Pop vs Polynesian

[Laura616]

Here’s my problem: I just book POP in a preferred room 3 days ago for 6 nights with a 6 day park hopper and the free dining (regular) plan for September and the total for this was $3,300 for 2 adults and 2 kids. I got a quote for the Polynesian in a standard room for slightly different dates but still 6 nights with a 5 day base ticket for $3,100 for 2 adults and 2 kids. No doubt the dining plan is worth money. So which should I go for? How much do you budget for meals without the dining plan?

 

[plainoldt]

this is totally personal, but poly hands down. I just would rather stay at the poly (or beach club) than any other hotels. to me, its part of the vacation. WE use the room and the grounds as much as the parks.

 

[gillep]

Poly, love spending time at the resort just as much as the parks, so we don't do the value resorts because they do not have the amenities that we prefer on our vacation. How much to budget for food is really dependent on how you like to eat, and what you like to eat. Splitting QS meals is going to be a drastically different budget than signature meals each night where each person orders a full 2-3 course meal, and that's all before discussing alcohol.

 

[mister morrow]

i'd definitely choose polynesian. the overall atmosphere there is incredible and it is extremely close to MK!

 

[FireflyTrance]

This is totally a personal preference. I've stayed at both Pop and Poly. Poly is obviously nicer, but I feel like it is only worth it if you plan on spending a significant amount of time at the resort. If you just want to go to the parks, then save money by staying at Pop. I don't know the ages of your kids, but I thought Pop was a fun resort for small kids. Children ages 7ish and under will appreciate the larger than life characters and the colorful atmosphere at Pop. Poly has a more serene theme, which most adults would prefer. If you stay at Poly I would schedule a resort day to use the pool, and also make reservations at the restaurants there.

 

[Summer2018]

You are comparing apples to oranges.

There's a BIG difference between value and deluxe. If you will utilize the vast amenities at the Poly, then you should take advantage of this incredible price. Price out the different dining plans and see how it goes. There's no way to know how much it will cost you for food based on others' eating habits. You need to do the groundwork yourself based on your own eating habits.

To me, the answer is obvious...Polynesian Village Resort, but I get the most out of my resort. It depends on your traveling habits.

 

[Tink3rbell86]

Are you getting Free dining at the poly? if not I'd choose POP. I like knowing once I get there I don't need to spend any money, unless I want a souvenir. Also Like the Park hopper and extra park day!

How much do you budget for meals without the dining plan?

For us only doing QS without the dining plan we would plan $11-$16 per adult for Lunch and dinner and then $6.99-$9.99 per kid for lunch or dinner meal. For breakfast I always bring Fruit (apples, oranges,bananas) and have some cereal or other quick items like that. Some days we'll get QS breakfast so I'd say $7-$12 for those meals. Obviously this doesn't include snacks or extra drinks so you'd have to budget for that too unless you bring snacks into the park.

 

[Belleofthehouse]

No comparison...POLY!!
We are not doing the dining plan this summer with two teenagers and are budgeting $1200 for food.

 

[loves to dive]

Another vote for Poly. You are only going to get QS dining plan at Pop so if you eat at TS you are going to pay out of pocket for that anyway.

 

[MonorailNate]

Most definitely the Poly.

 

[dmetcalfrn]

Poly is our favorite. Like others said we use the resort amenities probably more than the park. Love to see the fireworks and light parade from the beach. TTC is just a short walk. Trader Sam’s is fun and Dole Whips on-site.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Go for the nicer resort and just budget for food!

 

[squeezle]

Just keep in mind, there is the danger of getting spoiled at a deluxe resort and never wanting to go back to a moderate or value. I know that once we stayed a deluxe it was all over!!

 

[Haley R]

I think it depends what kind of experience you are looking for. We have never been wowed by the Poly so we've never stayed there. We are also usually in the parks all day so Pop works great for us. With just DH and I we usually budget at least $1000 for food for a week.

 

[Timothy02359]

Poly Poly Poly!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you can afford it, Poly, hands down. There is really no comparison. Bigger rooms, better amenities, restaurants, monorail, better pools, a slide and kids splash pad. For your family, if you were to pay for it, the regular dining plan for 6 nights would be about $1200, so I would use that as an estimate for paying OOP for your meals if you stay at Poly. It really depends on where you had planned to eat.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I would just add that it really depends also on which parks you prefer. My favorite is MK so anytime I can swing a monorail resort I take it. Nothing like jumping on the monorail or a boat and being there, seeing the castle along the way. Not everyone prefers MK. I have never stayed at the Poly, I have stayed at the Contemporary and GF. I personally don't like POP, I' don't rather an All Star over POP so for me the decision would be Poly all day long.

As for food, as someone else said, depends how you eat. If you can do QS it's going to be cheaper than eating at signature dining for every meal. You can do food cheap at Disney believe it or not, if you want. I did a 4 day weekend trip a couple of years ago and spent $121 total.

 

[dreamit]

I think it depends on how material the additional cost of the Poly is to your vacation and on what you're prioritizing for this trip. You can look at the menus on AllEars to get an idea of what out of pocket dining will cost you. For our upcoming vacation, I had a similar situation. I booked Pop with free dining for 8 nights and 7 day PH+ at $2600. We're only able to get the dining for 6 of those nights, so need to budget another $100 for food and due to a few planned TS would upgrade the dining plan for another $250 or so. I then was able to get a deal on the Polynesian for 8 nights and 8 day PH for $3300, no dining. This trip is only my 11yo daughter and myself and we are trying to do a more laid back trip , not tied to many ADRs. I priced that without a dining plan, we'll only spend about $850 on dining. After much consideration, we're going with the Poly because it fits well with the type of trip we're planning and the transportation options of the Poly will add to the experience. We stayed at the Poly (+ DH and DS) in 2016 and loved it. Last year my DD and I had a trip with my sister and niece (1st time visit for them), and we stayed at All Star Music with free dining. That trip was very park-based with little resort time. We also wanted to do quite a few TS meals. During that trip, as budget is a big consideration for me, the additional cost of the Poly would not have made sense, as we weren't spending much time at the resort. I felt any money saved, if needed, would be best spent on other experiences (dessert party, MVMCP, etc.). By the way, surprisingly, I was very impressed with ASMu.

 

[mickeynut1]

Another vote for the Poly.

 

[Mazz519]

I would choose the Polynesian.....Hotel is great you are on the Monorail loop and the atmosphere of the hotel is fantastic