Not on your list, but we recently stayed at the Disney Yacht Club, and it was much nicer than any other Disney property that I've stayed at.

I don't have any experience with Riviera (which is a deluxe villa resort). But I wasn't a fan of the Polynesian. The theming in the main building is nice, but the building we were in wasn't great. The room was dark and small, the bathroom was small and had a single sink (other deluxe resorts have two sinks), and there was always stuff in the building's hallway (housekeeping carts, piles of housekeeping laundry). And the resort is super busy. Food was ok - we ate at Kona and felt very rushed. For a resort on the monorail, we liked Contemporary more (especially with a room that has a view of MK for the fireworks). But my favorite is Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Riviera is a deluxe hotel and has the extended benefits.

The Poly just opened a new tower with rooms similar in style to the Riviera. I'd look to book there if I were you.

If you want the extended evening hours, those are only for deluxe resort guests. Polynesian is; Riviera isn't.

If that doesn't matter to you, you'd probably save money at Riviera. It's easier for Hollywood Studios, and taking a bus to Magic Kingdom isn't a big deal.

Anonymous wrote:Polynesian is disgusting. We thought it would make sense to stay on the monorail and tried it. There was garbage in the hallways on the floor and sand in the bed. If you are a hotel snob, stay at the Four Seasons.

Wow, thanks that is helpful!
Yes! Love the Four Seasons and have been there! I want to do an actually Disney hotel though.

Polynesian is disgusting. We thought it would make sense to stay on the monorail and tried it. There was garbage in the hallways on the floor and sand in the bed. If you are a hotel snob, stay at the Four Seasons.

I haven’t stayed at Riviera, but I am a kind of anti Disney person and was surprised how much I liked the Polynesian. Once you walk through the lobby back toward to pool, it feels very lush, green, and calm. Basically everything that the parks aren’t

Our kids LOVED it, and we have been lucky enough to stay at very nice hotels around the world. Don’t sleep on the Ohana brunch, either- it was my kids’ favorite character meal (and we did several, including in the castle)

Which do you think would be better? Kind of a hotel snob. Going to Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.

Riviera-
- Gondolas/skyline is really cool and memorable
- Love the outdoor spaces
- Pretty, updated rooms
- Food choices 10/10 for my husband and I who love Italian and some great cocktails or wine and my picky eater children who will eat any pasta or steak
- Husband is a pastry/coffee/dessert nut and they have a better cafe and pastry shop
- Topolinos Terrace is #1 character experience we would want to do with the classic characters and theming and great menu

Polynesian
- just a wow factor with the lobby and theming that Riviera lacks
- kids will love the tropical Hawaii look
- food is a miss there, my kids won’t eat more than chicken nuggets at any of the restaurant options, they are not into Asian at all
- on the monorail which is really cool for them

What do you think?

I also stayed at the Grand Floridian when they were young but we didn’t love it tbh.