Need advise! Is POLY worth it?

[marmar]

There have been years when we wanted to stay at the poly and it was $1000 more than the YC/BC. It’s one of the reasons we seldom stay there.
If your trip is after the skytram opens I’d definitely vote CBR.

 

[JoJoGirl]

That’s a really good question. The Polynesian is my favorite resort, but I doubt I would shorten a planned trip just to stay there. More time at Disney trumps the resort if you have the vacation days to use.

That said, I always feel as if I need one more day if I’m not staying at the Poly. Call it Disney logic, haha. Reason being that the transportation options at the Poly are excellent if you plan to spend a lot of time at MK and Epcot (as we do). It’s so easy and quick to hop over to those parks whenever you like, and you can experience all the attractions in less total time. If I ONLY had four days without the option of a longer trip, then the Poly would be far and away my first choice. If I can lengthen it to five, other resorts become awfully tempting, particularly at a $1000 savings.

For example, a my daughter and I went down for four nights in November 2015 for the Food & Wine festival and stayed at the Polynesian. We felt like we accomplished everything we wanted in that time and went home very satisfied. Same when my mom and I went in December 2017. But last spring when DD and I stayed four nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (which we loved!), we left feeling as if we needed one more day to do our usual things. In hindsight I would have planned that trip for five days and been very happy.

With the Skyliner opening at the CBR, it sounds like a great option to me at that savings, especially if you already know you like the resort. Hope you have a fantastic time whichever you choose!

 

[Summer2018]

This is such a personal question, and only you can decide if the trade-off is worth it.

We didn't like CBR when we stayed there. After staying at ASMusic which we enjoyed a lot more than CBR, and loving the Poly so much last summer that it has become our all-time favorite resort, it would be a no-brainer for us. Hands down, we would stay at the Poly over CBR. CBR isn't even on our list of alternatives.

You, however loved CBR, so you need to really look at your financial situation to decide how much of a hardship paying an extra $1000 would be for you.

 

[Karebear]

We stayed at the poly last August for the first time and we did love it. We loved the convenience to MK with the monorail especially since we had a stroller. We would have never considered staying there if we didn't book through a travel agent. There are some good deals to be had around labor day. I am not allowed to tell you the name of the agency. They are releasing their special on 1/7. Maybe look into it try googling some of this info

I agree with this. I don’t think that the Poly is worth it unless I get a really good deal. I agree with this poster in that you should try to find a deal and then maybe you can stay there including your extra night

 

[Babsy]

Worth it? No
Have I done it? Yes, sometimes.
Would I do it again? it depends on many things, who is going, plans, budget, etc.

Carefully think about what you really want from this trip.

I would close my eyes and imagine things like:
(1) how I would feel when I am home paying the bills after each trip decision.
(2) the morning that I am packing up at the Poly. Do you look around the resort content with your stay and ready to go home or wish that you had another day?
(3) Last day at CBR getting ready to head to the theme parks. Are you excited to still be here rather than unpacking back at home?
(4) Relaxing for a few hours at the resort - is this better than being in the theme parks or are you wasting time that could be spent on FOP or 7DMT?
(5) Imagine opening your eyes in a room at the Poly on your first morning there. How much is your dream of staying at the Poly worth to YOU? Sometimes fulfilling a dream is definitely 'worth it'.

Good luck choosing! Both resorts are gorgeous, each with its own special charms.

 

[CruisinPetey]

Thanks everyone for the great advice! You’ve given me some great ideas and lots to think about! I appreciate the help!

 

[Minnie1222]

Pictures taken last week.

 

[Smittolis]

Here is a video I made when we were there in August of last year.... It's my family's favorite place to stay (mine is the contemporary or BLT!)

We have similar questions when we are planning to go, our compromise is to do a split stay. We stay at a hotel that is closer to a particular park that will allow us to focus on that area for a few days and then move over to where we really want to be. While some people think moving is a hassle, we don't mind it as the trade off is that we get the best locations for what it is we are focusing on.

The question of 'worth' is always personal. Is any hotel worth $400+ a night? lol... But I will say this, although I prefer the location of the contemporary and BLT, the Poly is the only hotel that truly feels like 'home' to my family. So 'worth' will all depend on your outlook. As above I have used TA's to get good rates and this last time in July we got the best rates I have ever ever had and we are FL Residents with AP's! So it's worth shopping around.

