Poly v. Contemporary at Christmas

[MrsPA2013]

Would like to book a December 2015 trip with son (who will be 17 months) and hubby.

I would consider Grand Floridian as well if we can get a club level room that views the water parade at night.

Thoughts on where we should stay?

Comments on my thoughts so far:
Contemporary:
1) Convenience to meal with characters
2) restaurant upstairs at night for fireworks and very easy to return to room
3) view of castle at night with hubby while our son will sleep (assuming we can get that room)
4) super easy to get on monorail
5) I read that these rooms have few outlets (we have lots of electronics; this could be a problem)
6) thinking - but don't know - that walking would be the least with this hotel - in terms of getting to and from monorail as well as to and from the club lounge.

Poly
1) I just hear great things....over and over and over again....so something tells me that I might regret not staying here....
2) we would book a lagoon view and figure our son would enjoy the night parade

Grand:
1) hard to find rooms in the price range that I desire with a decent view + Club level
2) I am fearful that this resort is so big that it will be difficult to get around with a tiny human (especially because he will be in the "I want to walk" phase)

About us: We LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. We want to see Christmas decor (which is why I am still considering the Grand) but also want a nice hotel room that is very convenient to get to monorail, offers a view of something (for when son is sleeping but mommy and daddy want a view) and has an easily accessible club level room for our convenience.

Any thoughts / comments would be most most appreciated!!!!

 

[dansdad]

2) I am fearful that this resort is so big that it will be difficult to get around with a tiny human (especially because he will be in the "I want to walk" phase)

If you remove the Convention Center and the Villas the Grand is actually more compact than the Poly.

 

[MrsPA2013]

Thanks DansDad! I am clearly new to this whole Disney thing ;-)

 

[SusieBea]

I'm also a fan of the Grand - very Christmasy. Each of the 3 monorail resorts offers easy loading onto the transportation. It would not be difficult for you to get to the character dining at the Contemp. from the GF. The GF also has a very cute lil kids' water play area. I find the CR to be very sterile, but that's just me. It does have walking access to the MK which I imagine is where you'll be spending a lot of your time. My two cents ...

 

[dansdad]

Thanks DansDad! I am clearly new to this whole Disney thing ;-)

You're welcome. You definitely can't go "wrong" with any of these 3. I would recommend checking out the first page or 2 of the following FAQ Threads for tons of useful information to make your decision. Some DIS members put a lot of effort in gathering as much information as possible.

Contemporary
http://www.disboards.com/threads/di...y-lake-tower-information-thread-2015.3248210/


Grand Floridian
http://www.disboards.com/threads/2014-2015-grand-floridian-resort-villas-faq.3336950/

Poly
http://www.disboards.com/threads/al...resort-and-villas-thread-spring-2015.3398524/

 

[Babsy]

Would like to book a December 2015 trip with son (who will be 17 months) and hubby.

I would consider Grand Floridian as well if we can get a club level room that views the water parade at night.

Thoughts on where we should stay?

Comments on my thoughts so far:
Contemporary:
1) Convenience to meal with characters

Yes, Chef Mickey's is right downstairs.

2) restaurant upstairs at night for fireworks and very easy to return to room

Yes, but I would watch from my room balcony. the restaurant will not necessarily put you by the window for a fireworks view and you can get the same view from your room.

3) view of castle at night with hubby while our son will sleep (assuming we can get that room)

Odd numbered rooms allow watching castle form the bed.

4) super easy to get on monorail

true, but it isn't hard form any of the monorail resorts

5) I read that these rooms have few outlets (we have lots of electronics; this could be a problem)

i would bring a power bar.

6) thinking - but don't know - that walking would be the least with this hotel - in terms of getting to and from monorail as well as to and from the club lounge.

Definitely the strength of the CR - everything is so close, even walking to the MK!



Poly
1) I just hear great things....over and over and over again....so something tells me that I might regret not staying here....

This is the favourite resort of many. The atmosphere is magical. Some construction may be still going ahead at Christmas. For this reason alone, the Poly wouldn't be my choice - yet.

2) we would book a lagoon view and figure our son would enjoy the night parade

I'm not sure that a lagoon view room would guarantee seeing the ELP from your room. If you are planning on CL, then I wonder about the new bungalows effect on where you can see ELP?

Grand:
1) hard to find rooms in the price range that I desire with a decent view + Club level

depends upon what you mean by a decent view. Sugar Loaf does not have an MK view but the views of the courtyard or the marina are great, IMO. Of course, RPC in the main building is the ultimate with a MK view, but again I am not sure about watching ELP from there.

