RP: Most luxurious Hotel??????

[rd0127]

I'm curious about all of you wanting to stay at the Poly. Is it nicer than the Grand Floridian? I always thought that the GF was the "big dog" of them all. Hummph, guess I was wrong.

We are going on our 2nd trip next month and this will be our 2nd stay in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. The only resort that we have been inside of was The Animal Kingdom Lodge when we went to Boma's. It was breathtaking and I hope to stay there someday. But, on this trip I have told my husband that I want to take the monorail over to the GF and look around. It looks utterlly devine!
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[tigsmom]

Personally the GF does nothing for me. The great thing about WDW resorts is that there is something for everyone! The WL is our favorite, but we have stayed at a few others, all nice.

 

[drnilescrane]

I'm curious about all of you wanting to stay at the Poly. Is it nicer than the Grand Floridian? I always thought that the GF was the "big dog" of them all. Hummph, guess I was wrong.

We are going on our 2nd trip next month and this will be our 2nd stay in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. The only resort that we have been inside of was The Animal Kingdom Lodge when we went to Boma's. It was breathtaking and I hope to stay there someday. But, on this trip I have told my husband that I want to take the monorail over to the GF and look around. It looks utterlly devine!
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No, you are right, it is the Grand Floridian. No Question.

 

[TTATraveler]

I'm curious about all of you wanting to stay at the Poly. Is it nicer than the Grand Floridian? I always thought that the GF was the "big dog" of them all. Hummph, guess I was wrong.

We are going on our 2nd trip next month and this will be our 2nd stay in the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. The only resort that we have been inside of was The Animal Kingdom Lodge when we went to Boma's. It was breathtaking and I hope to stay there someday. But, on this trip I have told my husband that I want to take the monorail over to the GF and look around. It looks utterlly devine!
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Depends on what you like. I personally don't care for the victorian theming so the GF doesn't appeal to me. I like the Poly's decor and theme. To me, the GF has the "don't touch" feel. The Poly is more relaxed and obviously tropical.

 

[Valawen9]

In my opinion, the GF is "the big dog" :lol:
But I like the Polynesian waaaay more. I'm really into the whole Hawaiian/South Seas thing.

 

[Amber]

In my opinion, the GF is "the big dog" :lol:
But I like the Polynesian waaaay more. I'm really into the whole Hawaiian/South Seas thing.

That's exactly my problem with the Poly. I don't feel like I'm at Disney World. If I wanted a Hawaiian thing, I'd go to Hawaii. But I haven't seen the Poly since the remodel. Are there any hidden mickeys like there are at the GF (wallpaper and carpet)? What about the Mickey lamps and the bedspreads? Disney related at all or all about the Hawaii thing?

 

[Trizz41999]

Grand Folidian. I've been there, lets say the Victorian era isnt my taste

 

[Horizons78]

In my opinion, the GF is "the big dog" :lol:
But I like the Polynesian waaaay more. I'm really into the whole Hawaiian/South Seas thing.

The Poly is still the winner on the loop for me. Here's the way I look at it:

GF=Very Nice, yet I always expect to see the two english weight lifters from Family Guy there. ("I say Clarence, great day for lifting our huge triangular weights...hip, hip, hoo, hup.) Seems nice but stuffy to me.

Contemp.=Still one of favorites mostly because I stayed there a lot as a kid and Im a monorail junkie. (Glad to see it getting a rehab btw.)

Poly=It's the best around - nothin's ever gonna get it down...everybody sing along. Ok, seriously the theming, the views, the food, and it's on the monorail loop. As far as feeling like you are at Disney, to me feeling like I'm at Disney is when the surroundings make me feel and believe I'm somewhere else. The Poly gets it done for me.:wave:

 

[patricia27]

Resorts

What is the dining like at The Polynesian?My son and his wife will be celebrating their first wedding anniversary in WDW in August 2006 and we want to dine out .

 

[Nansafan]

We've stayed at all 3 monorail resorts in various rooms from standard to lagoon view even Concierge Level at all 3 resorts. We like the Poly best. I believe it is because the Poly was the first resort we stayed at on property. We had a lagoon view room which actually looked directly across to the castle. We watched the fireworks from the Poly beach our first night. The Poly beach is the only one of the 3 resorts where the fireworks appear to go off directly over the castle. From the other 2, due to the angle, they appear to be next to the castle. We like the Contemporary especially being able to walk to/from the MK when we want to. The GF was wonderful but the rooms are smaller there than the Poly or Contemporary. I believe the Contemporary has the largest "regular" rooms at WDW. (By regular I mean non-suite rooms.) Everything is about what you like best. If everyone liked the Poly best, we'd have a hard time getting a reservation there.

 

[maxime29]

Luxurious is a subjective term.

Disney markets the GF as the flagship resort. Our family has stayed there on several occasions with an occasional stay at the Contemporary. However I say any of the Deluxe Resorts are good enough.

 

[Enderikari]

Technically, according to official ratings by AAA, the best resorts on property are the Swan and the Dolphin

 

[WDWKat26]

Honestly, if someone said to me "You can either stay Concierge @ Poly or Grand Fla which one do you choose?" in a heartbeat it'd be "GRAND FLA!"

 

[Jarboe]

The Grand Floridian is just a little more expensive than any of the other delux hotels...It also strikes me more of a vacation resort than the Swan and Dolphin, which I think appeal to a more business orientated audience.

 

[PJLukasik]

As nice as the Grand Floridian is, I personally prefer either the Yacht Club or the Contemporary.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

That's exactly my problem with the Poly. I don't feel like I'm at Disney World. If I wanted a Hawaiian thing, I'd go to Hawaii. But I haven't seen the Poly since the remodel. Are there any hidden mickeys like there are at the GF (wallpaper and carpet)? What about the Mickey lamps and the bedspreads? Disney related at all or all about the Hawaii thing?

