CR vs Poly vs GF: which club level w/ young kids?

[GADisneyDad14]

Poly's club lounge does have a beautiful view. But, we never saw those evening skies. Our kids were too exhausted. They were showered and asleep by 8 every night. DH and I sat on our GV balcony and talked, which was pretty nice, but not THAT ^ nice

LOL, that photo was actually around 6:30AM. Even on vacation i can't shake getting up early and usually head to the lounge around 5:30-6 while the family sleeps. Usually can get a good peaceful hour of catching up on work or whatever!

But I can relate to your comment. DS has been staying up later lately, but for most of our travels so far, our kids are in bed early too. Learned early on that sticking somewhat with a reasonable sleep routine kept everyone's spirits up!

That's the main reason I've usually been swayed by a TPV or LV room since we can put them to bed, sit on the patio, have a drink or two, check out the electrical parade, Wishes, or just enjoy the comings/goings on the 7 Seas Lagoon.

 

[Babsy]

I have CR club level booked for 7 nights in February/March of 2017, but the ability to easily change reservations online has made me second guess my choice. I have two young kids (4.5 and 2.5 at time of travel). I have not been to disney in 30+ years.

My kids still nap, so we will be returning to the room after lunch for ~2-3 hours and return to a park and do a couple rides/things before dinner in a park (and then back to room for bed). I plan on doing all the parks, but mainly MK and most evenings I plan on us going to MK.

Ignoring cost (they are close enough), which monorail resort (CR vs Poly vs GF) is the most convenient for kids -- in terms of access to the parks (particularly MK)?

And how different are the club levels? Is one more kid-friendly with regard to snack choices? I plan on doing breakfast nearly every morning via CL.

I was sold on CR, but want get opinions. If you were traveling with young kids and wanted the most convenient resort, which would you pick?

Thanks!

POLY:

Best atmosphere
Most popular
Nice lounge with a good view, no balcony
Lounge food and CM's are the worst of the three in our experience
You have a 1/3 chance to not get a balcony or patio, Ground floor = patio, second floor no balcony, third floor = balcony
pools are nice
splash play area is great
monorail is two stops from the MK, boat ride is second stop from the MK
watching fireworks from the lounge or beach is nice
QS is good
dining options are good

we have stayed here 4 times (TPV only when in CL, GV in non CL)


GF:

Best food, NO contest, in the GF lounges!
good dining options
1900 Park fare has a really funny character meal for dinner (Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters are hilarious!)
pools are nice, splash play area is great
Lounge has no view at all and is crowded
no rooms have a TPV in SL
Lounge CM's are good
dining options are really good
QS is better at the Poly and CR, IMO, but still acceptable at Gasparilla's
monorail is just one stop to the MK
first stop on boat from the MK (shares with the Poly, second stop)
all rooms have balcony, most have nice but not great views
nice view of fireworks from the boat dock or in front of gasparilla's

we have stayed here 5 times (in both RPC and in SL)


CR:

Great view of all the MK area from the lounge - absolutely stunning, IMO
Lounge has a balcony from which you can view the MK fireworks - especially nice if your room is on the Bay Lake side
You can also view the fireworks from inside the lounge through the windows
Food is better than the Poly CL, not nearly as good s the GF CL
CM's were the best of all three for helpfulness, in our experience
ALL tower rooms have awesome views, TPV or BLV
all tower rooms have balconies,
everything is under one roof, no going outside if weather is bad
Chef Mickey's is just downstairs
Contempo Cafe has great QS
California Grill upstairs is really good and again has great views of the MK area and fireworks
The Wave is a hidden gem of a restaurant, IMO
WALK to the MK - anytime you can walk it is a huge advantage - no waiting in crowds for monorail or boat
plain, very mediocre pool, little in the way of a splash area for kids
nice slide and nice views of Bay Lake from the pool area, otherwise not much to recommend it
we have never had a problem with the elevators, but some people apparently have
The CR is just a few minutes walk to the MK bus stop, so it has direct bus transportation to all the other WDW resorts
CR has a boat to FW and WL for dining options and activities there

we have stayed here 5 times (in both TPV and BLV)



General thoughts
WE have travelled with our own children when they were small and now travel to WDW with our children (now grown) and our Grand kids. Our two DGD's are now aged three and six but have both stayed in all three of these MK resorts and enjoyed all three immensely. We stayed in the CR when they were in strollers and were very happy that we did so. The girls loved that the monorail went through 'their' hotel!

Obviously, there are pros and cons to staying at any of these resorts. We really wanted to stay at the Poly first with the DGD's, but the Poly was undergoing renovations at the time so we stayed at the CR and fell in love with the resort. Our DS and DDIL subsequently purchased DVC at the GF and love staying there. They just came back from a stay in the POLY lsat week (stayed for 2 weeks) and decided that they prefer the GF and the CR. Personally, I still like the Poly the best - I think! LOL! The decision on my fave changes all the time. LOL! The two DGD's love them all, of course.

You really can't go wrong with these three resorts. All three have their fans. I will say that fewer people seem to prefer the CR and more people seem to prefer the Poly, so perhaps the Poly is the safer bet for most.

If pool time isn't important and convenience to the MK is paramount, then the CR is, IMO, the strongest contender. I love that all the rooms have balconies with fabulous views - so no worries about getting a room with dreadful view or no balcony.

