Polynesian v. Beach Club
This Walt Disney World hotel showdown compares the best of the best: Beach Club and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. The ultimate hotel near Magic Kingdom versus the ultimate hotel near Epcot. Arguably two very different hotels that will appeal to different demographics…but we’re going to have them battle anyway!
Think of this as a follow-up to our Beach Club v. BoardWalk Inn and Polynesian v. Grand Floridian match-ups. Beach Club won the former (and secured a decisive 65% of the reader vote) while Polynesian won the latter (and scored a whopping 74% of the reader vote). If this were March Madness, those previous posts would’ve been the Elite Eight with the current match-up being a Final Four game. (The other side of the bracket would have our Wilderness Lodge v. Animal Kingdom Lodge face-off in the Final Four after both routed the competition so badly in the Elite Eight that those match-ups don’t even merit blog posts. 😉 )
This one is going to be tough and, like many of the comparisons, will ultimately hinge in large part on personal preference. Still, we’re hoping to help the undecided to decide, with a comparison that strives for some degree of objectivity. Both rank highly in our Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts Rankings, and both are some of the ultimate in theme and luxury at Walt Disney World. Really, you cannot go wrong either way here.
As with all posts in this ‘versus’ series of Walt Disney World hotel comparisons, we use 6 elements of two different resorts to determine which is “the best.” It’s time to compare and contrast…
Theme: Polynesian – Beach Club lost its thematic showdown with BoardWalk Inn primarily because the latter conveyed a more distinct theme in the similar concept both encapsulated. While we also give the Poly an edge over Beach Club, it’s not a decisive victory. Beach Club’s presentation of an idealized version of Newport (New England, not California) is pretty effective when not judged against other Crescent Lake resorts.
However, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort does a better job of capturing the imagination, making you feel like you’re at a tropical resort. From the lush grounds to the South Seas vibe throughout the resort, it’s the perfect confluence of 20th century tiki culture and authentic island paradise. The result is something that doesn’t exist in the real world, but (like so many of Disney’s finest creations) gets you to suspend disbelief. Actually, that could probably be said about both of these results.
Consequently, and as we’ve said before, this is going to come down to how guests digest each theme–how a particular theme makes them feel. We were really surprised by the number of people who indicated that they didn’t like the Polynesian’s theme. (Point of clarification: the Poly is a twist on tiki culture popularized in the 1950s; it is not meant to be an authentic representation of past or present Polynesia. If you’re looking for authentic culture, try Aulani.) When it comes down to the feeling we get from a theme, Disney’s Beach Club Resort rates highly–for us, at least.
Rooms: Polynesian – In its previous ‘battle’, Beach Club lost to BoardWalk Inn, on the basis that it is difficult to distinguish Beach Club’s rooms from a trendy, modern day hotel at the beach. These rooms do not balance theme and luxury well, and feel like they could be found at any ole upscale hotel. Don’t get us wrong: they’re nice, but they’re nothing special. And for the prices Walt Disney World charges, we’re looking for something special.
The rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort offer that something special. These rooms are spacious and luxurious, while also conveying a sense of tiki-culture kitsch. These rooms simultaneously feel luxurious and “light” which is a real accomplishment. (Even if you didn’t care at all about theme, the Poly’s rooms are nicer.)
Dining: Polynesian – This is a tricky one. When approaching this, I wondered whether I should be consistent with previous ‘versus’ showdowns and only consider dining at a particular resort, or expand that to the entire region. I’ve decided to adopt the latter approach, as I feel the previous resort comparisons were narrower, whereas this is a hybrid individual resort comparison and ‘resort district’ comparison. However, for the sake of being equitable, I’ll limit each resort to what’s within walking distance.
