Keep Poly or change to BC??

[afcgirl]

I also recommend Wilderness Lodge. We liked it even better than the Poly and that was with the pool being open. There is a boat to MK that is pretty quick and the bus service to the other parks was good. Your kids will love the lobby, and the pool and surroundings are breathtaking. It is also less expensive than some of the other deluxes.

We are staying at the YC for our next trip, but my kids are older now. The Epcot resorts are best for older kids IMO.

 

[Suzanne033]

That sounds like an amazing trip!!! Even though the Polynesian is one of my absolutely favorite resorts, I would change if I were in your circumstances. You indicated that your children will want to play in the pool and Storm-a-long Bay, the pool at the Beach Club, is AMAZING.

 

[syp4dis]

I am staying at the GF in July. I am not too concerned about the Poly guests coming over to the GF pools because A--There are two large Poly longhouses out of guest inventory because of the DVC project and many guests will just stay at Poly and use the quiet pool only B--I don't think Poly will be running anywhere near full capacity with the remaining inventory because of the refurb. Many guests will and have already started choosing the lower cost alternative in WL making their occupancy rates higher than normal...making that tiny pool seem like human soup! C--The GF is set for a room refurb so chances are at least one building there will have the guest rooms out of inventory as well D--The GF pools are a good size and the addition of the children's wet play area adds even more area for families.

We have stayed at CR and it was a lovely vacation. Our biggest regret was going with garden wing to save money and by day 3 we really missed having a balcony to relax and chat (with a few drinks) while the kids were sleeping. Yes--it feels more like a hotel than a resort. It is my third choice resort in the MK area because of the lack of a resort feel. The convenience factor is very high however.

Yes, I also like your thinking. We have Poly LVCL booked for August 2014 and I have the same concerns. I'm fine with the construction thinking it shouldn't bother us too much, but the pool being closed is a much bigger deal. I wish I could get a definitive answer. I don't want to switch to a different resort and then realize it would have been fine. Just don't know yet.

That being said. I wouldn't switch to BC. You can't beat being on the monorail. We stayed YC when my boys were 5 & 7. The walk anywhere, even just to get a drink was very long, not to mention the walk to the pool or Epcot. Took ForEver! But, the pool was the greatest disappointment. We had so looked forward to it, then it turned out to be too big and spread out for us. My 7 year old wanted the deeper water and the slide, while my younger one needed shallower water. We had to split up and my husband and I never saw each other any time at the pool. It was more like work. Not enjoyable.

Anyway, just my 2 cents about that. Have a great trip wherever you end up!

 

[Happyjen27]

I'll chime in and suggest you stay on the monorail with your little ones. Either CR, WL or GF.

I haven't tried BC yet because of the pool area at the BC. When my kids are old enough to not have to be watched every second in the water, I look forward to giving them a try. Until then, I say no thank you, too hard convincing the kids to stay together, and the other option would be both my husband and I each following one of the kids around all day. One nice thing about pool time is that one parent might lay down and take a break, no breaks at SAB with 2 kids; it will be all hands on deck.

Also, don't underestimate the value of good Counter Service food right at your resort. There are many times we thought we were going to enjoy a sit down meal. Then we realized the kids would far rather grab dinner at a CS and eat by the pool. We ate at the resort far more than we thought we would.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

That being said. I wouldn't switch to BC. You can't beat being on the monorail. We stayed YC when my boys were 5 & 7. The walk anywhere, even just to get a drink was very long, not to mention the walk to the pool or Epcot. Took ForEver! But, the pool was the greatest disappointment. We had so looked forward to it, then it turned out to be too big and spread out for us. My 7 year old wanted the deeper water and the slide, while my younger one needed shallower water. We had to split up and my husband and I never saw each other any time at the pool. It was more like work. Not enjoyable.

This was our experience as well when we stayed YC. The walking....ugh....trying to get from our room to the front of Epcot in the morning for riding TT and Soarin at rope drop was rough. Youngest DD had a few "magical meltdowns" those mornings about 3/4 of the way there. We too had no down time to enjoy the pool as we were on man-to-man defense with the girls given the pool situation. Never had ONE ADULT DRINK the whole week during pool time. No lay-in-the-sun and listen to the sounds time. No sit and watch the kids in the pool play time. And don't get me started on why in the world would they have the entrance to the pool slide ACROSS a public walkway.....

I'll chime in and suggest you stay on the monorail with your little ones. Either CR, WL or GF.

