Switch from Poly to WL with toddler?

[designermv]

Hello,
We are booked at the Poly for October 3-9. I am thinking of switching to the Wilderness Lodge to save some money, but we have a toddler (she will be just on the brink of turning three during our trip) and I am nervous about not being on the monorail. She takes a monster nap (3 hours) every afternoon. I was thinking the monorail would be super convenient for us with a small child. How long does it take to get from the MK to the WL via boat?

Also, we have an 8:05 reservation for CRT our first morning there. Do you think it will be a problem getting to the MK this early? Should we take the boat or use the bus system? What time do the boats start leaving for MK? I believe it is an EMH day, so the park itself will be open early.

Would we be better off renting a car, or will the Disney transportation be enough?

Can you tell I have anxiety issues?

Thanks in advance!

Rachel

 

[ConcKahuna]

WL has a bus and boat to the MK I believe, so one of them should be running that early if it's an EMH day.

The boat takes maybe 15 minutes or so to get to the MK, and it's quicker on the way back. They are also the big air conditioned boats (unlike at the Poly), so it's a great way to relax on the way back from the parks.

Those are 2 of my favorite resorts, so it's a really tough choice. Although the Poly is my first choice, if money is an issue, the WL is a great place.

 

[lovethattink]

I personally prefer the Wilderness Lodge, however, I think the Poly would be more convenient with a toddler/stroller. It's so much more convenient to use the monorail to MK and Epcot. To get from MK to the Poly by monorail, it takes almost 15 minutes. To get from MK to WL it takes about 20 min, so not that much difference timewise.

 

[swilphil]

I would definitely do Poly if you can afford it. First of all, the WL grounds are a little difficult to navigate with a stroller. When we stayed at CR, they had small boats that went from all the monorail resorts to MK if you didn't want to take the monorail. You also could walk from the Poly to the Transportation Center and take the ferry across.

Poly is a great place to stay (beach and big rooms) and you will definitely get to CRT ressie quicker if you stay there.

 

[Kimberle]

WL is the perfect resort with a small child! It's the smallest deluxe and very easy to get around. Everything is under 1 roof. You don't need to worry about running outside in the rain to grab a bite to eat, etc. There are 2 boats. The large one goes WL/FW/MK and you can just roll your stroller on. It starts running about 1 hour before MK opens. The smaller goes WL/CR/FW. You do have to fold your stroller. It runs 7am - 10pm.

During our stay, we had an early CRT. We just took the small boat to CR and walked over to MK. It was very easy.

We stayed WL & CR 2x. Personally, we found the WL transportation better. The monorail is overrated.

 

[Nursejilly]

I was toying with WL vs Poly with a toddler (DD age 3) and although i love the look of the WL, we went with the Poly. I loved the Poly back in 2001. I would like to plan a stay at the WL when we no longer need a stroller! The poly was a bit more but i am hoping for a discount code to come out and maybe the Poly will end up being a tad cheaper?? Good luck making the decision. I'm sure you will have a great trip

 

[Shoshana]

When I made my ressies last December, I was really upset because I couldn't afford to stay at Poly. My dd had just turned 3 and I thought it would be SO much easier to stay there. Well, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge instead, and it was absolutely fantastic! I wheeled the stroller everywhere with no problems. Resort was clean, beautiful, quiet, relaxing, and transportation was a breeze. I much preferred taking the boat to taking the monorails.

I certainly wouldn't turn down a stay at the Poly or CR, but at least I know now that I will have a great time at WL and that there is no need to be worried or disappointed!

 

[designermv]

Thanks for all the feedback! I'd love to hear more opinions on staying at the WL with a toddler vs. the Poly with a toddler.

For those of you that stayed at the Poly with a 2-3 year old, did you find the monorail extremely helpful? Invaluable? Or just something you could have done without?

For those who stayed at the WL with a toddler who naps in the afternoon, did you find it was easy to get back to your room in time for a nap? Was transportation a pain in the butt, or was it easy?

TIA,
Rachel

 

[Jrabbit910]

bumping and asking... These are all questions that I need to know as well...

question: for Swilphil:
You said that the wl grounds are a little difficult to navigate around, can I ask why you thought that?

 

[kaysmommie]

Thanks for all the feedback! I'd love to hear more opinions on staying at the WL with a toddler vs. the Poly with a toddler.

For those of you that stayed at the Poly with a 2-3 year old, did you find the monorail extremely helpful? Invaluable? Or just something you could have done without?

For those who stayed at the WL with a toddler who naps in the afternoon, did you find it was easy to get back to your room in time for a nap? Was transportation a pain in the butt, or was it easy?

TIA,
Rachel

We stayed at WL twice with our DD who was 2 & 3 on our trips. It was absolutely perfect and we enjoyed the boat ride to MK. It usually took 10 minutes to get to MK. ALso there is a boat to Contemporary resort which gives you more dining options and you can hop on the monorail. There is a bus to MK from WL too. We take breaks everyday for DD's nap and never had a problem.

We stayed at Poly for the first time last fall with our 2 kids 2 & 6 at the time. We liked the Poly too especially for the monorail which is convenient. The Poly does not have hot tubs or a toddler pool but does have a sprinkler area for little ones. I like both resorts and would happily stay at either one. Both of them have had their rooms redone in 2006. It was easy to get back to WL but the monorail is a bit quicker usually, unless it is delayed when they get backed up. We went to CRT in 2003(WL) and 2006 (Poly) it didn't make any difference getting there in the morning. Pick which theme you like better. I think the housekeeping was far better at WL though.

 

[cjnix29]

WL!!! We stayed there last year with a 3 year old. He LOVED it!! I liked it because everything is contained in one building. As for transportation, we took the boats to MK and had no problems at all. On the MK boat, you do not have to fold up your stroller. The resort boat requires it. But it really wasn't a big deal. We made it to MK early on many occasions without a problem. Actually, the fastest way is to take a resort boat to CR and then walk to MK. We did this several times and beat the MK boat...which has Ft Wilderness on its route. I haven't stayed at Poly (will in September) but I don't think you can go wrong with WL!!!!!

 

[LeahA]

I've stayed at both of these resort with my 3 children. They are both gorgeous resorts with 2 totally different theming's.

The POLY is on the monorail and offers the Zero depth entry pool and a sand beach which my 3/6/9 year old boys loved. We had a room with a patio.

The WL has the boat to the MK and they have a small kiddie pool. I stayed here when the kids were 1/4/7. We had a room with a balcony.

I love both resorts so I can't say anything bad about either. I think if you have to get back to the resort for the afternoon nap, being on the monorail from Epcot and the Magic Kingdom is nice, you can just wheel the stoller on the monorail.

If your spending most of your time at the MK then it doesn't matter, you can take the boat up and back to the WL.

We made both work, either resort you can't go wrong!

 

[cdrn1]

We stayed at WL with DGD when she was 15 months old and had a great time.
It was easy to maneuver the stroller everywhere, the boats were fun, we had a great room with a great view; we didn't use the kiddie pool at all as we just took her in the big pool with us. We had a great stay.
We will be trying the Poly in Sept/Oct as we now have two grandkids, who will be 3.5 and 1 when we stay. We just think it will be easier with the monorail. Whether it will be enough easier to justify the cost difference remains to be seen. We LOVED the WL.