The benefits of the Poly for my family (yours may differ)

1. Location location location! - Proximity to MK, being on the monorail and close to TTC.
2. Main Loby - very welcoming and a cool place to hang out
3. Amenities - Great pools and food access and lots of options for shops in the main building
4. Stroller access - if you have young kids this is a great location for people with strollers as you can simply get up to the monorail and go straight to MK, or walk to the TTC without ever having to fold it up.
5. Being able to watch and listen to the Happily Ever After fireworks show from the beach (you can see a little of this at the end of the video)

If it were me and it was my money I would not cut the vacation short AND spend $1000 more, if it were a similar price but perhaps $500 extra with the same amount of days then it would be a no brainer. As I said earlier, I would look to see if you can do a split stay for the same amount of time and keep the prices relatively similar. It's definitely possible as its something we do a couple of times a year!

 

[Nancyg56]

I would spend $1000 more to stay at a resort that I much prefer, so that money to change from CBR to teh Poly I woudl absolutely consider. I would NOT choose to reduce my vacation as well as spend more money to stay at any resort.

Just to warn you, though, with all of this DVC rental talk. Availability is not guaranteed. Look into availability before getting too excited about it or cancelling CBR.

Thank you. I always cringe when the forst reaction from folks is to rent DVC> especially at the Poly. There is nothing wrong with renting, but it si not a slam dunk decision that comes without conditions, and the units are not always as easy to rent as it seems.

 

[Brett Wyman]

Thank you. I always cringe when the forst reaction from folks is to rent DVC> especially at the Poly. There is nothing wrong with renting, but it si not a slam dunk decision that comes without conditions, and the units are not always as easy to rent as it seems.

It’s true renting points is probably not a good move for first time visitors. But renting via points is as easy as renting via Disney directly once you understand the processes. And you get a room for 350 that usually costs 700. I guess if the few extra steps scares some people away, well more rooms for us!

 

[dkrauss]

We have similar questions when we are planning to go, our compromise is to do a split stay. We stay at a hotel that is closer to a particular park that will allow us to focus on that area for a few days and then move over to where we really want to be. While some people think moving is a hassle, we don't mind it as the trade off is that we get the best locations for what it is we are focusing on.

The question of 'worth' is always personal. Is any hotel worth $400+ a night? lol... But I will say this, although I prefer the location of the contemporary and BLT, the Poly is the only hotel that truly feels like 'home' to my family. So 'worth' will all depend on your outlook. As above I have used TA's to get good rates and this last time in July we got the best rates I have ever ever had and we are FL Residents with AP's! So it's worth shopping around.

There are two points I've taken from the above. The split stay is a great way to experience a deluxe and save a bit of money. My wife and I have done it several times......the only caveat we have is don't do the deluxe resort first …..when you move to the moderate.....you really do feel the difference

Second, the question of worth....as stated by Smittolis…..its so a personal thing only you know what you know and feel. You're getting a bunch of great information in this thread but in the end only you know your situation......to me there is no right answer to your question. I'm curious if all this information, as good as it is...….and it is good, makes your decision any easier?

Doug

 

[dkrauss]

It’s true renting points is probably not a good move for first time visitors. But renting via points is as easy as renting via Disney directly once you understand the processes. And you get a room for 350 that usually costs 700. I guess if the few extra steps scares some people away, well more rooms for us!

My wife and I have rented DVC points several times and its always been a good experience. We just returned from a weekend at BLT tower for half the price........can't beat that at Christmas time. I do however agree for a first time visitor renting DVC is not the way to go. Understanding the Disney reservation process makes renting easier. A first time visitor just won't have the knowledge to feel comfortable with the renting process.

Doug

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

Nope. We got a really good deal on Poly 3 years ago and stayed there. I requested a room through TP and got the exact room I wanted. It was fabulous. My favorite resort. We have not been back. I haven't been able to get as good a deal as we'd want. I love it, but not $600 a night (which is what it's been showing up for when we looked the last few years). I definitely wouldn't stay there if it meant a shorter stay and $1000 more.

 

[mrsap]

If your trip is 6 nights or longer, I'd recommend doing a split stay. Start out at CBR and then switch over to Poly for as many nights as you're comfortable paying. That way, it doesn't feel like you're paying as much extra because you still have some nights at CBR. And you'll get a taste of Poly so you can decide for yourself if you want to go back again.

While at Poly, be sure to plan at least one night at the resort so you can experience the MK fireworks from Poly beach or pool. I remember our first time seeing that and thinking that alone was worth the cost. We were in the pool and couldn't believe how gorgeous the show was right from where we were. It was actually our first night there, so we made sure to be at the resort the rest of our nights too!

Also, a big perk of Poly is having the TTC right there. That gives you direct monorail to both MK and Epcot. Priceless for us when we had a double stroller!

Definitely a good idea. Love split stays.

