Where would you stay? AK vs BW vs Contemporary vs Poly

[japajsm]

My DH and I have never stayed at any of these resorts and are trying to decide which one to pick. Just to give you a little info - we are annual pass holders with no dining plan (will eat in & outside of Disney), are planning 7 night stay (08/22-08/28) and will have a rental car (not using bus trans.). We've been to Disney many times, so we are familiar with the area.

We're torn between staying at a monorail resort vs walking to Epcot vs Animal Kingdom. Other than, the Animal Kingdom, which is $386 less for 7 nights than the Contemporary (most expensive), the rates are not a factor in making a decision.

Which resort did you prefer if you have stayed at both the Contemporary and Polynesian? It might be fun and convenient to just be able to walk to Epcot and DHS. Then, I'm thinking is the extra $386 worth staying somewhere other than the Animal Kingdom? I know it is totally a matter of opinion, but I would like to hear your opinion and experiences. Thanks.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I’ve stayed at AKL and Poly (most recently). I loved them both but Poly was pure magic, imo. Do you have a favorite park? When are you going? If it’s for F&W I may be inclined to say BW. I haven’t stayed at CR but have been there and done the walk to MK which is nice and convenient. If it were me I’d personally narrow down to Poly and BW depending on what you’re focusing on for the trip.

 

[Dave006]

First the AKL is almost always going to be the cheapest of your list. It is remote from all 4 parks and lovely and quite. All the other resorts are close to the MK for the Poly & CR or the BW on Crescent lake between HS and Epcot.

Two questions for you: What time of year are you planning for your next visit? Where might you spend the most "Resort" time?

Without knowing those answers, I would vote for the BW. It has a great location on Crescent lake with easy access to Epcot and HS via walking or Friendship boat. You also have many food options right round the BW, Swan & Dolphin, YC & BC and then the International Gateway takes you to the foods of world.

Dave

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Which parks will you visit the most? I would base my decision on that.

 

[Shanti]

My DH and I have never stayed at any of these resorts and are trying to decide which one to pick. Just to give you a little info - we are annual pass holders with no dining plan (will eat in & outside of Disney), are planning 7 night stay (08/22-08/28) and will have a rental car (not using bus trans.). We've been to Disney many times, so we are familiar with the area.

We're torn between staying at a monorail resort vs walking to Epcot vs Animal Kingdom. Other than, the Animal Kingdom, which is $386 less for 7 nights than the Contemporary (most expensive), the rates are not a factor in making a decision.

Which resort did you prefer if you have stayed at both the Contemporary and Polynesian? It might be fun and convenient to just be able to walk to Epcot and DHS. Then, I'm thinking is the extra $386 worth staying somewhere other than the Animal Kingdom? I know it is totally a matter of opinion, but I would like to hear your opinion and experiences. Thanks.

I have stayed at all of those resorts. For a summer trip, I'd cross the Contemporary off the list because of its lackluster pool.

From the other 3, it's a more subjective choice. Here is some info to help you make a decision:

• All 3 have great pool offerings. Poly's pool is the very best of the 3, but also the most crowded.
• Boardwalk Inn's great roller coaster-themed spiral slide has a giant (friendly) clown mouth at the bottom. If you're clown-phobic, don't stay there.
• AKL has 2 feature pools all guests get to use, so that adds variety. Neither pool is as special as Poly's or BW's pool, though.
• A major Poly advantage is the monorail.
• A major Poly drawback compared to the others is having to walk outdoors to get to & from different parts of the resort. That's a pain when it rains, which it will do in August.
• Poly and AKL have much better dining offerings than BW.
• BW offers walkability to EP, HS & Fantasia mini-golf. And there are a few Boardwalk activities, too.
• AKL is the most peaceful of the 3, imo, while BW is the prettiest.

If I had the choice, I'd select BW or Poly, because we're pool-centric in summer, but all 3 are good choices.

 

[Marionnette]

My DH and I have never stayed at any of these resorts and are trying to decide which one to pick. Just to give you a little info - we are annual pass holders with no dining plan (will eat in & outside of Disney), are planning 7 night stay (08/22-08/28) and will have a rental car (not using bus trans.). We've been to Disney many times, so we are familiar with the area.

We're torn between staying at a monorail resort vs walking to Epcot vs Animal Kingdom. Other than, the Animal Kingdom, which is $386 less for 7 nights than the Contemporary (most expensive), the rates are not a factor in making a decision.

Which resort did you prefer if you have stayed at both the Contemporary and Polynesian? It might be fun and convenient to just be able to walk to Epcot and DHS. Then, I'm thinking is the extra $386 worth staying somewhere other than the Animal Kingdom? I know it is totally a matter of opinion, but I would like to hear your opinion and experiences. Thanks.

I'd pick BWI. I own at BWV and it's by far my favorite location on property. Lots of good dining options within a short walk of the hotel. But parking your car can be a pain and the lot is not convenient to the hotel entrance.

I find the CR to be uninteresting although the theme park view from the tower is amazing and walking to the MK is kind of nice! Poly is a beautiful property but the rooms are dark and there are no 2nd floor balconies - and I always end up with a room on the second floor. AK feels remote. It's not, it just has that feeling. Which is kind of nice after a day of sensory over-stimulation in the parks. It would actually be my second choice since you will have a car. The dining options are not as plentiful nor as varied as the Boardwalk area. But there's something to be said about sitting on your balcony in the morning and watching the animals.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

Contemporary MK view Tower is our absolute favourite!!! Waking up to a castle view and watching the fireworks on our own balcony is worth every penny. We love the convenience of everything in one buildings (room, restaurants and monorails). Our favourite park is MK and it's great being able to take a short 5 minute walk if the monorail is down. We tried the Grand Floridian one year because CR wasn't available. We were so disappointed that we decided to only go if we can stay CR.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

The dining options are not as plentiful nor as varied as the Boardwalk area.

True, but AKL does have excellent restaurants. If I stayed there, I'd probably go to Boma for two dinners and a breakfast. Throw in a visit to Jiko and maybe Sanaa, and you've got great restaurants. I really like the Boardwalk Inn, but there is no real restaurant inside the building (just a bar that has snacks), so you have to go outside to get to the restaurants. If I were choosing based on room decor rather than restaurant proximity, I'd likely go with the Boardwalk Inn, but that's just a preference.

 

[jbharr1]

The walk to MK is really, really hard for me to turn down. With that said, if MK isn’t a priority park for you, then BWI.

 

[japajsm]

Thank you all for your opinions. We have decided to stay at the BW!

 

[happymommy]

Have you considered the Swan or the Dolphin?

I love the Epcot resorts, but these are much nicer in terms of service, room quality, amenities, etc... My last stay at the BWI was not that great, and at $300 a night just for my youngest and me, it was overpriced (and that was with a big discount). We had to call security not once but twice for the room next door - yelling, loud noise, etc. The service was not great.

I'd definitely go with an Epcot resort!

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I have stayed at all of these except the Contemporary. I would pick The Polynesian if money wasn’t an issue, but AKL is also really cool. We will not return to The Boardwalk. The food options are not great. The bus transportation there was abysmal.