Polynesian vs Contemporary

[3littlecuties]

We are currently booked at the Contemporary in October but it looks like rooms have opened up at the Polynesian that would be significantly cheaper. I know very little about the Polynesian other than it is also on the monorail line (we picked Contemporary because of monorail and being able to walk to MK).

So sell me on the Polynesian! Should we switch our reservations?

 

[dansdad]

These two links would be a great place to start learning all about the Poly.

http://www.tikimanpages.com/tiki/

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2985839

 

[MEK]

"Significantly cheaper?"

That is always music to my ears. I have never stayed at the Poly because I am DVC, but I have stayed at BLT. I think the grounds of the Poly are way cooler than what is at the Contemporary. But the one advantage that the Contemporary has is you CAN walk to the MK.

I do love Kona and Ohana and even the dole whip at the Poly. I also love watching Wishes from the beach.

Tough choice. If it were me, I would go Poly but I am biased because its one of the resorts I can't stay at with DVC.

Good luck deciding.

 

[goofy78]

If it is significantly cheaper I would probably switch. We've stayed at both and while the Poly is nicer in terms of the theming the CR hold a special place in my heart. The walk to MK is awesome and the monorail running right through is too. The pool at the Poly is better and Kona and Ohana are fantastic. Even with not so great reviews Chef Mickeys is a must do breakfast for my kids. Depending on how much cheaper would be the tie breaker for me. You can't go wrong with either one.

 

[dchi]

What view do you have at the Contemporary? If it is a Magic Kingdom view, I would keep it if the money is not that big of a deal. Magic Kingdom view at the Contemporary is awesome!

P.S. The Contemporary has a hottub and the Poly currently does not.

 

[Emteach]

We just came back from the Poly and would highly recommend! For us it was like a vacation within a vacation! The scenery was gorgeous, Dole Whips, the pool was lots of fun (although pretty busy usually), there were movies on the beach, Dole Whips, being able to walk to the TTC, did I mention the Dole Whips lol. We also stayed in Tokelau and you could see the water pageant and the fireworks from the balcony at the end of the hall. We just had the garden view but we could see the water from the corner of our balcony.

 

[3littlecuties]

What view do you have at the Contemporary? If it is a Magic Kingdom view, I would keep it if the money is not that big of a deal. Magic Kingdom view at the Contemporary is awesome!

P.S. The Contemporary has a hottub and the Poly currently does not.

We have the Theme Park view room because that is all that was available when we booked. We would have been happy with the Garden Wing. We've never stayed deluxe at Disney before. Our total is $5427 for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets.

Poly standard room for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets is $3789. The fall discount applies to this room and not to the Theme Park Contemporary rooms making the big difference.

Our kids are 6, 4, and 2 if that matters. 4 year old has Down syndrome and so both 4 yo and 2 yo will be in stroller a lot. We originally picked Contemporary because of being able to walk to MK.

 

[carolinamama]

We actually prefer the Contemporary. It was wonderful being able to walk back and forth to the MK last time when our kids were 2 and 6. My oldest likes that you wait indoors for the monorail. It was such a hit for us that we've booked BLT for out next trip.

Poly, though beautiful, was a disappointment for us. We stayed standard in Tahiti. We caught the monorail at the TTC as it was closer. Refilling our mugs was frustrating since quick service was so far. Mouse keeping wasn't great - they had to come clean the carpet after we checked in after my then 10 month old crawler had black hands and knees.

All that being said, that is a significant savings. I'd probably switch!

 

[hgeisler]

We actually prefer the Contemporary. It was wonderful being able to walk back and forth to the MK last time when our kids were 2 and 6. My oldest likes that you wait indoors for the monorail. It was such a hit for us that we've booked BLT for out next trip.

Poly, though beautiful, was a disappointment for us. We stayed standard in Tahiti. We caught the monorail at the TTC as it was closer. Refilling our mugs was frustrating since quick service was so far. Mouse keeping wasn't great - they had to come clean the carpet after we checked in after my then 10 month old crawler had black hands and knees.

All that being said, that is a significant savings. I'd probably switch!

I would almost echo that sentiment. The theme park view from CR is amazing,especially if you waych the fireworks from your balcony!

 

[andrencau]

View is amazing. Another plus with Contemporary is, yes you can walk to MK, but when everyone is exhausted you are the first stop on the monorail. That is a big deal for us with kids in strollers, especially after mom and dad have pushed the strollers all day. Its a great break and its air conditioned.

 

[MMS1125]

For the price difference I'd move to the Poly. It really is a wonderful resort

 

[baler31]

We have the Theme Park view room because that is all that was available when we booked. We would have been happy with the Garden Wing. We've never stayed deluxe at Disney before. Our total is $5427 for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets.

Poly standard room for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets is $3789. The fall discount applies to this room and not to the Theme Park Contemporary rooms making the big difference.

Our kids are 6, 4, and 2 if that matters. 4 year old has Down syndrome and so both 4 yo and 2 yo will be in stroller a lot. We originally picked Contemporary because of being able to walk to MK.

