My wife and I are taking are daughters to Disney World for the first time. They will be 5 and 3 at the time of our planned visit (June 2018). We are trying to decide between the Polynesian and Beach Club resorts? Does anyone have advice for us? We want close proximity to Disney World but also want to have a variety of activities for the girls on those days we don't go to either Disney World or Epcot. Our daughters both love to swim so swimming is important. Our youngest will still be in a nap routine, so access to the resort is important to us. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thank you.
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Resort Advice.....Polynesian or Beach Club???
- Thread starter jefbecker1
- Start date
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Honestly at that age I go for Polynesian. Easy to get to Magic Kingdom and not bad for Epcot either. Mostly for the pool though I pick Polynesian. The splash area is great and the pool is more little kid friendly. The layout of Storm Along Bay is not great for kids of that age especially if one is swimming and one is not. I found the pool stressful for little ones. Save Beach Club for the slightly older ones. I also like the activities at Polynesian and the ease for resort hopping to other MK area resorts.
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Thank you helenabear! We really appreciate the advice from people that are familiar with the resorts. As a follow up question...do you recommend a room or villa at the Polynesian?
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Glad to help. You will likely get different opinions as well but we have spent a lot of time at both with various ages of children too. As for villa vs regular room... I've been in both. Only room type I haven't done are the suites there. Both room types are big and are well themed.
The studios there offer two showers. One with a tub and the other is seriously the best shower in all of Disney IMO. It's a walk in shower that has a great rainfall effect and highly adjustable. The room has one queen bed and a queen sleeper sofa. Then a single murphy bed (loved by my little one). The negative if one bed is a sleeper sofa though both kids and adults said it was cozy. All studios are in 3 buildings that are the closest to the TTC and quiet pool. We were in Moorea and it took maybe 5 minutes to get to the GCH.
The regular rooms have the two regular queen beds but no extra shower/sink area. They have a daybed instead as well which honestly isn't great for sleeping in our opinion. Though we haven't done that with a younger one like your 3yo. They can be more centrally located as well with some very close to the main pool and Great Ceremonial House.
The villas guarantee a patio or balcony no matter which for you get. They are also slightly larger on average than the regular rooms. Knowing I could likely rent one for less than a regular room I would pick the studio. Might because I like being closer to the TTC and for that shower. Seriously it was amazing!
Truly you cannot go wrong with either. It's up to you with what appeals for your family. What I would pick might not be good or appeal to you.
jimbojones
Well-Known Member
Poly hands down, with little kids the monorail and boat access to MK can't be beat. Also a quick walk to the TTC to get to Epcot. My eldest LOVED the poly at 5, it is very kid friendly with an awesome pool.
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
So I'm going the opposite way and say Beach club.
1) I stayed my last two trips at the GF and the contemporary, both for the ease of the monorail. HUGE mistake. It was slow and I hated how the packed it at the end of the day.
2) You said your girls love to swim. hands down the best pool area is stromalong bay.
3) entertainment. you've got so much to do on off days. between the BC and across the lake at the boardwalk, lots of entertainment.
4) eating options. once again you've got everything from take out pizza to the boardwalk bakery plus the restaurants at the yacht and beach club PLUS little known gems over at swan and dolphin.
5) Beaches and cream, lol enough said.
1) I stayed my last two trips at the GF and the contemporary, both for the ease of the monorail. HUGE mistake. It was slow and I hated how the packed it at the end of the day.
2) You said your girls love to swim. hands down the best pool area is stromalong bay.
3) entertainment. you've got so much to do on off days. between the BC and across the lake at the boardwalk, lots of entertainment.
4) eating options. once again you've got everything from take out pizza to the boardwalk bakery plus the restaurants at the yacht and beach club PLUS little known gems over at swan and dolphin.
5) Beaches and cream, lol enough said.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
The difference with Polynesian is that you don't have to use the monorail to get to MK - you can take one of the two boats and be right by your room. I actually am not a fan of GF for the monorail issues but love Polynesian for the ease of being right by the TTC.
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crxbrett
Well-Known Member
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correcaminos
Well-Known Member
Boardwalk area. Right by the bakery!
Epcotfan21
Well-Known Member
@helenabear is spot on. I was always a Beaches and Cream fan, but Ample Hills is the way to go for ice cream these days and is a must visit. We took friends of ours there that are Orlando locals and they were blown away and couldn't believe they hadn't tried it yet.
