Second guessing my choice of Poly over CSR

[megnsamsgracie]

This is going to be rambling and long but I am so stressed over planning! We have 2 trips to Disney during free dining. The first is our anniversary trip from 9/7-9/10. I booked Poly for some romance. Then we have 11 days at ASMo with our kids leaving on 9/21. I am looking at an additional cost of $600 for the Poly! That can almost cover our airfare down with the kids! I just got a raise and additional hours at work so not sure if money will be an issue or not. We are using just my paycheck to pay off vacation and the first one is due to be paid off 7/24. If I switch to CSR, I will only owe $200 more on that. But I still owe $1841 on our family vacation! UGHHH its so frustrating. I *think* I will have the money to pay both off (a total amount due on both right now is $2600) and I bring home $360 a week now on just 30hrs. And my whole paycheck is going to Disney. So I am figuring I have 5 paychecks before the pay off of the anniversary trip and then 2 after that to pay off the family trip. So I am pushing my luck. BUT my extra 6hrs and 0.50/hr will kick in in 2 weeks. UGHHHH I am stressing myself out over this.

I guess what I really need to figure out is if Poly is worth the additional $600! I guess I could book CSR and then since Poly would be an upgrade, if I have the $, I could upgrade to the Poly and wouldnt incur the $50 change fee. The most important trip is the kids one anyway. I can take $100 per week out of DH's check to pay off some of the trip too, I think! There are lots of rooms for our time frame at the Poly now.. CSR is more limited.

Sorry to ramble but I am just driving myself bonkers over this! This is our only trip alone this year so I do want to make it special. And we have never stayed at Poly OR CSR before. My concern lies in the fact that in July the best DING fares came out for our timeframe last year. So in addition to paying off 1 trip on 7/24, I have a second one to pay off on 8/7! Then I have to include airfare for 2 and then airfare for 6!

Should I just switch to CSR (its a great resort, dont get me wrong!!) and then if I have the $ later, just upgrade?

 

[suevee]

First question. Are you going on the free dining plan? If you have the free dining for the Poly would you be able to transfer it to CSR or would you lose it? Also if you go to CSR then try to upscale to the Poly later would you still have free dining? Does the free dining offset the cost of staying at the Poly?

Second question. Is the money stressing you out? If so then go CSR. But if not then stay with Poly. Only you know what you can afford. If you are going to regret the money then staying at the Poly will not be worth it. But if you are going to regret the chance of not having the memories of staying at the Poly then......

 

[cara loves the poly]

I think money is stressing you out, but know in my opinion, yes it is worth it. I wish you the best!

 

[DisneyWisher]

Poly is the best, but I would have wanted it at the end of my trip. Not sure how you are going to like going from Poly to All Stars. I think poly is worth the extra money. I've never cared for Mods. For us its value or deluxe nothing in the middle. When we stayed at Poly we had a view of the quiet pool and at night they would light the torches, very romantic. Ask for the 3rd floor so you can have a balcony. 1st has a patio, 2nd floor has nothing. good luck

 

[MUFFYCAT]

The Polynesian is definetly worth the extra money.

 

[megnsamsgracie]

Yes, we have the free dining and if I switch to CSR now, I will not lose it, there are still rooms available. If I then decide say a week before we arrive I can afford the Poly and I switch, I will not lose it (as long as there were rooms available at the end of free dining at the Poly) and I wont have to pay to upgrade. BUT if I realize I need the $600 for our other trip and downgrade, its gonna cost me $50 for a change fee.

And yes, the money aspect of it is stressing me out. I am trying to pay for it all on my own since DH's check pays the bills. I know I can squeeze some extra money out of his check each week to put towards it but my main concern is airfare costs since that is unknown. I know I can afford the Poly and our ASMo trip, its the unknown airfare that worries me. Last year, SW had DING fares for $39 each way, and I need 8 R/Ts! But who is to say they are going to offer close to that this year. Thats my biggest worry! I dont want to sit at the Poly and stress. I know they are both nice resorts, but seriously, I dont see us being able to swing Poly again. I guess hubby can work OT, he has more of it available to him than I do! He is willing to help pay some of vacation as long as our bills are paid!

What I am thinking of is booking CSR for now. Saving the $600 for airfare and if we have the money later, then upgrading to the Poly. I dont want to stress the entire time at the Poly over $. I mean, its just a 4 day stay and the kids are what matters, so I dont want anything to ruin their trip. As long as I know airfare is paid and the cost of tickets is paid (right now we just have 1 day base tickets since the additional $1000 we will need for the tickets I KNOW I wont have that by the pay off date) then I wouldnt stress over upgrading to the Poly. I still have 1 month of paychecks before we arrive plus 1 paycheck on arrival for our anniversary check and one paycheck on arrival of our ASMo trip.

I know, I am rambling but just trying to play out all scenerios I guess!

 

[ktink]

I wouldn't do anything that would put an added stress on your finances. We were booked at Poly and decided to add an additional trip in Feb so I decided to go w/ WL instead. The reason why I decided to go w/ WL is because the difference would almost pay for a second stay at AKL (only 3 days). And we could fly down and stay at WL for less than just the cost of our stay at Poly. I'm very frugal so it just made sense for us to go about it this way. Good luck.

 

[goofygirl77]

Don't stress yourself out...then you won't enjoy yourself. There are other Deluxe hotels that are very nice that are not quite as expensive as Poly. Have you thought about that? DH and I usually stay at BC although we just returned from a little getaway on Monday and we stayed at BW and enjoyed that too. Most important is that you feel comfortable with the hard earned money you are spending. Although I have never stayed at CSR, I've heard that you don't have to share the bus with other resorts. Thats kind of nice. Good luck with your decision....I too get the same way when it comes to planning trips.
Have fun and enjoy your free Dining!!!!

 

[megnsamsgracie]

I did look at AKL and WL as a deluxe that costs less but they are both sold out. Well, WL is open but it is only bunk bed courtyard so its not much cheaper than Poly. The nice thing is that this doesnt affect our household expenses since my paycheck is extra money right now and can go in full to Disney But I have always had to do things on a tight budget with our other trips because I wasnt working. So I guess its still in me... The one thing I do have in the back of my head is that if my dad comes on the family trip, he is contributing $1000 towards that since he wants his own room... meaning the kids end up back in our room. But that we wont know about until close to the time to leave. So I guess to destress myself I will switch to CSR and then if down the road we have the $ and I wont stress over it, I will go to Poly and enjoy it! If not, then I will look at it with the thought that HEY! I GET TO DO DISNEY TWICE IN A MONTH!!


Oh yeah, and I do have a 4 day trip with just me and the kids planned for Dec to see the Christmas lights so then maybe we can stay at the Poly then! We have CR AAA rate reserved right now!

 

[ElizabethB]

I look at it this way for what it's worth. The values and moderates seem to be selling out for free dining much faster than the deluxe resorts. This makes sense if you do the math since the free dining is the best value if you stay at a less expensive resort. Thus, although one can never be sure, it's more likely that availability will remain at the Poly than at CSR. So, you'd probably have a better chance of upgrading than downgrading if you change your mind later (although you might find that garden view is sold out and you have to go with water view, for example).

As to the resorts themselves, we've stayed at both. The Poly is lovely, of course. But, we stayed recently at CSR and loved it. It's truly a beautiful resort and absolutely gorgeous at night, what with all the lights around the lake. The Casitas area, where we stayed, has lots of pretty fountains and quiet nooks. We also thought the Rancho's area was very pretty and would be great for a couples getaway as it seemed secluded and rather "Palm Springs" like with desert landscaping, etc. Maya Grill is a nice place to eat. We didn't, however, care for the Pepper Market. The bar serves killer margaritas with chips. We bought them and took them to a table near the lake to enjoy.

I think the Poly is a wonderful choice for anyone traveling with kids because the convenience of the monorail can't be overstated when you're trying to haul kids and strollers and diaper bags, etc. But, when it's just the two of you, that's not an issue. We found CSR to be very centrally located and convenient to everything. We rented a car and were able to park close to the room. So we took the car everywhere and never bothered with a bus.

So, the upshot of all of the foregoing -- if I were you, I'd probably change to CSR and see how the finances go. And, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you end up at CSR. The rooms are smaller than at Poly and not as nice, but that didn't stop our enjoyment any.

Best of luck in making your decision.

 

[kileybeth]

wow, we are going for practically the same time, in the same situation, well at least similar.

I booked us at the Poly with free dining because we could still stay there with family of 6 (DD is just 2) and with free dining it made it seem like the room was only costing 165 a nite instead of 329! It would cost us nearly that amount to feed our crew anyway so I booked it (after convincing DH of these facts)!

Then went on an airline search. ugh. stressed for so long until I got a $49 flight then I grabbed it and we were set. well, $729 later that is for 6 of us. oh, and changing our dates to run midweek for the cheaper airfare.

