Polynesian or Beach Club?

[crs7568]

I realize that I am lucky to have nothing bigger in my life to worry about right now but I am having such a hard time deciding where to stay this summer. There will be two adults traveling with three children ages 10, 7, and 2. I have booked the Beach Club because of Storm Along Bay but something about the Polynesian keeps me thinking that I should stay there instead. Is SAB that great? I really like the convenience of the monorail. Also, I am considering upgrading to concierge. I have heard great things about Polynesian's concierge but I have not heard anything about Beach Club concierge. Which would you recommend for an August vacation with children?

 

[Kallison]

We've never stayed at either, however we have visited the Poly when staying at the Contemp. and it did not appeal to us. We are trying the Beach Club this August because of SAB. We love Epcot and it will be nice to be within walking distance every night. That is our plan, to hit the EE park, come back to SAB and have dinner and nights in Epcot. If I were you I would surf for pics and think about where you will be spending the majority of your time. We did eat at the Kona Cafe and really enjoyed it. Have PS's there for this next trip for a late lunch.

 

[stacy6552]

I love love love the beach club. Hands down no question. weve been to the poly and i have to say, (with a shrug) ehh its ok.

rather than upgrading to the conierge, I would spend the money on a one bedroom villa at the BC. They are brand spanking new. Plus going in the summer means long hours. So you can eat in your full kitchen for breakfast, come back at lunch time eat and take a break from the sweltering heat and crowds and go back at supper time, without feeling like youve blown valuable time. Heres the big thing though thats worth the extra money: the bedroom door! You can tuck the three kids into the queen bed, close the door and still have a conversation with your spouse! Maybe even a little vacation nookie!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Poly!

SAB is a nice pool, but I don't think it outweighs the benefits to staying at the Poly. You'll be on the monorail, you'll have a 24 hour food and drink place, you'll have a great pool, great atmosphere, much larger room, boat to MK that is fast, great restaurants, better watercraft rental, EWP, fireworks over MK, I could go on and on. I just love the Poly and I miss it so much. I never thought I would say that!! I have officially become one of those Poly groupies! LOL

 

[wdwnutze]

I would have to say the Polynesian. We have been to both resorts as a family of 5 and we actually left the BC and got a room at the Polynesian. The rooms at the Polynesian are much bigger, the new volcano pool is awesome(that is from my kids and they swam in both pools), you can't beat being on the monorail(especially for midday breaks in August with the heat-we were there in August also), 24 hour place to get food, beautiful beaches to have the kids play in the sand while you watch the fireworks, within walking distance to the TTC to make getting to Epcot easy and the list could go on. We jsut found the Polynesian to be very relaxing(like a vacation within a vacation).

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Birnbaum rates the BC as Best Resort for children but I'm not convinced. I had DD's 5 and 3 there and there seemed to be a much older crowd, meaning I noticed more elderly couples there than any other WDW resort.

We always stayed at CBR and it seems a much more boisterous and toddler crowd.

 

[Poly Pal]

Polynesian! (did you expect me to say anuything else?)

You can't watch the ELP or fireworks in your jammies from the Beach Club.

Have a great trip!

 

[jolary03]

I would have to say without doubt the Polynesian. We were just there this winter and were booked to stay at the YC for 10 days. We really did think it was a great hotel, but just not what we wanted (we were 4 adults and 3 kids 10, 9, and 5). We moved over to the Poly after the 4th night of our trip and could not have been happier. Everyone in our party was in agreement. The YC/BC is a very nice resort, but just not what we wanted. The access, the view and the water parade are just a few reasons to stay at the Poly. Good luck deciding. Hope this helped.

And most of all.......ENJOY YOURSELF!!!

 

[Leota]

While I personally perfer the Beach Club to the Polynesian - given the ages of your kids & the fact that you are going in the heat of August, I would probably go Poly (or other MK monorail resort) I'm not a fan of the Poly, we stayed concierge there in Aug. 2001 -Nice enough resort, not our favorite. But, you can't beat it's convienence to MK. I'm assuming with the ages of your kids, that is the park you'd most likely spend the majority of your time. Concierge is nice if you have "bottomless pit" kids - we had a teen-age boy & a pre-teen boy with us & they are always hungry! Conc. was nice for them to be able to grab snacks & nice for all of us to grab drinks..... Was it worth the extra money? For us, yes....on that trip.....

