Which Deluxe w/ small kids?

[hunter6009]

We are heading to WDW at the end of August for 2-3 days before our Disney Cruise. We will have two small children (4 years and a 7 month old) so we definitely want something close to MK. I'd also love to have a day of hanging out at the resort pool without having to fight the parks.
I want something nice, absolutely baby-friendly (not just kid-friendly!), lots to do at the resort (good pools would be a plus), decent room (for naps), and close to MK.
What would you choose?

TIA!

 

[Perditamarie]

You can walk to MK from the Contemporary in about 5-10 minutes. You can also take the monorail, but if you/kids absolutely cannot tolerate any more lines, the walk is super.

 

[mickeymoo]

Probably the Poly or GF for the monorail, Wilderness if you don't have a stroller to deal with

 

[mickeynut1]

My vote would be for the Poly.....big rooms, great pool, convenient monorail access to/from the MK . Plus you can sit on the beach and watch the fireworks (which is great with little ones) and then just walk back to your room .

 

[mrsR123]

A second vote for the Poly. Not too grown-up, lots of space, nice pools, great location. I miss the monorail and wish it connected to OKW!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If you want close to the Magic Kingdom then the best option is the Contemporary. Here is that overhead picture that Robo has posted in the past which shows how close it is to the Magic Kingdom.

 

[traci]

We love the GF for traveling with little ones. It is peaceful after a long day at the parks. The pool is zero entry which is great for kids - it's shallow and gradually drops off. The Poly also has a zero entry pool. I don't think the CR does, but I am sure there is someone here who can answer that. Have a great vacation where ever you decide to stay!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

The pool is zero entry which is great for kids - it's shallow and gradually drops off. The Poly also has a zero entry pool. I don't think the CR does, but I am sure there is someone here who can answer that.

Yes it's true that the Contemporary does not have a zero entry pool.

 

[tinknsnow]

We've stayed at all the MK resorts except for the GF. I would recommend them all to you. Look at prices and themes and decide what most appeals to you-- I don't think you will be disappointed by any.

The Wilderness Lodge is where we stayed our first three trips-- when our kids were the youngest. The boat that goes from the resort to the MK was really convenient. You can wheel your stroller right on board, baby asleep inside. You can also take a different boat to the CR for a meal or to hop on the monorail to the TTC/Epcot (it was more "fun" for the kids than taking the direct bus LOL). You do have to fold up the stroller for that boat. The pool there is pretty and the kids love the geyser. Lobby is exciting for kids, too. They have a great Hidden Mickey list. I am not crazy about the food choices-- never have been a big fan of Whispering Canyon Cafe (smoked meat smells/flavors aren't my thing LOL). For me, the WL has the most cozy, special feeling. It's still my favorite resort, by far.

The Poly is really pretty and has a great pool, too. I like the restaurants a lot-- Kona is a great breakfast spot and O'hana is yummy for dinner. It feels relaxed. My kids love the beach area, and it is great to watch fireworks from there. It is pretty large and spread out-- and if it's raining it can be a hassle to get from your room to the main building. Depending on which longhouse you're in, it can be a pretty far way to walk to the TTC. However, staying on the monorail line is super nice!

We tried the CR last trip and we were all blown away by how convenient it seemed compared to everywhere else. The monorail going through cannot be beaten in terms of convenience! We visited Epcot more than usual because of that. We found the bus service to be the best here (though it may just have been lucky timing). The walkway to the MK is awesome, especially at night when the monorail line is huge. The pool isn't really "themed" but it's still pretty and my kids enjoyed it. Their favorite thing about the CR (besides the monorail) is the gameroom. When we were there, the counter service restaurant was this temporary "Grab N Go" which was honestly horrible. However, that's gone now and the new place is open. Reviews are good. We all enjoyed the California Grill.

Good luck deciding!

 

[lorasmom]

I really love the Contemporary. We chose to stay there last spring because we were travelling with a baby for the first time, and wanted the convenience of the monoral to the parks we were visiting (Epcot and MK). It was SO easy!

I also recently stayed at the Poly, and can see how people would fall in love with this resort as well - while you can't walk to MK, the monorail is right there, and it does have a great pool for kids. My kids are never super interested in the pools, so that doesn't really do much for me .

