Monorail Resorts

[monorail]

Which is the best resort and why.

Contemporary
Polynesian
Grand Floridian

I can't decide which one to stay at

 

[Janet2k]

Monorail, how 'bout splitting your stay between them all? It would be very easy to resort hop.

I've stayed a bunch of times at the GF and once at the CR. I really enjoyed both of those resorts (the GF is my husband's favorite). I haven't stayed at the Poly yet but have read such wonderful things about it (it's on my list for a future WDW vacation).

You should pick the resort that (A) suits your personality or (B) your heart desires. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

 

[Janet2k]

By the way, make sure to check out Dream Unlimited Travel's webpage that is devoted to each of the WDW resorts: click here to go to it. Don't forget to check out the streaming video that they shot in each of the resorts. Maybe that will help you make up your mind.

 

[monorail]

I am only going for 4 nights in late november to early december. I am afraid that if I split it 2 and 2, the trip will feel too short. I figured that all 4 nights at 1 resort might make it seem longer.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Ah, what a decision!! If you are a real monorail nut, "monorail", then I say you can't beat a Cont. tower room. On the other hand the Poly is the most resort-like, if you will. Very relaxing and you feel as though you are in another place. I enjoy them both and sometimes for us it comes down to price. I personally did not think the GF was worth the increase in price over the other 2 monorail resorts. It was very nice, but not that nice

 

[ducklite]

The Hawaii building at the Polynesian, Lagoon view, is one of my very favorite buildings/resorts/views at WDW.

Anne

 

[monorail]

Does anyone think that the GF is worth $4 more per night than the Contemporary tower room. Also, has anyone stayed at the Wing rooms in the Contemporary? I am thinking about it but I'm not sure if it is too far from the monorail. Will it make me feel that I'm not even at the Contemporary? I am trying to decide between a Poly. garden view, GF garden view, or Contemporary tower or possibly wing room.

 

[monorail]

Does anyone think that it is worth it to split up my trip and go to all 3 resorts in 4 nights or should I just pick 2 or stick with 1 hotel for the whole trip?

 

[Janet2k]

Monorail, since you only will be there for four nights, then sticking with one resort is probably best. Do you have one resort that you *think* you might want to stay in more than any other? If you do, I would go with that one. I know that a lot of people want to try the GF at least once. If you're one of those people, then I think the GF would be a good choice. It really is a beautiful resort.

I have stayed at the Contemporary only once. Even though the rooms were decorated crazily, I really enjoyed the resort. The staff there was very nice, and I loved the pool area.

I have some photos posted of my CR and GF stays: click here for my on-line albums.

Like I said, I haven't tried the Poly yet but really want to do so. My sister stayed there during one of my vacations, so I have at least seen a little bit of the resort and its rooms. I'm not particularly fond of the room decor (the GF is more to my liking), but the food at 'Ohana sure is wonderful and the pool area is nice.

 

[Disbug]

We have stayed at the Contemporary in a tower room over Memorial Day weekend with our kids and just loved it. Especially the pool area, it was so much fun with a DJ and being served drinks poolside. We felt very pampered. My parents have stayed in the wing rooms and my mother was very disappointed. She said the rooms made her feel she was staying at a Holiday Inn and it was too long a walk to the monorail. She won't stay there again unless in the tower.

 

[blessedby3]

Hello Monorail
We just went to WDW the first of April and stayed at the CR. We loved it so much. With 3 kids it met our needs exactly. We had booked a wing room, but upgraded to a tower room when we checked in. My husband went back and forth with the check in lady and got our upgrade for half of what she said they wanted. We did take the monorail over to the GF to look around and came to the conclusion that for our family the CR was the best choice. (We had considered a GR stay when we first made reservations). The GF is a beautiful resort, but it was too formal for us in the big lobby area. Our kids are more on the "loud" size when excited about being somewhere like WDW. I felt like I had to keep saying "be quiet" when we were visiting the GF. There were people dressed very nicely in the lobby and someone playing a grand piano. At the CR it was always bustling and I felt like the kids could be themselves more. (They are not out of control or anything- just excited and energetic) My kids loved watching everything going on from our 11th floor corridor overlooking Chef Mickeys and all the shops as well as the monorail coming through. GF also looked very spread out and I figured with our budget we would end up the farthest grouping of rooms. AT CR in the tower we justed got on the elevator and went down a few floors. EASY. I would reccomend the tower for sure. We had a MK view on the 11th floor. Beautiful. We didnt make it over to the Poly so I cant comment on that one. Hope to get a look at it next time. They were doing renovations around the outside of the Poly when we were there (you could see from the monorail) and there were some rooms that faced nothing but a big pile of soil and wooden fences put up for the refurbishing. Dont know if they were renting those or if they were on hold until the changes were made. I remember commenting that I would not be happy to have a view like that if we had stayed there. You might want to inquire about that if you stay there. Have fun.