 

[ejyip]

A friend of mine swears by the Poly every year, however, he and his family enjoy resort time. My wife and I literally, just sleep at the resort after turning and burning in the parks all day. For that reason, we haven't bothered to book the Poly, opting for moderate resorts instead, since the values have been uber crowded in the recent years.

 

[White Rose]

Worth it? No
Have I done it? Yes, sometimes.
Would I do it again? it depends on many things, who is going, plans, budget, etc.

Carefully think about what you really want from this trip.

(5) Imagine opening your eyes in a room at the Poly on your first morning there. How much is your dream of staying at the Poly worth to YOU? Sometimes fulfilling a dream is definitely 'worth it'.

That is how I feel. You nailed it...We stayed at the Poly for our 5th anniversary. My hubby knew it was the one resort I dreamed of staying in... It was a dream trip. (It also was the trip where we got upgraded to the Hawaii building MK view dead center, and had concierge access the whole trip.) it was wonderful.

...but once was enough...even with the pixie dust. We did change plans for our 10th anniversary and shortened a day so we could do it again. (Magic kingdom view)

We regretted staying there for our 10th afterwards. My hubby kept mentioning the credit card bill...We should have stayed somewhere else. (Also even though we should never expect it I think a tiny piece of it could be related to not getting pixie dust on our second Poly trip.)

And our next trip will probably be at the contemporary.

 

[Nancyg56]

It’s true renting points is probably not a good move for first time visitors. But renting via points is as easy as renting via Disney directly once you understand the processes. And you get a room for 350 that usually costs 700. I guess if the few extra steps scares some people away, well more rooms for us!

I am not suggesting that folks are afraid to rent, however the rental is conditional. In most cases you must pay the entire amount upfront and your dates must be set in stone. No refunds or changes to the reservation once you make it. Depending on the resort, renting is a decision that needs to be made early on, so if folks suggest renting points for an October trip in July, that may be an effort in frustration. The Poly is wicked popular, so that decision to rent likely needs to be made before that magic 7 months out timeframe.
REnting is a wonderful option for saving money, and I am in total support of it, even for a first time visitor, however when people toss out "rent points" I wish they would also add how to do so, and what renting entails.

 

[pinkxray]

We had the same question for our trip in Nov. Poly was $1000 more than staying than staying at French Quarter. We picked the Poly for multiple reasons. The biggest was we have young kids and would have lots of MK and resort time. We didn’t have to drop a night but we did start our trip at the Dolphin for 2 nights before moving to the Poly to trim cost.
We don’t go to Disney often. Every 5 years or so. If we went frequently and could use the $1000 to help pay for another trip I would have stayed at POFQ.
Overall Poly was ok. It was nice once. At the end of our trip I wished I had saved the $1000, stayed at POFQ and used the money for EMM hours at Dhs or Mk.

 

[Specter]

My wife and I stayed at Poly once for two nights a few years ago. We were arriving two nights ahead of the rest of our family and were switching to SOG (military resort) for the length of stay, but wanted those days just to ourselves first. We booked PORS but we got an offer to upgrade for the same cost and Poly was on the list of options, and we had always wanted to stay there so we jumped on it. It was a great experience and we loved the theme and ambiance of the resort, and the convenience of the location and the travel options.

That said, I would NOT pay more and stay less to go back. We aren't in the room/at the resort enough to justify that, and while we do enjoy the conveniences, it's not as if we've ever had that hard a time getting where we need to be on time from CSR, our typical home resort. We do make use of the pools, but usually at night when it's quiet and we are just soaking and letting the miles of walking wash away. It is actually very relaxing to do before cleaning up and turning in for the night. We do take midday breaks but that is more to rest and possibly change if we have a nicer dinner reservation. It was a fantastic experience and I would love to stay at Poly again, but short of a special occasion like an anniversary or something it's just hard to justify the expense, especially at the loss of overall vacation days.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

For me, yes I would! It depends on a few things. How long is your trip? 4 days vs 3? Or 9 days vs 8? In our case, yes, it would be worth it to me. We stay for 9 days and schedule a nice amount of resort time. MK is my favorite park, we go at least 4-5 days or at least part of 5 days. Also I have a child in a stroller so not having to take a bus is well worth it to me. I hate the busses, when dealing with a child in a stroller mostly. I love being near the MK!!! Seeing the fireworks from my hotel and feeling like a part of the MK!! So for me, the answer is yes, I would spend more (if I have the $) and stay one day less. To me, I feel quality over quantity. We LOVE the ambiance of the Poly and the food, etc. But only you can decide on the factors.

Did you make a decision? Curious!