Family of 4 w/ kids 10 and 5.5 which deluxe

[ilovemymac]

We don't have set dates but thinking in October after Columbus weekend in a couple years. I know it's early but I like to plan and get ideas long ahead. That and I love Disney so it's fun.

I have thought about BC or YC because of SAB but many reviews say walls are thin and you can hear everything. And your far from MK.

So I started looking at CR and the poly. Poly looks cool and neat pool but i see these reports on trip advisor about rooms smelling at poly and that the monorail was not working and the boat to mk never came. Then people said CR pool was boring no theming and that garden wing lacks any theming.

My daughter likes the idea of SAB or the volcano pool at POLY.
We have never stayed on site before and are excited because typically when we get tired we leave but then we never come back because 15-20 min to park then find parking way out then another 15 to TTC so we just never did it. Hoping this will be different.
Thank you for help

[Pirate Granny]

I never found the walls thin at YC...love SAB. Pools at Contemporary are boring BUT you can walk to MK. Monorails are down for service, they should be up and running normally by June. First time ever they have been closed during the day for service for an extended period of time. Poly is under construction due to new DVC come there in 2016, maybe late 2015. Noisy neighbors are everywhere. Pick the resort you like..we never have a car and we do go back and forth on the buses. Never an issue.

[Mitzie]

With a family of 4 your options are wide open. As you read these reviews keep in mind that for every one who post something negative..10 others were happy with their experience. Things to keep in mind:
1. Location
2. Theme
3. Sleeping Arrangements
4. Dining Options
5. Resort Amenities

I look at pictures of people's view from their balcony and they post that they were not happy with it..it has trees and plants..I love those kinds of views! Others want to see busyness and people...everyone is different. Will your children mind sharing a bed? Most deluxes have the day bed option. AKL and WL do not..you can only sleep 4. At both of those though you can book a bunkbed room for the kids. WL might be a nice option for you..close to MK and the theme is beautiful. If you think you will spend alot of time at the pool BC/YC's pool is wonderful. Also giraffes and zebra off your balcony at AKL can't be found just anywhere..

[wdwaggie]

I would have to vote for Wilderness Lodge, but I am biased because this is where we stayed last time with NO KIDS and where we chose to come back to in Oct with our Granddaughter. There is just something very family/homey about the lodge lobby. We actually saw CMs playing board games and coloring with young children there and thought How Neat. The boat transportation to the MK are very pleasant and the restaurants are good.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

I'm thinking your kids might like the pool better at YC or BC. I had a friend who recently stayed at Contemporary and hated it. The Poly just seems to expensive to me, have you considered WL or AKL. I'm thinking animals outside the room might appeal to your kids and it's much cheaper.

[ilovemymac]

AKL is to far. Will look at WL. I love SAB but it's further from MK.
Only thing about poly is no hot tub. But maybe they will put one in when the DVC renovations are done. I always love a hot tub after the end of a day and soak my feet.

My 2 biggest things 1. Location. Might have to do a split stay and experience 2 resorts
2. Comfy bed. We stayed 2 nights at boardwalk resort when we got married and the beds were hard as a rock and the walk to our room took forever. That was in dec 06 so maybe they have changed beds since then. In April of 06 we went down to WDW to make plans for our wedding and stayed 1 night at the Dolphin. Such comfy beds but I know it's not a Disney owned resort so it out.

[Basket Mommy]

I love the Beach Club because of its proximity to Epcot. Love being able to walk right into the back door of World Showcase. I've stayed in the Villas there 4 times. I like SAB, but it's very spread out. My kids are 16, 13, 11 and 9. I've just gotten to the point where I'm comfortable staying in one place at SAB and not moving around to where they are. That pool area is so big, you cannot see the kids all the time from one area. That might be a drawback if you just want to relax while the kids swim. I like the Boardwalk pool much better (except for the creepy clown), but I cannot tell you much about the Boardwalk Inn side (we're DVC, so we've only stayed in the villas there).

As soon as I saw your post, I thought of Wilderness Lodge. If I just had 2 kids, I'd choose one of their bunk bed rooms in a heartbeat. I loved taking our kids there (when we just had the oldest two with us). The pool area is nice, and you're a boat ride away from MK.

I have stayed at the Contemporary before, once, when my oldest two were 4 and 1. We stayed on the 12th floor concierge level. I LOVED it and would stay there again if it wasn't so expensive to get connecting rooms (and if I wasn't spoiled by the DVC Villas with the kitchen and laundry in-room!)

I also love the Grand Floridian. I honeymooned there, and spent my 10th wedding anniversary there. It's my all-time favorite, though I don't know much about the pool. We never went swimming, but it looks nice. And you cannot beat it as the closest hotel to MK. One short Monorail ride (or boat ride) and you're there.

