Contemporary VS Polyennsian (sp)

[Frosty689]

Hey my family and i plan on taking a trip to Disney world and staying in either the Contemporary or Polyennsian resorts. We will be getting there most likely in mid feburary. My question is, is there a better hotel between the too, or is there a better hotel you guys might suggest? My favorite park is epcot, although i love Magic kingdom as much. I figure if i stay on a monorail hotel, ill have the option to either chose Magic Kingdom or Epcot and never really have to ever use bus transportation unless i wish to go to MGM/AK. So are there any hotels that are surperoir to these that i should stay at?

 

[tikiman]

I love the Polynesian but the Contemporary has always been of interest to me ever since I first when through it on the monorail. I will give you my opinion as if I were considering each one but I am not an expert of the Contemporary resort so hopefully someone who has stayed there can help also.

They both have the largest standard rooms on property and in many cases they are almost 100 sq-ft larger than other deluxe resort standard rooms. They have both just gone through having their rooms redesigned completely. They are also both on the monorail. Now the Contemporary has unique access to the MK by walking. Taking the monorail is the longest trip out of any of the monorail resorts since it has the most stops before the MK. The Polynesian is two stops away from the MK and also has a boat to the MK directly. The Polynesian also has unique access by walking to the Transportation and Ticket Center that you can get on the ferry to the MK (incase you want to roll a stroller or have a wheelchair) but it also means you can walk to the TTC and get right on the monorail to Epcot giving the Polynesian the quickest access to Epcot outside of the Epcot resorts themselves. My times trip from room to park was 13 minutes. The Contemporary you would have to board the resort monorail, go to the TTC, get off and switch over to the Epcot monorail.

Both resorts have rooms with views of the MK (and you pay for that) but some say the view from the Contemporary is better being so close). I actually prefer the view from the Polynesian but that is just me. Both have great food options but that is not much of a factor to me because I find it easy to get on the monorail and go to the GF and Contemporary to eat even when staying at the Polynesian. They share a bus so all you do is cut down on one stop at the Polynesian. The Contemporary will have a lower price so that may be a factor.

I think the beach area and pool is much better at the Polynesian but maybe not a big factor in February.

Hopefully that gives you a little to think about.

If you want to see more about the Polynesian you can go here. http://www.tikiman2001.homestead.com/

 

[Moustronaut]

Grand Floridian is considered by Disney to be WDW's premier resort, although many people here may dispute that. It's also a monorail resort, one stop down from Polynesian. It has a spa and unique room appointments with a Victorian theme. So if you want the "Best of the Best", check out the Grand Floridian.

But back to your original question. If price is any indicator, Disney considers Poly to be "better" than the Contemporary. Poly is somewhat more expensive than Contemporary. But really it comes down to personal preference.

If you want the modern feel of an urban hotel with the possibility of a high rise view of the Magic Kingdom with just about everything under one roof, stay at Contemporary.

If you want a special themed resort that transports you to the islands of the south pacific, and don't mind potential long walks outside to get from your room to restaurants and monorails stops, then take a look at Poly.

Both offer very similar amenities. Both have recently been renovated. Both are still undergoing some kind of renovation project. Both have some great restaurants. Poly is slanted a bit more towards kids. Contemporary is slanted a bit more upscale. But with them both on the monorail line, its not difficult to go from one resort to the other at meal time.

There are some other unique resorts at the Deluxe price level. Wilderness Lodge is considered by most people to the best themed. Yacht and Beach club have the best pool plus are in an ideal location if you're a big Epcot fan. Animal Kingdom Lodge brings the animals of Africa to your window. Each has a trade off, but if it's something that interests you, they are worth looking at as well.

 

[Moustronaut]

If you want to see more about the Polynesian you can go here. http://www.tikiman2001.homestead.com/

I'll second that recommendation. Steve has done such an amazing job with this site. It's a near exhaustive information source about all thing Polyneasian. If after going through this site, you aren't instantly in love with Polyneasian, go stay at Contemporary. :lol:

 

[Frosty689]

thanks for all the help guys!!! That is an awesome!! poly site btw, i love it! Poly has always been one of my favorites that i have stayed at , but i have never stayed at contemperory. were most likely gonna end up staying at Poly, espeically cause i love there smoothies for breakfast!! thanks guys! IM SO PUMPED TO GO!

