GRAND FLORIDIAN vs. POLY

[jemmouse]

This is our second stay at the POLY. We went last April and will now be there again in 16 days ...

I am gonna admit. A few years back I never thought I would want to stay at the Grand Floridian. But I am changing my mind. I honestly thought it was a bit to stuffy for me. And I am sorry but that was just my perception. And don't get me wrong, my husband is an executive, but it just seemed that it exuded snooty behavior to the max.. WELL I will eat the crow now cuz I am seeing it in a different light..I am a big enough adult to admit fault and I admit fault...

Ok lets fast forward, tell me why you like GF? What is the different buildings? Are some far?

If you have stayed at POLY tell me your thoughts?

If you have stayed at BOTH, this I would love to hear how they compare and how you rank them?

And lastly what do you do on the concierge level?

Thanks again for the advice....

 

[mericletwins]

I have stayed at both and we liked GF more than Poly. Don't get me wrong, we liked Poly, but the GF definitely bumps it to second place.

The pool at GF was bigger, the Poly pool was always crowded and it was at a slow time of year. The GF was lighter, brighter and airier (which is preference thing), we were in the main building at GF so we didn't have to go outside to get to the restaurants. We had a balcony at the GF, but not one at the Poly.

Both stays were TPV and CL. I thought the CL of the GF beat the Poly hands down in both food selection and the lounge area. We also liked the lobby of the GF. It was really nice hearing the piano music as you walked through or sat and waited for the rest of your family to assemble.

 

[bballmom56]

We have stayed at both, although it was many years ago. We far preferred the GF (and this was with 2 young children at the time - 4 yo and 8 yo). As the PP noted, GF seemed lighter and airier, it was very relaxed and friendly, it took us back to a time long ago. We were in a room in the building closest to the boat dock and we preferred that to one near the main building. The kids loved being out there and being "closer" to the MK. It was also a beautiful walk to the main building. We just loved the whole atmosphere and believe me, we are far from stuffy, lol.

The Poly rooms we found to be dark and a bit dreary. It was fine, but nothing overly special for us. The lobby is very attractive and it gives you a very nice polynesian atmosphere, but have to say, we prefer the GF.

We were just back in 2010 and stayed at POFQ. We had dinner at Narcoossee's one night and walked the GF grounds. It still evokes the same feelings for us. We are hoping to be able to stay there again one day. That will certainly be on the list if we hit the mega millions tonight, lol.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Ok lets fast forward, tell me why you like GF?
. . . huge, majestic lobby
. . . afternoon pianist in lobby
. . . evening orchestra and pianist in lobby
. . . stately bar (Mizner's)
. . . overall atmosphere of Victorian splendor
. . . nice grounds

And lastly what do you do on the concierge level?
. . . large lounge area in Main Building Club Floor
. . . always do afternoon tea, scones, snacks
. . . relax in evening, listen to orchestra, play backgammon *
. . . fresh roses in room daily, fresh carnations in bathroom daily

* We ask for one to be brought up for us.

 

[jemmouse]

So the buildings outside the main building is it a long walk? Is it a covered area walk? Bad knees here so I don't like I be to far from stores, pool, and lobby...when you are there and you goto Epcot what is your choice of transportation? Is there also like a service restaurant like Captain Hooks at POLY?

I really do enjoy the POLY but I also do feel it is in need of a bit of a renovation. Not to change the theme at all but to brighten up a bit. Aulani is beautiful in Hawaaii, and In my opinion it's time to spruce up the POLY a bit.

Do all the rooms at GF have day beds?

 

[Mrs K]

We have stayed at both. We have stayed CL at both also. Honestly, I thought that CL at the Poly was much better than Sugar Loaf CL at the GF. We haven't stayed in the main building CL, as I just can't justify the price. Both resorts are beautiful in their own way. GF is brighter and the quiet pool is bigger and seemed less crowded. The Poly is more tropical and we like the atmosphere there better. The Hawaii building CL has a bigger lounge area with a bigger selection(IMHO). Not to sound snobby, but the GF guests seemed a little more classy. At the Poly, we have noticed that guests leave food trays in the hallways, and they stay there for a long time. The CM's don't remove them untill the next day. We didn't see this at the GF. The buildings at the Poly are pretty close together, and it's easy to cut through them when it rains. The GF buildings seem farther apart. It's a hard decision, I can't wait to make it again!

 

[ktlm]

We've stayed at both. Poly was December 2010 and GF December 2011. We prefer the Poly because the transportation to the parks was so much better from there. We were surprised that a resort that you pay so much for, GF, had such horrible bus service. We've stayed at POR, AKL, WL, Poly and GF, and the GF by far had the absolute worst bus service of any of them. We've noticed it on other stays when we visited there too. We never waited less than 30 minutes for a bus to anywhere, and usually it was more than that. The buses would come through full fairly often and the driver would open the door and tell everyone waiting that he couldn't take anyone, but another would be along soon. People start getting irritated when you have been through 2 busses that haven't been able to take anybody and there is a large group waiting for a third. This was also, early December during a low crowd time.

The Poly transportation was terrific. Not only was the bus service better, but since you are right next to the TTC, you don't have to mess with the resort monorail line to get to Epcot. You just walk to the TTC and jump on the express. It was a lot quicker to get to and from Epcot from the Poly.

Our room at the Poly was bigger than the room at GF. Our GF room felt more dated than the Poly rooms, but that doesn't really make a difference to me. Definitely not a deal breaker. The beds at the GF were not as comfortable as the ones we had in our 2 stays at the Poly, but that could just have been our one room at GF.

At GF, we had a building near the boat dock, I can't remember the name. It was a great view for a garden view room, and we liked that we could easily get from our room to the boat dock and grab a boat to the MK. That was the one transportation bonus from the GF that we really liked.

The GF is beautiful and it was gorgeous at the Christmas season. The staff is great. I also like the fact that the grounds at GF are open and well lit. I don't really like walking around the Poly at night by myself. I had no issues with it at all at GF, and felt perfectly comfortable walking out to the boat dock to sit or to go to the main building to CS or the gift shops while DD and DH stayed in the room.

You really can't go wrong with either. DH would pick the Poly every time just because of the transportation issues at GF.

 

[mickeynut1]

We've stayed at both and we love both resorts, although the tropical atmosphere and volcano pool/slide at the Poly appeals more to us than the victorian atmosphere and beach pool/slide at the GF. We also love Captain Cooks at the Poly more than Gasparillas at the GF. But with that said, if I had a choice between Poly GV and GF RPC, I would choose GF RPC. The RPC CMs are amazing and you can't beat sitting in the lounge listening to the band playing in the lobby .