Wilderness Lodge or Poly?

[riogirl]

I am planning an Aug 2011 trip with Free Dining and I am stuck on the Wilderness Lodge OR Poly? I find it very difficult making a decision because they are both considered deluxe yet the price difference is soooo much! I always wanted to stay at the Poly, but it is sooo expensive. I have been to both to eat and I like the Wilderness Lodge but I have no idea about the rooms and the restaurants. It seems like the Poly has better of both. Also the pool at the WL looks really small. If anyone can help me decide I would very much appreciate it! Thanks:shrug:

 

[ErickainPA]

I married and honeymooned at the Wilderness Lodge and we LOVED it. The rooms are nice and the atmosphere is so calming.

We haven't stayed at Poly yet, we were thinking of it one day. We have eaten there plenty, that's the beautiful think about Disney, you can resort hop and try different food.

 

[captainkidd]

I've stayed at both.

Restaurants are a toss-up. I like Ohana better than Artist Point, but prefer Whispering Canyon over Kona.

Rooms at WL are much smaller than Poly, but at 344 sq ft, still give you plenty of room. Plus the sinks are outside the bathroom at the WL which I prefer.

The pool is actually bigger at WL than at the Poly, and nicer too. The Poly's pool, especially in August, gets way too crowded. Plus, the WL has 3 hot tubs, and the Poly has none, though in August that will probably be a non-factor.

Poly in my mind is the best resort in terms of convenience. You have monorail, boat or ferry to Magic Kingdom. You can walk to the TTC for Epcot monorail.

Bottom line is, there is something magical and relaxing about the Poly. However, the WL edges it out in my opinion. It's less expensive, the resort looks cleaner, and there is an atmosphere from the theming at WL that no other Disney resort can match (IMO.)

 

[happymom52003]

That is a tough choice....those are our two favorite resorts. We've decided to just start alternating between the two because we love them both so much.

How many people are going to be in your room? We like the rooms at the Poly because they are SO big and they have two queen beds and a day bed, which is great for a family with kids, or for several adults.

Do you have stroller age kids with you? If so, being on the monorail is so nice...however the boat at the WL to the MK is great for strollers as well.

Are you planning on going to Epcot often? Being able to take the short walk to the TTC from the Poly to get on the Epcot monorail is one of the biggest reasons we like the Poly.

Do you like to watch fireworks outside the parks? Given the ages of our kids, and the fact that they do better if we stick to their regular bedtime, we often are not able to stay in the parks for the fireworks (unless it is an off season when the parks close really early). So we like to put the kids in their pjs and watch Wishes from the beach at the Poly, then put them right in bed.

Now that I've tried selling you on the Poly...lol....I will say that for us, the feeling we get at the WL can not be beat. The Poly is beautiful, but we prefer the atmosphere of the WL. And I like how you can get to the lobby, restaurants, gift shop, etc. without going outside (as opposed to the Poly)....which is nice when the weather is bad. We also prefer all the restaurants at the WL over the Poly, including the quick serve. And the room price is SO much better at the WL!

Honesty, you can't go wrong. I feel like the two resorts are so different....like night and day. Both have pros/cons, and I really can't pick an overall favorite. If going just by the resort itself, WL wins hands down. But throw in location, and that is where the Poly has the edge.

 

[tigsmom]

We've stayed at the Poly once and the WL over 10 times...guess which is our favorite? :lookaroun

We find the rooms in WL large enough for the four of us (me, DH, and 2 DD's 22 & 15). We like the decor and really enjoy the food there (Roarin' Forks for quick meals and snacks, Whispering Canyon Cafe for our must have skillet breakfasts - lunch and dinner is good as well- and Artist Point for a nice quiet meal. We just feel so relaxed when we are there.

Our kids like the pool at the WL better than the Poly's. Our main problem with the Poly is that you have to move from building to building to get to things (we've gotten soaked a few times).

The boat to the MK is relaxing both early in the morning and late at night (try 3 am after EMH in the MK :lookaroun ). We've never had a problem with the bus transportation and you can take a boat to the Contemporary to hit the monorail.

