The cabins @ Copper Creek vs the bungalows @ Polynesian

[OffToDWD]

Hello! We are trying to decide which to splurge on for 4 adults and 4 kids (ages ranging from 6 - 14) - the cabins at Copper Creek or the bungalows at the Polynesian. For 1/2 of the party, this is their first time to Disney World. Which would you pick? Why? We've stayed at the cabins before and thought it was great! Thanks!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The cabins seemed so much more peaceful. We love it there. The Poly bungalows seemed much busier and louder with the ferry boat noise (if you're located on that end of the line of bungalows).

 

[Best Aunt]

Will you have cars? The Disney transportation is different at those resorts.

Wilderness Lodge (Copper Creek) is bus everywhere and also boat to Magic Kingdom. There used to be a boat between Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary and Fort Wilderness, but AFAIK it has not resumed since the Pandemic.

Poly is on the monorail, so that changes how you get to Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and lets you travel to Contemporary and Grand Floridian. I think Poly also has a boat to Magic Kingdom, but I haven't stayed there so I didn't pay attention.

I don't know what the bedroom/bed/bathroom situation is for those options.

 

[Ross Kratter]

The Copper Creek cabins are more spacious and have hot tubs rather than plunge pools.
That said, the views of the fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant from the bungalows are spectacular.

 

[Mle8308]

What a great decision to have to make! I prefer Copper Creek, but I'm a long time Wilderness Lodge fan. It is a lot quieter at WL. If there are light sleepers, the noise from all the boat/ferry traffic on Seven Seas Lagoon may be a challenge. However, the convenience of the monorail can't be ignored, especially if you plan on going to MK and Epcot. There is really no bad choice!

 

[stinkpickle]

We've never stayed at the Copper Creek cabins, so I'm not sure about those. However, we have stayed at the Poly bungalows, and while they were nice, the noise and location didn't seem worth the points.

 

[OffToDWD]

Will you have cars? The Disney transportation is different at those resorts.

Wilderness Lodge (Copper Creek) is bus everywhere and also boat to Magic Kingdom. There used to be a boat between Wilderness Lodge and Contemporary and Fort Wilderness, but AFAIK it has not resumed since the Pandemic.

Poly is on the monorail, so that changes how you get to Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and lets you travel to Contemporary and Grand Floridian. I think Poly also has a boat to Magic Kingdom, but I haven't stayed there so I didn't pay attention.

I don't know what the bedroom/bed/bathroom situation is for those options.

We will have cars but if I remember correctly, there's no parking for Magic Kingdom, right? Have to park at a parking lot quite far away and take the monorail?

Thanks for the insights!

 

[OffToDWD]

Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts!

 

[DduzDis]

We had the opportunity to stay at both for a split stay last year. For the $$ it would be a vote for the cabins for all of us. The bungalows are awesome, but if given the choice between the two I'd go with a cabin. Naturally, it does depend a lot on your vibe and what you are trying to do. We enjoyed both for sure, but the cabins just gave us a better feeling.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We paid cash for both during trips last year. I’m a Poly person to the core (and I like WL too)… but for us the Cabins won out as a more enjoyable experience. No doubt both are awesome in their own way, but if I had to pick one it would be the Cabins.

I think the layout of the cabins, the screened in porch, the hot tub vs. dinky splash pool, and overall setup of the Cabins within WL is a better product than the Bungalows. Parking and access is more convenient too. They are just super cozy and livable, IMO.

The Bungalows are more “Disney” though as the vibe of the Seven Seas Lagoon is unmatched. If your Disney newbies are really into seeing the MK, fireworks, Electrical Water Pageant, etc… then the Bungalows should get serious consideration. Perhaps a bit more of a ‘wow’ factor for sure.

They had a soft goods refurb earlier this year (after our stay last year), but our Bungalow was frankly a bit dinged up at the time (big scratches on the kitchen table, wood floors, etc). The Cabins are a little newer/fresher.

If this is during a hot time of year, the walk through the Poly grounds and out to the Bungalows can be a little surface of the sun like - if that’s a concern for you. The cabins require outdoor access too of course, but to me they feel closer and the various paths have more areas of shade.

This wouldn’t impact which one I’d choose and is more just a whiny personal beef….but as a fan of both resorts I’ve always been really impressed with how Imagineering incorporated the cabins into the WL grounds in a manner that looks like they’ve been there for decades. They seamlessly fit in and took effectively nothing away from the resort.

To me, the Bungalows feel like a mis-matched added appendage to Poly. They took away a lot of great view/sight lines and don’t even really fit in with the look of the rest of the resort. It’s not outrage/fatal flaw level for me, I’ve just never really loved the look. Plus the sound of the pump occasionally kicking in to suck wastewater away isn’t all that luxurious. Sorry, rant over.

 

[DduzDis]

We paid cash for both during trips last year. I’m a Poly person to the core (and I like WL too)… but for us the Cabins won out as a more enjoyable experience. No doubt both are awesome in their own way, but if I had to pick one it would be the Cabins.

