Grand Floridian VS Polynesian August Stay

[bugtyler]

Leaving cost out of it...was wondering opinions and thoughts.....the good and bad about each resort...we will be traveling with 3 adults but do enjoying swimming at night and going to parks everyday....

 

[dancemonkey]

As adults we would opt for Grand Floridaian. If you have kids say 12 and under I'd do the Polynesian. We've done club level at both and like GF better. The food and atmosphere is nicer at the grand Florida. We think the cm's are nicer too.

 

[Upup4fun]

Grand Floridan has some great pools and pool bars. The vibe is classy and fun.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Grand Floridan has some great pools and pool bars. The vibe is classy and fun.

What is the vibe? I'm unfamiliar. I do like Mizners.

MG

 

[Deb & Bill]

Swimming at night doesn't happen too late any more. With drownings in the past, most pools close by 10 or 11PM.

 

[Sue M]

Both are great resorts. No bad choices. I love them both but maybe GF a tad better.

 

[robinb]

I prefer the Poly's pools to the GF so I would pick there.

Why the MK resorts? I would think that 3 adults would prefer one of the Epcot resorts.

 

[Docsknotinn]

As robinb said...with three adults, None of the above. For adults only I'd really prefer an Epcot or even DTD resort if forced to stay on property. As far as night swimming that's pretty much been no es bueno for a long time. In light of the recent tragedy one might assume that all resort rules would be enforced extra diligently in the foreseeable future. If this is your focus or adult parting is on the menu many off site resorts offer better shuttles and on site bars etc. Several with much better pools (IMO).
If forced to pick between the two I'd say one is not better than the other as long as you are comparing equal room categories.
It's just a matter of theme preference.

 

[betrent75]

The boat horns at the Poly can be loud (early in the morning). GF Seems to be less walking for us (especially since we walk all day). We have fun at Trader Sam's. The hot tub at the Poly is really nice too. Tonga toast...BUT GF is quieter. I think if we were adults only we'd go with the GF or stay at an EPCOT resort because I'd be there all the time.

 

[mickeynut1]

Leaving cost out of it...was wondering opinions and thoughts.....the good and bad about each resort...we will be traveling with 3 adults but do enjoying swimming at night and going to parks everyday....

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons. The Poly is our favorite, but the GF runs a very close second. With that said, I don't think you can go wrong with either one as they are both great. I would choose the one that the theme/decor appeals to you the most. Good luck.

 

[pamkat1820]

Go with the GF, we stayed at the poly in August. Not our cup of tea. Loved watching the fireworks at night from the pool but I hVe stayed in other deluxe resorts that we felt had a better atmosphere for us. I just felt that in the pool area there were ppl swimming that were not staying at the poly. I saw a family have their cups taken by a person walking by. Thought it was the dad taking them to refill them. It wasn't. Seen things at the poly in all the years we stayed at Disney I never seen b4. It was a lot of little things that just gave me a complex by our 9 days were over. Sure the same things could happen at any resort.

 

[Babsy]

We've stayed at both and love both for different reasons. The Poly is our favorite, but the GF runs a very close second. With that said, I don't think you can go wrong with either one as they are both great. I would choose the one that the theme/decor appeals to you the most. Good luck.

Agreed!

We like the fact that almost all rooms at the Gf have balconies, so. if that is important to you, then the GF gets a slight edge. However, we enjoy the atmosphere of the Poly and the easy walk to the TTC for direct monorail to Epcot. So, if a more casual atmosphere and easy access to the TTC is more important, than I would go with the Poly.

Either way, you can't lose! These are tied (along with the CR) for the best resort in WDW, IMO.

Enjoy!!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

GF gets my vote. I prefer the brighter feel to the resort and love the stores in there and places to eat. The Poly theme for me is too dark also not your issue as you don't mention it but as a disabled person the Poly is not accessible I find GF flat and a dream.

 

[amy1981]

I haven't stayed at Poly, just been there for meals. I have stayed at GF and I would definitely stay there again! Both have a different feel...GF feels more classy and elegant, Poly feels more laid back. Personally, sans kids I'd go with an Epcot resort, but we really like going to Epcot in the evenings so being able to walk to Epcot would be ideal for an adults only trip. But that's just me!

 

[Mousemommy1]

The Grand Floridian is a wonderful resort, and I think with 3 adults, you would really enjoy the ambiance. That said, we are staying at the Poly next August, which we are super excited about, but we have 3 kids and know that they will enjoy that pool theme a lot more!

 

[SullyD13]

We face the same predicament! There's about a $100 difference a night for our datesto stay Polynesian standard view (less) vs. Grand Floridian lagoon view (more). We're staying for 12 nights so the extra $100 will definitely add up. But then again there's probably no comparing between the two views.....

The one thing the Poly has going for it for us is that we LOVE it's restaurants. But then again we've never eaten at the Grand either.....

 

[bugtyler]

We do have a reservation for the Dolphin but was looking for a change because we have stayed there the last couple stays...we are only there 4 days and will probably do Magic kingdom 2 days...does anyone know if Poly studios all have balconies a balcony is very important, so if we chance not getting one Poly would be out...thanks everyone for thoughts....

 

[aprincessatlast]

Go with the GF, we stayed at the poly in August. Not our cup of tea. Loved watching the fireworks at night from the pool but I hVe stayed in other deluxe resorts that we felt had a better atmosphere for us. I just felt that in the pool area there were ppl swimming that were not staying at the poly. I saw a family have their cups taken by a person walking by. Thought it was the dad taking them to refill them. It wasn't. Seen things at the poly in all the years we stayed at Disney I never seen b4. It was a lot of little things that just gave me a complex by our 9 days were over. Sure the same things could happen at any resort.

Well this is disheartening to hear. We are going next month and while it has never been on my must do list with the great rate and close proximity to MK we figured we would try it. We always use our resort pool a lot. Seeing people who you know are not staying there is the type of thing that would drive me crazy. I never gave it a second thought at our other resort stays. Is it because the poly pool is small? Why is it not patrolled there more strictly? I noticed when staying at the Beach club they patrols theirs, so why can't the Poly. Is it bad management? Oh wells nothing we can do about it now.

Just out of curiosity what building were you in? Did you not like your room?

 

[Regan117]

Go with the GF, we stayed at the poly in August. Not our cup of tea. Loved watching the fireworks at night from the pool but I hVe stayed in other deluxe resorts that we felt had a better atmosphere for us. I just felt that in the pool area there were ppl swimming that were not staying at the poly. I saw a family have their cups taken by a person walking by. Thought it was the dad taking them to refill them. It wasn't. Seen things at the poly in all the years we stayed at Disney I never seen b4. It was a lot of little things that just gave me a complex by our 9 days were over. Sure the same things could happen at any resort.

Same experiences recently...I'd choose GF too.

 

[Shanti]

I just felt that in the pool area there were ppl swimming that were not staying at the poly.

This is undoubtedly the case. We did a split stay last July between Poly & Yacht Club, and the 2 pool experiences were worlds apart. Yacht Club's Stormalong Bay was never overcrowded, because a CM scanned the magic bands of those entering. However, the Poly volcano pool was people soup. No CMs scanning bands, just a gate that anyone could open or close. There is no doubt in my mind that there was a connection between the Poly pool's overcrowding and the fact that no CMs there scan magic bands for entrance. The fact that it's on the monorail route, easily accessible from Epcot or Magic Kingdom, makes it particularly easy for non-resort guests to drop in for an unallowed swim.