Which would you pick?

[MickeyNicki]

I am trying to zero in on my January plans with our then 6 and 12.5 year old nieces. These resorts are priced about the same (without knowing what the discounts are going to be) so which one would you pick and why

 

[mericletwins]

I picked the BC. Why? My kids love the pool and so do my DH and I. Movies on the beach at night. Lots of dining options close by. The location is fabulous. You walk into Epcot and you can take the boat to DHS. A lot of the time we will stroll through Epcot and take the monorail over to the TTC and then the MK monorail. We like to take our time and relax on vacation so that is a nice way to get there. Having said that, we have never had problems taking the busses in the three times we have been there. Two of the times were Easter week so it was busy, but no bus problems. I have not stayed at all your other choices, only the Poly. I would definitely pick the BC

 

[PEANUT1]

I picked the poly. I have stayed at all of your choices. I really love AK, BC, and WL BUT....the poly is just Disney to me. There is something special and magical about it that I can not put into words.

 

[Bobsdisneymoney]

We have stayed at the Yacht Club & the Beach Club Villas. I LOVE that area. The best pool in Disney World-- Stormalong Bay!! If you have kids they will be in swimming pool heaven!! There is a white sand bottom pool.

THIS WAS TAKEN FROM MOUSESAVERS------
Without question, the biggest and best pool area at Walt Disney World is Stormalong Bay, which is shared by Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts. Sprawled over 3 acres and containing 750,000 gallons of water, this pool must be seen to be believed. Due to its obvious popularity, cast members stationed at each of the few entry points tightly control access. Without resort identification to prove you are registered at the Yacht Club or Beach Club (including Beach Club Villas), you will be asked to leave.

The one drawback to Stormalong Bay is its size, which can also be an attractive point depending on your situation. Families with both young and older children may be torn, as the area for young children is far from the water slide and other areas enjoyed by school-age children. Lifeguards are plentiful, but cannot substitute for absent parents. Fortunately, there are many areas where families can enjoy the pool together regardless of age.

I love the rooms too. Our first room overlooked the gazebo, where we saw a small wedding. It was nice. Try Beaches and Cream - a nice little burger place with wonderful ice cream. Cape May Cafe' is a great restaurant - They have a Mickey Character Breakfast & a Seafood Dinner in the evening. I vote Beach Club or Yacht Club...Try it out!!

 

[pepe of ohio]

We've stayed at all your choices over the years but have returned to WL the last 10 trips and have a reservation for it again this Aug/Sept. All are fine resorts and you'll never be disappointed but here are our reasons: AKL, different type a resort but we felt too remote from all the evening action, we like the lakes by the MK and didn't care much for the food options. BC, have stayed here a few times, daughter was on CP and worked in EPCOT, easiest to visit with her, cons, pool was always crowded, hard to get a seat due to savers but far from the MK, favorite park. Poly: quite a few stays here years ago, just can't justify the higher cost for the room, no matter monorail or not, monorail not all that great for convenience, we used the small boat and big ferry which in our opinion we just as fast and less crowded, small pool and no hot tub, just too much money.

WL, cheapest of all you mentioned, close to the MK, great boat ride, boat to CR and FW. Fantastic theming and dining. Pool is fantastic, themed well and we never run into crowds, we always go off season. Walking trail to FW, EWP every evening just a better bang for our buck and to make our stays more relaxing, its length of stay, we take the saving from the others, grab a AAA or AP discount and spend 10-12 nights and again it's location.

 

[J&J]

because the kids would love seeing the animal right out of their room.

 

[vicki_c]

Poly - I picked this due to proximity to MK, monorail and because I love it there. With a 6 year old and a 12 year old, I think you will want more MK time and the Poly is really convenient for that.

WL - would be my 2nd choice for a January vacation with your group, again because of proximity to MK and theming.

BC - great for Epcot, but in January, you probably won't be using the pool as much as in the summer (we've taken about 4 January trips, and we always swim at least 1x, but the weather can be so variable in January, I don't ever count on it). So I wouldn't use the pool as my decision driver for a winter vacation.

AKL - just not my personal favorite. Interesting, but I don't have a great need to go back soon.

 

[mickeynut1]

Having stayed at all of them except AKL, my choices would be Poly, WL, then BC (in that order) . The Poly is an awesome resort with great theming....the tropical surroundings are beautiful with the castle off in the distance . Plus the beach is great for relaxing in the hammocks watching the fireworks. If it's possible to swim during your trip, all 3 have great pools (although the BC has a bit of an edge)....but I wouldn't choose the BC soley on the pool because there is a very good chance it will be too cold to swim . We were at the BC in 2003 (week before Christmas) and the pool was closed the entire week due to cold weather . I guess it would depend where you will be spending most of your time......the Poly (with monorail access) and WL (boat access) are close proximity to MK, while the BC (walking distance/boat access) is close to Epcot and DHS. But they are all great resorts, so whichever one you choose I'm sure you'll have a magical trip . One idea might be to show the girls pictures of each resort and see what appeals to them.....then you can all make a decision according to what you can all agree on . Good luck with your decision as it's so hard choosing since there are so many great resorts .

