Need Advice

[boscov]

My DW and I are planning our next trip!!!! We are looking at going the end of October or the end of November. We would normally be all over the WL, because we had an absolutely amazing time last trip. However, with all of the construction going on, I'm rather hesitant....Here is what we are looking at:

POR - We've stayed here before, love it here. Don't love how big it is, so we would probably stay preferred. Cheapest of the options by far.
POLY - We've always wanted to stay here. Love the theme, the view from the beach, etc. Don't love the price tag that comes with it.
BC - I stayed at YC when I was younger and loved it. We like the proximity to Epcot, love the pool for the kids, don't like the price tag for not being on the monorail, rooms feel like they are a bit more formal than they used to be.
BWI - Never stayed here, like the proximity to Epcot, like the old AC feel. Don't like clowns (pool), don't like that it has no internal food options, and don't like the price tag for not being on a monorail.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for the input!

 

[SleighBelle]

If you have not been to BCV in years, go for it!

That way, next trip, you will know if you like it or not.

 

[cutigerlady]

If price is your biggest concern, I would choose POR. We loved this resort! We were upgraded to a preferred room and it was great to be so close to the pool and food court. We liked the food court and ate twice at the sit down restaurant. We found the buses to be tolerable.

I really want to stay at the POLY, but I haven't been willing to pay that much for a room. For not much more we stayed at the GF RPC (granted it was in August). FYI, we experienced issues with the monorail being down for maintenance or running less often. So it wasn't that convenient to get around!

We've stayed at the YC, BC, and BW many times. We love the convenience to get to EP and HS. I prefer BW because it is easier to watch kids at the pool. But, I've gotten much better rates at YC lately. We love the bar tender at YC and the guys that work the pool bar. YC seems quieter.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I have stayed at the Contemporary and the GF and both times we experienced problems with the monorail! Contemporary it was only for like a day so no big deal...my hubby hates buses so he took our baby in the car and me and my 7yr old took the bus..we had a competition to see who would get there first LOL...it was actually a tie, we were both walking through the front gates at the same time. Anyways last year when we stay GF the night before we checked in there was this HUGE storm and I think it did something to the monorail and none of the monorails were running (not even the epcot one). The monorail was down for 3 days! It was a huge problem getting places bc I was on an ECV bc I was healing an ankle injury so my only options were buses and my hubby didn't do buses so he just took the car and met us places while I took the bus. Getting to epcot was the hardest bc we had to walk from GF to Poly then walk from Poly to TTC and then hop a bus from there to get to Epcot and there were tons of lines and it was tough for my son who is on the spectrum. After they fixed the monorail though things ran smoothly. After 2 trips with the monorail being down you would think I have learned my lesson, LOL...but nope planning a trip back to the world for 2017 to stay at the Poly...after we stay at the poly though we want to stay at BC...I just want to be able to say that I have stayed at all 3 resorts on the monorail, LOL

 

[dansdad]

We really enjoy BC and BWI, with BWI being our favorite in all of WDW. For not being on the monorail, we actually prefer being able to walk to 2 parks over being on the monorail.

 

[jaceraden]

I would pick an EPCOT/HS resort over a monorail any day. There's nothing like the convenience of being able to walk to TWO parks. My favorite being Beach Club but I wouldn't hesitate to stay at the Boardwalk.

 

[Babsy]

I have stayed at the Contemporary and the GF and both times we experienced problems with the monorail! Contemporary it was only for like a day so no big deal...my hubby hates buses so he took our baby in the car and me and my 7yr old took the bus..we had a competition to see who would get there first LOL...it was actually a tie, we were both walking through the front gates at the same time. LOL

Sorry, but I am curious. Why did you take a car from the CR to the MK. Why didn't you just walk?

My DW and I are planning our next trip!!!! We are looking at going the end of October or the end of November. We would normally be all over the WL, because we had an absolutely amazing time last trip. However, with all of the construction going on, I'm rather hesitant....Here is what we are looking at:

POR - We've stayed here before, love it here. Don't love how big it is, so we would probably stay preferred. Cheapest of the options by far.
POLY - We've always wanted to stay here. Love the theme, the view from the beach, etc. Don't love the price tag that comes with it.
BC - I stayed at YC when I was younger and loved it. We like the proximity to Epcot, love the pool for the kids, don't like the price tag for not being on the monorail, rooms feel like they are a bit more formal than they used to be.
BWI - Never stayed here, like the proximity to Epcot, like the old AC feel. Don't like clowns (pool), don't like that it has no internal food options, and don't like the price tag for not being on a monorail.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for the input!

You have listed some of my favourite resorts in WDW. It's a tough choice!

