-
The new WDWMAGIC iOS app is here!
Stay up to date with the latest Disney news, photos, and discussions right from your iPhone. The app is free to download and gives you quick access to news articles, forums, photo galleries, park hours, weather and Lightning Lane pricing. Learn More -
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Poly, Contemporary, or GF?
- Thread starter roysta123
- Start date
Scooter
Well-Known Member
Polynesian, Contemporary, or Grand Floridian...which is best?
This is a question that comes up quite often on this board.
I think it's just a matter of taste. I have stayed at all 3 resorts and just being on the monorail loop makes them all great.
The Contemporary is a very whimsical resort...full of excitement and Disney flavor. You can't beat Chef Mickeys for that great Disney hands-on feeling. The views from the tower rooms are spectacular and the best on property. Walking distance to the Magic Kingdom is a plus too. It gets a bit noisy on the 4th floor so if you want all the perks without the hussle and bussle and want a quieter atmosphere I reccomend a garden wing room. This is a great family resort. I have stayed here 6 times.
The Polynesian Resort has a tropical Island theme with some great Restaurants. It's a bit quieter that the Contemporary and the sites and smells are spectacular. A great place to Honeymoon, but also nice for family vacations. If you do decide to stay here, try and get a room close to the Great Ceremonial House or you might be in for a great deal of walking. While some of the rooms are within walking distance of the Ticket and Transportation Center which is nice, it can be a long haul to the Lobby and shops and Restaurants after a long hot day at the parks. I have stayed here 2 times.
The Grand Floridian is Disney's Most Elegant resort. You get a feeling of Splender and elegance just walking into this resort. You are treated like royalty here but you pay a higher price for this special ambiance. The Restaurants here are extremely good and have won awards for some of their cuisine. One drawback is that Victoria & Alberts, while a great place to eat, requires a jacket and tie and I personally don't like to dress up while on vacation. I found this Resort to be a little too "Stuffy" for my taste and felt like I had to be quiet and subdued while inside the main building. I wear sleeveless T-Shirts and have tattoos and always felt under dressed here. This would be a great honeymoon resort but for a family with kids, I wouldn't recommend staying here. You can have more fun staying elsewhere for alot less money.
I have stayed here 1 time.
Keep in mind, that these are MY opinons and may differ from others. I personally feel that ANY Resort on property will offer you a great time and a wonderful Disney experiance. I have never had a bad Disney World vacation.
This is a question that comes up quite often on this board.
I think it's just a matter of taste. I have stayed at all 3 resorts and just being on the monorail loop makes them all great.
The Contemporary is a very whimsical resort...full of excitement and Disney flavor. You can't beat Chef Mickeys for that great Disney hands-on feeling. The views from the tower rooms are spectacular and the best on property. Walking distance to the Magic Kingdom is a plus too. It gets a bit noisy on the 4th floor so if you want all the perks without the hussle and bussle and want a quieter atmosphere I reccomend a garden wing room. This is a great family resort. I have stayed here 6 times.
The Polynesian Resort has a tropical Island theme with some great Restaurants. It's a bit quieter that the Contemporary and the sites and smells are spectacular. A great place to Honeymoon, but also nice for family vacations. If you do decide to stay here, try and get a room close to the Great Ceremonial House or you might be in for a great deal of walking. While some of the rooms are within walking distance of the Ticket and Transportation Center which is nice, it can be a long haul to the Lobby and shops and Restaurants after a long hot day at the parks. I have stayed here 2 times.
The Grand Floridian is Disney's Most Elegant resort. You get a feeling of Splender and elegance just walking into this resort. You are treated like royalty here but you pay a higher price for this special ambiance. The Restaurants here are extremely good and have won awards for some of their cuisine. One drawback is that Victoria & Alberts, while a great place to eat, requires a jacket and tie and I personally don't like to dress up while on vacation. I found this Resort to be a little too "Stuffy" for my taste and felt like I had to be quiet and subdued while inside the main building. I wear sleeveless T-Shirts and have tattoos and always felt under dressed here. This would be a great honeymoon resort but for a family with kids, I wouldn't recommend staying here. You can have more fun staying elsewhere for alot less money.
