Boardwalk vs. Poly: Which Should I Choose??

[Blueskyze]

We are planning a trip for January 3-12 (adults-only anniversary trip), and we originally were thinking that we wanted to spend the whole trip at The Boardwalk. Then we decided we’d split the trip up, with the first 4 nights at AoA in one of the Little Mermaid rooms. I really wanted to see AoA, and we could put the money that we’d save toward doing a couple of tours that we really wanted to do. We have already booked that room; I figured they’d fill up fast and didn’t want to take any chances.

For the last 5 nights of the trip, we were planning to stay at the Boardwalk. From the pictures I’ve seen, it looks absolutely gorgeous, and walking distance to Epcot would be a dream! Plus it seems like there is a lot to do there at night, which will be a bonus since the parks close a bit earlier in January. Until this week, I hadn’t considered any other resort. However, after listening to some podcasts about Deluxe resorts, I’m also considering throwing in the Poly as an option. We already have an ADR for ‘Ohana and will probably make one for breakfast at Kona. I like the thought of being so close to a Dole Whip machine, and have always wanted to try a Lapu Lapu.

Right now I’m still leaning toward The Boardwalk, but my question is for those of you who have stayed at either one of these resorts – what is your favorite thing about it? Or least favorite thing? The pools won’t really be a consideration at this time of year – at least last January, it was pretty chilly and we were in sweatshirts and jeans all week. This will be our very first stay in a Deluxe, so fill me in! I'm planning to make my decision (and my reservation) in the next couple of days.

 

[sxeensweet]

IMO just my opinion lol Poly is an way overpriced cheaper motel except for the common areas are really pretty and they have good restaurants.. But Boardwalk is more upscale to me and have nicer guest rooms. More adult oriented and its close to Epcot which is nice too. It's all in personal opinion. Also the Boardwalk has a nicer Club Level Lounge that you can watch Illuminations on the Balcony of the Lounge too. I personally would pick Boardwalk hands down if its between the 2.

 

[ParentsOf4]

IMHO, the Boardwalk Inn (BWI) is a much more "grown up" resort than the Polynesian. The Polynesian's best characteric is being on the Monorail. The BWI's best characteric is being within walking distance of Epcot's World Showcase (the most "grown up" area of the theme parks), DHS (about 15 minutes), and the Boardwalk itself (which tends to be exciting at night). Given the choice for an "adults only" trip, I'd definitely pick BWI.

 

[bdearl41]

If you are gonna spend this kinda money, stay at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Poly and Boardwalk are the two worst rated resorts on TripAdvisor for WDW. Good luck!

 

[tracyandalex]

Out of those two, for that trip I would pick BW, but I have yet to stay there. We really love YC, and I imagine BW would be similar.

 

[luv]

I've stayed at both and much prefer the Poly. I just don't like BWI that much.

BWI has a good gift shop, but you have to go outside to get to it. The inside one isn't great. You have to go outside to get to pretty much everything, except the lobby. I don't really like the stuff on the Boardwalk at night, but I think it is great for school-aged kids. JellyRolls is great, but I didn't actually get there when I stayed there, lol. The theme is fine, but i like Beach Club's much more. The views are fine, but I'd much rather be at the BC, looking at BWI, than the other way around. There is no restaurant I liked. ESPN is closest, but I'm not a sports fan. And don't even get me started on my club level experience! Yikes. Mostly, though, it just didn't offer me much and I had to make a special trip to get to the stuff it did.

The Poly has that awesome tiki stuff going on. Love the small pool when it isn't over-run with screaming kids. Love the water views. Nice rooms. Bigger than most. Excellent shops...and I'd pass through the lobby every day on my way in or out of the place, so even though you have to go outside, they are still convenient enough. Restaurants are fine and there is always Capt Cooks. EWP passes by. If you're around for Wishes, you can watch that. And, again, you can't beat tiki stuff. So cute during the day and so pretty at night.

I vote Poly, but it really is a matter of personal preference.

 

[captainkidd]

If you are gonna spend this kinda money, stay at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Poly and Boardwalk are the two worst rated resorts on TripAdvisor for WDW. Good luck!

I wouldn't read much into that. The Poly is by far the most popular resort at WDW. And both are rated high by readers of the Unofficial Guide. The Contemporary is consistently ranked as the worst Deluxe Resort at WDW by readers.

