Resort Decision

[glamdring269]

Hi all, way advanced planning here but wanted to check on some things since I know all of the resorts are in various stages of refurbishment (or lack of refurbishment). For reference, this will be a 2 adult 0 kid trip.

We've stayed at AKV Jambo, BRV/CC, and BWV. We really liked all of these. Our next trip will likely be for F&W next Sep/Oct so I'm leaning towards just doing BWV or maybe BCV, just to check the box, but also looking at potentially giving Poly a try.

If we go with Poly I do have some general questions. I know we can walk to MK now (the distance is fine for us) but my larger concern is Epcot access for F&W. Is it still fairly efficient to simply walk to TT and then hitch the direct to Epcot monorail from there? Is the Lake view worth the upgrade? I'm not sure that we will even be in the room at night so seeing things like the Electric Parade won't really be a huge big benefit.

We might still end up at BWV/BCV mainly because we really like having the walkable access to DHS for rope drop, plus the super easy access into F&W, but have always wanted to stay at Poly as an adult since that is where I stayed when I was a kid. I'd do a split stay but might only be a 4 or 5 night stay so not sure it will be worth the hassle. Thanks all.

 

[CarolynFH]

Yes, from Poly DVC walking to TTC to catch the Epcot monorail is super easy and convenient. Whether Lake view is worth the upcharge is subjective - if I wasn’t going to spend time on the balcony or patio, I probably wouldn’t book it. And remember that 1/3 of the Lake view villas are first floor, meaning they see bungalows more than lake.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I pay extra for views at Aulani and Animal Kingdom. I don't think anywhere else is worth the upgrade.

 

[Nursemanit]

Also if early September ( like now ) it is hot with early evening downpours every day. I think BW would beat poly for F&W since you can look at the clouds and get out of the park for an hour and then return with no effort. I guess RR is out of the question?

 

[DVCsloth]

Never stayed at Polynesian, but I think it is one of the best locations at WDW. Super easy to MK and Epcot!

 

[glamdring269]

Thanks all.

I pay extra for views at Aulani and Animal Kingdom. I don't think anywhere else is worth the upgrade.

I'm with you there. If we ever stay at AKL again I'd be targeting Jambo and Savannah view no doubt.

Also if early September ( like now ) it is hot with early evening downpours every day. I think BW would beat poly for F&W since you can look at the clouds and get out of the park for an hour and then return with no effort. I guess RR is out of the question?

It would likely be early October (wife is a teacher) when we're able to go. What is RR? Sorry not familiar with that acronym.

*edit* I guess this might be Riviera Resort? I need to look more into that resort. To me that one is more of a debate between BWV/BCV rather than Poly. Mainly because I know I can walk to DHS and Epcot easily so the trade off would be the walkability factor vs. the relying upon the skyliner. And when debating between those two I would probably always prefer the flexibility of walking. Things might have changed since I last looked but one thing I didn't like about Skyliner to DHS was that it didn't allow me to get there as early as I wanted to for rope drop. But of course that might have changed in the last couple of years. Again I just need to do more research on that option as it is something I forgot about.

 

[RoseGold]

The TTC is so close, I always take the TTC boat to MK.

I upgrade to Lake View, and a lot of people must too, because this room is difficult to book at 7 months. It's one of the cheaper view upgrades, and one of my favorite rooms in the system. I'm never in it at night. But it's magical to see the castle from your balcony.

 

[DVC Sue]

Remember- the monorail will drop you off at the front of Epcot. F&W is mostly in the World Showcase. The entrance from BWV and BC (International Gateway) leads directly to the World Showcase.

 

[glamdring269]

Remember- the monorail will drop you off at the front of Epcot. F&W is mostly in the World Showcase. The entrance from BWV and BC (International Gateway) leads directly to the World Showcase.

Yep. I find the Boardwalk Resorts to be
more beneficial at the end of the night moreso than the beginning. It’s really nice to just be able to walk 5-10 mins to the resort as opposed to dealing with a mass of humanity trying to get on a bus, boat, or monorail.

 

[deltadisney]

Even though it is not ideal, we did a 5 night split stay last December (Poly and BWV - 2 Poly and 3 BWV). Both of these resorts were bucket lists for us, and we are so glad we did the split stay. We did our MK/Christmas Party days at Poly (the monorail is awesome) and then did our Epcot (walking in and out) and HS (boat) days when we went to BWV. It doesn't seem ideal to have to change over after 2 nights, but for us it was so worth it to be able to enjoy both bucket list resorts and have the convenience of location to the parks.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Honestly, after staying at Poly in February along with a split at BWV I will always chose BWV. We own at BWV but wanted to try Poly for my little girls. The rooms are nice, but having to walk outside to get to room was not fun since it rained most of the time when we were at the Poly. Also, I would just recommend walking to the TTC to get to either MK or Epcot if you have a stroller. Makes life much easier.