If down time at the resort and a nice pool are important then either the Poly or the GF are better options. If a view from the lounge is important then the Poly is the clear choice. If food choice and variety are more important, then the GF SL is the better option. If you want a guaranteed patio or balcony then the GF is your choice between the Poly and GF.

I'm not you and don't know what you like, but FWIW, with the age of your kids and your plans to do the MK most evenings, I would stay at the CR this time around. I would definitely plan to go back and stay at the others at a later date, though. If this is a one and done trip, then I would stay at the Poly or GF.

Does the theme of either one of the three appeal to you more? Look at some pictures in the different threads and online to get a good idea of views and room decor, etc. That might be the biggest factor of all, especially if it is the Poly theme that you like.

Good luck choosing! I am sure that you will have a wonderful vacation regardless of which one you choose!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I 1000% agree with everything @Babsy said above (although my conclusion would still be Poly CL). Someone sticky it because it captures the essence of all three perfectly, IMO! Wise words!

 

[cutigerlady]

I haven't stayed at the Poly, but I've stay at CR and GF CL. I would stay at the CR with little kids. We stayed here with my older son and he thought every room at Disney had a view of Cinderella castle and had a monorail running through it! He was mesmerized watching everything on the balcony. We stayed in the garden wing with my younger son this summer and it sealed the deal for me for a kids trip. I thought the service here was better than the GF!

I do think CL service was great at the RPC and the food offerings are outstanding. To really get your value out of it, I think you need to have a more relaxed, less theme park focused trip. I'm not sure that is what your kids will want to do.

 

[anomamatt]

Such great posts! Thank you everyone! I'm still undecided on CR vs Poly, but clearly they are both good choices. Thanks so much for all the thoughts and experiences.

Just be warned you'll have a large crowd telling you the DP and CL is 'too much'. I tend to agree with that, but only you know your style and what works for your family/budget, so the popular opinion may not always apply.

I totally understand the sentiment that CL + DP is too much. I *think* it will work for us because my 2.5 year old won't be on a plan, but will share -- meaning, we will use the 3 meals from the DP for all 4 of us. And we are going to do CRT and maybe Cali Grill (I have ADR for CG, but might cancel it, depends on whether I want to risk taking the kids there and a possible meltdown). Of course, this is our first WDW trip, so I could totally be wrong.

That's the main reason I've usually been swayed by a TPV or LV room since we can put them to bed, sit on the patio, have a drink or two, check out the electrical parade, Wishes, or just enjoy the comings/goings on the 7 Seas Lagoon.

My kids are asleep by 9 on a normal day, so might be early after a day at WDW. But I also like the idea of a room with a view (lake or TP) to sit on a balcony with my wife and drink (haha).

 

[anomamatt]

I'm not you and don't know what you like, but FWIW, with the age of your kids and your plans to do the MK most evenings, I would stay at the CR this time around. I would definitely plan to go back and stay at the others at a later date, though. If this is a one and done trip, then I would stay at the Poly or GF.

Your post was amazing, @Babsy. Thank you.

After reading your post and especially the part I quoted above, I am back to CR. Right now, my kids won't be worried about the resort theme, but as they get older, they will. My wife and I have both been anxiously waiting for our kids to be "old enough" for WDW, so I know we will be making at least a few WDW trips during the next decade. So maybe the solution is that I'll book Poly on a bounce back offer while we are there in Feb/Mar, haha. (I laugh, but it will probably happen).

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Well darn, if you're going to stick with CR I guess I can share some pics of there too! Lol. BTW, we had some amazing CL CMs there last month.

 

[Babsy]

Your post was amazing, @Babsy. Thank you.

After reading your post and especially the part I quoted above, I am back to CR. Right now, my kids won't be worried about the resort theme, but as they get older, they will. My wife and I have both been anxiously waiting for our kids to be "old enough" for WDW, so I know we will be making at least a few WDW trips during the next decade. So maybe the solution is that I'll book Poly on a bounce back offer while we are there in Feb/Mar, haha. (I laugh, but it will probably happen).

You are quite welcome. I am happy to help. And the idea of a Poly Bounce Back is a good one, IMO! LOL!

Enjoy your trip!

 

[JonesFamilyTravels]

My daughter is 10 years old and Disney's Polynesian Resort is her favorite Disney Resort!! We love the Hawaii theme, pool, and Dole Whips!

 

[Wills Mom]

We went last year and stayed CR with our then 1.5 and 3.5 year olds. My DH was ill on our second day and it was so easy to walk with them in their stroller to MK while he recovered in peace. For that alone it was fantastic but our kids also loved watching the monorail come and go, travelling the loop on the monorail is like a ride in and of itself and you don't even need to leave the main building, but seriously walking to MK is the best perk at their ages. If we were going again this year (we're not, boo!) it would be CR for sure! Have a blast!!

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Poly has fabulous pools for kids, food options, monorail or boat ride the parks. It is soooo relaxing and not as loud as the CR. The lounge is beautiful and children are more than welcomed. We have stayed there many times and they keep wanting to go back.

We did CR twice for dinner and after all day in the park the walk to the CR was sooooo long for my daughter and me.

All are great choices, but our hearts are with the Poly.

The waterpark is awesome for kids!! They will love it!