I love having the monorail and the rooms at the Poly are bigger, but we fell in love with the Boardwalk when we stayed there this past summer.

The Epcot resorts aren't just great because of their proximity to Epcot and DHS. They're great because of their options for food. There are some very good restaurants at the monorail resorts, but at Epcot's resorts, you have a seemingly endless amount of choices. And this is coming from someone who never thought they'd stay at an Epcot resort again because of the bad bus transportation.

 

[sxeensweet]

If you are gonna spend this kinda money, stay at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Poly and Boardwalk are the two worst rated resorts on TripAdvisor for WDW. Good luck!

Contemporary is rated actually way below Boardwalk last I checked today and those are not the lowest rated out of all of the resorts either. I check trip advisor daily as they always change. Wilderness and Animal are only a few spots ahead. The only ones in the top 20 are Villas at Wilderness and Bay Lake Tower , and the new AoA resort. All the other resorts are out of the top 20 like regular Wilderness Lodge rooms and Animal Kingdom. Check Trip Advisor right now and you will see Contemp is ranked #133 and Boardwalk Inn( not villas those are #44) is #38 well above it!! Animal Kingdom is #29 and Wilderness Lodge is #34. Do your research before you give out false info! There is a ton of Disney Resorts ranked below Boardwalk! Also it is an adult only trip and their would be a ton more kids at Wilderness and Contemp too also consider.

 

[sgtmgd]

I wouldn't read much into that. The Poly is by far the most popular resort at WDW. And both are rated high by readers of the Unofficial Guide. The Contemporary is consistently ranked as the worst Deluxe Resort at WDW by readers.

I love having the monorail and the rooms at the Poly are bigger, but we fell in love with the Boardwalk when we stayed there this past summer.

The Epcot resorts aren't just great because of their proximity to Epcot and DHS. They're great because of their options for food. There are some very good restaurants at the monorail resorts, but at Epcot's resorts, you have a seemingly endless amount of choices. And this is coming from someone who never thought they'd stay at an Epcot resort again because of the bad bus transportation.[/quot

Boardwalk...I absolutley love it...lots to do...walking distance to Epcot and DHS..or take a boat to both...several signature places to eat .....rooms are great and waterview and balcony...are amazing....

 

[Ariel484]

If you are gonna spend this kinda money, stay at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Poly and Boardwalk are the two worst rated resorts on TripAdvisor for WDW. Good luck!

I always take these with a grain of salt...sometimes I feel like people mostly take the time to post reviews only when they have had an extremely good or extremely bad experience. Just my 2 cents.
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To the OP - I have stayed at the Boardwalk 3 times (twice on the Inn side and once on the villas side). I really love it there. I haven't stayed at the Polynesian yet, just eaten meals there. As other posters have said, you want to consider

1. the location
Polynesian - on the monorail, so easy access to other monorail hotels (and their restaurants) and the Magic Kingdom, and Epcot access from the TTC station, boat access to the Magic Kingdom. Not sure how good the buses to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney are, but I imagine they share with the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian
Boardwalk - walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, also boat service to the parks (but it's faster to walk). The trade-off is that you share buses with Swan and Dolphin to go to Magic Kingdom, and Yacht, Beach, Swan and Dolphin to go to Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney (at least this is how it was in June 2011, may have switched since then). I never found the bus rides to be terrible but it's something to consider - for me the trade-off is well worth it for the ability to walk to 2 parks.
2. price - Neither are cheap, but the Polynesian will almost certainly be more expensive
3. theme - self-explanatory, in general I agree with other posters that the Boardwalk seems more "grown up"
4. dining - the Polynesian has a QS location and two TS locations in the hotel. The Boardwalk doesn't have dining IN the hotel, which I think turns a lot of people off, but lots of good options are close by.
ETA: Now that I think about it, I remember people mentioning that you can get breakfast food (??) in the Belle Vue Lounge...don't quote me on that though! Something you might want to look in to if the dining is important to you.

Good luck!

 

[captainkidd]

4. dining - the Polynesian has a QS location and two TS locations in the hotel. The Boardwalk doesn't have dining IN the hotel, which I think turns a lot of people off, but lots of good options are close by.

I thought of this as an issue before I stayed at the Boardwalk. But honestly, the restaurants on the Boardwalk are no further away from your room than from the rooms at the Poly.

