Poly...Value....Moderate....Advice being accepted

[disneyfanfamily]

We are planning a trip August, 2007. Kids at that time will be 7, 10, & 12. Three years ago we stayed at ASSports. Loved it. This summer we stayed at POR. It was okay. Not terribly impressed. Not sure why. We did like the carriage ride though.

The reason we stayed at POR rather than a value was because we had 5 people. I did not want to spend the $ on 2 rooms at the value. POR was the cheapest on-site option.

Here is my dilemma. I want to stay at Poly. My DH thinks it is too expensive. However we could pull it off. I have over $1000 saved since August, not including several hundred $ in Disney money. DH doesn't really care. It is my decision.

I am VERY frugal. I buy only generic. I even have a problem buying $3.00 items at a garage sale sometimes because "it should be $2.00".
But boy do I want the Poly. It will be about as close to Hawaii as I think I will ever get.

We would only get a regular room, no frills, no view of the castle. But the beach with fireworks...the pool....the monorail....aaaaaahhhh....sounds so nice.

We would not go in debt. That isn't an issue. The issue is....would I be throwing money away? We do come back for an afternoon break every day.

Any advice would be great. I have plenty of time to ponder. Just curious of others views.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

If you can afford it - go for it. THe convenience of being on the monorail is really worth it if you come back for an afternoon rest. Watching the fireworks from your own hotel is priceless. If you don't go to the Poly you might be doing a lot of "what ifs". Have a good time planning.

 

[Tiggerbell05]

Go for it! I was "what iffing" the Beach Club, and while I loved the location, I prefer the Moderates and Values. I would deffinitely jump at the chance to stay at Poly!

 

[salmoneous]

Just want you to know that you aren't the only one is this boat. I make a decent living, have plenty of money in the bank, but have a really hard time spending money, especially on "luxuries". I'm also the guy who spends 10 minutes picking out toothpaste, trying to decide if the brand I like is really worth the extra 40 cents over the brand that is on sale.

The only way I get around this problem when vacationing is to set a budget. I decide upfront what I'm going to spend on the whole trip. Instead of asking myself if it is worth an extra $60/night for the upgraded room, I make the choice of basic room + deluxe dinner vs upgraded room + budget dinner. The upgrade room is never worth $60 in my warped viewpoint, but it often is worth giving up a deluxe dinner.

For what it's worth, I recently planned my first trip to Disney since childhood. As a kid, I dreamed, dreamed, dreaded of staying in the Contemporary. Despite this being a lifetime dream, I just couldn't pull the trigger and stay there. I hadn't done the budget thing, and no matter how much I thought about it, it wasn't worth the money. But the Wildlife Lodge had a great rate and I had a fantastic time - better than I would have had at the Contemporary.

So I gave up my Contemporary dream and planned to stay at the WL on future trips. Ended up back at the park a month later. And while the WL was calling me, how could I justify the extra $180 verses the great rate I got at POP????? Should have done the budget thing...

 

[lustergirl]

I had a similar dilemna as I reserved my trip for Sept. 2006. I wanted to stay at the Poly and this could work with the 5 people I was traveling with. Now mind you this year we stayed at the All Star Sports with my family of four, including my two son and they loved it there. Now my momma says, "Hey what about me, I want to go?!!!!" So now I am going back to the Sports with 2 adjoining rooms for my next trip. Even though I could probably squeeze staying at the Poly because it would be a dream come true, I can't see spending all of that money per night, especially when we don't spend much time in our room. So this spring by saving that extra money at staying at the Values I will take that trip to Hawaii with my mom instead, lol.

Just my opinion by the way and I hope this post doesn't offend anyone.

 

[ybalx]

I don't know the difference in price between POR and the Poly... I consider how much time you "enjoy" at the resort vs. the parks. If you can relax and enjoy part of the resort in a meaningful way to you and your family, then I recommend you give it a try.

We've been to the Poly for the last two years. My daughter probably thinks more about getting to the room, putting on her suit, then dashing out to the pool for a hair braid and swim more than seeing the Mouse....

Another factor is the time you will save based on the Poly's location relative to transportation. Unless you're going to DTD or AK, you can rely on monorail and boat.

