Yacht Club vs Polynesian

[Suze10860]

OK - indulge a girl.

We’re currently sitting with what I consider a good deal for a bounce-back reservation at The Yacht Club for January of 2026. The entire point of this trip was so that we could bring our daughter and her family with us. Our only grands will be 2 and 4 at the time of the trip.

Unfortunately, there’s a snag and a possibility that our daughter, her husband, and the kids won’t be able to go. My husband and I will be there no matter what! (What better place than Disney to get over my disappointment?)

So here’s my question:

The Yacht Club is our favorite resort, with a big part of the reason being its easy access to Epcot and the Studios. My husband and I are huge walkers, and we’re also not wild about using the buses.

When I made the reservations, I did consider the Polynesian mostly because of the monorail, especially to MK. Our daughter also thought it might be a fun place to stay. I ultimately stuck with the YC because of $$. Yeah, it’s stupid expensive at either of these resorts, but saving on this trip by staying at a hotel we know we love seemed like a no-brainer.

However, if our daughter’s family can’t come, we’ll be saving so much money we had planned on spending, we don’t mind spending an extra $600ish to move to the Polynesian. Weird logic, I know…

My husband and I are thinking that maybe we should move this trip to the Polynesian, just to see what it’s like. We’ve never stayed at a Deluxe resort on the Monorail, and maybe we’ll be bowled over!! And I can’t imagine that I’d be unhappy there. Honestly, back in the day when our kids were young and we couldn't afford a Deluxe, the Poly was my dream resort. But once we made our first adults-only trip and stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, we fell in love with the Epcot resort area, and on our last trip in February, we decided the YC was our place to stay.

Of course, I realize that most of this is very subjective - what one person likes and enjoys and prioritizes doesn’t always translate to what someone else does. But I’m asking, what do others feel about the YC vs Polynesian? Especially when (not if!) we can book a trip with our kids/grandkids. I don’t know, maybe we’ll win the lottery, and money will be no object. (Note to self: start playing the lottery. LOL)

Thanks.

 

[dansdad]

However, if our daughter’s family can’t come, we’ll be saving so much money we had planned on spending, we don’t mind spending an extra $600ish to move to the Polynesian. Weird logic, I know…

That's not weird logic, that's known as Disney Math!

My husband and I are thinking that maybe we should move this trip to the Polynesian, just to see what it’s like. We’ve never stayed at a Deluxe resort on the Monorail, and maybe we’ll be bowled over!! And I can’t imagine that I’d be unhappy there. Honestly, back in the day when our kids were young and we couldn't afford a Deluxe, the Poly was my dream resort.

Since it's been a dream resort and it's just you and your husband, I think it's a good time to give it a try!

 

[ktink]

Another vote for Poly. It was my dream resort for so long & I'm so glad we decided to stay there. It's now our favorite resort w/ BWI a close second.

Since ya'll are huge walkers. It's a beautiful walk through the resort grounds to TTC to catch the Epcot monorail.

 

[Sandi]

I have stayed at both resorts and I prefer YC. The ease of walking to DHS and Epcot cannot be beat. Maybe save Poly for when your daughter's family can stay with you in the future. The proximity to MK is nice, but I find that we spend a lot more time at DHS and Epcot such that the monorail doesn't provide much incentive. I also hate the bus service at the MK resorts; too much chaos at the boarding areas a lot of the time. While $600 wouldn't cover it, maybe splurge on Club Level? Have a great trip no matter what your decide.

 

[kanerf]

As a recent owner at Poly and having just stayed in the new tower, I also recommend it. It is a very nice resort with good food and of course monorail access to MK and Epcot via the TTC.

 

[Suze10860]

Those are all awesome and very helpful answers. Thanks!

One point I forgot to mention:

When we were at the YC in February, we had booked a resort view room but were upgraded to a water view. Wow.

Fireworks at night and sunrises in the morning, so we were spoiled at no extra cost. As my daughter pointed out - Disney sure knows how to suck you in!! LOL

And it obviously worked since I couldn't wait to book that bounce-back.

Our rooms at YC for this January are, of course, resort view, so I'm thinking that if we do keep that reservation with just one room, I'd bite the bullet and change to water view, using my Disney math to spend my savings there! We're not Club Level people, as the benefits that come with that are not appealing to us, so I wouldn't make that upgrade.

I should also add that this decision might be made for me. Depending on when our daughter/husband fully know if they can go on the trip, I'm not sure there will even be a Polynesian room available to book/change to with my bounce-back reservation. It's available now, but closer to the time, who knows?

