Poly versus CSR

[marylandgirl]

The main reasons I'm considering the Poly are:

1) To try something different as well as to satisfy my curiosity about what all the hoopla is about.

2) For location/convenience. This trip, we have MVMCP tickets and an 8 am character breakfast in MK the next morning. We have young kids, so I love the idea of letting them fall asleep in the stroller at the party and then being able to wheel them back to the room without having to fold up the stroller. Then, the next morning we can sleep in a bit later than if we were staying at a non-monorail resort.

3) I'd like to see Wishes from not only the vantage point of within the MK (which we plan to do during MVMCP) but also farther out (i.e., the Poly Beach or TTC) on a different night, while at the same time, having an easy stroll back to our room.

I just don't want to spend all that extra money to stay at the Poly and then end up having buyer's remorse if it doesn't end up being all that much better than our experience at CSR.

You definitely won't regret staying in Poly then. Those are the main reasons we usually stay there. I can't tell you enough how much time you save just by being on a quick monorail trip away from MK. With little ones in tow it is great to spend the am in MK and go back to room to relax even for an hour. We always thought it helped us get the most out of our time. Plus, the kids love the pool, grounds and lobby too. It is definitely worth it to stay there with little ones. Ours will be 6&9 on our next trip and although Poly is out of the budget this time, we have debated staying in CR just for the convenience of it and so we can be close to Poly & MK. Good luck with your decision.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Sounds good. CSR is a nice resort. I've stayed there twice. I'm glad I tried all the resort (except POR) because I found my favorite moderate which is POFQ! We will be trying POR next year just to see if we will like POR even more. I want to try AKL, but it's too remote from all the parks except AK. And AKL inside structures resemble WL a little bit. I think I prefer WL because it's closer to MK and I love the Northwest Pacific theme. I'm glad Disney have something for everyone!

So true! I definitely think I will be one to try every resort at least once - and I imagine my tastes may change from time to time - a resort for every season so to speak. That is why I am researching a dvc purchase right now. I am one local who will like to take a break in the "Disney bubble" and stay on property every now and again!

POFQ is definitely one I want to try - I really enjoyed POR! Have a great next trip!

 

[Bob NC]

In short, sell me on why the Poly is that much better than CSR. What other than location justifies the substantial price increase?

I'd say one isn't better than the other, it's just a choice of what you want.

I've stayed Poly 4 or 5 times and CSR once. (Most Poly stays were before CSR was around.)

To be honest, right now if Poly and CSR were the same price and I was deciding where to stay I'd probably choose CSR.

***I stayed in the Rancho section of CSR when I stayed there and don't let anyone tell you it's more than a 10 minute walk to get to El Centro. You will hear it's anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. Take that with a giant grain of salt.

***Poly has indoor corridors, CSR doors open to the exterior. I have come to realize that I'm not a big fan of the corridors. Late at night and early in the morning there are always kids AND adults bouncing off the walls, slamming doors, shouting and making all kinds of noise. I don't understand having indoor corridors when you have to walk outside to get to the main building anyway.

***It seems the Poly main building is always jam packed with people, maybe because of the popularity of the restaurants there. The pool always seems crowded and you may not get your choice of where or even if you get chairs to sit in.

***Kona is one of my favorite restaurants, but as a whole, (taking counter service into account), I probably like CSR food options as much or better than Poly.

***I love the monorail. I like being able to just hop on to get to MK, CR or go to Epcot.

They both have their pluses and minuses that you must weigh.

With us, a lot of times it's not even the cost that's a big factor, you might pick your resort just because you've always wanted to stay at a particular place....Or, maybe you just feel like it.

Either way, my best advice is whenever you make your decision just stick with it. Don't drive yourself crazy second-guessing, because from someone who has stayed at many many Dis resorts, chances are you are going to have fun and love any one you pick.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I will try to add to all the many well stated facts already presented here on this thread. We have stayed at both Poly and Csr and prefer the Poly hands down.

