WWYD DVC Resort Edition

[DisMomNCM]

I am taking my 6-year-old daughter and two nieces (17 and 19) to Disney in July for my nieces' graduation presents. My nieces have only been to Disney once, and they camped in an RV at FW, so anything DVC is going to feel really luxurious to them. Initially, I booked us a studio at AKL Kidani because I thought they would love the theming! Last week, as I thought about it more, the idea of being in a studio with 4 girls and 1 bathroom felt REALLY daunting, and I didn't want to share a bed with my daughter....so I upgraded to a one-bedroom villa at Kidani instead with the intention of taking the bedroom for myself, putting my daughter on the small pull down in the living room, and putting my nieces on the pull down murphy bed in the living room.

Last night, my daughter asked me why we aren't staying at the Polynesian instead, because it is her favorite hotel (I swear, I aspire to live the life of my 6-year-old sometimes lol). It had me thinking...because the Poly is my favorite resort as well...why aren't we staying there? We don't have the points to entertain a one-bedroom in the tower, and they aren't available anyway, but there is availability in the longhouses. Now I am totally undecided and need convincing one way or the other. I'll add specifics about our upcoming trip to help lay out the situation:

-Like I mentioned, there will be four of us. It will be July, so I will be taking at least two showers a day alone, never mind the other girls (hence why the AKL studio is no longer a contender).
-Both the AKL one-bedroom and the Poly studio have two showers, but the Poly only has one toilet.
-The one-bedroom villa provides more privacy for changing clothes/getting dressed.
-We will be doing one park each day. The girls have already mentioned wanting to come back to the resort for pool breaks, so we will be bouncing to and from the resort throughout the day.
-We plan to eat breakfast in the room, but the girls eat simple things like fruit or yogurt, so it doesn't need to be made in a kitchen.
-We could use the full kitchen to make sandwiches for lunch by the pool, but we could probably swing this with just a Poly studio also.
-We could use the in-room laundry at AKL to wash stinky, sweaty clothes during the summer.
-The Polynesian's location is extremely enticing as far as proximity to Epcot and MK for midday breaks, watching fireworks on our AK day, and having QS options right there at the resort instead of having to walk over to Jambo House.
-The option to spread out and have a lot of personal space at the one-bedroom villa is also enticing. However, we will mostly be there to sleep and have midday breaks at the pool/to shower. We don't plan on actually hanging out at the resort (trust me, I'd love to, but my nieces will want to be in the parks since this is a once-in-a-lifetime type trip for them). But will I appreciate having my own space at night to decompress after being responsible for the three of them all day long? Probably lol.
-The Polynesian is about 25 less points total for the trip. This isn't necessarily a deal breaker either way.

SOS. What do I choose? I am genuinely so stuck lol.

 

[Brian Noble]

How long is the trip?

 

[DisMomNCM]

How long is the trip?

Oh that's good info to add- just four nights..Tuesday-Saturday.

 

[leebee]

I'd do the 1br at Kidani... but I LOVE AKV/Jambo so I'd also really want to be nearby.. and we do NOT like the Poly, so...
Having two showers is important; only you can decide if you want the space/privacy for yourself or will you be OK in one big room? Also, will your 6yo sleep with the teens in the same space at Kidani, or will she stay awake because they are awake?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

There are definitely pros and cons, as you've listed! Will you have a car or depend solely on Disney transportation during the trip?

I will say, the newly refurbished 1BR at Kidani is a beautiful room. We love the extra full bathroom and the in-room wash/dry option (that really helps reduce our packing needs!). Staying in Kidani gives your group access to 2 amazing pools (Kidani and Jambo) and some great dining options (IF you're family likes the menus there - it's great for us, but not for everyone!). At the Poly, the ability to walk to the monorail or the TTC is a big advantage for MK and EP. So it might depend on which parks you see yourself doing most (4 days, 4 parks, perhaps?). If your daughter has requested it, you will definitely need to give the Poly some serious consideration, though!! Good luck with your decision - you don't have a bad solution here, just 2 great ones!

 

[Wedgeout]

Going to say: Polynesian long house studio!! Sure one toilet but a split extra shower/bath area. Still have a laundry facility available on site. Kitchenette plenty for your needs.

Reasons: It’s July! Personally wouldn’t want to be too far away from the parks, especially if using Disney transportation for rest stops. PVB is close to Magic Kingdom and a short walk from TTC monorail to & from EPCOT. 17 & 19 will want to roam & explore. A lot of activities and places to explore in that area.

Seems your guest party & yourself favor PVB anyway. I’d sacrifice room size & another toilet for what you will get in return.
However, that Kidani refurb is hard to pass on. I’m feeling your dilemma.

