Is the Polynesian worth $60 more per night than the Contemporary?

[MichDISer]

DH says $224 per night at the Poly is too much. Contemporary is $164 per night, he says that is closer to what he wanted to pay.
My question is which of the 2 resorts do you prefer? and if your prefer the Poly is it worth $60 more?
I could probably just talk him into the Poly anyway.

 

[swilphil]

It would probably depend on how long I was going to be there. I think it is worth $180-$240 more if you're going 3-4 nights, but I don't know if I'd be able to swing $300-$420 more for 5-7 nights. Make sure you and your husband look at the pictures of both resorts at allearsnet.com to see how you feel about the theming. If the money is in the budget, it would be worth it to me because I find the Poly more relaxing.

 

[sotoalf]

Hmm. Two very different resorts: different themes, amenities, restaurants. You just have to go to wdwig.com and find out for yourself ithe Polynesian is worth the extra expense.

I love them both for quite different reasons. However, if I couldn't afford the Polynesian and got the discount at the CR you described, I'd stay there in a heartbeat.

 

[DisneyKidds]

I'm sure that $164 for the CR is for a wing room........and wing rooms are not all that special. We stayed at the CR once and if we ever did again is would be in a tower room, and those aren't any cheaper than the Poly.

Unless money is a big deciding factor (I know, when is it not ) I'd go for the Poly. Then again, I try never to spend more than $200 a night at a deluxe, so I'd probably look to the WL or a discount rate at an Epcot resort before I went for a room in one of the CR wings.

 

[IndyDisneyFan]

The Poly is our favorite resort to stay even for very short one night stays. The pool is better(the volcano water slide is great even for adults!), as is the food court. It is more relaxing, quieter, and better themed. But I still do love the Contemporary, so I would stay there if money is an issue. But the Poly is worth the extra money if you can comfortably swing it, in my opinion. No matter where you stay, you will have a great time!

Laura

 

[freediverdude]

I think if you're looking purely at price versus things like room size, location, amenities, being on the monorail, etc, then no, you're not going to come up with Poly being worth more, because all of that is very similar between the two. It comes down to theming and atmosphere, and whether you enjoy the theming of the Poly more, and if so, $60 a night more.

 

[skiwee1]

I think it is worth it, especially when comparing the Poly to a wing room at the CR. If I couldn't stay in the tower at the CR then I wouldn't stay there at all. The Poly is my favorite and I've even paid rack rate for it. There is a huge difference between the two resorts anyway. I would go for the Poly.

 

[40-Something Kid]

I have stayed at both, each for over one week. I think the Poly is a better value, even at the higher price. Theming is much better--design and decor at the CR is not so great, in my opinion. Also, I agree with previous poster that $164 must be a Wing Room, which is not that special and is decorated weirdly. I would not think twice, if your budget will accommodate, to choose the Poly. $224 is not a bad rate for most dates at the Poly.

 

[Bracho]

I agree with sotoalf, these are 2 very different resorts when it comes to themeing.. it all depends on your tastes, but besides that......... Both are deluxe resorts, both on the same monorail system, both offer the same services, both have good dining rooms.. so it looks like it all comes down to the theme of the resort.. everything else is about the same....

With that said.. I love the Polynesian... and I would stay there for the extra $60. just becasue I love the theme of the place. For some reason, it's feels alot more relaxing to us then the Contemporary... ofcourse, it could be just us......

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[MrBelding]

Although we're starting to try new resorts still find Poly the best resort at WDW. Not only is the atmosphere great but we think the resort offers best dinning of all WDW resorts. If not staying at Poly we still make trip to eat at Ohana's and Kona Kafe. Night time strolls around the grounds with the castle.fireworks in background is hard to beat.

Check out TikiMan's web site.....Great Poly info......

http://tikiman2001.homestead.com

 

[WDW LifeLong Fan]

IMHO....

 

[lonegungirl]

I had the same dilemma for my upcoming trip, except the Poly was a little cheaper with the AP rate. I decided on the Contemporary because I've never been to either and don't tend to spend a great deal of time in the rooms anyway. Plus--$40-50/night is not really chump change for me...I love eating, so I now can justify it by imagining the dinners are free

 

[miko]

We prefer the Poly, CR is great hotel but theme is getting old. When we plan to spend more time out of hotel than using the the properties facilities we will normally go for saving the money. If you are stating for more than 4 nights, I wouls split the stay and still save some $$$$$$.

