POR or GF ... thoughts appreciated!

[SleepingUgly]

I'm traveling the week of Labor Day (Sept. 7-12) with my three daughters. My little one will turn 5 on this trip and it will be her first time to WDW. Currently, we're booked in a RR at POR but I'm wondering if I should upgrade to the GF. It would be @ $1200 (room, tix and Free Dining) more and I am just wondering if that may be "worth" it, considering our situation ...

So I'm thinking we'll probably spend majority of our time at MK, due to the little one's age. Even on days when we go to other parks and stay out for most of the day, we'll probably still return to the hotel by @ 4-5 pm. If the little one is super tired and wants to just relax, then I figure my two older daughters (ages 16 and 13) can take the monorail to MK and have fun by themselves for a couple of hours since we'll have Hopper tix. (I guess that raises another question ... would those ages be appropriate for kids to go to the parks by themselves?). If we stayed at POR, I would not feel comfortable with them taking the bus to / from the parks, just the two of them.

Also, since it's a birthday trip, I did want to make it as special as possible for her. I know the reviews for the RRs have been great but I do love the location and amenities of the GF. We've never stayed at POR before, and our last trip to WDW was in 2008 and we stayed at the GF in the main building, which was nice and convenient. This time, we would just get a standard room in an outer building at the GF.

I know that "worth" is subjective but would really appreciate any feedback / thoughts. On one hand, I am fine with POR and know we can spend some of the $1200 on souvenirs, but on the other hand, I really appreciate the convenience and location of the GF to the MK, as well as the greater offering of amenities. I'm just trying to figure out if those are "worth" the extra $1200 ... what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Hi Pluto]

GF is a huge upgrade and you will feel like you're in the lap of luxury. I'm sure POR is very nice, but when compared with GF it would be hard to compare the two. If you can afford the $1200 I would go for it.

~Cari~

 

[LisaCM614]

To me - convenience and location are absolutely worth it. Also my time on vacation is valuable - the more time I have to spend 'commuting' the less time I'm spending enjoying myself.

Your 16 yr old and 13 yr old can go to the park by themselves and as a mom I think I would feel very comfortable having them just one monorail stop away! The nice thing about being so close is that you'll be able to see fireworks and the water pagent at night - which gives you and the 5 yr old something to do.

GF is on my bucket list! I'd make the switch.

 

[ErinsMommy]

I found GF to be more stuffy and over kill on the "luxury" - if it wasn't on the monorail line I personally would never go there. POR is more laid back and relaxed. Have you considered Contemporary?

 

[mexi]

I would also agree with the upgrade to GF. We have stayed there twice and are going again this July and even though we could save money by going to a less expensive resort the pluses outweigh the price tag to us.

We did stay at POR once and it was very spread out and having to take a bus everywhere was definitely a pain.

I say go for it.

 

[wdwrich]

I found GF to be more stuffy and over kill on the "luxury" - if it wasn't on the monorail line I personally would never go there. POR is more laid back and relaxed. Have you considered Contemporary?

I was also thinking about the Contemporary, specifically a theme park view room which would be a great treat for the 5yo.

 

[ErinsMommy]

Oh the TPV at Contemporary is TO.DIE.FOR. Daughter was in the queen bed facing MK so while sitting up in bed she would fall asleep watching the castle change colors.

 

[goofy4prez]

I think that the GF is one whale of an upgrade and would be well worth the $1200. For me the location is awesome as is the resort. I personally do not feel the GF is stuffy at all and is also very kid friendly as is any WDW property. I also think your teen girls will absolutely love the GF. I will say that the Contemporary as others have suggested is also well worth looking into, the location is great, but IMO is lacking in theming. I like GF better but the Contemporary is nice as well.

 

[wdwrich]

The Contemporary also has the advantage of being able to walk to/from MK.

 

[Sue M]

While I love POR, when we stay moderate that's my go to resort, I'd pick GF in a heart beat. Love it! We had 2 wonderful stays there. And with your youngest, if you're just hanging out at night at the resort, you can watch Wishes and the Electric Light Parade from various places around the resort.
Super cute kids splash pad, and love the Beach pool. Great slide, even the adults go down.
I never found it the least bit stuffy, and we had a 2 week stay last Aug.
You'll also have a larger room with 2 queens and a day bed that doesn't take the place of a dresser like the AB rooms at POR. And a good size closet that isn't in the bathroom.

 

[SleepingUgly]

Thanks, everyone! I did look at the Contemporary but the "basic" rooms are no longer available for Free Dining; with FD, the best package would be @ $6000 more than POR and @ $4800 more than GF. Since my two older girls are considered to be "adults" on the dining plan and we are planning quite a few character meals for the little one, the Free Dining promotion actually works in our favor, even booking the GF room with the room-only discount.

