Thinking about switching from CSR to Poly -- Input appreciated

[cjtwer]

A few weeks ago I booked the CSR for our family of 5 with the free DDP 11/27 - 12/2. It will be myself, DH and 3 kids ages 18, 12 and 9. We have 2 rooms booked since there are 5 of us and I understand we can't have 5 in a room. I thought it would be nice to have 4 queen beds and 2 bathrooms for our family and requested connecting rooms, of course.

I understand we can have 5 in one room at the Poly and now I'm toying with the idea of putting us all in one room there.

Considerations are being close to the Monorail lines. If we stay at CSR I think I've got myself talked into renting a car to avoid having to use the buses. Staying at the Poly which is a nicer resort, being closer to the "action" and being able to watch fireworks from the Poly beach. Staying at CSR though we'd have a lot more room and 2 bathrooms. We don't plan to spend a lot of time in the room though and I'm sure we could manage just fine in one room at the Poly.

What about the pool area? The pool area at the CSR looked like it would be a lot of fun for my kids. Is the Poly going to be just as great?

I haven't called to price this switch but I don't think it would be too much of a difference as we'd be going from 2 rooms to one room.

Any thoughts and advice it greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[hannahryan]

I would so switch. I've stayed at both and there is just no comparison. You will love the Poly. Pros: the monorail, great restaurants, the wonderful volcano pool with castle view, beach for viewing of electrical water parade and wishes nightly, boat rentals at marina, etc.,etc.

 

[rie'smom]

With your children's ages, I'd stick with the 2 rooms at CSR. Although the rooms at the Poly are larger ( 410 as opposed to 314) you'd only have 1 bathroom. With 2 rooms, you'd have 628 sq ft and 2 bathrooms.

I'm speaking from experience as I have a 16 yo daughter and always allow her to bring a couple of friends. At the end of the day, we all appreciate our own space.

The pool area ay CSR is roomier. The volcano pool is nice but small for the resort and tends to be crowded.

As far as the monorail goes, when we've stayed at a monorail resort, 9 times out of 10, we either take a cab or rent a car because the monorails get crowded with not only resort guests but also those guests going to meals and events. Last November we were at the GF and we didn't take the monorail one time.

The Pepper Market also has a larger variety of food choices when compared to Captain Cooks.

My daughter just told me to tell you that your kids would like CSR more.

 

[lizandjason]

I say choose the Poly. You can stay there for only $500 more than CSR, and you'll get the 'deluxe' experience. Here's how the prices break down:

2 rooms at CSR with Free Dining and 5-day park hoppers for 3 adults and 2 kids: $3,275 total

1 room at Poly with Free Dining and 5-day park hoppers for 3 adults and 2 kids: $3,756

While CSR is a nice resort, we felt that it didn't have a very 'Disney' feel, and many others agree. It's a convention resort and there are business people everywhere, crowding the food court in hoards (at least this was our experience). Also...CSR is HUGE and it can take 10 minutes just to get off the property on a bus.

The Poly is a dream resort for many people, and deservedly so. In addition to the fantastic theming, the transportation convenience factor (to be able to hop onto the monorail, a boat or walk right next door to the TTC) is HUGE. You also have a gorgeous beach to relax and watch the fireworks at MK. And if you don't want to eat at one of the Poly's restaurants, the GF and CR are a quick monorail ride away. There is something truly magical about the Poly.

Either way, have a wonderful trip!!

 

[rie'smom]

I say choose the Poly. You can stay there for only $500 more than CSR, and you'll get the 'deluxe' experience. Here's how the prices break down:

2 rooms at CSR with Free Dining and 5-day park hoppers for 3 adults and 2 kids: $3,275 total

1 room at Poly with Free Dining and 5-day park hoppers for 3 adults and 2 kids: $3,756

While CSR is a nice resort, we felt that it didn't have a very 'Disney' feel, and many others agree. It's a convention resort and there are business people everywhere, crowding the food court in hoards (at least this was our experience). Also...CSR is HUGE and it can take 10 minutes just to get off the property on a bus.

The Poly is a dream resort for many people, and deservedly so. In addition to the fantastic theming, the transportation convenience factor (to be able to hop onto the monorail, a boat or walk right next door to the TTC) is HUGE. You also have a gorgeous beach to relax and watch the fireworks at MK. And if you don't want to eat at one of the Poly's restaurants, the GF and CR are a quick monorail ride away. There is something truly magical about the Poly.

Either way, have a wonderful trip!!

