Grand Floridian, Wilderness Lodge, or the Polynesian?

[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 We had a suite (more like a room with a sitting area) and it was so outdated---the phone in the bathroom was from my childhood (I am 40)---i am sure the wallpaper & backing up tub were as well.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]

Originally Posted by aggiegirl1234

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!

[aggiegirl1234]

Originally Posted by 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.

I think I'm going to go with Poly for the exact reason you mentioned, but I do think I'd love to try WL for a longer, slower paced trip.

Originally Posted by 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

Thank you for reinforcing what I already was thinking. The grounds are gorgeous but the rooms look so dated!

Originally Posted by CTH3

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 same thought about the Brady Bunch went through my head as I was looking at the Poly pictures on the Disney website. I think I kind of like it though!

Originally Posted by 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!

I hadn't even thought about differences in room sizes. The Poly is sounding more attractive now. Coming off of a cruise, I'll probably appreciate the extra space.

Thanks for your responses everyone!