Not sure which resort...

[kawillcox72]

Our family of 3 (me, DH, and DD5) will be traveling to Disney hopefully the first week of December for the first time. We aren't sure where to stay. My three picks for us are: Yacht Club (for the pool and location). Wilderness Lodge (for the theme) and Polynesian (for the location). Anyone have pros and cons or their general likes and dislikes please let me know! Or if there is a different resort we should look at, let me know.
Thanks!

 

[njprincess601]

Our family of 3 (me, DH, and DD5) will be traveling to Disney hopefully the first week of December for the first time. We aren't sure where to stay. My three picks for us are: Yacht Club (for the pool and location). Wilderness Lodge (for the theme) and Polynesian (for the location). Anyone have pros and cons or their general likes and dislikes please let me know! Or if there is a different resort we should look at, let me know.
Thanks!

I've stayed at the Poly and WL and am staying at the Yacht Club for the first time in May. We love the Poly for the theming and access to the monorail. We're a MK family and being able to hop on the monorail and be there in minutes was great! We stayed at WL last May and I actually liked it better than the Poly. It's more secluded and I loved being able to come back to the hotel after a busy day and feel like I could actually relax. And the lobby and the grounds are breathtaking. We chose the Yacht Club because it'll be the first year my daughter will be able to enjoy the pool and you can't do better than SAB. And after staying at MK resorts every time, we really wanted to try an Epcot resort. We're very much looking forward to our stay!

 

[Yellosno]

Really with these 3 you cant go wrong, never stayed at Yacht Club but stayed at Beach Club myself. Depending on which parks you plan on going ot the most I would base it off to that, Yacht Club is right in the center the world and easy access to Epcot and HS. Like I said earlier all three are great and you will have a great time at any.

 

[Missytara]

Our family of 3 (me, DH, and DD5) will be traveling to Disney hopefully the first week of December for the first time. We aren't sure where to stay. My three picks for us are: Yacht Club (for the pool and location). Wilderness Lodge (for the theme) and Polynesian (for the location). Anyone have pros and cons or their general likes and dislikes please let me know! Or if there is a different resort we should look at, let me know.
Thanks!

You cannot go wrong with any of them.

I like the YC, for the close proximity to the BW area; Epcot and DHS.

I love WL, because of its theming and it proximity to FW, as well as the boat over from MK.

The Poly is great, since it is one of the first built on property (before the energy crisis of the mid 70's, so the rooms are larger than others on property. Plus being on the monorail loop and close to MK.

 

[mickeynut1]

As others have said, you can't go wrong with any of them. We haven't stayed at the YC, but have stayed at the BC as well as the Poly and WL. For resorts in general, my choice would be the Poly as that's our favorite, but during the holidays, the WL would win out as the decorations are gorgeous and the lobby has a cozy, homey feel with the huge fireplace in the center surrounded by rocking chairs. All 3 of them have great pools, with the volcano pool at the Poly being our favorite (even over SAB). With that said, I wouldn't choose strictly for the pool as December weather can be very iffy and there is a chance you won't be able to swim. We stayed at the BC one December and were able to enjoy SAB on our arrival day, but then the pool was closed the rest of the week due to cold weather. Good luck deciding, although I think you'll have a great trip no matter which resort you choose as they are all great places to stay.

 

[appleorchard]

The Polynesian-- no question. Or the Contemporary or Bay Lake Tower, because you can walk to and from the MK. And that's where your DD will want to be most of the time. She won't care about the pool at the Yacht Club -- any pool will do at that age. And kids don't care about theming either.

We just got back from a 6 day BLT stay with my DGD age 5 and spent part of every day but one at the MK.

 

[MMS1125]

in Dec I'd go with WL. You can't beat the beauty and it's going to be cheaper than the Poly and YC. You can't count on the weather very much in December to pick YC for the pool. Even though it's heated it can get chilly

 

[Wood Nymph]

I've stayed at all three resorts and they are all great places to stay. We were recently at the WL and loved it. The resort is compact and the boat makes access to MK really easy. We are going back there for the first week of December, so maybe we'll see you there.

