Which hotel is best for our needs - Contemporary or Polynesian?

[5kidsmommy]

With two little ones I'd pick Poly. The rooms are very good sized, plus you have three sleeping options so the kids don't have to share a bed. Plus you have two shower options which can help with getting ready. The walk to the TTC is short so you don't have to transfer monorails if you want to go to Epcot. You have the monrail or the boat for going to MK and hanging out on the beach is so nice.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Definitely not the smallest deluxe. Smallest is Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge (both at 344 sq ft), increasing in size to Boardwalk (371 sp ft), then Yacht/Beach Club (381 sq ft), then Contemporary (394 sq ft), then Polynesian (415 sq ft) and then Grand Floridian (440 sq ft). All averages, of course, and there are some differences between rooms in each resort. If you've ever stayed in WL or AKL, you'll definitely feel the size difference of 50 sq ft between those and the Contemporary, whereas the difference between CR and Poly is only about 20 sq ft.

I'd say that the pool at Poly is better than CR, mainly because there is absolutely no shade at all. It's just a concrete hole in the middle of an open area. Unless you're talking about BLT, in which case I'd say that the pool is definitely better, as is the play area.

CR is better for location, IMO. While the walk may be an issue for a 5 and 7-year-old, especially after a long day in the parks, it's also no picnic standing in line at the monorail for a potentially substantial period of time. At least with walking, you feel like you're making some kind of progress, and you have the monorail as an option. The only options for MK to Poly are monorail or boat or walking to TTC to take monorail or ferry, which means lots of standing and waiting. The other benefit to CR is that it's a relatively short walk to the bus station at MK, which has buses to all of the other resorts, whereas the buses at CR or Poly only go to the parks and Disney Springs. That can give you a lot of options for dining or visiting other resorts more quickly. CR is not my favourite resort by a long shot, but there are some definite advantages to it location-wise. Plus Steakhouse 71 and California Grill.

I’ve never stayed at AKL or WL as both are too far away for our favorite parks, so thanks for the heads up. I am amazed that BWI rooms ( my current fav deluxe resort) are smaller than CR; I suspect that “non-existent“ terrace really affected my vision,LOL. As well our room at BWI has a larger than average terrace so that might change the feel of the space.

About the water transport from MK to Poly when did the boats stop running? Is this part of the DVC construction? Haven’t been there since Jan 2020 and it seems there are a lot of changes.
TIA

 

[brockash]

Visiting in February with 2 kids (5, 7). Main attraction in MK but will visit all other parks as well. No car.
Our main considerations are convenience going to parks and hotel attractions during afternoon break. Theme / food is less priority (though still nice).

Contemporary - we can walk to MK. Is this realistic to do it back and forth with kids this age? Or would it be better to save energy. Seems this would be the most convenient way to get early (with short security), come back mid-day, and stay late. And just walking to monorail from Poly might take a few min anyway so we might as well be on our way to the park.

Poly - has better water play for those afternoon breaks. Though in February not sure weather would allow kids to enjoy it?

The contemporary option is a theme park facing view on bay lake tower while Poly is standard view (away from construction).

What would you recommend for our needs?

We'd def. do CR in your position. Having said that we'd also do a stroller for the 5 year old, so if your not doing a stroller, could he ride on someone's back/shoulders if need be?

Walking to/from MK is pretty priceless in our opinion, however we've never made a 5 year old do the walk to/from on top of a full park day, so not sure how that'll pan out, but as long as there's someone he/she can ride/be carried if it comes to that then it'd probably be fine. Having the monorail run through the hotel is super fun for kids and we do prefer our room and everything being under one roof.

Probably a good chance you'll get use out of the pool even in Feb., and poly does have a nicer one, but with a winter trip and MK being your main park, we'd still choose CR...especially after hearing you'll have a MK view - can't beat watching/listening to the fireworks in your pjs and in your room.

