Double post to ask for help choosing between Poly CL and WL CL for a January trip with DH and DS6. Here are our priorities:
1. Easy transportation to MK. We plan to center our trip here and are fine taking Uber or Lyft to the other parks. I assume Poly wins here since there are two transportation options to MK? If wea re planning to rope drop, is the WL boat a bad idea?
2. Good theming with a nice kid-friendly pool (this is what knocked out CR and GF with the Beach Pool closed). This is probably a draw.
3. Enjoyable resort public spaces. This is what has me worried about the Poly. I will be disappointed if the beach and other public areas are insanely crowded. WL seems quieter.
From what I've read here, the CL offerings at the Poly and WL seem similar, but the Poly lounge has the location advantage.
The Poly is about $1k more for the week, but I think this will probably be our last WDW trip for a long time, so I'm willing to pay more if we will really enjoy it more. WWYD?
Thank you so much for the response. We have only been to WDW once before. We stayed at AKL and loved it, but said that if we ever come back, we want to stay at a monorail resort. It sounds crazy to pay an extra $1000 for the monorail access, but I don't think we'll probably take another WDW trip (at least not for a long time!), so we are okay with paying more to optimize our experience. And since it's likely our last trip, I am, of course, overthinking everything!
Is there a big difference in convenience of getting from Poly to MK vs. WL to MK? If so, that could be the decider for us. I am hoping to be able to pretty easily hop back and forth between MK and our resort during our stay. That was what was missing from our previous stay at AKL.
I really want to stay at the Poly, but I don't want to regret that choice if it's really noisy and chaotic there. I know it draws a lot of people who aren't staying at the resort, but that's probably true of AKL too, right? We stayed at AKL the same week that we'll be visiting this year, and I didn't think AKL public spaces were crazy busy during our last visit.
This is going to be long winded, SORRY!
I don’t think you can go wrong either way. But from reading your goals/wants, my head is leaning more towards Poly. AKL and WL are somewhat similar types of resorts (designed by the same architect)... gorgeous lobby and grounds, wonderful common areas, smaller rooms, both have a more remote feel, etc. I think I would want something ‘different’ for this trip if it were me.
You said “if we come back we want to stay at a monorail resort” - I think you should probably stick to that feeling and go with Poly, if anything to scratch that itch!
I’ll see if I can opine on your other points as well...
1) Transportation to MK - I prefer Poly for the multiple options to MK... resort monorail, resort launch, or you can even walk over to the TTC and take the ferry. I find any of these incredibly convenient and the optionality depending on the time of day, weather, etc can be a big plus. And on this topic, you don’t mention Epcot but I especially enjoy being able to quickly walk to the TTC to take the monorail to Epcot. The boat or bus from WL to MK is easy too, but I’m a little partial to the monorail myself.
2) Kid-Friendly Pools - WL pools are fine and the new pool is fantastic, but my DS7 prefers the Poly pools over WL. The WL slide is somewhat boring compared to Poly. Also, at 6 your DS is going to be too tall to use the kids splash area at WL. The Poly splash area is much larger, more elaborate, and they let taller kids play there. My DS7 can spend
hours going back and forth between the splash area and the volcano slide. Again, I think WL pools are fine, we just happen to like Poly’s better, particularly because of the larger kids area.
3) Enjoyable Resort Public Spaces - Both are great. Certainly can’t go wrong with WL... the new Geyser Point waterfront restaurant is awesome and the grounds are lovely. You have the beauty and serenity of being on the shores of Bay Lake. With Poly, you have the buzz and excitement of being on the 7 Seas Lagoon with the wonderful MK view. I love both!
I do not find the Poly grounds to be “insanely crowded”, actually I have the opposite view. Sure, the GCH has a lot of foot traffic with the restaurants, Ohana, etc - but when I stay Poly CL I hardly ever go to the GCH except for walking through to the monorail or uber/taxi (ok, maybe a drink or two at Tambu Lounge). To me, nothing is more relaxing than cracking your balcony door and letting in the lovely sounds of the Poly soundtrack. I use the attached pic of the Poly lounge a lot, but in encompasses the peaceful and relaxing feeling I have every time I stay Poly CL. We just absolutely love everything about it.
IMHO WL food/lounge offerings are ‘better’ than Poly, generally speaking. The WL lounge is new and has wonderful views overlooking the lobby. The Poly lounge is more crowded/well used, but yes, you are paying for the view. The Poly CL lounge and Hawaii longhouse in general is an ideal location, IMHO.
Since our kids are young and we have more room time than some folks, we prefer the larger rooms at Poly vs WL. Also, we prefer being able to book a view at Poly, which you can’t at WL. That has some $ value to me.
Sorry for the ramble. Again, don’t think you can go wrong. You’ve have great input and differing opinions from others above as well. Happy Planning!