Poly vs. Contemporary

[GoingtoSeeRella]

Looking for some pros and cons of both resorts. We're traveling with a group of 10, with 5 children all under 8. We're used to staying in values or mods, but are looking to stay at a monorail resort.

Do either the Poly or Contemporary have a food court? Is it similar to the values/mods? Does it get more/less crowded?

How is bus transportation from Poly to AK or MGM? Are they direct or do they stop at GF or other resorts?

Those are just a few of my questions and any feedback on either of these resorts would be welcome!!

Thanks!!

 

[Deesknee]

IMO it depends on if you are staying Cont. tower or wing. We prefer the tower to any deluxe resort. If the wing is the only option for Cont. then personally I'd rather the Poly.

I hesitate to say why. The walk to the room we had at Poly was long, as was the wing of cont. I prefered the mousekeeping in the Cont. both times. We had a fabulous view on the tower of Contem. The lagoon view at the Poly was nice but couldn't touch the view of the Cont. tower.

We did love the cafe at the Poly. (sorry I forget the name.)
Chef Mickeys was great, but not as convenient as the Poly cafe.

Good luck.

 

[beccasmom]

Neither the Poly nor CR have food courts per se, but each has a 24-hour snack shop. The Poly’s is Captain Cook’s and they serve breakfast and items off the grill (I believe the grill closes around 10:00 p.m.). They also have ice cream, wraps, etc. The CR spot is called Food and Fun Center and is adjacent to the video games room. Most of the restaurants and shops are on the fourth floor, which is where you take the escalator to the monorail. There is a great restaurant on the 14th floor – the California Grill. They serve only dinner. The Poly’s most popular restaurant is probably Ohana, where meals are served family-style.

Buses to MK and AK from the Poly may also stop at the GF and WL. DTD service starts after 4:00 p.m. (that’s our experience, anyway) at both hotels. The MK and Epcot are easier because of the monorail.

Both hotels are huge and require a little orientation. The Poly’s rooms are spead out among several buildings and the CR’s rooms are between the tower and wings. One of the wings is currently being refurbished. We prefer the wing rooms (quieter), but many of the tower rooms have great views. Some of the wing rooms require quite a walk to the main building. We have only stayed at the Poly once (in 1998 as part of the Disney Cruise). We stayed in the building formerly known as Oahu. It had not yet been remodeled, so I’m sure it has changed since our visit. The hotel is lushly themed and very evocative of the islands.

My sentimental favorite is the CR and we have stayed there over a dozen times. We are now DVC members, so my last visit to the CR was in 2000. We love being able to walk to the MK. The rooms are very spacious, particularly the bathroom. And it’s exciting to ride the monorail through the building. It was my first experience at WDW and I have fond memories of staying there. You really can't go wrong with either place. Have a great time!!!!

 

[bellarella]

Personally I like the Poly much better than the Contemporary. For me the CR feels like a normal hotel with a "modern" buzz to it. Staying there isn't relaxing to me, which is what I am looking for. The Poly is much more relaxing. When I'm away from the hustle and bustle of the Parks I like to be away from all of the hustle and bustle. I also think Poly has better transportation options to the MK because you can also take the boat launch that loops between MK, GF and Poly and depending on what building you are in you can also go to the TTC rather than the resort loop. (although you can walk to MK from CR, though after walking all day I wouldn't want to.)

The buses are OK, but seem slow compared to all the options to the MK (oh, another plus of Poly is that you don't have to transfer to the Epcot monorail, if you are in one of the long houses near TTC you can just get on it dirrectly). We didn't have any other stops to or from MGM or to AK, but on the way back from AK we stopped at one of the water parks and CR. I think sometimes it depends on crowds whether there are other stops.

None of the deluxes have food courts. I will say that Captain Cooks is the one glaring downside of the Poly. It is depressing and doesn't offer a very wide selection. Kona Cafe, however is great. The pool at the Poly is also great, especially for young children because it is zero entry.

Either way, with that many youngsters, I think you will enjoy being at any of the monorail resorts!!!

 

[Princess Mommy]

I have stayed 2x in both resorts.
I love the POly for the little guys~ pool is more little kid friendly and the Neverland Club is great. They also usually have arts & crafts during the day in the lobby, sing a longs in the lobby, and the lies they give out are adorable & my girls LOVE them! The older kids LOVE LOVE LOVE the CR's arcade, CR also has Chef Mickey's and the CA Grill which are huge fav's here.

 

[stingmom]

CR pros:
larger rooms (than Poly)
2 hot tubs within pool (none at Poly)
walk to MK entrance gates rather than waiting on transportation
more drawer space (if you like to unpack)
counter space (none at Poly)
toilet has door to seperate from bathroom shower (not at Poly)
coffee maker in living area (in bathroom, inches from toilet at Poly)
fridge is not in the way or even noticeable (brought in at Poly, set next to bed, very cramped!)
wait for monorail in cool a/c (outside at Poly)
cheaper than Poly
pur kids prefer the CR!

(getting my fire extinguisher to protect myself from all the Poly lovers our there....)

 

[swilphil]

I love the Contemporary also. We stayed in the North Wing, lower level, and the walk to the food court was just 2 minutes (maybe less!). There's a side door into the food court that is right across from the North Wing. The CR food court served the usual burger, pizza and chicken strips. It seemed to be very fast. We loved walking from the CR to MK(only 10 minutes), and actually went there a few times just to eat--breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and lunch at Casey's.

 

[sotoalf]

Buses to MK and AK from the Poly may also stop at the GF and WL. DTD service starts after 4:00 p.m. (that’s our experience, anyway) at both hotels. The MK and Epcot are easier because of the monorail.

Actually, they start running the same as the regular buses. When we stayed at the CR last summer, we took a DTD bus at 12:30 pm.

 

[GoingtoSeeRella]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice!! We're not going until next Easter Break, and rates aren't even out yet....so I still have time to think about it.

If anyone else out there wants to weigh in, feel free. I love getting everyone's opinions!!

Thanks again!!

 

[Christy93]

We love the Poly for many reasons. The zero entry pool, the quiet pool which was never busy, the big rooms, great places to eat (Kona Cafe and O'hana) which was a biggie for us (much easier to eat at the hotel than take all 3 kids somewhere), the beaches and just the general laid back atmosphere.

Good luck with your decision, the monorail is great when you have tired kids ready to go home.