 

[disneyvoice]

Okay, I haven't actually stayed at the Contemporary but I would say yes. On our last trip my fiance and I did some resort hopping to determine where we want to stay on our next trip. I have only stayed at the ASMo and at the Poly. I was actually thinking that we would stay at the Contemporary on our next trip. I was soooo very excited to take the monorail over to look around the resort! BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. I know it is the original resort and all and that it is a stone's throw from MK, but there was just no atmosphere AT ALL. In fact my fiance and I both commented at the same time that it felt like any number of basic convention center like hotels that we have traveled to on business. If someone asked me to describe the "theme" of the hotel I would probably say that there isn't one. It did absolutely nothing for us and we have now crossed the Contemporary off our list of must do resorts.

 

[Del]

I have stayed at Poly and CR tower. I did not like the theme of the Poly. It was dark because of all the vegetation and took forever to get anywhere within the complex. It was also expensive! We loved CR. It was bright and open. The rooms spacious and the tower view was awesome---so close to MK. The monorail was so easy to get to. We watched the board and got a discount code and it made it affordable to us. Don't rule out CR. So many people have different views which is why there is so many resorts to choose from. Good luck in your choice.

Del

 

[Jynohn]

DH and I stayed at the CR North Garden Wing last year when Shades of Green was closed for renovations. We didn't care for it AT ALL. I can't comment on the tower rooms, but the wings were pretty shabby and in dire need of a rehab. For the money we paid through SOG ($70/night) it was a great bargain, but we both agreed that we would never stay there again.

We did a lot of resort hopping during our trip, and the Poly was on top of our list (right after the Wilderness Lodge) for places we'd like to stay on a future trip. To us the Contemporary didn't have a "vacation-y" feel at all, whereas when we visited the Poly we really felt like we were someplace special.

I don't know how much of a factor your budget is on this trip, but in my opinion, the extra money for the Poly would be well spent.

Have a great trip whatever you decide!

 

[javaj]

I agree with many of the posts above that this is really a personal preference. We love CR and for our trip next month (yeay!), we opted to stay at CR tower for $10 more per night than the Poly (we got Shades of Green overflow rates for both). Good luck with your choice!

 

[johnvree]

I love the Poly and always include at least a few days there on our stays.

The big question for me would be where are the CR rooms located. For me, staying on site is all about being immersed in the theme. At the Poly, the theme is obvious and you pay extra for feeling like you've been transported to a tropical island. At the CR, you pay extra for being in the tower building (which is still pretty cool) and having great views of MK. If I couldn't experience the theme, I wouldn't pay extra to stay on site.

That's why where the CR rooms are located is the big issue for me. If they are in the garden wings, you could be disappointed. You are pretty removed from the Tower and the great views. While I have never stayed in the gardern wings, they seem remote, inconvenient and just like ordinary hotel rooms to me. (I will obviously defer to those who have stayed them.) However, at the Poly, there is no risk that you will not be able to experience the theme. Every longhouse is immersed in it. Some are farther away from the pools or Grand Ceremonial House or monorail than others, but they are all surrounded by lush tropical foliage, torches and Polynesian music. You can't go wrong with the Poly.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Sammie]

If you are comparing a Garden Wing Room at CR (and based on the price quoted probably are) and a Garden View room at the Polynesian then Yes the Polynesian is worth the difference.

If you were comparing a CR Tower room which is more expensive then it would be a toss up.

In my opinion staying in a Garden Wing room and a Tower room at CR is a huge difference. Much more than the rooms at the Polynesian.

 

[FINFAN]

How long are you gong for? Is a split-stay an option? moving over would be a breeze, or WDW transfers your stuff for you. I have only stayed at the CRN Wing...but we LOVED it...especially being able to walk to MK. Also, I was a bit nervous because DS has high mold allergies and I had read a few reports about the Poly rooms being/smelling moldy. We have kids tho so the Monorail going right thru the tower was a HUGE bonus for us...kids loved it. I guess I would truly do a split...we did 3 nights ASMU before 5 at CR when we stayed there, and this Dec we are splitting the WL/Dolphin. I can say that the room size in the wing rooms is huge....marble counters in the bath, seperate room for the toilet....great for a family of 4 ...Actually when we rode over to the Poly t check it out, DH said he was glad we were at CR...he liked the open feel a bit more. It is a hard choice tho. Good Luck!