Poly or Beach Club?

[michellerose1579]

I am starting the planning phase for my next trip to Disney World. We are going the week of December 4, 2012. I can't seem to decide between the Polynesian and the Beach Club. The Poly has been my dream forever... but last year we ate at the Beach Club and thought it was beautiful! The fact that it has so much so close is very appealing (Boardwalk, Epcot, DHS). Also the pool looks amazing. Not so sure how much pool we will be using the first week of December though. Well anyway, I was hoping to get some of your opinions on the Poly and/or the Beach Club and if you guys had preferences. We will not be traveling with children. It is just me (I will be 33 when we go) and my Mother (who will be 54). Thanks in advance for your help! 483 days and counting!!! LOL

[Disney Hungarian]

I loved the BC last October. I have never stayed at the Poly. Although I have visited and dined at the Poly.

My vote goes to the BC. I have nothing negative I can say about either but just liked the atmosphere at BC more. It is so peaceful there in the mornings. BTW it was just mom and me too. 42 and 64 then.

[SBETigg]

I love the Beach Club's location for an adult trip to WDW. Seems like it really impressed you, so I'm thinking you should choose that one. Though, it is hard for me not to say Poly. I'm partial to the Seven Seas lagoon area.

[disney_daddy]

Stayed at Beach Club and had no problems staying there. The only thing that disappointed me was there was no good places to get a simple breakfast everyday.

[AgentC]

I have stayed at both. My dream was always to stay at the Poly. When we finally stayed there, I liked it but didn't love it. Fireworks from the beach are great and I like the Hawaiian atmosphere, but it just wasn't "my" resort.

Last summer I stayed at the Yacht Club quickly followed by a trip to the Beach Club and it has become my family's favorite resort. We love the pool, the beach, the dining options and the easy walk to Epcot. I would pick Beach Club over the Poly in most cases.

This part might sound silly, but since both are great resorts, go with the one the speaks to you the most. If the Poly has been your dream and you will still wonder "what if" you stayed there, you should stay there. But if the Beach Club fits what you like to do better, try it out.

You can't go wrong with either.

[iceicebritney]

The Beach club is a lovely resort and we really enjoy the close proximity to Epcot and the Studios as well as the Boardwalk. When we are not staying at one of the resorts there we find ourselves spending all of our time there anyway!

There are only two things I dislike about the beach club. There is no true counter service option for a grab and go. The Polynesian has a great counter service as well as fabulous other dining options My second problem with the Beach Club is the sand at the bottom of the pool. I know I'm in the minority when I say this, but I really dislike the fact that there is sand in the bottom of the pool. I don't know if it comes from the time I got my foot stuck in one of the ?drains? at the bottom of the pool and the lifeguard had to save me (it made me feel like i was sinking into quick sand) but I was never crazy about the idea. I pretty much prefer any pool over the Beach Club pool

[Mousemates]

if you have always dreamed of the Poly I would go to the Poly. If you go to the beach club and find something you don't like so much you will have lots of regrets, and even if you like it very much, that dream of the poly will likely still remain. there are only so many times in life where we get the option to live out our dreams...take them when they come.

[buzznwoodysmom]

You could always do like we did...split the stay between the two resorts. We had booked 7 nights at BCV for a Thanksgiving trip, then decided to add an additional 3 nights to that trip and surprise the kids. Since we had always wanted to stay at the Poly we booked it for those 3 surprise nights. Both resorts were great, but for my family the Poly was the better resort for us. We really enjoyed the BC, but the Poly felt "special" to us for some reason.

[mydisneygirls]

Poly! We have stayed there all but two times since going. Absolutely love it. The Hawaiian atmosphere is great with music piped in all over the resort. The rooms are HUGE, probably the biggest rooms you'll find at Disney and the best part is that it is a smaller resort to walk to the main building isn't bad. Also, the convenience of the monorail is worth it even more. We are going in two months and are staying at the WL....sad it's not the Poly again!

[ThanxForNoticin]

Both are outstanding resorts. For an adult trip like this, I'd recommend the Beach Club. The proximity to EPCOT and DHS is great. There are also tons of dining options around the lake (Swan, Dolphin, Boardwalk) and World Showcase.

I'm not sure I agree with the posters who say there's not a counter service area to get a quick bite to eat. We use the Marketplace often when we stay at BC, and it more than meets our needs for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks. It's also a short walk to several other eating options at Boardwalk.

Whichever place you choose, have a wonderful time!

[goofy-4-disney]

I agree with two of the previous posters on what the best options for you are. You could split the stay and go to both resorts or since its an adult only trip just go to the Beach Club for the length of your trip. POLY and BC are both great resorts and each offers something different that give each one its own little perk. Beach Club has the quick walk to EPCOT, Boardwalk area, and DHS(the boat is great also). Poly has the views of the MK and monorail access as well. No matter which one you choose it will be a great time!

