Polynesian vs. Wilderness Lodge

C

clareita

New Member
I am planning a trip for April 2008 and I can't decide where to stay - the Polynesian or the Wilderness Lodge. They both sound great. Maybe you can help me decide. Here is the pertinent info.

This our first time staying on-site and our first trip to WDW in 5 years.

Our group is me, my husband, and 3 kids. The kids are 2 girls, ages 9 and 7 and a boy, age 4.

We are staying for 7 nights and plan on going to the parks for 5 days.

We plan on going to the MK twice, and Epcot, MGM, and AK once.

We will have a rental car. I know, it's kind of crazy, but my husband likes having a car.

We are big believers in the going back to the hotel in the afternoon plan. We were at Disneyland last August, and we went back to the hotel (Disneyland Hotel, absolutely loved it for anyone planning a trip to California) by about 1:30 or 2, had dinner in Downtown Disney and were back in the parks by about 6.

Any thoughts?
 
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T

Tink's Favorite

New Member
One thing that may sway you is the fact that the Polynesian doesn't have any hot tubs. If you enjoy soaking in a hot tub out near the pool at night after a long day, then you won't be able to at the Poly. Wilderness Lodge has 2 hot tubs at the main pool, and one at the smaller pool by the villas.

Having said that, the zero entry pool and volcano at the Poly is pretty cool, and if you don't miss a hot tub soak, then I would pick the Polynesian.
 
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maelstrom

maelstrom

Well-Known Member
You're most likely going to want to go with the Polynesian because standard rooms at the Wilderness Lodge can only accommodate four people legally. You would need to upgrade to a deluxe room there and it would be costly. The standard rooms at the Polynesian are quite spacious and you shouldn't feel cramped. They feature two queen beds and one twin daybed. If you are doing a room-only reservation (no package, no free dining, etc), you can "sneak" the extra child into a standard room at the Wilderness Lodge by not putting them on the reservation (s/he won't have a room key and won't be able to participate in EMH technically), but you will be very cramped as the rooms are significantly smaller. Note that I do not necessarily advocate doing this, it is just an option for you to consider. But I really do recommend the Polynesian simply for the space, unless you want to spring for the deluxe room at the Wilderness Lodge which, of course, would have more space. The Wilderness Lodge rooms are too small for even a family of four, in my opinion.
 
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happymom52003

happymom52003

Active Member
If you want to stay at WL, there is no need to upgrade to a deluxe room. Just get a one bedroom villa....you do not have to be a DVC member to do this. No one has pointed out yet that a one bedroom villa at WL is cheaper than a deluxe room at WL, and a much better choice for a larger family. We are not DVC members and have never had a problem getting a reservation for a one bedroom villa.
 
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D

DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
happymom52003 said:
If you want to stay at WL, there is no need to upgrade to a deluxe room. Just get a one bedroom villa....you do not have to be a DVC member to do this. No one has pointed out yet that a one bedroom villa at WL is cheaper than a deluxe room at WL, and a much better choice for a larger family. We are not DVC members and have never had a problem getting a reservation for a one bedroom villa.
Click to expand...

The One Bedroom Villa can accommodate a maximum of 4 adults and one child under 3 in a crib.

The Deluxe room at the WL can accommodate 6 guests.
 
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verybusymom40

verybusymom40

New Member
I've stayed at both, most recently the Polynesian in January. I loved the WL, but after staying at the Poly, there was no contest. To sit out on the beach at night and view the fireworks over Cinderella's castle was fantastic. The kids loved everything about the place. We made sure we had a room near the food and the pool. Of course, we used Tikiman's website to figure all that out. Enjoy, (and go with the Poly).
P.S. Oh yeah, the monorail made our midday breaks at the hotel so easy. Kris
 
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P

Poly Pal

New Member
We have stayed at both WL and the Polynesian.

Based on the number in your party, the ages of your children and how you plan to go to the parks in the morning, take a mid-day break, and then back to the parks later, I whole heartedly recommend the Polynesian to you over the Wilderness Lodge.

A huge benefit of staying at a monorail resort is the ability to roll on and roll off the monorail with a stroller. This allows you to avoid having to fold up a stroller and hold a sleeping child on a bus or boat back to the hotel. TRUST ME - been there, done that! If you are planning on staying late at the MK for Spectromagic and Wishes or EPCOT for Illuminations, I suspect your youngest children might be worn out and will fall fast asleep in a stroller (mine did as old as age 8!) even with an afternoon nap built into your schedule.

Have a great vacation wherever you stay. :)
 
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