 

[disneydance]

I picked AKL because I love AKL for one thing and also the kids would love. Also being club level is not a bad perk. Also its a resort that is like no other and is just amazing in every way.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I picked WL because of the bunkbeds.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm chatting with my 13yr old niece, and she pics the Poly! Her reason? The bus rides from the Beach Club are too long and boring. And she liked being on the monorail at the Poly.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My vote was for the Polynesian because of how close it is to the Magic Kingdom, the Monorail access and being able to walk to the TTC when going to Epcot.

 

[skipperkim]

I voted for AKL, because you could do the Sunrise Breakfast Safari at AK which can only be done if you stay club level at AKL. The pool at AKL is great, I've heard great things about Boma, I love Mara. There is so much to do at AKL I'm sure they'd love it.

 

[NancyIL]

I always stay at the Swan or Dolphin because I prefer the Epcot resort area. I would choose the resort that's closest to where you will spend most of your park time.

If it were MY choice, I would choose the Beach Club. The AKL and WL are well themed, but the themes aren't that appealing to me. The Poly does absolutely nothing for me, and I think it's overpriced. If I were going to spend that much money, I'd be at the Grand Floridian.

 

[johnsonet]

I am trying to zero in on my January plans with our then 6 and 12.5 year old nieces. These resorts are priced about the same (without knowing what the discounts are going to be) so which one would you pick and why

Awesome trip for your nieces!

I have stayed in each of the rooms you mentioned and I would go with the Polynesian or the AKL Club Level.
Although we swam once at AKL in January a few years ago, odds are the pool is not going to be a big draw IMO. Yes, they are heated but if it's in the 60s outside or colder
Staying club level would be exciting for the children, they can pick out snacks in the lounge and watch the old-fashioned cartoons with the other kids... Then, of course, there are the animals! Zebras, giraffes, ankole cattle, Greater Kudu, gazelles - not something you see everyday The resort is gorgeous! I highly recommend it. There is an indoor and outdoor firepit and wonderful smoky smells from the restaurants... might be cozy in January. Also - if you do choose to get in the pool, you can really warm up in AKL's 2 hot tubs. They are HOT!

As a previous poster mentioned, the Poly is just very "Disney" so it is a wonderful choice You can see Cinderella's Castle, Space Mountain, the monoral line, the Contemporary Resort, the Grand Floridian and all the boats on the Seven Seas Lagoon from all around the Poly grounds. It is a wonderful place to stay

Good luck with your decision. You certainly cannot go wrong.

 

[disney-super-mom]

I would probably pick the Poly for all the great reasons others have already mentioned, although it doesn't have a hot tub, which may come in handy during January. If you want to soak those tired feet and bodies in a hot tub, then my very close second choice would be the Beach Club.

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

I am so torn on this one. I had to really think about it and what I voted for is the AKL CL room. The reason being that if I was a kid, that would have made the biggest impression upon me. I loved animals so much at those ages. I would have been glad just to have stayed at the resort, viewing the animals and participating in the activities they offer. Going to the parks on top of that would have been an awesome memory.

Now, as an adult, I would prefer to stay at the Poly anyday. I love it's convenience. Easy access to the monorail, access to great coffee, being right there where Kona Cafe is.....not to mention it's peaceful beauty.

Happy planning!

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

I voted for AKL, because you could do the Sunrise Breakfast Safari at AK which can only be done if you stay club level at AKL.

Another great point that I didn't consider, but would be really great to take advantage of during a stay with kids.

 

[Coconuts]

Poly--you can't beat the monorail!!!!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Thanks everyone! DH and I have stayed at all of them (AK club level in Oct) and we love them all. The last time we took the girls we stayed at the POR and they liked that one alot.

So I had the girls all morning and we went to see Wall-E (which is AWESOME!) and I played a what would you rather game with them. They have no idea we are going to take them to WDW (it is their Xmas gifts) so I said which do you like better the beach or Hawaii, camping or the zoo etc etc and we narrowed it down to the zoo and Hawaii (AKL and the Poly). So I think we are going to go with the Poly because of the monorail and such.

I did the same thing with meals like which do you like better breakfast or dinner (they both picked breakfast so we are for sure going to do the 4 character breakfasts for each day of our stay) and then which character movie do you like better (princess vs Pooh vs Lilo & Stitch etc)

This game works like a charm on making decisions without letting on that they are going to WDW again!