Why is this so hard?.

[have2getaway]

I have gone from so excited to plan our trip, to completely obsessed, and now completely frustrated. It started out nice and easy--a trip for 5 (2 adults & 3 kids, all age 7) in January, when Disney is hopefully not too crowded. First, we were going to stay at the most affordable resort (POR), then we were considering going to Universal for a day - nixed that idea due to cost. Then, I got a special rate for BC and Poly and considered doing a split stay with POR and BC. That would have made sense, but oh no, I went all out and booked Poly. The Poly upgrade exceeded the cost to do Universal for a day. (Pst. -- I haven't even shared with DH the financial damage there). Still, I was feeling pretty good about the splurge until it hit me that it will be January! Will paying more for the Poly even be worth it then? I know it will certainly be more convenient, but will we enjoy all that the park has to offer that time of year? Then, DH says to me: "I can't wait to go on that Spiderman ride". Umm, yeah, that's at the park we decided NOT to go to!" Someone please help get me back to reality! I feel like I've entered the twilight zone--literally! I started looking for 2 day hotel deals at Universal, convinced we need the Express Pass if we go. I really think our current plan for Poly with a super good deal is where we should leave things and...MAYBE...try a day at Universal and not stay on site at US, but not sweat it if we don't end up going. We both decided we were fine with skipping it, but the problem is, he watches things on Youtube and has never been to any of the parks himself, so he gets Universal confused with Hollywood Studios, and thinks we will be able to see things there. We are not huge Harry Potter fans as a family so, to me, it made sense to just keep it simple and stick with Disney. My TA has been amazing and very patient. Does anyone else go through this craziness?

 

[pjweaver]

First, and you seem to have already taking this out so it may be moot, I can't imagine five people staying in one room at BC. You can physically sleep five there, but you will live out of your suitcases and trip over each other.

Any time I can find a great deal at the Poly I jump on it, but weigh all choices. You may find you love a cabin at FW and save enough for UO. Also check if Universal has any deals like two park days for one.

Show your DH Universal on their site. Superman is at Great Adventure, the Hulk is at UO. If one roller coaster that your children may not even be able to ride is his sole reason to go there, skip Universal all together. If you think one day at UO is all you need, you can get a shuttle that picks you up from WDW. I find UO more for teens and thrill seekers, and as they say, no matter how much time you have at WDW it never is enough.

 

[toonaspie]

Isnt January after New Year's considered the value season? If so then I dont think you should worry too much about price. You might be able to find a better deal on Poly than you would any other time of the year. Your only concern with Disney should be certain rides possibly closed for maintenance. Same might be true for UO anyway. In fact if it's value season at UO too, you might be able to do both afterall since i imagine crowds will also be low there.

 

[have2getaway]

First, and you seem to have already taking this out so it may be moot, I can't imagine five people staying in one room at BC. You can physically sleep five there, but you will live out of your suitcases and trip over each other.

Any time I can find a great deal at the Poly I jump on it, but weigh all choices. You may find you love a cabin at FW and save enough for UO. Also check if Universal has any deals like two park days for one.

Show your DH Universal on their site. Superman is at Great Adventure, the Hulk is at UO. If one roller coaster that your children may not even be able to ride is his sole reason to go there, skip Universal all together. If you think one day at UO is all you need, you can get a shuttle that picks you up from WDW. I find UO more for teens and thrill seekers, and as they say, no matter how much time you have at WDW it never is enough.

Yes, and Yes! We could survive with 5 at BC, but...no, I really don't want to or see us enjoying the stay-- certainly not the down time in the hotel. We did consider a cabin at FW, but...that is more up his alley than mine. We also thought about a suite at AoA or Music values, but I wasn't crazy about those resorts for the cost, just to have a separate room. Does this make sense?

