We are splurging a bit on the last 3 nights of our upcoming trip and are deciding between reservations we have for the Polynesian and Yacht Club. And, it will be a surprise for my family so I have to make the decision alone.
We’ve never stayed on the monorail and never in the Epcot area, so I’m excited about either option in that regard.
For both, love the idea of walking to/from Studios and Epcot as well as easy monorail/boat access to MK. We are doing those two parks on our last days.
Poly is a bit more money, but is there more of a “wow” factor staying there?
I know opinions can vary, so I was looking for some input from people that have done either. Even something that I wouldn’t have thought of.
The Poly probably has more of a “wow” factor based on architecture, landscaping, the fact that the mono goes through it, and it is one of the 2 original WDW resorts. But the Yacht Club has Storm Along Bay, which is considered by many to be the best pool area in WDW. I would personally pick YC because of it’s location; I spend more time in EP and HS than I do in MK.
Both are really nice and tough to go wrong with. BC has the better pool area and is super convenient to both Epcot & HS while Poly offers great access to MK and reasonable monorail access to Epcot. I would probably decide based on what parks you hope to do then & how much you may or may not use the pool.
I love both. Your parks will Be MK/EP? Are you not planning on HS? Do you have park hoppers?
If you have park hoppers I would pick YC. Of course, I have “a thing” for balconies. At Poly not every room has a balcony. I think a park hopper is important if you are staying in an EP area resort for the ability to pop in and grab a quick meal.
This is just my personal view. YMMV. It’s based on staying one night at each this summer.
Yacht Club. And it’s not even close.
I was super-disappointed with the Poly. It’s the most expensive hotel room I’ve ever stayed in. And nowhere near to even being in the top ten. Perhaps I was unlucky with the specific room I was allocated — but then at the price I paid that shouldn’t be a factor. All of the rooms should be amazing.
The room felt empty, cold and soulless. The view was uninspiring.
It’s two stops to MK on the monorail. Or you can walk to the TTC and take the monorail to Epcot.
My room at YC was lovely. They’ve all be refurbished and I love the styling. Modern, clean, lovely wood floors. I had a balcony with a great view — I had a view of water, despite it not technically being a water-view room.
It’s an easy walk to either Epcot or DHS. And you’ve got the lake and boardwalk on your doorstep. Don’t fancy walking? You’ve got the boats. And the best pool area on property.
I will never stay at the Poly again. No way. If I had more money than I’ve got, I would definitely stay at YC again.
I absolutely love the entrances to those rooms! I love the lighting in that area. I think I prefer amsink outside of the bathroom, but I also love that space!
If your parks are Epcot and MK on those days then I think Poly has the advantage. We’ve stayed there twice and loved it both times. I find the resort and rooms very warm and welcoming. We were staying in 2 queens rooms and used the fold down bed so the room definitely didn’t feel empty. I wonder if the King setup feels more empty based on the pics and description above. If you were doing HS and Epcot then I would have said YC. It seems from your post that part of the excitement is the convenience to the parks and we love the ease of getting to MK and Epcot from Poly.
On check-in day (when I will surprise the family) we already have a part day/evening at HS and it would be super easy to find a reason to walk to the resort area to “check out” Christmas decorations and then actually “check IN”.
Advantage = Yacht Club
Our next day is full Epcot with EMH until 11:30 pm. Fairly easy regardless of either resort.
Advantage = ??
Our final day is full MK with EMH until midnight. Easier late night travel back to Poly, would mean crowded bus or Minnie van/lyft to YC.
Advantage = Poly
I vote Yacht Club. I love being able to walk to Epcot and the vibe on the Boardwalk is great. The Poly for me has no real advantage, if I am wanting to stay close to MK, I want to walk so that means Contemporary Resort. Plus with teens, you need the sink outside the bathroom. I have 2 teens and 1 of them (the girl) spends forever getting ready. We manage fine with the shower separate from the sink/makeup area, it would be a huge pain to have all of that in one room.
I’ve stayed at both and really love both. You can’t go wrong with either choice.
I would give that advantage to YC. Walking from Epcot is so easy and actually enjoyable. Headed back to the Poly on the monorail after the park closes would take longer and would involve waiting in a line which sometimes is long.
I would also say that taking an afternoon break at the YC on your long Epcot day would be an advantage. It would be a good time to enjoy the pool which is fabulous.
Maybe easier but those monorail lines after park closing can be painfully long too.
Forget Poly:
Save $500+ overall
We’ll still visit one day for breakfast.
Stay at Yacht for 2 nights instead of 3:
We can walk to end HS night and then start/finish a full long day at Epcot the next day.
Stay at Wilderness Lodge on final night:
Gets us a boat ride home following long, late MK final day at midnight.
I’m assuming the boats run then for late EMH?
It’s a resort we were going to visit anyway to see decorations and maybe eat at Geyser.
That would mean an additional pack-up-and-move-resorts-day, but that shouldn’t be too bad.
I believe that’s only a Disney After Hours thing for the bus back to Poly which has a much smaller attendance than EMH.
Personally I probably wouldn’t bother with a 2nd change of venue just to avoid the bus back to YC after EMH. For me the inconvenience of packing would far more than outweigh the benefits of the nicer boat versus bus trip. That’s me though & WL is very cool at the Holidays…
