Contemporary Resort or Grand Floridian

[camperdown9]

Hi

I am planning on visiting WDW in May. I will only be there for two nights and plan on visiting The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs.

I want to stay in a resort hotel and the two options I am looking at are.

a) Contemporary resort in a tower theme park view room.

or

b) Grand Floridian in a garden view - outer building room.

Any advise as to which is better?

Thanks

Alex

 

[alex9179]

I would choose CR. Not only did we love how compact it is, everything under one roof, and a nice TS & QS but that view is wonderful. I'm not one to pay for something like that but we happened upon a good deal and were thrilled every time we were in the room. The option of walking to MK is great, too! Both resorts will bus you to your other destinations, unless you have a car.
Request a high floor and odd numbered room. You'll have a view of MK while lying in bed.

I've not stayed at GF, but it's on our list!

 

[jhaig]

It's worth every penny to be able to walk to the MK in the morning and then walk back after a long MK day while the sweaty masses fight for bus, boat and monorail space. We enjoyed strolling out of the MK slowly after Wishes as everyone else rushed past us.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

It really depends on what you are looking for. They are very different resorts. Grand Floridian is Victorian themed, has more restaurants, better pools, more shopping, but you will access MK via boat or monorail. CR is "modern" (1971 modern), has fewer dining options, the pool is in desperate need of a refurb, but you'd have a great view of MK and can walk there. It really depends on what you want in a resort.

 

[Disney9.9.10]

Grand Floridian has a special place in my heart and if it is an option, it will always be my number one choice.

That being said, CR is a nice compact resort. Staying in the tower gives you quick access to dining, monorail and bus transportation, shopping and a walking path to MK. If you get a theme park view, there is also that.

I don't think that you could go wrong with either resort. They are both wonderful and have their own unique themes, one of which may suit you better than the other.

 

[100acreHiker]

I have stayed at both, and I would choose the GF every time. Yes, you can walk from CR to MK via the path, but GF also has a boat that goes to and from (CR does not have a boat). I would argue that after a long day walking the park, the 15 walk back to the CR was more than my kids and I felt up for. The boat back was nice. Additionally, the CR main building was not pleasant, in my opinion. All the noise from Chef Mickeys, the sounds of the monorail running through, the air quality felt stale and weird. The ambiance was not pleasant. Grand Floridian just felt magical to us. It was pretty, it was compact, it smelled good, the lobby glowed and sparkled, the pools were WAY better, the quick food service was way better. Just overall a more pleasant and enjoyable experience. I thought the layout of the rooms at CR was a bit better, but not bigger. Other than that, the sterility sort of killed the plusses. I wish we could afford to stay GF every time we went. We switched over to Epcot resorts because we like walking into EP at night, but I miss GF very much. I don't feel the need to visit or go back to CR.