 

[glamdring269]

Quick follow up. We're leaning towards Beach Club. I know studios at this one are pretty tough/impossible to get for F&W at 7 months but has anyone had decent luck getting it via rental sites at the 11ish month mark? Worst case we'll go to BWV which is completely fine with us just wanted to give something else a try.

 

[RoseGold]

If you really love Poly, stay Poly. If you find yourself at the Epcot back exit at BC, just take an Uber back to Poly, or the BC bus to MK, boat to TTC. The transportation is surmountable.

 

[glamdring269]

If you really love Poly, stay Poly. If you find yourself at the Epcot back exit at BC, just take an Uber back to Poly, or the BC bus to MK, boat to TTC. The transportation is surmountable.

Hi Rose, appreciate the reply. It's possible you overlooked my last post that bumped this up. Definitely want to stay at the Poly one day but think we'll save that for our next non-F&W visit.

Quick follow up. We're leaning towards Beach Club. I know studios at this one are pretty tough/impossible to get for F&W at 7 months but has anyone had decent luck getting it via rental sites at the 11ish month mark? Worst case we'll go to BWV which is completely fine with us just wanted to give something else a try.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We have been able to snag BCV once and it was not Food and wine— it was summer— AND a one bedroom. I have never seen availability on a studio at BCV at 7 months. It is just a small resort and everyone loves it. But you never know, you might get lucky. You could also waitlist. The best thing about BCV is the pool and Epcot access. We have also stayed there twice as paying guests before dvc. We like it enough but don’t love it lol. We have however stayed at BWV with dvc many times booking at 7 months. BWV is a cool resort but feels a bit like a train station in my opinion. Not relaxing for us.

But going back to your original post… you would love Poly esp for 2 adults. If you spend a lot of time on the balcony, upgrade. We do not upgrade and have been lucky with our views at Poly. But if a bad view will ruin your trip, I would upgrade.

 

[RoseGold]

We're leaning towards Beach Club. I know studios at this one are pretty tough/impossible to get for F&W at 7 months but has anyone had decent luck getting it via rental sites at the 11ish month mark? Worst case we'll go to BWV which is completely fine with us just wanted to give something else a try.

You could rent BC points from a person on the boards. It's unlikely the rental company is going to jump through the hoops needed to do this, like walking. They don't have many BC points, because it's such a small resort. And availability is practically zilch. I've gotten it a few times from waitlist and stalking.

BW is much bigger. You might be able to get that at 7 months, but not the cheapest view.

 

[kanerf]

I always do split stays for this reason. I stay at my MK resorts, BLT and BRV for several days and then switch to one of my Epcot resorts BWV and RIV. Also, stay at AKL when I can get into the club level (doing that next May). Also have OKW for easy access to Disney Springs and the really big rooms there.

 

[glamdring269]

You could rent BC points from a person on the boards. It's unlikely the rental company is going to jump through the hoops needed to do this, like walking. They don't have many BC points, because it's such a small resort. And availability is practically zilch. I've gotten it a few times from waitlist and stalking.

BW is much bigger. You might be able to get that at 7 months, but not the cheapest view.

Thanks, and I definitely agree with that, but the question wasn't really about getting it at 7 months. I know it's near impossible at 7. I was asking how tough it is to get a studio more in the 11ish month range via point rental (not sure if we'll know right at 11 but should hopefully have our dates nailed down by the 10th month).

 

[RoseGold]

Thanks, and I definitely agree with that, but the question wasn't really about getting it at 7 months. I know it's near impossible at 7. I was asking how tough it is to get a study more in the 11ish month range via point rental (not sure if we'll know right at 11 but should hopefully have our dates nailed down by the 10th month).

Maybe. Are you going at Christmas? Good luck. Do you want one random Tuesday? Even if you are going super-peak, it can still be possible.

BC has only about 100 studios, including the lock-offs, so even small changes in that random weekend's bookings can fill it up. It's the smallest WDW resort. Many people buy BC points just to use them at BC.

In comparison, BW has about 250 studios, which is a big difference.

 

[glamdring269]

No, I specifically noted this is for F&W. BCV is so small that I assume F&W and Christmas are equally difficult to get into though.

We'll give it a shot. I know we can get into Poly or BWV with that timing if the BCV request doesn't work out so it's really not a big deal either way.