Questions about Staying On Property (Late Nov / Early Dec)

[jcvalenti]

Wife and I are thinking about surprising the kids with a trip to Disney this fall. We're going next Summer with a big group, but will be staying at our usual OffSite rental home during that trip ... so we thought we might take a week (looking at 11/25 to 12/2) and visit the parks for our first time when the Christmas Decorations are up. Figure it might be the last real "family" trip, as it will be the oldest son's senior year.

Here's the difficulty - both myself and my son are big guys (6'3" and 6'4"), and cramming in to a single room and actually sleeping is tough for us - we usually get suites or even two rooms when travelling as a family, though that is awfully price prohibitive with Disney.

So as we've never stayed on property before (other than the Dolphin), here are my questions:

1. I've always wanted to stay at the Poly, but I think we want to split our trip (half at Poly, half at either Beach Club or Boardwalk) - is the standard Poly room big enough for 4 or should I look at getting 2 rooms.

2. Since we might want to get a villa at Beach Club/Boardwalk, is DVC Rental something to consider ?

3. Is onsite transportation to / from Disney Springs a pain ? Should we rent a car anyway just for convenience ?

4. How busy is it that week after Thanksgiving ? Should I lock these arrangements up soon ? (probably a silly question to ask on these boards )

Thanks folks.

 

[sharonabe]

So as we've never stayed on property before (other than the Dolphin), here are my questions:

1. The rooms are a little larger, but they still only have two queen beds.

2. DVC would probably be cheaper, but I personally would not try to change resorts mid-stay and just do one rental. There will probably be some kind of room discount at that time. Free dining in out there right now for your dates, so you may want to check into that discount. You might could get two rooms at a value or a mod with free dining.

3. Onsite transportation to DS isn't difficult, but can be a little time consuming. You can go from the parks to DS after 4 pm or from a resort at any time. Buses do NOT go from DS to the parks.

4. Week after Thanksgiving is a great time to go!

 

[jcvalenti]

If we skipped Polynesian, and just decided to do Beach Club, a major reason would be the pools. Are resort pools open and enjoyable in late November / early December ? I know whether can fluctuate, but I'm guessing it's around high of 80 during the days at that time ?

And how do Beach Club Villas compare to Boardwalk ? If the pools weren't a factor, what about staying there ?

 

[ToddlerMom311]

4. Availability for DVC might be very limited for that week at this point. Most book their dvc stay 11 months in advance for that time period. However that week is supposedly one of the best weeks to go!

If you can spring for Poly, then go for it. I believe the studio rooms are one of the biggest.

 

[rosiebean]

We went during a similar timeframe last year, and it was amazing during the week (the first weekend in December got busy). Weather was warm (high seventies to 80) most days and in the 60s for a few. I could have gone to the pool the entire time, but realize not everybody can do so in the 60s.

I personally would not mind doing a split stay, especially between poly and the beach club area...best of both worlds! However, you have to be ok with packing and moving mid-trip, or have two suitcases (one for each resort).

As others have said, it might be hard finding DVC rental at this point. But Poly's rooms are big...and have the daybed if anyone is under 6'. The regular queen beds are big enough for big guys, as members of my family have slept great there (6'2, 6'5 and 6'6), though bed sharing may be an issue (my 6'5 nephew has always been lucky enough to get his own bed, the others slept with spouses).

Studios at Poly are big, but I would get a regular room with two beds vs the bed and sleeper sofa.

But getting a DVC rental may work out...and if you're tempted to try BC anyway?with just a room, they have big rooms as well (slightly smaller than poly, queen beds, most with daybed).

 

[msjprincess]

At this point it would be nearly impossible to find a DVC rental for that week. Maybe at SSR or OKW.

 

[cruisin5]

SSR and AK Kidani are available.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The first week of December is the highest DVC demand week of the year, and needs to be booked about 4 months ago, really.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

You don't mention how many total are in your family, but at Poly, you will get 2 queens and a daybed, which might help with sleeping arrangements. If you have a smaller child (by small, I mean 5' 5" and under), the daybed is very comfortable - I've slept in it and I'm 5'2".

