Contemporary or Grand Floridian

WDWDancer

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We are planning a trip for late November 2018 and I'm trying to decide between hotels. Good, bad, ugly

Our kids will be 4, 2, and 2 (4 yr old girl and boy/girl twins) so party of 5. I would like a room with some space and am toying with the idea of possibly a 1 room suite. I prefer monorail hotels for ease of access to Magic Kingdom we are not go go all day park people and have a very laid back touring style.
 
I've stayed at both and I would go with the Contemporary, the walk to MK can not be beat, it's so nice with the stroller set. My b/g twins are 5 1/2 now! The standard rooms are nice and large. If you go with a suite in the main building you will have club level, which is wonderful, or you can look into Bay Lake Tower. Since it's so far away you may even be able to rent points to save a lot of money on a villa.
 
Thanks :) I have not looked at DVC but may have to check what the price difference would be.
 

If you have any interest in using the pool, I would encourage you to stay at Poly which has a kids' splash pad and a zero entry pool. The pool at CR is not conducive to young children at all.
 
If you have any interest in using the pool, I would encourage you to stay at Poly which has a kids' splash pad and a zero entry pool. The pool at CR is not conducive to young children at all.

Not all kids need a zero entry pool. That is a relatively new phenomenon on Disney property. Plenty of 2-4 year olds can have a great time in a regular pool. Mine certainly did at that age. The Contemporary also has a splash pad, if I recall correctly.
 
We have stayed at both and prefer the Grand Floridian. While the walk to the MK from CR is wonderful, the ambiance and magic at the GF cannot be beat! I also prefer the room decor at the GF over CR.
 
Have you considered renting DVC points? You can walk to MK from BLT (Bay Lake Tower).

Thanks :) I have not looked at DVC but may have to check what the price difference would be.

If you want to rent DVC points (actually, you'd be renting a reservation from an owner), plan on Lake View or Theme Park view. The less expensive Standard View 1-bedrooms are already booked up (no more than two nights in a row available) for the entire month of November. Availability via Disney (more expensive) may be different, because they pull from a separate inventory of rooms.

Also, between now and April only owners at BLT can book there. Beginning in April, 7 months from your check-in date, any DVC owner can book at BLT - but availability is likely to be less by then, and DVC rooms for fall dates (mid-September through early January) book very quickly once that 7-month window opens!

Edited to correct an error - the 7-month booking window for November will open in April! Guess I didn’t have enough coffee yet this morning!
 
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We love the GF. The resort is so beautiful, the service was excellent, views are amazing. We've never stayed at CR, and have no desire to. The theming doesn't appeal to us at all, the lobby looks like an airport and the pool, grounds and rooms just look boring to me. MK is our least favorite park so being able to walk there isn't a plus for us.
 
We've never stayed at the CR, but love the GF. The grounds are beautiful/relaxing, there's a variety of great dining options, and there are two nice pools (as well as a great splash pad area for little ones). I'm sure you'll have a great time at either one, but my choice would be the GF. Good luck!
 
We love the Contemporary. Being able to walk to MK and not having to load your stroller onto the monorail or bus will be so much easier. The pool is nothing fancy, but it's nice enough. We also enjoyed being able to watch the Electrical Water Pageant from the beach.
 
We are planning a trip for late November 2018 and I'm trying to decide between hotels. Good, bad, ugly

Our kids will be 4, 2, and 2 (4 yr old girl and boy/girl twins) so party of 5. I would like a room with some space and am toying with the idea of possibly a 1 room suite. I prefer monorail hotels for ease of access to Magic Kingdom we are not go go all day park people and have a very laid back touring style.
It depends on what you're looking for:

Convenience: CR wins for being walkable to & from MK, & for usually not having to walk to outer buildings to get to your room. It also has a boat launch to Fort Wilderness, which is very convenient if you want to do Hoop Deep Doo Revue or Mickey's Backyard BBQ.

Beauty/Theming: Grand Floridian wins. It might also be decorated for Christmas by late November, and its Christmas decorations are amazing.

GF also has a better pool than CR, if that factors into it.

Both are very nice resorts that we've enjoyed staying at. The only thing "ugly" about either one are the prices.
 
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CR is nice because everything is in one building (if you stay in tower). Kids love the monorail coming into the hotel (as do I). Nice gift shop, good cafe for CS, arcade, and walkable to MK. You can often find group rates in the Garden Wing that are very good (consult a Disney specialized TA).

Go up to California Grill for an early cocktail, save your receipt, and go back to watch fireworks from their viewing area.

Staying GF this spring but no experience yet there. I'm sure it's nice as well!
 
Grand Floridian, no question. The themeing, ambiance, beauty of the grand outweighs the few minutes of time you save staying at the contemporary to walk to mk. I prefer the monorail to walking anyways. the views at the contemporary from the balcony are nice but the room is nicer at the grand (and the views from any room at the grand are nice too). The grand is like staying on mainstreet in mk. The contemporary is like walking through the airport.
 
Thanks everyone Prior to the twins we typically stayed Yacht Club club level but that was pre kids and then with only one child

I think I'm going to see about the 1 bedroom GF Villa.
 
Both resorts are great, it really comes down to what type of experience you are looking for:

If you are looking for luxury, fine dining, spacious grounds/gardens, and overall a more refined and elegant atmosphere then go with GF..

If you are looking for convenience, walking distance to MK, and a modern and trendy looking hotel, then go with Contemporary..

Hope this helps..
 


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