 

[goofyfordisney]

disneyfanfamily--

I have the same issue...I have always wanted to stay at the Poly because I think that it will give my family the best of our two favorite vacations...Maui and Disney! My husband kind of puts up with my Disney "thing"! His only vacation choice is to go to Maui...so, Poly would be a good choice, right? Well...I'm just having a hard time justifying the price per night...

I wonder what the comparisons are between Poly and CBR--other than the obvious one resort is Deluxe and one is a moderate Are the grounds/beach at CBR just as nice and lush as the Poly's? If we did CBR, we could do 2 rooms and have some privacy too

I'm interested to see what people say on this thread.

 

[Tikiman]

I don’t think you will know if it was worth it until you try. My opinion is that with many of the deluxe resorts (especially on the monorail) there is just a little extra added to the experience and the resort itself becomes part of the destination. Also with being on the monorail you will find that you will save some time entering MK and Epcot than you can spend doing something else. Try it and than you will know for yourself if it was worth it.

 

[Houston_Disney_Fan]

Do it. It's worth it. 16 years later, my family still talks about it as the best WDW vacation we ever had, and we've stayed at POR, WL (twice), BWV and Yacht Club.

 

[disneyfanfamily]

Thanks for all the replies. While I do not know yet what I will do, it is nice (in a weird warped way) to have people in the same boat as me. If I can save enough to pay for the whole trip, (hotel, flight, tickets) I may end up staying at Poly. My husband always gets a bonus in July that we will use, in part, for spending money. That way we do not have to touch the savings.

We will see. If my heart wins or my frugal brain....

I there is any more opinions, I sure will listen!!! Thanks.

 

[beebles]

Well, we just got back tuesday from the poly-1st time. Couple of thoughts, depending on your budget. Yes, deluxes are much, much more money-wise. Are they worth it? Depends on your family. If you are die hard disney people who are on the go all day and night, stay in a moderate/value. BUT, if you are like me and have small children who need frequent breaks, naps, etc. the deluxes (only on the monorail) are the ticket. I still question if it was worth so much money! The poly is not that nice, kind of older looking, grounds are nice but for 300 a night? I think the GF is probably nicer. I think the extra 200 more a night is really a closeness/convience charge more so that a great room. The rooms are pretty big, though. I think I would stay at the GF next time, but definitely on the monorail. so much transporting to and fro that the buses are a pain, to me, because of little children, strollers, go back and forth, etc. good luck!

 

[TandCmum]

I know how you are feeling, we are planning for september 2007, and I'm currently torn bewteen doing split stay between BC and Poly, and split stay between a moderate and one bed at beach club villa on rented points. I really love being onsite and i know we can swing it financially, but every now and then a thought of the amount of money it will cost jumps into my head and i start getting ideas about staying offiste in a huge vacation home for less, or a condo in LBV, but i always get pulled back to the onsite options. i would say if the Poly is where you want to stay and you can afford it go for it, or you'll regret it.

Suzanne
xxx

 

[mom22boys]

I always thought that staying on the monorail would be worth the extra cost, but now I really wonder. In November we were at OKW (we rented points). The buses were fantastic and the bus stop was basically right outside our door. We honestly on average waited 3-5 minutes. I do not know if we just got lucky or if they are always that efficient. Anyway, one morning we went to the Poly to have breakfast at the Kona Cafe. After breakfast we went to board the monorail to go to MK. I do not know if we just missed a monorail, if they only had one running, or if at one of the other stops they had special issues that increased the loading and unloading time, but it was the longest wait we had for transportation all week. I didn't time it, but it honestly had to have taken at least 15 minutes. Another thing to consider is that there is only one monorail stop for each resort, so then you also need to factor in the time it would take to get from your room to the monorail. I wonder if we just got unlucky at the Poly and very lucky at OKW, but after that experience it really made me question if paying the extra money for a monorail resort would be worth it.

Best of luck with your decision! Don't forget to add in the other option of renting points from a DVC member and staying at a DVC resort. It was the best experience for us!

 

[GeauxTigger]

I had to make a similar decision for our upcoming Christmas trip. We're staying for a week, and by renting points from Sunday to Friday from a DVC member for a studio, I saved a TON of money. Given that I had budgeted for the trip, was under budget, and needed to stay for two more nights at another hotel...well, I had enough left over to spend those two extra nights pretty much wherever I wanted. But I still had a hard time getting over the price per night for a monorail hotel. However, I have a small child, will have a stroller to push around, and I'll be there during the busiest time of year, so I decided that the convenience of a monorail hotel will be worth it. We will be spending a lot of time at our resort, and I've always wanted to stay at the Poly or CR. AND, it will be years before we get back to the World, as DH isn't fond of "amusement parks". So, yeah, for me, it's worth it.

