GF or Poly

[buzzlightyear]

If money was not an issue... Where would you stay GF or Poly? I will be traveling without my husband, but my parents will be traveling with me and my 3 kids. ages 7, 5 and an infant. Which resort has less walking to the monorail, or boat launch in general. I know it depends on where the rooms are, but I just wanted an idea!! any advice would be great!!
Debbie

 

[PghDisney]

This of course is a very very subjective question. I have only stayed at GF once, a standard room (going to GF concierge this time becasue FTP made it affordable), and only been one time to the Polynesian, passing through for the dinner show, and for me personally the GF was more what I enjoy and feel at home with, though of course I enjoyed the dinner show and atmosphere at the polynesian (I suppose for me it was a nice place to visit but would not want to live there), but just glance through the posts below, and you will find many many adherents who swear by one or the other, some who swear by both. I would I suppose ask which fits your fantasy best, disney versions of exotic beaches and leis and tiki huts, or high victorian and emersion in disney's version of rubbing elbows with the vanderbilts and rockafellers (or mary poppins for that matter) . . . for my personal comfort I loved the feel of the grand in GF, lots of special details like a two story bird house (chinese chippendale no less) with parrots top to bottom, stained glass, etc making you feel like you walked into a land version of the titanic. Polynesian was nice but just did not IMHO capture the spirit of hawaii as much as GF did its spirit of high victorian. Again though, look down, as many if not more will say the opposite, so again I ask, which fantasy (disney style) most closely fits your and your family's fantasy and comfort?

 

[JayCT]

Like the previous poster said, it is personal opinion. Both places are great, but with kids, I would say the Poly is better. It is very kid friendly with a great zero-entry volacano pool that allows younger children to wade into. For older kids (and adults) there is slide that runs through the volcano. There is also a great beach and lots of lawns for kids to run around on. The GF is much more formal. The GF pool is quite, while the Poly's pool is full of families having fun. There is also the great Neverland Club at the Poly which my kids loved. It will you a chance to have a night out. The rooms are large and comfortable with a casual decor that I liked (some say it is too 70's, I say it is classic). We did lagoon view, concierge last year and loved it. Great view of MK. The concierge offered great snacks and drinks. We ate all of our breakfasts there, plus a number of evening meals (it was great to bring the food down by the pools while the kids played). We felt it paid for itself.

 

[ducklite]

I've stayed at both and the Polynesian wins HANDS DOWN.

As far as the service, there's no comparring. The service at teh GF has been iffy at best for both of my stays.

I always thought the Polyneisan rooms would be run down, dreery adn dark, and I couldn't have been further from the truth. They were much more inviting than the GF rooms.

The Poly is also 100% more kid friendly in every way.

Anne

 

[Tess]

No question, hands down, Polynesian. . .I also thought that GF was my dream hotel and didn't care at all for Polynesian. (I saw the GF in the travel section of the Detroit Free Press when it was first completed and thought I just HAD to stay there--it was everything I loved in a hotel.) We passed through the Polynesian on our way to the Luau while staying at GF (early 90s) and I just didn't get it.

Well, the year after our stay at GF, the kids asked if we could go to that hotel with the waterfall slide (pre-present day volcano pool and prior to GF having it's own pool w/slide). We figured what the heck--it's on the monorail and was less costly. We LOVED it there--felt at home immediately and have never longed to return to GF again. We've also tried BC/YC/BWI/AKL/POR/CBR--Polynesian is definitely our favorite! We've been yearly regulars to the concierge service since we discovered it thanks to our two (then) little ones.

Of course, no hotel is without faults and all have bumps in the road--I'll suffer the bumps at Polynesian!

 

[Snurk71]

I'm going to dissent to the comment that the Poly is way more kid friendly and formal than the Poly. GF has two pools, and both have lots of families enjoying themselves (the GF themed pool is about the same slide as the Poly pool). GF has a couple of children lobby areas with small couches and videos playing the lobby. And I don't think any other resort has as many kid activities as GF (pirate cruise, adventures in cooking, Alice tea party, portraits, hair wraps at the pool).

Most people seem to post that Poly's concierge service is hands down more friendly than GF's. But I wouldn't agree that GF isn't kid friendly.

 

[phyllis1966]

My daughter had a great time with us at the GF last October! It is such a beautiful place to be in, and we found the service to be wonderful - honestly, we have not one complaint about any part of our GF experience. We loved it so much that we are returning this fall, with my parents and in-laws! I've never stayed at the Poly, but I've read so many raving reviews that I'll definitely try it on our next trip to WDW.

 

[hookedup]

Now I will also chime in with my 2 cents. I have a small child and I have stayed at several WDW resorts - the GF is my fav! There are a lot of special kids activities. It is very kid friendly. The zero entry pool with a slide is great and we have never found it to be overrun with too many people either. It is an elegant place but not stuffy just grand. I feel like royalty when I stay there.
Like others I am biased and I am not a big fan of the Polynesian - it just doest appeal to me personally.
They both have some great positive aspects to them and over the past year I have read both positive and negative things about EVERY resort at WDW including the Polynesian & GF.
Have fun planning & good luck with your decision!

 

[nonnymouse]

First of all, the kids will love both places, but IMHO the Poly is more relaxed and friendly. We have stayed at almost every hotel in the resort area and none can compare to the Poly - the GF has amenities, it's true, but the Poly is just as nice, if not better. When we stayed at the GF, I felt like we would have better used our $ at the Poly, to which we immediately returned the next visit. We have done Poly concierge but really love the larger rooms in Tokelau. AND, the best part is the Poly's proximity to the TTC (transportation & ticket center). You can walk to the MK Ferry boat landing, the monorail to EPCOT, and all the bus services from the TTC, which often don't run from the hotels until a certain time in the afternoon (Downtown Disney, etc). At times when the MK monorail goes down, sometimes for hours, we simply take the short walk to the MK Ferry or EPCOT monorail while many others are stuck. POLY RULES!!

 

[chinamom3]

I've stayed at, and enjoyed, both the Poly and the GF. Right now, however, with the Fairytale Package attracting many more visitors than normal, I would be concerned about being at the Poly swimming pool with young children. We just returned from staying at the GF last week with it's huge lobby and two pools, but walked around the Poly. It was EXTREMELY crowded in the pool and beach area, lobby, and restaurants. The GF can better handle the large crowd.