Poly, GF or CR Please Help

[Joey7295]

I have been going to disney for years and this year my family and I are looking to splurge and stay at one of the monorail resorts (always been a dream of ours) this august. I can not decide between Polynesian, Grand Floridian, or Contemporary (Tower w/ Magic Kingdom View). Also there will be 5 of us, my wife and I, my mom, brother(18), and sister(15) and we were looking to stay in one room (we couldn't possibly afford two), and I was wondering how comfortable is the daybed. I am a DVC member and have stayed at OKW, SSR, BCV, BWV, VWL, ASM, POR, CBR, and CSR. My favorite is the BCV, although I loved all of them except for maybe ASM. Any help in making this decision would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Mickymark]

I've stayed at all three that you mentioned and I personally like the GF the best out of the three. That being said I'm staying at the CR this August. All three resorts are beautiful and unique in their own way. All three have ardent and faithful fans. I just happen to like the Gf the best because of the overall character and ambience of the place. While I do really like the verdent greenery and tropical feel of the Poly, I find it dated somehow. To me the feel of the CR is very modern which I like, but besides your room of course, there isn't very much more to the resort. There are restaurants and a couple of shops and a lounge but not much else to explore, not much more in the way of atmosphere.

In all, I guess I haven't been much help. I really like all three. But, there is something about looking out over the balcony in the GF concierge lounge (RPC) sampling the daily offerings, while lilstening to the live band play musice from "Jungle Book"

 

[nicoleakr]

I have only been at the GF and the day bed was very comfortable! All in all I would imagine that any of those resorts will be nice.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

My family & I have only stayed at the Contemporary & we think it's a great Resort. What sets it a part from the Polynesian & Grand Floridian is that it's the only Magic Kingdom Resort where you can walk to the Magic Kingdom in 10 minutes. Also when taking the Monorail back from the Magic Kingdom it's the very next stop so if your tired you won't have to wait long to get back inside the Contemporary.

This December we are staying for the 1st time at the Polynesian however considering the fact we have only went there to visit along with the Grand Floridian, I don't think it's fair of me to give my full opinions on those Resorts.

 

[alldiz]

I havent stayed at any...

My first choice would be the poly though...
Best coffee on property....
Great pool...watch wishes and electrical pageant from it.

Walk to TTC and hop monorail to epcot...

Grand Floridian....more of an upscale feel....
leave the crocs at home

Contemporary has a lot of construction going on...
Anyway...your in disney....there all great..
have fun
kerri

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Contemporary has a lot of construction going on...
Anyway...your in disney....there all great..
have fun
kerri

I would like to point out for the record as of right now the only construction going on at the Contemporary is in the North Garden Wing that is being torn down for the new DVC building. That should not effect any guests staying there because there is a huge fence covering up all the construction so no one is forced to look at it, unless they wanted to comming from the Monorail or from windows of the 4th floor. Also the Fantasia store has been closed for the new arcade, however there is a wall around it so you can't see inside to what is going on. As for what else is to be happening there in the future with the Concourse Steakhouse and the Food & Fun Center. No one knows when those locations will be moving, so until WDW announces that everything is 100% normal.

So what I am trying to say is the construction that is now going on at the Contemporary should not effect anyone who is staying there, because it's nothing like back when all the rooms in the Tower & South Garden Wing were being renovated.

Also a lot of people here have said starting in August the Grand Floridian is going to getting a major renovation to all guest rooms & guest areas, plus no one knows which order they will start working from.

 

[DAZY3BYZ]

We stayed at the Poly last spring with our family of five. The daybed there is wonderful. My kids fought over it. We loved the Poly. The grounds, sitting on the beach watching the electrical water pageant and wishes, the volcano pool, the restaurants, the monorail(both to Epcot and MK) all are magical. We haven't stayed at the GF or CR. They seem very nice. I think it's just what you're looking for in a resort and which theme you enjoy best that should make your decision. The tropical paradise theme does it for us and we're spoiled now. We used to stay at POR with our five but after experiencing the Poly, we're hooked. Headed back there next month.
Enjoy your trip. Wherever you stay, it's sure to be magical.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Well,,, we have stayed at all 3!! But at the poly and the GF we were kind of far out there! Not really close to the main buildings. But I did like both of them.But, we just really liked the Cont. Tower room-facing MK of course! A lot depends on if you will be in the room a lot or not. For us, the difference in the room we had at GF vs. Cont. wasn't that much of a difference-for the $$$ we payed. The decor is prettier at the GF, but if you only sleep and shower there, it doesn't make sense to pay extra for a cuter bedspread!! But the daybed is fine my kids fought over who had the next turn!! The major deciding factor for me would be room location and overall cost difference. Let us know what you pick!!