[ilovemymac]

I dont think my wife would go for vip or club levels just more expense. She already about fell over when she saw the cost of a onsite resort. Likely because we paid just over $100 a night for a house with lots of room.

I like the idea of the bigger rooms at POLY and CR. Will give WL another look. Its not my fav theming but location is great. I know my daughter loves the idea of SAB and the volcano pool at POLY. She thought the tower at CR above the monorail was neat but didnt like the pool. And going in october vs december i think we will use the pool allot more.

[ilovemymac]

Can you get pizza delivery from offsite to the resorts?

[thejens]

Definitely stay onsite! Even the values aren't bad. I've stayed at Poly, WL and BC and loved all three. I really like Poly with kids. It is very relaxing and you can watch Wishes on the beach. I love Captain Cooks. I liked Wilderness Lodge, but I guess the theme doesn't appeal to me as much as it does to most. I loved Beach Club. The rooms are small but never had noise problems. My concern with BC is that as a parent of young ones i was nervous about how long they were out of my sight at the pool. It is a great pool, but I couldn't relax constantly had to walk and look for my kids. At Poly or WL I could see better. My favorite is AKL, but yes, it is farther away.

You can't really go wrong. They are all pretty great

[ilovemymac]

It sounds like so much fun to stay on site. I feel like we never get full use of stuff. Poly looks so cool with being so close to everything.
What longhouses have you stayed in? Was curious if there is a big difference in the older ones vs the only longhouse left that has big rooms.

[MNNHFLTX]

Sounds like you're already leaning in that direction, but if I were in your shoes it would be either Beach Club or the Polynesian, hands-down. Both close to parks I love, with great pool areas for kids. Of course, there can be a bit of a stroll to the rooms at the end of the evening, but at the Poly that is part of the magic (love the tiki torches!)

[Mitzie]

Some other things to consider.. If a balcony is important to you BC and Poly have situations where you might not get one..or a very small one. We tend to book YC over BC for that reason alone. Room size...Poly's room seemed huge in comparison to all others we have stayed at. At Poly you do have to go outside to get to the main building/food options. Also Poly is under construction right now and might not always be the prettiest to look at. No hot tub at Poly is also a bummer. BC/YC has alot of food options available to you between those 2 resorts, BW and Swan and Dolphin.

[steph436]

I would suggest the WL. My DS (10) absolutely adores the WL. The pool has a nice slide and in the morning we would watch the rabbits and ducks before taking the boat to the MK.

We started staying at the WL since he was in a stroller. It was great just rolling the stroller to the dock, rolling on to the boat and rolling it off at the park.

The boat to the MK also comes in handy during the day when you want to take a break from the parks.

[mydisneygirls]

Another vote for WL. It's a beautiful resort and now our favorite. We used to stay at the Poly but it is too expensive now. WL is a deluxe but at a more reasonable price than the others. Quick access by boat or bus to MK so you can be back to your room (or back to the park) quite quickly. I guarantee you will love it.

One thing about ordering Pizza. DO NOT order from any place that you might find a flyer that has been slipped under your room door. This is a hoax....you order, they ask for your credit card and you NEVER get the pizza. The front desk can help by suggesting places to order from.

[ilovemymac]

If order from dominoes Pizza Hut or papa johns or if it' local it's have to have great reviews.

[ilovemymac]

Some other things to consider.. If a balcony is important to you BC and Poly have situations where you might not get one..or a very small one. We tend to book YC over BC for that reason alone. Room size...Poly's room seemed huge in comparison to all others we have stayed at. At Poly you do have to go outside to get to the main building/food options. Also Poly is under construction right now and might not always be the prettiest to look at. No hot tub at Poly is also a bummer. BC/YC has alot of food options available to you between those 2 resorts, BW and Swan and Dolphin.


If we do poly it will be ground floor I think so we can open the door and the kids can run outside and so forth.
If it's BC yea balcony would be important.

[Mitzie]

If we do poly it will be ground floor I think so we can open the door and the kids can run outside and so forth.
If it's BC yea balcony would be important.

We stayed in a garden view room, 1st floor in the Tahiti building..it is one of the newer ones. Yes your kids would be able to just step off the patio. Requesting a floor though is not guaranteed. Some of the older buildings the 2nd floor rooms have a patio door that opens into a railing..no balcony of any kind. We requested a newer room then so that we could have two sinks..2 teenage girls..need I say more! I know that alot of the construction going on at the Poly is on the newer end of the resort. On a transportation note though being able to walk to T&T is nice!