 

[bamillerpa]

I love the theming of the WL but to me nothing compares to having the monorail, especially with kids. The boats are nice and we typically make sure to take at least one ride on them but I love being able to just hop on the monorial and a few minutes later arrive at the MK. It's nice in the afternoon too when we want to come back and swim. We can easily walk to the TTC to hop on the Epcot monorail if we don't want to transfer which we also love. Our two favorite parks are the MK and Epcot so having monorail service to both of them is heaven for us. Since we don't do the buses and drive to the parks that don't offer monorail service, staying at the Poly means we only drive twice during our entire stay. We especially like eating in Epcot so a lot of our days involve the MK during the day, a swim in the afternoon, and dinner at night in Epcot. The monorail suits us perfectly for this. Plus, I just love the Poly at night with the torches lit up and watching the fireworks on the beach.

Keep in mind that the monorail runs even in the rain so you can always get back to the Poly but sometimes the boats don't. If you were planning on taking the boat back to the Wilderness Lodge you might be stuck on a bus. You might like that ok but we avoid the buses.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I've stayed at both.

Restaurants are a toss-up. I like Ohana better than Artist Point, but prefer Whispering Canyon over Kona.

Rooms at WL are much smaller than Poly, but at 344 sq ft, still give you plenty of room. Plus the sinks are outside the bathroom at the WL which I prefer.

The pool is actually bigger at WL than at the Poly, and nicer too. The Poly's pool, especially in August, gets way too crowded. Plus, the WL has 3 hot tubs, and the Poly has none, though in August that will probably be a non-factor.

Poly in my mind is the best resort in terms of convenience. You have monorail, boat or ferry to Magic Kingdom. You can walk to the TTC for Epcot monorail.

Bottom line is, there is something magical and relaxing about the Poly. However, the WL edges it out in my opinion. It's less expensive, the resort looks cleaner, and there is an atmosphere from the theming at WL that no other Disney resort can match (IMO.)

Hi there I couldnt agree miore with what was said here. I found the pool situation at the Polynesian when I went in May insane!!!! They have two pools and desperately need a third. Both pools were so overcrowded it was ridiculous!!! I like the restaurants at the Polynesian better, especially for Kona for breakfast. The rooms were indeed large but as mentioned I prefer the sinks outside of the main bathroom area as well, which I didnt see at the Poly. Access to the Dole Whips at the quick Serve restaurant Captain Cook's is GREAT!!!!! I think given the choice I would go with the WL though. I love the atmosphere over there and the pool area looks nice as well. I do like Whispering Canyon for breakfast & dinner, dont forget to ask for ketchup. I know you will have a great time regardless of which one you choose. Marie

 

[TRONorail10]

Instead of getting into a lot of detail over this, i am going to simply say The Wilderness Lodge. Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are two of the most stunning and most unique resorts i have ever seen. The Poly has a lot of nice things to it, but you can find tropical theming all over the world in resorts. It is a very rare opportunity to experience something as magnificent as the Wilderness Lodge. If it's my money, i wouldn't let something like the exact room dimensions or pool size scew my decision in the wrong direction.

 

[captainkidd]

Instead of getting into a lot of detail over this, i am going to simply say The Wilderness Lodge. Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge are two of the most stunning and most unique resorts i have ever seen. The Poly has a lot of nice things to it, but you can find tropical theming all over the world in resorts. It is a very rare opportunity to experience something as magnificent as the Wilderness Lodge. If it's my money, i wouldn't let something like the exact room dimensions or pool size scew my decision in the wrong direction.

I agree and disagree. Wilderness Lodge to me is the most stunning resort on property. And I agree, the room size isn't a huge deal, nor is the pool.

However, there is a feeling about the Poly that you get when staying there, that you simply don't get while visiting. Something about getting on the monorail and hearing "Aloha". Something about sitting at the Tambu Lounge and having a tropical drink before going back to your room. Something about watching the fireworks from the beach, and listening to the Hawaiin music as you walk back to your room past tiki torches.

Again, I prefer the WL, but I've learned why so many people love the Poly, and I agree.