 

[bleeps]

No one's mentioned one of my favorite things about the Contemporary -- you can WALK to it if you happen to stay in the MK to watch the fireworks and you don't have to worry about dealing with the crowds on the monorail.

I just posted a long message to someone else asking about the noise in the Tower -- bottom line is that we found the garden wing to be intolerably noisy (couldn't sleep at all) but had no problem in the Tower. We loved it!

I would not recommend hotel hopping on such a short trip -- no matter what, you will lose valuable time in the re-packing/re-checking in/re-locating process. Have meals at the other resorts, if you can, to decide for your next trip! (breakfast at the Kona Cafe in the Poly is m favorite!)

And last but not least, the California Grill at the top of the Contemporary is one of the most outstanding restaurants in the world (we eat out and travel a lot!). To be able to have a meal there and then walk back to your hotel room is also worth it right there.

 

[gonga]

I love the GF - for the luxury and the beauty of the hotel , it just feels so special from the moment you walk in. We really love everything about the hotel from the rooms to the restaurants to the great shops in the lobby to the special attention from the CM's. We always had a fabulous stay.

I also love the Poly as much as the GF for different reasons. The view is the greatest. We always stay in the Tahiti longhouse, ground floor. The landscape is so tropical, there are hammocks right outside your sliding doors and the lit torches at night on the beach. The castle at night changing colors can be seen form your bed and the toot toot of the train and the howling from the HM can be heard. The sunrise from this location is great and its so much fun to watch the park wake up in the morning and shut down at night. The restaurants are good and the convenience of being able to walk to the TCC without having to ride the monorail all the way around is teriffic. you also have a choice of taking the ferry back to the TCC and walking right into the Thaiti via a small brick path.

I have never stayed in the Contemporary - maybe someday!

 

[MOQ3424]

They are all great resorts but i would have to go with GF. It is my favorite resort becasue it is on the monorail and because of the atmosphere I just love to hear the piano. But if you go the Main Building is the way to go!!

 

[smfnj]

Originally posted by monorail
Does anyone think that it is worth it to split up my trip and go to all 3 resorts in 4 nights or should I just pick 2 or stick with 1 hotel for the whole trip?

I've split my stay many times but wouldn't recommend it if your trip is less than 7-8 nights.

BTW, we've stayed at the Poly 15 times so I guess you know which resort I'd opt for. As others have said, the Poly is very relaxing. I visit GF and CR every trip for meals, shopping...just never had any desire to stay at either.

steve

 

[TC1026]

Without a doubt...The Contemporary Tower rooms facing the Magic Kingdom would be a fine selection. I have stayed there twice, what a view!! I have never stayed at the Poly, and only 2 nights at GF, so I am a little biased. No matter what you decide, I think that they are all fine choices.

Good Luck deciding!!

 

[bleeps]

Wow -- 15 trips to the Poly!! We're considering splitting our next trip between CR and Poly -- can you comment on whether or not you've ever had a "bad" room, or been unhappy at the Poly? I've read a lot about people's favorite buildings/floors/views, but given that you don't actually know what you'll get until you check in, I'm just wondering if you recommend the Poly under any and all circumstances. (I guess 15 trips should speak for itself, but I can't help but ask! We'll have our 6-year-old with us, in case that flavors your response...)

Thanks!

 

[jeannej]

I have stayed in 2 out of the 3 resorts you have listed. Both are nice but I much prefer the Contemporary Tower rooms. Since I live in south Florida the tropical theme isn't that appealing to me.
I prefer the rumble of the monorail coming through the Tower, the hustle and bustle and noise of the 4th floor of the Contemporary and I love the way the rooms are decorated. Plus you can beat the convience of the monorail being just and escaltor ride away.

jeannej

 

[JayCT]

We stayed at the Poly (lagoon view, concierge) last May and loved it. We have two small boys (6 and 4 at the time) and they loved everything including the pool. We did get over to the GF and CR a couple of times and both are beautiful. The GF is more formal and not recommended if you have small children that like to run around and make noise. The CR is beautiful and my wife wants to stay there next time, but I think the kids need to be older to apprciate it. The CR seems a bit louder and I can't see letting our kids run around it without us being right there with them. At the Poly, they ran around with all the other kids and had a blast.

 

[eeyore65]

We have stayed at all three and here are my thoughts.

We stayed GF main building (conceirge) and not. I loved being in the main building but I did not like the walk when we weren't - especially with a small child. The main bldg is heaven but pricey.

Poly - I'm also from south FL so the tropical theme did not appeal to me that much and it was before rehabbing and it was really run down. The new pool wasn't done yet either. Also - we had a lot of walking even though once we stayed near TTC and once near the main bldg - tough with a little one.

So my vote is for CR tower. I don't think we would like the wings for all the reasons stated here. I love the Jetson theme of the resort and my 4 yo can't get enough of the monorail. It is just so convenient!