GF vs Poly for Disneymoon

[NML11383]

I've been to WDW many times, but find myself conflicted about where to stay this trip. Normally GF isn't even on my radar because of price, but for when we are going they are roughly the same (Poly with the AAA discount and GF with the AP discount - both garden view).

My soon-to-be-hubby and I will be going the first week of July for our honeymoon, and had originally booked the Poly for the romantic feel and the laid back atmosphere. I've stayed there before as a kid with my family and loved it, but a honeymoon is a different experience and I was a bit nervous about tons of kids and the lack of king beds (though it's not like we really need that).

We hadn't even thought about the GF until I called today to get the AP rates and discovered that the Poly's AP rate this summer is not even as good as the AAA rates (ugh!). In the past I've always thought the GF was a bit stuffy and uptight (though I've never stayed there), and not very vacation-y, but given that this is our honeymoon and we want it to be special I'm now not sure what to do.

We are looking to have a really magical honeymoon, feel special and relaxed, and really enjoy ourselves, and are wondering if anyone who has stayed at both places (or who has stayed at either for their honeymoon) could offer any advice on this matter.

Thanks!

 

[lurkyloo]

I've stayed at both within the last year, and I have to give the Grand Floridian the edge. I've never been particularly enchanted by the whole Victorian thing going on there, but I have to say the service I've received has generally been a notch above even Disney's usual high standards. It's not stuffy at all—they're actually really friendly!

Part of my recent disappointment with the Poly was the lack of flexible dining options and the non-separate sink and shower setup of the dark, dark rooms. (Maybe not as much of a problem when you're traveling with a spouse than with a friend, though). I LOVE the Poly's common areas, pool and landscaping, but the rooms just feel tired and cave-like with those low ceilings.

We did a show on honeymoon resorts recently where I go into more detail about both resorts.

 

[One_Song]

We stayed at both on our wedding trip last October. Poly was 3 nights pre-wedding, standard room; GF was 5 nights post-wedding, turret suite. My biggest regret (and I have almost none) is NOT staying at the Poly for a longer time (we also went to Contemporary). I am biased because the Poly is my longtime favorite. I don't love any resort even close to as much as I love the Poly. GF was great too, but that's because our room & concierge team were amazing. I like the theming, food, and nighttime ambiance better at Poly. But it really just comes down to personal preference. GF feels fancy and elegant, Poly feels relaxed and fun.

I would really urge you to consider what you want out of your honeymoon, and don't be too swayed by others' opinions. I was, and I regret it now. There will be people that love what you hate and hate what you love. There is one deluxe in particular that (although charming) I hate staying at and lots of brides think it's great for honeymooners.

 

[Chilly]

What will you be using the hotel for? Swimming, drinking at the bar, eating? Think about those things as well as the room.

 

[NML11383]

Thanks so much everyone!

lurykyloo, Thanks for the podcast! That was really helpful, though of course everyone has their own personal preferences as to what they like and don't like about resorts. And I think I actually used your instructions to make my fiance a groom hat with the Mickey ears!

We're hoping to use the hotel for swimming, some recreational activities (perhaps taking a boat out or something like that), and mainly just hanging around. We have all of our ADRs booked for restaurants (none at the GF, Ohana at the Poly), but they are pretty much all over the place so that isn't really going to impact where we stay too much. We definitely don't want stuffy and are looking for relaxing, but we also want to feel special (who doesn't on their honeymoon! )

While I love Epcot, I've never been too inclined to stay at the Epcot resorts because of the lack of transportation to the main gate. We also aren't at all nightlife people, so we definitely wouldn't be making use of any of the clubs at the Boardwalk Plus, I always feel like being able to see the Magic Kingdom is what really makes it Disney, but that might just be my nostalgia talking

I love the ease of transportation at the Poly because of the walk to the TTS to get to Epcot, and the monorail to MK. Has anyone had any issues with the GF transportation? What about walking from there to the TTS? We both like to walk, so we don't mind if it's a bit long, we're just wondering how long (15 minutes? 20?).

We had also debated the Contemporary because they have AP discounts, but we thought it seemed a bit sterile and not exactly honeymoon-y, but perhaps we're wrong on this account (I only stayed here once 20 years ago, so I don't really have any memories of it at all). Has anyone stayed there for a honeymoon and liked it? Neither of us are really big on the 'hotel' feel or the 'modern' feel of it, plus a tower room would cost us exactly the same as Poly or GF, so we're not sure it's really worth it. Plus we do have ADRs at California Grill for right before the fireworks, so we'll get to see the spectacular view that night

We aren't able to afford Club Level as we're stretching our budget as is (though a free upgrade would be awesome, though of course we aren't expecting it! ), so the service there isn't the issue really. I'm jealous of those who can afford that! Is the GF more likely to upgrade people there on special occasions since they're the 'flagship' resort? Like I said that isn't our goal, just wondering

One more thing to note: my fiance has never been to WDW before (or Disney anywhere), so I also want to make sure wherever I decide is really going to wow him (and convince him to become a disneyphile like me ). This is part of why I'm having such a hard time making the decision- plus he's absolutely no help!