 

[riogirl]

Thanks everyone for all the awesome info....I just get nervous about the quality of the room. Last year when staying at the Coronado Springs, the room was a little small, but that did not matter, but it was brand new and very comfortable. I am interested in that a lot and also how to get to Epcot,DHS and AK from the WL? Can you take a boat to the TTC or only to MK and Contemporary? Also someone mentioned that the boat does not travel in the rain? :animwink:

 

[ErickainPA]

We never had an issue with the boats not running in rain, we never had downpours, just a sprinkling and the boats ran. We use to take the boat to Contemporary and then take the monorail to Epcot or TTC, would just take the bus to AK or DTD

 

[tigsmom]

Thanks everyone for all the awesome info....I just get nervous about the quality of the room. Last year when staying at the Coronado Springs, the room was a little small, but that did not matter, but it was brand new and very comfortable. I am interested in that a lot and also how to get to Epcot,DHS and AK from the WL? Can you take a boat to the TTC or only to MK and Contemporary? Also someone mentioned that the boat does not travel in the rain? :animwink:

Unless it's a torrential rain & the winds are really blowing there should not be a problem, we have ridden the boat in the rain many times.
The launch will take you to the Contemporary and you hit the monorail from there, it does not go to the TTC directly (though at the Poly you can walk to the TTC at the back of the property). The bus goes to all of the other parks.

I have stayed at the WL since it has opened and the refurb that was done was very nice...same theming, just updated and the rooms are not that small, just the smallest of the Deluxes, but still bigger than moderates & Values.
As I said in my earlier post it is large enough for 4 adults to be comfortable and not falling over each other.

 

[lilclerk]

I stayed at the WL last month and totally fell in love with it.
I've got a bunch of pictures of my room here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/siriusthinking/sets/72157624593077451
But keep in mind, I was given a ground floor, king bed, handicapped connecting room (none of which I requested :lol so the layout may be a little different than a regular room.

The boat to the MK is very nice, but I found the bus to be faster. Plus I was there in the middle of August and no one ever stood on any bus I took. In fact, there were usually lots of seats left even when we picked up people from Ft Wilderness.
Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Disneykidder]

Great thread. You all just made my d3cision for our trip next summer that much harder. I am tossed between WL and CS. I know they are diff categories but the diff in price is over $700. I think WL is the way to go.

You could always split you time there between both resorts? It may end up being more that way due to the ticket prices but ti can't hurt to check.

 

[tigsmom]

Click here for WL photos

 

[challisgal]

I've also stayed at both, although the Wilderness Lodge stay was a long time ago. What I remember most was the long waits for buses, although that easily could have changed by now (and probably has).

I prefer the Poly and am hoping to get back there for the next trip. Being on the monorail just can't be beat, as well as being able to see the fireworks. I actually like the seperate buildings, as compared to the Wilderness being all enclosed. While it's a pain when it's raining to walk outside, the landscaping is so lovely that most of the time it's a pleasure. I also liked that I didn't feel packed in so tightly like I did in the Wilderness.

Either resort, though, totally earns the deluxe rating and would be a great place to stay.

 

[riogirl]

So many good ideas! Thank you so much for the pictures, they really were detailed and helpful. I guess it all comes down to preference and $$$. You are all so full of great advice also I am going to price half time at WL and half at Poly..you never know.

 

[coltow]

WL is our favorite! We liked Poly but just found WL to be so much more relaxing. We like all the restaurants so that's not a factor for us deciding. It comes down to comfort. Sure the rooms at Poly are bigger, but I'll take the relaxation of WL over it. Plus WL rooms are all attached to the building @ Poly there is always some outside walking to do and in the rain it's not always fun. Lastly we enjoyed the pool at WL way more than pool at Poly. We stayed at Poly 1ce and unless we get a deal we cannot pass up there, we'd rather go back to WL (or POFQ, but that's another topic)

 

[TinkerChelli]

If money is not an issue, I would definately go with the Poly, you get express Monorail right to the parks and other Delux Hotels the Contemporary and Grand Floridian. There is no issue with the Fort Wilderness Lodge it is beautiful but the Poly is really a once in a lifetime experience I think. Take Care :wave:

 

[tigsmom]

If money is not an issue, I would definately go with the Poly, you get express Monorail right to the parks and other Delux Hotels the Contemporary and Grand Floridian. There is no issue with the Fort Wilderness Lodge it is beautiful but the Poly is really a once in a lifetime experience I think. Take Care :wave:

It is Fort Wilderness Campgrounds (moderate resort) and the Wilderness Lodge (deluxe resort); two separate resorts that do not share facilities. :wave: