Space or Distance?

[Picabo]

This will be DH's first ever trip to Disney and, of course, my girls first trip as well. (They will be 2 1/2 and 4 at the time we go) We may have the opportunity to stay at one of the villas (a timeshare trade) and have a one bedroom. HOWEVER, DH is very interested in the Poly b/c he LOVES the tropical setting. I'm very interested in the Poly and the Contemporary due to the close proximity to MK and having the monorail right there.

SOOO, question is -- is it worth it to spend so much on the Poly or CR, and not use the one-bedroom villa with out timeshare? I want DH to love the trip (he's kind of dragging his feet about going...doesn't understand the hype about Disney but of course he's never been before!) So I want it to be as easy as possible, as stress free as possible and as fun as possible. The extra room at a villa would be nice, the kitchen is NOT an issue since we'll have the dining plan. I'm thinking we won't go back to the room for naps but we may have to end up doing that a few days....we mostly will be going to MK but I'd like to hit the other parks as well while we're there.

Any advice or words of wisdom??? HELP me decide!
PS we'll be going in early Dec 2009...right after Thanksgiving. Not sure if that info is needed in helping me pick hotels.

THANKS!

 

[ppan77]

We are debating the same thing BCV or Poly. We will have our ds3 and dd9 months. I like`the idea of two rooms during naptime with the villas but love the convenience of the monorail too. This will be our first trip with 2 kids and I am leaning towards Poly bc we will be at MK most of the time. I think villas would be nice if kids are a little older. As for your DH I would just try and do what would make him happiest...saving $$ on the villa or being close to your room.

 

[rwdavis2]

On our first trip with the kids we stayed at the Contemporary. It was less expensive than the other monorail resorts was the main reason. The ease of getting over to the MK and Epcot made it worth the expense since we always had a stroller. The kids were 4 and 7.

But if your husband likes the idea of the Poly and he's skeptical of the trip that may be worth the extra $$. But read some of the current posts on the Poly, it's got a few detractors.
Bob

 

[MollyMoo]

Have stayed at POLY and CR in the past and just got back from six nights in a 1 BR villa at SSR ... although I will admit that I do not like either of the monorail resorts (had horrible experiences at both and paid top $$$ for the priviledge) I would opt for the extra space. The villa was lovely and having the seperate bedroom and extra bathroom space was great for getting ready in the mornings. No need to tiptoe around when the kids are in bed, and the washer and dryer were a godsend as well. We had the dining plan but it was nice to be able to have a toasted bagel in the morning or a full pot of coffee.

Again, I will qualify this response as I am not an objective responder. I wouldn't stay at either of the other resorts if they were free ... okay, maybe if they were free, but not a penny more!

 

[pbkahn]

While not exactly the same, my DW and I wrestled with the same question. In October 2007 we took our first family trip to the World. At the time our children were 3.5 and 17 months. We opted to stay in the cabins at Ft. Wilderness because of the price to space value. We liked having the kitchen for in-room breakfasts, and we liked having 2 rooms so that our kids could be separated for naps and bedtime. It worked out well. We only visited the MK and EPCOT, plus we rented a golf cart for the week to help us get around FW without needed to rely on the internal bus transportation. We also loved the fact that the cabins were secluded and were a peaceful respite from the parks. We would certainly stay there again, but....

When we got home we immediately started to think about going back in 2008. We decided that we wanted to go when we could see the Christmas decorations, but more importantly, with a nearly 5 year old and almost 3 year old, we wanted to be on the monorail to minimize our transportation to and from the MK. Therefore, we decided to book a Garden Wing room at the Contemporary for our Dec 2008 trip. We plan to hit all of the parks this time, but we know that we will still be focused on the MK and EPCOT.

I hope this helps, and good luck with your decision.

Peter

 

[Disneydenise]

I am much older than you and our children are now adults but this is what I learned from our first trip to the world with our children. When traveling to WDW you need to make it as stress free as possible. My husband wanted to stay in the Poly so even though it was expensive I thought we should go for it who knew if we would ever go back. I have absolutely the BEST memories of our first trip to Disney. I worried my self to death over the $$$ but I have never regretted spending it. I watched the video with my now 22 yo son last PM because I happen to mention to him that of all the things I miss the most about him growing up I miss our trips to Disney.
Life is good but those memories are priceless. What a great time you are embarking on, make sure you have a reliable DVR camera( I don't know what they call them). I was surprised by him making time to watch the video with me. He went out as soon as it was over but it was sweet of him to think of it.

 

[Coconuts]

This will be DH's first ever trip to Disney and, of course, my girls first trip as well. (They will be 2 1/2 and 4 at the time we go) We may have the opportunity to stay at one of the villas (a timeshare trade) and have a one bedroom. HOWEVER, DH is very interested in the Poly b/c he LOVES the tropical setting. I'm very interested in the Poly and the Contemporary due to the close proximity to MK and having the monorail right there.

SOOO, question is -- is it worth it to spend so much on the Poly or CR, and not use the one-bedroom villa with out timeshare? I want DH to love the trip (he's kind of dragging his feet about going...doesn't understand the hype about Disney but of course he's never been before!) So I want it to be as easy as possible, as stress free as possible and as fun as possible. The extra room at a villa would be nice, the kitchen is NOT an issue since we'll have the dining plan. I'm thinking we won't go back to the room for naps but we may have to end up doing that a few days....we mostly will be going to MK but I'd like to hit the other parks as well while we're there.

Any advice or words of wisdom??? HELP me decide!
PS we'll be going in early Dec 2009...right after Thanksgiving. Not sure if that info is needed in helping me pick hotels.

THANKS!

