Need Help!!! argument ensuing

[Schneids]

My husband and I are planning the Big Trip! Going all out! Been there( 18 years ago), but did not stay at the resort, and my husband went once as a teen camping at fort wilderness. We have 2 children 13 and 4 and want to stay at a deluxe resort. However, we are having trouble deciding between the Poly and BC, I argue Poly is more accessible and my husband says BC for the pool, yet we don't have much pool time planned. Not going till october but I am a major Type A person and have been planning for months already. Any help, suggestions or opinions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[vtwep]

I went for first time in 11/07 and it was Yacht Club for us. Next time: Grand Floridian. Our decisions were based on which park we would hit most. Last trip: EPCOT and pool time due to a meeting I was attending. The next time...more MK time, hence the monorail resort near MK.

So, I think the "tie-breaker" would be "are you going to hit MK or EPCOT more often?". BC = walk to EPCOT. Poly = monorail to MK quickly (and to EPCOT, but not as quick).

 

[cottontail]

Hi: What about a split stay. We have done that twice and it worked out well. Almost like another vacation. We did the french quarter and poly, also for our 25th wedding anniv. did the poly/animal kingdom. Love the poly it is my favorite resort for the size of the rooms, and the beautiful lush grounds.

I have not stayed at the beach club, but seen pics and it looks very nice. A hard decision.

Bye,

Deb.

 

[vtwep]

by the way...LOVED Yacht Club!! Had a great view over the water - could see EPCOT and the Boardwalk. One night had ice cream floats from Beaches & Cream and watched the fireworks from Illuminations from our balcony.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

I would reccomend a split stay then. Disney will transfer your luggage for you so all you need to do is pack up and head to your park of choice for the day and then check in at your next resort. We have done it several times and it is not much trouble at all and then you feel like you are starting a new vacation at a new place. That way you will both be happy and you'll get to experience the best that those 2 resorts have to offer.

 

[frdeb1999]

If your planning on spending alot of time in the pools....then I'd deffinately chose the BC. Also if your more into Epcot ... it would also be another logical choice. We prefer the Poly because of the atmosphere, room size, and tropical feel of the place. The rooms are wonderful size and recently updated. They have wonderful resturant choices. The pool is very nice....although nothing compared to BC's. We love relaxing at the end of the day watching the fireworks and water parade from the beach. And for us the monorail is a major plus. We spend the majority of our time at MK and it's just so convienant being able to get to it within mins.. In the end it's all up to what your looking for in a resort. Have a wonderful time planning!

 

[Pakey]

We have no small children and Epcot is my favorite resort but for that first trip in so long, I still think there's more magic by staying on the monorail loop.

Also, during October Epcot has the F&W festival and Beach Club will be packed. The 3 resorts that share that pool will all be sold out and the pool will be crowded.

 

[vtwep]

I was at Yacht Club around final week of F&W this year (maybe a little before? I was there Nov 1-7), and the pool area did not seem crowded/packed. Perhaps earlier in October it is...but the first week of November was fine.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Another thing to keep in mind is in the "off" season, SAB at the Beach Club does not stay open late. The pool is very large and requires a lot of lifeguards. When we stayed there one year in early Oct. the pool closed at 6PM.

 

[Booyakasha]

Both resorts are great and completely different.

Split your stay and concentrate on Epcot and MGM during the BC and MK and AK during your stay at the Poly. We have done it a couple of times and it works out great as you get the best of both worlds in terms of Park convenience.

B.

 

[tinkerbell60]

I would definately do the split stay between an Epcot resort and a MK resort. I highly recommend the Yacht Club, it is a little quieter than the BC and it is closer to the boat dock and Storm A Long Bay.

As for MK - I loved the Contemporary and was less thrilled with GF - unless you can stay in RPC. Just my opinion though.

 

[maxiesmom]

Another thing to keep in mind is in the "off" season, SAB at the Beach Club does not stay open late. The pool is very large and requires a lot of lifeguards. When we stayed there one year in early Oct. the pool closed at 6PM.

This is what I was going to mention. If you stay at the Beach Club for the pool, you need to have a pool day. We were caught unaware by this during our Beach Club stay, and we were really bummed. My nieces and nephew like to swim after a day at the parks, and were stuck with using the plain old rectangular quiet pool.

Every other Disney resort only closes down the pool slide, not the whole pool. So if you stay at the Poly, you can swim in the volcano pool until very late. Plus, it is very cool to watch Wishes from the pool/beach area.

Tell hubby that if he insists on the Beach Club, you are insisting on a pool day!

 

[cmonroe]

Is the pool only for hubby? The kids might enjoy the volcano pool at the poly as well. Has he seen the pools at the poly yet?