2 of our boys are thrill seekers, but only as far as roller coasters go, and none will not be tall enough to ride either of the big roller coasters there. They are just 48 inches now. None of them like to be scared or in the dark so that is what concerned me the most about going to US at the age they are at. They are still really into Disney. They watched Beauty and the Beast, Brave, Tarzan, Cinderella, Frozen, Tangled--loved them all, but really don't like Pg-13 type movies. They are also HUGE Star Wars fans and are being Star Wars characters for Halloween. They do like Transformers and Spiderman, but that's about it so waiting to go to US makes sense all around. The only one sad about not going is DH lol, but he has heard from coworkers that there will be plenty to do at WDW so I think he agrees with waiting for US.

 

[have2getaway]

First, and you seem to have already taking this out so it may be moot, I can't imagine five people staying in one room at BC. You can physically sleep five there, but you will live out of your suitcases and trip over each other.

Are the rooms at BC that much smaller in comparison with Poly?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

A typical Beach Club room is 381 square feet. A typical Poly room in the old longhouses is ~415 square feet. The rooms converted to DVC at Poly were the 465 square foot rooms, but they're using a bunch of space on the second shower.

 

[BigAlsGal]

Why don't you sit down with your family and ask them what they would like to do? Sounds like you're only considering your wants by how you've begun booking. If you're expecting 7 year olds (heck maybe even your DH) to appreciate a poly upgrade instead of universal you're gonna be met with disappointment.

It's a family vacation. Talk to your family.

 

[mickeynut1]

Are the rooms at BC that much smaller in comparison with Poly?

IMO, yes. We've stayed at both and while there are only 4 of us and the BC was ok, the Poly rooms are much larger/spacious. Also, all rooms at the Poly have a daybed and only a portion of BC rooms have them (we did not have a daybed). Parties of 5 are given preference for those rooms, but it's not a guarantee. They will, however, provide a roll away if a room with a daybed isn't available.

 

[pjweaver]

Are the rooms at BC that much smaller in comparison with Poly?

We stayed at BCV this summer, just my wife and I. Granted we packed for 10 days, but it was just one suitcase each and filled the dresser, closet, drawers in the bathroom and night stands, and used every hanger provided. This may be because it was we were on the villa side. The four dresser drawers are as tall as a 12 ounce soda can and maybe 18 inches deep, and what was once additional space became the murphy bed. I will try to find photos from my TR.

 

[crazylady]

Take some deep breaths... you will figure this out and have a great time whatever you decide!

A few points from my point of view:

• Try to think about what kind of vacation you want. It is possible to make Disney or Universal a relaxing trip but when you add in one or the other, it becomes less relaxing and more $. It might be better for you to just do one as your first trip.
• That being said, at 8 my kid LOVED Universal. Spiderman, Transformers and Minions were great. Universal has more "boy" stuff IMO and he thought the Univ characters were awesome. And that doesn't even take into consideration the HP stuff. He rode every roller coaster he was tall enough for. I think we was about 52"
• You could prob get away with no Express Pass in Jan. But if you wanted it, you only really need to stay on site one night to get it for two days. Check in on your first morning to get your Express Pass and head to the park. It doesn't take that much time and if you have two day passes, you shouldn't need to be there right at opening
• If you not big HP people, there is some savings at Univ by not getting the park to park pass and only doing one park a day. My family liked to do their favorites in each park each day though so that wouldn't work for us.
• I wouldn't pay for POLY in January unless it was a really good deal. The weather is too iffy.
• We've always been happy with our moderate stays. We really like POR and CBR and haven't found the buses too bad. The savings on moderates is worth the transportation inconvenience to us.
• Check out Cheap Tickets or Orbitz for special discount codes to stack onto the Disney specials for even more discounts.

 

[crazylady]

And if you do decide on some Universal days, I would do them last. My thrill seeker says Disney coasters are boring now.

 

[pjweaver]

http://www.disboards.com/threads/the-disaversary-day-by-day.3528464/page-2#post-56194516
BWV pics are on the last post, and I am only 6'

 

[busymommy2pink]

First, and you seem to have already taking this out so it may be moot, I can't imagine five people staying in one room at BC. You can physically sleep five there, but you will live out of your suitcases and trip over each other.

