Polynesian or Contemporary Garden Wing?

[crazyfordisney2000]

We can't decide for August 2015! We have not stayed at either. It would be Poly standard view. We like the theme at Poly, but being able to walk to the Contemporary from MK is what is drawing us there. We have previously stayed at GF and YC and we loved both. Someone help sway us one way or the other!

 

[Dano13]

We stayed at the contemporary garden wing 2 years ago and had an awesome stay. Walking to the MK was great. What was even better was leaving after wishes and seeing obscene lines for the monorail and tram and knowing in 8-10 minutes we'd be back at the hotel on foot.

 

[tony67]

Having stayed at both I'd pick the Poly every time - just make sure you check the referb schedule

To me the CR is just a standard hotel room on the monorail - it is nice to walk to the MK, and the pool is nice, but the theme, attitude and feel is always better for me at the Poly.

Also keep in mind there are a lot of conventions at the CR. I don't mind that but some people are put off by it.

 

[mickeynut1]

We can't decide for August 2015! We have not stayed at either. It would be Poly standard view. We like the theme at Poly, but being able to walk to the Contemporary from MK is what is drawing us there. We have previously stayed at GF and YC and we loved both. Someone help sway us one way or the other!

We've never stayed at the CR, but we love the Poly. The tropical atmosphere is beautiful, the pool is fun, the beach is great for relaxing in a hammock watching the fireworks, and it's relaxing walking around at night under the lit tiki torches. It is convenient to be able to walk to MK from the CR, but the Poly is just 2 monorail stops going to MK as well as coming from MK. Plus the Poly is just a 5-7 minute walk from the TTC to catch the Epcot monorail. I'm sure you will have a great trip no matter which resort you choose, but my choice would be the Poly. Good luck.

 

[disny_luvr]

I'd definitely stay at the Poly. The CR does nothing for me. It just reminds me of a standard hotel. The Poly on the other hand, is amazing. The theming is great and it still puts you on the monorail line. Have a great trip!

 

[MillauFr]

The question is do you want to stay at a hotel with one of the best themes at Disneyworld? Or do you want to stay at a hotel that doesn't look much better than the Orlando airport? The choice in my opinion is obvious.

 

[jandkmom]

We've stayed at BLT (even closer to MK) and Poly...my favorite is Poly. The convenience of the resort monorail and a quick walk to TTC is a big draw for us. We love the theming, which feels more like a vacation to us. And the fireworks on the beach are more our speed...we love that we can watch them and then be back in our room, ready for bed a minute later

 

[searlproudbottom]

You might want to consider renting points from a DVC member and staying in a one bedroom villa at the Bay Lake Tower.

For fun I ran some numbers.

In the first two weeks of August for 7 days in a standard view room the Poly will cost $442 per night plus an 11%tax for a total of $3434.

A one bedroom Villa with a bay Lake view in the Bay Lake Tower will cost a total of 301 points. assuming you rent your points for $13 per point which I believe is very doable the cost would be $3913.

For a difference of $479 you would have a full kitchen, living room, washer and dryer, two bathrooms which the Master bath includes a shower and a whirlpool tub.

We have stayed at the Poly five times before becoming members of DVC . Since becoming members we have stayed at BLT five times. The extra room and the availability to prepare our meals at home makes the BLT our first choice.

Good Luck To You

Searl

 

[searlproudbottom]

Some pics of BLT

 

[MillauFr]

You might want to consider renting points from a DVC member and staying in a one bedroom villa at the Bay Lake Tower.

For fun I ran some numbers.

In the first two weeks of August for 7 days in a standard view room the Poly will cost $442 per night plus an 11%tax for a total of $3434.

A one bedroom Villa with a bay Lake view in the Bay Lake Tower will cost a total of 301 points. assuming you rent your points for $13 per point which I believe is very doable the cost would be $3913.

For a difference of $479 you would have a full kitchen, living room, washer and dryer, two bathrooms which the Master bath includes a shower and a whirlpool tub.

We have stayed at the Poly five times before becoming members of DVC . Since becoming members we have stayed at BLT five times. The extra room and the availability to prepare our meals at home makes the BLT our first choice.