I think the layout of the cabins, the screened in porch, the hot tub vs. dinky splash pool, and overall setup of the Cabins within WL is a better product than the Bungalows. Parking and access is more convenient too. They are just super cozy and livable, IMO.

The Bungalows are more “Disney” though as the vibe of the Seven Seas Lagoon is unmatched. If your Disney newbies are really into seeing the MK, fireworks, Electrical Water Pageant, etc… then the Bungalows should get serious consideration. Perhaps a bit more of a ‘wow’ factor for sure.

They had a soft goods refurb earlier this year, but our Bungalow was frankly a bit dinged up at the time (big scratches on the kitchen table, wood floors, etc). The Cabins are a little newer/fresher.

If this is during a hot time of year, the walk through the Poly grounds and out to the Bungalows can be a little surface of the sun like - if that’s a concern for you. The cabins require outdoor access too of course, but to me they feel closer and the various paths have more areas of shade.

This wouldn’t impact which one I’d choose and is more just a whiny personal beef….but as a fan of both resorts I’ve always been really impressed with how Imagineering incorporated the cabins into the WL grounds in a manner that looks like they’ve been there for decades. They seamlessly fit in and took effectively nothing away from the resort.

To me, the Bungalows feel like a mis-matched added appendage to Poly. They took away a lot of great view/sight lines and don’t even really fit in with the look of the rest of the resort. It’s not outrage/fatal flaw level for me, I’ve just never really loved the look. Plus the sound of the pump occasionally kicking in to suck wastewater away isn’t all that luxurious. Sorry, rant over.

All of this for me too. ☝ Well said...

 

[jimmymc]

The cabins are the nicer rooms. They feel more spacious, have a larger porch area, more shade and sceened in space, and a nicer kitchen/living room area.

I actually prefer the plunge pool in Florida weather, but a hot tub is a nice option.

For the resorts as a whole, I prefer wilderness lodge but I would also understand someone who likes Poly better. Both places have excellent lobbies, restaurants, and pools.

 

[OffToDWD]

We paid cash for both during trips last year. I’m a Poly person to the core (and I like WL too)… but for us the Cabins won out as a more enjoyable experience. No doubt both are awesome in their own way, but if I had to pick one it would be the Cabins.

I think the layout of the cabins, the screened in porch, the hot tub vs. dinky splash pool, and overall setup of the Cabins within WL is a better product than the Bungalows. Parking and access is more convenient too. They are just super cozy and livable, IMO.

The Bungalows are more “Disney” though as the vibe of the Seven Seas Lagoon is unmatched. If your Disney newbies are really into seeing the MK, fireworks, Electrical Water Pageant, etc… then the Bungalows should get serious consideration. Perhaps a bit more of a ‘wow’ factor for sure.

They had a soft goods refurb earlier this year (after our stay last year), but our Bungalow was frankly a bit dinged up at the time (big scratches on the kitchen table, wood floors, etc). The Cabins are a little newer/fresher.

If this is during a hot time of year, the walk through the Poly grounds and out to the Bungalows can be a little surface of the sun like - if that’s a concern for you. The cabins require outdoor access too of course, but to me they feel closer and the various paths have more areas of shade.

This wouldn’t impact which one I’d choose and is more just a whiny personal beef….but as a fan of both resorts I’ve always been really impressed with how Imagineering incorporated the cabins into the WL grounds in a manner that looks like they’ve been there for decades. They seamlessly fit in and took effectively nothing away from the resort.

To me, the Bungalows feel like a mis-matched added appendage to Poly. They took away a lot of great view/sight lines and don’t even really fit in with the look of the rest of the resort. It’s not outrage/fatal flaw level for me, I’ve just never really loved the look. Plus the sound of the pump occasionally kicking in to suck wastewater away isn’t all that luxurious. Sorry, rant over.

Thank you for the details - much appreciated!

 

[STPfan]

Cabins all the way. My personal opinion on the bungalows is you are paying for the view.

 

[Dave006]

To me, the Bungalows feel like a mis-matched added appendage to Poly. They took away a lot of great view/sight lines and don’t even really fit in with the look of the rest of the resort. It’s not outrage/fatal flaw level for me, I’ve just never really loved the look. Plus the sound of the pump occasionally kicking in to suck wastewater away isn’t all that luxurious.

Rant:

They still look like an eyesore on the Seven Seas Lagoon and don't fit with the theme of the Polynesian Village Resort at all. Howeve they are lovely inside.

The Bungalows are just modular buildings on pilings sticking out in the Seven Seas Lagoon. The Bungalows don't have any kind of a roof line even remotely themed Disney thatch like other better themed areas of WDW.

While the Cascade Cabins were purpose built to integrate into the WL overall Northwestern design with colors themes, (Disney) stone work and trees. T

The Bungalows could look more like familiar Fiji over water guest bungalows but Disney went cheep for their first foray into this DVC option. Hey they did not even allow for proper wall isolation for the Florida sun which resulted in the major issues in cooling the units until they fixed the isolation and upgraded the cooling. They did not even theme the boardwalk to the units just a boring functional walkway.

I still recall the mobile spot coolers that were attached to make them even remotely cool when they first opened.

End Rant:

Dave