Would you choose Riverside or Polynesian (with construction) or Garden Wing

[Epcot at Night]

My head is spinning... New to this site as a poster. Please help!

We have an 8 night trip planned and want to do a split stay. Last 4 nights are at Beach Club as we love Epcot and SAB!

For our first 4 nights, we are looking for a direct comparison between Riverside or Poly (with the current state of the Poly with construction). I realize that most people would choose Poly in a heartbeat, but since we are talking about this summer, we know Poly will still have a lot of construction and only 1 pool. For that reason, the Garden Wing is another thought, but we don't love the theming. Either way, the upgrade from POR is between $300-$400 for the 4 nights total. Is it worth it? If so, where would you stay?

What about transportation? It seems like the monorail is down a lot. Do boats run after evening EMH? Another reason the Garden Wing is a thought is the ability to walk to MK.

We are a family of 5- kids are 13, 9, and 6. We will probably do parks 3 of the 4 days. We do love pool time, and are concerned with a really crowded Poly pool.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Epcot at Night]

I just added the Garden Wing as an option as well after a little more research. I love the look of the Poly better on a "good day", but I don't know with the construction. I love the ease of transportation to MK from the Contemporary and this is where we will spend most of our time. We will focus on Epcot during our BC stay. Is the Contemporary pool crowded? I know it lacks theming, but does anyone love it?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Babsy]

I would stay at the CR GW with GV and request ground floor near the main building or pool. These rooms are huge, comfortable and so convenient! With monorail service being iffy these days being able to walk to the MK is wonderful!! The three monorail hotels are my favourite places to stay in WDW. After experiencing some construction, I will never knowingly stay in a resort with any construction again. I know that it will bother me.

The CR GW has all the convenience of the tower rooms and most have lovely views. The laundry for the CR is in the GW, so that is convenient if it is something that you will use. Staying here is all about the room, the view and the convenience. You will need to monorail to either the Poly or GF for really nice grounds or boat to the WL/FW.

POR is wonderful, with great grounds. However, the rooms are much smaller and the resort is less convenient to the MK. I guess that it depends upon whether the grounds or the room/convenience are more important to you.

Good luck choosing!

 

[DizDaD7]

My head is spinning... New to this site as a poster. Please help!

We have an 8 night trip planned and want to do a split stay. Last 4 nights are at Beach Club as we love Epcot and SAB!

For our first 4 nights, we are looking for a direct comparison between Riverside or Poly (with the current state of the Poly with construction). I realize that most people would choose Poly in a heartbeat, but since we are talking about this summer, we know Poly will still have a lot of construction and only 1 pool. For that reason, the Garden Wing is another thought, but we don't love the theming. Either way, the upgrade from POR is between $300-$400 for the 4 nights total. Is it worth it? If so, where would you stay?

What about transportation? It seems like the monorail is down a lot. Do boats run after evening EMH? Another reason the Garden Wing is a thought is the ability to walk to MK.

We are a family of 5- kids are 13, 9, and 6. We will probably do parks 3 of the 4 days. We do love pool time, and are concerned with a really crowded Poly pool.

Thanks for your help!

1st off............ to the Disboards.

2ndly I've never stayed at Poly, but I'm sure for the majority , $400 would be worth it.

On the other hand POR is definitely a really nice resort, with plenty of amenities too, and also has a nice relaxing boat ride to DTD...

Either way I'm sure it'll be great.

 

[DanInMN]

The new buildings on the water at Poly appear to block the view of the lake from most of the resort. I would not pay a premium to stay there.

 

[johnsonet]

All are great resorts.

I would bump up to Deluxe if you can, just for more spacious rooms and additional amenities, proximity to MK being the biggie.

The pools at CR are not "gorgeous" but they are fun pools. Attractive. Here is the round pool that is on Bay Lake

Reports from guests of Polynesian seem to be improving dramatically w/ each passing day. I am staying there in July and can't wait! But you make a good point about the pool. AT CR your kids will have 2 pools to choose from.

