Need some opinions here if its worth the extra money?

digman6

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Feb 5, 2007
Messages
534
Ok this may be a realy dumb question like apples to oranges really:upsidedow :lmao:

I know the diffrerences between the ASM Suites and the Poly But when I did the price diffrenece here is what I got ASM-12/1-11th package hopper-4781.00 2 adults 4 kids( 1 is a baby)

When i did the Poly I plugged in diffrent days once i thought of Pop Warner!:scared1: and picked 12/7-15th I did standard room and it was 6002.00 the club level was like 7400.00. All same package stuff

Now based on that is the Poly worth the price difference on EITHER LEVEL? I have never been to either resort so I am sure its kinda a apple to oranges comparison. just curious if the EXTRAS are worth it or you really did not think so much.

Kids will be 12,9,6,and 2 when we go in 2008
 
It really is a personal preference, but here are a few of the differences that I see:

-HUGH rooms at Poly
-Queen size beds
-Balcony
-More elaborately themed pool with slide and I think zero entry for the little ones.
-Monorail
-On lake w/view of castle from beach (if you're lucky from your room, too!)
-Next door to TTC
-Easy access to GF, CR, and WL if you'd like to try something different for dinner.

I'm sure I'm missing something. It really just depends what you want.
 
Well i want to travel with kids as easy as I can and a room that does not make me feel a crammed together.

Seems like that the Poly may be my best bet and is worth the money in just the travel place to place part.

I guess I needed to know the basic things that people like best on either side of the coin or resort in this case.


thanks
 
Room size Comparison:

Pop Century/All Stars-260 Square Feet
CS, POR/POFQ-314 SF
Caribbean Beach-340 SF
Wilderness Lodge-344 SF
AKL-344 SF
Yacht/Beach-381 SF
Boardwalk-385 SF
Polynesian-409 -440 SF
Contemporary-436 SF
Grand Floridian-about 400-440SF
Ft Wilderness Cabins-504 SF
Family suites at All Star Music -520 SF

---------------------------------------------------

Room layout of Poly:

Disney_Polynesian_Resort_ROOM_LR-1.gif


Here is the layout of the Family Suites:

ASMusic_FamSuite_layout.jpg



-------------------------------------------------------------------
DH and I stayed in a Family Suite at All Star Music ( a value resort) last Sept. (2006)

We really enjoyed the Queen size bed, the kitchenette with the microwave, having a sofa and cushioned chair to sit on and relax after a day at the parks before retiring for the evening.

I thought the pullouts very comfortable.

They are designed so the back cushion and seat cushion of the pullout support the pullout. There is no meatle bar to hurt the sleepers back.

Info thread--Pullouts in Family Suites at ASMU with photos of how the pullout is supported.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18100990#post18100990


Here is my review of the Suites:

www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=17640774&postcount=7

For more photos and info please see this info thread:

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1392879

Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!:wizard:
 

All Star Music is my favorite Disney owned hotel.
It tends to be quietest of all of the values.
It also has a lot of nice landscaping.

I like the food court at All Star Music for a quick grab and go breakfast on the way to the parks.

I like the fact I can pay for a preferred location and know I will be close to the main pool. food court, and bus stop.

I enjoy the theming at All Star Music. I love seeing the children having fun getting squirted by Three Caballeros (Donald and friends) at the All Star Music pool.

sigpic.jpg


BTW:


All Star Music just underwent a refurbishment of all of the rooms and was completed in June 2007.

All Star Music now has the privacy curtain which divides the sleeping area from the vainty area.

All Star Music is only value resort that has this curtain.

I am hoping when the All Star Sports rooms are refurbished between june this year (2007) and Feb. (2008) they will add the privacy curtains to the Sports rooms as well.


Here is a website with photos of the newly refurbished rooms at All Star Music.

Look at the Jazz Inn section with new posted:

http://allearsnet.com/acc/g_asmu.htm

Please see my info thread for more of the reasons why I enjoy All Star Music so much.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?p=18641909#post18641909


Have fun at Disney wherever you choose to stay!:wizard:
 
Personally, if I were already spending $4781 on my trip to disneyworld, I would spent $1221 more to stay at the Poly. What's another thousand when I'm already spending 5. Obviously you can afford it if you are asking.

