Which Poly stay would you choose?

[Lane308]

Hey all! So after a lot of wavering between Contemporary and Polynesian, and finally watching YouTube videos of each last night, husband decided he's 100% for Poly. POLY IT IS. I've got these three offers saved for our (non negotiable) travel dates. Can you weigh in on which you'd choose, seasoned Poly/Disney travelers? We have never taken our kids to WDW and haven't been ourselves in 15 years, this will be their big Christmas surprise and want to choose wisely for the best time! Not doing a dining plan. I'm drawn to the Club Level for the breakfast, espresso, snacks/a glass of wine later in the day after the park (seems like these things would save us considerably?) but have no idea if that's worth it or a racket to get me to fork over more money. Are there other perks to consider staying Club?

And villas vs. resort? After a ton of googling and reading it seems like the big difference between the villa and the resort is the extra shower in the villa but overall smaller square footage for living area (which seems like a big negative for us since we're already going to be in tight quarters!) Am I understanding that right or are there other reasons to choose one over the other?

Thanks in advance for helping me make a choice here! PS: we'd looked into doing points rentals as well but decided against it.

Edit: it's mom, dad, son (11), daughter (9), daughter (7)

 

[ErinsMommy]

We've stayed multiple times at the Polynesian Club Level and just love everything about it. The close proximity to both pools; watching the fireworks from the lounge area, the snacks/food items, and the CMs are so awesome. Personally speaking if you do go the route of non-club, keep in mind the studio is a bit on the small side. Our friend and her 3 kids stayed in one of the rooms but only for a weekend and they felt pretty tight in the space and said they couldn't have done it for a longer stay. Good luck!

 

[ErinsMommy]

Wanted to add if your going to be at the park all day every day, club level isn't worth it IMO. When we go away, we spend every other day at the resort just relaxing; and every other day at a park.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would pick option #2. I'm not a fan of the studios as you only get one real bed. With a family of 5 in a standard room, you will get 2 queens and a comfortable day bed. I would also pick a regular room and not club level. For $1300, you can pack your mini-fridge and room with all the snacks and wine you could possibly want. Unless you want to purchase the CL extra FP+ option (if it still exists when your trip rolls around), but that's going to cost you an extra $50 per day, per person, for at least 3 days of your trip.

 

[marchingstar]

i’d pick option 3.

I loved the studios, but it worked for us because we’re a family of 3 so we left the couch as a couch. i would not pay poly prices for half my family to sleep on a pull out bed.

there’s a big cost difference between a standard and club level room, but for a new years trip i think i would pay it. we were at disney at new years almost 10 years ago and it was wicked busy. my MIL got knocked over and we ended up back at our room by about 9PM (and this is only because we could walk back to the contemporary. i’ve heard that transportation on NYE is bananas and can take hours). since your trip is over new years, unless you have another plan i would personally plan to enjoy the club level lounge and celebrate at the hotel. from the club level lounge, you’ll have a beautiful view of the MK fireworks. factoring that into things along with snack/drink costs, i would personally see enough value.

 

[Minnie1222]

I choose Offer 3 over Offer 2. You're only paying ~$43 more per person per day for convenience, time-saving, and unlimited breakfast, snacks, drinks & appetizers. The Hawaii longhouse (aka the club building) is also among the prime locations within the Poly resort.
I've not stayed at a DVC property so I wouldn't know what benefits Offer 1 would have.

 

[ninafeliz]

If the price difference works for you, definitely CL! The SV CL is still a beautiful view of the oasis pool, and you get the perfect view of the castle and the fireworks from the lounge to enjoy whenever you want to. I don't know the ages of your kids, but we have found that when we don't stay CL we almost always skip breakfast and eat like a granola bar because of the hassle (and TIME IT TAKES) of getting it from a QS restaurant, while at CL you can just have someone from your group bring it to the room and eat it while you get ready. We also aren't big eaters, and find the evening appetizers are plenty for dinner for us when we are around to eat them. If we make an ADR afterwards it's a waste. So while I won't go as far as saying it doesn't cost us more to stay CL because of the food, it really does cut into the difference. We also enjoy the alcohol that is included, and that can help offset costs if you drink the included wine, etc instead of buying a lot of drinks. Then the additional upcharge is worth it for convenience.