I have stayed here 1 time.
Keep in mind, that these are MY opinons and may differ from others. I personally feel that ANY Resort on property will offer you a great time and a wonderful Disney experiance. I have never had a bad Disney World vacation.
Upvote
0
Does anyone think it is worth spliting up my trip to stay at all 3 resorts in 4 days? Or will that be too chaotic? Should I pick 2 hotels and stay at one for 2 nights and the other for 2 or should I split it 1 and 3 nights? I don't think I can decide on just 1 hotel for all 4 nights.
Upvote
0
maelstrom
Well-Known Member
If you're going to be there for only 4 days, I highly suggest choosing just one hotel. My pick is the Contemporary. I've stayed there twice in the North garden wing with parking lot/Magic Kingdom view. At the end of May I'll be staying in the tower for the first time with (hopefully!) a Magic Kingdom view. To me, the Contemporary is the best hotel on property. If you are going to stay there, definately go for a tower room, because the garden wings aren't really that exciting. According to all pictures that I've seen, the tower rooms are decorated very festively (bright reds, blues, yellows, etc). And the Contemporary is the only hotel with the monorail running through it! As for the Polynesian, from the pictures I've seen of the hotel rooms, they're a bit dreary. But I guess it depends on your tastes. I like bright and vibrant decorations, which the Contemporary has, but you may like subtle, nutural tones, which is what the Polynesian has. I don't like how the rooms are seperated into longhouses, so if you want to get to someone else's room, the main building, or the pool, you've got a hike ahead of you. The new volcano pool at the Polynesian is apparently a must-see. When I was little, I always wanted to stay at the Grand Floridian. Now that I'm older, it's toward the bottom of my list. It just feels stuffy. And from the pictures I've seen, I don't like the room decorations either. Another plus of staying at the Contemporary is being able to walk back to the hotel after the Magic Kingdom closes, which lets you skip the long lines for the monorail and ferry. In case you couldn't tell, I really love the Contemporary. 
Upvote
0
Nansafan
Active Member
We'll be staying at the GF this summer for the first time. We have stayed at the Contemporary (tower club 12th floor) and at the Poly (standard, garden, lagoon and concierge). I can't comment on the GF, but between Poly and Contemporary, I'd pick Poly. Being directly across from the MK is awesome. We always watch the fireworks from the beach at least once a trip. The Grand Ceremonial House holds all the public areas, restaurants, gift shops etc. Being walking distance from the TTC is great. I've been to Hawaii and the feel of the Poly is very close. There's nothing like the smell of the lobby.
The Contemporary does offer a great game room, The Food and Fun Center which is a good place for a snack at midnight. The walk to/from from the MK is a plus especially when the monorail lines are long. If we stay at Contemporary again, it will definitely be a tower room. Garden rooms seem too removed for me.
One thing to consider, we tried to get a room at the Contemporary for this summer's trip. Looked at a suite, concierge, regular tower room, and couldn't get one. Shades of Green, the military resort is currently closed for rehab and the military is being given rooms at the Contemporary instead. It is harder to get a reservation there right now. I don't know how much longer until SOG is done. This could play a factor in your decision.
The Contemporary does offer a great game room, The Food and Fun Center which is a good place for a snack at midnight. The walk to/from from the MK is a plus especially when the monorail lines are long. If we stay at Contemporary again, it will definitely be a tower room. Garden rooms seem too removed for me.
One thing to consider, we tried to get a room at the Contemporary for this summer's trip. Looked at a suite, concierge, regular tower room, and couldn't get one. Shades of Green, the military resort is currently closed for rehab and the military is being given rooms at the Contemporary instead. It is harder to get a reservation there right now. I don't know how much longer until SOG is done. This could play a factor in your decision.
Upvote
0