I'm sure Music is a wonderful resort, I mean, it's Disney. Put we're talking about the Poly. It's the resort that Walt built.
 
I always see the old "Is the Deluxe really worth the extra $$$?" question as sort of an invalid debate, although the answer is simple. It's worth it if you can afford to spend the extra coin, it's not worth it is you can't, and only each of us individually really know whether or not we can swing it financially. That is unless the OPs of these kind of threads want to start posting their income/savings when they pose these kind of questions in the future. Then we'll have a point of reference that we all can pick apart to no end! ;)
 
Personally I dont think it is worth that much! If you are not on the dining plan I would go to the Swan or Dolphin instead.
 
As always "worth" is subjective. We like Balconies, monorails ,TS restaurants and indoor hallways when we travel, so for us the answer is yes.
 
I know the diffrerences between the ASM Suites and the Poly But when I did the price diffrenece here is what I got ASM-12/1-11th package hopper-4781.00 2 adults 4 kids( 1 is a baby)

When i did the Poly I plugged in diffrent days once i thought of Pop Warner!:scared1: and picked 12/7-15th I did standard room and it was 6002.00 the club level was like 7400.00. All same package stuff

Did you intentionally make ASM for 10 days and Poly for 7 or is that a mis-type? :)

The ASM suites would be larger than the Poly room, BUT I have been dying to stay at the Poly. My problem is that I go every year to Disney, sometimes with the family, sometimes with a friend. Because of that, I have a hard time justifying spending the extra for a Deluxe. BUT, I am not a fan of the Values resorts at all - I really enjoy the Moderates. Okay - I didn't help at all . . . I guess I just wanted to hear myself talk. :rolleyes1 Well actually I was wondering about the 7 vs 10 day issue. I am so nosy!!!
 
Well you may or may not get a balcony at the Poly.

Is it worth the price? Sure, or they wouldn't be in business any longer! People pay the price to stay there.

Are you thinking about one room or two? No matter the size of the room, it still seems like kind of a lot of people in one room.

I'd consider two rooms and adjust your budget as needed. That is just me!

Good luck!:banana:
 
For us it is definitely worth it to stay at the Poly! We usually do stay Club Level, but for us the convenience of having the lounge available with four kids in one room is invaluable, tough to put a price tag on...We did stay at CBR once (before we had four kids) and staying at a deluxe is soooo much easier IMHO. They aren't as large and spread out, there are fewer rooms, therefore not as many people. The balcony is very nice to have when you have little ones who go to bed before mom and dad. The availability of the monorail or boat to the Magic Kingdom and the TTC just a short walk away are also invaluable to us. My kids love the Polynesian, as a matter of fact, now that we are actually 6 (the baby is four now) we would need two rooms as opposed to one, signicant price difference, and my 16 year old said he would pay for the extra room for the week so we could go back to the Poly (we declined and got a deluxe room at the BWI that sleeps six) but that's how much my kids love it there. The Volcano Pool is very cool!
 
BTW we did all six stay at the Poly in one room for 10 days, we did not feel cramped.
 
Did you intentionally make ASM for 10 days and Poly for 7 or is that a mis-type? :)

The ASM suites would be larger than the Poly room, BUT I have been dying to stay at the Poly. My problem is that I go every year to Disney, sometimes with the family, sometimes with a friend. Because of that, I have a hard time justifying spending the extra for a Deluxe. BUT, I am not a fan of the Values resorts at all - I really enjoy the Moderates. Okay - I didn't help at all . . . I guess I just wanted to hear myself talk. :rolleyes1 Well actually I was wondering about the 7 vs 10 day issue. I am so nosy!!!

I actually had wanted to keep my cost within a certain limit and then when I was on the disney site putting stuff in it would not let me make reservations for certain dates thats how i ended up with those moany days, i did not want to fall into the weekend and have the rate jack up more:rolleyes1

I really want to make sure we are not packed in the room , I hate the idea of feeling like we are tripping over each other when we are there. As it is I am at POR this Xmas advised by our TA that is was plenty big for us to hear now that it will be crowded. I am now hung up on weather or not I am crammed in the room I guess;)

I can deal with a bus if needed and I think the theme is cute at ASM, the room size seems quite nice as well.

