value resort vs deluxe Poly

[kotsnewestmember]

I swear the more I read, the more I second guess our reservations. We are a family of five, 2 adults and 3 teens. Currently we are booked in two connecting rooms at the All star Music and have the DDP. We are going in August when 90's will be hot for us.

Here's my dilemma...I am beginning to think that having all these ADR's are really going to rule how we enjoy the parks...we prefer to just do things impulsively. I am thinking of ditching the plan and just paying OOP, keeping 2 or 3 of the reservations we really want,but just winging the rest. I am also debating whether two rooms, 4 beds, 2 baths, yet smaller rooms, and less fancy amenities at the value resort is better than say, upgrading to the Polynesian and staying in one room, but bigger beds and nicer amenities and right on monorail system. the computer system is down this morning and the summer special ends in a couple of days, so I have to make up our minds soon, or just stick with what we have.


Help me make up my mind..lol

thanks for any input

 

[ChristineOH]

Two rooms at a value are still quite a bit cheaper than the Poly, though I priced during the spring sale. Maybe the summer sale is better for the monorail resorts. So you have to decide what's more important. My husband is too tall to sleep well in full beds.

 

[mickeynut1]

I swear the more I read, the more I second guess our reservations. We are a family of five, 2 adults and 3 teens. Currently we are booked in two connecting rooms at the All star Music and have the DDP. We are going in August when 90's will be hot for us.

Here's my dilemma...I am beginning to think that having all these ADR's are really going to rule how we enjoy the parks...we prefer to just do things impulsively. I am thinking of ditching the plan and just paying OOP, keeping 2 or 3 of the reservations we really want,but just winging the rest. I am also debating whether two rooms, 4 beds, 2 baths, yet smaller rooms, and less fancy amenities at the value resort is better than say, upgrading to the Polynesian and staying in one room, but bigger beds and nicer amenities and right on monorail system. the computer system is down this morning and the summer special ends in a couple of days, so I have to make up our minds soon, or just stick with what we have.


Help me make up my mind..lol

thanks for any input

We are a deluxe family and the Poly is our favorite resort, so if it were me, I'd go with the Poly (especially since connecting rooms at any resort is not a guarantee). Being on the monorail is not only great for going back and forth to MK, but is convenient to the GF and CR for a variety of dining and shopping options. I'm sure you'll have a great trip no matter which resort you decide on, but the Poly, IMO, can't be beat for location and having the beach for watching the fireworks.

 

[BringingUpDisney]

Last trip we had DDP and lots of ADRs and we were miserable. Too much food and not the food we really wanted. Next trip we are going OOP.

In regards to the room, do two of your teenagers want to share a bed without major battles?

Do you plan to spend time enjoying the resort and the pool or will you be too busy going full speed at the parks all the time?

If the answer to both of these questions are yes, then I would consider the upgrade. If either is no, I would stick with your original plan.

 

[kotsnewestmember]

Two rooms at a value are still quite a bit cheaper than the Poly, though I priced during the spring sale. Maybe the summer sale is better for the monorail resorts. So you have to decide what's more important. My husband is too tall to sleep well in full beds.

That's is another thing I was thinking..both hubby and my 15 yr old son are over 6 feet..if we did value, I think they would each have to have their own..not sure how big the day bed in the Poly is. If we ditch the dining plan, I think the cost for the Poly would be about the same as what I have booked now with the dining plan...I am just also thinking the monorail is going to make getting around a lot easier than the busses, esp if we need a pool break during the day...but giving up an extra bathroom with teens...oh the dilemma. I don't know what to do..

 

[ChristineOH]

That's is another thing I was thinking..both hubby and my 15 yr old son are over 6 feet..if we did value, I think they would each have to have their own..not sure how big the day bed in the Poly is. If we ditch the dining plan, I think the cost for the Poly would be about the same as what I have booked now with the dining plan...I am just also thinking the monorail is going to make getting around a lot easier than the busses, esp if we need a pool break during the day...but giving up an extra bathroom with teens...oh the dilemma. I don't know what to do..

The monorail doesn't save you all that much time. Having stayed at POR and the Poly, I found getting to the parks the same between the two, EXCEPT for MK. The ferry to MK from the Poly is awesome. Loved it. The monorail to Epcot is fun, but it's not really a time saver. However, being able to watch Wishes from the beach at the Poly is pretty awesome. It's a beautiful resort.

We did DDP while at the Poly, and decided not to while at POR. We also didn't want to be tied to too many ADRs. The irony of not doing the DDP at the Poly is that you have such great access to all the of the dining options at the monorail resorts. But you are right about ADRs being a time suck. Some love it, some don't.

 

[ArwenMarie]

That's is another thing I was thinking..both hubby and my 15 yr old son are over 6 feet..if we did value, I think they would each have to have their own..not sure how big the day bed in the Poly is. If we ditch the dining plan, I think the cost for the Poly would be about the same as what I have booked now with the dining plan...I am just also thinking the monorail is going to make getting around a lot easier than the busses, esp if we need a pool break during the day...but giving up an extra bathroom with teens...oh the dilemma. I don't know what to do..

I think I would go with more space, especially with 3 teens!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I would ditch the dining plan and stay at the Poly. We traveled quite a bit with three teens, and the deluxe rooms with the daybed were always plenty roomy for us. There might have a few fights about the bathroom, but families are used to that.