I haven't tried BC yet because of the pool area at the BC. When my kids are old enough to not have to be watched every second in the water, I look forward to giving them a try. Until then, I say no thank you, too hard convincing the kids to stay together, and the other option would be both my husband and I each following one of the kids around all day. One nice thing about pool time is that one parent might lay down and take a break, no breaks at SAB with 2 kids; it will be all hands on deck.

Also, don't underestimate the value of good Counter Service food right at your resort. There are many times we thought we were going to enjoy a sit down meal. Then we realized the kids would far rather grab dinner at a CS and eat by the pool. We ate at the resort far more than we thought we would.

This is absolutely true for our family as well. CS at the resort is so important. We have lots of down time at the resort and prefer not to have such a scheduled vacation. And youngest DD has lots of food allergies so it MUST be a good CS willing to work with our needs. B&C and HH....not a good experience. Also CSR was problematic in that regard

 

[rosiebean]

That being said. I wouldn't switch to BC. You can't beat being on the monorail. We stayed YC when my boys were 5 & 7. The walk anywhere, even just to get a drink was very long, not to mention the walk to the pool or Epcot. Took ForEver! But, the pool was the greatest disappointment. We had so looked forward to it, then it turned out to be too big and spread out for us. My 7 year old wanted the deeper water and the slide, while my younger one needed shallower water. We had to split up and my husband and I never saw each other any time at the pool. It was more like work. Not enjoyable.

Anyway, just my 2 cents about that. Have a great trip wherever you end up!

I suppose it is different strokes for different folks, as the saying goes. I just went with my kids ages 6 and 8 and they loved loved LOVED SAB and Epcot. No meltdowns over the walk while in Epcot (MK was an entirely different story..of the three parks we went to, MK was their least favorite). At times, my kids wanted to play in different parts of SAB than their sibling did, but we managed to work out a 30 minutes here/30 minutes there...and yes, I had to walk around a bit to keep up with them (it's a walk from the shallow sandy area to the slide), but they were hugely entertained and I had fun as well.

The OPs kids are very young IIRC (15 months and 3 years?). If so, they'll most probably be using the shallow kid's sandy area and the small slide. In my experience (I stayed at the BCVs a few years ago), SAB is even easier when the kids are toddlers or just beyond...they're not ready at that point for the deeper parts of the pool, such as the lazy river or big slide, so there's not as much worry about one kid wanting to explore one part of SAB while another wants to explore something on the other side...and it's nice to sit on the side of the kiddie sand area and order food/drinks while the kids make sand castles and splash in the water.

 

[starousse]

I'm gonna also suggest WL. We stayed at both BC and WL, and loved WL so much better. The theming, the coziness and the proximity to MK was great. We loved the boat ride back and forth to MK. Even though the pool complex is much bigger at the BC, it was very hectic with young kids. I felt like I couldn't sit down and relax for a minute.

Btw, it sounds like you're gonna have an AMAZING trip! We're doing the Dream and WL in May.

 

[jandkmom]

My kids and I are big fans of the quiet pool at Poly...we hardly ever go into the Volcano pool and we've stayed there several times. I would always pick the Poly over BC. Monorail access, proximity to TTC, wishes from the beach at night, theming, TONGA TOAST...all our favorites!

To each his own I guess.

 

[carnival kid]

Well...... I changed reservation to BC

I am disappointed not to be at the poly but hey I will be at Disney and have a wonderful time no matter where we stay!!!

And I saved us about $331 by changing.

 

[Miked0292]

I will say even though you will not be as close to the Magic Kingdom you are at the backdoor to Epcot, Wish you start between the UK and France, then 15-20 min walk or boat ride to Hollywood Studios , then the Beach/Yacht Club have Stromalong Bay with a small pool for your youngest and a sandbar where the kids play in the sand also the lazy river, but on top of that, the Yacht Club, Beach Club , and Beach Club Villas all have smaller Quiet Pools, i have not seen the Villas and Yacht Club quiet pool but the Beach club pool i have seen a max of 10 people in/near it at a time, then with having the lagoon seperating the Beach/Yacht Clubs from the Boardwalk , you can take a walk along the boardwalk at night and see a street preform which comes out every night or so.

 

[huntconn]

The decision between Poly and BC comes down to MK vs. Epcot for me. Both are great resorts in their own right. If more time would be spent at the MK, I would choose the Poly, or another monorail (or WL) resort considering the Poly construction. If more time will be spent at Epcot I would do BC/YC. One thing to consider with the BC/YC "closeness" to Epcot: it is extremely convenient for the World Showcase but not so much for Future World. Sounds like the op has already switched to BC anyway. I'm sure the op will have an awesome time at the BC!