Would you rather...

[trvlgirlmq]

A longer vacation is a lot more important than where you stay!

 

[elaine amj]

We always choose the longer trip. We've stayed in fancy hotels and while I like it, its not high on my list of priorities. Cheap and cheerful suits me just fine. We did a 12 night stay at Pop a few years back and I loved every minute of it. Sure WL or AKL (my dream resorts) would have been SO nice - but still not worth the extra money for me. So we usually always stay value.

My upcoming trip is at SSR and I'm looking forward to the space, the lush surroundings, the additional resort activities, and the proximity to Disney Springs. That said, we scored a super deal - we booked it with UK free dining and between the super low GBP exchange rate and the extra discounts Brits get, it worked out to be about the same price as the AS Music stay I had initially booked. I wouldn't have paid too much extra for SSR and would have been content at a Value if the numbers hadn't worked.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If the choice was between 5 nights at the Poly versus 8 nights at POR I would go with POR since 5 nights is too short of a trip for us.

I think 8-9 nights at the Poly is awesome. It's not like you are having an extremely short stay to do the Poly.

I would chose the Poly, especially since it is your dream resort.

 

[kiford]

For me it all depends on the alternate resort. We really like AKL so I'd do that and more days no question. What is it about AKL that you don't like? My only two negatives about the resort are that it has no hot tub and it's slightly (and I do mean slightly) less convenient for travel to the parks. But that latter wasn't really an issue for us last year. We never really had to wait too long for a bus either to or from, it's just that there's fewer options. We spent time in the pool, the lounges, on the animal watch balconies, watching from our balcony, sitting in the lobby and, of course, dinner at Jiko's and breakfast at Boma's. Can't speak to OKW. Never stayed there and I do consider it be more out of the way for the things we want as well as the theming doesn't appeal to me. To be honest, though, the Polynesian has never appealed to me so I'm biased.

 

[HairyChest]

I would do your dream resort.
For the most part I'm at the parks the majority of the time however staying at my dream resort completely change the feel of my vacation. If I were to stay at a resort I didn't much care for, id be mssing or wishing throughout my vacation of having stayed at my dream resort. to me a big part of the Disneyworld experience is where you stay. coming home to your dream resort at night, having a midafternoon break , etc, really changes your vacation. you don't have to be at your resort all the time to get the benefits and joy of it. just traveling to the parks from your resort daily is a big plus (especially the poly). And you may be saying you wont b at your resort for much throughout the trip, but staying at the world 1 week or more, especially at the poly, you will definitely end up spending some time there and blessing every moment that you chose such a wonderful place.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are looking at studios, OKW will have two queen beds. AKV will have one queen bed and a double sized sleeper sofa. Polynesian will have a queen bed, queen sleeper sofa and a murphy bed (smaller than a twin - shorter and narrower). I always choose two real beds over bed/sleeper sofa combination any day. Those sleeper sofas are not nearly as comfortable as a real bed. They are okay for kids, but not that great for full sized adults.

Plus we like to enjoy our resort. With 8-12 days in a resort, you'll want to spend some time enjoying the resort and your villa. It's kind of nice to just sit in the room from time to time and watch a little television. Or go out on the balcony, porch, patio and enjoy the view. And take an afternoon nap. You could buy a tent and camp at Fort Wilderness for even less money and a longer stay. But would you enjoy it as much? Some people love to camp, not me.

One more thing. The refrigerators in the studios are small without a freezer section. They are a bit larger than the ones you find in the deluxe or moderate resorts, but still not close to full size.

 

[caliope]

I'd pick the shorter stay in the dream resort. The resort matters to us. It's part of why we keep returning rather than traveling to other destinations, as we try to balance the vacation appeal to meet the needs of 40-something mom and dad (me and DH) and 4-something DS.

 

[Networth]

Resort. Always.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

If it was a once in awhile thing, I'd go with longer stay.

If I was going to return fairly soon, I might want that upgrade.

 

[iheartbelle87]

The deciding factor to me would be when our next trip would be... 8-9 nights is more than we usually stay, so I stay go with the Poly!

But if we weren't going to take another trip for 2-3 years I 'd probably want to stay longer

 

[cluvsdisney]

I would stay at my dream resort for less days. For me, Disney can become too much of a good thing around day 6 or 7.

 

[Pmlocke]

I go to Disney World for the parks, not the overnight shuteye. When I fall asleep, I could be in a palace, I wouldn't know. Yes, the supreme hotels on site have a few nice perks, but who stays in a hotel room all day to enjoy them. My vote is for longer stay and more frequent trips as opposed to shorter stays and fewer trips.

 

[Tar_Heels_Love_WDW]

We always choose the resort over a longer stay. We're fortunate to have the luxury of going to WDW at least annually, usually multiple times. Resort means a lot to my family.

 

[spiceycat]

dvc member so I go often. my favorite and where i own is BLT. lesser days here vs my brother's choice of OKW is not a problem for me - I stay 3 nights at BLT, he stays 5 nights at OKW on the same (or even lessor) points.

it is up to you to decide which is best for your family - now if MK is your park of choice then would definitely go with Polyn. AKL/AKV is a great resort have stayed whenever I could get a value room - but it is the furthest from the MK.

 

[hmcater]

I would choose to stay longer, although I would be tempted because we love the Poly.

 

[ktlm]

My choice is always stay longer. We don't spend much time at the resort anyway, and in January you might not even have any swimming weather, so a better pool may not make any difference. That said, we usually only stay 8 nights, so 8 or 9 nights at the Poly sound good to me. Poly transportation is great with the boat to MK and the ability to walk to TTC to get the express monorail to EPCOT. I never want to leave WDW at the end of the trip though. I could see myself going for the shorter stay at the Poly and then the last day when I have to leave, regretting that decision.

 

[kboo]

Well, clearly the answer to this is ... buy DVC!

Well, PPs do have a good point about availability, so if you haven't made firm plans yet, now is the time to do it!

To answer your original question:

If the total length of the trip were shorter, say less than a week, then the incremental loss of 1-2 days might carry more weight. But given that you're thinking about 8-9 days in your "dream" resort - then go for the dream resort! I felt that way about the CR (because MONORAIL THROUGH THE HOTEL) and my first stay there was really magical. I saw a good deal and jumped on it, and did not regret it. And it's not just about a place to rest your head, but the convenience, and the theming... That said, AKL/AKV is really nice too, and if you're undecided (and availability is tough), a split stay with Poly/AKV would be really nice too. I haven't stayed at OKW.

You didn't mention if you had kids or how large your party was ... the 2 real beds is only an issue with older kids or adults, I think. Our 5yo loves the pullout.

 

[Shellyred8]

I would do a split stay and split the difference in the length of the stay. We do split stays all the time and love it. We will split between BWV and somewhere over by MK. That way we have some time close to the EP and HS parks and some time close to MK. We enjoy all of the Deluxe resorts and when we do a split stay, it feels like we are getting a whole new vacation when we move because the feel of the second resort is so different from the first one we stayed at.

Wishing you lots of pixie dust!!

 

[justme0729]

I vote dream resort! 8-9 nights is already a long time and the perfect amount to get everything done and relax. Poly is my favorite

 

[Oswin]

I always pick resort over length of stay. We used to stay all over property but now pretty much just stick to the Poly. I grew up staying there so there's a lot of nostalgia for me, but there's honestly so much value for me in the location, transportation, and dining offered.