However I love the monorail idea, the resort seems very pretty, we plan on the dining package .. the basic one not deluxe. I think the club level would be nice for the kids as well as us.

i want the Poly for the AMS price!:lmao: :rotfl2: Don't we all !

I think if I can get the Poly I will , we really enjoyed WL when we went a few years back. The monorail will be nice with having the baby still young as well. if nothing else that will save our sanity when she is tired.
 
Have you thought about one of the vacation club resorts? Our second time at Disney we stayed at OKW which I think would be the least expensive of the vacation clubs. It was 900 square feet for a one bedroom, and had a full kitchen and a full size washer and dryer. I could have lived in that room with no problem. You get the "Deluxe" atmosphere with more room. You might also consider renting points from a member. That's what we do. Rent points during the week, and move to another resort to save money because weekend points are more money. Good luck!
 
Since you asked for opinions I'll put in mine too...

Assuming that the extra $$ will not impede your enjoyment, I vote for the Poly.

We've now stayed at all three all stars and at each of the deluxe and moderate resorts. I just need to book a few days at POP sometime to completely sleep my way around the world - wait that didn't sound too good... well, hopefully you know what I mean :lmao:

Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a hotel snob (I'm not - really I swear - it's the kids & DH who are) I feel the magic much more at the Poly than at All Stars - from check-in to check-out. This might get long but let me give you a few reasons why...

At ASMu we enter the lobby, It's a busy place and a bit loud. If we've driven I need to park in one lot to check in then find another one closer to the room afterwards to leave the car in and haul the luggage from. When we've flown our luggage waited in the lobby with us after being unloaded from the bus.
I get in a line that's normally rather long, snaking thru the roped off areas giving me a feel for what busy park attractions will be like, while the rest of the family searches for seats among the huddled masses in a lobby filled with people and baggage.
After check-in if our room is ready, we wander aimlessly looking at building numbers and signs, often past large groups of loud high school kids staying there for festivals or competitions toting our luggage along like pack mules (Now don't get me wrong, I LIKE high school kids and pack mules though I wouldn't want to be either at my age. DD17 has been one of those chorus/dance/sports kids at ASMu. They have an awesome time and it makes me smile just to watch them but they tend to be loud, very active and Everywhere so not all family groups appreciate them as I do).
I have not found the front desk staff or food court CMs to be very warm & fuzzy although they do give out balloon animals or regular balloons to kids at check-in when they have them which is a nice touch.
The busses are often crowded during busy times, I may have to wait for a second or third bus to be able to find one with room for all of us, and there is only one bus stop so I try not to be in one of the furthest buildings because the walk back at night when we're all tired doesn't top my list of fun attractions.
The suites have a nice location within the resort but they also feature sleep sofas. I don't know about you but after a day or two, the novelty of the sleep sofa would wear off and our kids would be complaining that it wasn't as comfortable as a normal bed and why did they have to sleep there...

At the Poly, we enter the lobby past a soothing fish pond, are greeted with flower leis and Disney Adventures magazines for the kids, bell services takes our bags, if we've driven the valet guys happily take our van and return it when we ask with the a/c already on to cool it down.
I'm sure the front desk line can get busy but we've yet to personally experience a long line. There are benches amid the flowers and a comfy area with a tv on for the kids to wait in just in case though. Occassionally the CM in the lobby will be showing guests how to hula or make leis which is interesting as well.
If our room is ready we wander thru the resort in search of it but it's peaceful outside, the number of buildings is limited and bell services has our luggage to deliver for us so the room search is not that big a deal. The monorail, bus stop and boat docks are more centrally located making it seem like an easier commute to the parks & back at night. The beds are comfortable and the rooms have been remodeled in the past few years. Mousekeeping will make up the day bed each evening with turn down service so there's no complaints that it isn't a 'normal' bed.

Speaking of beds... will your youngest nap during the day? If so, that's a major plus for a deluxe hotel. The stroller is another issue that would sway me to a deluxe with proximity to several parks simply because of the hassle of folding/unfolding/carting the stroller while carrying a sleeping child on and off a crowded bus....