 

[rbrower]

I hope that you have a great time on your trip!
We stay at the Polynesian most of the time because we just like it a lot for some reason but the Contemporary is good also!

 

[KaliSplash]

As pointed out, Grand Floridian is the premier hotel on property. It IS very, very nice.

But of the two you're deciding between, I lean toward Contemporary, if you can afford/get a Tower Room on the Magic Kingdom side. This gives you everything in one building.

If you're going to be in a Garden Wing at Contemporary, then I'd go with Poly, since you have to walk to restaurants/monorail anyway.

 

[rbrower]

Yeah, it also depends on if you want to have to walk a little bit to get to the building that you are staying in or not. Of course, at the Contemporary, you have to go down the escalator or the elevator to even get to the elevator to get to your room.

 

[Mick G.]

One additional note: The Poly has lots of plants, and can cause problems for people with allergies. Even now, my wife's nose starts to burn after a little time in the main lobby, the Great Ceremonial House. No problems at the Contemporary. I would imagine the rooms at the Poly are much better than they used to be in terms of allergens.

By the way, I remember when WDW opened, and the Contemporary and Poly were the only hotels. Rooms at the Contemporary were $32 in the Tower, and the Garden Wings were $28. I think the Poly was $28 too, and that seemed high back in 1972.

 

[tikiman]

Yeah, it also depends on if you want to have to walk a little bit to get to the building that you are staying in or not. Of course, at the Contemporary, you have to go down the escalator or the elevator to even get to the elevator to get to your room.

Very good point about the elevators and escalators. Many people talk about “long walks from buildings” at the Polynesian. Because of this I did time studies for my web page. I walked at a normal pace and even stopped to take some photos and from the farthest out building to the lobby at the Polynesian (where the monorail and restaurants are) it was a 3 minute walk. 4 of the buildings were about a minute walk (50 – 70 seconds). When I went to a friends room at the Contemporary and the WL that people always say is all under one roof and close to the food it took me over 8 minutes to walk from the room and down the elevator to get to the floor with the food and at the WL it took over 10 minutes and that was not even the farthest room. The Polynesian is not that large and walking end to end takes about 6 minutes so the perception is that it is a long walk but the fact is that the distance is not that long.

I think any of the monorail resorts would be a great experience and the advice given here is all good so it should help you with your choice. The best thing you can do is try them all at some point so you will know your favorite.

 

[rbrower]

That is a good study.
Thanks for the information!

 

[eaptmck]

Renovations may make your decision

We are staying at the Poly for the 3rd time this January. The only other place I have stayed was Beach Club, and it was only O.K. for many reasons not entirely the hotel's fault. We wanted to try the Contemporary for something different this time, but due to limited rooms because of renovations, it wasn't available. We booked a month ago, so the same timeframe out as you are from your Feb. trip, so I suggest you make sure they have rooms available before you get your heart set on it one way or the other.

 

[isitingood]

I have stayed at the CR and it was nice but it doesn't compare to the GF. I stayed in a 1 bdr suite at the GF and it was awesome the service cannot be outdone. Not only that but the GF to the MK is the fastest by monorail then the Poly or CR. I am staying at the Poly in Jan. so I will see if it is better then the GF or CR.

 

[M_DOGALPHA]

Hey my family and i plan on taking a trip to Disney world and staying in either the Contemporary or Polyennsian resorts. We will be getting there most likely in mid feburary. My question is, is there a better hotel between the too, or is there a better hotel you guys might suggest? My favorite park is epcot, although i love Magic kingdom as much. I figure if i stay on a monorail hotel, ill have the option to either chose Magic Kingdom or Epcot and never really have to ever use bus transportation unless i wish to go to MGM/AK. So are there any hotels that are surperoir to these that i should stay at?

