Polynesian, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge?

[Teresa-Hollywood]

Lots of good advice here.

I just want to add if you can splurge, upgrade to the concierge floor. We stayed at the poly in September last year with dh, 13yr dd, 2.5 ds. It was nice to have a separate room for breakfast, snacks and tv with the toddler. Also, the kids loved loved the volcano pool - not sure if it will be open during your stay. We stayed at the wilderness lodge too the December before. Loved it as well.

Really I could go to either. Loved my stay at both.

I preferred the poly just a bit- flowers, plants, short walk to the ticket center,monorail, volcano pool

Pros for me on wilderness lodge - no outside walk to quick service food, gorgeous at Christmas

Ps. My son was 2.5 and loved the water slide at poly. One of us was at top with him and one at the bottom to make sure we grabbed him. He could have done this all day. Other guests were surprised at his bravery for such a little guy.

What a fun decision for you! Either way, you will have a great experience.

 

[lincolnryan]

You are right, WL rooms only sleep 4. @lincolnryan would need to book a suite at WL to accommodate his family of 5, since his youngest is 3.5 (and would not be in a crib.)

Yes, I think when I called Disney they told me I'd need to get a studio villa (?) or something, which they said would sleep 5. Our friends told us that the WL is the nicest of the 3, but I think since our kids are young and our stay is short, we're going to try and get a little closer to magic kingdom to make our lives a bit easier.

When we first started planning, I was set on the Poly because we stayed there in 08' and we just loved it. As I started hearing more about construction, I just got a bit nervous. Even though I'm sure it would still be good, when I learned that you can walk from Contemp, my view of that hotel changed a little bit. That seems like a big plus in my book.

I also started researching the Bay Lake Tower via dvcrentalstore.com to see if that's an option. Right now I think I was being quoted around $1800 (Room only) for a standard contemporary room. I'm told by others that Disney usually does a 30% off coupon that is made available in August that would potentially lower the price to $1260 (4 nights). The 1-bedroom villa at BLT is about $2000 and looks pretty nice, but might be overkill for what we need. I have to say though, it does look like a decent amount more room and the view of the lake (or lagoon) was really nice. Still though, not sure if it makes sense since we are getting the dining plan and probably won't use the extra stuff much (micro, fridge, washer/dryer, etc).

Plus there is that risk of renting disney points. Even though it's through a broker, I'm still a novice when it comes to this stuff.

 

[Teresa-Hollywood]

Well..they are all so small they maybe could share a bed...maybe...

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Get bunk beds at WL, kids loved those and it makes the room bigger.

We took that approach when we stayed at AKL last fall. It did free up more space, but being stroller free in the room and unpacking all of our luggage was also a huge space saver.

 

[squidward]

Of the 3, I'd choose WL. Like as already been mentioned, the Poly's going through extensive refurbs until who knows when. Contemporary would be more convenient being on the monorail, but if you're going early January, the Christmas decorations may still be up at Wilderness Lodge and those are beautiful. Plus, if the weather gets a bit chilly, there's no better resort to keep warm than the Lodge.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

The Poly is my dream resort and still remains so after I stayed there in September. But WL is a VERY close second. The boat is very easy to use to get to MK and we have never had any problems with the buses when we have stayed there. We stayed at Bay Lake Tower and just did not like the Contemp at all. It just didn't feel very "Disney" to me. It felt like any other modern hotel in any city (except for any Disney references) With the Poly and WL, you KNOW you're at Disney! If the refurbs are complete, I would pick the Poly but if not, I would pick WL.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

All three are very nice resorts.. Contemporary was our choice when son was a little one, monorail, pools, walk to MK, fireworks... was where it *all started* Polynesian is our home away from home. Despite construction, we are still going for 10 days this Fall. Yes, the Volcano Pool will be closed, but the Quiet pool should be open, and although its a tad cool in January, you can still start or end your Disney day sitting by the pool, beverage in hand, with a good book. Since you are aware of the size of the Poly rooms, WL (although a gorgeous resort) the rooms are much smaller than those at the Poly.

 

[Amyleigh]

We were at the Poly last month and a lot was closed off due to construction. Even more is closed down now. I believe the main pool and beach area was closed yesterday. They still tried to make our stay magical, though. They gave us a free taxi voucher since the monorail was on a modified schedule and we had early breakfast reservations at Epcot.

 

[lincolnryan]

All three are very nice resorts.. Contemporary was our choice when son was a little one, monorail, pools, walk to MK, fireworks... was where it *all started* Polynesian is our home away from home. Despite construction, we are still going for 10 days this Fall. Yes, the Volcano Pool will be closed, but the Quiet pool should be open, and although its a tad cool in January, you can still start or end your Disney day sitting by the pool, beverage in hand, with a good book. Since you are aware of the size of the Poly rooms, WL (although a gorgeous resort) the rooms are much smaller than those at the Poly.

Yeah, I'm a little torn because I love the Poly. When we to DW a few years back, we went to CR for Chef Mickey's and I remembered thinking that it wasn't as nice as I remembered as a kid. But through this forum, I realized that you can walk to MK and that would be a big plus for us. We'll probably shoot for POly the next time we go.