Of course, I found I could not use my free voucher to pay for one of those seats and it is set to expire. DH and I were planning to get away for our anniversary someplace with that free flight anyway. . .and money was flying out of here for other trip and I started looking at POR for free dining and there you go! 2 trips within two weeks of each other.

Perhaps I am not the only crazy one? wish DH and I were at Poly but that was not doable at all budget wise with trip so close. And since we were suppose to go in Jan '08 for 2 weeks (10 day off site house rental and 4 day DVC point rental) everything got pushed up it seems and yes, it has been a money scheduling drama! But what are a few cheap dinners and what not when you've got 2 Dsiney trips coming up?

I'm sure that was just what you were looking for in a response I'd hate give up Poly and not be able to get it back tho, I wonder about availability that close in? Never been to CSR tho.

December too eh? hhmm, I think DH would flip out if I suggested that right now!

our current dillema is do we use our left over non expiring days on some old hopper passes or fork over another $951 to get new ones we could use every day instead of just having 3 days in parks, one MNSSHP, and a water park for our 8 day trip?!! I really want to just get new passes and save old ones but it is another $1000 I have to make magically appear in our budget.

 

[megnsamsgracie]

I did it... after thinking it through, I switched. I have a credit of $573.82 coming back after switching to a king bed at CSR. I feel a big weight off me now. Now, if down the road I know financially Poly isnt a strain, then I am definitely going to switch. There is plenty of availability at all levels at Poly right now. I know there is still 10 days left of free dining and who knows. I at least feel better knowing that I have a bit of extra money for airfare if there are no special deals. I would LOVE to stay at the Poly and if things work out with some money cash and it wont crimp the kids vacation, then absolutely I will go with the deluxe. But at least I wont be stressed over the cash!

And if I cant stay at Poly, between Sept and Dec, I can probably come up with the money to stay at the Poly with the kids!

 

[gk90]

I did it... after thinking it through, I switched. I have a credit of $573.82 coming back after switching to a king bed at CSR. I feel a big weight off me now. Now, if down the road I know financially Poly isnt a strain, then I am definitely going to switch. There is plenty of availability at all levels at Poly right now. I know there is still 10 days left of free dining and who knows. I at least feel better knowing that I have a bit of extra money for airfare if there are no special deals. I would LOVE to stay at the Poly and if things work out with some money cash and it wont crimp the kids vacation, then absolutely I will go with the deluxe. But at least I wont be stressed over the cash!

And if I cant stay at Poly, between Sept and Dec, I can probably come up with the money to stay at the Poly with the kids!

Sounds like you made the right choice for you. We're very frugal and hate feeling stretched financially so I know that feeling of having a weight lifted off you. Good luck with being able to afford a Poly stay in the future--that's something we're thinking about ourselves a couple of years down the line, we could do it now if we wanted to be extravagant but we're much more comfortable with staying at Pop & CSR and still having a good amount left in our bank account.

 

[PezDSpencer]

Dang,

I lost my partner in converting.

We were originally booked at CSR also but switched to the Poly.



We'll be there with a Mk view and a fire in the wallet.

Enjoy your stay at CSR ... you really can't go wrong either way.

 

[megnsamsgracie]

My hubby just got offered a state job (after I already switched to CSR!! sooooo Poly might be in the works for us They are discussing salary on Tuesday If not, I am totally okay with us. I think we could swing Poly and our ASMo trip but I dont want to "think" I want to KNOW that I can afford it, no troubles. Hubby did offer to work a few hrs OT at his current job which will bring us an additional $120 a week so maybe. And if my raise and hrs gets completed in the next couple of weeks, I might be able to too. But I will cross that bridge later. But I am at peace with my choice and just knowing I will be at Disney twice in 2 weeks! And I will get a total of 15 days with the Mouse! YEAH!

I guess I will also have more money for souveniours for the kids!

 

[ToyStory]

I was at CSR then changed to the Poly and then back to CSR too. We will be sticking with CSR since my lovely DH booked us on a cruise for New Years Eve this year without really consulting me.

I actually feel better staying at CSR since I had concerns about the Poly pool getting too crowded and not having a hot tub. I am going to miss the monorail though.

 

[ObsessedwiththeMouse]

Personally, I think the Poly is worth the extra money. If you switch, I definitely wouldn't switch to Coronado. Awful hotel, in my opinion.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

 

[megnsamsgracie]

I am sure Poly is worth the money with the location (but I dont want to stress off $ for airfare). Also, its disappointing that Poly doesnt have a hot tub.