If it were me, I would take a serious look at my budget for this trip and decide how much money I want to spend on the resort. The difference in cost between POR and the Poly is very likely significant. If there is any strain at all spending more money, then I would stay at POR, preferred. This resort is awesome! We stayed there for part of our visit last Jan and loved it! For the money spent, you can't go wrong with a moderate.

That said, if you have always wanted to stay at the Poly, this might be the time to try it out. The Poly is the favourite of many people and for good reason. It is so well themed, so relaxing, beautiful views across the lake to the MK, great food, easy access to the Epcot monorail and the MK monorail. It has a boat (that we love) that also goes the the MK. The only thing that we don't love at the poly is, like you, the price tag, It was one of the other two resorts that we stayed in last Jan and it was worth every penny, IMO. YMMV, but the Poly is a place that is nice to enjoy at least once.

Interesting to me is your description of the BWI. It is exactly how I feel about the BWI! We do stay there frequently for the location and the really nice rooms. The CM's seem to be some of the best in WDW here as well, which does make a difference to how you feel staying in a resort.

FWIW, here is the order in which I would stay assuming money is not an issue:

Poly
BWI
BC

If there is anything else that I wanted to do with the extra $$$ at all, I would happily stay at POR.

Good luck choosing!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Sorry, but I am curious. Why did you take a car from the CR to the MK. Why didn't you just walk?

LoL Sorry forgot to mention we were actually going to Epcot that day we had park hoppers and I walked to MK that morning for some shopping time by myself while hubby went to the pool with the kids, but we had FPs for the afternoon in Epcot plus an ADR for Garden Grill so we were "racing" to see who would get there first, LOL...On that particular vacation just the resort monorail was down, so to get to Epcot we took the bus to TTC and then jumped on the Epcot Monorail while my hubby took the car straight to Epcot but we still got there the same time,

 

[loves to dive]

If budget were an issue I wouldn't hesitate to stay at POR, I didn't find it big at all but I'm a walker. I stayed in the Magnolia Mansion and found it plenty close to everything.

If budget isn't an issue, I'd do BC (if YC were available I'd go there since I like the more adult feel to it). Not crazy about BWI but love the proximity to Epcot and HS, YC is always my go to resort. Monorail resorts are just not my thing, we don't do more than 1/2 day at MK and the monorails are just now real reliable. If I had to stay in one, it would be GF, for me Poly is just a little too busy and CR is just too contemporary and blah.

I stayed at Swan in March, expecting to hate it since it's not Disney and a convention hotel. Loved it and will most likely try to get in there instead of my beloved YC for my upcoming Sept. trip. That is if I can find a room for less than $300 (that is after their silly resort fee and parking fee since I drive)

 

[BabyFu18]

If budget is the biggest concern got POR, but if your willing to splurge any of your other options are great! I've stayed at all of the deluxe your thinking about and for the time of year you are going I'd probably pick BWI. It's great to walk (or boat) to two parks, and when we stayed there I loved just walking around and exploring the boardwalk. Because of the time of year you are planning on (late October or late November) I wouldn't consider the pools as big of a draw as I would if you were traveling in the summer, that's why I'd pick BWI over BC or even Poly even though I do love both the BC and Polynesian!

 

[piccolopat]

We've stayed at all the ones you mentioned except BWI. In the end, we find the Swan to be a better option. When we went last December we paid rates that were comparable to POR but with a location like BWI, BC and YC. You still get most of the same benefits as the Disney resorts, pool is nice and plenty of eating choices in and around the hotel. We booked a family alcove suite for the two of us and loved it. Check it out!

 

[Babsy]

LoL Sorry forgot to mention we were actually going to Epcot that day we had park hoppers and I walked to MK that morning for some shopping time by myself while hubby went to the pool with the kids, but we had FPs for the afternoon in Epcot plus an ADR for Garden Grill so we were "racing" to see who would get there first, LOL...On that particular vacation just the resort monorail was down, so to get to Epcot we took the bus to TTC and then jumped on the Epcot Monorail while my hubby took the car straight to Epcot but we still got there the same time,

LOL!
NOW it makes sense! I was picturing someone driving from the CR to the MK parking lot in order to go to the MK!

Thank you for taking the time to satisfy my curiosity!

Babs

 

[gottalovepluto]

It sounds like price is pretty important to you, or at the very least it's nagging at the back of your mind. Personally going through a trip thinking "this isn't worth this much money because (fill in the blank)" never makes for a great trip. If you don't like the price on anything but POR preferred, then stick with POR. You know what to expect so you won't feel like you're getting ripped off and if this leaves you with some extra spending money- awesome! Do a TS, a dessert show viewing party, or any other extra you've kinda always wanted to splurge on.

