Grand Floridian or Polynesian?

[Mickeyisgroovy]

I cannot decide where to stay! We've stayed at the GF before and LOVED it! However, this time we can't decide if we should try the Poly for something new. Here is our info. We have 4 kids, ranging in age from 3-10, so we will be getting 2 rooms. We will be going in late spring so we plan on using the pool a lot.

I LOVE the elegance of the GF. We also loved staying at the GF and doing the Cinderella dinner there - they gave us a prime table for it! We visited the poly and it seemed rather dark and dreary.

But, my husband and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii and the Poly in late spring seems like it would be sort of like being somewhere tropical not just Disney.

Is it true you can watch the fireworks from the pool? When is the GF's pool construction going to be done? Can you walk from the poly to the TTA to get to the Epcot monorail quickly? How do the rooms compare GF vs. Poly?

I am scared I like GF so much I will be dissapointed by the Poly! BUT being that it's a different time of year (we stayed at GF in winter) I think the Poly might be nice.

HELP!

 

[Mickeyisgroovy]

Also - does the Poly have a coffee bar? LIke a Starbucks type drinks?

 

[amccu18007]

On the coffee front, the coffee can't be beat at Poly. However, we did not really enjoy the poly. It is dark and IMO needs to have a refurb done on the rooms. We love Hawaii here as well and it didn't seem like Hawaii to us...lol. Check out the room pics on allears and see what you think. For us it would be GF hands down though. Have a great time either way

 

[Sue M]

Yes to both. There is a morning coffee bar outside Kona Cafe, and a short walking path to TTC. Alsocacwalkimg path from Poly to GF although with the GF construction don't know if its open.

We stayed at Poly, and loved it. Beautiful resort, loved the lush landscaping, being able to see the castle from so many places, and watching Wishes from the beach. We liked our room, very large. We were in Tokelau. One of the newer long houses which are a tad larger and like the bathrooms better. The dark furniture doesn't bother me, I like dark woods. Only thing I didn't like we're the hallways. But wasn't a deal breaker for me.

I haven't stayed at GF so can't compare. Only at GF for restaurants! And shopping lol.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and our favorite is the Poly (although we did like the GF). The decor is totally different between the two (GF bright and airy/Poly darker tones), but we love the tropical atmosphere/decor at the Poly over the victorian atmosphere/decor at the GF. We also love the volcano pool at the Poly and thought the beach pool at the GF was just ok, but still enjoyed our stay. One (of the MANY) things we love about the Poly is having a distant view of the castle while swimming and watching the fireworks from the beach . Captain Cooks is our favorite resort CS and was also a bigger hit with my family than Gasparilla's. Walking to the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail is very convenient as it only takes about 5 minutes. I think the rooms are pretty comparable in size between the two, but our Poly room felt a little larger for some reason. Maybe it was the furniture or how it was arranged, but our Poly room felt a little more spacious . I say give the Poly a try as you'll never know if it's a resort for you unless you stay there. With that said, if you absolutely hate it upon checking in, you can always ask to be moved to the GF or another resort. Good luck.

 

[Butterflygirl35]

Both are gorgeous resorts!!

That being said I LOVE Grand Floridian. It is my fav resort and with the new Alice play area and the Courtyard Pool being redone....I think the Grand will be even Grander very soon!

There is just this amazing feeling pulling up to the GF!!!

Either way you can't go wrong though!

 

[Disneyhenry]

The pool and grounds at Poly looks amazing! My vote is for Poly

 

[Dwheels]

Poly is the best! But I don't like GF it's too snotty for me not a fan

 

[MMS1125]

The Poly! My kids love the volcano pool. It's being refurbished right now. Hopefully by next spring it will be finished in time for your trip

 

[nanhol]

Definitely try the Poly, the kids will love it and you may, too. It is a different feel from GF, as others have said, but it's great.

I did feel like the room decor was a bit dark, but I'm hoping the renovations in the first half of 2013 will include brightening up the rooms a bit. Perhaps you'll be lucky enough to catch a renovated room? They're doing the work building by building and I've read somewhere on disboards the order they're doing them in--maybe you can request one of the buildings they're doing first?

We loved the volcano pool, too. And watching the fireworks and the water parade from the beach was a treat!

 

[bluejasmine]

Thats a really hard one.. Stayed at both and I adore both!

Key points on each resort for us..

Poly:
cannot beat views from here!
totally relaxing, atmosphere, music
kona coffee bar
sushi, ohana, kona, capt cooks
ttc is right next door, we walk to ttc and hop the express monorail to epcot
love getting on the direct monorail to mk, gf, cr
love the shops including wyland galleries

GF:
right next door to mk, took us 5 min from time we stepped on monorail to be IN MK!
relaxing and beautiful ambiance
Narcossee, Cirticos, GF Cafe, 1900 PF, Gaspirilla and games
LOVE the summer lace shop
they have a salon on property
they have a hot tub, after construction done access to spa will be back!