Thinking about using points for the Poly to be on monorail

[Popovich]

We are thinking of using points to book a trip next spring and staying at the Polynesian. We would be coming back to the room every day for swimming and/or napping. We have a DD age 5 and DS age 3. Previously we have stayed at a 1 br at BWV and have enjoyed the refrig. and the living room. We did not do much cooking.

Has anyone stayed at Poly and if you reserve a refrig. is it worth the sacrifice to be on the monorail?

Is VWL just as convenient to MK and other resorts?

We would love to have your input and advice! Thanks!

 

[Mooobooks]

If the Magic Kingdom is your favorite park, nothing beats staying at one of the hotels on the monorail line ... except for staying at the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge, because there you have access to the small boats that run frequently to the Magic Kingdom. Either one gives you the quickest access to that park.
While others have complained about the bus service from the Villas, it has always been fine in my experience EXCEPT if you are either going or coming from Downtown Disney, in which case 45 minute waits are not uncommon (and it's wise to spring for a taxi).
The Poly has a stunning new pool with volcano!

 

[Mai Ku Tiki]

We are new BCV/DVC owners BUT... I am a 30 year POLY veterans.
We bought DVC(finally) for the extra space. DS is now 16, usually brings a friend and we all need more space to truly relax. You will give this up at Poly...All in one room (ALL OF THE TIME!) unless you and DH escape to balcony/patio once kids are asleep. And when THEY nap, you have to tiptoe around them! Not to mention all those pts!

Having said that.....There is (to us) a true sense of Polynesian magic there. We LOVE the South Pacific theming, the lush tropical feeling. The pools are great, Captain Cook's fast food eatery is (at least always was) open 24/7, the beach is fun(stay OUT of the water!) and there is nothing as magical (to us!) as looking across the lagoon at nite to see 'my' castle all lit up!

Using the monorail or boats instead of busses for MK/Epcot means maximum convenience and a greater sense of 'away from it all' more of the time.

Do you drive down? We stop to purchase drinks and a $5 styrofoam cooler...We fill it AM and PM with ice and save the cost of fridge. Works for us. You can pack cereal/snacks and pick up containers of milk daily from Capt. Cook's.

DISCLAIMER: I am NOT minimizing the DVC, only sharing MHO of another piece of the Disney MAGIC!
We love to talk 'POLY". If I can help further, let me know!

 

[DVC1996]

Originally posted by Popovich
Is VWL just as convenient to MK and other resorts?

Yes, most definitely! I love riding the boat from VWL to the MK!
I've stayed at the Poly too but with young kids I would rather have the convenience of the studio or one-BR at the VWL.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

I think the monorail will be much more convenient and faster than the boat. One of the great things about DVC is having the option of using the other hotels. The cooler idea has worked for us as well. You can get the colapsable ones which fold pretty flat when not in use, and hold a fair size of drinks and milk for the kids and breakfast. I even heard of one poster talking about how he bought a small refridgerator and ended up spending less on the purchase than he would have in rental.

We are going to plan to stay at the poly at least one time to enjoy the monorail access. Of course, and then there's the Grand Floridian.

 

[Popovich]

So many choices!! I love being a DVC member! Thanks for the cooler idea.

What are the pools like at the Poly? Do they have any kids activities? I know the GF has the "tea party" and story time.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Luv2Dream]

I've stayed at both and I have a now 5yo DD. When we stayed at the Poly she was 3 and we didn't own VWL. However, now having been at both and I can compare them properly, it's really a toss-up. I absolutely loved being on the monorail at the Poly. However, I absolutely love the bigger space at VWL especially since my DD goes to bed so early and we like to read and watch TV and take a jacuzzi! Since the boat at VWL is so convenient to MK and VWL is also so convenient to FW, that is a bigger draw to me than the Poly and the smaller one room option. But, you have the option of doing anything you want with your DVC points and that's the beauty of ownership in my opinion. Do what your heart desires and have a great trip no matter what.

 

[mzzbuzzlightyear]

Before DVC, we always stayed at the monorail hotels; with our children, and once with a 6 yr DGS. I never wanted to stay anywhere else. Then came DVC,...I love it, but dearly wish there was a DVC on the monorail system! That's part of the WDW experience for me.
I say, go for the Poly! It's really convenient with little ones. Now, I, on the other hand have grown to like the Contemporary better. First stop back (could even walk), and wherever you stay, you don't get wet, even the Contmporary wings have a covered walkway!

 

[CarolMN]

In the spring of 2003 (Magic Season), 5 days (Sun -Thur) in a studio at VWL will cost you 70 points. A week would cost 134 points.

For the same time (Peak Season), 5 days (Sun -Thur) in a garden view room (least expensive) at the Poly will cost you 215 points. A week would cost 371.

Only you can decide if staying at the Polynesian Resort is worth 145 (237 for an entire week) more points than staying at the VWL. Whatever you decide will be right for your family. Have fun deciding!

 

[Mooobooks]

Ain't the plain truth of the numbers damned ugly!

