Poly vs. Beach Club About This Page:

[Holland]

We just returned from WDW last night at 10:00 pm and I'm already out here planning our next trip in December 2008.

We stayed at POP - liked it a lot but want to go deluxe for our next trip.

We have 2 boys ages 9 & 6. On this trip, there were 2 things they loved more than anything.

1. The pool (this was our first time visiting the pool on any WDW trip - we are normally "too busy" for the pool.)

2. The little beach/sand area at Wilderness Lodge. (We ate dinner at WCC and caught a Wishes Cruise from the Marina.) They LOVED playing in the sand (in the dark) and kept asking when we could go back there.

I've decided our next trip will be a little more relaxing. We tend to go commando - which makes for tired kids and frustrated parents!

I love the location of the Poly - but have heard that the Beach Club has a great pool area with lots of sand. It would be very nice to get back to the resort in no time and get some rest, play in the pool, relax and then go back to the parks - without taking 2 hours out of the day.

Please help me decide...

[HiddenMickey]

I think either one will work great with your kids. If they are good swimmers, then the pool at BC/YC might be a good pick. There is a sandy area and even part of one pool has sand at the bottom. The Poly also has a nice pool, though smaller, and has the zero-entry near the Poly beach.

[chezp]

I think if your kids love their pool time, you can't go wrong with the Beach Club - Stormalong Bay is absolutely amazing.

[Colexis Mom]

We've stayed at both, and BC wins for us It has a much bigger pool, a great slide, and a sandy area (both in the pool and near the lake) that the boys could play at

[Principessa_di_Fata]

I think I'd have to vote for Beach Club also. Simply because of the pool. I've never stayed there but it sounds like if you really want to take it easy and if the kids love pools and sand... that's where you belong. I mean... a waterpark in your own "backyard"... lol!

[piratefreak]

We have also stayed at both-only one time at Poly and too many times to count at BC...BC is the way to go. Not only is the pool incredible but Beaches and Cream is a great place and you can't beat the ease to walk into the back of Epcot or the atmosphere over at BW in the evenings. We have also been there when they run movie nights down on the beach and we always have a blast. A real winner!

[tikiman]

Having stayed at both areas there is only one small advantage to BC and that is slightly quicker from Epcot. I know some that are reading this think I am crazy but we did time studies and I will explain why I say that.

Epcot is a 5 minute walk from the closest room at the BC to the International Gateway entrance.

The monorail to Epcot at the TTC is a 3 minute walk from the closest room at the Polynesian.

After boarding the monorail it is an 8 minute ride (always since the computer controls the speed) unless there is a backup on the tracks but you could get stuck behind a large group at the gate that could be just as long. On the other hand you do still have to wait at the gate after the monorail. The benefit I see that you are coming in where the rides are at in Future World and not in World Showcase where it takes another 7-10 minutes to walk to get to Future World. In the morning World Showcase countries are closed so you need to walk to Future World to get to anything open. Also I just enjoy riding the monorail.

Now the benefit to BC is if you are in the park after Illuminations where it is much harder to get out and back to the Polynesian.

Now with that said you have what I call easy access to Epcot from the Polynesian but you also have your choice of monorail, boat or ferry over to the MK in no time. Also with busses at either the Polynesian or at the TTC you have quick access to the other parks with one stop (from the Polynesian bus) or no stops (from the TTC). The Beach Club busses share with the Boardwalk, Swan, Dolphin and Yacht Club so either it takes for ever to get back to the resort or you are trying to get on a full bus going to other destinations. As far as using the friendship boats to MGM it can take 40 minutes to get from the YC/BC stop, than stop at the Swan and Dolphin and than get to MGM.

Now with the BC you do have great access to the YC and Boardwalk and all the food and shopping but you have easy access to the GF, Contemporary and even the WL and Shades of Green from the Polynesian.

With that said I love the Polynesian pool and 3 beaches over the Storm Along Bay. I even like the slide better but I am sure I am in the minority. I also like that both pools do not close. The slide closes late but you can still swim and the bar stays open through the fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant. S.A.B. closes early even in the summer and is completely roped off.

I find it hard to give up the room size at the Polynesian for the cramped rooms of the YC/BC.

I will take watching Wishes across the lake over Illuminations from behind buildings anyday (even if I like Illuminations better )


Well that is my opinion but either way you will be at a great resort.