 

[100acreHiker]

I agree with a previous poster regarding the monorail: I enjoy the monorail, and it's fine, but it's not necessarily the fastest or best way to get around. I've stayed GF twice and CR once, and we are finally jumping the MK resort ship and heading over to BC because we just fell in love with walking around the Boardwalk at night on a recent visit. We love the idea of walking in and out of EP and HS, too. Pool looks fun. I figure we can swing the bus for a day or two to get to MK and AK. That said, if you're concerned about budget and also want easy transportation, I would consider PORQ. Looks nice and is supposed to have efficient bus service.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

My DW and I are planning our next trip!!!! We are looking at going the end of October or the end of November. We would normally be all over the WL, because we had an absolutely amazing time last trip. However, with all of the construction going on, I'm rather hesitant....Here is what we are looking at:

POR - We've stayed here before, love it here. Don't love how big it is, so we would probably stay preferred. Cheapest of the options by far.
POLY - We've always wanted to stay here. Love the theme, the view from the beach, etc. Don't love the price tag that comes with it.
BC - I stayed at YC when I was younger and loved it. We like the proximity to Epcot, love the pool for the kids, don't like the price tag for not being on the monorail, rooms feel like they are a bit more formal than they used to be.
BWI - Never stayed here, like the proximity to Epcot, like the old AC feel. Don't like clowns (pool), don't like that it has no internal food options, and don't like the price tag for not being on a monorail.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks for the input!

Since you are going to be there during my favorite time to visit, Food and Wine Festival, I highly recommend that you stay at any of the EPCOT resorts - Dolphin/Swan, Yacht and Beach Clubs or the Boardwalk Inn. You can sample all the unique fare of the world, including many countries that are only there for the festival, you can walk or boat to either Epcot or DHS and you have all of the wonderful views of the Fireworks and Illuminations.

Tom

 

[boscov]

To all that mentioned price....I didn't mean to put off the vibe that money was a huge concern, I was maybe just stating the obvious. All the resorts fit within our budget. I honestly didn't even think of the Food and Wine angle of this. I've actually never been to Food and Wine....that's a big draw to the Epcot resorts....Any other advise or suggestions?

 

[Babsy]

OK, forget POR then! Deluxe resorts win over mods every time, IMO.

How about a split stay between the Poly and either BWI or BC? are you staying for a week or longer? That way you get the best of both worlds.

Also, how old are your two daughters? It might have an impact on where you want to spend most of your theme park time.

Others will disagree, but the MK area resorts appeal more to me, especially if we are going with young children. As the childrens' ages progressed into the teens, we headed to the Epcot area for a few years. Now that our children have grown and we have young grandchildren, we are splitting our stays between the MK and Epcot resorts.

There's a lot to think about, isn't there?

Have fun planning!

 

[boscov]

OK, forget POR then! Deluxe resorts win over mods every time, IMO.

How about a split stay between the Poly and either BWI or BC? are you staying for a week or longer? That way you get the best of both worlds.

Also, how old are your two daughters? It might have an impact on where you want to spend most of your theme park time.

Others will disagree, but the MK area resorts appeal more to me, especially if we are going with young children. As the childrens' ages progressed into the teens, we headed to the Epcot area for a few years. Now that our children have grown and we have young grandchildren, we are splitting our stays between the MK and Epcot resorts.

There's a lot to think about, isn't there?

Have fun planning!

My daughters are 9 and 4. I agree MK appeals a lot to me because of the age factor, but that pool at BC is pretty amazing....we are going to be staying 6 or 7 days.

 

[Kimberly9701]

LoL Sorry forgot to mention we were actually going to Epcot that day we had park hoppers and I walked to MK that morning for some shopping time by myself while hubby went to the pool with the kids, but we had FPs for the afternoon in Epcot plus an ADR for Garden Grill so we were "racing" to see who would get there first, LOL...On that particular vacation just the resort monorail was down, so to get to Epcot we took the bus to TTC and then jumped on the Epcot Monorail while my hubby took the car straight to Epcot but we still got there the same time,

We didn't have any issues with the monorail at Poly.. But we rarely used it. Our tpv room was closer to the boat dock..plus it's a beautiful ride to/from. You can also use the boat from CR, which we are planning to do on our upcoming trip. Out of all the options to MK from CR I think the monorail is the least convenient to go to the park. Not from though.

On the original post- I would vote Poly if in warmer months, but I'd say an Epcot resort for the time of year you are going.
We will be there in early December and I chose CR over Poly only bc we won't utilize the pool during the winter.
Have a great trip!!!

 

[gottalovepluto]

I'd say Beach Club then! The awesome pool area that the kids will love and easy access to Epcot that the adults will love!