Poly and OOP or CS and FD?

[VillainFavs]

I need someone to make up my mind for me!!!

Had booked magical deal at Poly and resigned to paying out of pocket for meals. Staying 6 nights, 7 day base tickets (was thinking of upgrading to PH, but not sure yet).

Now can get CS and free dining for same dates, have to add PH for sure.

Poly = $2715 (plus possible PH add-on, which would mean more like $2990). CS = $3198, but would include all food for the week.

Family is me, DH, DS15, DS14. Obviously, with two teenage boys, food is a BIG concern. No way am I going to feed the four of us at Disney for a week for close to the difference between the two. We do want at least 1 TS meal a day--that's just vacation for us! So obviously CS is going to be A LOT cheaper in the long run.

We've stayed at POFQ for several trips and loved it. Never done deluxe. Was looking forward to Poly. Will I be disappointed in Coronado Springs?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Coronado Springs is lovely, but is far more spread out than Poly or POFQ. The pool is among the best waterslides but bigger kids. The landscaping is great.

If the money is significant, I think you can have a really great trip from Coronado.

 

[Karebear]

We had the same issue in 2014 except for we were at the YC and my kids were younger--9 and 10. I decided to keep the YC--the hotel is a big part of our trip and being able to walk to 2 parks was so nice. You would have the monorail for 2 of the parks. I would keep the Poly if you can and maybe eat at the less expensive places--Via Napoli, etc.

 

[busymomma123]

We booked the poly hoping for a room only discount at least. There is no discount for the poly for our dates. I looked this morning and at CS with adding an extra day, plus ph and water parks I would still save over $1000. Its a tough choice. We've stayed at both and both are nice, but we were really looking forward to staying at the poly. Decisions Decisions..... Good Luck on making your choice.

 

[Shellyb84]

I need someone to make up my mind for me!!!

Had booked magical deal at Poly and resigned to paying out of pocket for meals. Staying 6 nights, 7 day base tickets (was thinking of upgrading to PH, but not sure yet).

Now can get CS and free dining for same dates, have to add PH for sure.

Poly = $2715 (plus possible PH add-on, which would mean more like $2990). CS = $3198, but would include all food for the week.

Family is me, DH, DS15, DS14. Obviously, with two teenage boys, food is a BIG concern. No way am I going to feed the four of us at Disney for a week for close to the difference between the two. We do want at least 1 TS meal a day--that's just vacation for us! So obviously CS is going to be A LOT cheaper in the long run.

We've stayed at POFQ for several trips and loved it. Never done deluxe. Was looking forward to Poly. Will I be disappointed in Coronado Springs?

If you've never stayed deluxe, you probably won't be disappointed in CSR. But, if you can swing it I would definitely recommend the Poly. Deluxe resorts are wonderful, with the theming, great location, etc. The resort is more important to us than meals, so I would eat at cheaper places for the most part and stay at a deluxe.

 

[MinnieMouse3]

What about staying 5 nights at CSR with free dining and adding a night or two at the poly on the end?

 

[buzznina]

We have stayed at all levels and the resort is very important for us, as we usually take 2 full days at the resort to relax. We have no issues staying at a Mod over a deluxe, they give us everything we need and we save a good chunk of $$ for our next trip But I also think that if there is a resort you want to stay at and it won't break the bank then give it a try. I would also think about a split stay like minniemouse3 suggested. I cannot really comment on FD vs OOP because we only did it once and it really does not fit the way we like to vacation at WDW. But I can only imagine what 2 boys can put away at that age.

 

[CandyCane31]

I too was interested in CSR...but have a magical deal in Sept. for the Poly, 5 nights plus 5 base tix with free water park pass, 2818 total. But you need to try and calculate what you'd spend OOP for food and then compare to the free dining w/ CSR. The Poly itself is full of restaurants and the two pools plus the beach with water parade and watching fireworks...we are a laid back family, no plans on spending the entire day at the park, just hitting some highlights and maybe 2 or 3 sit down meals at best the whole week...we want to go with the flow especially considering the hot weather...so the Poly fits perfect for us, we can hang there whenever the park becomes too much for us. We can order room service there that is the same meal as the O'hana dinner. My hubby says he isn't going to Disney to eat all the time (we'll see, lol...) but he makes a good point. With that hot sticky weather, my appetite may be blah. Though taking a break in an AC restaurant would be helpful, I just feel like I'd have to order what the DP says I can so I feel like I am getting my $$ worth even if I don't want to eat it. Bottom line is whatever works for you. It sounds like you've already sideded with the Dining Plan with your growing teen boys and the tradition of TS meals as well. I'd suggest what minniemouse3 said...do your CSR with the dining then end the trip with two relaxing days at the Poly.

 

[VillainFavs]

Thanks for all the suggestions! We did finally decide to go with CS and the dining plan. In the end, for our family, I think it will work best. As much as the Poly is beautiful and I love the idea of staying there. We're really park people. The amount of time we're actually at the resort doesn't justify the extra expense for us. And I know a lot of people like the idea of split stays, but for me it just doesn't appeal. I want to unpack once and not think about packing again until I have to leave. That's just me. Works for a lot of people, but I know it would just stress me out.

So CS it is! A new resort that we've never tried, so that's nice. Free dining so I can let my three boys (including DH) order whatever they want and not worry about it! And a little extra money in my pocket at the end of the week. And it's still Disney!!!

 

[jolene63]

CSR is a beautiful resort! It's our favorite moderate. I think your family will have a wonderful stay there.

 

[Lily13]

We booked the poly hoping for a room only discount at least. There is no discount for the poly for our dates. I looked this morning and at CS with adding an extra day, plus ph and water parks I would still save over $1000. Its a tough choice. We've stayed at both and both are nice, but we were really looking forward to staying at the poly. Decisions Decisions..... Good Luck on making your choice.

We are staying at the Poly in Oct! I had a very hard time making the decision on which resort would be best for us. Poly won in the end. Cant wait!