Help an obsessive mother of 2 decide between the contemporary and polynesian

[amashstat]

I'm booking a room for 5 nights in January. My two kids will be 2 and almost 4. I'm going crazy, trying to decide between these two options:

Contemporary tower, MK view
Polynesian, MK view

I love the ability to walk to the MK from the Contemporary and the quick ride to the Epcot monorail.

On the other hand, Poly has a quick ride to MK and you can walk to the TTK for the monorail to Epcot. This is our first resort stay. Please help ease my madness. I need to just make a reservation and stop obsessing.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I voted for the Contemporary and here is why. With their Magic Kingdom view you get the best possible view of it so you see everything around there, where as the view at the Polynesian is more limited and the only thing you can really see is Cinderella’s Castle. Plus with two young kids you will appreciate being able to use the walkway to the Magic Kingdom and having the Contemporary being the 1st stop on the Resort Monorail when leaving the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Disney grandma]

Last year our extended family which included 3 little grandchildren stayed at CR. We all loved it. Being close to the MK was nice, but actually we only used the walkway once. The kids enjoyed watching the monorail go through the hotel and our room was beautiful. This year we are staying at the Poly and I hope we will enjoy it as much as the CR. I worried about the little ones on the balconies when we were on the seventh floor and after getting off of the monorail you still either had to take the escalator or elevator to the lobby and then on to your room which wasn't bad just a little inconvenient. I think the fact that the beach is just "outside our door" at the Poly will be a plus for us and I expect to enjoy the outside area more than we did at the CR.

 

[robinb]

to the DIS!!!

​

You're not obsessive. You're just one of us from your very first post .

I selected the CR over the Polynesian. I have stayed in both resorts, but in the "garden" views of each. The Contemporary Tower Magic Kingdom View room is my dream room! *sigh* Now, the Polynesian Lagoon View is not far behind, so you really can't go wrong with either one .

 

[Eeyore3838]

OK let me start by saying that I have never stayed at either resort, but I voted for CR. The reason is being the MK tower view lets you see so much of MK! I would love to stay there! While I love the Poly and all of the restaurants they have, you do only really get the view of the castle. Both resorts would be wonderful though, so good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[busymomma123]

You just can't beat the walkway between MK and CR. Its priceless, when you walk past all the other people getting in line for the monorail and buses, and you know you will be home in about 5 to 7 minutes.

 

[spiceycat]

how sensitive are your kids to loud noise?

if sensitive go with the Polyn. the last thing you want would be your kid screaming through the fireworks because their ears hurt.

however if they don't have sensitive ears then go with CR.

Polyn is far enough away that you can still see the fireworks - but the noise is much, much less.

 

[TJA]

We've stayed at both Poly and CR and also have 2 young children. I want to reassure you that both resorts are GREAT options and you won't go wrong with either one.

Being that we love both CR and Poly, I base my resort choice on the month we are going. I feel the one perk that Poly has over CR is the pool area. Therefore, during the "cooler" months, we will stay at CR and then during the "hot" months we will stay at Poly for the tropical feel.

Therefore, I voted for CR being that you are going to WDW in January. CR will give you more of MK -- meaning that the view you will have is of almost the whole park and you can walk back and forth in 5 minutes (excellent perk with tired kids...assuming you're taking a stroller from home). It also has Chef Mickeys which your kids will most likely LOVE. It's one of the greatest character meals in Disney (entertainment-wise).

Having said that, I want to be sure you know that Poly has a tropical theme, very relaxed theme, and a great pool area. It is a beautiful resort. CR, on the other hand, is a great resort but not really based on beauty but more on "disney magic" being right next door to MK. In my opinion, CR screams disney and Poly is more of a laid-back, relaxing tropical island. So they are 2 totally different types of resorts. Just so you know.....

 

[Bugsmom73]

I too voted poly, only b/c of the pool.

 

[jakenjess]

We've stayed at both, and you definitely won't go wrong with either, so don't fret too much over your decision!

I voted for the CR, but it was a close call. In January you probably won't be using the pools as much as you would during the warmer months. The Poly definitely has the edge with the pool. However, the view from the tower and the convenience of walking to the MK are huge pluses for the CR. At the end of the day when the mobs are lined up for the buses, ferries, and monorail, you can just stroll back to your room. (That's probably a good reason to have your own stroller, too.) The trip to Epcot is very easy too, plus you have the boat service to the Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, which have some good dining options and some fun activities at the campground.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Buzz2001]

I voted for the Poly because of the pool. The monorail is only a plus leaving MK.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

Being a mom of three, and yours being so young, I would go for the CR. It would all be contained in one place and you are soooo close to MK where you will probably spend most of your time. Chef Mickey's is sooo much fun and right there at CR. The pool is a fun mouse shape and simple, but with the ages of your kids that may be perfect. Do the Poly when they are older and can appreciate all that is has to offer for enjoyment.

Congrats on the planning of your trip. Should be a great time to go!!

 

[Minnesota!]

I could have written this post myself! We are going bt Poly and CR. We have 2 boys - will be 21 months and 4.5 when we go.

