Poly Advice needed for January 2025

[LDC345]

Okay Poly experts, I need some advice. We are planning a trip for January 18-25, 2025 and are trying to choose a resort. We have 4 adults and 4 kids (ages 5, 7, 8, and 9). Two of the adults move a bit slower. (No ECVs/wheelchairs, or canes but knees that may need to be iced at the end of the day.) We were leaning towards Poly since none of us have ever stayed and we thought the monorail would be helpful but I have a couple questions. (For reference, we've been during to DW a couple of times in January over the past 6 years but we've always stayed at Beach Club or Kidani.)

1) I know during peak seasons, Poly can be crazy busy. But how is it usually in January?

2) I also know Island Tower is opening in December. For all you Poly experts, do you think this is going to make the Poly crazy busy? I know a lot of people already say Poly can't handle the existing infrastructure. We're okay with a little busy but I don't want a resort where you can't use the fun things (restaurants/pools) cuz of the crazy amounts of people.

3) Is the Lava Pool in January "people soup" levels of busy? We're coming from NH and upstate NY so our kids will be going in pools no matter what the temp. The cooler temps won't bother us but too many people where you can't move will be a pain.

Our Poly alternatives (which are also much cheaper) are Boardwalk Inn, Wilderness Lodge, Swan/Dolphin, or Saratoga. Any opinions on those with four kids?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

The Poly is always busy...lol.

!. The busiest times will be 4-9pm during the dinner, bar, and fireworks show window.
2. That is a BIG unknown right now. Not knowing how the amenities and transportation will be affected by the new tower would be a deal breaker for me but maybe not for others.
3. January is probably the only month the Lava Pool won't be people soup. MLK weekend will be busy but the weather will keep many out of the pool.

If a few adults have joint issues, you may prefer a resort with everything in one building. Given you are traveling with young children, MK will be a priority so I would consider WL for less resort walking, lower price, and less crowds around the resort.

BWI and Swalphin are good choices if your group will spend a lot of time at EP and DHS with one caveat. If you plan to start your day at EP in the IG, it's perfect. If you plan to start your EP day in the front of EP, it's a long walk from the IG which can be rough.

SSR is a beautiful resort but only if you plan on having a rental car because it is HUGE. That extra expense could eat away at any savings of staying there unless you were planning that expense anyway.

Have a great trip! We will be there as well from Jan 16-25 doing a split stay POFQ/BC.

 

[LDC345]

The Poly is always busy...lol.

!. The busiest times will be 4-9pm during the dinner, bar, and fireworks show window.
2. That is a BIG unknown right now. Not knowing how the amenities and transportation will be affected by the new tower would be a deal breaker for me but maybe not for others.
3. January is probably the only month the Lava Pool won't be people soup. MLK weekend will be busy but the weather will keep many out of the pool.

If a few adults have joint issues, you may prefer a resort with everything in one building. Given you are traveling with young children, MK will be a priority so I would consider WL for less resort walking, lower price, and less crowds around the resort.

BWI and Swalphin are good choices if your group will spend a lot of time at EP and DHS with one caveat. If you plan to start your day at EP in the IG, it's perfect. If you plan to start your EP day in the front of EP, it's a long walk from the IG which can be rough.

SSR is a beautiful resort but only if you plan on having a rental car because it is HUGE. That extra expense could eat away at any savings of staying there unless you were planning that expense anyway.

Have a great trip! We will be there as well from Jan 16-25 doing a split stay POFQ/BC.

Thank you for the advice! I'm also thinking not knowing how bad the amenities will be affected is a deal breaker for us too. Otherwise, I'll just be worried about it and not be able to enjoy our time.

How is POFQ? It's somewhere I've always wanted to stay but I just assumed with four kids, it would be a huge pain in the butt to get anywhere. But I guess it couldn't be any worse than Kidani (which we actually love and don't mind the buses).

 

[Anthony1971]

We have stayed at the Poly multiple times in August. We personally have never seen the pool as people soup at any time during the day. No issues using the slide or having plenty of personal space. We do not go to the parks everyday so been to the pool all times. The area around the pool does get busy at night as there are usually a lot of people eating at the CS and TS and looking to watch the fireworks from the beach. You can stay in the pool area and in fact in the pool for a great view…. The CM do come around and check magic bands at the pool around the time of the fireworks. The mornings can also have a lot of people for breakfast but again this is only I the main building. All times the rest of the resort is very quiet and there are plenty of areas to sit or walk around. I have no idea how the new tower will impact the resort but it will add a third pool and is off to the side. Unless you walk to that side of the resort you would not even know it exists. January can be very hit or miss with weather but the pools are heated… not my thing but I have seen enough people swimming when it was in the 50s out and steam coming off the water in the pool.
The pools at wilderness IMO have always been busier than the pool at the POLY and never had an issue here either. Also a very well themed resort easily comparable to POLY in that respect. Many places inside the lobbies to sit and relax with the DVC side lobby being my favorite place of all resorts.
BW area will add a lot of walking we enjoy this area as well but we like to walk also be aware of the hills walking to and into EPCOT sounds trivial except for those who are pushing strollers and those who are not great walkers.
SSR is also a beautiful resort no need for a car. Yes there are 5 internal bus stops. My favorite area for standard is Paddock it is close to a good pool with a decent slide the pool has food and a drink station maybe an 8 minute walk to Carriage house. ALL sections are close to a bus stop by far the least walking to a bus stop of all resorts. Paddock falls in the middle of the stops so you are on the resort loop for maybe 5 minutes each way. I also like the Springs for preferred as it an easy walk to carriage house and the main pool but also the last bus stop so the loop can feel longer on your return. Most important easy access to DS via bus or boat. I suggest the bus these days or walk which will vary from maybe 20 minutes from the further sections to 5 from the closest. Paddock is maybe 15 springs is about 10.

