Polynesian vs Contemporary?

Traacy

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 21, 2017
We are planning a vacation for August, our family is torn between two resorts that we have never stayed in. Polynesian Resort or the Contemporary, which one would you recommend? And why?
 
I stayed at Poly, never Contemporary but we absolutely loved Poly. I mean, it just felt sooooo perfect for our family. I thought the contemporary, when we visited for character breakfast was just “meh”.
 
It really depends on what you are looking for in a resort. They both have their pros and cons, IMHO. CR is the most convenient to MK since you can walk there. Other than that, it really doesn't hold much appeal to me unless it's pricing out a lot lower than Poly. The rooms are large and comfortable and there are good restaurants onsite, but it lacks theming, can come across with an "airport hangar" vibe. The pool is also in serious need of a refurb, IMHO. When I go to the pool there, I feel like I'm going into a time warp back to the '70's. Poly has much more interesting theming, large, comfortable rooms, great pools and a children's splash area, but the restaurants are lacking IMHO (almost impossible to get into O'hana), it's quite noisy depending on with longhouse you are in (fireworks, luau, electric water pageant) and the lobby feels quite chaotic. If you are going for theming, I would probably go Poly. If you are looking for MK convenience, I would do CR.
 
Poly and CR are pretty much our go-to's when we want an MK area resort... although I like Poly for a longer stay and CR for a shorter stay. Poly's pools (both zero entry, large kids splash pad) better suit our needs (my kids are 8 and 4, for context). CR's pools are typically less crowded which is really nice and it's a beautiful setting on Bay Lake... just no zero entry and a dinky kids splash pad not on par with other resorts.

Poly is our "WDW vacation" hotel... CR is our "business/quick WDW trip" hotel.
 


I've stayed at both and the Contemporary is definitely my favorite. I know people love Poly, but I didn't. Nothing was wrong with the stay, we were actually upgraded, but I felt like the room felt old. The elevator to the room was mega tiny and walking through the hall to our room just felt like we were in the 1970s. The actual room was huge though and I love the themeing and restaurants there. I much prefer to visit the hotel instead of staying there. I also don't like that you have to go outside to get to your room. The cost of that hotel I just feel like indoor hallways should be a thing, especially if its raining or something and you don't want to go outside.

Now which room at the Contemporary changes my opinion. I don't like the garden wing rooms, I haven't stayed there, but a lot of my wedding guests did and I visited. I felt like it was really far from the main building and some of the views were not great. I loved staying in the tower, watching the monorail go by was so cool. We had an amazing view of Bay Lake and for NYE we are staying theme park view and will watch the fireworks from the balcony. I've stayed at Bay Lake Tower multiple times in a theme park view and loved doing that, being away from the crowds and still getting to watch and hear the music from the TV and then go right to bed. It also is the only hotel you can walk to the Magic Kingdom, which saves a lot of time and is a quick monorail ride over to Epcot.
 
Quick visit ...with minimal disney immersion feel, Contemporary imho. Once and done for us. Only plus was walk to MK if ur so inclined.
Polynesian is beautiful, if you can do club level..even better lol. No comparison for us.
Enjoy whichever you choose.
 
Contemporary is a must do for our family! We have stayed there 9 times and Grand Floridian once. CR is worth every penny for us. We always stay MK view and club level if it is available. Sitting on our balcony in our pjs every night watching the fireworks is worth every penny. The service is always outstanding and rooms are great. We arrive in 2 sleeps for our 10 nights, counting the minutes!!! Being able to catch the monorail without leaving the building, shopping, eating all in the same building is awesome. Walking to MK is a definite perk for us.
 


I’ve stayed in both and they are so, so different. I liked the Contemporary more, but I think it’s just personal preference of decor and atmosphere. Walking to the MK is nice, and I do like when the entire hotel is in 1 building, vs having to go outside at the Poly. They’re both very nice, though.
 
I think it depends on which one really is your style. They're all really good locations. I stayed at the Contemporary and probably will again. I have zero interest in the Polynesian, I don't like the look of Poly at all. *unless you're springing for a Bungalow, that is a completely different story* lol
 
Do you have children, and how old are they??
Yes, we have a 10 year old..My twenty year old and his girlfriend is going with us. We have friends staying at the Polynesian for the first time when we go but my husband has always loved the look of the Contemporary. So I'm trying to decide if we are going to book with them at the Polynesian or book the resort that my husband has always wanted to stay at..
 
