Stick with WL or upgrade back to Poly?!

[aprilbabes]

We stayed at poly last year and loved it. The monorail was awesome when traveling with two toddlers im a double carriage, the grounds were beautiful and we loved ohana. This year we wanted to save some money and booked WL. I am actually excited about our stay after reading so many great reviews. I love the theme and that it's recently refurbished. I also love that everything is under one roof!!!
Last nightly DH asked if I wanted to upgrade back to poly. I said no, but now I'm wondering if I'll regret not having the monorail. I know all about the beautiful boat ride to MK (where we will spend most of our time) but it still doesn't sound as convenient as the monorail. What would you do?

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I'm probably one of a few but while WL was beautiful I hated the transportation. I guess we were spoiled with the convenience of the monorail and Polynesian.
Polynesian & Boardwalk are my 2 favorites. My 2 DD are older now so we spend more time in Epcot.

 

[CaliKT]

We stayed at Poly our first trip and at WL our second trip. My children are older than yours (5 and 7). As great as the Poly is, we actually enjoyed WL more. I liked that everything was under one roof (made morning breakfast/coffee runs a lot easier). We thought that the transportation to the MK was actually better from WL than Poly. As great as the Monorail is, we thought the boat service was great. No stops! We had a longhouse at the Poly that was halfway between the TTC and the Great Ceremonial House, so while it was nice to be able to walk to either monorail line, we felt like we were just doing a lot of walking no matter where we went.

I will say that the bus service between WL and Epcot didn't seem to be great. We consistently had problems there, both getting to and leaving the park, but maybe we just hit a bad week.

 

[pepe of ohio]

I'd stay with WL.... We've had quite a few stays at the Poly, years ago when the room rates were a lot less.... Now it's just outpriced itself for us...and the monorail is too hyped for what or how it runs lately ( too many break downs that I want no part of).... Most of the time we used the small boat or big ferry to get to the MK...

At the Poly, we noticed too many day guests clogging up the grounds, pool etc for our liking taking away the quiet ambiance of the resort!!

That all said, we discovered WL, we've done over 10 stays there and don't even consider other resorts in our planning...we deluxe people and prefer the MK area for our stays... Like being on the lakes with the fresh breezes, boating options, and bike rentals...

At the lodge, we can boat to the MK, CR and FW.... Some of the best buffet on property is at FW ( Trails End). Resort is so compact, no bad room anywhere, pool is decent size with more table options than the Poly..walk or bike ride to FW, trails are great to just get out but the boat over us a treat too, nice little lounge at Crocketts Tavern. Decent pizza too.....

All in all, location for us is how we roll and next comes cost , though Poly is in the same area, cost comes down to where we stay and if I can get the WL for an extra few days with the difference over the Poly, I'd rather take longer stay than location on the monorail any day ... Keep your WL reservation, you won't be sorry!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons. We loved taking the boat from WL to MK and thought the buses to the other parks were great as well. We've stayed at the WL twice and the Poly once and they are both great in their own way. The Poly does have an edge for us over the WL in that the larger room and daybed is a big plus as we have two older teens. But with that said, the WL is a great resort for the price, IMO, and I think it would be great with two toddlers. The monorail is very convenient for going to MK, but I think the boat is just as convenient. Good luck deciding, but I don't think you would regret sticking with the WL.

 

[HM]

I really like that WL is all in one building. We usually travel in the summer and having to walk between buildings at Poly in the rain in the afternoons was not a great experience for a place that is so expensive (we were in Tokelau). So, we've had one stay at Poly and three at WL. We've never used strollers at WDW, so I'm not sure how that would fit into my equation when choosing.

At both resorts we didn't really think the bus situation was good at all though. Our last trip at WL, we used our car for everything except MK.

 

[texasteacher35]

It's hard to compare the transportation of the monorail, but if you get your mind around buses and boats, WL should be good! We are staying there for the first time in like 10+ years at WLV and I am excited to stay here again. We have mostly been at BLT, GF, BCV, and BWV...but my DS7 really wants to try this one out. That's one reason we haven't stayed at AKV because of ALL buses...I am sure it is a fantastic resort, but I am all about location, location...

 

[Wood Nymph]

We stayed at poly last year and loved it. The monorail was awesome when traveling with two toddlers im a double carriage, the grounds were beautiful and we loved ohana. This year we wanted to save some money and booked WL. I am actually excited about our stay after reading so many great reviews. I love the theme and that it's recently refurbished. I also love that everything is under one roof!!!
Last nightly DH asked if I wanted to upgrade back to poly. I said no, but now I'm wondering if I'll regret not having the monorail. I know all about the beautiful boat ride to MK (where we will spend most of our time) but it still doesn't sound as convenient as the monorail. What would you do?

