wdwfan22
Well-Known Member
They are slightly larger then Disney Moderate Resorts but not by much.
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Christmas at the Poly or WL?
- Thread starter Nala06
- Start date
They are slightly larger then Disney Moderate Resorts but not by much.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
The other question worth asking is how much time you think you'll spend at the resort in the first place? You can always stay at one and book a meal at the other to check them out (or check the other out without a meal reservation, it's not like you need a reason). Because after you check in and savor the resort, will you then be a park commando? Is it as important to check out the parks?
Because then Poly might be better, as you're right there by the TTC for the epcot monorail as well as the MK monorail...and once at the MK, you can "transfer" to a boat to go to Wilderness Lodge and/or Fort Wilderness. Being on the monorail line also makes it easier to visit Contemporary & Grand Floridian to check out THEIR respective holiday displays. It's not the perfect solution as you'll still need to bus to the Studios and AK. But that does seem to afford you the most easy options for visiting between the two choices.
Because then Poly might be better, as you're right there by the TTC for the epcot monorail as well as the MK monorail...and once at the MK, you can "transfer" to a boat to go to Wilderness Lodge and/or Fort Wilderness. Being on the monorail line also makes it easier to visit Contemporary & Grand Floridian to check out THEIR respective holiday displays. It's not the perfect solution as you'll still need to bus to the Studios and AK. But that does seem to afford you the most easy options for visiting between the two choices.
We are booking a longer stay (7 nights) to allows plenty of time for chilling at the resort and checking out other decorations at the resorts on the monorail. So basically mornings in the park, afternoons back to relax. Some evenings in the park. One full resort day. If i am spending that kind of money for a resort I want time to enjoy it Which is one reason I am putting so much thought into the choice.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Will you have your own car or be dependent on Disney's transportation?
Dependent on transportation. hubbys request!
21stamps
Well-Known Member
If it was me- I would stick with a monorail resort then, especially with a 3 year old.
I do think WL and FW look beautiful at Christmastime (I've only seen photos), but I would rather visit rather than deal with the transportation daily. My opinion (and resort choosing motivations) though, I don't think any of your options are a bad choice!
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Everyone's mileage will vary and you could always get stuck in a hellish transportation delay, but I think (and it's always dangerous when I do that) one advantage in picking Poly is more options of "spur of the moment" trips. Because monorail service to MK seems to be (usually) faster than waiting for the bus going to where you want to go showing up at your resort, that makes it easy to say "let's go" and check out Contemporary or GF. Or go to MK and hop on the next bus to any resort to explore it (although of course you might then need to wait for a bus to go back to MK, unless you're then hopping a bus to another park or Disney Springs to explore some more). You would also still have the option of boating to MK if something's wrong with the monorail.
Whereas with Wilderness Lodge, you still have boat and bus access to MK (and seasonally, boat access to Contemporary), but it seems like the potential to have to wait longer for your transportation to arrive is there. Less spontaneity.
Now for the record, I like WL's theme more than Poly, especially during the holidays, but we always drive down so we have our own car. But if staying in a standard resort room, the extra space in Poly would be enticing (we're a family of 4, versus your family of 3). IF we could swing the difference in price. I also know that, while we spend a nice chunk of time in our resort, were we there during the holidays, we'd be doing a lot of resort exploring, too, so the odds of a long night lounging in the lobby of our resort...maybe we'd do that once, and we'd be just as likely lounging in the lobby of a different resort, too.
I think you hit the nail on the head with that. Especially since our evenings are more dependent on how everyone is feeling at the time. It seems easier to just hop over to MK or epcot for the night from Poly than WL.
bethymouse
Well-Known Member
Definitely easier to hop on the monorail to EPCOT from the POLY. Christmas decorations? Not so wonderful at the POLY IMHO, but you have access to GF and Contempo or even WL. Enjoy!
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
To say nothing of hopping over to the other monorail resorts. And the fact the monorail tends to loop about every 10-12 minutes, making it potentially quicker to get to MK and from there on to buses going to other resorts.
It also potentially(!) makes getting back to your resort from another resort faster, if you're using MK as the hub.
And it also makes it less problematic making reservations for a meal at a monorail resort without worrying about when that damn bus is going to show up. Worst case scenario, you just miss the monorail, wait 10-ish minutes, you're good to go, even if you're going to Contemporary, you should be there within another 7 minutes or so. Whereas WL, you're waiting on a bus or boat (which might be too crowded to get on the first time), less of an idea on when it'll arrive, etc.
slappy magoo
Well-Known Member
Well, your access to WL would be based on going to MK and waiting for a boat or bus. Unless (and I don't know this), the Poly buses to theme parks share buses with WL and always go to Poly first, making the WL the next stop.Definitely easier to hop on the monorail to EPCOT from the POLY. Christmas decorations? Not so wonderful at the POLY IMHO, but you have access to GF and Contempo or even WL. Enjoy!
21stamps
Well-Known Member
I don't think Poly shares with WL. When we went to AK and HS we were picked up, stopped at GF, and first dropped off (I think?) could be wrong by the end of a park day my brain was a little fuzzy lol.
HurricaneHanna
Well-Known Member
Yes. Even when it's 85 degrees outside
Coming from the north i may be wanting to get away from that wintery feeling haha
HauntedMansionFLA
Well-Known Member
Do they pipe in the fireworks music from the Christmas party to the beach location at the Poly?
I think it depends on what you want. If you want decorations and Christmas spirit, WL hands down. Stunning decorations that others have posted pictures of, and the lodge gives a nice feeling of winter--even if the temperatures outside betray it. If you want the bigger rooms, Poly definitely wins, but I don't get a holiday vibe there in December. However, you are just one stop away from the GF, and I love to hang out in the lobby during the holidays there.
We stayed at the Poly last holiday season. It was between that and the beach club. I was sad we didn't choose the beach club b/c the Poly was just disappointing when it came to Christmas decorations. Now, I liked the resort and would stay there again, but for the holidays I'd choose the Wilderness Lodge. It is absolutely amazing!
MagicalMommy
Active Member
If you are considering this Christmas (or even next), WL is under construction through 2017. It's definitely still an option, and still so beautiful at Christmastime, but that is something to consider. I personally love the lodge feel/decor at Christmas -- dare I throw a third option into the mix? We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge last December, and it was so beautiful. (See photo of main lobby) While you don't have the transportation benefits like at Polynesian and WL, it could be worth considering! I traveled with my 1.5 and 5 year olds, and we bussed to all four parks -- it went very smoothly!