I submit volcano pool exhibit A:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:IMG_5311.JPG

Volcano pool exhibit B:
http://z.about.com/d/hotels/1/0/d/_/waterslide_poly.jpg

 

[Shmily1]

We will always choose BC for all our deluxe stays!!! That stay was the best one we've ever had!! We loved SAB and the easiness of getting to Epcot and DHS. Cape May Cafe character breakfast was awesome too. Epcot was right outside our room. We made many quick trips to Epcot for seeing attractions, getting lunch, or just having a snack or shopping. The activities at the BW at night are close to BC and are a lot of fun to experience.

 

[cjsmith]

We have no small children and Epcot is my favorite resort but for that first trip in so long, I still think there's more magic by staying on the monorail loop.

Also, during October Epcot has the F&W festival and Beach Club will be packed. The 3 resorts that share that pool will all be sold out and the pool will be crowded.

I stay at the Yacht Club or Beach Club every year during the F&W and have done so since it started and I've never noticed that these hotels are more crowded than any other resort at the same time of year.
For the past 9 years I've booked the resorts about a month to 2 weeks ahead and have never had a problem getting in either so I don't know if they're really sold out.

My vote would be Beach Club, but then again Y&B Clubs are where we're partial to and stay all the time. I love the pools, love being able to walk to Epcot and take the boat to MGM and love having some night life that I can walk to over at the Boardwalk. Many great restaurants are also within walking distance, both in Epcot and at the many resorts in the same area.

October can be very hot down here so you may just want a few hours in the pool and Storm-along-bay can't be beat!

 

[M-I-C-K-E-Y]

The Polynesian IS Disney World (as is the Contemporary). The Beach Club is very nice, but if you're looking to be in the center of everything, and want that true, traditional "Disney Magic" feeling, definitely book the Polynesian.

 

[simonkodousek]

My husband and I are planning the Big Trip! Going all out! Been there( 18 years ago), but did not stay at the resort, and my husband went once as a teen camping at fort wilderness. We have 2 children 13 and 4 and want to stay at a deluxe resort. However, we are having trouble deciding between the Poly and BC, I argue Poly is more accessible and my husband says BC for the pool, yet we don't have much pool time planned. Not going till october but I am a major Type A person and have been planning for months already. Any help, suggestions or opinions will be greatly appreciated.

​

Welcome to the DIS Boards!

Congratulations on the planning preparations for your first family trip to WDW! The resort choice is a vital, and in my opinion, very important, decision to make while planning a vacation.

This past July we stayed at the Polynesian for a week and had a great time! It's so convenient being right on the monorail track and all. What's also nice is walking over to the Ticket & Transportation Center to catch a direct monorail to Epcot. This resort has the best transportation available in WDW in my opinion.

The grounds of the Polynesian are breathtaking, with tiki torches, exotic plants, and interestingly designed (and cleverly named) buildings putting the Polynesian theme together.

The rooms are excellent, with plenty of space for a family of four. No matter what level you choose, the view will always be great.

Great Ceremonial House is the main building here, housing all the restaurants, shops, etc.

The pools are great. There are two of them, a main one in the shape of an erupting volcano, and a "quiet pool" for people who want a bit more peace. Both are very nice. I must warn you though, that the "volcano" pool can get a bit chilly.

I also took a walk around the Beach Club on our last trip, and it was excellent as well. For more information, see the following link.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/beach.htm

I hope that helps!
~Simon

 

[bellsandwhistles]

In the past we've almost always stayed at either the Yacht Club or Poly. I have to say that even though we LOVE Epcot, we actually like to stay at the MK resorts better. As others have mentioned, the magic is at Poly. The volcano pool is a lot of fun and we actually prefer it to SAB (shock! )

Since you have both an older and younger kid, I'd recommend the Polynesian to cater slightly more to the 4 year old while still providing tons of cool ambiance for the older. JMO.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We've stayed at both and I definetly vote for the BC.

We stayed at the Poly about 4 years ago and it was nice, better than I expected, but the BC is WOW!

We stayed at the BC our last 2 trips and will be staying there again in october. We have a 9 yo and a 4 yo.

 

[Schneids]

Thanks so much for all the great info. Like my decision, many of you are split. My main concern about BC is the walk to and from (mostly) epcot. In the Unofficial guide it says a 30 min walk, in the passporter it says 10 min. walk. I think after walking all day my four year old is going to give up and ask to be carried. We are planning about a day and a half at each park so it is evenly split as well. Anyway, many thanks again, and I'm going to have my dh read this thread in a moment to bring the issue up for discussion. I'm sure I'll have many questions down the road. I appreciate the help.