We just got back from the WL and really enjoyed it. It was great having everything under one roof. The 5 and 3 year old grandkids loved the slide at the pool. The boat to MK was very convenient and I liked it better than the monorail. But you do have to fold up the stroller for the boats. So that is something to consider. And the rooms are much smaller than the Poly's rooms.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We just got back from the WL and really enjoyed it. It was great having everything under one roof. The 5 and 3 year old grandkids loved the slide at the pool. The boat to MK was very convenient and I liked it better than the monorail. But you do have to fold up the stroller for the boats. So that is something to consider. And the rooms are much smaller than the Poly's rooms.

There are 2 different boats that serve the WL, smaller type wooden canopy boat that stroller must be folded and a larger steel enclosed boat that strollers can be wheeled right in.... Yellow painted.... You might have missed them .

 

[trishadono]

Something else for tired parents to consider, 2 hot tubs at WL!! I spent an Easter Sunday evening in the hot tub with my inlaws and my kids one year and it was awesome. You can see the geyser too! With smaller kids having elevators is a bonus. I know I used the back elev. to get down to Roaring Forks for chicken nuggets for my son. Also for exploring we took boat to CR and rode around on monorail anyways. Honestly both are great and would love to go back to both. If you choose Poly just go for lunch at WL a day. Last trip I got my lunch at RF and ate out side and enjoyed the view. It made "going home day" special. Also my DS loves the fireplace up on 2nd/3rd floor. If you explore the staircases and halls around lobby lots of fossils and stuff boys like!
Have fun choosing!

 

[Herbie]

We have stayed at both resorts. The Poly is awesome, we loved every minute of it....i must say that we will probably not choose the WL again. I just did not feel it was worth the money. The AKL is a way better deal. I would either choose the Poly, or just stay at Coronado Springs (loved it) before choosing the WL......

Just our opinion!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

We stayed at poly last year and loved it. The monorail was awesome when traveling with two toddlers im a double carriage, the grounds were beautiful and we loved ohana. This year we wanted to save some money and booked WL. I am actually excited about our stay after reading so many great reviews. I love the theme and that it's recently refurbished. I also love that everything is under one roof!!!
Last nightly DH asked if I wanted to upgrade back to poly. I said no, but now I'm wondering if I'll regret not having the monorail. I know all about the beautiful boat ride to MK (where we will spend most of our time) but it still doesn't sound as convenient as the monorail. What would you do?

We're headed to WL for a week this Saturday. We generally rotate resorts between Poly & GF annually, but because we are travelling with friends who didn't want to spend that much, we decided to join them at WL. Now we haven't stayed at WL for easily over 15 years, I've got to say, we're really excited about a change of pace. It's so easy to get into a rut with resorts, and I'm glad that we were pulled out of the norm and are giving the place another go. I hardly remember it anymore, and honestly, it's still a Deluxe, with all the amenities and quality you'd expect. I say switch it up, go with the WL and see how you like it.

 

[grimley1968]

Something else for tired parents to consider, 2 hot tubs at WL!!

This is an often overlooked point of comparison between Poly and WL. The Poly was built before hot tubs were common so I can understand why it didn't have one originally, but they certainly could have added one by now. The fact remains, though: Poly has no hot tubs and WL has 2, one truly hot and the other a milder temperature. Both have an excellent view of the geyser.

I love both resorts, but I tend to like WL a little more. Some reasons:

- The hot tubs
- Everything under one roof
- More panoramic views on WL top floors versus the top floor at Poly (3rd floor)
- WL is WAY less expensive than Poly
- WL theming appeals to me more
- Best resort lobby in all of WDW, IMHO
- An easy boat ride, or long walk, from Fort Wilderness. This is very handy if you wish to see Hoop De Doo or just explore FW
- The option of a bunk bed room. This was very nice when my kids were younger.
- Geyser

Don't get me wrong: I still love Poly, being next door to the TTC and the EPCOT monorail, the resort monorail, the beach, the Volcano pool, the pool slide, etc. But it's getting increasingly difficult to justify paying $1,000 or more extra for a week's vacation at the Poly versus WL, mainly for the easy monorail access.

 

[MissionMouse]

We stayed at poly last year and loved it.... This year we wanted to save some money and booked WL....I know all about the beautiful boat ride to MK (where we will spend most of our time) but it still doesn't sound as convenient as the monorail. What would you do?

WL will save you money. Both of these two resorts get a lot of non-guest foot traffic, which for us takes a way from our resort experience. The WL boat can be filled at times, but so can the monorail at the PR if the luau is letting out.

