Resort Recommendation

[Coko]

We are planing to visit WDW around mid. September.
Our choice of resort is Contemporary, Polynasian, or Wilderness Lodge. There would be 13 of us and our concern is the convinience to everything; transportation, easy acess to pool.
I would appreciate if anyone can give me your opinion on those property!

 

[Parrothd]

Polynesian is the most convenient (transportation-wise) and it has 2 pools that are convenient to all the longhouses.

You wouldn't go wrong with the other 2 either, it's just that the Polynesian is more convenient (over-all).......not to mention it's superior themeing, best beaches, great restaurants, great view of the firworks from the beach.......etc.

 

[Coko]

Polynasian may be out our budget..... but many people in this forum are saying "we got upgraded". How can they upgrade the room from the one originaly booked, do anyone know?

 

[Coko]

I forgot to ask one more thing.... Does room size really make difference between these Delux Resort?

 

[Kimberle]

Welcome to the Dis!

I have stayed at CR & WL, not Poly. So I'll only address these 2 resorts.

They are both wonderful and very convenient to MK. There is a boat that connects these 2 resorts, so it's very easy to stay at one and visit/dine at the other.

As for room size, CR is the largest and WL is the smallest. Our family of 3 found the room size fine with both. What's nice abt WL is every room has a balacony or patio. If you stay on the 2nd or 3rd floor of the wings, you'll have no balacony.

Transportation is great from both. Since they are so close, it takes about the same amount of time to get to the parks with the exception of MK. I'd say CR is about 5 minutes closer. I found Epcot "closer" to WL since you could take the direct bus. From CR, you must transfer at TTC.

They are both wonderful resorts. I'd say look at the theming and cost of each. Stay at the one which most appeals to you.

 

[las3888]

We have stayed at all 3 and my vote would be for CR. Based on wanting to be close and having it all, and thinking of keeping costs in check, I think the wing rooms at the CR are the best value among the Deluxe resorts. The WL is nice (as is AKL) but they are not on the monorail and to me it is definitely not as convenient (or as fun) as staying on the monorail. The Poly is nice, but never depend on getting an upgrade because in our experience, it is more of a shot in the dark than anything. The CR is a great resort with all the amenities and if you get a good discount, the wing rooms are a great value.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Coko]

Thanks to all's advise.
To:las3888
By the way, I did not think pool at CR is that interesting compare to WL or Poly appealing at CR's pool. Please let me know what you think! Also, how can we get upgraded?

 

[minnie1928]

I've been to poly and WL, I prefer the volcano pool at Poly, however my 5 yr son prefers the WL pool. WL also has a traditional baby pool, where as Poly has something along the lines of a splash area (water jets shooting out of the concrete, similar to Downtown Disney & Epcot). The transportation from WL is pretty good, we had to wait for busses to Epcot, but from what I hear they have improved upon the bus schedules from WL. WL also has a great restaurant that would be great for a crowd of 13. The name escapes me, but the staff LOVES to have a good time and a large party would make it even better! You'll have a great time either way...

 

[las3888]

I think the pool(s) are nice at CR. I guess I like the open feeling because the pool is open to the lagoon so the area just seems more spacious. The pool areas at Poly seem really cramped.

As far as getting an upgrade, like Murphy's law, it seems when you ask for one and are really hoping for it, you never get it! We usually request 'best view available' or 'anything but parking lot' when booking a standard room at the resorts. We were upgraded at AKL from standard to pool view, and at CR, we were upgraded from the standard wing view to a water wing view which was very nice. Recently my friend checked into CR (standard wing view) and was upgraded to the tower. But usually it just gets us a 'better' standard view than one of a loading dock or something.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Coko]

Thanks las3888 as usuall!
Come to find out I have to book 5 rooms. My father-in-law wants everything hassle-free and wants us in the same are. He thinks that we can assined room#.... (told him this is not cruise ship!)
How would you suggest to bo by booking multiple rooms at once in the same area? Do you think one resort is better than another for booking multiple rooms? or 5 rooms should not be a big deal for any or resort???

 

[Parrothd]

Hmmmm!?!?!? I think I must've had a few too many beers tonight!

 

[las3888]

I think all the resorts are pretty much used to booking 5 rooms and trying to place them together. They will tell you that there is no guarantee, and I would somewhat try to prepare yourself that they may not get them as together as you hope. I don't have experience in booking 5 rooms so I don't know quite what to say. I would say that it would be hard to get all 5 rooms together AND hope that they are all upgraded. That would be a tough feat I would think. I think the key is to prioritize your requests and put the most important one first. I think they will work them in the order that you put them (i.e. if you want to be together all in the same area most, request that first, then a decent view, etc. etc.).

I will say that my friend called the CR the morning of their check-in before they flew down because they needed a crib in their room and weren't arriving until midnight or so and didn't want the hassle of not getting a crib and having to wait for it, etc. etc. They were able to assign her room right then and then, but they wouldn't tell her where it was for security reasons I guess. I guess it is possible that you could call CR (or any resort) the day before you go and see if you can't talk to somebody who can understand exactly what your requests are and see if they can place you in rooms. At least you would be able to put your personal spin on it before you get there instead of an agent just reading your requests off the computer.

At any rate, good luck with everything!!!

 

[KathyTX]

Once you decide which resort you'd like to stay in (I'd choose the Polynesian or the WL- both have a very comfortable and relaxed ambience, and fun pools that will appeal to your youngsters), book the rooms. When you book, have them note right on your reservations that you'd like the rooms close together if possible.

It seems that making this request part of the reservation itself will make it easier for the staff to notice and help with your special requests.

Calling the resort the morning of the day you'll be checking in sounds like a good suggestion, too.

You asked about room size... the Polynesian and the Contemporary rooms sleep 5: two queens and a daybed. The Wilderness Lodge rooms are built for 4: two queens, one queen plus a bunkbed- no daybed.

As far as upgrades go, what is it that you're hoping for? Upgrades are relatively rare, except for the occasional "a slightly better view" upgrade. The odds of getting an upgrade with multiple rooms is even more remote. Book the type/level/view that you really want.

Since you'll be traveling in September, rather than the summer vacation peak, I think your odds of getting rooms pretty near each other is good... you're going to have a fun trip!

 

[iluvtink]

Coko,

What a great time of year to go. My kids are older so we have to go in the summer heat to avoid missing school.

I recently started a thread about CR vs WL. In case you don't have enough answers here, go to http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=519172.

We've stayed at the Poly and the CR, and want to try the WL. We liked the Poly's island atmosphere (my DH's favorite) and the CR's convenience to the monorail and MK. You can't go wrong at any of these places.

Do you know about the Grand Gatherings Experiences? You can read about them at http://www.disney.ca/vacations/disneyworld/magical_gathering/grand_gatherings_experiences.html. We're going to WDW with 4 other families this summer and will probably try one of these. They look fun!

Have fun planning your trip!