 

[marmar]

since you have no small children, I would go with the GF or Poly. The GF will be more $$$ and is very nice and classy. However, I personally would stay at the Poly. The grounds are wonderful. You don't have the feeling that you are in a big resort with zillions of other people.
The transportation situation is also better at the Poly. You can walk easily to the TTC for the EPCOT Monorail. GF is the last resort on the bus routes (after Poly) so the buses are almost always full. You can take the boat or Monorail to the MK. (on one of our Poly stays we were the closest building to the TTC and would walk over there for the express monorail to the MK instead of the longer walk to the Poly Lobby for the resort monorail.

 

[5kwallace]

We have stayed at the Polynesian twice and GF this past December. Both have beautiful grounds with great pools and beach areas with views of the MK. The Poly is my personal favorite. I love the tropical atmosphere and the grounds are beautiful. I really enjoy walking to my building to the monorail or Great Ceremonial House. We have really had great experiences with the staff here too. The location is a definite plus. It is so easy to walk to the TTC to catch the direct monorail to Epcot. The GF is really lovely. I stayed here for my birthday. The turndown service was really nice. The service here was outstanding. I also enjoyed walking the grounds here. I just really missed the atmoshere of the Polynesian. I made my family walk from the TTC thru Poly to GF because I missed it so much. Up next in April is the CR with the Magic Kingdom view, I hope that we will love it as much as the Poly & GF. I think that I will really miss walking the beautiful gounds that the others offer. I have this crazy desire to stay at every WDW resort. After April, I will have only a few more left. I hope you have a great vacation. I don't think you can go wrong with any of these hotels.

 

[shovan]

Ditto to everything said by 5Kwallace.

We are BCV owners & thus former Polynesian addicts. We love the Poly. I think if you like the BC best, I would recommend Poly for you. The grounds are beautiful, quiet & soothing. The atmosphere is laid back & relaxed. The pool is also very nice & it's really easy to get around WDW from there.

We have had 4 adults in the room at the Poly. My then future son in law slept on the daybed. He is 6 ft & found it very comfortable. The rooms are nice & large.

 

[blallred]

We had to make the same decision for our family and we chose the Poly. I love the fact that we will be able to access both monorails easily and the pool is my fave of the 3. The restaurants are fabulous too. You just can't go wrong at the Poly.

 

[JayCT]

We have stayed at CR and the Poly. They both have the largest rooms on site, so either should be comfortable for five. We had a friend join us for portions of stays and he was very comfortable on the daybed. Personally, I prefer the Poly. I think it is the most relaxing resort. Good luck, Jay

 

[lovmy2girls]

The theme can't be beat at the Poly. Its so wonderful there. The other 2 are beautiful and neat, but the Poly really has something special. You will love it there. The rooms are big and the daybed is the size of a twin and comfortable.

 

[dunnhorn]

I would totally splurge and see if you can get a water/MK room at the Poly.

It was a hard decision between that and MK view at Contemp, but I wonder if the buildout of the Contemp restaurant will be finished by August... they are moving the Contemporary Steakhouse to the bottom floor, and closing the snack bar and game room and moving it to the main level. Plus - they are tearing down the North Wing for rumored DVC expansion - too much construction for my taste. As far as the South wing goes - the walk from there to the Monorail is LONG. Even the farthest long house is about half the distance.

Most of the main updating of the Poly has been done. Kona Cafe, Ohana and Captain Cook has been redone. The view from the pool is totally awesome, plus you can see Wishes and I think they pipe in the music.

Our neighbor stayed at GF about a year ago - and she said it was just way too stuffy. I can totally see that. I'd stay there as a romantic thing, but not with a full family. Get ADR for O'Hana and Breakfast ressies at Chef Mickey and be done... Poly it is.

 

[Joey7295]

Thank you for all of the great replies. It seems that so many people love the Polynesian. It looks like that will be where we will be staying. I'm really excited and can't wait. Thanks again for all of your help.

 

[Ub_Iwerks]

The Poly would be my pick, but I did love staying at the CR. The daybed at the CR was comfy and the standard room was very large. The new decor is awesome too.