I think the matter of "worth" can only be decided by your family's needs and vacationing style. We are a family that gets to the parks at rope drop, leaves around 1-3pm depending on the day, then goes back to the resort for swimming and relaxing. We usually go back to a different park at night for 5 or 6 of the 7-8 night vacation days. We spend a lot of time at the resort and need it for quiet time not only for the adults but also because our youngest DD is in the autism spectrum and needs a break from the constant stimulation of the parks and crowds. Transportation adds to this factor as we spend most of our time at MK and Epcot so Poly affords the best and quickest transport to get to/from our resort with minimal buses that give the biggest threat for DD's magical meltdowns

The Poly has LARGE rooms and we always get a balcony as it provides extra refuge from the busy day. We really enjoy having the padded armchairs and daybed/couch for relaxing, reading, or eating breakfast. I love that the windows/sliding doors allow us to keep our curtains open for light and view without having people walking by and looking in our room--more privacy. If we are not in a park in the evening, we can just walk over to the beach area to watch the EWP and the MK fireworks for evening entertainment and then walk back to the room and hop in bed

Even though I like the actual pool and pool facilities better at CSR, the atmosphere of the Poly beach wins. There is something about watching the castle while sitting on the beach, listening to the kids play in the sand, the boat horns and the MK train whistles in the background....all while sipping my favorite Pina Colava drink that just makes me

Our trip to CSR ended last Fall with the kicker that will preclude us from ever staying at CSR--or any moderate--again as a family.. On the last night, our experience in the Pepper Market was horrible. After having spoken with the "chef" extensively on our first visit to the Pepper Market regarding my daughter's food allergies AND having emails back and forth BEFORE our stay, my daughter was served egg noodles--when they claimed they had no such noodles with eggs on their premises. HA...what a joke. Know that the food service at CSR is NOT run by WDW but by an outside food service company. Just to add insult to injury, I got food poisoning that night and was very ill causing us to have to extend our vacation another day and reschedule our flights. The disconcern and confusion caused by the front desk staff when my DH was trying to extend our stay and get medical help for me was also very disappointing. Being stuck in any hotel room when on vacation is no fun but given the small size of the room, it just made the situation worse. This isn't the kind of situation anyone plans for on vacation but alas, it does happen. If I ever get sick again at Disney, I want to be in a bed at the Poly!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

Our trip to CSR ended last Fall with the kicker that will preclude us from ever staying at CSR--or any moderate--again as a family.. On the last night, our experience in the Pepper Market was horrible. After having spoken with the "chef" extensively on our first visit to the Pepper Market regarding my daughter's food allergies AND having emails back and forth BEFORE our stay, my daughter was served egg noodles--when they claimed they had no such noodles with eggs on their premises. HA...what a joke. Know that the food service at CSR is NOT run by WDW but by an outside food service company. Just to add insult to injury, I got food poisoning that night and was very ill causing us to have to extend our vacation another day and reschedule our flights. The disconcern and confusion caused by the front desk staff when my DH was trying to extend our stay and get medical help for me was also very disappointing. Being stuck in any hotel room when on vacation is no fun but given the small size of the room, it just made the situation worse. This isn't the kind of situation anyone plans for on vacation but alas, it does happen. If I ever get sick again at Disney, I want to be in a bed at the Poly!

So sorry to hear about then end of your trip - so not fun - - I've been sick at Disney (Paris) and it was so not fun - think I would have wanted to be at the Poly too given your circumstances - here's to healthy trips all around in the future -

 

[mickeynut1]

Whether or not it's worth it is subjective as everyone's definition of "worth" is different. With that said, we've stayed at all but 3 deluxe resorts (YC, BWI, & CR) and out of all of them, the Poly is our favorite (and definitely worth the extra cost to us). A few things we love about the Poly are:

- the tropical surroundings are beautiful
- the rooms are very large and spacious, with all rooms having a daybed
- Captain Cooks is great for quick CS meals and snacks
- the volcano pool is awesome with a view of the castle in the distance
- it's relaxing to walk around at night under the lit tiki torches
- it's 2 monorail stops from MK
- it's convenient to the GF and CR for dining or shopping
- it's within walking distance to the TTC
- the beach is a great place for watching the fireworks, with a short walk back to your room without fighting the crowds out of MK

We've never stayed at CSR so I can't comment on that resort, but we have stayed at one mod (CBR) and although we loved it, once we tried the deluxe resorts we haven't stayed anywhere else. We love the locations and all of the amenities that the deluxe resorts offer that we can't help but stay deluxe every trip .

