Opinion On Which Resort!

[Taylormade0503]

Hello everyone! I will be visiting Disney this coming May with my wife and daughter, who will be 2 years 11 months. We will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK, with 1 resort day as well. We currently have a reservation at the Poly, but now we are second guessing if that's the best resort for us. We LOVE the ability to take the monorail to and from MK, but we are being "scared away" from the Poly due to negative reviews I've been reading online. Yes, I know about the construction, but we have also heard of things like severe overcrowding and it just being not worth the money. Would either Wilderness Lodge or the Yacht Club be good options for us?

So between the Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club, which one should we choose? Again, we are travelling with a toddler who takes naps and will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK. We are also hitting up the pool for 1 full day.

THANK YOU!

 

[CarolynFH]

With a toddler who naps and your plans to visit MK 2 days, I'd stay put at Poly. Being able to wheel the stroller onto the monorail with the (potentially sleeping) toddler in it is worth a very great deal.

If you decide to move, WL would be my choice - easy boat transportation to/from MK, maybe can't leave the toddler in the stroller but is a pleasant ride.

From Yacht Club you'd be taking the bus - not fun.

To AK you're taking the bus no matter where you stay, but that's only one day.

 

[Taylormade0503]

With a toddler who naps and your plans to visit MK 2 days, I'd stay put at Poly. Being able to wheel the stroller onto the monorail with the (potentially sleeping) toddler in it is worth a very great deal.

If you decide to move, WL would be my choice - easy boat transportation to/from MK, maybe can't leave the toddler in the stroller but is a pleasant ride.

From Yacht Club you'd be taking the bus - not fun.

To AK you're taking the bus no matter where you stay, but that's only one day.

Thanks! How is the boat ride to/from MK from Wilderness Lodge? Is the monorail that much better??

 

[brockash]

Hello everyone! I will be visiting Disney this coming May with my wife and daughter, who will be 2 years 11 months. We will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK, with 1 resort day as well. We currently have a reservation at the Poly, but now we are second guessing if that's the best resort for us. We LOVE the ability to take the monorail to and from MK, but we are being "scared away" from the Poly due to negative reviews I've been reading online. Yes, I know about the construction, but we have also heard of things like severe overcrowding and it just being not worth the money. Would either Wilderness Lodge or the Yacht Club be good options for us?

So between the Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club, which one should we choose? Again, we are travelling with a toddler who takes naps and will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK. We are also hitting up the pool for 1 full day.

THANK YOU!

Poly. We've stayed at all 3 and while we love YC as well; I think the pool would be kinda wasted on a 3 year old. The Poly has a great toddler area and you can't beat watching the fireworks from the pool. On top of that the ability to take the stroller on the monorail without needing to take her out of the stroller is huge.

 

[BaymaxForever]

I would stay put for the monorail like others have mentioned. Especially in case of a meltdown or other unforeseen event you can get back to the hotel quickly.
If you decide to change, Wilderness Lodge is also very close and feels calmer, no construction, if that remains a concern for you.
I would cross off yacht club completely due to your 2 planned MK days and transportation.

 

[ttintagel]

The Poly is a great place to watch the fireworks without the MK crowds, and then head right for your room and bed. You can also catch the Electric Water Pageant.

 

[Mle8308]

Thanks! How is the boat ride to/from MK from Wilderness Lodge? Is the monorail that much better??

The boat ride is nice, less than 10 minutes. We are doing a split stay on our next trip, 5N at the Poly and 5N at WL. The WL is my favorite, it is very relaxing and not nearly as hectic since it is not on the monorail. But that is also a benefit, it's nice to have the monorail right there, and watch fireworks from the beach. The WL does have a fun splash pad for kids, too. I don't think you would go wrong staying at either!

 

[Taylormade0503]

The boat ride is nice, less than 10 minutes. We are doing a split stay on our next trip, 5N at the Poly and 5N at WL. The WL is my favorite, it is very relaxing and not nearly as hectic since it is not on the monorail. But that is also a benefit, it's nice to have the monorail right there, and watch fireworks from the beach. The WL does have a fun splash pad for kids, too. I don't think you would go wrong staying at either!

Thank you. One more follow up question though. How is the wait for a boat getting to MK and getting back to the resort? Thanks again! Your info is so helpful!

 

[francie57]

We just stayed at Boulder Ridge at Wilderness Lodge and loved it! We took the boat back from MK one day and had to wait basically 6 min. There are 2 boats running so they are pretty quick. You also have the option of a bus, which is about a 5 min ride to MK. We have pretty much stayed at every deluxe resort and Poly is not one of our favorites. We have been very happy with Wilderness Lodge and really love the Epcot resorts.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks! How is the boat ride to/from MK from Wilderness Lodge? Is the monorail that much better??

We love the boat ride and take it whenever we can. Given a choice between them, I'd rather ride the boat than the monorail. However, I think you have to take the child out of the stroller and fold it up for the boat, whereas for the monorail you don't, which would make a difference to me. We haven't traveled with stroller-age children for many years!

