March 2023 Should I stay at Contemporary or Polynesian?

[rauk]

My family and I are going to WDW for the first time in March 2023. My twins will be 8 years old and we have our heart set on staying near Magic Kingdom. We will be there for 6 nights and will be spending 4 days at the parks and our downtime will be spent by the pool or in our room.

In March 2023, The Polynesian will likely have construction from the new villas going up and the Contemporary’s pool will be closed due to refurbishment. Knowing this, which resort would you recommend for us to stay at?

 

[quoo]

I think the construction will be largely contained to the one side towards grand Floridian so I'd say poly as you say pool time is important.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

If pool is important I would pick Poly. I've stayed at resorts under construction and most times, it's a non issue. Not all the time but the work that's going on at Poly will be closer to GF as quoo mentioned for the new hotel.

Another nearby MK option is Wilderness Lodge. Also a great deluxe hotel with a fun pool and just a boat ride away from MK.

 

[holden]

My heart belongs to the Poly, so I say go with that.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

I also vote for the Poly. I think the theming is better, the pool is great, and the food options are wonderful as well.

 

[PalmettoPath]

My vote would be Contemporary. Nice easy walk to MK, bigger pool area vs. the Polynesian -- which has nice pools but undersized for the resort and therefore very overcrowded during busy times like Spring Break. We go every March and always stay in the MK resort area at that time of year. You really can't go wrong either way, but for us the Contemporary edges out the Poly for space, pool sizes and amenities. Good thing is you can resort hop to the big three on the monorail whenever you like

 

[quoo]

My vote would be Contemporary. Nice easy walk to MK, bigger pool area vs. the Polynesian -- which has nice pools but undersized for the resort and therefore very overcrowded during busy times like Spring Break. We go every March and always stay in the MK resort area at that time of year. You really can't go wrong either way, but for us the Contemporary edges out the Poly for space, pool sizes and amenities. Good thing is you can resort hop to the big three on the monorail whenever you like

I think OP said the Contemporary pool would be closed during this trip though...

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Solely due the fact the main CR pool will be closed during that time (a pretty material factor given your desire for pool time), Poly clearly wins, in my opinion, even with the upcoming work there.

 

[PalmettoPath]

I think OP said the Contemporary pool would be closed during this trip though...

Good point--wasn't sure what "winter 2023" meant when I saw the closure (didn't see dates). But if that's the case then that 100% changes things -- Agreed. Poly then given the closure. Good thing we're booking into the Grand instead for March 2023. Did BLT this year.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Just FYI on the CR pool construction, per Disney’s website:

From January 9, 2023 through early April 2023, the feature pool and whirlpool spas will be closed for refurbishment. The water play area and Bay Lake Pool will remain open for your enjoyment. You may see and hear construction noise while this refurbishment is underway, but you should not hear noise from Guest rooms between dusk and 9:00 AM. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Unfortunately CR’s leisure pool just doesn’t cut it for a quality pool alternative, in my humble opinion - so it’s going to be pretty hard for me to recommend CR during that period if pool time is important, I hate to say (as I’m a CR fan in general).

 

[rauk]

If pool is important I would pick Poly. I've stayed at resorts under construction and most times, it's a non issue. Not all the time but the work that's going on at Poly will be closer to GF as quoo mentioned for the new hotel.

Another nearby MK option is Wilderness Lodge. Also a great deluxe hotel with a fun pool and just a boat ride away from MK.

Thanks for the suggestion - I just stumbled on Wilderness Lodge. I'll do some research on it.

 

[rauk]

Good point--wasn't sure what "winter 2023" meant when I saw the closure (didn't see dates). But if that's the case then that 100% changes things -- Agreed. Poly then given the closure. Good thing we're booking into the Grand instead for March 2023. Did BLT this year.

By Grand, I think you mean the "Grand Floridian"? It looks so nice - maybe a little too nice for my kids

 

[rauk]

Just FYI on the CR pool construction, per Disney’s website:

From January 9, 2023 through early April 2023, the feature pool and whirlpool spas will be closed for refurbishment. The water play area and Bay Lake Pool will remain open for your enjoyment. You may see and hear construction noise while this refurbishment is underway, but you should not hear noise from Guest rooms between dusk and 9:00 AM. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Unfortunately CR’s leisure pool just doesn’t cut it for a quality pool alternative, in my humble opinion - so it’s going to be pretty hard for me to recommend CR during that period if pool time is important, I hate to say (as I’m a CR fan in general).

My original plan was CR and then when I read that the pool was going to be closed, I started looking at the Polynesian. Then Disney announced the villa construction! Just my luck!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

My original plan was CR and then when I read that the pool was going to be closed, I started looking at the Polynesian. Then Disney announced the villa construction! Just my luck!

Yeah, I hear you there. Fortunately unless you have a room on the west side of the resort overlooking the work (which admittedly is going to be right up against existing longhouses), the Poly work should be ‘relatively’ (key word) limited in terms of the number of guests impacted. We’ll have to see how it goes of course!

I still think the lesser of two evils here is Poly since both pools are open and ‘most’ of the resort will have minimal impact.

Good luck deciding!

 

[MFMont]

Have you stayed at either?

 

[PalmettoPath]

By Grand, I think you mean the "Grand Floridian"? It looks so nice - maybe a little too nice for my kids

It's actually a great resort for kids -- many onsite kids activities etc. But, it is the priciest of the Deluxe Resorts as well. It's an easy walk or monorail ride from the Polynesian and a nice monorail ride from the Contemporary, so easy to visit.

 

[rauk]

Have you stayed at either?

No I haven't. This will be our first time to Disney World

 

[Stratman50th]

We've always loved the Poly, it would be my choice.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

Between those two, I'd pick Poly. The resort is beautiful and big enough that I think the construction will not be an issue (although I've seen some pics lately with some beach work and I don't know what that is). I see someone suggested Wildnerness Lodge. I LOVE Wildnerness Lodge (beautiful lobby, great pools, beautiful scenery, good food options), but do be warned that the rooms are significantly smaller there than at Poly. Poly has 2 queen beds, plus a sofa that flips over into a twin bed. Wilderness Lodge does not have space for that sofa. If kids are pretty little, it's OK, but we always preferred having the extra space at Poly.

Go on Youtube and watch some videos--make sure they're recent because both of these resorts got room upgrades recently.

 

[Minnie1222]

Poly