[DisneyDINK]

I'm kind of in the same boat. I'm thinking of going that first week of December of 2012 with my wife. We did a Poly trip this year and my wife LOVED it. I'm thinking about the YC/BC for my upcoming trip. My 2 cents:

Poly Pros:

As mentioned Captain Cooks is one of like 3 (other 2 at GF and Swan I think) QS food options open all hours. Dole whips anytime!

Better boat ride. I love the boat from the Poly to the MK. The Epcot/DHS boats take forever and make lots of stops.

Relaxing! The Poly is on the way to nowhere and feels more secluded. Music always playing, tiki torches along the paths lit at night.

Poly Cons:

No hot tub by pool. Turned out not to be a deal breaker, but still nice thing to have epecially in just sub pool weather.

O'Hana gets super busy and Ceremonial house building gets loud! If you want to relax and have a drink at the nice bar it usually packed with people waiting to get into O'Hana.

Bus rides to the south side of the property such as DD and are way long.

BC Pros:

More central location means no super-long bus rides to resorts and DD. Also there are LOTS of great places to walk to. WS is just a walk away and there are a lot of dining options close by.

Ale & Compass and Crew's Cup are, IMHO, a better place to relax and have a drink than the lounge at the Poly.

I'm a runner, so I love that I can do loops around the lake from Epcot to DHS. Not a lot of good routes at WDW. May or may not appeal to you.

Great pool!


BC Cons:

Great pool, but will you use it?

No easy/on site QS for on demand snacks. A walk to the Swan/Dolphin or BW solves it, but it would be nice to have something closer.

I can walk to DHS faster than that boat will take me.

I hope that helps. There's really no "right" answer to this one. Enjoy your contemplation!

[RALPH]

We have stayed at both. What a wonderful problem to have! What has been posted above is spot on. I would seriously consider splitting your stay if the associated packing and unpacking of resort hopping is not an issue.

Otherwise, list the pro's and con's according to your viewpoint, weigh them out, and make a decision. You could always plan another trip to the resort you don't visit.

If you choose BC, my only downside would not using Storm-A- Long Bay due to the season. It is such a wonderful pool and a major reason we like staying here. Sitting poolside with an adult beverage and listening to the laughter and joy of the children using the pool gives a very happy feeling and state of mind. The central location to parks and dining options also are a big plus for us.

[WDWForever]

I've stayed at Poly many times and will be staying at BC later this month for a couple of days I think both are great resorts so you can't go wrong. I've stayed at Boardwalk many times so somewhat similar to BC. For me, I just love the location of BC, right next to EPCOT's International Gateway, plenty of dining options around, and a 10-15min walk to HS. I agree with previous posts, try a split stay and see which you like better.

[BugeyedMuggy]

We have stayed at the Yacht club & Poly. For Dec with Christmas deco 's I woud say Beach Club. The deco's are much better at the Epcot resorts and you have the Swan & Dolphin. We went last year and the GF was the only moniroil resort worth seeing for Christmas decos. The Yacht & Beach Club, Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin by far were better.

[A Big Kid]

I just went through that decision. We are going during marathon week and we booked at the BC. I ended up switching to the Poly for a coupld of reasons (associated more with the marathon than the hotels) but here are some factors that I considered:

POLY:
*Monorail transportation to Epcot/MK.
*Better report dining opions (which is more personal tastes)
*Larger rooms with balcony (in the Tahiti building)

BC:
*Epcot/DHS is walking distance
*easy walk from the World Showcase for a myriad of dining options
*Access to the boardwalk

Like I said, we went with the Poly for marathon related reasons: Namely, monorail transportation to the start, my wife can watch me run by twice without walking more than .5 miles, and after the marathon I have a 5:00 pm ADR at Ohana so I will stuff myself silly, waddle back to my room, and succumb to a meat-induced coma.

[jperrot1]

I feel you would have a great time at either resort. But IMHO I would most definitely pick the BC because you won't have (young) children. I just "feel" the Epcot/Boardwalk area resorts are great for adults. I would go with the Poly if you had kids 6 years old and younger because of easy access to and from MK for fast transportation (day breaks). That being said, we have a 6 year old and will be staying at Swan for 2 nights, and then Poly for 5 nights in about a week from now. So, we're doing both awesome resort areas. Good luck with your decision. Maybe consider splitting up the stay?

[Janmac]

Another difference between the Beach Club and the Poly is that with the Beach Club you don't have to walk outside to get to a place to eat within the resort.

We have stayed at both the Beach Club and the Yacht Club in December and have had good luck with weather and swimming in Stormalong Bay.

But then our last trip (WL) in January 2010 we had only one real pool day.

Jan

[brownie]

I feel you would have a great time at either resort. But IMHO I would most definitely pick the BC because you won't have (young) children. I just "feel" the Epcot/Boardwalk area resorts are great for adults. I would go with the Poly if you had kids 6 years old and younger because of easy access to and from MK for fast transportation (day breaks). That being said, we have a 6 year old and will be staying at Swan for 2 nights, and then Poly for 5 nights in about a week from now. So, we're doing both awesome resort areas. Good luck with your decision. Maybe consider splitting up the stay?

jperrot1, welcome to INTERCOT!