Super short trip: BWI, Contemporary, or ???

[shosh1530]

Hello we are going to be at WDW around Labor Day to do the Galactic Starcruiser, but will have two extra nights that I'm trying to decide where to stay. We depart from the GSC Saturday morning, so right now we plan to visit a park on Saturday and on Sunday (still debating park hoppers).

I've got POR booked for our one night (8/30) before the starcruiser as we most likely won't go into the parks that night (our flight lands around 5:30 and doesn't seem like much time...)

Trying to decide where to stay after. Myself and my son went to WDW in March, staying at CBR and visiting all 4 parks. The other person in our party has never been and is most interested in MK/Tron and Epcot/Cosmic Rewind.

I'm looking at Deluxe options this time to maybe be closer by at least one of the parks. With summer discounts I'm seeing (only looking for rooms with 3 bed options):

- Contemporary Garden Wing Water View for $419 - could walk to MK; monorail to Epcot?
- Boardwalk Inn Resort View for $445 - Could walk to Epcot and HS if we wanted to got there again
- Poly (resort or villas) for $620 - have always wanted to stay here, but is it really worth so much more?

Other Epcot resorts (beach/yacht) don't have availability right now for rooms that sleep 5 with the Disney Visa or regular summer discount, but I might keep checking to see if anything shifts.

Thoughts? Is it easier to stay closer to MK or Epcot when you want to go to both?

 

[DeeBee3]

I'd say Contemp or Boardwalk but check on refurbishment. I think Boardwalk is under construction.

 

[Her Dotness]

- Poly (resort or villas) for $620 - have always wanted to stay here, but is it really worth so much more?

This would be my choice for getting to MK and Epcot.

You may not be aware that going out the main Poly entrance, turning left and following that sidewalk past PagoPago lodge gets you to the pathway to the TTC. That's roughly a 10-minute walk on a beautifully landscaped pathway that comes out with a line-of-sight to the Epcot monorail station up ramp. Easy-peasy.

And, the Poly is only two monorail stops from MK on the resort loop monorail.

Can't put a price on "always wanted to stay there." If you can afford it, do it, sez me.

 

[shosh1530]

This would be my choice for getting to MK and Epcot.

You may not be aware that going out the main Poly entrance, turning left and following that sidewalk past PagoPago lodge gets you to the pathway to the TTC. That's roughly a 10-minute walk on a beautifully landscaped pathway that comes out with a line-of-sight to the Epcot monorail station up ramp. Easy-peasy.

And, the Poly is only two monorail stops from MK on the resort loop monorail.

Can't put a price on "always wanted to stay there." If you can afford it, do it, sez me.

Ooh I didn't realize Poly would make it easier to get over to the Epcot monorail without having to transfer. Is the main resort or Villas better for this (right now they both appear to be the same price)?

This may be our last WDW trip for quite some time (we are more Disneyland people), so maybe I should just go ahead and do it!

 

[Dina]

Id go with Boardwalk. I love that walk to Epcot / HS. Ive never stayed in a garden wing at Contemporary ....so I don't feel comfortable recommending. I have stayed at Bay Lake Tower and love it. As long as pool is not being refurbished....I don't mind construction.

 

[Marthasor]

Ooh I didn't realize Poly would make it easier to get over to the Epcot monorail without having to transfer. Is the main resort or Villas better for this (right now they both appear to be the same price)?

This may be our last WDW trip for quite some time (we are more Disneyland people), so maybe I should just go ahead and do it!

It depends how big your child is - the small pull-down bed in the villa studio is smaller than the day bed in the regular resort room. Personally, I would not book a standard resort room at Poly right now as you run the risk of having a view of major construction going on at the new Poly villa tower. If someone in your party can comfortably sleep on the smaller, pull-down bed, I would go with the studio. The studio will also be closer to the TTC path. As an overall resort, Poly is the nicest of the 3 you mention, IMHO. However Boardwalk is great and very convenient to EP and a ton of things to do around the Boardwalk. CR is the least impressive of the 3 resorts you mention but it is very convenient to MK.

 

[shosh1530]

It depends how big your child is - the small pull-down bed in the villa studio is smaller than the day bed in the regular resort room. Personally, I would not book a standard resort room at Poly right now as you run the risk of having a view of major construction going on at the new Poly villa tower. If someone in your party can comfortably sleep on the smaller, pull-down bed, I would go with the studio. The studio will also be closer to the TTC path. As an overall resort, Poly is the nicest of the 3 you mention, IMHO. However Boardwalk is great and very convenient to EP and a ton of things to do around the Boardwalk. CR is the least impressive of the 3 resorts you mention but it is very convenient to MK.

