Poly...should we or shouldn't we...that is the question

[Haygar2]

When do you know your school schedule for sure? Will you know 9-11 months ahead? If so, I would look into renting DVC points. In August Lake View studios are 27 points per night for weekdays and 32 points per night for weekends. PVB is $17 per point (over at DVC By Request) so that comes out to $459 and $544 per night, tax inclusive. Compare that to $748/$752 rack rate PLUS tax for a Poly Lagoon View room, that's a good savings.

Standard Views at PVB are 23 points per night weekdays and 27 points per night weekends. $17 per point brings you to $391 & $459 compared to $561 (plus tax) rack rate for a Standard View room at the Poly.

I would go through David's DVC By Request (a DIS Sponsor) to rent. It is non-refundable so you need to know your schedule 100%. You will want to make the reservations as close to the 11 month window as you can (October 2018) for the best availability. Early August is more popular than late August because kids are still out of school in Florida.

I know my schedule for next year. Luckily they put that out really early. The non-refundable is so very scary to me. And I completely understand why they do it that way. However, it's not just school but life that can get in the way. We were supposed to go to Disney this August but we had to chose adulting over Mickey and we had to have a new furnace put in. Boo for heat. LOL. And with 2 kids (well, one technically and adult at 19 and one at 15) you just never know what can come up. I won't pay rack rate. I know I said it's not money, and we would have it, but my conscience would kick in and not let me book it. I have lots to consider and luckily plenty of time.

 

[Haygar2]

No doubt. The whole reason we started staying at Beach Club was b/c we loved the pool and we enjoyed the close proximity to Epcot and DHS. It really came in handy during the holidays, when the parks are the most crowded.

It's worth checking out, but just tailor your expectations and maybe do a split stay...

What did you think of the BC/YC pool? I'm feeling a pull towards YC, too. And it's cheaper. Plus as an added bonus, the discounts were better this year for YC. I'm probably in a minority when I say that split stays don't interest me. I hate having to pack my stuff up and switch rooms. Once I'm there, I like to stay put. We (me) got spoiled at AKL last year. I love having a balcony. I can do a moderate but if we can do a deluxe so I can have a balcony, I'm all for it.

 

[Huff]

For some the resort IS their vacation with the parks somewhat secondary. In that case the money spent for a high end resort is worth it. For others where the resort is just a bed to sleep on the $500-$700+ per night is simply not worth it. I'd love to stay at a DLX but cannot justify the expense when we're gone from the resort nearly the entire day.

 

[gillep]

What did you think of the BC/YC pool? I'm feeling a pull towards YC, too. And it's cheaper. Plus as an added bonus, the discounts were better this year for YC. I'm probably in a minority when I say that split stays don't interest me. I hate having to pack my stuff up and switch rooms. Once I'm there, I like to stay put. We (me) got spoiled at AKL last year. I love having a balcony. I can do a moderate but if we can do a deluxe so I can have a balcony, I'm all for it.

Not the poster you quoted but we love SAB (the BC/YC pool). I have heard other people say that they find it very crowded and hectic, but we have never experienced that it is any more crowded than any of the other pools, and we have always been able to get two loungers. The only area that does look quite hectic to me is the little kiddie area, but as we don't have kids I just avoid that area. I love to float in an inner tube along the lazy river, while my husband prefers to go down the slide. Hurricane Hannah's is also my favorite pool bar on property, it is a good size and has quite a few food options. I got an incredible deal at the YC for our July trip so that was a no-brainer for me, but the YC is one of our favorite resorts. I personally am not interested in staying at The Poly, but there is something about that pool with MK in the background, such a great view!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

What did you think of the BC/YC pool? I'm feeling a pull towards YC, too. And it's cheaper. Plus as an added bonus, the discounts were better this year for YC. I'm probably in a minority when I say that split stays don't interest me. I hate having to pack my stuff up and switch rooms. Once I'm there, I like to stay put. We (me) got spoiled at AKL last year. I love having a balcony. I can do a moderate but if we can do a deluxe so I can have a balcony, I'm all for it.

SAB is great. We really liked YC. It's quieter, less rowdy, and the updated rooms are great. The beds are higher and the added drawers and cabinet space make it feel smaller, but we loved the fact that our luggage fit under the bed - added a lot of space. The only criticism is that the resort is so big. If you're standard view and put in the back, you have a long walk and I kept getting lost—whereas at BC, I discovered 2 shortcuts within the first 2 days.