 

[Mle8308]

I’ve never stayed at AKL or WL as both are too far away for our favorite parks, so thanks for the heads up. I am amazed that BWI rooms ( my current fav deluxe resort) are smaller than CR; I suspect that “non-existent“ terrace really affected my vision,LOL. As well our room at BWI has a larger than average terrace so that might change the feel of the space.

About the water transport from MK to Poly when did the boats stop running? Is this part of the DVC construction? Haven’t been there since Jan 2020 and it seems there are a lot of changes.
TIA

There is boat transportation between the Poly and MK!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Thanks for the confirmation @Mle8308 ! I was hoping @kiford would clarify this part of their earlier post:

The only options for MK to Poly are monorail or boat or walking to TTC to take monorail or ferry, which means lots of standing and waiting.

Which seems to imply that the launch from the Poly dock to MK was no longer operating.

 

[R&RsMom]

With two little ones I'd pick Poly. The rooms are very good sized, plus you have three sleeping options so the kids don't have to share a bed. Plus you have two shower options which can help with getting ready. The walk to the TTC is short so you don't have to transfer monorails if you want to go to Epcot. You have the monrail or the boat for going to MK and hanging out on the beach is so nice.

Even with a party of all adults, we loved being able to walk to TTC to get Epcot with No transfer needed. We actually walked there for MK also. Plus, we were in DVC studio and that extra part bath was great.

 

[kiford]

About the water transport from MK to Poly when did the boats stop running?

They're still running - I mentioned that the only options from MK/Poly were boats or monorail or walking to the TTC to take ferry or monorail. However, see below.

Which seems to imply that the launch from the Poly dock to MK was no longer operating.

When we stay at GF, we prefer to take the boat to MK but there are so many times when it doesn't run if the weather is particularly bad or water is choppy. And it's small. And it doesn't start running as early in the morning. So, it's not entirely reliable, sadly. But it's a lot more fun and scenic.

 

[NYCgrrl]

They're still running - I mentioned that the only options from MK/Poly were boats or monorail or walking to the TTC to take ferry or monorail. However, see below.


When we stay at GF, we prefer to take the boat to MK but there are so many times when it doesn't run if the weather is particularly bad or water is choppy. And it's small. And it doesn't start running as early in the morning. So, it's not entirely reliable, sadly. But it's a lot more fun and scenic.

You had me concerned there for a bit so thanks for taking the time to elaborate.

We took the launch to MK whether we stayed at Poly or GF since the park was just our roller coaster center and then off to somewhere else. Fortunately despite the diminutive size of the launches we were never left at the dock.

We tend to go for the week of 4th of July and the winter holidays and excepting one water laden Christmas/NYEve period when it seemed everything was wonky no other cancellations that stood out.

Leery of the changes that the new DVC complex will do to Poly but thats progress and I’m sure most will have forgotten soon enough.

 

[kiford]

We took the launch to MK whether we stayed at Poly or GF since the park was just our roller coaster center and then off to somewhere else. Fortunately despite the diminutive size of the launches we were never left at the dock

I'm not sure a lot of people are aware of the boats, so don't spread the word around too much; that way we'll never be left at the dock

 

[_19disnA]

We stayed at the Contemporary a few years ago and there were some small children in our party. What we found worked out best was to walk to MK and then take the monorail when returning. Usually after several hours in the park, the small child were tired and ready for a break. You hop the monorail and the next stop is the Contemporary which we found very convenient. Even the adults in our group enjoyed not having to walk back to our hotel after doing a lot of walking in the park.

We had a lake view room with a balcony. I wouldn't pay the extra money for the MK view since most of what you see is a large parking lot and maybe only a few of the tops of the tallest buildings in MK. There is also an outdoor patio area on the opposite end of the floor where Chef Mickey's is where you can watch the MK fireworks and avoid the large crowds when exiting.

Never stayed at Poly but we have eaten there a few times. Even when that walkway was open, considered it too far to walk to MK and would simply take the monorail. I seem to recall some other threads that indicate that walkway is currently closed due to construction.