Ok - so would you people go with a Poly GARDEN VIEW or CR GARDEN VIEW?

 

[Minnie824]

I say poly because it'll be easier for Epcot. You can walk to the TTC and catch the monorail to Epcot instead of taking the monorail from Contemporary to TTC, exiting, then getting on the Epcot monorail. And for the pool at the Poly as well.

 

[spiceycat]

I could have written this post myself! We are going bt Poly and CR. We have 2 boys - will be 21 months and 4.5 when we go.

Ok - so would you people go with a Poly GARDEN VIEW or CR GARDEN VIEW?

that is even harder.

Poly Garden view can be a lovely view. their marina is consider a garden view.

cr garden view is the south wing - i think the first floor so you have a patio.

that say with boys who cares about the view - they want to get to the parks fast - you can get there faster walking from the CR to the MK than riding on the monrail from the Polyn.

the monrail has to stop at both Polyn and GF - it can sit at GF for easily the 5 minutes it takes you to walk to the MK.

of course you realize that one day you are gonna need to rides all three monrails - I can't manage boys not wanting to do that.

 

[MinnieSummer]

My first instinct was to say Poly until I saw that you were talking about a Tower room with a MK view. There is nothing better. My DD loved being able to sit and watch the fireworks through the sliding doors of our room or to sit outside and just stare at the incredible view.

BUT -- if you aren't staying in the tower (either view works just substitute) I would definitely stay at the Poly. The Garden Wing view at CR isn't much more than lawn but the Garden view at the Poly is beautiful.

 

[cara loves the poly]

With the Poly you are viewing a beautiful lagoon with greenery and the castle standing high above it! At the Contemporary you are viewing a parking lot with roller coasters and the castle in the middle of it. The Poly view is "prettier" in my opinion. The contem. makes you feel like your still in the middle of an amusement park. This was from our balcony:

 

[Lives4Disney]

I voted Contemporary.

I have stayed at both many times and they're both nice, but my kids absolute favorite resort is the CR....they grew up going there several weeks a year over the past 17 yrs. For them CR is alive with excitement and magic of Disney.

You are going in January so most likely the pool will not be an issue otherwise I may have voted Poly. If you were planning a trip in warmer months, I'd balk at voting CR due to the fact that I hate their pool area.

We used to always go in Jan when the kids were younger and always stay at the CR and never swam once. We were too busy with other things and the kids didn't miss it. CR MK views are stunning and the "new" rooms are gorgeous. The ability to walk b/F to the MK is an awesome perk - especially with kids in strollers. We used to dink around in the MK after closing and shop a bit on main street, buy a treat and walk back to the CR while everybody else was in a MEGA monorail or boat or bus line to return to their hotels.

I think with young kids in a colder time of year CR is the best choice of any of the 3 monorail resorts.....also, they have a kids favorite Chef Mickeys and then there's the fun shops on the 4th floor and the best arcade in all of WDW....the kids play games for tickets and can win little prizes. My oldest (now 16.7) used to go down to the arcade after we'd return to the hotel and play and win things for his younger sisters every nite. They'd look so forward to that each eve.

Lives4Disney

 

[Deborah_Mary]

Definitely CR all the way!! This is my family's favorite resort and we love the MK view the tower has to offer, it is simply the best! Being able to sit on your balcony and see the fireworks and just hearing the train whistle from your balcony in the morning... ahhh, I know I feel like I've finally have come home when we get there.

The walkway to MK can NOT be beat. We often will walk back to CR after a long day. We have 2 girls now 3.5 and 8.5, but we've been going for the last 5 years and our stays have always been great at the CR when we stay there. On the monorail loop to the TTC is the first stop. Granted it's the last stop on the return trip, but it doesn't take too long to get there either.

Our favorite place for breakfast is the Concourse Steakhouse and having one of their "Sticky Mickey's". I don't know if they will still be open/operating when you go, but if they are definitely give them a try.

We also enjoy CR pool. The slide in my opinion is actually better than the one at Poly. However at Poly they do have the zero entry pool while at CR they don't. We've stayed at Poly in 2005 since I REALLY wanted to try it out (been many years since I've stayed there) and it wasn't as great as I remembered it being. Don't get me wrong, it was VERY nice and we had a nice room in Tokelau... it was a short walk to the main pool, TTC and GCH and Capt. Cook's... but it just didn't do it for us like CR does.

With kids 2 & 4 I would say still CR especially it being in the tower MK that's the way to go. They will LOVE the view and if you are lucky enough to get a room with the beds facing MK, you could then watch the fireworks from the comfort of your bed.

Ahh... we LOVE the CR!

Hope this helps and either way you choose, you will have a great time no matter what!

Good luck!

Deb*

 

[slmcn66]

I'm so glad someone posted this question. We are going in Dec. & booked at the Poly, but my gut is telling me Contemporary. The rooms seem cleaner and brighter inside. Last visit was Oct. 2004, we stayed at the BC. Weather was great, but only used SAB 2-3 times over the 8 day stay and the hot tub/spa was a big draw for me. Only problem I have is two other families are going at the same time and they booked Poly.