Any time I can find a great deal at the Poly I jump on it, but weigh all choices. You may find you love a cabin at FW and save enough for UO. Also check if Universal has any deals like two park days for one.

Show your DH Universal on their site. Superman is at Great Adventure, the Hulk is at UO. If one roller coaster that your children may not even be able to ride is his sole reason to go there, skip Universal all together. If you think one day at UO is all you need, you can get a shuttle that picks you up from WDW. I find UO more for teens and thrill seekers, and as they say, no matter how much time you have at WDW it never is enough.

I beg to differ we stayed beach club with two kids (almost 6 and 8), a teenager and two adults and never felt cramped.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Are the rooms at BC that much smaller in comparison with Poly?

We did a split stay with Poly and the BC last year. After staying at the Poly the BC rooms felt much smaller. Poly rooms are very spacious.

 

[disneyseniors]

Regarding Universal, we (2 adults) decided to go to Universal one day only last year, Studios side. We had seen the other side 2 years before, so opted for one side. We took a cab from WDW, and had a blast.
Fast forward to this year. I am thinking about staying at an onsite hotel overnight to get 2 days worth of park visits and express pass. However, after checking the cost for one day at deluxe ( I wanted to splurge for once, and buying 2 day park hoppers, it came to over 800.00 for the 2 of us!!!!!! I could have brought the price down a little by staying at CB, but didn't want to.
So, have opted for a park hopper for one day with cab ride to and from and spend the day from open to close. It's just too much money to justify it for us. I hate to think what it would cost for a family of 5.
Just my musings on this problem, too...
We bought the EP, but felt it was not worth it. We missed some of the fantastic queues and really most everything was a walk on. Only Minions and Shrek needed them..................

 

[Nancyg56]

I have stayed at both the BC and the Poly with 5 people. We were not cramped in either resort room. WE do put our clothing away though, so no suitcases hanging around, I am also organized in the room, so that helps a lot.

OP- talk to your family, see what they want to do on the whole as a vacation. I would not break my bank on a deluxe resort if you all use the room to sleep and shower, so keep in mind how you plan to use the amenities you pay for. We have had luck in January swimming, and none in late November/early December. It all depends on Mother Nature. For your kids. the pools may be important, and you know they will probably not mind the cold whereas an adult might. If you are not planning too much resort time, I would move back to POR, save the money spend that on something else. The kids will enjoy the pool, and as I said, if the room is just a place to hang your hat, stagger your shower time, and use the lobby and the lounge to give each other some space.

Personally, especially if this is a first trip, I would not try to do to theme parks, unless I was planning a vacation in excess of a week, but you should discuss it with your husband. I am one who loves to spend plenty of time in the parks without feeling I am rushing from place to place, so if your family has to include two days at Universal, will you have time to enjoy the WDW resort parks, or are you compromising on what you are paying for? WE have gone to the Poly in January and it was lovely. The grounds are relaxing and even if you do not use the pool as often as you would like, the amenities and the convenience give you plenty to do.

 

[Elmo888]

Just remember - you can't do everything in one trip, so relax and just pick what you think will work. I plan our trips, but I don't ask for too many opinions. It quickly becomes too complicated especially when trying to explain costs to kids. If I make wrong decisions, it is usually because a family member hasn't known what they wanted - who would have guessed DD at 14 years old wanted thrill rides AND princesses?

With 7 year olds, I would skip Universal and save it for another trip. They won't miss it. I would go back to your husband and explain logistics (transportation, needing x number of days for each Disney park, etc.) cost and reasoning for saving Universal for next time There's plenty of time for thrill rides.

I don't know if it is worth the cost to you but I would keep the Poly if you can swing it. The monorail will be nice. Not to confuse you, but AoA is great - the space and even my DDs at 14 and 10 loved the theming. Have all 5 of you stayed in a one room hotel for a week before? DDs were 7 and 2 on our first family trip (which happened to be to WDW), and it wasn't great. We have been staying in suites since that trip.