Just want to mention that GF, CR,YC, and BW are all convention resorts. We've stayed at all of them while conventions were going on. It's great because they're in meetings leaving the facilities for those who are there for fun.

Have a great trip whereever you decide to stay!

 

[padawans]

Our trip In May we spent one night at CSR and 9 at Poly. When we were at CSR I kept asking myself why didn't we just stay here this resort is so beautiful and I would have saved so much money. When we got to Poly my doubts were erased. Poly is worth every extra penny. Have agreat trip.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Tough call - they are my two favorite Disney resorts! Poly has the advantage for location and dining choices, while CSR has the advantage of having more space, two bathrooms, four beds, two TVs and a better pool area. My kids (11 and 7) much prefer the CSR pool area over the Poly pool. The disadvantage of CSR is that connecting rooms are not guaranteed, and you are travelling at Thanksgiving.

Another thought would be to book a junior suite at CSR. It is slightly less expensive than the Poly for your time frame, but a bit more than two rooms at CSR. You would have two queens and a pullout instead of four queens, but you would still have two bathrooms, two TVs, and a living area during the day if you fold up the pullout.

Two standard rooms at CSR would be $390 on the 27th and $308 the other days. The junior suite is $425 on the 27th and $350 the other days. A Poly garden room is $455 on the 27th and $365 the other days. These are all rack rates.

Yet another idea would be the Beach Club. It has the best pool on property and has two queens and a daybed like Poly. My kids like the Beach Club better than Poly, and so does DH. Rack rate is $420 on the 27th and $340 the other nights. The Boardwalk are is a lot of fun and you can walk to Epcot and take a boat to DHS.

 

[TomAndLori]

I would so switch. I've stayed at both and there is just no comparison. You will love the Poly. Pros: the monorail, great restaurants, the wonderful volcano pool with castle view, beach for viewing of electrical water parade and wishes nightly, boat rentals at marina, etc.,etc.

I agree with this post 100%.

 

[cjtwer]

Thanks for all the replies so far. Too bad you don't all agree -- you're only making this harder.

I am going to go over this thread with DH and try to make a decision in the next few days.

 

[Hooked On The Mouse]

Both are great resorts, with different pluses and negatives. Have you asked your kids which they would prefer? Have you read reviews or looked at photos and videos of each resort? If you have done all that and one or the other doesn't strike you as the obvious right choice, then it's just a matter of picking one and going with it. You won't have a bad time with either resort.

 

[guitarob]

I think the Polynesian is definitely the way you want to go here. Just for the deluxe factor, not to mention the great location, monorail, TTC, etc...

My Father, Brother and I (62, 30, 26) all shared a room at the Poly and didn't have a problem at all. I slept on the daybed, it was fine.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would switch because in my opinion the Polynesian has a much better theme, atmosphere, overall location, bigger rooms and transportation options then Coronado Springs.

 

[KatMark]

We've stayed at both -- the Poly four times and the CSR eight times (soon to be number nine). We love both. However, with two boys in college, we can no longer justify the cost of the Poly and we prefer having a hot tub on property as well as a fitness center and a place to get a massage -- the CSR has this, the Poly does not (and yes, I know you can use the fitness center at the GF, but I would prefer having it where I'm at and we're not fans of the GF). We've had just as long a walk from our room at the Poly as we have at the CSR. We personally find the monorail overrated...you can wait just as long for a monorail or be just as crowded as you are on a bus (we went to the Poly from the MK last September for a walk around, a snack and shopping; we waited over 20 minutes for a monorail to get back to the MK). I will agree the food is better at the Poly than the CSR. However, I think having five people in the room with the ages you have is going to get a little crowded (the last time we were there it was four of us -- two adults and a 18 and 17 year old and it was a little too much).

However, if the price is right and you really want to try a deluxe, then by all means go for it. We love the Poly (we've also stayed at the Contemporary, another convention resort) and we would take the Poly 99 times over the CR) and it is worth at least one visit if you can manage it.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I would stay at the Poly in a heartbeat. Two smalls rooms and renting a car seems like a hassle. You may want to request a longhouse with double sinks, if you are not staying concierge. Having the monorail and access to the TTC is priceless. There is not a dull moment to be had at this place. Have a great trip.

 

[dburg30]

If you are planning a lot of time at MK, then poly would be nice just hopping the mono and head there. For anything else, or if you are only going to do MK once or twice, I dont see how people say the transportation is better, never understood that one. CSR on a map is more central located for the other parks in that case, and epcot isnt bad at all either.

I walked around the poly once, and just didnt 'get it' I liked the open feeling of CSR, the bad part is, that does make it 'huge'.