There are some hidden mickeys at the Polynesian. There is one as soon as you enter the lobby in the stone work. Before the remodel they were in the bed spread. There is also a hidden tinkerbell at the entrance to Captain Cook's. So there are definately Disney tie ins. You also get the view of the Magic Kingdom and are on the monorail line. I don't think it gets more Disney than that.

 

[KnK]

I've stated at a variety of the deluxe resorts. My favorite is still Wilderness Lodge. No, it's not on the monorail, but it just feels like home.
<O
The GF always makes me feel like I have to been on my best behavior. Poly is nice and theme-ing is wonderful.

<OWL has the best 'comfort' theme-ing for me, as well as the Disney atmosphere I crave while I am there.<O

 

[tikiman]

I try and look past the decore of the GF because the room bedspread, wall paper and carpet looks like a room in my grandmothers house and is a little to busy to me, but the GF has a lot of elegance and service as well as great places to eat.

That being said I would have told you that the GF was the most luxurious and is very luxurious but since the new room design at the Polynesian and all that it has to offer I would consider it a step above. To start with I prefer the theme and decore of the Polynesian since I spend almost every summer in Maui but just looking at what the new rooms offer I feel is a step ahead of the standard GF rooms (not comparing suites although the Polynesian suites were completely redone also). The standard Polynesian rooms are much larger than the standard GF rooms. All the Polynesian rooms will have (many do already) everything new in the room including soft goods, bedspreads, carpet, drapes, a new 32" flat panel TV, new mattresses and there will be a desk area in the room . The daybed is replaced with a folding couch like a futon to give more room when it is not folded out., There is a built in refrigerator and coffee maker area. The new room items are very luxurious and not some cheap stuff from Taiwan. In fact the stuff was so hard to get that it was taking a while to get all the pieces for the rooms. The beds were the most comfortable I have ever been in and I have stayed in Westin’s with the Heavenly Bed many times. The views are hard to beat at the Polynesian and the food is worth eating at even if not staying there. There are 3 beaches stretched across the resort and the pool zero entry faces the castle as it runs towards the beach.

Even with the different decors I think with all the new things at the Polynesian it is hard to beat.

 

[William Marsden]

I tend to agree with the Disney assestment of the Grand Floridian being its "flagship resort". That said, I just can't see myself paying the kind of money to stay there. The most impressive thing about the Grand Floridian is the incredible lobby and no one makes you pay $300-$400 to go into the lobby.

My family loves 1900 Park Fare. One day we'd like to try Narcoosee's or Citrico's (I don't think we'd enjoy the hoity-toitiness of Victoria's and Albert's). All of these restaurants, indeed most all of the amenities of the Grand Floridian can be enjoyed without having to stay at the GF.

The thing I don't like about the Contemporary is that it seems cold and themeless. The Polynesian is great and we love 'Ohana. The Epcot resorts are all nice too but the two best themed resorts in my opinion are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge. As an added bonus, these two resorts have possibly our two favorite restaurants (Whispering Canyon Cafe and Boma) plus they have the least expensive rooms of any of the deluxe resorts. Although the standard rooms are a little smaller than other resorts, we've never felt cramped in them.

One other preference I have. Although the monorail is great for getting to the Magic Kingdom in the morning, I LOVE taking a relaxing boatride back to WL after a tiring day with Breer Rabbit, Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan etc. I also like taking the boat to an Epcot resort after Illuminations or Fantasmic. In my experience, the boats are not only relaxing but less crowded. It's a great way to unwind (my girl falls asleep everytime). Which brings me to another service I wish Disney would offer - complimentary carrying a sleeping child to bed.

 

[specialwishes]

Deluxe Hotels

I have stayed at WL, AKL, GF, BC, YC, and Poly and the Dolphin. All of them, except the Dolphin, have unique things about them that makes them stand out alone.

I, personally, did NOT like the Dolphin. It did not feel like Disney at all to me or my husband and we moved after two days to AKL so we would feel like we were at Disney. (I know a lot of Dolphin/Swan people are not going to like those comments. It is just a personal feeling.:animwink: )

One of the things that I don't like about Poly is there isn't a hottub. Also, when we stayed there I did feel, for a deluxe, the rooms were a bit shabby. Of course, with the rehab, that problem has been solved.

I LOVE AKL. Especially in the winter months. There is nothing like walking into the lobby, smelling that wonderful spicey smell. The rooms, even the standard rooms looking out into the parking lot, are wonderful and seems very clean. The price you just can't beat for a deluxe. We just stayed there in February and paid $130.00 a night including tax!!!! Also the bus service from AKL only goes to that resort so there is not several stops. The WL is also a nice winter month resort. There is a feeling of being snuggled in.

In the summer, you just can't beal BC and YC. The swimming pool is wonderful. Being able to walk to Epcot on the back walkway is fun in the evenings.

We stayed at the GF last summer. We had a corner room in the #5 building and PERFECT view of MK Castle. It was a HUGE room. It was wonderful. It is however, expensive, and I don't know that I would say worth the extra $$. However, I did enjoy it. The zero entry pool with the beach for a view is awesome.

I know this doesn't really answer your question. What I have found is that to experience each hotel is different and people seem to love different things about all of them. I think, in the end, no matter which deluxe you choose you will have an incredible time. If you are going for more than a few days, split your stay between resorts. It is easy, you pack up and let them move the luggage while you go to the parks! It is a fun way to experience more than one resort. It also gives your trip a different feel and seems to last longer.

Have fun!!!!!