Poly or BWI CL??

[yaya74]

I am second guessing my choice of resort.... I currently have a Poly CL booked. But if I switch to BWI CL standard room, I would save about $500. Does Poly worth the extra $500? Please share your feedback to help me make a wise choice!!

We will have a car and I have heard awful story about the parking situation at Poly. Parking at BWI isn’t much better.

Which one has better food?

We are from N. NJ so it would make our day if CM has a smile on the face. My family are easy to be pleased.

I heard at Poly you can see the MK fireworks with music playing in the background. Does the lounge at BWI do that with the Epcot evening foreworks??

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We much prefer BWI over Poly, so I, personally, would save the $500, however, it really depends on what your plans are for your trip. If you are spending the majority of your time in the MK area, I would stay at Poly. If most of your time will be spend at EP/DHS, I would switch to BWI. They both have lovely club lounges. You can see Illuminations from the BWI CL if you go out to the balcony. I don't recall if they play the music or not. The view is not as spectacular as the Poly beach view of HEA. I find the Poly CL longhouse to be quite loud with the electric water pageant and fireworks every night.

 

[justme0729]

I haven't stayed BW CL but I have stayed at BW and Poly CL. I definitely think Poly is worth the $500. The lounge is nice that you can see the fireworks from inside, you are set right on the beach in front of the castle, both pools are super close, you have the monorail to both Epcot and MK. We didn't like Boardwalk- the Poly feels more "Disney" to us because the castle is right there and you are on the monorail.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Sort of apples and oranges from both a resort and CL perspective. Lots of differences.

Our family prefers Poly CL, but a lot of that is probably where we are in life with the kiddos (3 & 7). Poly and Poly CL just fit us better. The location, the lounge, the Hawaii longhouse - it’s all just so ‘easy’ and convenient for the way we vacation. It’s money well spent for us. Fireworks viewing while the kids are in PJs is a big part of that. I love looking out over the Seven Seas Lagoon all day.

BWI is great too, it’s just different. The food is generally much better than Poly (think chef in the lounge in the evenings cooking and plating hot apps, omelettes on Sundays, etc). The resort itself is not the best fit for our family (no zero entry pool, no kids splash pad). The lounge has the curtains pulled closed all day. I suspect our perspective will change later in life when our kids are older and the boardwalk will have more appeal.

But all in all, don’t think you can go wrong with either. I pick resort and location first, CL second - that usually helps guide our decisions.

Good luck deciding!

 

[Newsies]

I've never stayed at BWI, but FWIW, I absolutely adored my stay at the King Kamehameha club at the Poly. The food was amazing, the CMs were incredibly friendly, and the lounge was beautiful.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

My family's first choice is always the POLY. It is amazing! The views, dining, location, pools, and shopping... We have tried a few others, but nothing beats it in our book!

 

[Wild4Walt]

Another consideration is, when did you book the Poly? If it was before the 21st then you won't be paying the 25.00 parking fee. Before you change your reservation, make sure it will be grandfathered before you change your resort. If it's not, it can cut into your savings.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Our next trip will be our first non Poly trip simply due to time and finances. We will be 5 that the man and I are paying for as opposed to 3 or 4 people, and will only be in the bubble for a week.

We love Poly... the staff, the access to parks, the fireworks and electric water show nightly, the overall theme, and of course the familiarity. Oh but if you go during December be sure to load your iTune with tons of non Hawaiian holiday music......(Dang! Just had a flashback)

This trip we are doing a split stay @ Contemporary and Yacht Club but BWI was under consideration as well. We finally decided that YC's pool trumped BWI's Sunday omelets @ CL, LOL. Which is not to say that for an adults only trip that BWI couldn't beat out YC.

I think you should take all your wants and needs into consideration to decide which hotel is the best for this trip. Whatever choice you make will be good.

 

[yaya74]

Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions and sharing. Wishing all of your next Disney trip a magical one! I think I am gonna keep my stay at Poly.