 

[Ariel484]

I thought of this as an issue before I stayed at the Boardwalk. But honestly, the restaurants on the Boardwalk are no further away from your room than from the rooms at the Poly.

I agree. We normally go to the bakery for breakfast and eat other meals in the parks/other resorts, so it's not an issue for us.

 

[sxeensweet]

I always take these with a grain of salt...sometimes I feel like people mostly take the time to post reviews only when they have had an extremely good or extremely bad experience. Just my 2 cents.
------------------------------------------------
To the OP - I have stayed at the Boardwalk 3 times (twice on the Inn side and once on the villas side). I really love it there. I haven't stayed at the Polynesian yet, just eaten meals there. As other posters have said, you want to consider

1. the location
Polynesian - on the monorail, so easy access to other monorail hotels (and their restaurants) and the Magic Kingdom, and Epcot access from the TTC station, boat access to the Magic Kingdom. Not sure how good the buses to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Downtown Disney are, but I imagine they share with the Contemporary and the Grand Floridian
Boardwalk - walking distance to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, also boat service to the parks (but it's faster to walk). The trade-off is that you share buses with Swan and Dolphin to go to Magic Kingdom, and Yacht, Beach, Swan and Dolphin to go to Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney (at least this is how it was in June 2011, may have switched since then). I never found the bus rides to be terrible but it's something to consider - for me the trade-off is well worth it for the ability to walk to 2 parks.
2. price - Neither are cheap, but the Polynesian will almost certainly be more expensive
3. theme - self-explanatory, in general I agree with other posters that the Boardwalk seems more "grown up"
4. dining - the Polynesian has a QS location and two TS locations in the hotel. The Boardwalk doesn't have dining IN the hotel, which I think turns a lot of people off, but lots of good options are close by.

Good luck!

That post put out the wrong info anyway as you saw my response. Lol. I like Trip Advisor for any of our vacations though as a bit of a guide and its usually pretty spot on for us. Yes I agree though that sometimes people only post really good or really bad but you find a lot of mediocre ones on there too that's why that and the Unofficial Guide are the only things I trust to use for all vacation planning. I was not trying to be mean though to them for calling them out I just don't like when people put out incorrect information esp. when Someone is looking for advice on here. All in all it is totally on personal preference and what they are looking for like you said as well.

 

[nolatron]

Though we've never stayed at the Poly yet we absolutely love the Boardwalk. Granted our three stays there have been in DVC 1-BR suites. But we love theming. We like that you can get from room to lobby without going outside. We love being able to walk to Epcot and DHS.

My 1 complaint though was our room location for 1 trip... our honeymoon. We had a boardwalk view room with a great view but were right on top the Big River Grill restaurant. The noise at night was annoying. We'd hear people talking, yelling, laughing, etc... until 1-2am.

So we stick to the garden view rooms as we liked those just as well but without the noise issue (Front entrance stay #1, rainy view of swan/dolphin stay #3)

 

[flynnibus]

I think the poly is more escapist.. But the proximity to Epcot is highly regarded by many.

Personally I prefer the beach club

 

[Avenger117]

Thats tough because I really love the Epcot resort area, but Boardwalk is my least favorite resort there. So I would probably say Poly! The theme is great, the smell is the lobby is great, and it has great dining options!

 

[BCVTalsJam]

My parents and I have DVC they own at Boardwalk and we have own at Beach Club..so we are a little bias but I would definately say the Boardwalk. The fact that you can walk to two parks and have the fun events and view of the boardwalk I would definately say stay at the BW Good luck in your decision...

 

[captainkidd]

Thats tough because I really love the Epcot resort area, but Boardwalk is my least favorite resort there. So I would probably say Poly! The theme is great, the smell is the lobby is great, and it has great dining options!

Not sure the last time you were there, but that smell in the lobby we all loved so much is gone. It's been replaced with a bamboo scented air freshener. I can't even go in the lobby any more because it gives me an allergic reaction.

 

[ddbowdoin]

I've never stayed at Board, but I usually stay at BC and have stayed at Poly.

For me, its Board.

1.) foot access to EPCOT AND DHS
2.) more dining options within walking distance
3.) cheaper

 

[bethymouse]

If you are gonna spend this kinda money, stay at the Contemporary or Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Poly and Boardwalk are the two worst rated resorts on TripAdvisor for WDW. Good luck!

Try Beach Club instead. It's rated very well.