This says it all for me. Unless it is a financial hardship I would stick with CR. The walkway is invaluable and your children at ages where a view of the castle from your room will be magical.

Also, while I grew up staying at the Poly we have not stayed within the last few years due to very poor Mousekeeping and dirty rooms.

 

[ghtx]

We have the Theme Park view room because that is all that was available when we booked. We would have been happy with the Garden Wing. We've never stayed deluxe at Disney before. Our total is $5427 for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets.

Poly standard room for 7 nights and 6 day park tickets is $3789. The fall discount applies to this room and not to the Theme Park Contemporary rooms making the big difference.

Our kids are 6, 4, and 2 if that matters. 4 year old has Down syndrome and so both 4 yo and 2 yo will be in stroller a lot. We originally picked Contemporary because of being able to walk to MK.

Holy crap. Are you saying it would save you more than $1600 to switch to the Poly? To me that's a no-brainer. Heck, you could add an extra couple of days (tickets too) to your trip! That's well worth not being able to walk to MK (although that is a plus for the Contemp.).

 

[ajh88]

I will qualify my response by saying we are huge Poly fans and have not stayed at CR (it just doesn't ring our bells for some reason - we have visited and eaten at Chef Mickey's, just not stayed).

It really comes down to what is more (or most) important to you. Walking to the park? TPV room? Saving money?

That is a pretty good savings and I would be tempted to switch it...but if you have your heart set on being able to walk to MK, it might not be worth it to you. As far as distance from the park, yes, CR is closer even via monorail, but we have made it from Liberty Square back to our room at the Poly in about 20 minutes (via monorail) - not too shabby if you ask me. (We did have some monorail mojo that evening and didn't have to wait long at the platform for it).

We stay TPV at the Poly, and we love being able to sit on our balcony and watch the activity on the lagoon and the fireworks and EWP at night. The fact that you are switching from TPV to Garden View might be the deal breaker for me. We did NOT switch from Poly to Boardwalk in May, even though it would have saved about $1000 and we would have been closer to DHS for Star Wars Weekends. I just couldn't give up the ambiance of the Poly.

And just to counter-balance the Mousekeeping naysayers, we have stayed at Poly twice in the past year and have not had a bad Mousekeeping experience at all. I'm sure it happens, but it is not something unique to the Polynesian and I wouldn't switch resorts (or not switch) based on the likelihood of that happening. (We also like CBR and hear frequently about poor Mousekeeping there, but never experienced it first hand).

Whatever you decide, I hope you have a great trip - both resorts are magical in their own ways and I'm sure you'll have fun either way!

 

[marylandgirl]

I have stayed at both Poly and Contemporary many times and can tell you, you have to go Poly! It is amazing, the theming, the lush landscaping, tiki torches, beach area with volcano pool, you can't beat the relaxed feeling you get there. Great place to unwind after a busy day at the parks.

 

[CampbellScot]

for me, the savings is too much to pass up. That is quite a big difference. As someone else said, you could add days onto your trip INCLUDING park tickets with what you save switching. Not to mention, it's not like the difference between the Poly and say, an All Star resort or even a mod. Both resorts are great. It's really more the theme you are choosing...and that extra $1600!!

I would switch in a heartbeat!!!

 

[3littlecuties]

for me, the savings is too much to pass up. That is quite a big difference. As someone else said, you could add days onto your trip INCLUDING park tickets with what you save switching. Not to mention, it's not like the difference between the Poly and say, an All Star resort or even a mod. Both resorts are great. It's really more the theme you are choosing...and that extra $1600!!

I would switch in a heartbeat!!!

I'm very tempted to switch. Unfortunately we won't be able to stay any extra days. We are already pulling my 1st grader out of school for a week. It would be a downgrade in room so that is part of the difference. I went and looked at prices again.

Theme Park room at Contemporary (what we have booked): $5427

Theme Park room at Poly: $4616
Lagoon View at Poly: $4366
Standard View at Poly: $3789

So then the question becomes, it is worth it to move up in room at the Poly? We could save $800 just by moving to an equivalent type room. Is the bigger savings worth downgrading room type?

 

[dchi]

I see you are comparing the theme park view rooms at poly and Contemporary. Here is a link to the contemporary theme park view.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/photos/contemporary/room/pages/12.htm
If you have not seen the poly view you can google it. It is the top portion of the castle only...the rest of the castle is obstructed by trees at the Poly.

 

[ajh88]

Here are a couple of shots from our TPV room at the Poly in the Tuvalu building. Yes, they are further away than CR since the Poly is physically further from the MK. The first 2 photos have been zoomed in. Personally, I like that I have the water in my view, even if I can't see all of the castle...I can't argue that the TPV is spectacular at CR, but you are also looking over parking lot and a fair bit of concrete.


Space Mountain




The Castle


My favorite - the Contemporary at Sunrise

 

[ajh88]

This photo looks to be the other TPV from CR, only not zoomed in. Just to give you an idea of what I was referring to when I said a fair bit of concrete...but undeniably, yes, you get pretty much the full castle view.