Yacht Club or Polynesian

[Livin'4Disney]

Hello!
I am becoming a bit obsessed with trying to decide about our next Disney trip in the Fall of '08
We stayed at the FW cabins last December and want to upgrade to Deluxe this next trip.
We are a family of five (DS5, DD9, DS11)....
I have narrowed it to the Poly or the YC but am really torn. My kids want a nice pool and to be close to MGM (which would obviously be the YC), but the reviews on the Poly seem so amazing!
So!
Which has the bigger rooms? Better bathrooms? Bigger Balconies? Better views? (can you see the Epcot fireworks from YC?)
Sorry for all the questions, but I am driving myself crazy trying to decide so I thought I'd ask the pros on your opinion.....
Thanks in advance!!

 

[BrianD]

Hmm. Both are great resorts.

Poly's rooms are slightly larger, although the YC is plenty spacious as well.

I prefer the YC bathrooms, because they are double vanity and the toilet/shower area is separated by a door from the vanity area, which is not the case at the Poly.

Balcony size is the same, but while all YC rooms have balconies, not all Poly rooms have balconies.

Better views? If you are willing to pay for it, then the Poly wins this one. You can get Magic Kingdom view rooms and the view is fantastic. That said the Water View rooms at YC can be very nice. There are boardwalk views and you can see some of the Illuminations fireworks.

So, I think it will come down to how important the location is to you.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Poly

PROS: Bigger rooms, on the monorail, great view of Cinderella's castle, Wishes and the EWP

CONS: Not all rooms have balconies or patios, sinks (in most rooms) are inside the bathroom and only one sink, MK view much more expensive than garden view room.

YC

PROS: More drawer space, double sinks outside the bathroom, light and airy rooms compared to Poly, Fantastic Pool, Beaches and Cream, walking to EPCOT, Boat to MGM, fireworks can be seen from waterview rooms (not as expensive as MK view at Poly)

CONS: Smaller rooms (still good sized), No monorail access

Both are really great resorts. I would think about which parks you'll spend more time at and base your decision on that. SAB is a fantastic pool but kids really liked the Volcano pool at the Poly too.

 

[Livin'4Disney]

Good to know about the bathrooms! I had read some differing reports on the double vanities and seperate door to shower. I think this is important with a large family. I had even considered the ASMU for the simple reason of having two bathrooms.

 

[Livin'4Disney]

okay, any other thoughts?
We are leaning towards YC but have read several threads today and it seems BC is also a nice alternative. I really like the idea of the rooms by the Wedding Gazebo at YC with a full balcony....
Is BC or YC closer to Epcot?

 

[simonkodousek]

Polynesian:

Pros: Great transporation, nice theme, views, large rooms, good dining options
Cons: Sinks inside bathrooms, some long walks, expensive

Yacht Club:

Pros: Nice theme, views, near Epcot/MGM, by the Boardwalk, nicer bathrooms
Cons: No monorail access, smaller rooms (then Polynesian)

 

[mprewitt]

Is BC or YC closer to Epcot?

BC is close to Epcot.

 

[deide71]

You are more likely to get a balcony at the YC vs. the BC.

 

[AKLRULZ]

Yacht Club is my favorite Epcot resort and I think overall it's Disney's best when you factor in location and all amenities. It's maybe 2 minutes further from Epcot than the Beach Club as the resrots really are one huge combined resort. You'll get a full balcony at the Yacht Club and the water views are spectacular.

Here's our view from room 3087 at Christmas 2005:

We had a fantastic view of Illuminations:

 

[MrsJ Henry]

We have not stayed at the Poly but we have stayed at the YC.
LOVE THIS RESORT!!!!!
The service was very good
Rooms are contained in one building so that can be nice.
YC is closer to the boat dock than BC-if that matters
The area to swim and walk around is just so relaxing and fun!!!!!
I think the view is wonderful-We loved looking over and seeing the boardwalk -especially at night.
Walking around storma along bay at night with all the little lights was one of my favorite things also.
MANY options for food and entertainment!

We have been also struggling with staying at the Poly or going back to the YC this coming spring. We now have a baby so we were thinking that might be nice to be on the monorail.

But I don't know..... I just don't see how we can give up all the things that we love about the YC!!!

 

[Hopefully]

I have stayed at the BCV and the Poly and I love both. The new Poly rooms are wonderful and roomy. The Themeing is beautiful and peaceful and the monorail access is so convenient.
That said, my favorite location is the Boardwalk area. We are going back to the BWV in October. I love the proximity to both EC and MGM - we walk to both although you have the boat service if you want.
We love being so near the International Gateway to Epcot and if you plan on spending a lot of time at MGM this is your best bet.
Happy Planning!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I have stayed at both. It took me a long time to stay at YC because MK is my favorite park. But we stayed a few days ago and just loved it. We also visited the Poly for dinner.
The pros of YC are the walk to Epcot, walk/boat to MGM, sinks outside of the bathroom (my 15 and 12 year old DDs LOVED this compared to Poly), awesome pool.
The major con of the YC is the adventure you undertake trying to get quick counterservice food. The BC marketplace is close by, but nothing like having a food court right there like the Poly. If you want table service, they are all over plus a short hop away there are the world showcase restaurants.
The pros of the Poly are monorail access, close to TTC for everything else, and atmosphere! It's so relaxing. Also there is the 24 hour food court. There are also 2 good TS restaurants (as I said, we went there just to eat at Kona) and you can hop on the monorail to eat at GF or the Contemporary as well.
Cons would be the bathroom (with older kids it does matter where the sinks are), and taking a chance on getting a balcony/patio or not if that matters to you. If you have 2nd floor in some of the longhouses, you don't have a balcony. Of the two, the mousekeeping at YC was much better than what I had last year at the Poly.
They are both wonderful resorts. I just think that when comparing the two, for me the YC is the top choice.
BTW again with the balconies--we thought about trying BC next time, but as my DH does enjoy sitting on the balcony, we aren't going to chance getting one of those little standing-room only balconies.
Robin M.

