POLY/BOARDWALK? About This Page:

[BostonTeaParty]

Over on Deb Wills site, I read readers reviews of rooms at the Poly and the Boardwalk. There were far more criticisms of the Poly as being outdated and various other complaints. The Boardwalk on the other hand, received almost unanimous rave reviews.

Have you stayed at either place? Would you agree with this assessment, or do you have another opinion? TIA!

[loobyoxlip]

Ooh, those sound like some good resorts to be considering. We haven't stayed at either, but we'll be trying Poly in December. I can't wait!

[MickeyMAC]

We've stayed at Poly and love the magic of the Poly. The rooms are huge, the service great, the grounds wonderful....in fact we're going back in August. The Boardwalk did not appeal to us at all....seemed very stuffy.

[HiddenMickey]

I have stayed in both resorts. I wouldn't agree with those assesments of the Polynesian.
However I will say that I do LOVE Boardwalk. It is my favorite resort for location, decor, and quiet rooms.
The Polynesian is a wonderful resort too and is the favorite of MANY people.
You should go with what your heart says when making your decision. I don't think you'll be unhappy if you do that.

[crystalloubear]

We stayed at the Boardwalk this past December. I was not impressed with the resort at all. The "theme" pool was kind of dissapointing, the bus service was dissmal, and the rooms seemed a long, long walk from everything. Of course, we are used to staying concierge at the GF so we are spoiled!!

[disneymom9092]

We love the Poly! The long buildings have been going through major overhauls for the past 2 years. All rooms were to be upgraded! Before the renovations, they were a little run down.

[Bert & Sully]

We've stayed at both resorts. While I enjoy both DH found BW to be a bit too reminescent of the Jersey Shore. I don't think it helped that we had yet ANOTHER topper stolen from BW Parking Lot. Speaking of the BW parking lot; that was another thing that was annoying. It's sooooo faaaaar from the resort whereas the Poly is much closer.

I think there's more floor space in the Poly than the BW as well.

Also, the Poly has about the largest bathrooms onsite. It's a huge area with the bathtub and sink together and the toilet set off around the corner.

The BW has the double sinks in the 'vanity area' and the toilet and tub together in a smaller, enclosed area.

I noticed the BW room service was from all the eateries on the BW which I found novel although never used.

The Poly has Captain Cook's one of only two or three resort eateries open 24/7.

Also, at the Poly you have more forms of transport at your disposal like the boat, the monorail, or bus. You can also rent those mice (boats) at the Poly.

Oh, and I almost forgot, the pool is much nicer at Poly with the Volcano Slide, zero level entry, and underwater speakers. Could NOT deal with that clown at BW.

[Colexis Mom]

I've stayed at the Poly, but too long ago to make any sort of judgement. My aunt and uncle have stayed at the Boardwalk about 3 times in the past two years, and they love it!

[LuvMinnie]

What a tough decision. I've heard & read the exact same reviews as you have. Friends of ours do prefer the location of the boardwalk (so close to MGM & Epcot) & have stayed there 4 years in a row. They enjoy the resort.

[BostonTeaParty]

Thanks so much for all the replies. You guys are so helpful with all the details. I really appreciate that! Every little bit is a major help in the decision making process, so thanks again!

Another question I just thought of: Is there a particular room, or building that you really like or would recommend? And if so, why? TIA!

[Luvsun]

I can only vote for the Poly - because I have stayed there. And our entire family absolutely loved it there! My dh is rather bummed that we are not staying there this time - but I want him to see AKL. Anyway - the rooms at the Poly are very spacious, especially the bathrooms! The ability to go and jump on the monorail is wonderful! The atmosphere is so relaxing and we really enjoyed walking around the resort and taking in the smells and the feel. The view of the MK is great - and the restaurants are all wonderful! We loved it at night when the tiki torches were lit and they played polynesian music all throughout the resort. We had a standard - garden view room - and it was on the third floor - facing the monorail. But we loved it! We enjoyed watching the monorail go by - we were not disapointed with that view! The Great Ceremonial House has a BEAUTIFUL waterfall and tropical plants....and everyone there treated us so kindly! Someday - I do hope to stay at the BW - I really want to stay in one of the garden suites! Whatever you decide - I am sure you will have a wonderful time! Good Luck!

[disneyfan4994]

We have stayed at both. The Polynesian is beautiful. The pool is great & being on the monorail line is wonderful. The rooms are spacious including the bathrooms. Bordwalk is our DVC home resort. We have only stayed in the villas, so I don't know about the regular rooms. The Boardwalk location is great. You can walk to Epcot, MGM, YC, BC, the Swan & Dolphin. It is so convenient to be able to get around on foot & avoid those crowded busses. The Boardwalk is fun to explore at night, & there are tons of restraunt choices. Which ever resort you choose I'm sure you will be happy!

[CRCrazy]

Hey Nancy!! I haven't stayed at the Boardwalk yet, so I can't help there - although I love the pictures of the rooms, and the location can't be beat! I'd love to stay at an Epcot area resort someday.

As far as the Poly goes, we liked it - and the volcano pool was really fun for Sarah, and Amanda and Jennie liked it okay - but I really missed having the hot tub (We were there when it was a little chilly for that evening swim). The grounds are the Poly are beautiful - but I like being in one central building rather than all the longhouse - It felt like being in a dorm room to me! We stayed in the Hawaii building, which was a beautiful location, and this was just after the rehab. While they had rehabbed quite a lot of the public areas - the carpet in our room had obviously NOT been rehabbed - and the door hardware was obviously OLD and in need of serious replacement!

[Tink and co.]

I also can only vote for the Poly. We found the room to be HUGE! We are a family of five, and we had ample room. We loved the grounds, and floating in the pool watching the castle change colors was magical. Watching Wishes while floating in the pool was like a dream. We stayed in Rapa Nui, which was a hike from the Great Ceremonial House and pool, but right next to the bus stop and steps from the TTC. The great ceremonial house seemed a bit run down to us. There was a lot of contruction going on, so I'm sure they were fixing it up, and there was lots of dust on the canopy over the bed (but that just made it feel like home!). The location was incredible, and we were wherever we wanted to be in just a few minutes. I'd stay there again, but I want to try some other resorts!

[eliza]

Nancy~
We're splitting our upcoming stay b/w these two resorts
I stayed at BWI Concierge last July and REALLY fell in love with it. The resort is very attractive and I found it amazing to be able to walk to MGM and Epcot. The Clown Pool wasn't my favorite but my DD(8) and my DNiece (6) LOVED that slide!! And DSIL and I loved the tranquility of the quiet pool~
We will be trying the Polynesian for the very first time and I cannot wait! We used to stay only at the GF and in the past year and a half I've branched out and tried AKL, AKL Concierge, BWI Concierge and Wilderness Lodge. I love then all! Can't wait to experience Poly!!
Good luck!