If I stayed anywhere are the MK area it would be WL. The 3 monorail resorts dont do it for me at all. GF feels too stuffy to stay at, CR feels way to sterile to me and GF just doesnt get me excited.

 

[MCK588]

Sorry to confuse you further, but here goes
Is this your first stay at Disney? If so, Poly all the way!

I've also stayed at both and I have to agree that Poly has a certain magic to it that CSR just doesn't have. We found the food court at CSR to have great choices, but can sometimes be confusing and stressful to figure out when you are on the DDP. The pool was nice, but remember that late Nov/early Dec might not be great swimming weather so I wouldn't decide which hotel based on the pool that time of year. Don't get me wrong, there is absoultely nothing wrong with CSR...I would stay there again if I had to, but if I was able to choose between CSR and Poly it would be Poly all the way! Please note that I have younger children (8 & 6 the last time we stayed at the Poly) so I can't relate yet to having teens in a room with one bathroom (but traveled alot with my own parents when I was a teen and NEVER had 2 rooms but always had a great time).

Now, I do love the Poly, but there are some cons. The pool is on the small side, but there's always the quiet pool which is deeper anyway for bigger kids. The food court has a small selection but you wouldn't really know that unless you had already stayed at a moderate resort....regardless, it has everything you would need in terms of fast food, just not a super huge selection. Those are my only cons, small pool and small food court. But the pros are so many that I think the cons become inconsequential. I would only suggest you research what building would be best for you and make that request. If you don't get it, big deal, but if you do then you will be even happier!

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

If you are planning a lot of time at MK, then poly would be nice just hopping the mono and head there. For anything else, or if you are only going to do MK once or twice, I dont see how people say the transportation is better, never understood that one. CSR on a map is more central located for the other parks in that case, and epcot isnt bad at all either.

This is a very valid point if the OP is planning to go to all four parks. Poly is frequently recommended for ease of transportation, especially for families with small kids so you can get on the monorail from MK and go back for naps. Poly's transportation to DHS and AK stinks - it shares buses with several other resorts. Getting to Epcot is easy - you can walk to the TTC and catch the Epcot monorail, especially if you are in one of the longhouses near the TTC.

CSR has great bus transportation to all four parks, and the resort is centrally located. CSR doesn't share buses with any resort, although there are four internal stops. All CSR rooms are close to a bus stop, which is not the case at the deluxe resorts that only have one stop. We have had long walks to the bus stop, particularly at the Beach Club, only to then go to several other resorts before we got to a park. Even without a car, it is easy to get to any of the parks from CSR. It is harder to get to the other resorts without a car - Poly has the edge there just because of the ease of getting to MK to get on a resort bus.

We really enjoy the amenities at the Poly, but the only amenity we can't use if we are not a Poly guest is the pool. CSR's pool is way better than Poly's anyway. We had a great breakfast at O'Hana in July while staying at CSR. We've watched Wishes from the Poly beach as a Poly guest, but it is no replacement for watching it at MK. I never understood why people wanted to watch Wishes from Poly unless they didn't have park hoppers - it is so much more magical to be in MK.

If you were only getting one room at CSR, OP, it would be a no-brainer to advise you to stay at CSR. Having stayed at both more than once, the Poly is not worth twice CSR. It's only because you have to have two rooms at CSR that there is even a discussion. If you are going to be spending the same amount of money (approximately), it depends what is more important - more space, the monorail, theming, better pool, etc. You don't have a bad choice here.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Two smalls rooms and renting a car seems like a hassle.

CSR rooms are 314 square feet, while Poly standard rooms are 409 square feet (seems like a couple of longhouses might have slightly bigger rooms). If space is the concern, two CSR rooms give a lot more space than the Poly rooms. Because Poly rooms open to a hallway with the bathroom on one side and the closet on the other, some of that 409 square feet is made up of unusable hallway space. Our 340 square foot AKL room felt smaller than the CSR room because of the room setup - part of the increased square footage was hallway. We had room for a queen air mattress in our CSR room - there is plenty of space.

Poly rooms do give you the chance of having a balcony, OP, although that is not a guarantee. CSR rooms do not have balconies. The rooms at both resorts are gorgeous and are furnished in dark woods. CSR was rehabbed in 2009, Poly was done in about 2006, I think.

Every time we have stayed at CSR with a car, it has remained parked the whole time unless we had an ADR at another resort or went to a water park (buses go to the water parks, but we wanted to have the car that day). Bus transportation is very efficient at CSR. Not sure why renting a car would be a hassle - it just gives you more options.