Good Luck To You

Searl

Remember though you can stay at the Poly during the last half of August for less than $200 per night.

 

[threelilbears]

I'd pick the Poly...

 

[crazyfordisney2000]

You might want to consider renting points from a DVC member and staying in a one bedroom villa at the Bay Lake Tower.

For fun I ran some numbers.

In the first two weeks of August for 7 days in a standard view room the Poly will cost $442 per night plus an 11%tax for a total of $3434.

A one bedroom Villa with a bay Lake view in the Bay Lake Tower will cost a total of 301 points. assuming you rent your points for $13 per point which I believe is very doable the cost would be $3913.

For a difference of $479 you would have a full kitchen, living room, washer and dryer, two bathrooms which the Master bath includes a shower and a whirlpool tub.

We have stayed at the Poly five times before becoming members of DVC . Since becoming members we have stayed at BLT five times. The extra room and the availability to prepare our meals at home makes the BLT our first choice.

Good Luck To You

Searl

Thank you so much for your efforts, I appreciate that. I love the pics, they are what I was looking for originally since the pool is a big part of our decision. The other fear I had was the pool at the Poly won't be finished in time, that would be a deal breaker. But from everything I have read, I'm pretty sure it will be.

Remember though you can stay at the Poly during the last half of August for less than $200 per night.

Yes, it's the same price as the Contemporary, which is why I couldn't decide. Also, my husband has always wanted to stay at the Contemporary and I have always wanted to stay at the Poly. Since it looks like the bulk of the construction will be be complete, I think I have my answer…

 

[Carriesouthard]

Poly, hands down! Such a relaxing resort, great theming fantastic cms etc....pretty much feels like you are away from it all but then you are reminded you aren't with the monorail going by and the castle in view. My favorite mornings were spent while my family was still asleep. I would sit by the pool (I was the only one there) with my coffee and watch the monorail and listen to the MK rope drop show...magical!

 

[Happyjen27]

I have stayed at both and prefer the Contemporary.

The Poly has such a devoted, vocal following, on our first trip I was originally leaning toward the CR, and then switched to the Poly because so many people feeling so strongly can't be wrong.

I just didn't agree with those people. I hated walking outside to get a cup of coffee or a snack. I hated the "Very Brady Bunch Hawaii Vacation" feel of the resort. I hated the dark walls/dark carpet/dark room they have going on there. (in Poly's defense, this was in Dec 2012 before the refurb, but the pics I've seen still don't suit me).

The CR on the other hand, is magic!! A monorail goes THROUGH the resort. That never got old. The bright, airy, sleek rooms are more my style. I'm a tower girl, MK view fireworks from my balcony in my pajamas! Yes, please. My coworker prefers the garden wing to the main tower, because you get the quiet AND the walk to the MK.

The walk. Oh, the blessings of not having to wait 35 minutes for a boat, or monorail to get back to your room from the MK. SWOON. When I'm tired, and the kids are tired, to be able to get back to the room on our own timetable was priceless than placating an overcooked child waiting in line for transportation.

 

[Ejpats]

Remember though you can stay at the Poly during the last half of August for less than $200 per night.

Really? How would I go about doing that?

 

[fessaj]

Poly most def.

 

[nanhol]

I've stayed at the Poly & the Contemporary Tower (but never the Garden Wing), and would stay at either place again. When my kids were younger they loved the Polynesian, but as they've gotten older we've found we prefer the Contemporary. Here's why:

Poly Pluses:

• The theming is great--we really enjoyed the lush landscaping all around the resort, and we loved the Great Ceremonial House--I'll be curious to see what the refurb brings to the lobby there--it may not be as cool as the water feature that was there, but it will likely still be great.
• Volcano pool is unique and fun--my kids loved this & still talk about it 5 years later--I read that w/ the pool refurb they might make the volcano smaller, but I bet it will still be cool
• The boat rides--we loved taking the little shuttle boat between the MK and GF and the Poly. On our last trip we made sure to take the boat from MK to our Ohana dinner, and then stayed to watch the fireworks from the beach.
• Great restaurants--The QS and TS restaurants at the Poly are some of my faves. Ohana, Kona Cafe & Captain Cooks have reliably good food. We usually get at least 1 QS meal in our resort every day, and like Captain Cooks better than the QS at the other resorts we've stayed at. When we've stayed at the CR we also like that we can hop on the monorail for our breakfast at Kona or Ohana--but it's even more convenient if you're staying there!
• The beach is a great place for an early AM walk and to watch MK fireworks or the Electrical Water Pageant. I'm not sure how construction for the DVC bungalows impact the rest of the beach, but I think it's still open.

