POR vs Poly (vs CR?) for convenience, value, kid-friendliness?

[melish27]

Hi all,

My wife and I are planning a 3-night stay at WDW, probably in Jan '03 but possibly in March (yes, it's a long way from Value to Peak) with our DDs, ages 6 and 2 1/2 by then. We'll do MK one day, MGM the next. We're looking at the Poly and POR and want the most for our limited time (and money). (We're also considering CR, which offers the best midday nap commute, but the tower--where I stayed 2x as a kid, once in the pre-Space Mountain era!--might be too pricey and the wings too inconvenient. And will the girls get the same kick out of it I did when I was 10?)

We'd like to add a Luau, which seems to favor the Poly (get the kids quickly to bed afterward) as does the monorail to MK and the TTC to MGM, and room size. But is a balcony/patio even worth it in winter? (In Jan '01 we stayed at CSR, which we liked a lot but couldn't take full advantage of due to weather--never hit 70 degrees.) Based on various posts POR seems great (and well-themed--but will the kids care?), including the boat to DD (assuming it runs in Jan.). But what about transport to MK, MGM, the Luau? We're fairly flexible on budget--otherwise Poly and CR wouldn't be in the picture, at least in Value season--and will try to grab a discount (AAA thus far, but I'll keep an eye on MouseSavers for codes that pop up).

Any insights, war stories, pros/cons etc. would be very much appreciated (especially since we want to book asap)! Thanks!

 

[eeyore0062]

We have never stayed at any with kids... only without, which does make a difference. When we were there in January, we stayed at the CR and there were many, many kids there, having a great time! You really can't beat the convenience, and since the weather is so iffy at that time, the pools really don't matter as much. They have a fantastic game room, as well, and all of the CM's were super friendly. Of course the monorail running through the middle is a big deal, as it being home to Chef Mickey's. We call it Mickey's Resort, and if the kids can wake up everyday and see the castle, that would just be the icing on the cake!

Much of the appeal of PO-R is outside, in my opinion. The pool is really nice, and of course the boat ride to DTD. The landscaping is gorgeous, I think that all of this may be lost on the kids... and since your trip is so short, you may want to maximize your time at the parks, in which case, one of the monorail resorts would be a better bet.

Have never stayed at the Poly, but have eaten there, and thought it was nice. I would vote for either that (it has the Neverland Club, as well) or CR.

Hope this helps!

 

[Disneydenise]

We have stayed at both resorts and it is split as to whick was the most convient for us. Ds liked the CR better but we would only sty there if we could get the tower room. DD loves the Poly. DH and I love the Poly so we usually end up there. We liked the quick trip form the MK to the Poly on the boat. We always have a car so we take the car to MGM.

 

[Deb8821]

We have stayed at the Poly - conceige twice - 3 kids, under 4 at the time. Fantastic for the convenience to MK. Very kid friendly - my boys did the neverland club twice and loved it. Plus the club in open during the day - with you present - for some down time away from the park - Or if it is raining!! Happened to us twice. Nice to have a place they can play besides the room when it was pouring for an hour or so!! Then we just hopped the boat back to MK. I actually found the boat faster than the monorail. Plus you can walk to TTC to get to Epcot. I have also done GF w/out kids - but I prefer Poly for kids. Have not done CR so I cant say on this one. have a great trip

 

[ilovdisney2]

I would love to try the Poly some day, but we just returned from a 7 day stay at POR and I have 3 children and they loved it. The food court is great for kids (mac. and cheese, pb and jelly and of course pizza!) They also loved the pool.

 

[randbmom]

For the convenience with a 2 year old, you can't beat a monorail resort. I did Poly with a 16 month old, and found it so easy. Between the launch, the ferry or the monorail, it was minutes back to the roo. Just a word of caution though, if you end up in Tahiti (a great lagoon view) it will be just as much of a walk to the center of things as a garden view CR room. If CR tower is less than Poly, I'd go CR tower. You can be assured you won't be far from it all.

 

[LtlTee]

the Poly. I have stayed at all three, with and without kids. I am sure that this is a highly subjective question, but here's my two cents.
We stayed at the Poly and the kids (1, 4 and 10) absolutely loved it. They loved the pool, the loved O'Hana and they loved the close proximity to the monorail, as did we. We were in Tokelau, which was a little bit of a walk at the end of a long day, but not too bad.
We also stayed in the Contemporary (when we had just 1 child) and, again, the proximity to the monorail was great, but we just didn't care as much for the atmosphere (just personal preference).
Just got back from POR -- we were in building 35, which is so far away from everything that my husband joked that we were in Kissimmee. The busses were very crowded, and even though we loved the grounds and theming of POR, until the kids are bigger we probably will only stay at a monorail resort.

 

[AndiCT]

We just got back from the Poly with our two DS (6 and 5) and they loved it. The convenience to MK is great, by monrail or boat. Plus they have the Water Pagent every night and there were two nights of fireworks over the lake that we were able to see from our balcony (we had lagoon view). Getting to MGM by bus took some time (I think we had just missed a bus and had to wait 20 minutes for the next one), but it wasn't too bad. Ohanas is also great.

 

[jims123]

WE have stayed at all three. I like Poly best, but my kids like CR the best. They really liked the monorail going thriugh the building, the game room, and Chef Mickeys. POR is good if money is an issue. But having the monorail is real nice with kids.

 

[wdwnutze]

I have stayed at the Poly with 3 kids 2x and loved it both times. It is my 17yo ds's favorite. 2 1/2 yo and 9 yo dd's thought is was awesome. We loved the beach to watch the fireworks and play in the sand. The Poly can't be beat for convenience. We stayed in Tahiti with a lagoon view last august and it was amazing!!! Although we were a little distance from the GCH we didn't find the walk to be a problem at all. It only takes 3-5 minutes and the grounds are beautiful. It is a great walk early in the morning to get coffee or late at night with the tiki torches lit. I would definately go for the Poly.