The Poly has the monorail, which makes access to MK very easy. The rooms are the largest on the property. But its buildings are separate and you have to walk outside to go to the food court. It is also the highest price of the three resorts.

The YC is a great resort, too. If it is warm enough to swim, then Storm Along Bay can't be beat. It is the best pool on the property. And you can walk into Epcot and Hollywood Studios from that resort, or take the boat.

Poly and WL are great if you plan to spend a lot of time at MK. YC is great if you are fans of Epcot and HS. I love the Epcot resorts. But we are going back to WL because we think it will be a great place to stay at Christmas time.

I would suggest you look at your park plans, your budget, and what kind of theme appeals to you the most, and then go with that. You can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[letsgoreds]

Would she like bunk beds? One of the highlights for DS7 at 5 was getting to sleep in the top bunk. I love WL (feels like home), but we are trying out BC this December. I'm a little nervous about temperatures for the pool, because there is more getting in/out than other pools, but we're going for it. I have never stayed at the Poly as the themeing doesn't appeal to me (would choose Contemp or BLT first)...but people that go there LOVE it, so it must be pretty wonderful.

There is also a pretty decent price difference between the WL and Poly (YC probably in between). Something to consider.

 

[Lynn57]

In December I would go for WL. They have incredible Christmas decorations, WAYYYY better than the Poly. While the Poly has the monorail, I loved taking the boat to and from WL and appreciated how it was more secluded. A perfect place to relax after a long day in the parks.

Yacht Club is nice, but it might be too chilly to truly enjoy the pool.

 

[mmmears]

I've stayed at both the Poly and the YC, and I've visited the WL several times.

First, I think they are all great resorts.

Second, do you know which parks you plan to spend most of your time at? Because YC is very convenient to both DHS and EP, Poly is close to MK and EP, WL is close to the MK... That could make a difference.

Third, it sounds like you will be there during the xmas holiday decorations. IMO that pushes the WL up some since the decor there really lends itself to xmas theming.

And as others have said, December is iffy for swimming, so I wouldn't base the decision too much on the pools. YC has the best pool (and several jacuzzis so even if it's not warm to swim you can still go out and relax). WL's pool doesn't thrill me, and the Poly doesn't have a jacuzzi but the pool is quite nice.

Also, there is a pretty big price difference between the 3 resorts -- that may help you to decide. The Poly rooms facing the castle are really nice, especially for watching the highly fireworks, but they are pricey.

Good luck with your decision! And don't worry -- they are all great places to stay!


ETA: Not sure if you know that the rooms are not the same size... WL will be the smallest, YC the middle, and the Poly rooms are quite large compared to those two. It may not matter much since there are only 3 of you (we are fine with any of them) but just in case thought I should add this info.

 

[JeannieKY]

WL! My kids always loved this resort and the pool water was warm enough to swim in even when it was very cold outside. It is more compact, less walking, than YC. The fireplace just makes it cozy! Love WL for a Winter trip!

 

[ktlm]

You can not go wrong with any of those. We been the last several Decembers and we have stayed at WL, Poly and GF that time of year. We've never stayed at YC, but I think for the location it is a good choice too. I would lean toward WL and Poly, because with a 5 year old, you will probably spend the most time at MK. I wouldn't base it that much on a pool, because as a PP said, swimming is extremely hit or miss that time of year. I don't think we've ever gone swimming on our December trips, although we've had some days we probably could have.

WL
The boat to the MK is great
It is beautiful at Christmas
Everything is in one building, so if you want to leave your DH and DD in the room and run to the gift store, CS, or just sit and enjoy the lobby for a minute, it is close and you are inside the whole time.
The bus service isn't bad in our experience and we've stayed there a couple of times.
Rooms are smaller than the Poly