So I'm not going to stress - just keep myself happily occupied by investigating possibilities.

Pretty sure I'm in a win/win situation no matter what. Although the biggest win would obviously be having family there with us and making no changes at all to the reservation.

This was our view in February. Beautiful, I know, but still doesn't compare to being in a room next to our grandbabies!!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Poly was the first resort we stayed at and it always holds a special place in our hearts. Still I’d save the stay for a time when you know the other family members are coming. The walk from Crescent Lake to HS and Epcot can get addictive.

 

[mistysue]

YC has hands down always been my favorite resort.

That said, we stayed at Poly one time, ended up buying DVC... and we have never been disappointed, but I do always have a little nagging feeling I just wish I was back at the YC. It's always there.
I would seriously consider taking the extra cash and looking into moving to YC club level, because that was seriously awesome when we did that.

But if you want to test out something new, I think you will still be happy enough. We always had better luck doing a TS breakfast walk up at YC than at Poly, just as a heads up if that is also a habit you have. We've been unable to get last minute Kona quite a few times, including for entire 5-6 night spans. Definitely like Captain Cook's better as a QS, but you NEED to mobile order and know it's going to take FOREVER because there are too many rooms/not enough QS space with the new tower there.

 

[LoveDaisy]

What do you like about YC? Location? Theming? Ease of getting to two parks? Laidback feel? Other?

What do you like about Poly? Theming? Monorail? Ease of getting to MK? Other?

If it is just you and DH where do you plan to spend most of your time? Specific park? resort time?

I would pick YC but I have stayed at GF and Poly and did not enjoy how chaotic they were, the monorail, or the other transportation ( buses) to other parks. I’m also crowd phobic and feel overwhelmed at the monorail resorts. Plus we go to Epcot every night so the location wasn’t ideal for us.

If it’s your dream resort I would say try Poly. Or do a split stay. We had to try a few to find the area we love (crescent lake area)

 

[Suze10860]

Even though it’s slightly off topic, I’m going to ask this because it’s ok for me to hijack my thread.

Two people have mentioned Club Level at the YC, and even though I’m pretty certain I’m not interested, I’m curious as to what people consider the worthwhile benefits in that.

As far as any upgraded “concierge” services - that’s a hard pass for me. Generally speaking, we don’t make advance dining reservations, so no appeal there. I prefer to go with the flow, or if I do want to try for a reservation, my control-freak personality makes me want to do it myself.

And the lounge, with food and drinks, is also not for us. We’re usually up and out early, grabbing a quick bite at whatever park we’re off to. If we want a real breakfast, I want to go to a real restaurant with a full menu. I don’t want to think I should be back at our resort, at any point during the day, so I can eat the food that we’ve paid for (in the lounge) with our Club Level reservation. As far as liquor, we like having our personal favorites, brought from home, in our room to enjoy. So again, no real incentive there for us.

But enlighten me - am I missing anything? What else is that extra $$$ getting you? Thanks.

 

[Minnie1222]

What else is that extra $$$ getting you?

An option to take the Minnie Van to and from MCO for $200 each way?

 

[LoveDaisy]

There is no perk to staying club level that I am aware of other than the Minnie van option from the airport. They can’t get you into a restaurant or another reservation unless it’s available. They can take care of some front desk things so you don’t have to stand in line.

If you are an all day park person I’m not sure it’s worth it. We go there for breakfast everyday and pre dinner drinks every night. Sometimes we will have a pre dinner app there. I do not think it replaces dinner (think small bites) but I have seen people take 20 plates and make it dinner.

I do like having the lounge available on check-in day (before the room is ready) and checkout day (after we have left our room).

 

[Suze10860]

An option to take the Minnie Van to and from MCO for $200 each way?

OK - are you playing with me? Is that what that winky face means?
LOL

If MCO is the airport, which I think it is, we drive in.

 

[Suze10860]

There is no perk to staying club level that I am aware of other than the Minnie van option from the airport. They can’t get you into a restaurant or another reservation unless it’s available. They can take care of some front desk things so you don’t have to stand in line.

If you are an all day park person I’m not sure it’s worth it. We go there for breakfast everyday and pre dinner drinks every night. Sometimes we will have a pre dinner app there. I do not think it replaces dinner (think small bites) but I have seen people take 20 plates and make it dinner.

I do like having the lounge available on check-in day (before the room is ready) and checkout day (after we have left our room).

Thanks - your answer confirms that a Club Level upgrade would not be in our best interest.