2) I am fearful that this resort is so big that it will be difficult to get around with a tiny human (especially because he will be in the "I want to walk" phase)

The GF is not difficult to get around at all. I would expect more issues getting around the Poly, especially with construction. The Poly CL is at least just as far from the main building as SL is at the GF. If you are staying in CL then a MKV in RPC would be the awesome.

About us: We LOVE LOVE LOVE Christmas. We want to see Christmas decor (which is why I am still considering the Grand) but also want a nice hotel room that is very convenient to get to monorail, offers a view of something (for when son is sleeping but mommy and daddy want a view) and has an easily accessible club level room for our convenience.

Any thoughts / comments would be most most appreciated!!!!

I wouldn't worry overmuch about getting to see ELP from your room. It is cute but not compelling. It is easy to walk to a place where you can see this from the resort, even if you can't see it from your room.The best bet for seeing this from your room would be the CR with a TPV room in the tower.
The CR is your most convenient choice, IMO. It is a very nice option with a baby.

The GF is my personal favourite for you. I think that you would love RPC with a MK view room. I have never tried to watch ELP form these rooms and didn't notice how well or even if it could be seen.

I wouldn't choose the Poly at this time. Construction bothers me. Also, some rooms do not have a balcony even in Hawaii. Not getting a balcony is a risk I wouldn't want to take with a baby.

Christmas decor is lovely everywhere at WDW. However, I have to say that the WL and the GF are my 2 favourite resorts for Christmas decorations.

Good luck with your choice!!

 

[gmboy95]

all I can speak to is Christmas at BLT....we were there for Christmas eve and Christmas day...It was fantastic. Going up to the lounge to watch the fireworks on Christmas eve was fantastic...we went to the contemporary lobby to see Santa on Christmas morning, then took the monorail over to see the GF lobby and gingerbread house followed by lunch at chef mickeys, followed by a nice Christams dinner at Rose and Crown and the Christmas showing of Candlelight processional!!....really a great two days followed by 7 more at OKW!!!

 

[gmboy95]

Thanks DansDad! I am clearly new to this whole Disney thing ;-)

welcome!!!

 

[Andrew015]

Really hard to pick a "bad" resort out of the ones mentioned, but I would also consider the fact that you can walk to/from Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary. You can't with any of the other resorts. The last thing I'd want to be doing at WDW during Christmas crowds is waiting for a monorail or boat as the MK crowd thins out after fireworks. If you're staying at the Contemporary, you can skip those horrific lines and simply walk back to the room. I typically travel in "off-seasons" and don't have experience with Christmas crowds, but I'd have to put that as one big advantage for the Contemporary over the other resorts.

 

[Eastern]

I think that any one of those 3 would be great at Christmastime. The biggest limiting factor imo is the price of GF RPC at Christmas. We usually stay deluxe, and we have stayed deluxe during holiday periods, but I can't wrap my mind around the prices they charge for GF RPC rooms.

We have stayed at Poly and CR and we liked both very much. Have yet to do GF cause when I go it's going to be RPC!

 

[si-am]

I don't think either the CR or the Poly are very Christmasy. If you really want to be immersed in Christmas decor (and I'm not sure how important this is to you), then the Wilderness Lodge is a terrific option close by. You can also see the water parade from the beach there each night.

Otherwise, I don't think you can go wrong with any of your other options.

 

[Andrew015]

I don't think either the CR or the Poly are very Christmasty. If you really want to be immersed in Christmas decor (and I'm not sure how important this is to you), then the Wilderness Lodge is a terrific option close by. You can also see the water parade from the beach there each night.

Otherwise, I don't think you can go wrong with any of your other options.

I will second the opinion that WL has the best decorations on property (from what I have seen). Also will be the cheapest of the four hotels mentioned thus far.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Really hard to pick a "bad" resort out of the ones mentioned, but I would also consider the fact that you can walk to/from Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary. You can't with any of the other resorts. The last thing I'd want to be doing at WDW during Christmas crowds is waiting for a monorail or boat as the MK crowd thins out after fireworks. If you're staying at the Contemporary, you can skip those horrific lines and simply walk back to the room. I typically travel in "off-seasons" and don't have experience with Christmas crowds, but I'd have to put that as one big advantage for the Contemporary over the other resorts.

Wow...you sure seem to be a fan of all those "deluxe" resorts!!!!!


Rules of Christmas:
1. Don't go during Christmas...go dec 1-20...you get all the Christmas without all the crowds of roasted chestnuts

2. The grand Floridian and wilderness lodge lend themselves best to Christmas decorations/ambience. It's simply the "theme" and the huge lobbies. Wilderness has the slightly better feel...but I can't ague with the merits of the GF at that time.