If you look at the table service lineup in the vicinity of each (again, by foot), you have some of the heaviest hitters in all of Walt Disney World. It’s hard to declare a victor in that regard, as each is stacked, offering something for every budget and taste preference, with some really high quality options. The decision becomes much easier–a no brainer, really–once we turn to counter service options. The counter service selection at the Crescent Lake resorts is pitiful. BoardWalk Bakery is the highlight, and that’s best considered a bakery, not a restaurant or food court. The Poly, on the other hand, has Captain Cook’s and the newly revamped Gasparilla Island Grill (plus poolside options), both of which are exceptional.
Transportation/Location: Polynesian – It would be really easy to call this one a push, given that both have really prime locations and you can get to two parks from each without taking a bus. I know some people who prefer Magic Kingdom area resorts, and people who prefer Epcot area resorts. Our preference varies from trip to trip, in fact.
However, when trying to look at this objectively, there’s one reason why I think calling this a push would be a cop-out: one of the parks Beach Club is within walking distance of is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Things will be different once Star Wars Land opens, but right now, we barely recommend visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the first place. For the vast majority of people, being a monorail ride to Magic Kingdom and Epcot is going to beat being within walking distance/boat of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Pools: Beach Club – Nothing has changed since the last time we wrote about Storm-Along Bay. It’s still the #1 resort pool at Walt Disney World, and still the gold standard. This isn’t “just a pool,” it’s more like a “water park lite” (very light–it’s definitely no Blizzard Beach or Typhoon Lagoon) that is 3 acres in size with sand at the bottom, slides, overlooks, and a lazy river. The layout of the pool is also very cool, with ample lounging space and an engaging environment that makes it fun to explore. This will stick with many kids as the highlight of their trip to Walt Disney World (seriously, we hear from so many people who say their kids care more about the pools than anything else). Moreover, Storm-Along Bay rivals Animal Kingdom Lodge’s savanna is the single most compelling amenity in all of Walt Disney World.
The newly reimagined Lava Pool is imaginative and immersive, with coves to explore (and hide from the sun) and a fun place for kids to explore, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to Storm-Along Bay. Nor do the quiet or secondary pools. The retro style of Polynesian’s Oasis Pool (complete with shade structures that act as quasi-cabanas) is nice, but it also isn’t enough to overcome the powerhouse that is Storm-Along Bay.
Cost: Beach Club – These both have rack rates that are $500+ per night most of the year. The difference, though, is that most of the time, Beach Club stays in that $500 range (sometimes in the $400 range) for a standard room. By contrast, the Poly hits $600 and even eclipses $700/night during some seasons.
While they are both among the most expensive resorts in all of Walt Disney World, the $100/night (or so) gap between the two is pretty significant. Moreover, the gap only grows if you want a nicer view. If you want something with a view of Cinderella Castle at the Poly, expect to pay nearly double the standard room rate at Beach Club (or $200-$300 more than their highest view tier–Beach Club doesn’t have a theme park view category, so it’s not a totally fair comparison).
Verdict: Polynesian – For us, this verdict ultimately comes down to the Poly’s well-rounded, high-level of quality across the board. We can’t think of a single, glaring weakness it has; by contrast, Beach Club has a couple. These weaknesses may or may not matter to you, just as the strengths of each may or may not matter, but they’re the basis for the Poly’s victory.
Long-time Walt Disney World fans probably already have a favorite, with many already being on Team Crescent Lake Resort or Team Monorail Resort. For us on a personal level, it’s a close call that probably depends upon the weather and nature of the trip. For objective advice to first-timers, it’s a little clearer. Even if you grade on a slight curve due to the price difference, the Poly still has a location that’s going to be more convenient for most Walt Disney World guests, dining options that make more sense, and nicer rooms.
We mention first-timers, specifically, because it’s likely many other Walt Disney World fans have already formed their “alliances.” Even first-timers should use some degree of discretion, considering how much factors like being on the monorail and having good counter service dining at the Poly, or the–potentially ultimate–factor of access to Storm-Along Bay pool at Beach Club.
