Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, or the Polynesian?

[aggiegirl1234]

Hello! We're taking a quick trip to Disney World after our cruise. Originally we were only going to stay one night, but I decided I want to stay an additional night so that we don't miss the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom

We have the Grand Floridian booked, but it will be about $300 cheaper to switch to the Wilderness Lodge, and about $200 cheaper to switch to the Polynesian for the two nights. I've haven't stayed at any of the three hotels before. On a side note, I have stayed at the Contemporary and LOVED it, but it's all booked up.

For those who have stayed at any or all of the three hotels, what would you do? Is the GF worth the extra money? Or do you prefer WL or Poly? I know the GF and Poly are on the monorail line, but I also know WL rooms just got refurbed. Are there any other pros/cons to the hotels?

Thanks!

 

[skeeterfoot]

From my experience the best place to see Wishes is from the beach of POLY. Stay there.

 

[jackemail]

Can't beat sitting on the beach at Poly for the fireworks!

 

[olive]

I actually haven't stayed at WL, but have stayed at CR, Poly and GF. The rooms at the CR are my favorite of the three, prefer the dining options at GF and Poly for convenience (because of proximity to TTC - we tend to split our time mostly among MK and Epcot) and general ambiance. We do like watching the fireworks from the beach, and seeing the castle from the pool area. I think the grounds are fabulous, too. My vote is also for the Polynesian, but if you very much want to try the GF, I doubt you will be disappointed! It is a lovely resort. I think it is hard to go wrong with these choices. Enjoy the cruise and Disney stay!

 

[aggiegirl1234]

I actually haven't stayed at WL, but have stayed at CR, Poly and GF. The rooms at the CR are my favorite of the three, prefer the dining options at GF and Poly for convenience (because of proximity to TTC - we tend to split our time mostly among MK and Epcot) and general ambiance. We do like watching the fireworks from the beach, and seeing the castle from the pool area. I think the grounds are fabulous, too. My vote is also for the Polynesian, but if you very much want to try the GF, I doubt you will be disappointed! It is a lovely resort. I think it is hard to go wrong with these choices. Enjoy the cruise and Disney stay!

Thank you for your response! I didn't know the Poly was so close to the TTC. Can you walk there? Or is it just the first monorail stop?

 

[OKW Lover]

Thank you for your response! I didn't know the Poly was so close to the TTC. Can you walk there? Or is it just the first monorail stop?

Its an easy walk from the TTC to the Poly.

 

[Butterflygirl35]

I voted for Grand Floridian. It is my favorite resort and I love the elegant ambience..

That being said you can't go wrong with any of them. Love them all

 

[catheren]

We have stayed at all 3 resorts and you really can't go wrong with any of them.

I agree with the above posters, in regards to viewing Wishes from the Poly beach. However, that doesn't mean you have to be staying at the Poly to go down to the beach and view Wishes.

I would suggest the GF if you are planning on using your resort. If not then save your $$ and stay at the WL.

Hard decision but you will love whatever resort you choose. Have a great time!!

 

[wiigirl]

Poly!

 

[tiggerguy2000]

If you feel that a snooty atmosphere suits you best then the GF is the place for you.I have stayed at all 3 and both the Poly and Wilderness Lodge are better picks.Im bias to the Wilderness Lodge because im a DVC owner.Use your savings towards two exclusive meals.

 

[NHKristy76]

If you feel that a snooty atmosphere suits you best then the GF is the place for you.I have stayed at all 3 and both the Poly and Wilderness Lodge are better picks.Im bias to the Wilderness Lodge because im a DVC owner.Use your savings towards two exclusive meals.

Gee. Biased much? I'm not a GF fan but I wouldn't describe a resort loved by many to be snooty.

OP... My vote is always for the WL

 

[tigeramy75]

We are major Poly fans. All four of us absolutely love it there, and I am sure you would too! So easy to get to TTC and the parks, and I think the grounds are so beautiful. I'm also on the fence about our April trip; we are booked at Poly but considering GF. Let us know what you decide and how it works out!

 

[aggiegirl1234]

We are major Poly fans. All four of us absolutely love it there, and I am sure you would too! So easy to get to TTC and the parks, and I think the grounds are so beautiful. I'm also on the fence about our April trip; we are booked at Poly but considering GF. Let us know what you decide and how it works out!

I'll definitely let you know which resort I decide on, that'll probably be Monday once I hear back from DCL Air to confirm my deviation. I am leaning toward Poly because of the fact that it is on the monorail line, and I like that you can walk to TTC, which I think would make the trip to Epcot a little faster.

That being said, I think if WL were on the monorail line, that would probably be my choice. Although, I think both warrant a stay at some point in the future. But I do really like the lobby of WL and the updated rooms and just how majestic the whole place looks. I'm sure I'll love the Poly too. I don't know. It might be a gametime decision!

