Okay, we have been to The World twice--Boardwalk on our first trip and Polynesian on the second. Both times in September.

Now, we are going this December to celebrate a friend's wedding, and have decided to return to one or the other, but are having a tough time deciding.

For me, the decor and atmosphere at Poly can't be beat. The remodel there has been fantastic, and it was an incredible experience last September. And we loved being able to take the monorail and walk to the TTC to get to Epcot.

I do not care for the decor at Boardwalk, but the proximity to our favorite part of WDW--World Showcase--is a strong argument. We didn't get to go there much last trip because it was a pain to hike across Epcot every time (since we took the monorail to get there).

I would love to hear more from others who have stayed at both. I have read many separate reviews, but want to hear perspectives of people who can directly compare their two experiences.

Thanks in advance!

From what it sounds like, if you are going to want to spend a lot of time at Epcot, then the BW would really be your best bet since the commute would be short.

Then again, the Poly is going to be closer to what you are going to want to do, or if you are going to spend more time at the resort, then choose it.

With all of the incredible hotels available on property, I can't imagine why you'd want to limit yourself to the two that you've already visited. From what you said, I'd say the Beach Club would fit the bill. It's still a premium resort, and closer to Epcot than the Boardwalk. All of the Boardwalk activities would still be available to you, via a short walk around the other side of the lake. Or if you liked the monorail loop at the Poly, try the Contemporary, with newly refurbished rooms and a terrific view overlooking the Magic Kingdom.

The Poly and the BW are great, but so are many other properties!

We definitely hear you, Dan, on trying out other resorts. But I have been reading up on others, and the reviews are simply higher and more enticing at the ones we have been to before--which is why we stayed at them in the first place. :)

Mainly it has to do with decor and amenities. Contemporary has the ameninities, but neither of us are keen on the decor. Same with Grand Floridian--just not our style.

I have read many reviews of Beach Club and it comes less recommended than Boardwalk. And since they are pretty much the same theme (beachy/Maine kinda feel), can you tell me a bit about what you think we would gain by "moving across the lake"? I am open to hearing it!

We thought about Port Orleans French Quarter, where we have long wanted to stay due to theming and being close to DTD where we like to spend our evenings (Adventurer's Club!!), but sadly the double beds are a no-go for us (we can't comfortably share a double, and we don't want to sleep in separate beds), and we read some sketchy stories about Mousekeeping and noise.

And beyond that, we haven't had a lot of interest in the other resorts themes or locations. We live in the Northwest, so the lodge stylings of AKL and Wilderness Lodge, dont' really feel like a big change of pace for us. We have had friends stay at Caribbean Beach, and they had their own complaints and issues which they weren't keen on. And we definitely prefer the amenities of Deluxe level resorts (and can afford it, as hubby is now a Disney employee as of last year, so we get great discounts at that level).

So we are pretty much narrowed back down to our original two choices with all that! Thanks for listening! :)

I have read many reviews of Beach Club and it comes less recommended than Boardwalk. And since they are pretty much the same theme (beachy/Maine kinda feel), can you tell me a bit about what you think we would gain by "moving across the lake"? I am open to hearing it!

One huge advantage is that it's quite a bit closer to the Epcot International Gateway. Also you'd have access to Stormalong Bay, the best hotel pool on property. And you'd be close to all of the restaurants in the Beach & Yacht Club as well as the Swan & Dolphin, and of course all the stuff at the Boardwalk across the way.

I've stayed in both the Beach and the Boardwalk, and I don't really see much difference in the rooms. So it's all about location and amenities, and the Beach would win both of those arguments for me.

Thanks, Dan. Just the comments I was looking for!

I understand the Yacht Club is further away from the gate and Stormalong Bay, being the other side of the resort complex, but can you comment on any quick service food options or room service over there that is different from Beach Club? That is one thing we have been balking at. We are night owls, and often roll in quite late. At the Polynesian, Captain Cooks was open 24 hours!! So we could grab something and fill our mugs latenight! At Boardwalk, they have 24 hour room service--not great, but fine in a pinch when it is 2am and nothing in the fridge is really going to cut it (we do stock up on snacks and a few breakfast essentials on the way in from the airport, but nothing really for "meals"). At Beach Club, I read that their quick service location is very poor and limited, and it's only open until 11pm/midnight depending on season. And that there are no other options after midnight.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences! It is really helping!

I don't know if you have small children or not, but in my opinion the only preference for the Stormalong pool is for small children. There are really nice pools everywhere for adults.

We've stayed at POR, BWV, and BCV, and as adults (no children) much prefer BWV. Sure, BCV are closer to Epcot, but you're splitting hairs here. It just isn't THAT much closer. The rooms at BWV are larger than BCV and if you can get a Boardwalk view being able to sit out on the balcony overlooking the Boardwalk while you eat breakfast or having an evening glass of wine while you watch the action below or the fireworks at Epcot and MK is a real plus. Our last stay was split between BCV and SSR, and we felt both were a disappointment - especially SSR. But as I said, the pool was not a big issue to us.

We really liked POR when we stayed there, especially the food court for breakfast and the boat rides coming back from Downtown Dis at night. But the Boardwalk area is just SO much more convenient to Epcot and the Studios. we really liked the convenience of being able to come back to our room around dinnertime and the pop over to Epcot for the last hour of the day.

Thanks, Stan.
We are trying to look into BCV, but we are going on an employee discount, and no rooms have been released for that as of now. In fact, a lot of our first choices haven't been released, including Poly and BC...but BWI has! So we're gonna go with that for now, and keep looking at the listings to see if we decide to change our minds mid-stream.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and thoughts!

Thanks, Stan.
We are trying to look into BCV, but we are going on an employee discount, and no rooms have been released for that as of now.

Thanks for everyone's suggestions and thoughts!

Hmmmm - I'm semi-retired now, but obviously I didn't work at the right place!

In my opinion you cant get better than staying in a poly lagoon view, you have everything to make it a magical vacation, you can watch the magic kingdoms firework display and the lagoons light parade from your room not to mention the atmosphere is true disney, you can even hear the steam boat in frontier land. The polynesian was one of the first hotels to be built when they were building the magic kingdom hense the best location.

In my opinion it cant be beaten, it is the best.:)

Good luck deciding! We are in the same boat so when you make a decision, shoot a note my way telling us why - my kids love either place but mostly for the volcano pool and the keister coaster... :p We have stayed at the Poly but never the BWI but it comes highly recommended from friends and family who have. I know we will end up writing down our list of pros and cons and knocking out the 'insignificants' and pick a winner that way.... we are a family of 5 so we are limited in some regards as to where we can stay.... unless anything has changed lately?!?!

We've been in your spot before; the P is a fav, and feel as you do about he BW. But you simply can't beat it's convenience factor. Made dinner's really nice at at EPCOT!