 

[Dis_Ohana5]

I would do Poly because it was requested, on the loop, 2 bathrooms and 25 points cheaper. It's just a lot easier to get back there for mid day breaks and has more walkable dining options between Poly and GF

 

[RuntheMouse]

This is tough. I want to say Poly for you because of the request BUT the pool situation over there in July can be like hunger games! I like the room set up and the pool better at Kidani. I think you’re winning with either so frame it that way.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

If going by location alone, with such a short trip I’d say the time saver of being so close to two parks obviously makes Poly the clear winner, it would save a lot of time getting to and from for your mid day breaks. But if pools are importsnt, both are awesome, but I’d say AKL is better. The animals at AKL are amazing but if you won’t be at the resort to see them, that’s less of a draw. It is definitely a hard decision, they’re both awesome resorts, and if you were staying longer I’d say AKL but with the shorter trip and time saving location, I’d pick Poly.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I vote for Kidani 1 bedroom. Having the extra space and separation will be so nice with the 4 of you. Plus the pool situation is better at AKV than Poly (it feels like people soup at the Poly pool to me most days …)

 

[DisMomNCM]

This is tough. I want to say Poly for you because of the request BUT the pool situation over there in July can be like hunger games! I like the room set up and the pool better at Kidani. I think you’re winning with either so frame it that way.

This is actually a really good point. I absolutely love the pool at Poly, but I don't want to fight to get a spot midday.

 

[DisMomNCM]

There are definitely pros and cons, as you've listed! Will you have a car or depend solely on Disney transportation during the trip?

I will say, the newly refurbished 1BR at Kidani is a beautiful room. We love the extra full bathroom and the in-room wash/dry option (that really helps reduce our packing needs!). Staying in Kidani gives your group access to 2 amazing pools (Kidani and Jambo) and some great dining options (IF you're family likes the menus there - it's great for us, but not for everyone!). At the Poly, the ability to walk to the monorail or the TTC is a big advantage for MK and EP. So it might depend on which parks you see yourself doing most (4 days, 4 parks, perhaps?). If your daughter has requested it, you will definitely need to give the Poly some serious consideration, though!! Good luck with your decision - you don't have a bad solution here, just 2 great ones!

We will be relying on Disney transportation, which is why the Poly is enticing! But also, at the end of the day...not sure the monorail will be a life changing amount of time saved? We will be doing one of each park, per day. Ugh. You're right, both options are great options so at least this is the best scenario possible for a "problem" lol.

 

[Brian Noble]

For four nights I think the studio is doable, but just barely. Wanting to spend time at the resort tips me a little bit in favor of AKV both for the larger room and the less chaotic grounds.

 

[DisMomNCM]

For four nights I think the studio is doable, but just barely. Wanting to spend time at the resort tips me a little bit in favor of AKV both for the larger room and the less chaotic grounds.

The less chaotic grounds are so appealing to me as a 35-year-old, but I am also trying to imagine what my 17 and 19-year-old nieces would want lol.

 

[Genie+]

Both resorts are mind blowing in their own ways.

I’d go with the Poly experience for teens. So exciting! Still get 2 showers and those separate areas to get ready.

 

[RivGirl]

My vote would be AK 1BR. Always choose the option with more privacy when traveling with extended family. That would be my North Star in this particular situation.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Due to the ages of the older girls, the one bedroom is likely the best choice. Since your daughter wants Poly, a long house studio would be nice because of the 2 showers and 2 sinks. It's your money so I think you should just imagine what you'll feel like in both places and choose based on that.

I have some friends that I travel well with and we can pile into a hotel room because we only use it for sleeping and getting ready. My gauge there is that we'd be in the same tent if we were camping and the hotel room is way bigger than a tent. That said, I wouldn't want to pile into a tent or a hotel room with most of the people that I know. The actual people make a difference in what type of room you can deal with.

 

[airjay75]

We will be doing one park each day.

Assuming this means you're hitting all 4 parks, then I say AKV all the way. I think Poly only clearly wins out on transportation for MK. AKV wins out on transportation to AK simply because it's such a short bus ride. HS is a toss-up and maybe a slight edge to Poly for Epcot since you can walk to the TTC, but in July, I personally don't want to be doing anymore walking outside than I have to, so I don't think that's a clear advantage for Poly.

Sure, doesn't sound like you'll be spending a lot of time in the rooms, but when you are, I think you'll enjoy having your own room/bed and 2 full bathrooms. I know I would.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with there being a lot of people now at the Poly. To me, it’s become chaotic. We’ve experienced the monorail being down on multiple occasions over our past few trips so not sure it’s completely reliable when you need it, either - however you would still have the boat option which is nice (but everyone else will be scrambling for boats too, as we experienced).

Sounds like your daughter will have many trips to look forward to but your nieces won’t, plus it’s a graduation trip for one of them, so I think I’d keep them in mind the most this time. And I think the space would be good, and private changing areas, two bathrooms, etc. I think I’d go for the AKL option. Still not super difficult to get back for mid-day breaks with the bus.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I am going to throw a curve ball and say BLT 1 bedroom. Extra bathroom. Close to parks. Monorail. Super cool hip vibe in the rooms. Decent point chart.