Whew... Now all that said, have you given any thought to my personal favorite the YC/BC? Typically the rates for the BC or YC are a bit less than the Poly so the difference in price would be less noticeable but you still have the space and convienent location along with more amenities.
Your children are different ages and the pool there is perfect for that. The area for small children is especially nice and very large with a sand bottom and lots of buckets and shovels to play with keeping them busy for hours - unlike the smaller concrete toddler pools of the value resorts.
With older children, you may spend more time in Epcot or MGM than in MK. The sidewalk and watertaxi to those parks is wonderful. You can rent boats for fun at the marina and family bikes at the Boardwalk. At night there are bonfires and movies on the beach.
The CMs are great. Art, the BC's geeter is truly magical and has a way of making even the smallest child feel listened to and appreciated. I've stayed lots of places but I have never felt more welcome anywhere...
 
Since you asked for opinions I'll put in mine too...

Assuming that the extra $$ will not impede your enjoyment, I vote for the Poly.

We've now stayed at all three all stars and at each of the deluxe and moderate resorts. I just need to book a few days at POP sometime to completely sleep my way around the world - wait that didn't sound too good... well, hopefully you know what I mean :lmao:

Anyway, at the risk of sounding like a hotel snob (I'm not - really I swear - it's the kids & DH who are) I feel the magic much more at the Poly than at All Stars - from check-in to check-out. This might get long but let me give you a few reasons why...

At ASMu we enter the lobby, It's a busy place and a bit loud. If we've driven I need to park in one lot to check in then find another one closer to the room afterwards to leave the car in and haul the luggage from. When we've flown our luggage waited in the lobby with us after being unloaded from the bus.
I get in a line that's normally rather long, snaking thru the roped off areas giving me a feel for what busy park attractions will be like, while the rest of the family searches for seats among the huddled masses in a lobby filled with people and baggage.
After check-in if our room is ready, we wander aimlessly looking at building numbers and signs, often past large groups of loud high school kids staying there for festivals or competitions toting our luggage along like pack mules (Now don't get me wrong, I LIKE high school kids and pack mules though I wouldn't want to be either at my age. DD17 has been one of those chorus/dance/sports kids at ASMu. They have an awesome time and it makes me smile just to watch them but they tend to be loud, very active and Everywhere so not all family groups appreciate them as I do).
I have not found the front desk staff or food court CMs to be very warm & fuzzy although they do give out balloon animals or regular balloons to kids at check-in when they have them which is a nice touch.
The busses are often crowded during busy times, I may have to wait for a second or third bus to be able to find one with room for all of us, and there is only one bus stop so I try not to be in one of the furthest buildings because the walk back at night when we're all tired doesn't top my list of fun attractions.
The suites have a nice location within the resort but they also feature sleep sofas. I don't know about you but after a day or two, the novelty of the sleep sofa would wear off and our kids would be complaining that it wasn't as comfortable as a normal bed and why did they have to sleep there...

At the Poly, we enter the lobby past a soothing fish pond, are greeted with flower leis and Disney Adventures magazines for the kids, bell services takes our bags, if we've driven the valet guys happily take our van and return it when we ask with the a/c already on to cool it down.
I'm sure the front desk line can get busy but we've yet to personally experience a long line. There are benches amid the flowers and a comfy area with a tv on for the kids to wait in just in case though. Occassionally the CM in the lobby will be showing guests how to hula or make leis which is interesting as well.
If our room is ready we wander thru the resort in search of it but it's peaceful outside, the number of buildings is limited and bell services has our luggage to deliver for us so the room search is not that big a deal. The monorail, bus stop and boat docks are more centrally located making it seem like an easier commute to the parks & back at night. The beds are comfortable and the rooms have been remodeled in the past few years. Mousekeeping will make up the day bed each evening with turn down service so there's no complaints that it isn't a 'normal' bed.

Speaking of beds... will your youngest nap during the day? If so, that's a major plus for a deluxe hotel. The stroller is another issue that would sway me to a deluxe with proximity to several parks simply because of the hassle of folding/unfolding/carting the stroller while carrying a sleeping child on and off a crowded bus....