Unless you are thinking of getting a two bedroom villa, I would do a villa booking. The studios come with a queen and a sleeper sofa and the 1-bedrooms come with a king and a sleeper sofa. My DS9 will sleep on the sleeper, but I don't think an older child or someone 6' tall would enjoy sleeping there. It sounds like a standard room at BC or BWI might fit the bill and little better. BWI has "deluxe" rooms which will give you some extra space.

Both BC and BWI are lovely. We prefer BWI for the theming and nightlife. I would take a look at videos of both and see which theming and amenities appeal most to you. You really can't go wrong with either.

 

[jcvalenti]

So first off, thanks to all who replied.

All in all, I think I got pretty lucky. I tried first to work through a well-reviewed online DVC point reseller. They advised Beach Club Villas were full, but Boardwalk had a 1 BR available (pool/garden view) for part of our stay (11/25 - 11/30). Seemed perfect to me ! I went ahead and booked 11/30 through 12/2 at Poly directly (figured 2 Queens and Day Bed would work), and told them to lock up Boardwalk. After a day and a half, I got an email back saying they were unable to locate any DVC members with points who wanted to assist in taking care of the booking. I was kind of bummed, as I had already been looking at videos of the Boardwalk units online and was in full "let's make this happen" mode. Literally as I was reading the email wondering what to do next, my phone rang - it was a partner of mine who routinely sells his DVC points for people at my firm - he was sitting with his wife in front of the computer and had heard through the grapevine I was looking to set a trip up. Boom. 10 Minutes later, I had my reservation made, and $500 cheaper than working through the online reseller, and $1900 cheaper than paying rack rate through Disney. I should note the online reseller was super responsive and helpful, and I wouldn't hesitate to use them in the future.

Trip looks like this now - 5 nights at Boardwalk (which I've always loved), a Friday resort-to-resort transfer, and the last 2 at Polynesian. I think I'll get myself an annual pass, so I can get Tables in Wonderland. We're all going for 12-14 days next summer as part of a big group (and another 9 or 10 in 2019), so the family will get APs next year. I'm super pumped, as I'm staying at two places I have always loved visiting.

For anyone still reading, here's a few random questions:

1. If you book at villa through a DVC connection, do they send magic bands ?

2. When I made my 2 day reservation at the Poly, they immediately asked me about Magic Bands - assuming we don't get any for the Boardwalk Stay, can they still queue those Poly Magic Bands to work with our hotel room ?

3. When staying at DVC, can we still send packages to the room, and charge to the room via Magic Band ?

4. Any specific rooms or locations I should ask for at Beach Club in the Garden/Pool area ?

5. Will the resort send my luggage from resort to resort, or do I need to haul it over there myself ? It really won't be a problem, as I'll have a car.

Thanks so much for those who took the time to answer and message - funny how this is probably Disney Trip #20 since 2004, and I'm still finding things I don't know about the place. Can't wait to move on to ADR and FP+ phase !

 

[_auroraborealis_]

1. Yes.
2. You will have two sets if you don't decline one set. All are interchangeable.
3. Yes.
4. You mean BWV, right? All are okay.
5. They will transfer.

 

[Sue M]

Congrats! What a stroke of luck. We're going to WDW around the same time, late Nov-Early Dec for 10 days. Our first time too seeing Christmas decorations. Be sure you check out BC/YC, GF & WL decorations! I hear they are some of the best.

 

[caliope]

This sounds like a great trip! We are considering a trip in this same timeframe. We were at the Poly last year the second week of December and it was great. Happy planning the rest of the details!

 

[jcvalenti]

1. Yes.
2. You will have two sets if you don't decline one set. All are interchangeable.
3. Yes.
4. You mean BWV, right? All are okay.
5. They will transfer.

Great. Thanks so much ! The luggage transfer is super convenient ! Makes me even more excited that we are going to split the stay a little bit. I've been wanting to stay at the Poly since I was a kid on my first trip in '82. The wife and I laughed that we may just send the kids to MK and hang out at the pool bar and Trader Sam's all day.

Congrats! What a stroke of luck. We're going to WDW around the same time, late Nov-Early Dec for 10 days. Our first time too seeing Christmas decorations. Be sure you check out BC/YC, GF & WL decorations! I hear they are some of the best.

We definitely will hit all the resort lobbies. Mid-day monorail tours are one of our favorite things to do.