Horizons '83
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
To each their own per usual but I would lean towards Beach Club because of the proximity to both Epcot and HS. If you need to come back for naps its an easy boat ride or walk from both. As noted before, the Boardwalk is so close as well, the kids can really enjoy the entertainment offerings at night was well.
JusticeDisney
Well-Known Member
IMO, Beach Club wins this one by a mile.
First, I don’t know why, but Poly always feels dated to me, while BC feels very fresh and modern to me.
Second, Stormalong Bay is hands down the best pool anywhere on property. There’s a reason why it wins practically every poll taken.
Third, you simply cannot beat the location. Can walk to two parks, as well as the boardwalk area, and there is no better collection of places to eat in any one given area. As for Beaches and Cream, it’s a must do. It’s not JUST about the ice cream there (which in any event is absolutely delicious). It’s also about the overall experience, and the vibe there is tremendous, as is the ability to get the kitchen sink. Just watch the expressions on your kids’ faces when the lights start going and the kitchen sink is brought out to your table.
First, I don’t know why, but Poly always feels dated to me, while BC feels very fresh and modern to me.
Second, Stormalong Bay is hands down the best pool anywhere on property. There’s a reason why it wins practically every poll taken.
Third, you simply cannot beat the location. Can walk to two parks, as well as the boardwalk area, and there is no better collection of places to eat in any one given area. As for Beaches and Cream, it’s a must do. It’s not JUST about the ice cream there (which in any event is absolutely delicious). It’s also about the overall experience, and the vibe there is tremendous, as is the ability to get the kitchen sink. Just watch the expressions on your kids’ faces when the lights start going and the kitchen sink is brought out to your table.
I've stayed at both resorts, and think you will have a wonderful time at either - although I might lean a bit more to the Polynesian considering your children's ages because of the proximity to MK.
Arguing about personal taste is very foolish - we like what we like. I'm not a big fan of any brand of ice cream; I would much rather have some perfectly ripened fruit with whipped cream.
Arguing about personal taste is very foolish - we like what we like. I'm not a big fan of any brand of ice cream; I would much rather have some perfectly ripened fruit with whipped cream.
Pixieish
Well-Known Member
Strawberries + whipped cream + powdered sugar = HEAVEN ON EARTH.I've stayed at both resorts, and think you will have a wonderful time at either - although I might lean a bit more to the Polynesian considering your children's ages because of the proximity to MK.
Arguing about personal taste is very foolish - we like what we like. I'm not a big fan of any brand of ice cream; I would much rather have some perfectly ripened fruit with whipped cream.
JillC LI
Well-Known Member
It is to die for! They have a sampler where you can get six small scoops of different flavors to try them. And the flavors are so unique. We loved it!
twili_zora
New Member
I'd say I'm a bit more biased towards Beach Club since that's the only one out of the two you mentioned that I've stayed at. Polynesian does look cool though, judging on from I've seen from both the inside and out. I'd recommend looking up each of the hotel's amenities on the official website, that is if you feel like you need more information after what people have already said on the forums.
jimbojones
Well-Known Member
The difference between something feeling "classic and charming" vs. "dated" often has a lot to do with our ages. I LOVE the poly and feel it is classic, but for my parents it is dated because the lived through the 50s-60s tiki revival. I suppose my kids might feel that 90s era stuff is classic but to me it is dated
@The Mom's advice is spot on. Poly, hands down. With children that young, i would think you'll be spending more time at MK than the other 3 parks, so why not be a boat or monorail ride away? A short walk to the TTC to get to Epcot, especially if you are in a studio in Pago Pago. More activities for kids. And the two bathrooms will be a blessing with kids.
Yes, you can walk from BC to both Epcot and HS. But that's quite a walk for little ones to HS, so your have to take the boat. Which doesn't run in bad weather. And there are no buses from BC to HS. We ended up having to wait at Swalphin for a bus to come to take us to HS for dinner when they stopped running the boats due to the weather.
Yes, you can walk from BC to both Epcot and HS. But that's quite a walk for little ones to HS, so your have to take the boat. Which doesn't run in bad weather. And there are no buses from BC to HS. We ended up having to wait at Swalphin for a bus to come to take us to HS for dinner when they stopped running the boats due to the weather.
aladdin2007
Well-Known Member
question about beach club, do they not have room service anymore? I was looking online and saw it was only port orleans and a couple other moderate locations and not deluxe. Maybe I was looking at wrong info. If they do have it have any of you used it like for breakfast? There is probably delivery and service fee charges tacked on?
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