Now, I’m curious as to what everyone else thinks. As has become a fun “tradition” with these versus posts, here’s a poll so you can vote for your favorite of the two:
Considering location, pools, theme, rooms, dining, price & other factors, which of these two Walt Disney World hotels do you prefer:
– Disney Tourist Blog (@DisTouristBlog) February 6, 2017
Remember, with great power comes great responsibility, so give this vote the proper consideration it deserves… 😉 Last week’s poll for Saratoga Springs v. Old Key West went pretty much how we expected, 59% in favor of Old Key West (by the way, we stopped by there at dusk last night, and it only reinforced my opinion there–I could sit for hours by the dock just listening to that background music!) I almost don’t want to make prediction on this poll for fear of being way off. Even though these are two resorts that are really popular with Disney fans, I think the Poly will be the favorite, by around 55/45.
Now that we’ve shared our take, we want to know your preference. Is Storm-Along Bay the deciding factor for you? Is being on the monorail loop a better location for you, or would you rather be at Crescent Lake? Are we missing a key variable that could, potentially give one the edge? Please give your feedback via the poll and comments below. While we hope this post is helpful in offering a head-to-head comparison of the most crucial elements of each Walt Disney World resort experience, we know it’s not definitive or the final word for every guest. In addition to reading the comments before making your own decision, we suggest supplementing this with our full review of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and our Disney’s Beach Club Resort Review (the latter is a bit outdated). With that said, what do you think…did we make the right choice here?
POLY!
Boom! Cue Lady Gaga mic drop.
We just stayed at BC. And had a great time with a nice corner style room. Being able to walk to Epcot and take a water taxi to HS was extremely convenient. I agree with you about the decor of the rooms. Very nice but not quite “themey”. We didn’t use Storm Along Bay because the grandkids were visiting with us so they could only use the pool. We ordered a quick pizza from the on site shop and it was just OK. Two elements you left out were the ice cream shop st BC. Amazing but now closed for remodeling. And the luxe floor offers the free breakfast, snacks, hot hoervres doevres and then amazing desserts later in with complimentary wine and cocktails. We never did to have the dinner bits because we were back in the parks but they definitely added value to our experience. Have never stayed at the Polynesian so I can’t really compare.Overall a wonderful experience.
Both spots are beautiful, but my family prefers the beach club. While it’s theming is not immersive, it’s more peaceful! At the end of long days at the parks it was always a very calm place-something even my young actually kids noticed and appreciated.
Poly and Beach Club are our two home resorts for DVC. Both are great resorts with awesome locations. Beach Club has the advantage of one bedrooms, which may not matter for most first timers but becomes a bigger deal with repeat visits with kids. We have gone for a weekend with annual passes and skipped the parks just to hang out at Storm Along Bay. Yet if we ever sell one of our contracts, it will be Beach Club. Poly is simply too convenient, not only in terms of .
Hands down Polynesian. We have stayed at both. But there is truly nothing like being able to watch the Wishes fireworks from the beach or your balcony. The lush landscape and the tiki music softly playing throughout the resort really make you feel like you are in paradise with a castle view. And menu and grab and go items at Captain Cooks surpass the Beach Club by far. But being able to grab an ice cream sundae after a long day at Beach Club is a plus.
Beach Club all the way. We find it really relaxing and quiet. The last time we were at the Poly (albeit just for dinner) we found it the opposite, horribly crowded, really loud and we just weren’t impressed at all by the theme. That coupled with a disappointing meal at Ohana and I don’t think we would be rushing back any time soon, it’s near the bottom of our Deluxe/DVC wish list. But like you say, totally subjective topic!
The second level of the Great Ceremonial House around the ‘Ohana breakfast or dinner rush is about as far from the laid back vibe the Poly should have as it can get. I really wish Disney would do something about that area turning into a loud, de facto waiting area for the restaurant, as it’s really unpleasant for everyone.
This is my biggest complaint. The Polynesian is often as expensive as the Grand Floridian yet offers no deluxe dining experiences other than ‘Ohana. And forget a relaxing drink: Tambu often becomes the lobby for ‘Ohana and Kona. Last month at 4 p.m., not long before ‘Ohana opened, we found no place to sit.