Aloha

Steve

[PAmommy]

Hi,

We've stayed at the Yacht Club and Poly, and while I did love the space in the Poly's rooms, we found the theme pool to be overcrowded all of the time (this was in May). We spent most of our time at the "quiet" pool there. We loved Stormalong Bay and the more laid-back atmosphere of the Epcot resort area. Also service at the YC was a cut above the Poly (at least for us). Oh, and the rooms at YC, while smaller than Poly, were more than enough space for 3 adults and a child. I think the BC rooms are the same size.

We did appreciate the Poly's proximity to the TTC, so if you plan on spending a lot of time at both MK and Epcot, I might give the nod to the Poly, since you'd have to bus it or walk through Epcot to the monorail to get to MK from the BC.

Having said all of this, you can't really go wrong with either resort! They are both gorgeous...what a happy dilemma!

Have fun planning!

[julieb]

We stayed at the BC last December and loved it. However, we seemed to spend a lot of time trying to get over the the Magic Kingdom area, so this year we're staying at the Poly. That being said, I highly recommend the BC. The hotel was really pretty with a light and airy feel. It was my kind of theme! The kids loved Stormalong Bay and the action on the Boardwalk, and they were 6 and 8 last year. We had to convince them that something else pretty great was going on beyond the pool! We chose the Poly more for location this year. I'm sure that you can't go wrong either way!!

[WHMom]

We've stayed at both and we love them both, but our family gives the edge to the BC. Stormalong Bay has a lot to do with it. (My boys love to swim!) The slide at the Poly is better, but as another poster mentioned, the volcano pool at the Poly does get very crowded.

As for transportation to the parks from the BC, we LOVED being able to walk to Epcot, and the walk to MGM isn't really that long (15-20 minutes). We also enjoyed the boat ride there. As for sharing buses, only once did we share a bus with the Swalphin, and in general, we had a good experience with the BC buses.

Regardless, you will have a wonderful time no matter which you choose. They're both fantastic!

[Peter1958]

We love the Poly.The last time at the BC the pool was always way to crowded so we used the quiet pool.We 've never dealt with a crowded pool at the Poly but I'm sure it all depends when you visit.I'm from New England so the BC Theming just didn't do it for us,although it was nice,it just felt snobbish to us and the CM's didn't seem to friendly.To us the Poly is the ultimate in relaxation and the restaurants are awesome and the transportation options can't be beat.The BC is in a prime spot for Epcot and the Cape May has a wonderful buffet but we just prefer the Poly.Either way you really can't go wrong.

[LeapDayBaby]

The more I read about BC, the more I want to go I think I need to have DS12 take a look at this thread so we can convince DH that we should splurge..I can picture it now:

DS12: "Can we go to Stormalong Bay, Dad?"
Me: "Can we go to Beach Club, honey?"
(repeat until DH says yes)

- Laurie

[Nala]

In May of this year we stayed at the BC and loved it. Then this fall we did a split stay between the Poly and the YC.

We loved that the Poly had the monorail to the MK and also enjoyed the walk to the TTC for the monorail to Epcot. The pool was great, the beach beautiful and theme of the resort was wonderful. And Captain Cook's became our favorite resort CS.

At the YC/BC, we adored SAB and enjoyed the beach there as well. We also loved that we could walk to Epcot and take a boat to MGM or even walk to it if we were up for it. While the rooms at the YC/BC were smaller than the Poly, we didn't really notice the lack of space and found the room fine for our needs.

Bus transportation to the MK and AK were fine and pretty much the same as the bus service from the Poly to the AK or MGM.

And while the staff at the Poly was great, we found the staff at both the BC and YC to be outstanding and create some very magical moments for us.

While we loved the Poly, the YC/BC is the resort we will be returning back to every chance we get.

[rlk]

We stayed at the Poly last May and enjoy the proximity to MK. We have 2 boys 5 1/2 & 7 yrs and have decided to try the BC this coming May. Like Michelle, we are trying for a more relaxed vacation with alot of time at Storm along bay. My sons are very excited abot swimming @ SAB after seeing photos.

[nonnyd]

Maybe a split stay would work for you. You could do the Poly first and plan MK days and monorail resort dining first. Then let Disney move you to BC for more Epcot/Hollywood Studios time. I'd go with the Poly first because your boys sound like they'd never want to leave Stormalong Bay!