POR vs. Poly

[miss1180]

Hi!
So... we (DH, me, and DS who is 5) are headed down for the last week of august into september. We are currently booked at the Poly, under a very good deal. $2500 for 6 nights, plus 5 day park hoppers. We can't add the dining plan to this deal. i budgeted about $1000 or a little more for food- we have 3 or 4 character meals booked (we like them bc DS likes seeing the characters, but doesn't like waiting in line for them int he parks- he's definitely a ride kid!!) so those definitely add up-- plus we have Ohana dinner, Boma, 50s Prime Time...
THEN the free dining came out, and now i'm looking into the moderates. We could stay at POR for about $2700 (which would have the dining plan included). so basically we would be saving the $1000 or more that i was planning for food.
BUT i feel silly giving up the Poly!! HAHA but its hard to ignore the savings, especially this year when we want to add on to our house and a few other things...
has anybody stayed at POR??? how are the buses to the parks??? we stayed at WL last year and were spoiled by the super easy transportation i think!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

$1000 isn't insignificant change to most people. I don't think you would be foolish saving $1000 if that money supports your other financial goals.

POR is a lovely resort with a great pool of its own, and access to the POFQ pool. Buses are just fine, and sometimes more reliable than the monorail anyway.

 

[berkfam22]

My family and I have stayed at POR twice now and love it. The busses are fine and I have had no real issues other than waiting for a few minutes in the morning for an AK bus. The pools are nice and my family loves walking to POFQ along the river to their pool as well. POFQ also has a new splash pad that will be good for your kiddo as well. $1000 is a big chunk of change to save, especially when you can always go next year or the year after if your budget allows. You could also always do a split stay and rent DVC points as an option for a future stay as well to save money. Good luck in your decision!!

 

[Disn3yVision]

I vote repurpose the money you save and stay at POR. It's a great resort and you will have a blast regardless of which you chose.

 

[agec]

They are both great resorts, but I think you need to ask yourself what experience you really want. Have you always wanted to stay at Poly? Rates continue to go up, so the great deal you have for this year may not be so great next year. There is something special about staying at one of the MK resorts with a small child- seeing the castle in the distance, riding the monorail, watching the water electric parade... If this is the case, I would encourage you to just stay with the great deal you booked at Poly. On the other hand, if this is just one of many Disney vacations, save the $1000 and stay at POR. It is beautiful resort, though not as "themed" as Poly. Last year when we stayed at POR, the buses ran smoothly for the most part. We did have one long night after MK wishes, waiting for a bus to take us "home". But if your DS is in a stroller, it probably wouldn't affect him much to wait. It was harder on the adults with tired legs from a full day at MK. Honestly, both are great choices and great deals! Hope you have a great vacation!

 

[Lisann]

Go with POR. I've stayed there and loved it. My daughter was four when we first stayed there, and it was perfect for her!

 

[TIME4DIZ]

I think you may love POR- it's a beautiful resort. But...keep in mind that you may still have out of pocket dining expenses even with free dining. Any Alcohol, refreshments between meals, gratuity and other things that are not included all add up - and will eat (no pun intended) into your calculated $1000 savings.


Fortunately for you, you can't go wrong - you have to two great options. Enjoy your trip!

 

[laura_<3]

POR is gorgeous. We've stayed there twice and are hoping to stay there again next year.

 

[terri33inne]

Just returned from our 2nd stay at POR, and we stayed at Poly last year. If the $1,000 isn't going to break the bank, then I would ask what most are you looking for in a resort?

For transportation; The buses for POR were the same we've had at most other resorts... not horrible, not amazing. I will say on this last trip one morning the line for a MK bus went through the 2 depot bldgs at the south depot. We opted for a cab that morning. I love the transportation options at Poly... on the monorail to MK, and you can walk to TTC to get the monorail to EP. Funny you mention WL b/c my worst transportation experience was at WL.

Size; One other thing to consider (which may not be an issue for your family), is the walking. POR is big. Our first 2 nights there we were in one of the furthest AB bldgs, and it was about a 13 minute walk to the main bldg, although we were about 2 minutes from one of the bus stops. I loved how close everything was at the Poly.

Pools; We checked out all 7 pools in our last visit to POR . My DD enjoyed the slide at the Poly to the one at POR... I think it's longer. At POR we much preferred the mansion pools to the AB pools. When we were at Poly only the main pool was open (and the new splash area had just opened which looked like tons of fun), so the pool was crowded. I'm assuming the crowding is no longer an issue as the other pool as now re-opened, and looks amazing.

Location; What parks will be spending the most time in? If MK, with a 5 year old I would say Poly. I agree with PP that staying at an MK resort is awesome.

I will just say that having stayed at deluxe for our last few visits going to a moderate was an adjustment, not bad, just a different experience. We do spend a lot of time at our resort though too.

 

[VillainFavs]

We were in your boat exactly. Magical deal at Poly but for $200 could stay at Coronado Springs and get Free Dining. But I have two teenage boys to feed! We made the switch. It felt really strange to give up a deluxe resort for a moderate but in the long run it will be a lot cheaper. We don't spend a lot of time at the resort, so this just seemed to make sense for us.

We've stayed at POFQ three times and loved it! I'm sure you'll love POR too!

 

[Aurora0427]

For us, the resort is part of the magic and part of our trip, and the Poly is a great resort. We love the theme, food, pools, activities, and ease of getting to and from Magic Kingdom & Epcot. We wouldn't switch for free dining. But that's just us!

 

[Aurora0427]

And 6 nights at the poly for $2500 is a great deal.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

BUT i feel silly giving up the Poly!! HAHA but its hard to ignore the savings, especially this year when we want to add on to our house and a few other things...

This is the key for me. Do you want to postpone expenditures that have a significant effect on daily living for an upgrade against one week of vacation?