We found the water bridge boat ride (WL to MK) to be nice the first time, but after that it seemed slow with various other boats causing delay in addition to the speed restrictions in the area of the water bridge. Lake water levels in correlation to the WL resort dock can also result in delays related to onboarding and offboarding individuals electronic wheel chairs. It appears to be a seasonal thing. The bus from the WL was often faster. We found the WL to feel a little removed, since it is not located along the Seven Seas Lagoon. PR is nice, but only at a good discount rate and avoid the main ceremony lodge building during many parts of the day. PR wins with the transportation option of the monorail, water launch and quick access to the TTC Ferry (great to access at closing, special event closings as the monorail and water launch lines are excessive). Pool hoppers from value and moderate resort are frequent at the PR, often over heard referencing where their staying along. WL pool was smaller crowds. Hot tubs are not an interest for us as we strive to stay out of bacteria baths. If we were considering a MK area resort, WL would be at the bottom of our list, unless our decision was strictly monetary.

 

[aprilbabes]

WL will save you money. Both of these two resorts get a lot of non-guest foot traffic, which for us takes a way from our resort experience. The WL boat can be filled at times, but so can the monorail at the PR if the luau is letting out.

We found the water bridge boat ride (WL to MK) to be nice the first time, but after that it seemed slow with various other boats causing delay in addition to the speed restrictions in the area of the water bridge. Lake water levels in correlation to the WL resort dock can also result in delays related to onboarding and offboarding individuals electronic wheel chairs. It appears to be a seasonal thing. The bus from the WL was often faster. We found the WL to feel a little removed, since it is not located along the Seven Seas Lagoon. PR is nice, but only at a good discount rate and avoid the main ceremony lodge building during many parts of the day. PR wins with the transportation option of the monorail, water launch and quick access to the TTC Ferry (great to access at closing, special event closings as the monorail and water launch lines are excessive). Pool hoppers from value and moderate resort are frequent at the PR, often over heard referencing where their staying along. WL pool was smaller crowds. Hot tubs are not an interest for us as we strive to stay out of bacteria baths. If we were considering a MK area resort, WL would be at the bottom of our list, unless our decision was strictly monetary.

While I thank you for your feedback, you seem extremely negative about both of these popular resorts. Just wondering which, if any, resorts you enjoy.

 

[kaysmommie]

We have stayed at both resorts 3 times and loved them both. I say try Wilderness Lodge. We stayed this past fall and we had great boat and bus service with little to no waits. Also you can boat over to Contemporary resort to hop on the monorail. The boat to CR takes only 5 minutes and is great when you have dinner reservations at CR or one of the monorail resorts. The theming at WL is amazing juts like Poly. WL has a nicer Lobby.

 

[DisneyFEB2013]

While I thank you for your feedback, you seem extremely negative about both of these popular resorts. Just wondering which, if any, resorts you enjoy.

I don't think she was extremely negative, just honest.

We stayed at WL last week for 9 days and while it was nice, we were very underwhelmed. The lobby is beautiful, but once you got to the rooms, it's a regular hotel room. I found them quite small and was shocked at the subpar housekeeping. The pool was very nice and I found it to be pretty empty most of the time. The boat ride was great over to the MK.

We talked about staying at the Poly next time, but can't justify the price. We will probably go for a moderate. WL is nice, don't get me wrong. We just were not wowed. For that price, I want to be wowed! I get its the cheapest of the deluxes. I think almost of the issue was that we spent a lot of time at the parks since it was our first family trip. We started questioning why we spent so much on a hotel when we were never there. Our issue, I realize.

Recharging the Poly.....we were there for a few meals and while we would love to stay there, the way crowded lobby made the place a chaotic mess!!

 

[Rileyf]

We stayed at poly last year and loved it. The monorail was awesome when traveling with two toddlers im a double carriage, the grounds were beautiful and we loved ohana. This year we wanted to save some money and booked WL. I am actually excited about our stay after reading so many great reviews. I love the theme and that it's recently refurbished. I also love that everything is under one roof!!!
Last nightly DH asked if I wanted to upgrade back to poly. I said no, but now I'm wondering if I'll regret not having the monorail. I know all about the beautiful boat ride to MK (where we will spend most of our time) but it still doesn't sound as convenient as the monorail. What would you do?

I would switch back to Poly. The WL rooms are very small and dark in comparison. The biggest draw back for me was the dining options. If you like eating on the monorail loop it takes a lot more time from the WL. You have to take the boat to the CR and then get on the monorail.

 

[ShepFam]

We are diehard fans fo the Poly but we also have spent a week at the WL. We did miss the convenience of monorail (by the way you can take the boat to the CR and pick up the monorail for trips to Epcot) it was just a matter of getting used to the boat ride to MK in terms of it just feeling a little slower. If it were me I would stick with the WL and give it a shot, it really is a beautiful resort with a great pool area and nice little beach area that our kids loved playing on. The only other thing (and I have no idea if it could work with your plans!) is to possibly do a split stay? We are trying a split stay this summer between the YC and the Poly and are excited about trying a new resort and ending at our favorite. Either way you're going to have a great time and I'm quite sure you'll love the WL...good luck and go with your gut feeling!