Walking to MK and back is a real luxury and only possible for CR (and BLT) guests

Hard choice!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Poly over contemporary...

Any deluxe over a moderate...

Wilderness lodge and animal kingdom over the other deluxes - if you can get an appropriate, lb for lb discount

 

[Kimi313]

I love both the Poly and Cont. I love the Cont GW just as much as I love the Poly GW so you can't loose with either. If construction is a concern, even though it seems like things are finishing up, I would pick Cont but if Poly is your first choice go Poly and don't be worried too much about the construction. When we stay at Cont GW we always request bottom floor and we have always received the courtyard area, now this was when North Wing was there, and we loved sitting out on the patio. I have also heard people loving being on a patio lagoon side! I think Cont GW are some of the best deals at a deluxe but don't tell Disney!

 

[TJA]

When we do a split stay, our favorite split is a monorail resort with BC. With kids, it's very hard to beat the convenience of that split. Focus on MK while at the monorail resort and focus on Epcot and HS while at BC. As far as Poly vs. CR....we've stayed at both and love both, but they're very different. Poly is more of a laid back Hawaiian type/palm trees/lush setting while CR is far from laid back. Once you get on the 4th floor at CR where the restaurants are, it's very much Disney themed as the views from the large window walls are spectacular, Chef Mickeys music and characters, and most of all the monorail runs through! So I'd choose which resort based on which theme sounds more like your family. We are staying at Poly and July and are not worried about the quiet pool construction.

As far as POR, we've stayed there before and think it's beautiful. However, we've grown to really love and expect ease of getting to parks; therefore, we generally tend to choose a monorail resort or an Epcot resort. Plus we really love balconies/patios in our room -- DH is an early riser and likes to take his "work" outside with morning coffee.

 

[BOST99]

POR is probably our fav moderate however I would still pick the CR GW. The theme of CR did/does not appeal to me either however the ability to walk to the MK at the end of a long day (and avoiding the crowds for the buses) and be back to our room in 15 mins was worth the extra cost, IMO. During our afternoon break we did take the monorail to avoid the sun for the walk which is a quick ride (CR is the first stop).

I actually liked the relative quietness of the GW compared to the Tower and was a quick walk to the pool and boat launch.

 

[HairyChest]

Poly

port orleans was dissapointing

 

[skifast22]

First off, while I love to visit the Poly and would like to stay there eventually, I would not stay there during construction. Disney charges far too much for their rooms, and does not discount for construction. If I'm spending $400+ a night, I do not want to see construction walls and hear jackhammers.

So with Poly gone, I would cast my vote for Contemporary. I always find it curious when people talk about lack of theming. The monorail goes through the hotel, the characters can always be seen roaming about Chef Mickey's, and the Magic Kingdom can be seen from the all the windows and the 4th floor observation deck. Add in views of Wishes, Electrical Water Pagent, and the Grand Floridian across 7 seas lagoon and I'm not sure how much more "Disney" one can get? The pools are nice. You can relax and watch hte monorail enter/leave the resort, and the views of Bay Lake are great. I love the quiet pool as it's actually built over the lake, and offers a great spot to watch the electrical water pagent at night. Not sure about crowds, I typically go in September or October and the pool is never crowded. May be busier in the summer months. Only complaint about the pool is the pool bar. It is very small, and indoors. Wish they'd invest in a nicer one like the bar at Bay Lake Tower.

 

[Rosebud123]

We are doing a 5/5 night split stay in August at the Poly and YC. We could have chosen CR garden wing, but that didn't appeal to me at all. I'm not even thinking/worrying about the construction. Now that the lobby and main pool are done, I know I'll be happy there!!

I would choose Poly for sure.

 

[Epcot at Night]

Thank you for all of your insight. I have a lot to think about. I have ruled out Port Orleans, and I am deciding between Poly and Contemporary. I think it is going to come down to a coin toss or I will let my 13 year old decide as I could go either way and DH doesn't care.