 

[TCRAIG]

I’d stick with the Poly -

 

[Vickie1016]

We love the boat ride and take it whenever we can. Given a choice between them, I'd rather ride the boat than the monorail. However, I think you have to take the child out of the stroller and fold it up for the boat, whereas for the monorail you don't, which would make a difference to me. We haven't traveled with stroller-age children for many years!

Agreed - depending on which boat arrives at the dock. The smaller boats, the stroller (even if the baby is napping) would need to be folded. The bigger boat, I recall seeing napping kids still in strollers. But like PP, DD is now 17 - so we have not been with a stroller in a very long time.

We recently stayed at the Poly (2022 trip) and having the monorail was lovely, the grounds are beautiful & the fireworks view was amazing. But our heart belongs to Wilderness Lodge. We like that everything is under one roof (lobby, restaurants, quick service, laundry). Where as at the Poly, if it is raining, you are walking outside in the elements to get to the main building.

Can't comment on the Yacht Club as it has been years since we stayed there.

You can't go wrong with any of these locations. Happy Planning!

 

[Planner2012]

I have stayed at the Poly pre-construction and loved it! Very convenient to MK and love the theming & restaurants. That being said we opted not to stay at the Poly for upcoming trip due to the construction & the possible headaches associated with it.
Eliminating the Poly from your list, I would choose Wilderness Lodge. Great theming & food and more convenient from MK than the Yacht Club. We love the boardwalk area but it sounds like you’re skipping both EP & HS so doesn’t make sense with a napping toddler to stay in that area.
Whatever you decide, have a great trip!

 

[nw6675]

Another WL vote! Easy access to MK. YC bus to MK is one of my least favorite transports even though I love YC best of the three.

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you. One more follow up question though. How is the wait for a boat getting to MK and getting back to the resort? Thanks again! Your info is so helpful!

Never waited more than 10 minutes, even in the middle of the day. At night, they use the bigger boats, so they can take more people. Mid day, a lot of the times it was the smaller watercraft used, I forget the exact name, it’s the wooden hull boats. After 3pm, there is also a boat running between the CR/WL/FW.

 

[Marthasor]

Hello everyone! I will be visiting Disney this coming May with my wife and daughter, who will be 2 years 11 months. We will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK, with 1 resort day as well. We currently have a reservation at the Poly, but now we are second guessing if that's the best resort for us. We LOVE the ability to take the monorail to and from MK, but we are being "scared away" from the Poly due to negative reviews I've been reading online. Yes, I know about the construction, but we have also heard of things like severe overcrowding and it just being not worth the money. Would either Wilderness Lodge or the Yacht Club be good options for us?

So between the Poly, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club, which one should we choose? Again, we are travelling with a toddler who takes naps and will be spending 2 days at MK and 1 day at AK. We are also hitting up the pool for 1 full day.

THANK YOU!

I love WL for access to MK and a lower price point than Poly, however, if your toddler falls asleep in the stroller and you are trying to get back to the resort, you will have to take her out of the stroller if they are utilizing the smaller boats. I would stick with Poly or consider GF or CR, if available. While CR isn't my favorite resort, it would be incredibly convenient with two days at MK.

I would take YC off the list as you aren't going to EP or DHS. Stick with a MK area resort.

 

[VFL]

Have you thought about staying at Animal Kingdom lodge? Your little one might really enjoy that. Not as convenient to MK as the others but one of my favorites when the kids were little.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Poly or WL. To echo PPs definitely not YC, with your plans there is no reason to be at an EP resort. Yes, the main pool at Poly is stupid crowded but if that’s not of interest and construction noise is not of concern why move?

If you think afternoon naps could be important I’d switch to WL. The boat ride is longer but on the way back the boat to Poly stops at GF first so idk how much longer it is on a return comparison. WL also runs a bus to MK which I feel is faster on the return but I have no actual data to back that up (shares with CR).

 

[gottalovepluto]

Have you thought about staying at Animal Kingdom lodge? Your little one might really enjoy that. Not as convenient to MK as the others but one of my favorites when the kids were little.

You’re a saint for putting up with the buses from AKL to MK on an MK focused trip so your littles could enjoy the animals! One day to MK and I wanted pull my hair out with how long that jam packed bus ride was. I clocked it at 25 mins on a return one evening including the stop first at Kidani (I started to get motion sick from the dang bus that time so I had to focus on something and the clock won lol).

 

[Flossbolna]

Another vote for WL. I also think that the WL pool area is more toddler friendly for your resort day. It has a really nice splash area. The Boulder Ridge pool has nice cabana style seating that is first come first serve and might me a nice spot to have for a family pool day.

It takes quite a while to get to AK from WL, but that’s the same from Poly.

WL now has the boat to Contemporary running again and for your resort day it might be fun to take the boat over there and then take the resort monorail around to the other resorts.