Poly vs Wilderness Lodge

[nickys]

Having stayed at both numerous times, here's how I would break it down:

Transportation - Poly wins simply for the monorail to Epcot. Boat ride is great from WL to MK, but can be slow.

Food - Although Ohana is my favorite restaurant, I'm giving this one to Wilderness Lodge based on Whispering Canyon being better than Kona and Roaring Fork being better than Captain Cooks.

Rooms - Poly takes this. Rooms are far bigger and that's pretty much the only reason.

Theme - This is extremely tight as both have magnificent themes. However, I have to give this to Wilderness Lodge. It could go either way, but Poly has lost a lot of appeal with the removal of the waterfall in the lobby and the beach areas with hammocks.

Pools - Giving this one to Wilderness Lodge as well. The Volcano pool at the Poly is too small and the quiet pool is so over chlorinated, we couldn't even go swimming in it.

So all in all, I'm giving it to Wilderness Lodge and that's not even considering price which is far less than the Poly. However, there is definitely much to love at the Poly. In terms of a real resort feel, it's the best on property.

I thought the Oasis pool at the Poly is a salt water pool, not chlorinated? But now I can't remember where I read it, it's not on the main Disney site....... puzzled now.

 

[Tuvalu]

I thought the Oasis pool at the Poly is a salt water pool, not chlorinated? But now I can't remember where I read it, it's not on the main Disney site....... puzzled now.

All Disney pools are salt water and have been for over 20 years.

 

[Jahona]

All Disney pools are salt water and have been for over 20 years.

I thought this too but apparently Disney doesn't have any salt water pools on property. Pools at Disney are mostly treated with bromine. The Art of Animation pool uses a salt filtration system which is close to a salt water pool but doesn't exactly dump as much chemicals out into the water.

 

[DarthVader]

Well the wife weighed in on the WL vs. Poly discussion and we're sticking with the Poly. I have to say I'm relieved, no knock on the WL, but I was looking forward to the Polynesian but also the fact its so close to MK and getting to epcot is so easy.

 

[Meghan McCrary]

Thank you thank you for all of your wonderful replies. I think the only logical thing for us to do is book one for our first trip and then go back again a few months later to stay at the other one!!!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Kids will be 2 and 4 when we go, so clearly we would mainly be in the Magic Kingdom.

How "mainly"? My daughter (soon to be 3) has been five times and we have loads of fun in the other three parks, DAK in particular. She loves Finding Nemo: The Musical and Festival of the Lion King.

 

[bunnyman]

We have stayed at both, but more so the WL. Love both, but WL has become our go to resort for a couple of reasons, with a main one being price. We also like the compact size of the WL vs. the spread-out nature of the Poly. Getting morning mug refills at the Poly can be quite a chore. Pre-DVC remodel we were in Rap Nui, and to say it was a hike to the Great Ceremonial building was an understatement! Love the nooks and crannies in the WL lobby, a lot of great places to sit and take a break from the day to read, etc.

 

[crxbrett]

We have stayed at both, but more so the WL. Love both, but WL has become our go to resort for a couple of reasons, with a main one being price. We also like the compact size of the WL vs. the spread-out nature of the Poly. Getting morning mug refills at the Poly can be quite a chore. Pre-DVC remodel we were in Rap Nui, and to say it was a hike to the Great Ceremonial building was an understatement! Love the nooks and crannies in the WL lobby, a lot of great places to sit and take a break from the day to read, etc.

I'm an odd duck. lol Your reasons for not liking the Poly are part of the reason I do like it so much. I really love walking and enjoy how spread out it is there.


.

 

[Jeff056]

Thank you thank you for all of your wonderful replies. I think the only logical thing for us to do is book one for our first trip and then go back again a few months later to stay at the other one!!!

Can't beat that, we just stayed at poly in august and it was great, going back in Jan for run Disney 10k and going to try to book WL studio as soon as my dvc membership activates

 

[KCheatle]

We have stayed at Contemp, WL, and Poly. I can say without hesitation that my favorite of those 3 is WL. And, that's not because of the price difference. It probably comes down to personal preference, but I love the tranquility of WL. Don't get me wrong, the excitement of the parks and characters and fireworks is awesome. But, there is just something wonderful about coming back to WL after a long, crazy, exciting day, and hearing nothing but a waterfall, and seeing nothing but a calm lake. At the Poly and Contemp, we would go back to relax, and you just can't turn it off. At Contemp, you get off the mono and there's chef mickey's with it's craziness, and the monorail coming through every 2 minutes, etc. At Poly, you go to the pool, and across from you is MK, and next to you is GF, and there's the monorail, and there's the ferry, and there's this, and that, and etc. etc. At WL, all of that is behind you. So, when you go "home" to rest, relax, nap, etc., it is truly a reprieve. Plus, WL is a very small hotel (comparatively). After a long day of walking in the parks, there is nothing worse then getting back to your hotel and having to hike another mile (I know I'm exaggerating, but it feels like a mile) to your room. And, at Poly (and possibly Contemp), you've got to walk outside to your room. Needless to say, for the price you are paying, it's a bit frustrating to have to hike it to your room outside after a long day, and even worse, if it's raining. WL is enclosed. So, not only is your room close by, but once you're inside, you are safe from the outside elements. In a nutshell, WL is wonderful. Also -- let your DH know that once he takes the boat to and from MK, he won't miss the monorail. The boat picks you up and drops you off as close as any transportation to MK (no hills to walk up). We fell in love with it.