Please help make up my mind

[Fan2CSkr]

Hello,

I am new to posting on this board, but have been reading and gathering info for quite a while now.

I have a trip planned for December 8-16 2002, Now if I could only pick a hotel

We are a family of 4. My husband and myself and 2 boys ages 5 and 9.

I started out wanting to book at the WL after reading all the wonderful posts about the decorations for the holidays. I thought I was set but alas ventured on to read about the AKL. My husband voiced his desire to stay at the AKL.

Okay so could I just stop there? NO! Deciding between the two would not have been that difficult. But of course I just had to start reading about the transportation issues. That of course brought me to adding the Poly to the mix.


So here I sit unable to make a choice! Please help me

If we stay at WL it would be a Courtyard room.
AKL- Savannah View
Poly- GV Concierge

Is access to the monorail that beneficial? I am for some reason leaning towards the Poly. The rates are good and transportaion better than my other choices right? I have in the past stayed at only Contemporary and Poly. I have no experience with bus transportation from the other resorts.

The AKL and WL does sound very nice and I would like to try a different hotel but with children the transportation issue is an important one for us.

Also our plans are to tour the parks all of them in 4 days. We will also have one evening at MVMCP.The other 4 days of our trip will be at Universal. We have not been back to Disney since 1997 and I know there is much to see!

I have learned so much already from all of you...
Any and all help is very much appreciated! Thank You

 

[Desnik]

First welcome to the Dis!

I would vote for the Poly. Though I have never stayed there and it is not my style or type of hotel, people here seem to really love it and have great things to say about it. The concierge has also gotten rave reviews here. Having stayed at the GF, I can say being on the monorail loop is so convienent especially with children! If I'm not mistaken I think you can also walk to the MK from there as well. If transportation is a very big issue for you than from what has been said about the WL and AKL transportation, then I would just skip them and go with the Poly.
Another idea would be to split the stay. Stay at the Poly when you plan to do Disney, then switch over to AKL or WL when you plan on going to Universal. If you don't know about these sites, maybe they will help you decide by reading their fax's and seeing pictures. Good luck deciding.
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/asp/rescc/costcalc.asp
http://www.wdwig.com/faq_hot.htm
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wa...ortgroupingindex?id=RSDisneysDeluxeRsrtGrping
http://tikiman2001.homestead.com/index.html

 

[drusba]

There is no bad choice. Perhaps just take the one that is least costly if cost is a factor although if you can get "concierge" for close to the price of the others Poly gains a more definite advantage. Poly has the advantage of having the largest rooms of the group and a quick monorail to MK and Epcot. The other two bus everywhere except for boat from WL to MK. Busses are OK and in fact busses from Poly to MGM and AK are no better than busses to same places from other two (AK to AKL is actually very quick as AK is located in that area).

 

[jel0511]

I've stayed at 2 of your choices, I'm trying AKL next year. My favorite hotel in WDW is the WL. Now, that being said, I'd recommend the Poly concierge. The convience of the quick breakfasts and the snacks in the afternoon are invaluable in my opinion. With children that age, they always seem to want a snack, at least my 4 year old does, and the concierge will give you access to that all day. Also, the Poly is the most convient hotel for transportation in my opinion. You only have to take the bus to AK and MGM, and the monorail is right there for the MK and just a short walk away is TTC for the Epcot monorail. Now, the Poly themeing isn't one of my favorites, but I still LOVE the hotel. The rooms are really large and MUCH larger than the rooms at AKL and WL. They are about 100 sq ft larger than the WL and AKL standard rooms. The deluxe rooms at AKL are about 40 square feet larger than the standard rooms. It's really a difficult call, all the resorts are beautiful and different in their own ways. Good luck with your decision!!!

 

[BCV23]

If you liked the Polynesian in the past, I would definitely pick it. As others have said the rooms are so much bigger and the transportation is the best by far. While Drusba is correct that the Polynesian buses share with GF and CR, if you stay at the Polynesian you can also use the Park buses that drop off guests at the TTC and make the short walk back to the resort. We always have a car but if we split up at some point (for us, that's sometimes after lunch), you can catch whichever bus comes first, resort or TTC.

The concierge's breakfast is very convenient as are the drinks, fruit and cookies throughout the day. We enjoy the appetizers before heading out to dinner and the little desserts are fun to return to at the end of our night.

The Christmas decorations at AKL and WL are beautiful, but you can always book a meal there or even just visit.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Heres' my 2 cents...

WL is beautiful year-round and at Christmas it is breathtaking. However, since you have 2 DS, I would recommend somewhere OTHER THAN WL. Only because of transportation.

I believe WL transportation is great, but I have no children. My DW and I are never in a big rush to get to the parks. So when the buses leave WL and then swing into FW, not a big problem. The extra time spent traveling is not a problem for us.

However, if I had children -- it would probably be a problem. I've seen it first-hand with others. The ride can seem to take forever and that's not too magical for children.

Stay at the Poly. The concierge level will be great, you'll have the monorail, it will be beautifully decorated. As someone else said, plan some resort-hopping time (maybe 1 afternoon) to see the decorations.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

Thank you for the replies. Reading your opinions has helped me a lot in sorting it all out.

Thanks for the welcome, Desnik! The links you provided were great! I an unable to split my stay since we are staying onsite at Universal as well.

drusba, I agree there is no bad choice. The prices I got really are not comparable. The Poly is more expensive than the others but still very good for a concierge room. I like the idea of a larger room. I wasnt aware there was that much of a difference between the different deluxe room sizes. Thanks for the info!

jel0511,I have to admit I laughed when you said your favorite is the WL and then recommended the Poly! I agree with your reasoning. My kids are always looking for a snack! I am liking the monorail benefit more and more as I read. I agree about the Poly themeing and I think that may be why I hesitated. I also love the hotel but just thought during the holidays it would have been a nicer atmosphere to be at the AKL or WL. However the location of the Poly is just better for us and we can visit and have a meal at the others this time around.

BCV23,thanks for your thoughts! Although I am a bit confused with the transportation system still I'm sure I will figure it out when we get there. Great idea to visit the hotels and maybe have a meal to see all the pretty decorations.

Eeyore1954, Your 2 cents is more than welcome! Thanks for your honest opinion. You added another view for us and traveling with the kids. Kids are in a rush! They do want to be there yesterday and arent quite as patient as adults.


Okay the Poly it is! I feel better too. My brain needed a rest. It is so nice to read many opinions and different experiences. Thank you for helping me out I'm sure its only the beginning of asking questions after all now I have the rest of the trip to plan

 

[PamNC]

I say pick your resort based on two things. 1) location and 2) theming

My gut tells me to advise you to pick Wilderness Lodge. It's breathtaking at Christmas!! And since you have kids, you'll be a boat launch from the Magic Kingdom.

However, I also advise anyone trying to pick a resort to go by location and theming. For instance, I have no desire to stay at Port Orleans because that theme doesn't appeal to me. Also, we like to be in the Epcot resort area so our favorite is Yacht and Beach Club. It's all a matter of taste and I think you'll be pleased whatever you decide. Christmas is beautiful at Disney.

PamNC