Just a side note - I have watched Illuminations in my jammies from our patio at the Beach Club - you can't see the Earth Globe thingie - but the fireworks & music were still spectacular! Also, sitting on the patio, listening to the music from the UK pavillion was pretty cool too......

 

[BCV23]

Polynesian all the way but especially with a family of 5. When our three were younger we stayed at the BC a couple of times for a few days or at the end of a longer trip for a night or two after the Poly. The rooms at the BC are cramped for five IMHO. The corridors are narrow and long. I'd rather be walking outside looking at the wonderful landscaping at the Poly on my way to the room instead of endless corridor walls.

SAB is great but the Poly pools are too and the beach is much nicer.

Having no quick food spot 24 hours at the BC is a huge drawback for us. Beaches and Cream is OK but has short hours, long lines and little seating.

Transportation at the Poly is best on property hands down.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

Leota, I think it depends on your room location. We could see Spaceship Earth, The Land, the back of Journey into Imagination, Canada, and Japan from our room on the 4th floor. But I think the road running right under the balcony takes away from the enjoyment of sitting there for long. We would usually just walk out for Illuminations and then go back in the room.

 

[lovethemouse2]

I have stayed at BC and am going to the Poly in 2 weeks. The BC is very nice. We liked it so much we've stayed there twice. I had to beg my family to try somewhere new.

HOWEVER, as someone else stated, with the 2 yr old...NAPS! When you have one that naps it's all about transportation so I would have to go with the poly. You can ride the monorail with your tired toddler back from MK or Epcot much quicker than taking a bus. If you plan on spending time in Epcot and MGM then BC is pretty convienent. You could stroller him/her back from Epcot WS and ride a boat from MGM.

We did the nap thing one year and one adult took the toddler to the room and both napped and left the family in the park. Using cell phones we met back up later in the park.

This year I was able to get the Poly cheaper than BC. Go figure! I can't wait to try it out. I'll report back in 3 weeks to let you know how it went.

 

[lovethemouse2]

P.S. We watched Illuminations from SAB! Cool! There are also park benches along the lake. Turn them around to face Epcot and sit down and enjoy the show!

I can't wait to see the water pagent at Poly.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

lovethemouse2 is correct. We waited 20 minutes for a bus to MK that took another 20 to make the loop to get to MK. Forty minutes is a long time to travel for a toddler.

I asked at the front desk how often a bus comes and the CM said every half hour.

Next time it is the Poly for us.

 

[mykidsmom]

BCV,

That's my biggest complaint about the BC, nowhere to get a quick bite of food. Does the Poly have such a place?

 

[kdonnel]

Let me start by saying that the last Disney hotel we stayed at is always our favorite.

Just a few months ago we stayed at the Poly. Our three your old loved the monorail and we loved the proximity to the MK. The pool was a hit too.

We have previously stayed at the BC. It was our favorite hotel then. She was only 2 then and really loved the pool there.

We are going to stay at the AKL next week. It will be our next favorite. Since the AKL also has a zero depth entry pool I am sure she will love that pool also.

I don't think you will go wrong with either.

To answer another question you asked there is a place to get a quick bite at the Poly. We ate breakfast there most mornings except the mornings we had Tonga toast.

 

[BCV23]

Captain Cook's is open 24 hours/day although the grill closes in the late evening. As kdonnell said it does serve breakfast .....a couple of hot offerings along with fresh fruit, donuts, bagels, toast, muffins, cold cereal. I'm an early riser so I like being able to get hot tea and pick up breakfast for my crew. It is also nice for hot dogs, burgers, chicken strips, individual pizzas, etc. if you want a quick meal for your kids. They also have a couple of salads and cold sandwiches.

However if you want a hot breakfast you can't beat Kona. It is a sitdown but is always fast and is soooo good. When you finish, you stroll right out to the monorail....maybe 30 feet away. So convenient.

 

[DBC3804]

We have stayed several times at both. For us, the decision is generally based on which of the parks we plan to spend the most time in.

If you are a big MK fan, the Poly is probably the best. We tend to like to slip into the back gate of Epcot, which makes the BC the place to be. As the kids have grown, they seem to have more fun around the BC, since there is the Boardwalk, walking distance to Epcot, and the boat ride to D-MGM.

Really, you can't go wrong with either one!

Danny

 

[wdwnutze]

Mykidsmom,

The Polynesian has Capn' Cooks which is open 24hours a day. It is where you can fill your refillable mugs and get anything from cereal to fruit to a burger etc. It is close by the volcano pool.