Poly or Wilderness Lodge for Nov Stay?

[chocolateavocado]

Hi, again!
Ater alot of debating, we have decided to change our dates for our disney vacation. (Weather/heat concerns and having our son having to miss too many days of school).

We are booked the last week in Sept (of this yr) at the Beach Club. We are going to switch to 11/6-11/11 - hoping for a chance of a little cooler weather & ds will only have to miss 2 days of school (and 1 is a scheduled 1/2 day anyways). We originally chose Beach Club for Stormalong bay, but BC is not available for our new dates- and that's okay.

So, we're trying to decide between the Poly and Wilderness Lodge. Both look great! It'll be myself, Dh & Ds6. Which would you choose? This our 1st Disney World vacation & really want to make it special for our ds.
Also, does anyone know if all of the rooms at the Poly have been renovated/will be done by our dates & how to choose a longhouse?

I apologize for all of the questions- but this being our 1st trip & probably decided on a little too last minute- I'm sure we'll make it work & it'll be awesome. I appreciate all of the helpful advice & info on these boards! You guys are amazing!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi, again!
Ater alot of debating, we have decided to change our dates for our disney vacation. (Weather/heat concerns and having our son having to miss too many days of school).

We are booked the last week in Sept (of this yr) at the Beach Club. We are going to switch to 11/6-11/11 - hoping for a chance of a little cooler weather & ds will only have to miss 2 days of school (and 1 is a scheduled 1/2 day anyways). We originally chose Beach Club for Stormalong bay, but BC is not available for our new dates- and that's okay.

So, we're trying to decide between the Poly and Wilderness Lodge. Both look great! It'll be myself, Dh & Ds6. Which would you choose? This our 1st Disney World vacation & really want to make it special for our ds.
Also, does anyone know if all of the rooms at the Poly have been renovated/will be done by our dates & how to choose a longhouse?

I apologize for all of the questions- but this being our 1st trip & probably decided on a little too last minute- I'm sure we'll make it work & it'll be awesome. I appreciate all of the helpful advice & info on these boards! You guys are amazing!!

We've stayed at both and while we do love the WL, the Poly is our favorite and that would be my choice. The tropical atmosphere is beautiful, the volcano pool is great as it backs up to the beach with a distant view of the castle while swimming, Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals, and the beach is great for relaxing in a hammock while watching the fireworks . IMO, there's not a bad location as far as a room/longhouse, but we stayed in Samoa and loved the location. It was convenient to everything as it's just steps from the GCH, volcano pool, the beach, and Captain Cooks. Also, if you want a little more space to spread out, the Poly rooms are quite a bit larger than the rooms at the WL. But honestly, you really can't go wrong with either resort as they are both great places to stay. Good luck and happy planning .

 

[chocolateavocado]

Thanks so much! The Polynesian is kind of where my heart is pulling for. I saw pictures of some of the renovated rooms- and I really like the new bedding w/out the bedspreads. Do you know if all of the rooms are updated or will be by Nov? Thanks again!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks so much! The Polynesian is kind of where my heart is pulling for. I saw pictures of some of the renovated rooms- and I really like the new bedding w/out the bedspreads. Do you know if all of the rooms are updated or will be by Nov? Thanks again!

You're welcome . The Poly really is an amazing resort as there are so many great things about it. I'm not sure of the completion date for the longhouse refurbs, but I think they will all be completed by November .

ETA: It looks like all but 3 longhouses are completed, with the last one having a completion date of Oct 4. If you go to the Poly FAQ thread (page 50), there is a post with a listing of what's completed and what's left to be done .

 

[chocolateavocado]

Thanks! You are awesome!! I will definateley check that out!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Not to confuse, but we prefer WL over the Poly, just on price alone...Poly is overpriced... We've stayed there a few times when rates weren't so high and discounts bigger....

Poly, all separate long houses... WL, all under one roof....we are fans of the MK area, but room rates for GF, CR and Poly are just outrageous ... Get about the same feeling, plus savings in my pocket choosing the WL over those other 3... Just saying, personal opinion !

 

[mckelvey72]

Never been to Poly but LOVE LOVE LOVE WL. The places is really awesome, the pool and activities great for the kids. Poly is nice as it a monorail resort but if you want to leave the pace and slow down for a little bit the WL gives you that. I don't know what it is, but you feel like you need to slow down and relax when you are there.

Dont' think you could go wrong with either choice but we are going back for a 2nd time and the kids (7 and 13....6 and 11 when we went first time) refuse to stay anywhere else. And it is cheaper!

 

[MagicallyDelicious]

Personally I would choose the WL, especially in the fall and winter. It is so well-themed. If you were going after Thanksgiving, it would be a no brainer for me. The resort is gorgeous around the holidays.

The only thing that would sway me from one to the other (and I've stayed at both, numerous times), would be if I had five people with me.

 

[chocolateavocado]

I love hearing everyone's opinions & experiences! This is our very 1st WDW vacation and actually our 1st vacation in 3 years (mainly due to illness) and we are so excited! Didn't think we'd be able to make Disney a reality for a few more years -so I'm in complete awe that it'll happen in just a few months! (and...i'm very sure it'll probably become a yearly thing

Our last vacation a few yrs ago was a few nights at Hershey Park staying at the Hershey Hotel & Spa- which I love & it's absolutely gorgeous! We're about 2 hours away from there. And we also did a Santa Park (forget the name of it) in NH- which was alot of fun for my ds who was 3.5.

I keep going back & forth between the 2- they both look amazing! Dh is happy with which ever I chose

 

[mariamouse]

I would go with the Poly if you want to make your stay extra special.

Much bigger (and newly refurbed) rooms, better standard room views, lush torch-lit grounds, monorail access to MK and other monorail resorts, quick walk to the TTC for Epcot access, more interesting volcano pool, magical castle/fireworks view from the beach, better restaurants (IMO)... the list goes on.

The WL is a beautiful resort and certainly more affordable, but I would always choose to stay at the Poly unless I was visiting over Christmas/winter since the WL has that cozy feel in cooler weather.

If the WL theme jumps out at you more, you can't go wrong picking that-- but it sounds like you are more drawn to the Poly and I think with good reason.

Have fun wherever you end up!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks! You are awesome!! I will definateley check that out!!

Glad I could help .

 

[chocolateavocado]

Thanks everyone!
I just called & changed our reservations- we're now booked for 11/6-11/11 at the Polynesian!! I am so excited!!

 

[mickeynut1]

Thanks everyone!
I just called & changed our reservations- we're now booked for 11/6-11/11 at the Polynesian!! I am so excited!!

You won't regret it .

 

[princessap]

Thanks everyone!
I just called & changed our reservations- we're now booked for 11/6-11/11 at the Polynesian!! I am so excited!!

You will have a great trip!! Enjoy the poly!!

 

[chocolateavocado]

Thanks everyone! I am soooo excited & can NOT wait to start planning everything out today!!

 

[wdwrich]

Didn't see this mentioned in any of the previous replies (perhaps I missed it?), but there is a possibility that DVC construction at the Poly may be underway by the time of your visit. Depending on the location and extent of the construction, I would personally not want to pay the $$ for a stay at the Poly if that construction was going to impact my stay.