 

[Sandi]

I really enjoy Club Level, but I only do it now when it’s just DH and me and it’s a more relaxed vacation. We love everything from the robes and slippers to the evening desserts and wine. I also like popping in for a Mickey Bar whenever I like. If I’m traveling with my DD or my sister and her kids, I don’t do CL because we’re at the parks all the time ( although I did do it one visit and my then 15 yo niece was taken in by the treatment). We had our first experience with CL at BWI when my DD and I were upgraded upon our arrival. WDW knows what they’re doing. My marketing professor DH called it “sticky up” where now I want CL and before I had no idea what the big deal was. Since that first time we’ve done CL at BWI, AK, and YC (more than once).

 

[Minnie1222]

OK - are you playing with me? Is that what that winky face means?
LOL

If MCO is the airport, which I think it is, we drive in.

No, not playing! One of the "perks" for club guests is to ride the Minnie Van to and from the airport for $400.

 

[radiodome21]

I was ranking our Disney trips last night and #2 was our June 2022 trip. We did a split stay at the Poly and YC. It was a family trip with my aunt and siblings and kids. We have 14 total in the group. The only way we got into the Poly was to get a club level room. While I wasn’t crazy about it going into the trip I loved it. I’m the early bird and every morning I had my morning coffee in the lounge along with my kindle. We did get breakfast from there everyday. We're light breakfast eaters too and found it fulfilling. We would hit it up in the afternoon when we came back to cool off at the pool. Not lunch just a quick bite. Again I took advantage of the beer selection and afternoon snacks. We’d even stop by in the early evening and grab a quick bite before heading back to the parks. I loved it. I wasn't holding much hope for the food but it was good. Not sure how much the different the YC lounge is but I thought it was worth it. Not that I a choice. Would I do again? No, but that's because we're DVC members now.

Much as we loved the YC the long hallways and walk to SAB was kind of a turn off. Our studio at the Poly was pretty close to the pool there and we had a theme park view. My wife and I are avid walkers too. The poly was our favorite between the two. Either way you can’t go wrong.

 

[Suze10860]

No, not playing! One of the "perks" for club guests is to ride the Minnie Van to and from the airport for $400.

Wow - I must have very different ideas about what a "perk" is.

 

[Minnie1222]

Wow - I must have very different ideas about what a "perk" is.

I feel the same!
I still haven't used this "perk" though. Just remember hearing about it a few years ago. The cost is probably higher now.

 

[brockash]

OK - indulge a girl.

We’re currently sitting with what I consider a good deal for a bounce-back reservation at The Yacht Club for January of 2026. The entire point of this trip was so that we could bring our daughter and her family with us. Our only grands will be 2 and 4 at the time of the trip.

Unfortunately, there’s a snag and a possibility that our daughter, her husband, and the kids won’t be able to go. My husband and I will be there no matter what! (What better place than Disney to get over my disappointment?)

So here’s my question:

The Yacht Club is our favorite resort, with a big part of the reason being its easy access to Epcot and the Studios. My husband and I are huge walkers, and we’re also not wild about using the buses.

When I made the reservations, I did consider the Polynesian mostly because of the monorail, especially to MK. Our daughter also thought it might be a fun place to stay. I ultimately stuck with the YC because of $$. Yeah, it’s stupid expensive at either of these resorts, but saving on this trip by staying at a hotel we know we love seemed like a no-brainer.

However, if our daughter’s family can’t come, we’ll be saving so much money we had planned on spending, we don’t mind spending an extra $600ish to move to the Polynesian. Weird logic, I know…

My husband and I are thinking that maybe we should move this trip to the Polynesian, just to see what it’s like. We’ve never stayed at a Deluxe resort on the Monorail, and maybe we’ll be bowled over!! And I can’t imagine that I’d be unhappy there. Honestly, back in the day when our kids were young and we couldn't afford a Deluxe, the Poly was my dream resort. But once we made our first adults-only trip and stayed at the Boardwalk Inn, we fell in love with the Epcot resort area, and on our last trip in February, we decided the YC was our place to stay.

Of course, I realize that most of this is very subjective - what one person likes and enjoys and prioritizes doesn’t always translate to what someone else does. But I’m asking, what do others feel about the YC vs Polynesian? Especially when (not if!) we can book a trip with our kids/grandkids. I don’t know, maybe we’ll win the lottery, and money will be no object. (Note to self: start playing the lottery. LOL)

Thanks.

They're both up there in our top resorts (might be favorite 2) and you really can't go wrong with either.

Having said that since your dd. had mentioned an interest in tryimg it; why not bank the money now and try it out together in the future?