If you feel that a snooty atmosphere suits you best then the GF is the place for you.I have stayed at all 3 and both the Poly and Wilderness Lodge are better picks.Im bias to the Wilderness Lodge because im a DVC owner.Use your savings towards two exclusive meals.

I'm from Dallas. A snooty atmosphere doesn't suit me, but I sure am used to it I think after reading everyone's posts, I'll rule out GF for now. Also, I realized that while the grounds and lobby are very impressive, I don't know that I'm a huge fan of the actual rooms. Maybe I'll wait for a nice refurb. GF must be due for one sometime soon.

Thanks for your responses everyone! Anyone else want to weigh in? I'm still a bit on the fence!

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at all 3 and while all of them are great resorts, our favorite is the Poly. We love the laid back tropical atmosphere and as others have said, you can't beat watching the fireworks from the beach. Plus being on the monorail is convenient as it's just 2 stops from MK and is within a 5 minute walk to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail. With that said, you really can't go wrong with any of them as they are all great places to stay .

 

[bowbat]

Of the three, WL is definitely my favorite. We just got back from a short stay there, and it's just so wonderful. Plus the newly refurbed rooms look great!

That said, we found the bus service to Epcot looooooong. So if convenience to both MK and Epcot is a big factor, Poly wins out. The rooms are starting to show their age, but they're large & comfortable. And being able to take the boat or monorail to MK and walk to TTC is invaluable.

GF would be my last choice. It's really no more convenient than WL and -- personal preference -- I like the atmosphere/theming of WL better.

All three are great resorts, though. Good luck with your choice.

 

[5forDis]

I have stayed at all 3...most recent was Grand Floridian in April. We just surprised our kids with a trip to Disney (Fri ). All 3 said, "please tell us we are NOT staying at the Grand Floridian!". We had a suite (more like a room with a sitting area) and it was so outdated---the phone in the bathroom was from my childhood (I am 40)---i am sure the wallpaper & backing up tub were as well. I took a picture and sent it to my mother and she was laughing that the room had been preserved in its 'original' state for me .

The grounds are beautiful...

The Wilderness Lodge is my favorite though. I like the Poly especially for the location.

I had really wanted to stay at GF with my children & we did...we won't again.

 

[ktlm]

We've stayed at all three of those within the last 5 years. Unless you are going in the Christmas season I would pick the poly because of the walk to the TTC which makes it really fast to get to Epcot or mk. You can't go wrong with any of them though. The WL is beautiful, the boat to the MK is nice, and it is great to have everything in one building, but the rooms are smaller than the other two. I haven't found the GF snotty. They treat us wonderfully even dragging in from the parks in dirty T-shirts. There are often dressed up people around because there are a lot of weddings in the chapel (someone told us usually 2 to 3 a day but I don't know If that is right), but we've never had anyone rude to us and if we did I would just ignore them.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'll definitely let you know which resort I decide on, that'll probably be Monday once I hear back from DCL Air to confirm my deviation. I am leaning toward Poly because of the fact that it is on the monorail line, and I like that you can walk to TTC, which I think would make the trip to Epcot a little faster.

That being said, I think if WL were on the monorail line, that would probably be my choice. Although, I think both warrant a stay at some point in the future. But I do really like the lobby of WL and the updated rooms and just how majestic the whole place looks. I'm sure I'll love the Poly too. I don't know. It might be a gametime decision!

As resorts go, I love the theme of the Wilderness Lodge much more than of the Polynesian. If having a nice, relaxing resort is important, than this one would be my choice. You could always take the monorail between MK and Epcot so that you would only need one bus ride to do two parks. The bus ride to and from WL is direct and about five minutes long. There is also a nice boat ride you can take instead of the bus to MK.

But if you are on a limited schedule and want to squeeze in as much time at Epcot as you can, then Poly might be the best choice.

 

[CTH3]

Our favorite is the GF. Obviously, one person's elegant and genteel resort from the turn of the 20th Century is another person's "snooty," but in our experience the folks staying there are no snootier than folks staying at the Poly or WL.

The Poly is delightfully kitschy fun, like the Brady Bunch trip to Hawaii, and the best of the three if you want to see the fireworks from the resort.

The WL is gorgeous and peaceful, but we also found it far less convenient than the other two. Between walking down to the boat dock, waiting for a boat, waiting for the boat to unload, loading, traveling to the MK, unloading, and walking from the MK boat dock to the front gates, you'll need to figure on a minimum of 20 minutes to get from the WL to the MK and an average of 35. Buses sometimes better, sometimes worse. Monorail from either the Poly or the MK is typically much, much faster (a 10 minute wait at most and 2 minutes of travel) and more convenient. And, of course, you cannot watch the fireworks (not really) from the WL.

 

[PAGAS]

I have stayed at the GF and WL, I much prefer the GF. I won't ever return to the WL, the rooms were so dark and I really missed having the easy monorail access. We have a trip booked for the Poly for next month, I hope it is as great as everyone seems to say!