Go with Poly . If DH is dragging his feet about the trip, and this is where he really wants to go, he will be happier about the trip if it's his hotel choice . You won't regret being on the monorail with 2 small kids; you can return to the hotel quickly for a nap and chances are most of your time will be at the MK anyway. Our kids were 5 and 2 1/2 when we stayed there and it was perfect. Good luck .

 

[mickeynut1]

We've never stayed at any of the villas, but we had our first Poly stay last September and it was awesome . Our 2 DS's are teens so we don't have experience with little ones, but the monorail is a big convenience, even for adults and older kids . The rooms at the Poly are pretty big and the tropical surroundings are wonderful. We loved everything about the Poly, especially being able to relax in the hammocks on the beach and watch the fireworks . And I see that as a big plus with little ones as you're only a walk away from your room as opposed to fighting the crowds out of the MK afterwards . For us, the extra money was well worth it......you just can't beat the convenient transportation to/from the MK.....and the overall ambiance of the resort is amazing, IMO . The Poly is one of our favorite resorts .

 

[bytheblood]

My thinking would be this......


If your husband likes the Polynesian and this is his first trip, and you can afford it, then do it. With the rate the economy is moving, you may not get the opportunity again.

I would rather have a nice room in a location I will enjoy than to stay in a Villa just to get a microwave and a little extra space.

 

[Alexander]

I would rather have a nice room in a location I will enjoy than to stay in a Villa just to get a microwave and a little extra space.

OP was talking of a 1 bedroom or bigger and that would give her a full kitchen (full-size fridge, dishwasher, stove/oven, etc.) It will also give her a large spacious bathroom with a seperate shower and jacuzzi tub. The master bedroom will have a king-size bed. There will also be a washer and dryer right in your room.

We love our villas because location isn't that important to us. But...since your DH is skeptical, I would stay wherever he would be most comfortable. Maybe you should show him some pictures of the villas and then ask him to decide.

ppan77--I would choose the BCV hands-down if you are talking about a 1 bedroom vs. a studio (a studio is really not much different than a reg. hotel room) for the space and pool. But again, that is just my opinion. We do like the Epcot resorts area though.

 

[Picabo]

Can anyone tell me approx how long it takes by bus (or any other mode of transportation) to get from the villas to MK, Epcot and AK? (We'd probably end up at Saratoga Springs since that seems to be the only villa property that is often available with trading the timeshare.

I'm leaning towards taking the advice of those who said GO FOR what will make DH happy...just b/c I want hiim to have the TIME OF HIS LIFE so he'll want to return over and over! hehe So I'm thinking the $$ would be worth it to make things as easy as possible.

Re: Poly location - can you WALK to MK or better to take monorail? How do you get to Epcot and AK from there? THANKS!!

 

[maxiesmom]

With children that young, being on the monorail is worth the extra cost! You can get to both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in just a few minutes. Plus if you are using strollers, you can just wheel them up on to the monorail, you don't have to pull the kids out and fold it up like you do with the busses. Also, the Poly pool is great for little kids. It has a zero entry end, and a very neat little water slide. And you can sit pool-side and watch Wishes if you don't feel up to staying in the park. I would definately go with the Poly.

 

[pepe of ohio]

SSR, no thought needed, never what to stay there, we've logged 40 trips to WDW and location is everything. Room size means nothing and as for having a kitchen and washer and dryer, come on, we're on vacation and my wife is entitled to a carefree stay as much as me. We can pack for a 10-12 night stay easily without doing laundry, same for cooking, what are you going to save being you're already tossing 2K into the vacation, few hundred bucks. No thanks, we like relaxing, being pampered and waited on, we would pop for the Poly in a heart beat.

SSR, beautiful resort but location is far away, unless you're interested in DTD. Going back to the resort when the heat builds is prime to us, we enjoy MK alot, hence we stay in that location, and popping back around noon and taking a refreshing dip in the pool, picnic lunch and a few drinks and taking a boat to get there is priceless. Like most say, it might be a once in a life time trip, why go cheap and be miserable. We go like it may be our last, want for nothing and live it up, within reason. We shop location and then price, we do like the Poly but get the same from WL at a cheaper price and second on our list is length of stay, longer the better. Used to do the 4-5 night stays, just get settled and finally relaxed and its time to go, no more, 10-12 night stays are ideal.

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

This will be DH's first ever trip to Disney and, of course, my girls first trip as well. (They will be 2 1/2 and 4 at the time we go) We may have the opportunity to stay at one of the villas (a timeshare trade) and have a one bedroom. HOWEVER, DH is very interested in the Poly b/c he LOVES the tropical setting. I'm very interested in the Poly and the Contemporary due to the close proximity to MK and having the monorail right there.

SOOO, question is -- is it worth it to spend so much on the Poly or CR, and not use the one-bedroom villa with out timeshare? I want DH to love the trip (he's kind of dragging his feet about going...doesn't understand the hype about Disney but of course he's never been before!) So I want it to be as easy as possible, as stress free as possible and as fun as possible. The extra room at a villa would be nice, the kitchen is NOT an issue since we'll have the dining plan. I'm thinking we won't go back to the room for naps but we may have to end up doing that a few days....we mostly will be going to MK but I'd like to hit the other parks as well while we're there.

Any advice or words of wisdom??? HELP me decide!
PS we'll be going in early Dec 2009...right after Thanksgiving. Not sure if that info is needed in helping me pick hotels.

THANKS!

We have stayed at both Villa and Monorail resort. We enjoyed staying at the BWV or BCV. We liked the proximity to EPCOT as well as having our own space. The buses to MK were pretty punctual and the ride there was not bad.
Now having said that, I love the monorail resorts too! I like being able to get back to the resorts after a long day by just hopping on the monorail. There is something just very "Disney" about staying at a monorail resort.
I think whatever you choose I am sure you be happy.