POR or BC or Poly? I'm frazzled!!!! (a bit long)

[mermaidwannabe]

Okay, this is my third post of wondering where to stay so please just bear with me. It's so hard to know where to stay when I've never been to DW! My girls are 7, 5 and 2 and we are booked to stay at BC. I'm wavering now because SAB scares me with them. I'm sure we'll go back to the resort every day to swim and so my little one can possible nap. Now, I find myself looking at the Poly AGAIN since it is on the monorail, it seems to have better food choices, it's closer to MK and the volcano pool seems safer. I originally wanted to stay there but was scared off by reports of mold. I just figure if I stayed in a recently renovated longhouse we'd be fine. I also am enamored with pictures and descriptions of POR but wonder if the buses would be annoying since we'd be coming back to our resort every afternoon. CAN ANYONE STRAIGHTEN ME OUT??

 

[leighe]

I would go with the Poly for all the reasons you've listed. The monorail will be great with small kids. Also, you can walk to TTC from the Poly and get to Epcot by monorail. When I was little we always stayed at the Poly and it just says, "Disney vacation" to me!

 

[LIFERBABE]

Keeping up with 3 little ones alone is going to be tough no matter where you stay, especially around pools.

I have never stayed at the Poly, but the pool area is very nice but also close to the lagoon, so if you are worried about the SAB effect (a child wandering off), I would think the stress level would be about the same.
The Poly gives you monorail access, so that is a plus, if you plan on spending the bulk of your time at MK.

I have stayed at BC and although SAB is huge, it is in sections like a waterpark. I think the ages in your group will enjoy the shallower areas of SAB and the smaller slide area of the pirate ship. BC gives you boat access to MGM and Epcot. You will have to ride the bus for MK or AKL.

I like the brighter beachy theme of BC but would like to stay at the Poly in the future too. We always have a vehicle so we don't have the transportation issue to consider.

HTH!

 

[Mickey_loves_Minnie]

I vote for the Polynesian too. I haven't tried the new pool, though. It looks like fun! Oh, and I have't had any problems with mold.

Have fun on your first trip!

 

[Dalpal]

Hi,
I have always wanted to stay at the poly.....we have been to WDW 5 times and every time we went to the restraunt there I wished we could stay there.
Well this summer we are taking our twin DGDs there. They are five and we will be coming back to the resort every afternoon like you. This seems to be the easyist resort to do that....
I have heard about the mold also, but I have also seen alot of post where they havent incountered any at all. There is always going to be both good and bad reports about all the resorts....
I would pick the resort you think you would like and try it out....To me the poly is just ideal for people with younger children.....

Go to tikimans site....he has great info on it all about the poly...

I think its : tikiman2001.homestead.com I just love his site!
Good luck and I hope this helped.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks for the replies. I will definitely check out that website. Has anyone's little kids actually enjoyed Epcot moe than MK?

 

[sanibelover]

There is no comparison between the BC, POLY and POR. POR is not a resort IMO. BC and POLY have all kinds of activities, and the ambience is amazing. The monorail is a real plus if you paln to spend a lot of time at MK. POR is pretty much a nicely themed hotel.

Disney transportation is a good idea, but in reality, it takes much longer than you might expect to get to and from some of the resorts(POR). If you opt for POR, rent a car.

 

[Dalpal]

I dont think too many kids would like Epcot over MK, but there are some things that will be very enjoyable for your kids there...Living seas now has a new crush interactive thing that I think my DGDs will love....and making the masks in all the countrys....

 

[megan926]

POLYNESIAN all the way! You can view the fireworks from the beach at night...the volcano pool is great...the monorail line is super convienient! I got married there in July...it is just the most beautiful resort. You won't go wrong!

 

[lmhall2000]

We went when our children were 8, 5 and 4...they LOVED LOVED LOVED the Poly...I was concerned about the mold...but our room was very nicely cleaned and did not smell moldy...ds has asthma so that was a big concern. This was the first trip he did not actually need his nebulizer. YEAH! They loved the volcano pool...they have swimvests they'll give out so the little ones who may not be able to swim that well can just float to the side after sliding down. Taking the boat/monorail to MK was great....the kids never complained about walking because the grounds kept them entertained (lizards here, lizards there, feeding the fish at the boat dock, looking at the beautiful birds of paradise plants) There is a "smell" there..but I think it's from 'Ohana's and the luau's...which to me adds to the charm...I'm sure if you do get one of the moldy rooms that they'll change it with no problem...I think they've been working hard to correct that.