 

[*Fantasia*]

So true! I definitely think I will be one to try every resort at least once - and I imagine my tastes may change from time to time - a resort for every season so to speak. That is why I am researching a dvc purchase right now. I am one local who will like to take a break in the "Disney bubble" and stay on property every now and again!

POFQ is definitely one I want to try - I really enjoyed POR! Have a great next trip!

Thank you! You do the same! Have a wonderful next trip in the "Disney bubble"! Enjoy your next resort or DVC!

 

[DznyCrzy11]

I can't say much because I've never stayed at CSR. That being said, my DH and I absolutely love the Poly. It's all about location and atmosphere, we love the location and atmosphere. It is such a relaxing resort. The accommodations at Poly are better quality than CSR, that's the difference between the deluxe and moderate. Is staying at the Poly worth the extra money? That is something for you to decide but I personally would pay the extra, just for the fact that's it's vacation that comes around once a year for us.

Sent from my GalaxyS II

 

[mchamber99]

I apologize if I have missed this...but, have you stayed deluxe before??? I only ask because it sounds like you are trying to determine if staying at the Poly will be worth the extra costs.

I can only speak from the perspective of our family. We have always stayed at value resorts, except for once at CBR, which we did not like. For our trip last month, we decided we would try deluxe, since we've done all of the values and we were kind of turned off of mods because of CBR...

Well, it was very difficult for me to justify the cost we were paying for WL CL (with a 40% discount) but those questions of whether it was worth it absolutely melted away once we got there. We had an absolutely perfect 11 days!!! . From the relaxed vibe at the resort to the amped up service and the location (with boat access to MK, as well as easy access to monorail via boat to CR) we absolutely fell in love...and knew that our money was well spent. I think it will be hard not to do a deluxe in the future. As a matter of fact, we are booked for POLY CL for April (also with a 40% discount) and even though our trip could be a lot cheaper, it's not the experience we are looking for...

So, the point of my rambling is that you won't know until you try. And only you can decide if it's worth it to you. But, speaking from personal experience, I think you may find that it is totally worth it!!!

Off the subject, but how did you get TWO 40% discounts to CL rooms?

 

[Mousemommy1]

Off the subject, but how did you get TWO 40% discounts to CL rooms?

It was the military discount for which I am eternally grateful!

 

[mchamber99]

Good for you!

 

[princessallegra]

We have stayed at both. And while we LOVE both, we would choose CSR over the Poly mostly because of the cost and the fact that the Poly does not have a hot tub (we don't use the monorail....we find it overrated and always breaking down...we find the buses or us driving much faster).

However, I truly believe that everyone, if they have a liking for the Poly, should try it at least once.

This! The location is great at the Poly, we did love that. We also stayed club level because it was our disneymoon We love CSR because it's a deluxe feel at more reasonable prices. We will be staying there for 6 nights in September-October. We also prefer to drive. Frankly we have found the bus service at the Wilderness Lodge to be the best bus service of any deluxe. We love WL!

 

[princessallegra]

I apologize if I have missed this...but, have you stayed deluxe before??? I only ask because it sounds like you are trying to determine if staying at the Poly will be worth the extra costs.

I can only speak from the perspective of our family. We have always stayed at value resorts, except for once at CBR, which we did not like. For our trip last month, we decided we would try deluxe, since we've done all of the values and we were kind of turned off of mods because of CBR...

Well, it was very difficult for me to justify the cost we were paying for WL CL (with a 40% discount) but those questions of whether it was worth it absolutely melted away once we got there. We had an absolutely perfect 11 days!!! . From the relaxed vibe at the resort to the amped up service and the location (with boat access to MK, as well as easy access to monorail via boat to CR) we absolutely fell in love...and knew that our money was well spent. I think it will be hard not to do a deluxe in the future. As a matter of fact, we are booked for POLY CL for April (also with a 40% discount) and even though our trip could be a lot cheaper, it's not the experience we are looking for...

So, the point of my rambling is that you won't know until you try. And only you can decide if it's worth it to you. But, speaking from personal experience, I think you may find that it is totally worth it!!!

WL makes you fall in loooove!!!!! I agree!!!!