We are continuing our series sharing with you exactly how we are planning our next Disney vacation! We are excited to show you step by step how we are planning our trip.
Here is what you need to know: There are 12 of us traveling together. Jen and her family, Dave and Jodi (our mom!) and me (Katie) and my family. There are 6 kids ranging in age from 5-16.
In Part 1 we decided how many days we wanted to be gone on our trip. Part 2 was choosing our dates. Today we will tell you how we chose our hotel.
We always use a travel agent (Lisa) when we plan our Disney trips. We sent an email over to Lisa and let her know what dates we wanted to go to Disney and asked her to send us quotes for some hotels. We always stay on site when we go to Disney World.
Because this is our last big family trip, we decided we want to stay in a Deluxe hotel on site. We have stayed in all three levels of Disney hotels over the years. For this last big trip we want to go out with a bang.
We got quotes from Lisa for the following hotels: Beach Club, Beach Club – club level, Contemporary, Contemporary – club level, Polynesian, Polynesian Club level, and we also got a quote for Coronado Springs.
Bring on the deliberations.
Disney’s Contemporary – No
We immediately ruled out the Contemporary as Jen and her family stayed there with our parents last winter. They didn’t love it for a variety of reasons – and unfortunately the cast members were not as magical as we hoped they could have been with the concerns that we brought to them.
Disney’s Coronado Springs – No
We spent some time looking into Coronado Springs and seriously considered it for a bit. After a while we ended up deciding we wanted something a little bit closer to at least one park. We also wanted the option to consider a club level room once we started figuring out food.
Disney’s Beach Club – No
On to the Beach Club. We have stayed in Beach Club three times and we really love it. We love the coastal vibe, the cozy feel, the proximity to EPCOT and the convenience to Disney’s Boardwalk. This was a very high contender as we have a rest day built in, allowing us plenty of time to take advantage of the Boardwalk.
The biggest reason for NOT staying at Beach Club is simply our desire to try something different.
Disney’s Polynesian Resort – YES!
This brings us to the Polynesian. We have never really considered staying at the Polynesian -we always figured if we stayed at a monorail hotel it would be the Contemporary. With the Contemporary now checked off our list we felt we could consider Poly.
Polynesian Perks
The biggest perks to the Polynesian is the proximity to the Magic Kingdom and to the Ticket and Transportation Center (via the monorail). You also have the option to watch the fireworks from the hotel. Additionally we have never heard consistently bad things about this resort. Of course, every hotel everywhere has people who have had bad experiences, but on the whole people seem to love the Polynesian.
Polynesian Negatives
The biggest downside to the Polynesian is a bit specific to our family. Two members of our family have some vision challenges and it is helpful to have bright, lighter rooms. There did seem to be some consistent feedback about the Polynesian that the rooms and hotel are “dark.”
Jen and I jumped on several Facebook groups to get feedback from people who have been there to see if this was a legitimate concern we should have. As more and more people commented, we came to the conclusion that yes, the rooms might be slightly darker themed than other rooms, but most people wouldn’t categorize the hotel as “dark.”
We went back and forth for literally hours trying to decide which hotel to book. In the end, we decided to go with the Polynesian! Jen, our mom, and I all hate the unknowns of a new place, but we are really looking forward to seeing if the Polynesian lives up to the hype!
Next step….figuring out food!
If you are trying to decide where to stay for your next Disney vacation, be sure to consider the pros and cons of off site and on site. You also need to be aware of the different tiers of Disney resorts. These are the building blocks to making the best decision for your family.