As for villa vs resort room. If you have more than 2 people I would say resort room. We stayed in a villa room at BCV once because that was what was available, and I hated having to have 2 people on a pull out couch. The one we had, while not terrible, was not nearly as comfortable as the bed. we left it out, because we needed it every night to sleep and I didn't want to put it away and pull it back out, so we didn't have the couch to use. IDK, I just didn't care for it. If you only had 2 people then I would say it was fine. To me, the extra shower (only applies to the Poly) and microwave is not worth giving up a real bed, but that's just us.

 

[Lane308]

i’d pick option 3.

I loved the studios, but it worked for us because we’re a family of 3 so we left the couch as a couch. i would not pay poly prices for half my family to sleep on a pull out bed.

there’s a big cost difference between a standard and club level room, but for a new years trip i think i would pay it. we were at disney at new years almost 10 years ago and it was wicked busy. my MIL got knocked over and we ended up back at our room by about 9PM (and this is only because we could walk back to the contemporary. i’ve heard that transportation on NYE is bananas and can take hours). since your trip is over new years, unless you have another plan i would personally plan to enjoy the club level lounge and celebrate at the hotel. from the club level lounge, you’ll have a beautiful view of the MK fireworks. factoring that into things along with snack/drink costs, i would personally see enough value.

That's what's pushing me more toward CL. We'll probably have to leave our home in Colorado very early on NYE to make a connection, and it'll be a long travel day, so I'd love to arrive late afternoon/early evening, check in, and just enjoy the club lounge and an evening in. No way will we try to take transport into parks or anything that day/evening! Thanks for the input and sorry about your poor MIL. Yikes!

 

[Lane308]

If the price difference works for you, definitely CL! The SV CL is still a beautiful view of the oasis pool, and you get the perfect view of the castle and the fireworks from the lounge to enjoy whenever you want to. I don't know the ages of your kids, but we have found that when we don't stay CL we almost always skip breakfast and eat like a granola bar because of the hassle (and TIME IT TAKES) of getting it from a QS restaurant, while at CL you can just have someone from your group bring it to the room and eat it while you get ready. We also aren't big eaters, and find the evening appetizers are plenty for dinner for us when we are around to eat them. If we make an ADR afterwards it's a waste. So while I won't go as far as saying it doesn't cost us more to stay CL because of the food, it really does cut into the difference. We also enjoy the alcohol that is included, and that can help offset costs if you drink the included wine, etc instead of buying a lot of drinks. Then the additional upcharge is worth it for convenience.

As for villa vs resort room. If you have more than 2 people I would say resort room. We stayed in a villa room at BCV once because that was what was available, and I hated having to have 2 people on a pull out couch. The one we had, while not terrible, was not nearly as comfortable as the bed. we left it out, because we needed it every night to sleep and I didn't want to put it away and pull it back out, so we didn't have the couch to use. IDK, I just didn't care for it. If you only had 2 people then I would say it was fine. To me, the extra shower (only applies to the Poly) and microwave is not worth giving up a real bed, but that's just us.

Very helpful input, thank you! TOTALLY hear you on the breakfast thing - we typically travel to places with full kitchens and just stock cereal, milk, bread for toast, etc. bc I haaaaate dragging kids out to get breakfast before we can start our day. So it sounds like the club would be a great way for husband to grab what we need while I'm getting kids ready to go! And we definitely are the type to enjoy a glass of wine or two after a long day with the kids so we'd use that offering to the max, ha!

I think you're right on the real bed beating out another shower. We'd have two daughters on a second bed and a son on the foldout/pull down. It'll be tight but better to have a 2nd comfy bed I think.

Appreciate your advice!

 

[Lane308]

Wanted to add if your going to be at the park all day every day, club level isn't worth it IMO. When we go away, we spend every other day at the resort just relaxing; and every other day at a park.

Thanks so much for your thoughts! And yes, when we started considering club I decided to add in an extra day so we can be less rushed and have at least a full day (and possibly another half day) to just enjoy the perks we would be paying for. (And we aren't late night people so I think we'd make good use of the evening apps, drinks, and fireworks viewing!) Appreciate you weighing in.

 

[Wild4Walt]

If your party can manage to stagger the times for the shower without someone having to get up much earlier than everyone else, I'd go with Option 2. Option 1 does have the extra shower which is nice for a party of 4 if you all get up around the same time.

I'd skip the Club level - for us, we're in the parks most of the day so we'd miss out on food, etc.

