Help me decide: Poly or CR...and why?

[mcever4]

I am trying to decide between the Poly and CR. At first I was set on the CR, but now have read some good reports on the Poly and now I can't decide! It will be me, DH, DS(who will be 15), and DD(who will be 3). I have stayed at CR YEARS ago as a teen. DS and I stayed at CBR last summer and DS and I have stayed offsite many times. This will be DH's first REAL Disney trip. He has only been once and that was around 1978 ! Please help me decide which resort to pick! Price shouldn't matter since the two resorts should be pretty close to the same, I think. We will be having meals at all 3 monorail resorts, so that shouldn't matter either. Thanks for any help!

Robin

 

[tiffsix]

From the CR you can walk to the MK so that's a plus but we lean towards the Poly just for the theme. We are more the island type than the modern type

 

[Tyme4wdw]

I have stayed at both, but prefer the atmosphere of the Poly more so than CR. Both are fantastic resorts, but the Poly is more so in my opinion.

 

[schoolinmy3]

Dh loves CR! Ever since he was a boy he has wanted to stay in the resort that the monorail runs through. Last September we finally booked a Tower room at CR and went without the kids. Got upgraded to Club Level. It was amazing. CR is the only deluxe my dh will ever stay in.
Diane

 

[heatherenae71]

My very first post on the Dis was asking this very same question!!! (as you can see, I'm still a newbie, though!)

I have wanted to stay at the CR since my first visit to WDW when I was 13. I just thought it was the coolest thing that the monorail ran through it! I've been back to WDW 3 more times after that visit (never stayed on property) and each time, I am just sooo wowed by the CR and want to stay there!

So, when we starting planning this vacation (our family's first vacation as a family of 4 - and first time to the World), I looked at Poly for the first time and thought my family would really love the theme - that it felt more like a "resort". My DH goes "if we stay at the Poly, the whole time we're there and you see the monorail run out of the CR, you're gonna wish we were staying there." And he's right! So in the end, I booked the CR

We'll stay at the Poly on our next vacation (which will probably be another 4 years from now - haha!)

Our kiddos will be 8 and 4 when we go, and I love that we can walk to/from the MK!

 

[Turk February]

We booked our Christmas vacation this year for CR and the walkway to MK was a big selling point over Boardwalk because we'll be going with our 2 1/2 yr old and spend a lot of time at MK.

 

[mickeynut1]

My choice would be the Poly . We love everything about the Poly......the tropical surroundings, having the beach right there for watching the fireworks, and the great view of the castle from the volcano pool, just to name a few . The CR does have an edge over the Poly with having the walkway to MK, but that's not enough of a factor for us to choose that over the Poly, as theme and atmosphere is more important to us .

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We liked the atmosphere at the POLY more and its closeness to the TTC and the beach facing MK (for fireworks). The rooms seemed about the same size to us. You also have balconies at some of the longhouses (Tahiti where we stayed). There are no balconies in the garden rooms (where we stayed) at CR.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would go with the Contemporary because of the walkway to the Magic Kingdom, their rooms are among the biggest of the Deluxe Resorts and their rates are less expensive then the Polynesian. Finally if you are staying in the Tower all their rooms come with a balcony, something you need to request at the Polynesian. Also the Contemporary pool has a hot tub along with a GYM located on the 3rd floor of the Tower, which are two things not available at the Polynesian.

 

[MrsBlovesDisney]

I would go with the Contemporary because of the walkway to the Magic Kingdom, their rooms are among the biggest of the Deluxe Resorts and their rates are less expensive then the Polynesian. Finally if you are staying in the Tower all their rooms come with a balcony, something you need to request at the Polynesian. Also the Contemporary pool has a hot tub along with a GYM located on the 3rd floor of the Tower, which are two things not available at the Polynesian.

Yup....agreed!!

 

[KatMark]

We have stayed at both, and we prefer the Poly in every regard -- theme, rooms, food, watching Wishes from the beach, the pool, friendlier CM's.

 

[momH2the4th]

We've stayed at both and prefer Poly. The rooms at the Poly are bigger. The rooms also have a couch that makes into a daybed so that my be an incentive for sleeping arrangements. We love watching the MK fireworks from the beach and my kids prefer the Poly's pool. They are both great resorts and whichever one you choose you will have a magical time!

 

[lovesdumbo]

I prefer the Poly. It is easy to get to MK with monorail or boat and love that you can walk to TTC for direct Epcot monorail.

We've stayed at both and prefer Poly. The rooms at the Poly are bigger. The rooms also have a couch that makes into a daybed so that my be an incentive for sleeping arrangements. We love watching the MK fireworks from the beach and my kids prefer the Poly's pool. They are both great resorts and whichever one you choose you will have a magical time!

CR rooms also have a daybed.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I forgot to mention when going from the Contemporary to Epcot all you do is take the Resort Monorail to the TTC which is the next stop once it leaves the Contemporary and from there you take the Epcot Monorail. Personally I found that to be as fast or even faster then walking to the TTC from the Polynesian, especially if your coming from the Tower rooms right to the Contemporaru Monorail station.

 

[graceesmom]

We've stayed at both resorts twice. I prefer the CR over the Poly for
1) the walkway to MK. It great in the morning, but it is even better in the evening if you stay for fireworks or parade at the park. While everyone else is waiting in line for the monorail or resort ferries, you can walk right back to your room.

2) As much as I like the look of the Poly Pool, I prefer to use the pool at the CR. It's a better layout, less crowded, plenty of chairs for everyone, great slide and they have jacuzzis at CR, but not at Poly.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

One more thing that sets apart the Contemporary from the Polynesian, when both resorts share buses the Contemporary is always the first resort where guests are picked up and dropped off at.