We've only stayed at the Polynesian when we went. We started going when daughter was about 2 and went every 2 years until she was about 15. It is on the monorail line and one of the supposed higher end resorts. We LOVE it.
Polynesian is our favorite... We've stayed in the Concierge tower a couple of times and that was very nice. There are perks that come with the Conceirge tower that we were able to participate in such as a private safari ride at AK.. It is way more pricey but worth it to us. We just got on the boat taxi to head over to MK. The boat taxi runs from Grand Floridian and Polynesian. I could stay at the Polynesian and never leave the hotel... It has a beach and at night you just sit on the beach or your patio and watch the MK fireworks. Concierge also has food available. Drinks, fruit and simple snacks are available 24/7. They have specific times where they set out breakfast, mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, happy hour, dinner, dessert hour. We had a lot of meals right there which was all included in our room rates.
We never did meal plan because I don't like someone dictating where I am going to eat. We never did the meal plan and that worked best for us. We are not huge eaters and it would be a waste for us. Some people swear by it.
We do not rent a car. We fly to Orlando, get a private cab and are at the resort within an hour. There is a free shuttle to/from the airport but you are at the mercy of how crowded it is, how many stops it has to make. We just paid $100 each way, were done and on our way.
There are tons of options out there. I agree to start making reservations now, especially for character dinners, etc. LOVE Chef Mickey (Contemporary), O'Hana breakfast (Polynesian), Luau (Polynesian)
Have fun!