The rooms are quite a bit bigger there, too..it helps with having 5 in a family...more space means happy campers!
Tara

 

[Bugsmom73]

I agree with a deluxe over a mod. When we return in 2006, we will be staying at a deluxe. DD at 15mos preferred Epcot to MK, though this time around she preferred MK (she is 3.5)

 

[DisneyDW]

I just changed our res from Poly to BC. I was having a very had time deciding also. With 3 younger girls, they will probably like MK the best. Are they into princesses? My kids, DD3 and DS5, don't care anything about princesses and like Epcot, AK and SeaWorld more than MK. If you'll be at MK a lot, Poly will be so convenient.

I think any pool would be nerve-racking with 3 little ones!

The other thing that moved me from Poly to BC was all the separate buildings. I prefer to be in one big building in case of rain, cold, dark, all that stuff.

Poly has some really cool choices for restaurants.

With 3 kids - location is key! If you're park hopping - you could go from BC to MK on the bus in the morning then after you come back for nap/swim, you could walk over to Epcot or MGM in the late afternoon/evening for a change! That would save you from 2 bus trips in a day.

I don't think I'm helping any but just some additional info for you!

 

[goofy4tink]

We have stayed at POR, Polynesian and BWV. If I were in your situation I think I would go with the Polynesian. The ability to just hop on the monorail is wonderful. If you want to go to Epcot, it is a short walk down a nice path to the TTC,where you can catch the direct Epcot monorail. The boats are also a nice way to get to MK. I would think that your kids would most likely prefer MK at their ages. The Volcano Pool is a nice one. It does have zero entry for the littler swimmers. The food choices are okay. I actually like the food courts at the values and moderates better than those at the deluxes. But, I make do.

Now, as to the mold question. We never had any issue with this. My big problem with the Polynesian is that if it rains, and this is Florida so it rains, you have to go out in the rain to get to transportation and to get food!! But, that's not a deal breaker. If we hadn't bought DVC at BWV, I'm sure we would be back at the Polynesian again. The kids also love to dig in the sand at the edge of the lagoon. And there is the wonderful perk of being able to watch the fireworks from the beach. Yep, I'ld go with the Polynesian.

 

[jjohnson]

I was bouncing from BC to Poly myself for months & finally made the decision to go with Poly. I love the look of both resorts but really want to be on the monorail.

I lose sight of my kids at the town pool let alone SAB. I would find it stressful too given their ages.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! I just changed from the BC to the Poly thanks to all of your wonderful opinions. I was really feeling sick there for a few hours trying to decide. I'm so happy I did. And to the person who mentioned lizards, birds and feeding fish, that will go a long way with my kids. My girls are princesses all the way and I think we'll be at MK more than any other. All of your information helped out immensely!!!!

 

[yecats]

You made the right choice. I was going to say I agreed with everything written above in regards to the Poly. As you have younger children and the best park for younger kids is MK, then your right there which makes it easy to go back and forth for breaks. Not to mention the pool situation (SAB is great but I can see your point in the nerviousness of having 3 kids in it at once). You made the right choice, you can choose to stay at YC/BC when the kids are older and you'll have a great vacation.

 

[BCV23]

I agree that you made the right call. With three children you will enjoy the extra space the rooms at the Polynesian affords.

And the Polynesian pools are much easier to "patrol" than SAB. If none of your girls are adventuresome or swimming on their own yet, SAB might be fine. But at the Polynesian, you can see the whole surface of the pool at the same time.

 

[Tinks]

We have three boys, ages 8, 6, and 2. The Poly is the only way to go with small kids. I would save BC for when you are "stroller-less" (if such a thing exists!) You will enjoy it The pool is great. I have never stayed at BC, but I can vouch for the volcano pool and the ease to watch over your kids. Have fun!

 

[heymagic]

We just returned from a 10 day trip at the Polynesian. Nov.26th-Dec.5th.
I agree with the great advice from all the folks who replied. This trip we were with my daughter, her husband and two boys 5 and 2. We tried the concierge in the Hawaii longhouse and it was absolutely worth the extra money. You can easily spend twice the money you save by eating breakfast there and at the times you are back for a rest it's so handy. There's juice out all day long, a coffee machine that does cafe mocha, caps, and latte too.
Tikiman has the details on his excellent website. We often would have a little nitecap from the 8-10 serving, take it back to our patio and talk about the day. Some other folks can probably give you better advice on this.
Hope you have a wonderful time...
Magic

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thanks again for all the replies. I had never even thought about going concierge because it seemed so expensive, but maybe I should pencil things out. Breakfast would be so convenient, and drinks during the day for the kids and nightcaps at night for the adults sounds good.