So very much agree. I was there three weeks ago and found this area very stressful in its loudness and busyness.
It’s all about the ambiance plus convenience for us. When you factor in time and walk-ability, the Beach Club’s easy access to all the Crescent Lake resorts and to all Epcot offers makes it our star. The overall decor and personality at both BC and YC are uplifting, peaceful, fresh, and more of the classic Main Street feel. This, for us, brands it as true Disney feel. The Poly struck us as (sorry, Brickers) dark, sad, and depressingly tacky. Since we were kids when that decorating craze first hit, we can’t help associating the tiki look with our parents’ parties. Just a different perspective for you!
Haha, fair point about associating it with your parents’ parties (and no need to apologize). I associate it with romanticized, fictional depictions of that era, and people like Don Draper are always going to be cooler than anyone’s parents. 😉
My first WDW trip is booked for October!! We are really excited! I read every review I could find (including yours!) and when it was all said and done, I had to go with the Polynesian. As of now, this is a once in a lifetime trip and I wanted to find the best resort for our family of 4. If we love it, hopefully we can go again someday….But for now, I’m excited to read all of the reviews because I feel like we won’t go wrong with this one!
WDW newbie! Currently planning our first trip for the family in November. I’m so glad I found this VERY helpful blog to help me in the process.
I’m currently deciding which resort I’m buying for my home resort with DVC! Thanks Tom, very helpful!
I voted Beach Club, with price weighing pretty heavily. The only way I would stay at either is renting DVC points, and at the time of year we’re able to go Beach Club is 21.6% less expensive.
Cost being equal, I’d change to Poly. MK > Epcot/HS and monorail > walking.
Maybe we didn’t weigh the price difference heavily-enough. When we’ve stayed in these rooms on a cash-basis (as opposed to DVC points) in the past, it’s been when they’ve each had big discounts. Even then, it’s still a matter of close your eyes and hit ‘submit’ when you get to the ‘review payment’ screen. 😉
Speaking of disinterest in Hollywood Studios, is the rumor a definite? I just searched Google again. Will the Great Movie Ride close next year?
For us, the attraction to Hollywood Studios is that ride, the 50s Prime Time Cafe ambience, and the theme down Hollywood Blvd and Sunset Ave as well as Fantasmic. The muppet area was underwhelmingly cool. There’s never been a lot we wanted to do there besides stroll around. Without Great Movie Ride…Well, I couldn’t care less about Star Wars.
“Speaking of disinterest in Hollywood Studios, is the rumor a definite? I just searched Google again. Will the Great Movie Ride close next year?”
The rumor is not definite. This year’s D23 Expo will be telling. Will Disney announce additional, major projects for Walt Disney World, or will it simply be new info for existing projects, with maybe a minor thing or two announced?
My guess is that, if this attraction does happen, it won’t happen until after Star Wars and Toy Story Lands at this point. I would not expect Great Movie Ride to close next year.
Sweet!
I totally dig your analyses.
Thanks guys.
Storm along Bay, good as it is, would not be a deciding factor. It’s Magic Kingdom/Epcot for me, not so much Epcot/Hollywood Studios. Especially since HS has so little to offer at the moment. Even if Star Wars was open, I’d still be MK/Epcot. One problem with the Beach Club is that itty bitty food court, the other, the bus service. True, there are a variety of restaurants around Crescent Lake, but the only really good ones (for me) are The Captain’s Grille and The Yachtsman Steakhouse.
The Poly, on the other hand, has all I’m looking for, and with no downside. It is lush and tropical, has a decent food court, two great restaurants (with more on the monorail loop) and easy access to my two favorite parks. If we were to compare club levels, the Poly would win hands down, especially with the view from the floor to ceiling windows facing MK.
Price wise, they’re both so terribly expensive that I don’t stay at either anymore. But for purposes of comparison, for me, The Polynesian wins.
