CR or Poly?

[ory]

We are planning a trip for late Jan/early Feb for 7 nights. Should we stay at CR or Poly?

Here are the details:

We have 2 young boys (one will have just turned 5 and the other will almost be 3 at the time of travel). They both LOVE trains.

We will spend 3 days at MK and 2 at Epcot with one at each HS and AK.

For our only other trip (almost two years ago) we stayed at the AKL

Since it will be cold I doubt we will use the pool very much.

If we stay at CR we will get a MK view tower room since the kids also love fireworks.

I figure either way I can't go wrong, but I just can't make up my mind.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I voted for the Contemporary because their rates are the least expensive of the Monorail Resorts, their rooms are among the biggest of the Deluxe Resorts, walkway to the Magic Kingdom, seeing the Monorail go by on the 4th floor, in my opinion they have the best arcade among the Deluxe Resorts and if you stay in the Tower you don't need to worry about walking outside on nights it's cold, which you will always have to do at the Polynesian. Plus all the Tower rooms at the Contemporary offer full size balconies, something you need to reequest for the 3rd floor rooms at the Polynesian. Finally the Contemporary pool has a Hot Tub which the Polynesian pool does not have and if you want to work out in a GYM the Contemporary has one on the 3rd floor of the Tower. At the Polynesian anyone who wants to work out needs to walk over and use the GYM at the Grand Floridian since they don't have their own GYM.

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at both, with and without our kids, and we all preferred the Poly over the Contemporary. We found the staff friendlier, the rooms more to our liking, the grounds and theme much more appealing and we loved watching Wishes from the beach.

 

[nicole0992]

I have stayed at both hotels and love them both. However, with your boys I woul stay at the CR. My son LOVES trains and the monorails. He still is mesmerized whenever he is in the Grand Canyon concourse and looks up and sees a monorail whizzing by. Also, the balcony views at CR for fireworks are incredible.

 

[Mrs K]

I voted for the Poly. It's so much prettier than the CR.

 

[spiceycat]

if he is into trains - Cr.

you should also be able to see the MK train from your room.

 

[BoomNLeon]

The Poly! It is more expensive, but the transportation options are better. You can walk to the TTC and monorail to Epcot, boat or monorail to MK. It is a Disney original and the grounds are amazing.

We love CR, though. It is a great resort (we own at BLT) but it lacks some of the above.

 

[Azrael]

I love having the beach at the Poly. The pool is so much fun for the kids because of the volcano. For those reasons, along with the self serve Dole Whip, I would choose Poly over CR. Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[morethananyonex]

Normally, I would say Poly BUT it sounds like your boys would have a great time at CR. They have a "train" going right through their hotel, and they would be able to see fireworks from their room.

Since the pool isn't an issue for you, I would definitely go with CR.

 

[mickeynut1]

I would go with Poly .

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I forgot to mention the Contemporary has a very nice kids splash play area and in my opinion it looks a lot better then the one at the Polynesian. Plus the pool slide at the Contemporary looks like it's a lot more fun since it's bigger and has more tuns. Finally the main Contemporary pool is shapped like Mickey Mouse ears, so you can't get more Disney then that and I ask what other WDW Resort pool is designed like that?

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

CR -- for you, only because you have two boys who love trains and you are getting a tower room. My personal preference is the Poly. I don't like the concrete and corporate feel of CR. Plus everytime I walk off the monorail there is always a bunch of litter and debris. I don't want to think about my Dyson what needs to be vacuumed while I am on vacation. But again, I choose CR for the boys.

 

[iloveeeyore]

I have to first say that my very favorite resort is the Poly! However, in your case, I recommend the CR.

The CR is a wonderful resort, it is one of the original WDW resorts and is VERY beautifully (I think tastefully) Disneyfied. Don't be scared by opinions that it is not well-themed. While the theming is more understated than many others, The CR is in walking distance to the MK, has spectacular views from almost every window, has the monorail running through it, and Disney just LIVES in every corner of this resort! The view from the MK tower rooms is absolutely spectacular!

Since you will be going in winter and may not be able to fully appreciate the tropical theme, grounds and pool at the Poly, I think it would be nice to be in the tower without ever having to go outside for a meal (if you choose not to) or to access your transportation options (well the bus stop at CR is covered at least, you just step out of the lobby and it's right there). You will have a FANTASTIC view!

Honestly, you cannot choose wrongly here! Whatever you do decide, take advantage of the easy monorail commute and plan time for a meal and some browsing at the other monorail resorts. They are all amazing!

 

[bas71873]

I voted for the Contemporary because their rates are the least expensive of the Monorail Resorts, their rooms are among the biggest of the Deluxe Resorts, walkway to the Magic Kingdom, seeing the Monorail go by on the 4th floor, in my opinion they have the best arcade among the Deluxe Resorts and if you stay in the Tower you don't need to worry about walking outside on nights it's cold, which you will always have to do at the Polynesian. Plus all the Tower rooms at the Contemporary offer full size balconies, something you need to reequest for the 3rd floor rooms at the Polynesian. Finally the Contemporary pool has a Hot Tub which the Polynesian pool does not have and if you want to work out in a GYM the Contemporary has one on the 3rd floor of the Tower. At the Polynesian anyone who wants to work out needs to walk over and use the GYM at the Grand Floridian since they don't have their own GYM.

I'm trying to decide between these two resorts too, but we (Me, DH and DD who will 10 when we go) aren't going until August 2013 to celebrate some milestone birthdays and we want to stay for 10 days.

I lean toward the Poly for the more "vacationy" feel and DD likes the pool, but the bolded parts above about CR have me waffling.......

 

[rusty4]

We stayed at the GF on our last trip. First deluxe resort for us. While there we visited both the CR and the Poly with our DS (7). After visiting both we all said that we like the Poly the most. We are hoping for the Poly for this next trip though it was not an option for us last time. CR was.

The arcade at the CR is large but dark. The one at the Poly is smaller but it was brighter which we liked. The only downside I see with the Poly is that there are alot of people there in the main areas visiting the resort like we were. Not actually guests of the resort. Actually though all of the monorail resorts are that way. They all have the restaurants that people want to try.

Epcot was our favorite park this last time and with the TTC walking distance from the Poly that is a plus for as well.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

CR -- for you, only because you have two boys who love trains and you are getting a tower room. My personal preference is the Poly. I don't like the concrete and corporate feel of CR. Plus everytime I walk off the monorail there is always a bunch of litter and debris. I don't want to think about my Dyson what needs to be vacuumed while I am on vacation. But again, I choose CR for the boys.

I agree. I would choose the Poly in a tiki minute, but since the boys are into trains, they would get their fill.

Now I would book the Poly for us and let the see the monorail there, lol.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The arcade at the CR is large but dark. The one at the Poly is smaller but it was brighter which we liked.

Another difference is the arcade at the Contemporary you win prizes with the games that give out tickets, however they don't have prizes to be won and those types of games at the Polynesian arcade.

 

[TJA]

If I voted based on my own personal info, then I'd pick Poly. However, I voted for CR based on YOUR personal info for the following reasons:

> Two young boys who love trains = CR. Nothing can compare to eating in the various restaurants as the monorail passes thru.

> 3 days at MK = CR for the walking path.

 

[Yellosno]

sounds like both are good options i would flip a coin

 

[rusty4]

This link may help you to decide. Or totally confuse you! It has links to blogs for both resorts that are really detailed. HTH.

http://www.wildernesslodgesite.com/content/links