 

[Livin'4Disney]

Wow, lots to think about! Thank you to everyone for all the great advice. These pictures are incredible. Question? Is this a room near the wedding gazebo too or how is it classified in the requesting of rooms at YC. A full balcony is a must for us as it will be our get-away once the kids go to bed and the bathrooms seem more ideal for our family at the YC..... MGM is our favorite park too!

P.S. Love you Virginia Tech logo in your signature! (both my brothers went there many moons ago!)

Yacht Club is my favorite Epcot resort and I think overall it's Disney's best when you factor in location and all amenities. It's maybe 2 minutes further from Epcot than the Beach Club as the resrots really are one huge combined resort. You'll get a full balcony at the Yacht Club and the water views are spectacular.

Here's our view from room 3087 at Christmas 2005:

We had a fantastic view of Illuminations:

 

[HockeyMomR]

We just love the YC / BC. We have stayed at the Poly as well and I agree with the Pro / Cons listed on this thread. Here are a few more Yacht Club room view Pictures for you to ponder from our trip in July, room #4175, looking over the back entrance of the Yacht Club. We really like both the YC and BC, just remember with the YC you have a better chance of a full balcony, if that is important to you. Enjoy!

 

[AKLRULZ]

Wow, lots to think about! Thank you to everyone for all the great advice. These pictures are incredible. Question? Is this a room near the wedding gazebo too or how is it classified in the requesting of rooms at YC. A full balcony is a must for us as it will be our get-away once the kids go to bed and the bathrooms seem more ideal for our family at the YC..... MGM is our favorite park too!

P.S. Love you Virginia Tech logo in your signature! (both my brothers went there many moons ago!)

Our room has a nice view of the gazebo! This was the view to the left of our balcony:

Our room was classified as a water view as we were at the near end of the wing - rooms a lot farther down to the left of our view might not have had a clear water view, though, but they would have overlooked the gazebo directly.

And! VT was many moons ago for me (class of 1989), too.

Hope you enjoy your stay at YC or Poly - they're both wonderful, but YC holds supreme w/ me.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Wow, that room of Steve's must have been right down the hall from our room . Our # was 4150. We were RIGHT above the wedding gazebo. It was a standard view, but if you leaned out you could see the BW area all lit up at night. It was great.
Robin M.

 

[DBFLUKE]

we stayed at the beach club in 2004. beaches & cream awesome, proximity to mgm great & boardwalk. We arrived late @ night. When finding our room the halls reminded us of the Shinning red room red room ... the balconies are small. But nice. Mousekeeping wasn't good ( toothpaste spit on the mirror when we checked in hair on the floor, yucky used toilet paper on the floor - gross. After many complaints we got a 1 nights credit & tickets for the 5 of us to blizzard beach. Note if you encounter a problem the day managers are not helpful. You need to complain to the night time dept. managers. That is how we finally got our room cleaned & the comps. 1/2 of my family didn't care for the pool, sandy bottom. The comps made up for the issues we encounted. In 2 weeks we are going to try the poly. i've seen pictures, some rooms have double sinks. I'm not sure if its the tolukeo longhouse. check out allearsnet.com . ( for info & reviews ) Good luck

 

[kandlsutton5]

I had the same problem deciding for our stay this December. We originally chose Beach Club, but then switched to Poly. Our decision basically came down to the amount of time we would be spending at MK (kids are 13, 7 and 3) and where we made our ADR's. Additional reasons I settled on Poly are that the rooms are a little bigger (409-476sf vs. 384sf, i think - with 5 people it may make a difference), and the Poly has been recently refurbished, including flat screen TV's for DH.

After making our ADR's ('Ohana, Chef Mickey's, Whispering Canyon, and Cape Mae Cafe), we knew we would be spending a lot of time trying to get back to the MK area from BC. We love MGM, but my youngest won't be big enough to ride with the older kids and he would definitely enjoy MK more. Plus we are going to the MVMCP too, which ends at midnight, and the short hop on the monorail will be lots easier than a bus to BC.

So, if the majority of your dining and park activities are in Epcot or MGM, stay at YC/BC. If your plan on being at MK and Epcot primarily, then choose Poly. Remember that the Poly is a short walk to the TTC where you can get a direct monorail to Epcot FW. At YC/BC there is no direct bus service to FW - you have to walk to the International Gateway and then to Future World.

I'm really happy with my decision, until I read post like these.....

 

[DWDude]

If you love lots of walking, YC
If you love monorail rides, POLY

I love the POLY

(ok, this is oversimplified but what the heck)

 

[sotoalf]

It's simple. Going to spend most of your time at Epcot? Choose the Yacht Club. Gonna spend most of your time at the MK? Stay at the Polynesian.