 

[Grumpymom73]

I would go with the Poly for all the reasons listed above. Plus it's my families favorite resort!
We are a family of 4. Me, DH, DS19 and DS14 and we had no trouble with the room at the Poly. I really don't think one more teenager in the room would have bothered us at all. My DS14 is not as tall as yours but he is 5'10" and loved the daybed. He said it was very comfortable.

I also agree that too many ADR can be too much. I hate it when you are enjoying yourself at the pool or another park and you keep checking the time knowing you have to leave to make it to your ADR. Constantly being on the run is what I do in 'real life'.

 

[buzznina]

If you go POLY, 2 of your teens will have to sleep together, and I know from our friends some just will not do it

We do not do the DDP because, like you mentioned, you are tied into ADRs and most of the vacation revolves around them. Plus we only like to do a couple TSs per trip, because it takes twice as long as eating at CSs.

 

[MMS1125]

I love the Poly but as a fellow family of 5 it really is too cramped with only 1 bathroom and area to get ready each day. I'd consider ditching the dining plan and going with 2 rooms at POR, POFQ, or CSR for the bigger beds, slightly nicer amenities, and a little better on the wallet than a deluxe.

 

[rteetz]

The all stars are great for a bargain but they are definitely not deluxe resorts if you want a nice relaxing hotel go to the poly if you want a hotel for less money that is less relaxed go to the values. The poly is amazing I'd much rather stay there any day but I can't afford every trip so we tend to stay at values. Both are good hotels but the food at the all stars is getting bad especially that your using the dining plan the poly is a much better option for the dining plan any day.

disney lover at heart

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

We are also a family with 2A, 3K (17, 15, 12) and our vote is for the Poly. We really enjoy our stays there and like the convenience of the monorail.

 

[wishing4PA]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both, so whichever way you go, don't kick yourself later about it, please.

I think in your shoes, I'd do the Poly without DDP.
Personally, I like the DDP and ADR's. Especially in the summer, it is nice knowing you have a place to sit and relax out of the heat, but that doesn't seem to fit with your family's need for a lack of structure. And, with the Poly, you have a convenient place to cool off in a very nice pool. I have stayed in a Poly room with 5 (one of the larger rooms), and it didn't seem cramped at all during our 4(?) night trip. So I wouldn't worry much about that. I think you'll miss the extra bathroom more than the extra space, but it may be a worthwhile trade off if you each can remember to give the others some personal space there.

Either way, you'll have a fantastic vacation!

 

[wiigirl]

I would ditch the dining plan and stay at the Poly. We traveled quite a bit with three teens, and the deluxe rooms with the daybed were always plenty roomy for us. There might have a few fights about the bathroom, but families are used to that.

 

[Runnergal]

Tough call. I love the poly, but my kids are little and it is easier to pack us all into one room. Also, since your kids are older the monorail isn't as much of a help since you are not folding up strollers to get on the bus, and, as a previous poster pointed out, it is not much of a time saver anyway. We have never done the dining plan because it is too much food and I don't want to be tempted into eating dessert twice a day! But with teens, it might just be worth it because you could end up spending a lot out of pocket to fill them up!

 

[Dani784]

Why not just do a family suite at either AoA or ASMu? You'd get two bathrooms, enough beds, adults would still have privacy, and it's still at a value price. Win/win! Although I don't have teens yet myself so its just a suggestion. I would be afraid to let my teens terrorize a hotel room on their own! Who knows what damages I'd be paying for! Lol! (As you can see, I'm scared to death of my children becoming teens! Please tell me how I can avoid this!)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just throwing this out there. (You can see everyone sees this differently!)

You should consider doing Concierge at the Poly. The teens would love it, and you could at least eat breakfast and snacks there, as well as sample some offerings pretty much all day long that would take the curse off. (I would say you'd save money on food, for sure.) There's also space to relax, with cold and hot drinks and other goodies available all day, and hot offerings at night (more hors doeurves than meals), and even TVs and gaming systems there. The Hawaii building is like a little slice of heaven. (Other resorts have Concierge as well, but note that AKL and WL have smaller rooms. We hve done the Poly Concierge, and AKL Concierge last trip and it was awesome - got a good rate, as well.)

Another place to consider with teens is the Swan and Dolphin, especially since you're not doing the Dining Plan. If you qualify for one of the discounts, even better. There are tons of things for teens to do around the resort. The fitness center will lend out footballs and other sports equipment, there are lots of pools and places for food (incuding 24 hr room service and grill, and some give a AAA discount). The room we had last time was huge, as was the bathroom. We only have 4, but I saw a cot in the hallway and it was quite large and solid-looking.

One thing you can do regardless of where you stay if you don't do the dining plan, is to give each of the kids a Disney gift card for food and spending money, which makes life easier (if they can be trusted not to spend it all in one place!)

Good luck deciding!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Why not just do a family suite at either AoA or ASMu? You'd get two bathrooms, enough beds, adults would still have privacy, and it's still at a value price. Win/win! Although I don't have teens yet myself so its just a suggestion. I would be afraid to let my teens terrorize a hotel room on their own! Who knows what damages I'd be paying for! Lol! (As you can see, I'm scared to death of my children becoming teens! Please tell me how I can avoid this!)

Not all teens will terrorize a room! Many can actually be quite respectful!

 

[jade1]

Deluxe if possible IMO, or S&D has a roll away as well-would even stay there way before 2 Value rooms.