POFQ or Polynesian

[Liz&Griff'smom]

I recently booked a vacation for my family (myself, husband, daughter, 16 and son,15) at POFQ for 6 nights in June. We are now considering a standard room at the Polynesian Resort. I just looked it up and it would cost 1400 dollars more. We have never stayed at the Polynesian and are not sure if it is worth the extra money. I love some opinions from someone who has stayed at both. Thanks!

 

[Disneypro1]

For the Money....POFQ love that place. It almost impossible to justify 1400 compared to POFQ. Ever. And the pool is tops there also. The grounds at POfQ is really neat..kinda like you are out of in the woods so to speak.
I love the Poly. We have stayed there..but probably never again. 1400 goes a long long way..no need to spend it on a room.

 

[Disneylover99]

I love both resorts and have stayed at both resorts multiple times.
But I wouldn’t pay an extra $230 per night to stay at the Poly over POFQ.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you want to upgrade from a mod to a deluxe, I would recommend looking into the deluxes that typically don't price out as high as the Poly - BC/YC, BWI, WL, AKL, even CR in the garden wing. Personally, I'm a bit shocked as to how high the Poly prices have climbed. We've stayed there in the past and though the decor and theming are lovely, I find it to be quite loud and chaotic. Especially with teenagers, they may enjoy the pool at BC/YC more than the Poly and also the entertainment on the Boardwalk.

 

[cvjw]

If you can afford it, I say go for it. I personally would not put 4 adults in one room at POFQ - the rooms are just too small. You will get a bigger room at the poly, as well as a prime location with an easy access to 2 parks. At POFQ, you have to ride a bus to all four parks, which my family hates.

You also have much better dining options at the poly, and easy access to other dining locations via the monorail.

We love the poly - it is one of our favorite places to stay. The atmosphere just can’t be beat. It is a vacation within a vacation staying there!

 

[Babsy]

I voted for the Poly over POFQ. The Poly is so convenient to both the MK and Epcot, the rooms are much larger, you will have 3 sleeping surfaces so that you and DH can have one queen, your DS can have the other queen and your DD can have the Daybed. Very comfortable! In POFQ you would have a much smaller room, no chance of a balcony and only 2 queens for sleeping. Amenities at the POFQ consist of a food court and a pool with a serpent slide better suited to younger children. I believe that your children would prefer the pools at the Poly. For dining at the poly you have Cap'n Cooks for QS, Kona Cafe, O'Hanas, and Trader Sam's at the pool. You can walk from POFQ to POR, but you can walk from the poly to the GF! REALLY NO COMPARISON, IMO.

The Poly has a wonderful atmosphere. It is awesome watching the MK fireworks from the Poly beach or pool. We simply LOVE staying at the Poly.

All that said, with teens, I agree with DisneyWishes14, that you should consider the YC with teens. Our kids loved Storm Along Bay when they were that age. I suggested the YC because you may end up without a daybed at the BC and with your kids, the extra sleeping surface would be a plus, IMO. Also, consider which theme parks you plan to visit more - Epcot and DHS OR MK and Epcot. And, of course, the deluxe resorts in the Epcot area are often lower priced than the MK resorts.

Have fun choosing!

 

[buzzrelly]

I voted for the Poly. We have stayed there many times and simply love this resort. It’s so beautiful and relaxing. Also, it’s extremely convenient to both the MK and EPCOT via the monorail.

That being said, we have our first reservation at POFQ coming up this April and I am looking forward to it. We are going on a cruise on the Fantasy for 7 nights and we were going to skip WDW this time altogether but then decided to add on a few nights pre-cruise.

I think it definitely comes down to a financial decision...it definitely did for us. We were spending so much on the cruise part that we needed to not spend so much on a resort. And I have heard such great things about POFQ that I am looking forward to staying there. But if I could swing it, we would choose the Poly everytime.

 

[Belleandtinker]

POFQ (and AKL) are our family's favorite. If you have the extra cash, stay longer or do a split stay.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

They are both wonderful. If you can spend that extra $$ and not have regrets then DO IT!! Staying at a monorail resort is something I wish everyone could do. For me, I haven't been to the POLY since 2000 and unless I win a lottery, I doubt I'll be back because I can not justify the cost anymore (inflation of price)

 

[mickeynut1]

If you can afford it, I say go for it.

You will get a bigger room at the poly, as well as a prime location with an easy access to 2 parks.

You also have much better dining options at the poly, and easy access to other dining locations via the monorail.

We love the poly - it is one of our favorite places to stay. The atmosphere just can’t be beat. It is a vacation within a vacation staying there!

I voted for the Poly over POFQ. The Poly is so convenient to both the MK and Epcot, the rooms are much larger, you will have 3 sleeping surfaces so that you and DH can have one queen, your DS can have the other queen and your DD can have the Daybed. Very comfortable! In POFQ you would have a much smaller room, no chance of a balcony and only 2 queens for sleeping. Amenities at the POFQ consist of a food court and a pool with a serpent slide better suited to younger children. I believe that your children would prefer the pools at the Poly. For dining at the poly you have Cap'n Cooks for QS, Kona Cafe, O'Hanas, and Trader Sam's at the pool. You can walk from POFQ to POR, but you can walk from the poly to the GF! REALLY NO COMPARISON, IMO.