 

[Deb8821]

We stayed at the Poly last Nov for 9 nights - with 2 4 year olds and 1 8month old. Hawaii building conceirge. Got a refrig at no charge, plus a VCR and free movies, you just have to ask. We spend most of our time at Magic Kingdom - we found the boat across the lake was even quicker than the monarail. I loved the convenience - plus the food offerings, and water & juice boxes made the cost worth while. With that said this Nov we are trying the 2 bedroom at WVL for 9 nights by renting points. I think both have big plus! Just depends on what is important to you. I know it was a tough choice for this next trip!!

 

[mkunichi]

Originally posted by CaptainMidnight
...I even heard of one poster talking about how he bought a small refridgerator and ended up spending less on the purchase than he would have in rental.
...

I've been thinking about getting a Koolatron thermoelectric cooler. It's a cooler that uses a thermoelectric (don't ask me to explain) heat transfer mechanism to either heat or cool the cooler. It comes in various sizes and I've even seen a collapsible one. After years of being slave to the ice cube machine, I've been considering it. Don't know anyone who has it.

 

[ErinC]

On our last trip to WDW (we always drive the 8 hour trip), pre DVC we bought a coleman cooler that can be plugged into your cigarette lighter, or your wall outlet. We stayed at CBR and it worked great. We purchased it at Walmart (around $80). We stayed at CBR for 9 nights, so I figured for the cost of the rental, we have our own little frig. that we can reuse again if we need it. The only down side would be that you cannot leave it plugged into your car for more than a few hours if the car is not running, so we did have to take it into our motel when we stopped over on the way down. You can also use it to warm food by hitting a switch. Just thought this might be helpful to someone. I can't help you with your decision to choose between the resorts yet. I have never stayed at a monorail resort, and we are going home to VWL next month for the first time. We have 2 DD's , one turning 6 while we are there, and the other is 2. So I will be able to tell you a little more when we return, about VWL with young children. Erin

 

[Popovich]

Thanks for the information about the coolers. We'll have to check that out. You never know when you might use one.

Thanks again!

 

[Laurabearz]

We are staying at the Poly on points this May.... we are new DVC'rs and our first trip on points is to the Poly (and BC). We decided for this trip we want to be on the monorail for MK and want to be able to walk to Epcot and MGM.

We have a 3 year old and a 18 month old. What we loose in room we gain in access. But we also dont plan on being in our rooms much.... with SAB and the Volcano pool.... and theme parks within minutes.... ahhhhh The joys of DVC!!!

 

[Peter Johnson]

This thread reminds us of when we joined DVC. Our second WDW trip was our first stay on site, at the Poly. We loved the Monorail. For us it made the Disney experience that much more "magical".

Our second onsite stay was two years later at PO. While it was a great resort, we really missed the Monorail. On that visit we did our DVC tour; since DVC wasn't registered in NH yet, we went home to think about it. One of our biggest concerns was whether or not we'd be happy off the Monorail route.

Since becoming members 10 years ago, we've often considered staying at Poly again on points, just to relive that magical first onsite stay... but we haven't yet. It sure is hard to give up that 1 bedroom!

 

[MikeJ]

Originally posted by mkunichi

I've been thinking about getting a Koolatron thermoelectric cooler. It's a cooler that uses a thermoelectric (don't ask me to explain) heat transfer mechanism to either heat or cool the cooler. It comes in various sizes and I've even seen a collapsible one. After years of being slave to the ice cube machine, I've been considering it. Don't know anyone who has it.

We purchased one of these last year - one of the larger ones. It's been on our trip to PEI last summer as well as our last trip to WDW at Christmas. On both occasions we drove. The van has a power outlet in the back so we can plug in the cooler and forget about it. We also purchased a 120VAC-12VDC converter so we can use it in the hotel room, too. It takes some time to get cold (we always plug it in the night before we load it for the trip) but it does keep things incredibly cold. On one trip we placed some frozen meat in the cooler and when we arrived at our destination 12 hours later it was still hard as a rock.

Ours wouldn't be as useful if we weren't driving, but for those times when we are taking the van and not flying it has likely saved us more in meals than its original cost.

- Mike

 

[crisi]

I wouldn't say that the VWL are "just" as convienent to the parks, but they were fine for our 2 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old. The boat to the MK was fine (the kids loved riding the boat). It was less convienent to Epcot - but you don't spend that much time there with little ones. And everyone takes the bus to AK and MGM (unless you walk to MGM from BWV or something).

I'd save the points and go with VWL. But I'm cheap. If I HAD to stay at the Poly, I'd check out renting the points and using cash at the Poly.

 

[Cinderella]

Hi, Poly was the first place I stayed and I thought it would be impossible to beat. Until I stayed at WL with our two little ones (first time ages 2 and 4). Have always stayed at WL since and now I am a member there.

I would definitely stay at the Poly again but, only for a couple of nights, perhaps paying cash on weekend nights. It really is hard to beat those one bedroom units and the theming of the lodge is so beautiful.

 

[TandyR]

I just got back from staying at VWL....I have a DD age 5 and a DD age 2.5 so I may understand your concern about getting kids to and from places. I have to say I have never stayed at the Poly, so I can't say anything with that. With our stays at WL and VWL the girls have viewed the boat ride as one of the great rides at Disney...also I like being at VWL with the girls because of Fort Wilderness....the girls like going over there for the petting zoo and pony rides on our down days. I admit I am biased, but I think VWL is wonderful with small children.