If you ask me, being the snob that i am, CHOOSE ANY OF THE MONORAIL RESORTS!!!! It doesn't matter if it is the Contemporary, Polynesian, or Gra. Fla, I have been to all of them and they all rocks. Take it from a WDW expert, I wont matter, just dont stay at an All-Star Resort. :lol:

 

[Nansafan]

We have stayed at all 3 monorail resorts and have done all of them at the Concierge level. We have stayed at the CR and Poly in the non-concierge level as well. The standard rooms at the Contemporary are some of the biggest on property. Though decorated nicely, the GF rooms are the smallest of the 3.

CR - proximity to the MK is awesome. When leaving the MK at closing time, being able to walk back to your room is great. Waiting for a monorail or boat can take some time.

GF - first stop to the MK on the monorail and first stop back on the launch make the GF a winner too. The victorian feel is nice and it is fun when making ADR's saying "we staying at the GF".

Poly - the Poly is our favorite resort. The rooms are spacious, watching the fireworks from the beach is something we always do and having your room in a separate building from the GCH adds to the privacy of the resort.

If I could only pick one resort to stay at, hands down it would be the Poly.

 

[sarajo]

By the way, I remember when WDW opened, and the Contemporary and Poly were the only hotels. Rooms at the Contemporary were $32 in the Tower, and the Garden Wings were $28. I think the Poly was $28 too, and that seemed high back in 1972.

Found a receipt from our family's first trip in spring 1972... stayed at the Poly for $22 a night. We were there for 3 or 4 nights, charged tickets and a few meals to our room, and the grand total was just over $200. My dad reminded me that that was very expensive in those days...

During the 25th celebration year, I asked a CM friend if I could bring that receipt with me and get the same kind of deal, and he said no, but I could probably sell the receipt at a Disneyana convention and make enough to pay for a nice stay like that one!

Back to the topic of the thread... I would stay at Poly. Have stayed at all three monorail resorts, and while all 3 are nice- I love the atmosphere of the Poly... and the head's on, direct view of Cinderella's castle from the lagoon is the best! I find the GF to be a bit on the stuffy side, and the Contemporary reminds me too much of other urban hotels that I've stayed in.

 

[crxbrett]

I highly recommend the Poly. I have stayed there all seven times I have visited WDW and every single visit is am awesome experience. I cannot say enough good things about the resort. I have never stayed at the other Monorail resorts, although I have eaten at them. I had a friend who stayed at the Contemp back in '93 and I didn't like her room at all compared to the one I was staying at in the Poly. Here's my take on all three.

GF
Very elegant. Stuffy and kind of plain if you don't like overly fancy resorts. The pool area is very nice and interesting, so if you have kids that is a plus. The theming is good and landscaping is very nice as well. The restaurants are very nice, but I actually don't like them as much as I like the other resort's premiere dining experiences. It is light and airy like the Poly, but it has an almost snooty feel to it. Not my cup o' tea at all, though.

Contemporary
Very modern, urban and not very unique in terms of theming. It is nice and the California Grill is hands down the best restaurant in WDW. I even prefer it any day over the GF's Victoria & Albert's. The landscaping at this hotel is also not on par with the other two hotels in my opinion. I think it has a rather cold and lonely feel to it.

Poly
I might be biased but I believe it has the best atmosphere overall. The views are better here than at the other two. The food is very good and the entertainment and overall ambience can't be beat. The pool area is the best one of the three Monorail resorts, too. It has the best transportation out of all three, as well. You can take the monorail, boat launches or ferries to the MK and the other resorts. And the TTC is literally within 5 minutes away. My room this last year I went was only about a 2 minute walk away. I think the cast members at the Poly are also much more friendlier and more talkative. You truly feel as though you are on vacation when you stay at the Poly. Like I said, I'm biased, but I think it's WDW's premiere resort.

 

[tamibar]

My family has stayed at both. No contest. Poly wins out! As others have stated, go to Tikiman's website. His site is amazing! It has Everything you need to know or could think to ask. I mean he is "The Tikiman" He also updates often. We would stay there again in November,but this is our third trip this year. So we are staying @PO-Riverside. If you decide on the Poly, you must do these three things- 1. Eat @ O'hana 2. Try the Tonga Toast 3. Walk to the Kona Kafe for morning coffee. As the say @ the Poly "Mahalo!"