I was a little crazy the first time our family went, but keep reminding yourself that you can do it next trip!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I have stayed at both the BC and the Poly with 5 people. We were not cramped in either resort room. WE do put our clothing away though, so no suitcases hanging around, I am also organized in the room, so that helps a lot.

OP- talk to your family, see what they want to do on the whole as a vacation. I would not break my bank on a deluxe resort if you all use the room to sleep and shower, so keep in mind how you plan to use the amenities you pay for. We have had luck in January swimming, and none in late November/early December. It all depends on Mother Nature. For your kids. the pools may be important, and you know they will probably not mind the cold whereas an adult might. If you are not planning too much resort time, I would move back to POR, save the money spend that on something else. The kids will enjoy the pool, and as I said, if the room is just a place to hang your hat, stagger your shower time, and use the lobby and the lounge to give each other some space.

Personally, especially if this is a first trip, I would not try to do to theme parks, unless I was planning a vacation in excess of a week, but you should discuss it with your husband. I am one who loves to spend plenty of time in the parks without feeling I am rushing from place to place, so if your family has to include two days at Universal, will you have time to enjoy the WDW resort parks, or are you compromising on what you are paying for? WE have gone to the Poly in January and it was lovely. The grounds are relaxing and even if you do not use the pool as often as you would like, the amenities and the convenience give you plenty to do.

I agree with the bolded very much. I would stick with just WDW or just Universal for a first time trip.

 

[have2getaway]

Why don't you sit down with your family and ask them what they would like to do? Sounds like you're only considering your wants by how you've begun booking. If you're expecting 7 year olds (heck maybe even your DH) to appreciate a poly upgrade instead of universal you're gonna be met with disappointment.

It's a family vacation. Talk to your family.

Well, here's the thing, the trip is a surprise to our triplet boys for Christmas, which is why we haven't asked for their input. DH originally wanted to stay at WL, but he is aware a discount was not available for that resort, and it was undergoing renovations. I really want his opinion, but he doesn't want to be bothered with the details most of the time, except to interject mixed messages regarding our trip. For instance, he'll say he wants to stay at the cheapest place, but then asks me why I didn't I just get a monorail resort since it's more convenient. We discussed not doing US because the cost was $800 for one day. Poly is $1300 more, but it's over the course of an entire week. I'm also still hopful discounts will come out for Jan, although not expecting I will get both the discount I have now and another one. Not sure how to get more input from him. He's never been so he's relying on my opinion for most of it. I don't know how the buses will be at POR because I have never stayed there. I've only stayed at Coronado Springs and that was 10+ years ago. This has happened before with other trips. If I don't book somethings g convenient, he isn't happy, and if it's too expensive, he isn't happy. How do others choose?

 

[have2getaway]

Just remember - you can't do everything in one trip, so relax and just pick what you think will work. I plan our trips, but I don't ask for too many opinions. It quickly becomes too complicated especially when trying to explain costs to kids. If I make wrong decisions, it is usually because a family member hasn't known what they wanted - who would have guessed DD at 14 years old wanted thrill rides AND princesses?

With 7 year olds, I would skip Universal and save it for another trip. They won't miss it. I would go back to your husband and explain logistics (transportation, needing x number of days for each Disney park, etc.) cost and reasoning for saving Universal for next time There's plenty of time for thrill rides.

I don't know if it is worth the cost to you but I would keep the Poly if you can swing it. The monorail will be nice. Not to confuse you, but AoA is great - the space and even my DDs at 14 and 10 loved the theming. Have all 5 of you stayed in a one room hotel for a week before? DDs were 7 and 2 on our first family trip (which happened to be to WDW), and it wasn't great. We have been staying in suites since that trip.

I was a little crazy the first time our family went, but keep reminding yourself that you can do it next trip!

Thank you!!! I was starting to feel bad, but I guess I'm not alone. Thanks for the tip about the suites. I guess I will look more into AoA. We almost always stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom Residence Inn. The one exception to this was Hershey Park. We all stayed in one room and it worked out, but...we were never in the room. We do plan to use the room more on this trip.