 

[MaidMarian444]

We’ve stayed at Poly, Beach Club and our latest stay was POFQ in January 2023. There are pros and cons, but I think if I was the sole planner, I would return to POFQ out of those resorts simply because I prefer to spread our family of four into two rooms for the price of one room at a Deluxe.

I also like how POFQ has a playground. (Unless they’ve built one since I was there, Beach Club and Poly do not have playgrounds, but fact check me on that). Our room was on the first floor and the kids could walk out of the room and run to the playground or to the grassy courtyard. I also liked the ceiling fans and the small size of the resort. Everything was easy to reach.

However, my traveling partner in January 2023 is going back in January 2025 and wants to try a Deluxe this time. So I’ll be returning to Beach Club and I’ll be interested to hear if she thinks a Deluxe is worth it.

The things I didn’t like about POFQ is that the beignet sugar would get all over all the seating and make it kinda gross. Also, the bar had great live music but the actual atmosphere inside the bar was terrible, it felt like a meeting room in an office. At the food court, my sister got really annoyed with the cheesy New Orleans jazz they’d play constantly. We used to spend a lot of time in the real New Orleans and there is much better quality jazz and ragtime they could play instead.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Thank you for the advice! I'm also thinking not knowing how bad the amenities will be affected is a deal breaker for us too. Otherwise, I'll just be worried about it and not be able to enjoy our time.

How is POFQ? It's somewhere I've always wanted to stay but I just assumed with four kids, it would be a huge pain in the butt to get anywhere. But I guess it couldn't be any worse than Kidani (which we actually love and don't mind the buses).

Our family LOVES POFQ and the newly remodeled rooms just made it even nicer.

We enjoy that it is a very compact resort where the dining, front desk, bar, pool, laundry, and transportation both bus and boat are centrally located literally through the middle of the resort. This means there are no bad room locations because nothing is a far walk.

The transportation via bus is very efficient as there is only one bus stop. On our last trip, we never experienced any bus sharing with POR and our buses went straight to the parks. We even had 2 bus trips around midday where we were the ONLY family on board--private bus transportation Coming back to the resort after park closing was crowded buses but that is true of any resort. The boat transportation to DS is very relaxing and a fun way to go for more dining and shopping choices.

For pool area is geared more toward younger children so I think the mix of ages should be happy. The pool, kids waterplay area and playground are all clustered in the same area and the QS dining at Sassagoula's is merely steps away which makes it convenient for grabbing a quick bite. In addition, you can also use the pools at POR because they are sister resorts.

Some people don't like that there is no TS dining at the resort but we are more of a QS family and Sassagoula's has lots of great meal choices/variety. You can also walk to POR for their TS and QS or hop on the boat to DS for TS dining.

 

[MaidMarian444]

The pool, kids waterplay area and playground are all clustered in the same area and the QS dining at Sassagoula's is merely steps away which makes it convenient for grabbing a quick bite.

Oh yes, forgot this great aspect as well. We could sit at an outdoor table at the food court having a beer while watching the kids on the playground. The January weather makes sitting outside pleasant too. A nicer scene I thought than Captain Cook’s. Take me back!

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Oh yes, forgot this great aspect as well. We could sit at an outdoor table at the food court having a beer while watching the kids on the playground. The January weather makes sitting outside pleasant too. A nicer scene I thought than Captain Cook’s. Take me back!

LOVE sitting outside to eat. You will always find us there if there is a table open. I don't even mind all the powdered sugar everywhere.....LOL CC's is so chaotic.

 

[leebee]

DD30 and I stayed at the Poly in August and we weren't impressed. There are always crowds through the common areas, the quick service indoor eating area is small (and nobody wants to eat outdoors in the heat of August), but mostly, it didn't feel deluxe at all. You have to walk outside between buildings to get anywhere, just like at the values and mods. We could have done an entire mini-vaca for what 3 nights at the Poly cost us, even with a discount! Definitely a one-and-done for us.

We like POFQ. It's a smaller, quieter resort. I have bad knees (and I'm 68) and I can't tell you how much I appreciate the smallness of the resort. No hiking for 15 minutes from the bus stop to my room at the end of a long park day! The pool is fun (it has a slide), the pool bar is more fun, and the food court is fine. The bus stop area has a covered shelter and there are boats that run to Disney Springs. We've stayed at POFQ a couple of times (it was our first on-site stay, all those years ago) and will continue to return. Another resort we love is Coronado Springs. We haven't stayed in the tower, so can't comment, but the restaurants and lounges are top rate, and the pool is amazing. It looks like a huge resort, but there is an internal bus shuttle system, and now that they put Three Bridges in the middle of the lake, it's not such a long walk to get anywhere. After AKL/Jambo, CSR is our favorite resort.

 

[LDC345]

Thanks everyone! I think we're going to go for Boardwalk. We just love the Crescent Bay area and having the option to walk into Epcot at night is a great perk, especially if some want to stay home and others want to go out!

 

[leebee]

Thanks everyone! I think we're going to go for Boardwalk. We just love the Crescent Bay area and having the option to walk into Epcot at night is a great perk, especially if some want to stay home and others want to go out!

We loved staying at the Boardwalk Inn!