Ack! Which resort

[dtootsie42]

I need help from everybody on the boards. I am looking for pros and cons of certain resorts. Usually when we go we stay at the Poly...this trip will be the first one without our girls...they decided to all grow up...so hubby was thinking we should either go and try the Contemporary again or stay at the Boardwalk. If anybody has stayed at either of these on a regular bases or even just recently could you share the good, the bad and the ugly. I'm still leaning towards the Poly but I am wondering if staying there without our girls will be difficult with all our happy wonderful memories.

Thanks so very much everybody!

Dec. 1997---Contemporary
Dec. 1999--Poly
June 2000--Disneyland
Dec. 2001---Poly Concierge
Dec. 2003---Poly Concierge
Dec. 2005---Poly Concierge
Nov. 2007---Poly Concierge
Oct. 2008--DisneyLand
Dec. 2009--Poly Concierge
Nov. 2010 Disneyland---Disneyland Hotel

[paymerich]

It is going to be very tough for you as you very accustomed to the Poly but try the Beach Club you won't be disappointed. Its got different vibe but its location and amenities are gold Jerry just gold. (Sorry lame Seinfeld ref) We have enjoyed it immensely

Or do the Grand Floridian.

[paymerich]

Without kids go GF all the way. Have dinner at V&As and dance the night away. Plus a day at spa.

[ransam]

if you can afford it, the grand floridian.

[firefan43]

Ive never stayed at the GF, so I cant comment on that one. However, have you considered the Yacht and Beach Club? I love it. Ive stayed at every resort besides the GF and the Wilderness Lodge and my favorite is the Y&B. Ending your night at World Showcase and then not having to fight crowds to get back to your resort is awesome. (since you can just walk over) The Contemporart has the same appeal to me, since I can just end my night at MK and then walk over to my hotel. Plus the Contemporary has great views of the MK and if you are on the MK side with a view, when you get back to your room you can draw open the shades and look out at the castle at night. Its beautiful and romantic!

[Tinkerfreak]

I would say it depends on what park is your favorite and you plan to spend the most time at. For DH and I we love Epcot and usually spend more time there than any other park so we stayed at the Boardwalk Inn last time we did a trip with just us. It was great being able to walk in and out of Epcot easily and when Epcot closed we still had the Boardwalk for later night entertainment. I would say there or the Beach Club because that is an even shorter walk to Epcot. If you like the Magic Kingdom maybe you should try a new place like the Grand Floridian. You can make some new memories together.

[spoiledraf]

You posted "If anybody has stayed at either of these on a regular bases or even just recently could you share the good, the bad and the ugly"

I'm a Beach Club fan as well and I son't think there is ANY bad or ugly. Love the easy access to Epcot and Disney Studios as well as lots of dining opportunities at the BC, YC and Boardwalk. Battled the crowds to the busses at close of Epcot once and will Never do that again. And the pool is great as well. Took the family last year and that stretched the budget a bit (9 people, three rooms) but it was just so convienient and the kids loved the pool.

I see you have stayed concierge on all your visits. We've done the empty nester thing a couple times at the Boardwalk Garden Suites as well and that would be another great alternative for your first trip without kids, especially if you get a 30% off room discount. We were actually booked in one three years ago and ended up getting upgraded to the Steeplechase Suite. It's one of the biggest rooms in Disney. Talk about speechless. The cast member was smiling ear to ear when she took us to that room. And so were we! Quite a culture shock to a guy who drives a brown truck all day. :-)

We did GF once and it wasn't all that wonderful to us. If you want to enjoy that resort a bit just have lunch or dinner their a couple times. Thats what we do.

Enjoy your first trip alone and fall in love all over again!

[ledudes]

We love the Poly, but if you want to try something different, I would say Beach Club. It is a great atmosphere, nice pool, and since it will just be the two of you, it will be nice to be able to go for nightime walks over to Epcot and roam the countries etc. It will be especially nice if you go during the Food and Wine.

[dtootsie42]

Thanks so very much for everybodys in put. I have to admit we are having a heck of a time making up our mind. We are not doing concierge....with our girls it was a good deal but for just the two of us we will not take advantage of it like we did with the girls. We keep bouncing back and forth but hopefully will make up our mind soon

[darthmacho]

Haven't stayed at any of those resorts, but have visited all three. Seeing how you've stayed at Poly so often, why not a change of pace and go with Boardwalk, so that instead of being in proximity to MK, you can walk in and out of Epcot at will?

Just an idea.

[Disney-4-Me]

I love the Poly and that's where we usually stay but we've also stayed at the Contemporary quite a few times on our October long weekend trips. There are few sights more magical than overlooking the Magic Kingdom from your room. I love sitting on the porch late at night when we get back to our room and watching the castle change colors.

[moe513]

We love the epcot resorts. we love to walk to world showcase at night for dinner. we find the best resort to be the bwi. its is close enough to dhs to walk. we didnt like beach club because very few rooms have balconies. the yacht club was nice but kind of boring.
good luck, its hard to leave the poly.

[andreallybadeggs]

DH and I have been working on staying at all the resorts and are making pretty good progress. We miss our kids but enjoy the World as much as ever and try to do something a little different each visit. We've stayed at 2 values, all the mods, SSR, AKV(Kidani), Wilderness, all the monorail resorts, and Yacht and Beach. Since MK still has the biggest piece of our hearts, we'd probably put the monorail resorts at the top of our list (love them all like we love our kids, couldn't choose just one) but if EPCOT happens to be your favorite park, I'd agree that Beach (or Yacht) would be hard to beat. One other thing to consider especially if you aren't planning on keeping up a frantic pace; try a split stay. First half at any of the other resorts you're considering; last half back at your beloved Poly.

[dtootsie42]

Once again thanks to everybody who gave me their input on which resort to choose. My husband and I sat down and made a list and finally decided since we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary why not stay where we love so we are going to be at the Poly. Next visit we will try one of the epcot resorts. So excited for this trip!

[Jeff]

As someone who has stayed at the Contemp, and the Boardwalk Resorts I say..... you have made a great choice.

My wife and I love the Boardwalk Inn! As a couple, being able to use the "back entrance" to Epcot and just stroll around WS any time you please is great.

[slegrant]

Grand Floridian all the way, especially if you like the club level. My wife and I went without the kids for five days and we had an incredible time at GF. The club level was awesome. I agree with everyone about the Epcot resorts, I am just partial to the MK resorts.

Another option that may be fun are the Cabins at Fort Wilderness (my home resort) we love the peace and quiet, the wildlife and the setting.

Hope this helps

Sean

[brownie]

Once again thanks to everybody who gave me their input on which resort to choose. My husband and I sat down and made a list and finally decided since we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary why not stay where we love so we are going to be at the Poly. Next visit we will try one of the epcot resorts. So excited for this trip!

Can't go wrong staying at a place you love.

[Jillirose]

Ending your night at World Showcase and then not having to fight crowds to get back to your resort is awesome. (since you can just walk over)

Agreed. And, walking around the boardwalk and water with lights is very romantic

[Giselle]

I liked the Contemporary for being within walking distance of our favorite park - MK! The rooms were comfortable and modern. Having the monorail inside the hotel was fun and the restaurants are good too. Something about it seems un-disney-ish though. Maybe its that the theme is that of so many other hotels and that there are conventioneers there. Can't go wrong with any DW hotel IMHO.