Poly vs Contemporary

[marinad]

Ok! I've decided to "pay the big bucks" to stay at one of the deluxe resorts due to my DD (1 1/2 yrs old) at the time of travel - December 07. Would you suggest the Poly over the Contemp, Pros/Cons?

I need help figuring out also, if its worth it to be on the Magic Kingdom View for either.....

THANK YOU THANK YOU

 

[Cinderella1976]

I would have to say the Poly. I have never stayed there before (I've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and Grand Flordian) but we had breakfast & dinner at Ohana's (great food & lots of fun) and I really enjoyed it. I really like the theme of the resort and it seems kid friendly. We always go to Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary which is fun also, but I really have no desire to stay there. Just my opinion though. As for the location of the resorts it can't be beat and I do think it is worth the extra $$ for a MK view if you can do it. Have fun!

 

[Littlefitzy2004]

Hands Down Poly. Its Where I Have Generally Stayed Since We Have Been Going. This And The Grand Flordian Are My Favorite Resorts And To Me Dont Get Any Better Than That.

 

[Krupknick]

My vote is for the Polynesian I have stayed at both the Contemporary and Polynesian, The Polynesian wins Hands Down!!!!.................Much nicer I allways stayed at the Contemporay un-till the last refirb now there is no choice......

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Not to rock the boat but I would say the Contemp. The one big advantage is when you are leaving the MK... Contemp is the first stop on the monorail and when you are trying to get a tired kidlet back to base camp it is a welcome relief to get their as fast as possible.

As for viewing, unless your spending the biggest bucks and getting a room with a view, you can always go to either resort to watch fireworks on their observation points.

If the fireworks are the goal then the Contemp would probably win as you are a bit closer to the action.

 

[disneygoof1]

The Polynesian is Awesome!!! Hands down the Poly, it has the best view of MK, especially if you eat at O'Hana's. There are waterfalls inside and you can even book a Luau to go to.It's also within walking distance of the TTC. I never liked the Contemporary very much.

 

[maelstrom]

Contemporary. Nothing in the world beats that view.

 

[rainfully]

If a view is really important to you... then go with the Contemporary. From the Poly, all you can really see is the top half of Cindy's Castle from most of the MK view rooms. However, if you wanna go with sweet theming... hit up the Poly!

 

[MickeyTigg]

To tell you the truth....the Contemporary never really hasn't done anything for me.

I just don't find it appealing in the least.

On the other hand....I love the Polynesian. The atmosphere there is just so wonderful.

 

[verybusymom40]

We just got back from the Polynesian with our 3 going on 4 year old. It was wonderful! We didn't have a Magic Kingdom view, but we were able to head out onto the beach at night and watch the fireworks over the castle while she played in the sand. Beautiful. We were in the Rarotonga building which gave us very easy access to the mug refill area in Capt. Cooks, and the Great Ceremonial House. We stayed 6 days, and of course, it wasn't long enough. Kris:wave:

 

[Nansafan]

The Poly is our favorite resort. Our second choice is the Contemporary. Watching the fireworks from the beach, the island atmosphere, the smell of the lobby (anyone who has ever stayed there knows what I am talking about), all make the Poly our choice. When we still want the monorail and want to save a few bucks we'll stay at the Contemporary. It is a nice bonus to be able to walk back to your resort when the park closes and the monorail and water launch lines are ridiculous. You can't go wrong with either resort. They have some of the largest standard rooms on property.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Either is really nice. The best part about Contemporary is the view and the cool Monorail right into your hotel thing. It was a neat experience to stay there, but it really isn't so "Contemporary" anymore. I would probably go with Poly...or you could split the time, depending how adventurours you are feeling. That is always an interesting experience and Disney moves all of your stuff to the new rrom for you.

 

[ryguy]

Actually if you stay at the Contemporary you will have the best view of the crane and cement mixers, you could also get an autograph from your favorite Union member of carpenters and millrights. :lol: Maybe the tranquil sound of jackhammers and the soothing beeping sound of heavy equipment is your kettle of fish, as for me, I will sleep peacefully at the Poly.:snore: Keep in mind for the next several years the Contemporary is in full construction mode. Not my idea of a great vacation. Also the Poly has just completed their renovation so the resort is basically brand new. Hope thats helps.
RyGuy
PS
Have a Island Sunset for me.:slurp:

 

[poohbear6103]

To me there is nothing like the Poly! No other place has such a relaxing atmosphere and such a great theme. The Contemporary is nice, but that's about it for me. It's just "nice". The Poly makes you feel like you are in a Hawaiian resort...only without the jet lag Everyone there has such a relaxed vibe about them and after running around the park all day, little things like that help you wind down. Also, if going with someone special, nothing beats the romantic vibe you get there at night.And for kids, they LOVE the Poly pool.
The Poly will definitely win you over if you give it a try.

 

[Scooter]

Contemporary Resort has a playground
Poly does not
Contemporary Resort has 2 out door Hot tubs.
Poly has none.
Contemporary Resort has Chef Mickey's
Poly does not

The point is this: While the Polynesian Resort has better theming, in my opinion, The Contemporary Resort is more kid friendly. Every where you go in The Contemporary resort, you are under a roof. If you stay at The Polynesian, you might get stuck in a room far from the Main building and have to walk in the pouring rain with your child.

These are things to consider when vacationing with children. When I go, it's just my wife and I so we alternate resorts. Our last stay was at the Contemporary Resort, our next trip in May we will be staying at The Polynesian. Both are great. We Love staying at the monorail resorts. it's just so convieniant.