BC will always be near and dear to our heart. I think we preferred the quiet, YC lobby, but enjoyed the BC's close proximity to the BW and Epcot much more.

 

[robinb]

I know my schedule for next year. Luckily they put that out really early. The non-refundable is so very scary to me. And I completely understand why they do it that way. However, it's not just school but life that can get in the way. We were supposed to go to Disney this August but we had to chose adulting over Mickey and we had to have a new furnace put in. Boo for heat. LOL. And with 2 kids (well, one technically and adult at 19 and one at 15) you just never know what can come up. I won't pay rack rate. I know I said it's not money, and we would have it, but my conscience would kick in and not let me book it. I have lots to consider and luckily plenty of time.

I don't blame you, the non-refundable nature is a sticking point for many people.

For your reference, here is a list of the historical discounts at WDW: https://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#codechart . You can also search the "Discounts and Codes" sub-board here to see what kind of discounts the Polynesian has now (looks like 15% and Standard View may not be included).

Other DVC resorts don't sell out as quickly as the Polynesian. If you decide at 6-7 months in advance there should be something available for your dates ... maybe even the Boardwalk or Beach Club. You can also work with a DVC owner here directly. It will cost you less but you don't have the guarantee that you will get your money back if something goes wrong with the owner. Then again, sometimes owners will work with people if they need to cancel. You just need to ask their policy in advance. When I rent out my DVC points I allow people to cancel within a certain time frame. They receive a refund of whatever I can get for their reservation (full price, one would hope) minus a small fee for my time and energy in getting it rented again.

 

[Haygar2]

SAB is great. We really liked YC. It's quieter, less rowdy, and the updated rooms are great. The beds are higher and the added drawers and cabinet space make it feel smaller, but we loved the fact that our luggage fit under the bed - added a lot of space. The only criticism is that the resort is so big. If you're standard view and put in the back, you have a long walk and I kept getting lost—whereas at BC, I discovered 2 shortcuts within the first 2 days.

BC will always be near and dear to our heart. I think we preferred the quiet, YC lobby, but enjoyed the BC's close proximity to the BW and Epcot much more.

We have been to all 3 (BC YC BW) for dinner. My husband liked the "feel" of YC better than BC. Either one works for me. As for BW...It's another one that I would love to stay at. I am just not wild about the pool. It kind of scares me.

 

[Haygar2]

For some the resort IS their vacation with the parks somewhat secondary. In that case the money spent for a high end resort is worth it. For others where the resort is just a bed to sleep on the $500-$700+ per night is simply not worth it. I'd love to stay at a DLX but cannot justify the expense when we're gone from the resort nearly the entire day.

We have done Disney 4 times in the last 6 years. 3 of those with the kids, which is a totally different vacation. Last year, we did just the two of us. My husband received a PIN code in the mail and told me to book a trip for the two of us. With the discount, we were able to stay at AKL with a Savannah view. It was incredible! And worth it. We spent more time at the resort than in the parks. We would go to the parks really early (rope drop) and head back to our room around noon or 1:00. We would hang out there (I sat on the balcony and read a book while the animals roamed around right outside my balcony). Or we would swim. And then we would head back out around 6:00 or so. It was wonderful! I know I would never go $700/night for a room. Nor would I really do $500/night. I just have to look at the discounts and see what works best. I'm not even against staying at POR or French Quarter, but I do love my balcony.

 

[Huff]

I know I would never go $700/night for a room. Nor would I really do $500/night. I just have to look at the discounts and see what works best. I'm not even against staying at POR or French Quarter, but I do love my balcony.

We've stayed mostly at the values and go during free dining which for the 4 of us saves considerably. Last trip values had QS dining that we would have paid to upgrade to TS dining. Moderates included TS. For a 10 night stay the moderate cost us $100 more for the entire week. Well worth it!! Deluxes would have cost us another $1000 minimum. That to me was too much. This years trip we are back to a value. I'd love to go to a moderate or deluxe but the expense would be $1000-$2000+ for a 9 night stay extra. I'm just not willing to spend $250-$500 or more a night when we spend so little time at the resort. As we get older we are slowing down a bit so its possible more time hanging out at the resort will be in our future. In that case it may be worth the extra $'s.