He is about to turn 12 and is maybe 5'2, so not small by any means. He has slept on similar pull downs at the resorts at Disneyland, but it has been almost a year since we last went. Is the pull down at BWI likely to be bigger? it looks more like a couch that folds down rather than the single murphy bed they have in the Poly Villas (hmmm now I'm wondering if the one at POR will actually work for us...).

I will say that I watched a room tour of the refurbished rooms at Boardwalk and they look pretty nice! So I'm feeling more favorable for Boardwalk now!

 

[figmentfinesse]

Renting dvc points in Sept would definitely have you below 620 at Poly, I’d do that!

 

[Selket]

I stayed at the CR a few weeks ago for a short 4th of July trip. The walk to the MK is so short...it's really nice to be in and out so easily and quickly. The CR also has fairly new refurbished rooms - we had a lovely GW room overlooking the water and could see the electric water parade (uh...forget the name) every night. You can also watch the fireworks from the CR and they pipe in the music. The transfer from the monorail at the TTC is very quick - they are next to each other and you don't even walk out from under the cover. You go down one side and walk back up the other ramp.

I'd stay closer to the MK since you're going to be staying at DHS for the other part of your trip. I love the Poly but nothing beats how close CR is to the MK.

 

[Harmacist]

Do any of the nights correspond with a deluxe after hours at Epcot or MK? If Epcot I may swing BWI, MK Contemporary. But honestly, if you've always wanted to stay at the Poly I may do that. You can walk to the TTC and easily get to MK as well, plus since it's a short visit you can stay there for this short trip and not pay the exorbitant price for a week long trip and still knock it off your bucket list of resorts to stay.

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

You won't regret splurging for the Poly..... but fair warning... it will make you want to come back!

 

[jods]

I would choose poly or BWI. Poly gives you easy access to both parks. Having the ttc right there is clutch . I hate transferring monorail. Last summer it took us almost 90 minutes to get from epcot to CR. We stayed CR post covid when the monorail wasn't running and I actually preferred the bus to epcot over transferring on the monorail. Bwi is such a nice walk to epcot. But Poly has always had my heart. We just love it there.

 

[Jacq7414]

We just got back from a stay at BWI and we really enjoyed it. Loved the proximity to Epcot/Hollywood and the atmosphere. I definitely prefer it to the contemporary.

I find dealing with TTC kind of annoying honestly. Even walking from the Poly to there I get turned around sometimes.

The construction didn’t bother us at boardwalk either. I would totally stay there again.

 

[Marthasor]

He is about to turn 12 and is maybe 5'2, so not small by any means. He has slept on similar pull downs at the resorts at Disneyland, but it has been almost a year since we last went. Is the pull down at BWI likely to be bigger? it looks more like a couch that folds down rather than the single murphy bed they have in the Poly Villas (hmmm now I'm wondering if the one at POR will actually work for us...).

I will say that I watched a room tour of the refurbished rooms at Boardwalk and they look pretty nice! So I'm feeling more favorable for Boardwalk now!

I apologize - I did not read your original post closely enough. You will not be guaranteed 2 queens and a daybed at BWI. You can request it, but it's not guaranteed. The couch that folds down in the resorts is bigger than the single murphy pull-downs in the villas. I'm 5'2" and I'm fine on the resort couches that fold into single beds. If you want to guarantee a 2 queen room with a couch/daybed, you should book the room at CR or a Poly room on the resort side (just don't book standard view or you may have a view of construction). If you think your son can sleep on the smaller, villa studio Murphy, Poly villa would work.

 

[shosh1530]

Do any of the nights correspond with a deluxe after hours at Epcot or MK? If Epcot I may swing BWI, MK Contemporary. But honestly, if you've always wanted to stay at the Poly I may do that. You can walk to the TTC and easily get to MK as well, plus since it's a short visit you can stay there for this short trip and not pay the exorbitant price for a week long trip and still knock it off your bucket list of resorts to stay.

No. the only extended evening hours is our very first arrival night, 8/30. We don't land until 5:30 pm, so I'm not sure it'd be worth trying to go into MK that night (or if getting Tron that late would be possible). Although I do CR for only $320 that night...