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Contemporary Resort has a playground
Poly does not
Contemporary Resort has 2 out door Hot tubs.
Poly has none.
Contemporary Resort has Chef Mickey's
Poly does not

The point is this: While the Polynesian Resort has better theming, in my opinion, The Contemporary Resort is more kid friendly. Every where you go in The Contemporary resort, you are under a roof. If you stay at The Polynesian, you might get stuck in a room far from the Main building and have to walk in the pouring rain with your child.

These are things to consider when vacationing with children. When I go, it's just my wife and I so we alternate resorts. Our last stay was at the Contemporary Resort, our next trip in May we will be staying at The Polynesian. Both are great. We Love staying at the monorail resorts. it's just so convieniant.

I think personally that Chef Mickey's is overrated. There are many better Character Dinging experiences throughout the parks for the same money with better food. Just my personal feeling...

 

[tikiman]

I would say it depends on what theme you like better.
Both are nice resorts.
Both have monorail access.
Both just had the rooms completely redesigned.

Now the fact is that the Contemporary tower rooms with a MK view have the closest view of the park and fireworks. An opinion of mine is that the view across the water with the fireworks reflecting off the lagoon is a better view for me but not for all.

I would not decide by what the resort offers in food because we find it easy to eat at all 3 monorail resorts when staying at one of them.

As mentioned above the Polynesian does not have a hot tub or a playground and you cannot walk from the Polynesian to the MK. Other than that I cannot think of anything that sets the Contemporary apart from the Polynesian besides the themeing.

I will say that while you can pay as much or more for a MK view room at the Polynesian than you would pay from a Tower room to view the MK at the Contemporary, there is a bonus at the Polynesian when it comes to rooms. Even if you pay for a standard garden view room at the Polynesian you could end up with a view of the marina, pools, beach, lagoon, or even some garden view rooms have views of the castle and fireworks. You are not going to get a standard room at the Contemporary and see the castle.

Another bonus for me is I love Epcot and only the Polynesian has walking access (less than 5 minute walk) to the Transportation and Ticket Center to hop on the monorail to Epcot. The other two resorts have to monorail over to the TTC, get off and than get back on to the monorail to Epcot. Also coming back from a long day at Epcot you have to than get off and get on the resort monorail back to the GF or Contemporary and it can be 30 minutes or more to go around the loop to get back to the Contemporary. The Polynesian also has 3 ways over to the MK. You can take the small boat over, or if you have a stroller or wheelchair you can monorail over or use the large ferry at the TTC.

Also the Polynesian has one of the best pools and slides. It has zero entry that goes right up to the sandy beach and a view looking right at the castle.

For kids you also have the Neverland Club but you could use that if you were staying at the Contemporary also.

I myself always visit the Contemporary when I am there and I have been interested in staying there so I think either way you will be at a great resort.

 

[Teenchy]

One of the reasons we love TIKIMAN is he is very diplomatic and fair and has very well thought out reasons and posts. Please visit his site for the best details on Poly.

I have stayed at both resorts in the past year. But I do have to say that it is not a completely fair comparison because I stayed in the VP Suite at the Contemporary in December for my wedding.(See link in signature for details)

That suite in the Contemporary was incredible and was a once in a lifetime thing, but if I was going to compare the rest of the resort, I would still pick Poly 1st. For all the reasons Tikiman suggested. I do not have kids so I had never considered the fact of going through the rain to get around Poly, but the overall feeling and vibe at Poly is really what I love. My wife and I are "beach" people and that Hawaiian feeling, pool, sandy beach and the feeling we get walking and sitting on the beach in the evening watching the fireworks is very romantic.

But I will also say that if your as big a Disney fan as my wife and I, one of the things we love about Disney are the resorts. We have a goal to stay at each Moderate and Deluxe resort at least once. (Even though we are DVC Members) And one stay at the Contemporary (concierge) with a MK view is a must for all Disney fans once in their life!


:shrug: :ROFLOL: Just wanted to add these "new" guys to my post!

 

[ryguy]

Iam shocked that I am really the only person who thinks the construction project would be a problem. Unlike most Disney Resort construction projects which are small and not really noticable. They are building a 16 story building you would think that would be a distraction and a noise issue. I wouldn't recommend staying at the Contemporary for the next two years. Have fun at the Poly.

 

[Scooter]

Iam shocked that I am really the only person who thinks the construction project would be a problem. Unlike most Disney Resort construction projects which are small and not really noticable. They are building a 16 story building you would think that would be a distraction and a noise issue. I wouldn't recommend staying at the Contemporary for the next two years. Have fun at the Poly.

I'm shocked too....shocked that you're so positive that construction will be a problem at The Contemporary Resort.

Are you you Psyhic? Can you fortell the future?

The Disney company has had an outstanding record for keeping their construction noises and bad views to a minumum. To my knowlege, they have never failed to build things and at the same time retain the looks and feels and the sounds magical. How is it you can assume that this will all change during this construction project?

I wouldn't have the intestinal fortitude to tell people to avoid the Contemporary Resort for the next two years because of dust and noise unless I was a fortune teller with a steller history and was absolutely sure I knew what I was talking about.

The fact is we just don't know what it's going to be like during the construction, so therefore, in my opinion, we shouldn't be recommending either way as to where to stay or where not to stay on Disney property.

Just my thoughts.