Poly
Probably our favorite place of anywhere we have stayed at WDW
Hands down best transporation of anywhere we have ever stayed at WDW- you can walk to the TTC and catch the express monorail to either MK or Epcot.
Not the last stop on the shared bus service so we haven't had any problems with buses from there.
Good sized rooms
Pretty- but not as much of a Christmas feel as WL or GF
It is spread out and I was not comfortable walking to the Grand Ceremonial House (gift shop, CS, etc) from our room alone at night because the grounds are fairly dark with lots of greenery
I think they are doing some refurbishments this year and I don't know what kind of impact that might have

GF
AbsolutelyBeautiful at Christmas
Staff is wonderful- but they are pretty great at the Poly and WL too.
Boat and Monorail to MK are great.
Getting to Epcot takes longer than from Poly because you have to catch the resort monorail and transfer to the Epcot monorail- but it is still the monorail so it is still nice.
Good sized rooms.
The grounds are well lit and open and I felt perfectly comfortable walking them alone at night to go to the main building (gift shops, CS, enjoy lobby etc).
The bus service is horrible because it is the 3rd stop. It shares with the Contemporary and Poly, and in our experience it is not unusual for the buses to be standing room only by the time they get to GF, or to just drive through and open their doors and say they are full and the next one will be along shortly. It is the worst in the mornings around rope drop, and is not bad at all during off times, but it is still annoying to be the 3rd stop coming back from places. When I pay the GF prices (well, generally we only stay there with a discount...but still), I would expect better bus service.

YC
We have never stayed there, but the fact it is walking distance from both Epcot and DHS, so you don't have to worry about transporation to 2 parks is a big plus.

They are all great!

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I would do the Poly, as it is near the MK. You have everything a little girl would want very close by:

The MK,

Chef Mickeys

The Cinderella And her step sisters buffet at the GF

The Monorail, easy transportation to MK and Epcot. - not to mention how cool the monorail is (at least I think its cool)

Pooh and friends buffet at the Cp in the Mk.

All the princess meet and greets at the MK

Dinner at Belles castle

ability to see wishes from the resort......which is really nice on those early nights.

Tea party at the GF


The YC is awesome, but the pool is really big and really deep in some places and it would be hard to watch a 5 yo. I would do that hotel when she is a little older. If you fo go there the boardwalk is a fun place to spend an evening.

But whatever hotel you choose you won't go wrong. Have a great trip!

 

[blackacex2]

I'll jump in here and recommend the Yacht Club...or Boardwalk- I know that's not one of your choices but it has a little more Disney magic during Christmas time than the yacht club. Stayed at the wilderness lodge once and it was cool, but the Epcot resorts have more of a "wow, this is AWESOME" feeling to them in my opinion. Poly is of course wonderful but it's always possible it will be cold in december (50s in the morning + evening and low 60s all day) so the whole Hawaii theme might feel a bit off.

Can't go wrong with any of those places though!

 

[kawillcox72]

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice so much. I know it's mostly going to be our taste that matters, but location is important to me too. I really like the idea of being able to walk to Epcot and Hollywood (even if it is a bit long). And having the Boardwalk next door is nice too.
We do plan on spending two days at MK, two days at Epcot, a day at Hollywood, and a day at AK with breaks. So I think centrally located would be the way to go. We also plan on spending a day relaxing at our resort and maybe heading to DD if we feel like it.
So I am leaning towards the YC for the pool (even if it's a bit cold...we are from Syracuse, NY, we can swim in 50 weather if the pool is heated) and the location. I am also going to budget money for taxi's if bus lines look long.
We also don't want the Disney theme to be over the top at our resort. Which I think all three look nice, but YC seems to be the most comfortable and relaxing looking to me. Again my taste goes towards YC, but I appreciate any and all advice that I can get.
I think Poly is out...expensive!!! But WL still has me a bit. Especially since it will be Christmas time and you guys all are recommending it. I just don't know. LOL. At least I have it down to two.
Any more advice?
Thank everyone, this was my first post on here and you all have been so helpful!!!

 

[Princess Katherine]

All are good choices. I would try to think of the children. If you're child loves swimming go with Yacht Club. If your child loves the outdoors or bears go to Wilderness Lodge. If she likes exotic plants go to the Poly, if she likes the monorail and are going to spend a lot of time at Magic Kingdom pick Poly.