Thanks again!

 

[lurkyloo]

I love the ease of transportation at the Poly because of the walk to the TTS to get to Epcot, and the monorail to MK. Has anyone had any issues with the GF transportation? What about walking from there to the TTS? We both like to walk, so we don't mind if it's a bit long, we're just wondering how long (15 minutes? 20?).

This is an excellent point: Right now the monorail is being shut down periodically due to construction at the Grand Floridian, and even when that's not in effect, the monorails seem to be having all kinds of problems lately that require long waits in the stations. So the Poly would be your best bet for walking to the TTC to get to where you need to go. Walking from the GF to the TTC via the Poly would be a looooong trip. I'd say at least 20 minutes to a half an hour. The distance between the two resorts isn't too bad, but the resorts themselves are so large that it adds a lot of extra time without you even realizing it.

Is the GF more likely to upgrade people there on special occasions since they're the 'flagship' resort? Like I said that isn't our goal, just wondering

No scientific evidence, but from reading lots of trip reports, it seems the GF may be more likely to hand out honeymoon freebies (Champagne, candy, etc.) due to the high volume of honeymooners they deal with—but not necessarily room upgrades. Those really do depend on how full the hotel is at the time, and both your choices are very popular.

 

[NML11383]

So I called Disney today and was quoted an AP price for the GF that was $300 cheaper than yesterday! I'm not sure how that happened, or what even happened (though the person I spoke with yesterday didn't seem all that well-informed so maybe they made a mistake?), but needless to say that $300 savings was exactly what we needed to make the decision for us!

GF here we come!

 

[NML11383]

Sorry for the double post but I forgot to ask- anyone have any suggestions as to which building/room to stay in? We just have a regular garden view room, and we're looking for something semi-private and quiet, preferably as 'adult' as possible.

 

[pixie921]

Sorry for the double post but I forgot to ask- anyone have any suggestions as to which building/room to stay in? We just have a regular garden view room, and we're looking for something semi-private and quiet, preferably as 'adult' as possible.

Congrats on the great rate for the GF! I think it's the perfect honeymoon resort.

There's a lot of construction going on, but if you're not near the main building, you really won't notice it much. For quiet, I would suggest Sago Cay or as a second choice, Conch Cay. They are the furthest from the main quiet pool area, but still close to the main building and Gasparilla Grill, as well as the boat dock. The large "quiet" pool isn't as quiet as it used to be, because they've moved the kids' daytime activities and the nighttime movies there due to the construction at the waterfall pool.

Hope this helps -- we loved our stay at the GF last week!

 

[lurkyloo]

Also, if you're lucky enough to get a room at the end of Sago Cay, you can watch the fireworks from your balcony!

 

[DisneyDream88]

Hey NML11383, are you all getting married down at Disney too. We're getting married on the first of July and going to be staying for our honeymoon too! We are staying at the Poly for 3 nights and then switching to French Quarter for the other 3.

 

[minniebride]

We stayed at the Poly club level and it was amazing!! We were treated like royalty. The CM's went above and beyond-decorated our room with so many towel animals upon arrival (our wedding night), gave us champagne, chocolate, and also REAL FLOWER lei's (not the plastic ones). The CL lounge is amazing-perfect view of the castle and they pipe in the music to watch Wishes every night. Such a relaxing, spacious, and beautiful room-it was definitely the best resort we had ever stayed in!

 

[sambycat]

I would make my main request ANYWHERE to have A KING SIZED BED. Or just one bed. Most rooms throughout WDW are the 2 double configuration. Most kings are in higher grade rooms I think I heard somewhere. We used the GF for our pre/wedding night stay. They weren't going to upgrade us or anything (which is fine) and I was brought to a room (nice view) but 2 beds (GF rooms are teensy IMHO) and I probably over dramatically blurted out that it would be our wedding night and didn't they have any room with one bed. Even one queen! That led to phone calls and we ended up in a concierge room which was awesome but I felt bad! All I wanted was one BED!!!

my personal pick would be a boardwalk room, requesting a single bed, possibly Epcot view and/or renting DVC points to get a one bedroom DVC room (big and awesome bathroom but limited maid service). If you don't have mobility issues, although the busses are pretty lame, you can easily walk to both Epcot and DHS, take the boats, and from Epcot you can get to faster busses everywhere and the monorail. Boardwalk is so beautiful!