I did look at Wilderness Lodge as well, as that comes right in the middle - $700 more than POR for a Woods View / Bunk Bed room. My girls weren't too keen on the decor of the room though, and I have heard some rooms can be pretty noisy, which would defeat the purpose of returning for midday naps!

I didn't find the GF to be "stuffy" when we last stayed there, but I also didn't think it was as luxurious and five-star as I had thought it would be. It's definitely no Ritz or Four Seasons, but I get that we are paying premium for location and the Disney experience, which I can appreciate. My two older daughters were 9 and 6 the last time we stayed there and the convenience was really lovely. I guess I'm just trying to convince myself to pull the trigger for this trip b/c I had promised myself I'd keep cost to @ $3000 (without airfare) and, with the POR, I am right there at that budget but obviously will go over with GF! My husband just shakes his head at me ... I think he knew it all along ...

 

[nalajms]

Are you spending time at the resort? If not, I don't think it's worth it. For $1200 more, you can have your older kids take a cab every time. Have them dropped off at Bay Lake parking lot and walk to MK.

Plus POR is close to DTD, is that something they are interested in? I hate taking the bus from GF over to DTD. The boat option from POR can't be beat.

 

[SleepingUgly]

Nala ... That is a good idea re: taxis! I hadn't even thought about that. I honestly do not know how much time we will spend at the resort since our trip will be for only @ five days. Plus, I also figure that, if we stay at POR and we do return to the resort by late afternoon and the two older ones want to do something, there are plenty of activities at POR for them as well, right? There's always swimming too, which they can still do in early September and they thoroughly enjoy. Then again, I figure they can swim anywhere but they can't exactly ride Splash Mountain anywhere else!

I am intrigued by being able to watch Wishes and the Electric Light Parade from the GF; we did not do that at all the last time we stayed there.

Thanks!

 

[nalajms]

I am intrigued by being able to watch Wishes and the Electric Light Parade from the GF; we did not do that at all the last time we stayed there.

We watched the water parade for the first time last fall from GF. I was disappointed! Maybe my expectations were too high My kids weren't that interested. But then, they'd pick the ipad over going out of the room to watch Wishes.

My preference is probably CR for Wishes, but it's not bad from GF.

 

[Magic Band Defender]

I think you'll enjoy your trip either way!

Will you spend enough time at GF to make their amenities worth the cost?
Are you spending the majority of your park time in MK or EPCOT?
Is it important to you to get to/from the parks quickly? For instance, for mid-day breaks?

 

[Sue M]

GF!! With 5 you'll be squishy at POR. And great dining options. 1900 has great character meals. Dinner is my fav, the step sisters are hilarious! And on monorail for Chef Mickey. You know you want to

 

[buzznina]

If you really want to stay at GF and the $1200 is not a big deal then go for it. When we stayed at GF(even got bumped up to CL) we really had a good time and enjoyed ourselves, but for us, we would not pay $200+ per night more to stay there. Again that is just us.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I've stayed at both. They are beautiful resorts in their own rights. However, if it doesn't break the bank, stay at the GF. There is no comparison with the size of the rooms, the access to the MK, the access to the TTC monorail to Epcot. There is nothing snooty about the GF, however, it has lots more to offer. For example, with your little one, you don't have to leave the resort to see Wishes, you can see it right from the resort -- music is piped in on the deck at Narcossee's, same goes for the electrical water pagent. The older kids could walk to the Poly and take the monorail right to Epcot/DHS. You could take the younger one over to the pony rides at Ft. Wilderness via the boats (which in itself would be an adventure) while the older ones are doing big kid stuff.

Tom

 

[Alabama Minnie]

We just returned from a one night stay at POR and I have to add that the rooms are not very big, especially with 5 in the room. I haven't done GF but have stayed at the POLY and Contemporary and the rooms are HUGE plus they have the daybeds in the rooms. You didn't mention if you priced the POLY? IMO if it's just $200 more a night and you have it, DO IT!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Hi, I have stayed at both and while they are both really pretty resorts, I would choose GF mainly for the peace of mind knowing your older girls are just a monorail ride away. You can enjoy a RR at POR anytime, but if you have the chance to stay at GF, I'd definitely go for it. We did not find it stuffy in the least. It was gorgeous! I think your older girls might enjoy walking around GF more so than POR, too, because of the shops. And like other posters have mentioned, you will have extra space in the room at GF. Have fun wherever you choose.