Wilderness Lodge - while the lobby and common areas are ridiculously beautiful, for me, the rooms were a bit smaller than I was expecting, and the boat ride kind of stopped being fun after awhile.

We haven't stayed at the GF on purpose - it seems to stuffy in there for me .

 

[gamamalovesdisney]

If I had to pick one, it would be the poly. The theme is great, it has a beach and the monorail are all right there. Its not a stuffy feeling resort either. Very down to earth atmosphere. Just make sure you request a room that is not facing the monorail so that the noise won't wake up the little ones.

I absolutely love the wilderness lodge as well, but for convenience, you can't beat being on a monorail resort.

Thanks.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

We stayed at the Poly and loved it!! It was soooo relaxing and the pool is great with the zero entry. Watching the fireworks from the pool/beach is priceless. The food is fantastic, especially the tonga toast. Yum!! The kids loved being so close to see the MK. Paths are lit by tiki torches and are fun to walk on. Ask for a longhouse close to the pool and GCH for easy access. Maybe Somoa??

 

[StratMan]

Contemporary: location, location, location. It's not the most exotic place in the World (in fact it might be the least), but the rooms are fantastic and there's no substitute for walking to MK. It also has the lowest room rates on the monorail line.

That said, there's no such thing as a deluxe resort that isn't great for kids. It's kind of like choosing between a Bentley and a Rolls Royce for a comfortable ride. With a baby, though, I'd probably stick with a monorail resort.

 

[02AggieGirl]

We stayed at the Poly in Sept when my girls were 2.5 and 7 months. We had requested the bldg closest to the TTC walkway. It was about a 5 min and we waited at most 2 min for the express monorail so we were at MK in under 10 mins. It was great!! That made it so nice for returning for naps. The rooms are spacious and the pool was a lot of fun.

We stayed at the WL this past Dec and enjoyed it, but transportation was not as fast. Although my children liked riding on the boat, but at the end of a long day sometimes the boat was just not fast enough

 

[northriver]

I would do either Poly or Contemporary. Rooms at the Poly are bigger, but the Poly is more spread out. Everything is close at CR. The CR pool is not zero entry, but it is larger than the Poly pool and in my experience was not as crowded because not only is it larger but many of the guests are conventioneers not using the pool. One benefit of the Poly is that you can walk to the TTC and catch a direct monorail to Epcot. There is no playground at either Poly or CR - where the GF does have a playground.

We are planning our second trip to Contemporary, booked in the Garden Wing again for next year. The Garden Wing rooms are a great value, I love staying out there. The tower is nice but I like the price of the Wing rooms even better!

I'm sure GF is nice but it doesn't appeal to me, so I have never stayed there. GF has the largest guest rooms on property, and I like the bathroom design where the sinks are outside of the bathroom preventing morning congestion. Also there is a playground for your 4 yr old.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Rooms at the Poly are bigger

Actually among the Deluxe Resorts the Contemporary has the biggest guest rooms.

 

[northriver]

According to the Unnofficial Guide:

CR 394 square feet
Poly most are 415, Tokelau, Tahiti and Rapa Nui are 476(!)
GF 440 square feet

 

[northriver]

According to the Passporter:

Contemporary: 436 square feet
Poly: 409-448 sq feet
GF: 400 sq ft

So, ok, who has a tape masure? LOL!
The square footage at the Poly of 415/476 is what is listed at the tikim0n site, and I trust that Steve knows what he's talking about. But I have no way of confirming the others.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Here is what's listed on wdwinfo.com Contemporary page, when it comes to their rooms size. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/Resorts/contemprooms.htm

 

[northriver]

According to the DIS:

CR: 422 sq ft
Poly: 409 sq ft
GF: 440 sq ft

I know rooms vary in size, for example the Dormer rooms at GF are slightly smaller than the rest, and some of those end rooms in the CR garden wing are larger than others. I'd be interested in knowing for sure.

Sorry to hijack your thread, OP. Room size is something I definately take into account when I book because we have 5 in a room, and now I'm wondering who to really trust on this issue. Next trip I'm seriously taking a measuring tape.