The Poly has a wonderful atmosphere. It is awesome watching the MK fireworks from the Poly beach or pool. We simply LOVE staying at the Poly.

Agree with both of the above! The Poly is an amazing resort and would be worth the extra cost to us. We have stayed at most of the deluxes and while we’ve had great stays at all of them, the Poly will always be our favorite.

 

[DisneyGirlMI]

I voted for the Poly from those two. There’s no comparison for me. I like the FQ, but the Polynesian is beautiful with great dining options.

However, with that said, I agree with the above posters. I would look into the YC/BC. Beautiful resorts, much cheaper than the Polynesian, with all the deluxe benefits, tons of food choices (especially with the Boardwalk right across the water), and the BEST pool on property! You also can’t beat being able to walk to two parks.

 

[tbssenterprises]

I do Beach or Yacht Club once a year with family, and then POP for my single visits. Every once in a while I do POFQ. HOWEVER....I always wanted to stay at the Poly and did so for three nights at the beginning of last years Yacht Club visit and I did NOT like it. Yes, it's great for the boat over to MK and back, or to stroll over to the GF or if you are having dinner at O'Hanas...but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Maybe because the weather wasn't that great....I don't know. But, the one good thing was that to look out the window (we faced the GF area but not the GF buildings)....I swear I could have been on a tropical Island looking out at all of the plantings, foliage and the beach line. So anyway, to answer your question.....if you are really into doing MK, the Poly could be a good choice.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

Is the extra money worth it to you? With that amount saved on POFQ you could do a lot of extra's that maybe you wouldn't do otherwise. We just had our first Poly stay in Sept and for us I wasn't that impressed. It was loud, busy, I waited for almost an hour for the check in desk. We did POFQ last Dec and loved it.

 

[SarahC97]

I'll be honest, the Polynesian was always on our list of places we wanted to stay because we like going there to eat or drink on every trip. Staying there, however, wasn't as great as we thought it would be. What places like POFQ have going for it is peace and quiet. It's a respite from the hustle and bustle of the parks. The Poly is so chaotic and has so many people milling around all the time who aren't guests there, that we found it difficult to relax. I'd stick with POFQ or try booking at a different deluxe that's a bit more relaxing and cheaper such a Wilderness or Yacht Club. I have a hard time justifying how expensive the Poly is.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Why don't you do a split? That way you still save some money. I know some people hate that but for those like me that don't mind at all, I would do that. We've done splits a lot and enjoy it. Go to the POFQ for relaxing vacation time and Poly for the incredible beauty and being immersed in all the excitement and action and are planning to do MK.

 

[sbd78]

I'll always choose a longer trip over a more expensive hotel, but that's just me. You could probably extend your trip by quite a bit with that $1,400 saved. Have you considered Riverside? It may not work for your teens if they are tall, but they do have rooms with the 5th murphy bed that would allow your teens to not share a bed. It is shorter than a normal twin, however. I found it to be bigger than expected and my tallish 12-year-old fit on it with room to spare.

 

[Figvention]

If you want to upgrade from a mod to a deluxe, I would recommend looking into the deluxes that typically don't price out as high as the Poly - BC/YC, BWI, WL, AKL, even CR in the garden wing. Personally, I'm a bit shocked as to how high the Poly prices have climbed. We've stayed there in the past and though the decor and theming are lovely, I find it to be quite loud and chaotic. Especially with teenagers, they may enjoy the pool at BC/YC more than the Poly and also the entertainment on the Boardwalk.

We normally stay at moderates such as POFQ, PORS, or rent DVC points on occasion to BWI or OKW. We have also stayed at the Poly and GF a few times at rack rates.

We find the Poly to be a mess of people and always very loud. After two separate stays we checked it off our list! If you want a monorail resort GF or the Contemporary are a better choice.

 

[toolmanjan]

My vote is anywhere but the poly. Stayed there a few years ago. Has the least appeal to me of all WDW resorts.

 

[MomOTwins]

I second others who ask if you've considered other, less expensive deluxes, like Wilderness Lodge, Beach Club, or Yacht Club? Deluxes generally have larger, nicer rooms, better dining options, and convenient transportation (e.g., WL has a boat to MK, and BC/YC have the option to walk or take a boat to Epcot and Hollywood Studios).

We did not have a good experience at the Poly at all, so I can't recommend it, but every other deluxe we have stayed at has been perfection.

 

[marchingstar]

what are your plans for the trip? we stayed at the poly before christmas and loved it, but our plan was to spend at least part of every day enjoying the resort and most of our park time was in MK.

when we plan to do lots of park time (rope drop mornings, maybe some extras like a tour or dessert party), we usually stay moderate.

so if you want to spend a decent amount of
time enjoying the resort and the monorail area, I would see value in switching. if you want to spend lots of time in the parks, I would see value in sticking with POFQ and finding another way to add a bit of magic to your trip.