I still sometimes think about the price and cringe, and wonder if I should change my ressies to a Mod. But then I think of taking a bus to meet my family for dinner on Christmas Eve while lugging a kid, stroller, diaper bag, and my DH, and I think, "No WAY." We're going to the Luau with family on Christmas Eve, and we'll be able to go back to our room with everyone, exchange presents, watch the fireworks, etc., and it will be so much easier on us that I'm getting over the price.

We won't be eating table service meals, other than Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner, and we won't be doing any tours or shows. Our main amusement will be spending a few hours at the park each day, then lounging by the pool (we're polar bears !). If I were planning on eating out a lot, or planning on going to Cirque, I would stay at a Mod. Also, if it were off season, I'd rent a car and stay at POR. I've always wanted to stay there, as well. Their grounds and pool look fun!

 

[Jackie H.]

Oh Boy! Do I understand you!!!

I had always wanted to stay at the Poly too. I remember going to WDW as a kid and my mother and I looking out the monorail window at the Poly and saying how we wanted to stay there one day! Our last trip (January 2004) we got a Garden View room at the Poly for $189 per night...can you believe it?!?!

It was wonderful.....it was all I expected it to be and more. The transportation options make it absolutely wonderful! We stayed in the Tokelou building in room 1913. I highly recommend you request this room. It is the 2nd room from the end next to the lagoon. The one on the end is lagoon view and costs more...but we could see the lagoon and while sitting on our patio we could see the castle!!!

I can't get across to you how great it is to hop on that boat to MK! Or walk over to the TTC (right next door) and catch the monorail to EPCOT. Or ride the resort monorail to the GF or CR for dinner. And sitting on the beach and watching Wishes!! and the Electrical Water Pageant!! As you can see, I highly recommend it.

Now the price is no where near $189 anymore! So we can't do it this trip...but here is an idea if you are unsure: Split your stay. Stay part of the time somewhere else (I'm not sure where to recommend with 5 folks...maybe 2 rooms at a value) and then move over to the Poly for a few days. You can visit AK from the value resort and maybe MGM too. Then you can do MK & EPCOT from the Poly. Then you will get to experience the Poly without the cost of it the entire trip.

Maybe this will work for you!

 

[disyady]

Vacations are the one and only thing that I will get exactly what I want. Memories are more important than things. The time for me to save money is the 50 weeks a year that I'm not at Disney. I would rather spend more money on the best experience than a little less on an OK one and only you and your family can decide what your "best" is. Have fun planning!!

 

[Merylj]

I would go for it just because of the ages of your kids. Being so handy for the parks will be fabulous.
I must admit though I cancelled our ressies at the Poly as I just could`nt justify the expense - but that was just for me and DH. I did`nt want to spend our few days thinking is this worth the money???
When we visited the only downside was Captain Cooks, we thought that was very poor.
I too am very frugal but only so we can spend money on things we really want to do such as vacations.

 

[Forever a Princess]

Your trip to the Poly is not only going to be worth it-its going to make priceless memories.

I have no regrets of what I have spended my money on at Disney, I only regret what I didn't do.

Go on take the plunge!

 

[LiteBrite]

I also think you should go for it, provided that you really do have enough money to be able to relax and enjoy your vacation. For me, that would mean making sure I had enough money in the food budget to eat where I want to without worrying about it, and also that I had a good chunk of unbudgeted money available for emergencies or things I just didn't think of.

If you can stay at the Poly and feel good about your vacation budget, then go for it. You'll never know otherwise if it's worth it to you or not - this is a great chance to find out!

 

[Glorydaz]

boy, Disyady, you hit it right on the head!! if you only go on vaction once a year - it should be everything that you want - I just stayed at the Portofino in Universal and it was worth every cent....now this February, my boyfriend and I are staying at POR - not an easy decision but I loved the idea of the boat ride - the carriage ride - and it looked so romantic! and I agonized over prices and rooms and locations - you can drive yourself nuts!

whatever you do and whichever resort you occupy - have a wonderful time!