Whew... Now all that said, have you given any thought to my personal favorite the YC/BC? Typically the rates for the BC or YC are a bit less than the Poly so the difference in price would be less noticeable but you still have the space and convienent location along with more amenities.
Your children are different ages and the pool there is perfect for that. The area for small children is especially nice and very large with a sand bottom and lots of buckets and shovels to play with keeping them busy for hours - unlike the smaller concrete toddler pools of the value resorts.
With older children, you may spend more time in Epcot or MGM than in MK. The sidewalk and watertaxi to those parks is wonderful. You can rent boats for fun at the marina and family bikes at the Boardwalk. At night there are bonfires and movies on the beach.
The CMs are great. Art, the BC's geeter is truly magical and has a way of making even the smallest child feel listened to and appreciated. I've stayed lots of places but I have never felt more welcome anywhere...

Sounds like the deluxe is the way I should go for this next trip in 2008. I was looking inot the resort you mentioned earlier. However was concerned if the transportation was really crazy so I ended up this way now. I should go back and look at it now that you say this again with kids ages etc etc:thanks:

watch after all this all the deluxes are booked!:rotfl:
 
Have you considered deleting the DDP to reduce the costs? I much rather stay deluxe and do without the DDP which, for us, is of minimal benefit unless it's during free dining promotions.

We have APs so we have a DDE card instead and find that we rarely spend as much as the DDP would cost per day for all of us. DH only drinks water, we don't tend to order appetizers and desserts with every meal either but if we're using DDP then of course we use them because they're there. I've done the math, as have many on the dining plan board, and don't always see the value of DDP. After looking at the DDP changes for 2008, I am positive it won't work for us next year at all.

There are usually AP rates available for mid-December as well but I don't think they're out yet. If you're thinking about a 10 day stay tho, I think it would pay to buy one AP - for you or your spouse - to be able to get the DDE card and any available AP discounts. I see BC/YC with AP rates most of the time. AP availability at the Poly is sometimes there too but doesn't come up quite as often.
 
I hear that quite a bit from people too, the only thing is we like to have a sit down meal of some kind daily. I have done the math for us and it really is a saving for us if we don't breakeven per person. We like to be able to order whatever we want and not think about what its costing. Atleast this time next year may be a diffrent story.


I thought of doing a AP to tell you the truth this trip considering next trip will be just before the AP would end. What is the cost of a AP and what kind of discount do you get on food? I can always rerun the numbers and see where we fall.

I just booked the Club level at Poly is there anyplace I can get a run down of what you get at Club level? If I am paying for it I may as well use it! Also since we are new to this entire club level thing is there a room location I should try and get or are they all really good ?

This is a secret for my family next year, not even dh knows what I am up to :rolleyes1 he thinks I am just doing this trip stuff not the next one:rolleyes: :yay:
 
We benefit greatly from our APs and from the DDE card. I purchase the basic annual pass though knowing that we can always upgrade to premium if we find it neccessary later.
When staying at BC/YC the kids don't feel like they need to hit a water park so we might do just a day or two in BB/TL each year (DH doesn't do the water parks anymore) hence so far, it's been cheaper to pay OOP when the kids do want to go to BB/TL. We spend 2-3 weeks in wdw each summer, while the girls and I find excuses to go other times when Southwest has a really good DING fare because "after all, we do have those APs, right mom?"

Our biggest savings are from combining our APs & DDE card with AP rates (or TA when applicable) to save $$ instead of paying a higher room rate for a package with passes and DDP.

With a DDE card you receive 20% off all TS meals. I think the card is $65 (?) a year now and it is only available for annual passholders or florida residents. We do at least one table service meal per day, sometimes two. DH has a heart condition so we're diet conscious and CS meals often are not as healthy as we'd like so we'll do two TS meals on the days he's with us.

For reference, the AP rate at the Poly this Sept. is $249 (garden) while BC/YC/BWI AP rate is $235. I have seen deluxes under $200 in the past year but it's hard to say for sure what the future will hold.
I could be wrong of course but I feel like there have always been AP rates and there likely always will be - the resorts and percentages just change over the years.
 

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