Split Stay Opinions

[zurgandfriend]

Hello all,

My DS and I are contemplating another father & son trip next fall. We made our first father & son trip in October 2024. We stayed at the Contemporary and we had a wonderful time. We made a second trip in April of this year. We wanted to try something different and stayed at the Yacht club. After two days we were not feeling the magic and moved to the Contemporary and again had a wonderful trip. We agree that the Magic Kingdom area is the place for us. We would like to do a split stay next trip. We are considering starting at the Wilderness Lodge and ending at the Contemporary.

I’m a boomer and leave it to DS to handle as much of the internet “stuff” as possible, but I digress. Before my DS books anything I want to reach out to get opinions on the Magic Kingdom resorts in their current state.

Over the years my DW, who passed last year, DS and I have stayed at each Magic Kingdom resort at least once.

We have stayed at the Wilderness lodge several times and always enjoyed our stay. The only complaint we ever had was that it was not on the monorail.

We stayed at the Polynesian once circa 2009 and did not care for it. At the time it needed a major face lift. I assume that has occurred, but I have not read good things about the Poly since they built the tower. Crowded pools and common areas being the most frequent.

The Grand Floridian was nice, great pool and choice of restaurants but DW though it was too spread out and not worth the money.

The Contemporary was my DW’s and my favorite. We stayed there for our Disney-moon. When my DS was little, he was fascinated by the monorail. He just wanted to sit and watch them go by. I will always remember the look on his face when a cast member invited him to ride in the front cabin with the driver. Yes, that was a long time ago.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on each of the Magic Kingdom resorts as they are at present? If you were doing a spilt stay in two of the resorts which two, would you pick and why?

As always, thank you everyone for your inputs.

Z

 

[JIMINYCR]

My condolences over the loss of your DW. Going back must hold lots of good memories but be bitter sweet with those reminders and not having her along for both of you.
We also have enjoyed the Contemp stays we've had. The GF never thrilled us but Ive thought about doing a Poly stay in the future. The GF atmosphere just doesn't do it for us. So of the MK resorts I'd try the Poly again. Or just rethink the split stay and enjoy the Contemp for the extent of your trip.

 

[FiestaFunKid]

Seems like tossing in the Contemporary for a portion makes sense since you enjoy it (as do I) and may hold some special memories for you and your family. Bay Lake Tower rooms have been recently renovated and, as a classic Disney fan from the 80s/90s, I enjoy those touches more than the main Contemporary Incredibles Theming (which is just ok for me). Staying in the main building does have it's advantages, particularly if you are a monorail enthusiast.

I wasn't a GF fan back in the day, a bit too fancy of an esthetic and afternoon teas and princess just didn't do it for me as a young boy....but it now does invoke a classic Disney feel missing from other newer hotels and appreciate that. +1 on it being too expensive, looking at renting DVC points/booked stays could help, but harder for a split stay. The lobby will be under construction until at least november 2025 - and that alone would remove it from consideration for me.

I enjoy the Poly still - particularly the classic longhouses/area, but the main pool is pretty nuts if you are interested in that. The other, slideless pools, are typically fine. While I don't love the new tower being there, it's lack of design and lobby theming, the rooms are nice on the inside and might be an option to consider although also pricey. The longhouse rooms have been updated since 09, but I believe the bathrooms are essentially the same.

I don't have anything to add on WL - great if you like that estethic and dont mind being an extra hop away. The cabins are new at FW, but that is a whole different style of stay.

If you want to leave MK area perhaps for Epcot and HS days, The Boardwalk (even with one side empty) has more magic IMO than Yacht Club, as does Beach Club - but perhaps to close to YC to want to revist.