Contemporary Pluses:

• Big, open, airy rooms. The decor is cool & modern & the wall of windows w/ balcony makes the room seem really big. The bathrooms are super modern but functional. I believe that I've read that the Poly rooms are bigger, but they are darker--the room refurb brightened them somewhat (based on the pics I've seen), but I felt like I was in a cave inside the hallways of the buildings and in our rooms. I didn't have a balcony room at the Poly, perhaps that would make the difference.
• Location, location, location--having the option to walk to/from MK is really great, especially now that we'll stay late for EMH. We also enjoy watching the fireworks from CR.
• Less walking around within resort--we do so much walking at Disney, we really like not having to trek across the resort to get to our room. I found it simple to take the elevator up to our floor and then it was a short walk to our room. I'm not sure how much of a hike the Garden Wing at the CR is, though--so this may not be an advantage. (The worst deluxe resort for this, IMO, is the Beach/Yacht Club. We had such a long walk to get to our room along the hall from the elevator--at least at the Poly there is lovely theming to admire!)
• The arcade--my husband and kids love arcades, and the arcade at the CR is a good one. The old arcade at the Poly was kind of lame, and I read that there will not be any arcade once the refurb there is complete. We usually only visit the arcade once on any trip, but it's nice to have it as an option.

If you've never stayed at the Poly then it's a fun experience to have at least once. I don't know how the DVC construction will impact your visit next summer, but it sounds like you can get a good deal then.

I wonder how many of the Contemporary haters are folks who have never stayed there? Give it a try before you decide it's not for you. But try it on your next trip!

 

[clapton]

I know I'm in the minority here but I would choose the CR. This was the first resort we stayed at when my kids were little, so it holds a special place in my heart. We stayed many times over the years and always loved it. We finally bought DVC at the BLT a few years ago. Love the monorail going through the grand concourse and the QS restaurant, not to mention the quick walk from the MK. It just says Disney to me!! Whatever you decide have a wonderful time!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

We absolutely love the contemporary. I love the fact that the monorail goes right through. The rooms are big and roomy and I love watching the fireworks from our balcony! Never stayed at the poly but we visited to go to ohana and I don't think that theming fits my family. It's too dark for us.

 

[spleuchan]

You might want to consider renting points from a DVC member and staying in a one bedroom villa at the Bay Lake Tower.

For fun I ran some numbers.

In the first two weeks of August for 7 days in a standard view room the Poly will cost $442 per night plus an 11%tax for a total of $3434.

A one bedroom Villa with a bay Lake view in the Bay Lake Tower will cost a total of 301 points. assuming you rent your points for $13 per point which I believe is very doable the cost would be $3913.

For a difference of $479 you would have a full kitchen, living room, washer and dryer, two bathrooms which the Master bath includes a shower and a whirlpool tub.

We have stayed at the Poly five times before becoming members of DVC . Since becoming members we have stayed at BLT five times. The extra room and the availability to prepare our meals at home makes the BLT our first choice.

Good Luck To You

Searl

DVC members like to compare costs to rack rates to make it sound like DVC is a good deal. However, you rarely have to pay rack rates at Disney. Sounds like they would be able to get a week at either poly or CR for closer to $1,400, which is a big difference from close to 4 grand. Even without that great deal, assuming 30% off, which is a reasonable % off, it would be $2,404. which is still significantly cheaper than renting DVC.

Back on topic, we are choosing Poly. I stayed there as a child and remember loving it. I'm sure CR would be nice too, but maybe another time.