Hi Amy,
You can't go wrong with either of those resorts! I've stayed in each recently with my daughters, who are now 18 and 24. At the
Polynesian Village Resort, you have the convenience of easy access to Magic Kingdom. On our stay there at Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, we would watch Wishes from our balcony, then head over to Magic Kingdom around 10 p.m. for some late night fun. We also liked being able to walk to the Transportation and Ticket Center to catch the monorail to Epcot, our favorite park. And it's nice to be in close proximity to the restaurants and other amenities at the Grand Floridian and Contemporary.
Bus transportation to Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom did take a little while, and we sometimes shared a bus with the other monorail resorts.
We were just in a savanna view room at
Animal Kingdom Lodge last month and had one of our best Disney vacations in years. We really love the atmosphere, and nothing beats waking up to the view of a giraffe right outside your window. The restaurants and lounges at Animal Kingdom Lodge are amazing, places we often visit even when we are staying at other resorts.
The seclusion of Animal Kingdom Lodge is its strength and can be its greatest downside since you do need to take a bus to each theme park, including Animal Kingdom. The rides probably range from 10 to 30 minutes.
So, if you are about a go-go-go vacation, I'd lean to the Polynesian. If you're thinking you'd rather have a more leisurely pace, including lingering on the balcony watching the wildlife in the mornings, then Animal Kingdom Lodge would have the edge in my opinion.
I hope that helps, Amy. As I said, you can't go wrong either way. And please check back with us if we can assist in any other way. Enjoy!
Wilma