 

[TravelandLeisure]

I’d pick option 2. With the standard hotel room you would have 2 actual beds vs. just a queen and pullout. As for option 3, I personally couldn’t justify spending an extra 1000+ dollars just to stay club level.

 

[marchingstar]

That's what's pushing me more toward CL. We'll probably have to leave our home in Colorado very early on NYE to make a connection, and it'll be a long travel day, so I'd love to arrive late afternoon/early evening, check in, and just enjoy the club lounge and an evening in. No way will we try to take transport into parks or anything that day/evening! Thanks for the input and sorry about your poor MIL. Yikes!

the road to the polynesian is the same as the road to the MK, so if you’re getting in on NYE in the afternoon/evening, be prepared for a slooooooow bus ride. but if you pick option 3, at least the lounge will be waiting!

 

[Lane308]

the road to the polynesian is the same as the road to the MK, so if you’re getting in on NYE in the afternoon/evening, be prepared for a slooooooow bus ride. but if you pick option 3, at least the lounge will be waiting!

Ah, I see. Good to know ahead of time, thanks.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

@Lane308 - FWIW, we've done Poly CL the last two NYE's. There are two special fireworks shows on 12/31 - 6:30pm & 11:50pm. Granted they can tweak exact setups on these special days year-to-year, but in the past the Poly beach is reserved for Poly guests and there is a special section within that area for CL guests. This is a huge perk when staying CL on 12/31, in my opinion. Both years we've just "hung around" the resort and beach area for most of the night. Such a fun night with a great vibe. The weather in 2017 was cold but this year it was fantastic.

My trip reports on the CL thread can be found here:
Poly CL - NYE 2018
Poly CL - NYE 2017

Happy to answer any questions.

 

[marchingstar]

@Lane308 - FWIW, we've done Poly CL the last two NYE's. There are two special fireworks shows on 12/31 - 6:30pm & 11:50pm. Granted they can tweak exact setups on these special days year-to-year, but in the past the Poly beach is reserved for Poly guests and there is a special section within that area for CL guests. This is a huge perk when staying CL on 12/31, in my opinion. Both years we've just "hung around" the resort and beach area for most of the night. Such a fun night with a great vibe. The weather in 2017 was cold but this year it was fantastic.

My trip reports on the CL thread can be found here:
Poly CL - NYE 2018
Poly CL - NYE 2017

Happy to answer any questions.

looks like an incredible experience! I'm sure the OP is grateful for your input, but your trip reports make me want to visit for myself!

 

[tnolan]

Also if you are booking the Poly for Dec 2019 you'd better hurry. The deluxes are being snapped up for the fall/winter of this year very quickly no doubt because of the Star Wars opening.

 

[Lane308]

@Lane308 - FWIW, we've done Poly CL the last two NYE's. There are two special fireworks shows on 12/31 - 6:30pm & 11:50pm. Granted they can tweak exact setups on these special days year-to-year, but in the past the Poly beach is reserved for Poly guests and there is a special section within that area for CL guests. This is a huge perk when staying CL on 12/31, in my opinion. Both years we've just "hung around" the resort and beach area for most of the night. Such a fun night with a great vibe. The weather in 2017 was cold but this year it was fantastic.

My trip reports on the CL thread can be found here:
Poly CL - NYE 2018
Poly CL - NYE 2017

Happy to answer any questions.

Awesome info! Looking forward to reading your reports. After sleep, past my bedtime. Thank you for sharing!

 

[Lane308]

Also if you are booking the Poly for Dec 2019 you'd better hurry. The deluxes are being snapped up for the fall/winter of this year very quickly no doubt because of the Star Wars opening.

We booked tonight! Went club level, this may be the only trip we make to WDW for many years (my family owns a home 45 min from DL so we tend to go that direction!) so figured we may as well splurge for some extras!

Really appreciate you all weighing in. Such a nice group here.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

We booked tonight! Went club level, this may be the only trip we make to WDW for many years (my family owns a home 45 min from DL so we tend to go that direction!) so figured we may as well splurge for some extras!

Really appreciate you all weighing in. Such a nice group here.

Nice. If so inclined as you get closer to planning, swing by the Club Level thread and also the Theme Parks Attractions & Stratagies Board. You’re traveling among one of the busiest (but exciting) times of year at WDW and there are lots of folks around the DIS that can assist with expectations, planning, questions, etc. Have fun!