BC has some full size balconies but many are those "Juliet" balconies that will only hold one person as a time.

[ilovemymac]

So you could request a building and floor and get a completely different longhouse? I sure don't want the ones that sit on the water with nothing there.
I like tokalu or Aerotora. One you got bigger rooms the other gets you a monorail view.

[AgentC]

So you could request a building and floor and get a completely different longhouse? I sure don't want the ones that sit on the water with nothing there.
I like tokalu or Aerotora. One you got bigger rooms the other gets you a monorail view.

Unless a room is a bookable category you are never guaranteed a request. Sometimes I've gotten my requests. Sometimes I haven't.

Since the Polynesian is under DVC construction it is hard to know exactly what the room situation is going to be like. If it follows the patterns of the other DVC additions such as the bungalows over the water will be a separate bookable category under the DVC section of the resort. So while you may request one building and get another, you would not book a standard Polynesian room and get a DVC Polynesian room.

As far a resorts, we have stayed at all the resorts you are looking at. My kids are 5 and 8. They have enjoyed every resort. SAB is a huge attraction for them and our preferred resort there is the Yacht Club. I like the atmosphere better than Beach and you have a much better chance of getting a balcony. There is also lots of space for kids to run around and we really enjoy walking to Epcot.

Of the MK resorts Wilderness is my favorite but the rooms are smaller than the other deluxes. On our last trip we did a room with bunk beds and the kids really enjoyed it. Wilderness also has an excellent kid's club.

Polynesian was fine for us but just not our favorite. Nothing wrong with it at all but we enjoy visiting the resort for meals more than staying there. It's just a personal preference.

Contemporary had lovely large rooms and you can't beat walking to MK but to I don't enjoy the outdoor spaces there as much as the other resort. Just too much parking lot and concrete for me.

All of them are great resorts and I'm sure you'll be happy at any of them.

[ilovemymac]

That's to bad you can't at least get the longhouse you want. Could be the complaints I have heard are people upset they got a longhouse they didn't want

[ilovemymac]

Unless a room is a bookable category you are never guaranteed a request. Sometimes I've gotten my requests. Sometimes I haven't.



Since the Polynesian is under DVC construction it is hard to know exactly what the room situation is going to be like. If it follows the patterns of the other DVC additions such as the bungalows over the water will be a separate bookable category under the DVC section of the resort. So while you may request one building and get another, you would not book a standard Polynesian room and get a DVC Polynesian room.



As far a resorts, we have stayed at all the resorts you are looking at. My kids are 5 and 8. They have enjoyed every resort. SAB is a huge attraction for them and our preferred resort there is the Yacht Club. I like the atmosphere better than Beach and you have a much better chance of getting a balcony. There is also lots of space for kids to run around and we really enjoy walking to Epcot.



Of the MK resorts Wilderness is my favorite but the rooms are smaller than the other deluxes. On our last trip we did a room with bunk beds and the kids really enjoyed it. Wilderness also has an excellent kid's club.



Polynesian was fine for us but just not our favorite. Nothing wrong with it at all but we enjoy visiting the resort for meals more than staying there. It's just a personal preference.



Contemporary had lovely large rooms and you can't beat walking to MK but to I don't enjoy the outdoor spaces there as much as the other resort. Just too much parking lot and concrete for me.



All of them are great resorts and I'm sure you'll be happy at any of them.


Yea in all the videos I find of the CR rooms like nice and garden deluxe rooms are huge but it to me doesn't have the appeal of the poly. Plus we are picky eaters so there will be several meals we will eat off site so having a great restaurant near is not a big deal for us

[ilovemymac]

I really can't say bad about any deluxe resorts however I really think we are going POLY. We will see once construction is done. Hoping they add a hot tub

[jmj18]

We LOVE the Poly! Stayed there in Feb. and had no issues with construction noise at all.
The monorail was down during part of our stay but we had no issues with the boat to MK. This was also the first time we didn't rent a car and we were not disappointed with buses (except for DTD).

I would suggest the Poly or WL...another favorite.

We did not care for YC or Contemporary at all.

:mickey:

[DisneyBarb]

I'm a little late in my response, but as you can see from my signature, we are Poly people. The ambience is great, I think I have stayed in every building and do not have a single complaint. I would stick with a garden view because lagoon view is much more expensive and to me not worth it (can be a bit noisy also with boat traffic).

The fact you can walk to the Epcot monorail is great also. If construction will be close to done when you go I highly recommend it. Watching the fireworks from the beach and having a day bed so the kids don't have to sleep in the same one is awesome also.

Tikimanpages.com is a great website also for more information.

Good luck!