For our next trip, we were actually considering a split-stay, staying at both these resorts. We just had our first family trip (our kids 5 and 4, myself and my wife) in September and are already looking forward to going back. We were thinking we could start at the Beach Club and knock out our Epcot and HS days, plus at least a good chunk of time at Storm along Bay, then move to Polynesian and spend several days at MK. AK we would do from either resort.
In your expert opinion, is the convenience of park location, as well as the desire to stay in both resorts worth the trouble of a split-stay? Any tips on that? We’d love to go ASAP, but realistically we are looking at probably 2019. Thanks!
I really don’t view a split stay as much trouble at all. Disney transfers all of your luggage for you, so unless you get seriously unpacked and moved-in, it’s not too difficult. It’s especially nice if you like doing midday breaks.
Oh I had no idea that they do that! Do you have any posts detailing processes for a split-stay? If you check out of the first resort early in the morning to go to a park, when would you expect the luggage to be moved to the other resort?
This will be our 7th trip to WDW (all at different resorts). This time, we decided to forego a ‘different’ resort, and go back to our favorite. It came down to Beach and Poly. Both are amazing! Both have Strong positives… theme, transportation, on site dining, close to ‘the’ theme park… or EP backdoor, boardwalk, price, and ‘the’ pool… Not only are these two ‘final four’, easily 2 of top 3.
Once price is factored in, I’d probably say AKL and WL are 2 of the top 3, but I think a case could also be made for both of these…
I’ve been following you for a long. Very helpful. Love the no-nonsense, everyday-man approach to your writing. And the pics are just ridics. Of the 7 resorts I’ve been to, Wilderness Lodge is one that I haven’t been to yet. But, given the praise you lavish on it, gonna have to try it out. (even if I can’t do it at Christmas time- although I do have very similar pj’s)
I haven’t stayed at the Beach Club, but of my many visits to WDW I’ve only stayed off the monorail loop once, and I really felt the difference there– and that was at the Wilderness Lodge, which I really loved in every other respect. Unless Beach Club had Wilderness Lodge levels of theming, it’s a no contest for me.
Well, being a first timer, to Deluxe Resorts, I believe my vote was already cast when we booked our next trip, May ’17, at the Polynesian. As a coincidence, my family’s vote was between the Polynesian and Beach Club. In 8 trips since ’06, this will be our 1st Deluxe stay!
I have to say when you talk dining and include “expand that to the entire region. …..each resort to what’s within walking distance.” that means Beach Club gets Epcot World Showcase.
Hands down then Beach Club wins, overwhelmingly.
I have a tough time with that since World Showcase restaurants are behind a gate, meaning you need theme park admission. If you don’t have a park hopper ticket or are doing a non-parks day, those aren’t options.
For those of us with Park Hopper tickets or Annual Passes, you have a point. We’ve made trips into Epcot simply for the sake of the bakery in France!
Thank you for this post! I was leaning towards the Poly for our future trip, but didn’t know if I could justify the price. I know the kids would love Stormalong Bay, but I think BB or TL would be better. They also really like Moana. So I think the ambiance and other options makes this an easier decision for us to make. Thanks again!
Beach Club all the way. We love walking in to EPCOT from the Crescent lake gateway or taking the boat to DHS. I’m also not a huge fan of the Poly theming. Kind of a seventies flashback for me. Stormalong bay can’t be beat. I find BC more relaxing overall. With world showcase nearby, I’m not so worried about the slim food offerings. Oh, and Ample Hills ice cream!
A close race for sure (the poll seems to agree, at least at the moment, 50/50!). For me, it comes down to dining, where I favor the Beach Club for having a bigger variety of flavors in-house. It’s possible this is mostly about not being a huge fan of the sweet/Asian/fusion thing that’s prevalent at the Poly, so YMMV. I also think the food court issue is not such a big deal is you take into account the solid lounges in the area and Fountain at the Dolphin–though, admittedly, that changes if you’re on the meal plan.