Contemporary vs Poly

[Joyfulsnuff]

If you had to choose between the Contemporary and the Poly which would it be and why? I would love to hear specific argument as to why I should choose one over the other. What things do you specifically like or dislike about these two resorts? I have no experience with either of these resorts other than eating at Chef Mickey's and we spent one night at the Poly 15 years ago on our honeymoon. My concerns are the availability of fast food since we hardly ever eat at sit down restaurants (maybe 2 or 3 times), atmosphere (both are very different) and transportation. So I'm calling on all of you experts for help! Thanks

 

[gonga]

We have stayed at the Poly many times. We love the "Tahiti" because it is the closest to the TCC as you can walk to it via a path right out the door which leads right to it. This way if you wish to go straight to Epcot, you can get directly on that monorail, without taking the MK monorail to the TCC. We also get a ground floor so we are right on the beach. The last rooms (closest to the TCC) have a hammock right outside the room and its lots of fun to sit out at night and "listen" to the park - people laughing and the howling from the HM. I never found the Tahiti to be noisy or busy. It is also fun to watch the sunrise in the morning and see the park "wake up". We have visited the Contemporary for dinners, but never stayed there. If you are not into sit down dining - my vote is for the Poly for the quick access to the TCC and you can easily take the MK monorail from the front of the Poly - which affords you the best of both. This way you can get to your favorite fast food places in either park or you can go to the resort restaurants without the hassle. There are "quick grab" types of food places in the Poly - sandwiches, snacks etc. ( I forget the name of them) You can also get room service and order a pizza, sit out side on the balcony and watch the castle change colors..and have a great view of fireworks and the water parade. I love the Poly, one of my favourites...tied with the GF Hope this helps you decide!

 

[wdwnutze]

I agree with Gonga. We love tahit at the Polynesian. It is very convenient to the TTc and such a peaceful, relaxing walk to the GCH. The Polynesian is a very relaxing resort. It is like 2 vacations in 1. Parks during the day and relaxing on the beach at night. The fast food restaurant at the Polynesian is called Capn' Cooks. They are open 24hrs and are great for a quick bit or a burger or whatever you need. We like having someplace available to us to grab something on the go. They also have room service. We have never stayed at the Contemporary only because the theming doesn't appeal to us. It really is a personal preference.

 

[IndyDisneyFan]

I ditto about the Poly. We stayed there for the first time at Christmas and it was wonderful! We too stayed in the Tahiti building, and it was very quiet and peaceful. And the volcano water slide pool was a hit with both myself and my DS 6. We also liked watching the fireworks at the MK while sitting on the beach. And just when they are finished the water parade starts and is right in front of you. It was a great way to end our day without the massive amounts of people. We have stayed at the Contemporary several times and did have a great time. The Food and Fun Center does have fast food available until 11:00 p.m. with other things available after that. And the arcade is great. But after staying at the Poly I am not sure we will ever go back there again. No matter which you pick I am sure you will love it and have a great time. Both have the largest rooms on property.

Laura

 

[jeannej]

Contemporary hands down. We had better service from the moment we exited out car till the day we left waving good bye.

We stayed in the Tower (no club or conciegre) and really enjoyed the atmosphere, the pool, the veiw and the freindliness of the staff.

Our two expreinces at the Poly were less than stellar. The staff is not as friendly, room wasn't as clean, and service was ok.

jeannej

 

[XStAnt]

Joy,

I think much of the debate concerns who is in your party. If you have young children they will probably like the Contemporary better. The monorail coming through the building is a blast to kids (and kids at heart). I believe the Contemporary has a bigger food court and arcade.

I actually think transportation issues between the two resorts are about equal. From CR it's a 5 minute walk to MK and a quick monorail ride or walk back. To Epcot it's a quick monorail ride to the TTC. From the Polynesian, it's a 5 minute walk to the TTC to go to Epcot. But it's about a 10 minute monorail ride to MK. All in all, I think the transportation issues are equal.

The Poly is a much prettier resort, and also much quieter (but by no means is it sterile). Although they have a small arcade and a small 24 hour convenience store, it's not as good as CR's. I think older children can appreciate the beauty and atmosphere of the Poly better than younger children.

If you have young children in your group stay at the Contemporary. If not, stay at the Polynesian.

 

[chrisp]

Contemporary! Actually, XStAnt, the older our kids got, the more they wanted to stay at the CR. I agree with jeannej, we have found the CM's much better at the CR than Poly. We love the CR because:

it has the best CM's

the monorail goes through it and you're the first stop on the way home from MK and the TTC is the first stop on the way out.

the buses run frequently and are not crowded

chef mickey's is in it (and you can hear the singing when you open the door to your room if you stay in the tower)

the view(s) from the tower are awesome, there's nothing like sitting on your balcony looking at bay lake or MK

the boat etc rentals on bay lake

the rooms are big, clean and comfortable

california grill and concourse steakhouse

food 'n fun center and the arcade

i could go on and on.....

and oh yeah, walt himself helped design it.