Thinking of changing from CR to GF

[Tessaf]

We are currently booked in October for 7 nights with a TPV at the Contemporary and I'm debating if we should change it. The main reason we decided to try the CR this time was to have the option to walk to the park. We plan on doing a lot of extras at MK like Early Morning Magic, breakfast and MNSSHP and thought the option to walk vs. monorail/boat at the GF would be easier.
I have read online that the CR can be very noisy and getting on/off the elevator can be a hassle. I'm wondering if those were a big issue for a lot of people and if walking to the park is really that big of a bonus. We have stayed at the GF in the past and we loved it! I'm just worried if we stay at the CR we may not be as happy.

 

[21stamps]

I changed my reservations from the Contemporary to GF last November.

We did Early Morning Magic and the time from GF monorail platform to walking on Main Street was 10 minutes.

I think it's just personal preference, I wanted the contemporary for the all in one building factor, but in the end I just love the convenience of having two resorts so close for dining etc. I also prefer having the boat or monorail option.

And mostly- I didn't want to look down and see a parking lot from my theme park view room at CR.lol

If you've done GF, have you considered staying at Poly this time?

Good luck with your decision!

 

[s&k'smom]

I have stayed at both. GF is the quieter of the resorts and I agree it's a very personal preference. However I will say its my favorite resort but my brother much preferred the tower room at the contemporary. We stayed in the garden wing Nov 2015 and looooooved it. If you have never stayed at GF give it a try!!

 

[Tessaf]

We haven't really considered the Poly as an option. We did go to the Poly last time for a visit, but my husband wasn't a huge fan of the rooms theme. While we both loved the theme at the GF.

Looking at pictures online, I do agree that the TPV at the CR is not as amazing when you add the big parking lot into the picture. We originally booked the CR this time due to the option to walk and everything being in one building. But everything being in one building is also now the reason why I'm considering changing.

I think I was also a little concerned about some of the room layouts. The GF bathroom allowed someone to be showering while another could be getting ready at the sink. Something that doesn't seam as easy at the CR with a husband and 2 girls.

 

[ParentsOf4]

We've stayed at both the Grand Floridian and The Contemporary more than once, and have done the walk from the Magic Kingdom to The Contemporary.

The biggest advantage to walking occurs after the end of the evening fireworks (Wishes is ending in May) when all forms of transportation are gridlocked.

The Monorail also tends to backup in the morning for opening, but not like after the fireworks. Walking offers an alternative to that.

Unless you plan to leave immediately after the end the new Happily Ever After show, I don't think walking offers any significant advantage over taking the Monorail.

My DW prefers the Monorail for aesthetic reasons and, I have to admit, there is something Disneyesque about riding the Monorail.

 

[drwadadli]

We have stayed at all three along the monorail loop and honestly, it is a personal choice. I love Poly since I lived on a Caribbean island for 3 years but we really liked the CR with walking to MK and one stop away from the TTC and monorail to Epcot. The GF was nice being one stop away from MK. So, I don't think you can go wrong with either choice but it is all a personal choice.

 

[rob0519]

My family has stayed at both the GF and CR. Yes, the GF is much quieter, especially if you are in an outer building. Gasparella's, in my opinion is much better than the Contempo Café. The concourse at the CR can get a bit loud in the early morning once Chef Mickey's opens, but it's never bothered us in over a dozen stays.

As for the Park View Rooms, parking lot included, there is no better view of the MK than from the Contemporary. You have a vista of things to see and hear. Look left and you see the monorails coming and going from the TTC. Look straight ahead and you see the Poly, the GF and the Ferries crossing the Seven Seas Lagoon. Look left and you see the monorails coming from and going to the MK, Cinderella Castle, (including the changing colors after park hours), Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and more. You can hear the Ferry and Train whistles and if you choose watch the fireworks from your own balcony. At GF all you will see of the MK is the very top of the castle and be farther away from the fireworks.

I grew up in a large city, so parking lots and bus noises don't bother me. It's a small trade off for everything else.

As for the monorail vs walking and the CR, we rarely walk in either direction as the Monorail is as much of an attraction for us as say It's a Small World. We look forward to riding it as much as possible, but yes we have walked back to the CR at park closing due to the lines. Here's my unsolicited plug to make the resort track truly a resort track and eliminate the stop at the TTC.

You can't go wrong with either resort. They are both different and offer unique experiences.

 

[slappy magoo]

Split stay.
You're welcome.

 

[Jess G]

Split stay.
You're welcome.

I'm all for split stays!

 

[slappy magoo]

I'm all for split stays!

I was more amenable to split stays when I didn't have little ones to lug around. Though we wound up doing a split stay for a 6 nighter in December, actually 3 different rooms, a standard studio in Kidani, then a 3 night stay in a Kidani 1 BR savannah view, and 2 nights in a 1BR Lake View at GF. As the kids get older and can be more responsible to take care of their own packing/unpacking/repacking, we might try them more.

But I suspect a lot of people who aren't addicts like we are even entertain the notion of splitting up their stays. It's just not that common unless you're doing a lot of traveling from city to city or country to country, like an If-This-Is-Tuesday-It-Must-be-Belgium thing. But the idea of staying a few nights in this hotel and then a few nights in a hotel less than a mile away, most people don't normally do that in a vacation anywhere else, so the idea of doing it in Disney never enters into the equation until someone suggests it.

 

[mustlovecats]

I agree with others that it really is personal preference. I prefer the GF while my DH strongly prefers CR. We stayed GF CL in the main building on our last trip and had way more issues waiting for elevators there than we did on our trip to the CR.

The bathroom layout at the GF is significantly better, and if I was traveling with more than two people it would definitely be a deciding factor.

Personally, I really loved the GF because we spent our afternoons sitting on our balcony looking over the marina. It was incredibly relaxing and it was honestly probably one of my favorite parts of that trip. Sitting on a balcony at the CR just doesn't compare; I did not think it was pleasant. I'm also pretty petite, so at the end of the night when my feet were killing me I just wanted to sit on the balcony and watch fireworks. At the CR, the balcony railing was right in my line of sight which meant I had to stand. I was really disappointed by that.

 

[Tk0021]

Me, my wife and two girls (5 and 3) stayed at the Contemporary last June and we loved the walk to MK. It was great to come and go as we pleased and not have to wait for buses or even the monarail. We loved being able to leave the girls in the stroller and sleep while we walked around the park and take them straight back to the room without taking them out of the stroller. We stayed in the garden wing bottom floor so we really did not have to deal with the elevator. The only reason we are not staying there is September for our next trip is we are using a friends DVC points and we ended up at AKL.

 

[Tessaf]

Thank you all for your advise and help! After a lot thought and consideration, we decided to switch to the Grand Floridian. Thank you again!

 

[AndrewsJ]

We are currently booked in October for 7 nights with a TPV at the Contemporary and I'm debating if we should change it. The main reason we decided to try the CR this time was to have the option to walk to the park. We plan on doing a lot of extras at MK like Early Morning Magic, breakfast and MNSSHP and thought the option to walk vs. monorail/boat at the GF would be easier.
I have read online that the CR can be very noisy and getting on/off the elevator can be a hassle. I'm wondering if those were a big issue for a lot of people and if walking to the park is really that big of a bonus. We have stayed at the GF in the past and we loved it! I'm just worried if we stay at the CR we may not be as happy.

The only two things comparable are that they are both in the deluxe category and both are monorail resorts. Otherwise two totally different animals. If you think you might not like it then you probably won't then the whole time you will regret that you didn't change your reservation to GF. If you change to GF and the slightest thing goes wrong you will wish you had stuck with the CR.