saving some money to stay at a mod or value resort is best for you, do it, you will have a wonderful time on vacation.
Sorry so long! If you have any questions please just ask.
Here is the down and dirty as to staying at a Disney resort.
We stayed at the Poly and overall we enjoyed it. As for the cost of a deluxe resort, I don't think you can justify the cost if you are only going to compare by the rooms and properties. I don't mean comparing the Poly to other Disney resorts because I can't, I have never stayed at other Disney resorts. I am comparing the Poly to other resorts we have stayed at over the past 15 years my husband and I have traveled. At over $300.00 a night, no, the Poly is NOTHING special compared to other resorts I have stayed at, at that price. Our room was fine, nothing special. We were in Tokelau room 2916. Most CM's are nice and helpful. We did encounter one CM that was nothing but rude and most unhelpful! Housekeeping was adequate. We did have mold, little black mold spots in the shower that I pointed out but were never cleaned. They brought more towels up right away when we asked on our first day and then kept replenishing throughout our stay so that was nice. I really don't think they vacuum the rooms on a daily basis. Never once heard or even saw a housekeeping person with a vacuum cleaner. The grounds are beautifull, the pool is nice. There is a definite shortage of pool chairs for a resort of that size. If you were not at the pool by 11:00 a.m. to claim your spot don't even think you will be able to find something at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. There was a quiet pool too which was nice. We did not swim at that pool so I don't know how crowded it got. If you are a light sleeper you may have some issues, the air conditioning is a little loud, not that bad. But you can really hear through the walls. We could hear the people talking in the rooms next to us no problem or hear the tv show they were watching. But this is a problem in a lot of older hotels so you kind of have to live with it.
What you are paying for is convenience to and from the parks. That is the bottom line! The Poly has the monorail and boat service to the Magic Kingdom. You can not beat that. You are also a 5 minute walk to the TTC, where you can get on a monorail to Epcot. You can not beat that. And right out the front door of the Poly is the bus stop where you wait for a bus to MGM, AK, and water parks. It is very convenient. Don't get me wrong, when MK closes after Wishes you are still waiting in line for a boat or a monorail like everyone else. The thing is, is that once you are on that monorail or boat, you are at your hotel and in your room in 20 minutes. That is a blessing after a long day at the parks when you have little ones.
So if saving time is of great importance to you and you can afford to stay at a deluxe resort then I would do it. I am not a believer of putting my self in debt to go on vacation or stay at a certain hotel. DISNEY is MAGICAL. It is the memories of your children's faces riding Dumbo for the first time or seeing Cinderella. Those are the images you are going to cherish. So if saving some money to stay at a mod or value resort is best for you, do it, you will have a wonderful time on vacation.
Sorry so long! If you have any questions please just ask.