Yes, we have a 10 year old..My twenty year old and his girlfriend is going with us. We have friends staying at the Polynesian for the first time when we go but my husband has always loved the look of the Contemporary. So I'm trying to decide if we are going to book with them at the Polynesian or book the resort that my husband has always wanted to stay at..
To me it doesn't matter. I'm in Disney
 
Yes, we have a 10 year old..My twenty year old and his girlfriend is going with us. We have friends staying at the Polynesian for the first time when we go but my husband has always loved the look of the Contemporary. So I'm trying to decide if we are going to book with them at the Polynesian or book the resort that my husband has always wanted to stay at..

Is your trip long enough that you can do a split stay? That way, you'd get to try where you husband wants and you'd also get to stay where your friends are.

As far as which we prefer, we used to love CR when we really needed that walking path to MK (double stroller along) and when my kids loved Chef Mickeys so much that we ate there several times a trip.

Now that my kids are older (age 15), we prefer the Poly because the theme fits us better. Poly is laid back and relaxing while CR is more "exciting" as the monorail goes through it and it's right next to MK. We'd still stay at CR if the opportunity is right, but we usually opt for Poly.
 
Now that my kids are older (age 15), we prefer the Poly because the theme fits us better. Poly is laid back and relaxing while CR is more "exciting" as the monorail goes through it and it's right next to MK. We'd still stay at CR if the opportunity is right, but we usually opt for Poly.

Interesting...I felt the exact opposite about the Poly. I’ve stayed at several deluxes...all except GF, BC, and AKL. I thought Poly was by far the most hectic, especially the main building. To me, relaxing would be Wilderness Lodge.
 
I also thought the Poly was more hectic the times we stopped there. Their bag check seems to take forever also.
 
Have done POLY twice and we love it. The rooms are large, pool is great and location you can't beat. The grounds are lush with plantings
and you can take a quiet stroll along the path while cinderella castle is in the background. Yes especially in the evening the main building can be busy
due to the restaurant same can be said about CR due to Chef Mickeys especially in the morning hours. Best is POLY is 2 stops on the monorail and your
at MK. Haven't stayed CR and Imo don't see anything appealing. It has a cold feeling being so sleek in design, pool looks very blah, and have walked from
MK to CR and its not a short walk like others "seem" to make it to be as being an asset...can't imagine doing it with kids who are tired. I can board
the monorail at the POLY and pretty sure be at the gate at MK before getting anywhere close to the front gate walking from CR.
 
Have done POLY twice and we love it. The rooms are large, pool is great and location you can't beat. The grounds are lush with plantings
and you can take a quiet stroll along the path while cinderella castle is in the background. Yes especially in the evening the main building can be busy
due to the restaurant same can be said about CR due to Chef Mickeys especially in the morning hours. Best is POLY is 2 stops on the monorail and your
at MK. Haven't stayed CR and Imo don't see anything appealing. It has a cold feeling being so sleek in design, pool looks very blah, and have walked from
MK to CR and its not a short walk like others "seem" to make it to be as being an asset...can't imagine doing it with kids who are tired. I can board
the monorail at the POLY and pretty sure be at the gate at MK before getting anywhere close to the front gate walking from CR.

But your name is Ice Cube lol Sorry couldn't help it. lol


We didn't walk very much when we stayed at the CR, but the times we did, it was to save time. In the evening when MK closes and there is a million people trying to get on, you can actually beat the monorail if you walk back to the resort. But usually we just took the monorail, because the CR is the first stop after MK.
 
If we were to stay at the CR we would ensure we had a MK View room or club level. Its a little minimalistic décor is not as appealing as other deluxe resorts, but allows us the freedom to walk to MK early morning or after MK closes. Not sure about the relationship with the other family, but being in the same resort makes it slightly easier to link up. I would give a higher rating for the PR pool over the CR pool (i.e. view, access control, pool theme). I would also state we have stayed at the PR far more times than CR, so we prefer the PR theme over the CR, but also the proximity to the TTC. Either resort would be a good choice, so don't worry too much about the decision. Overall, we found Epcot resorts to be a better fit for older kids, MK great for when the kids are very young, but since you have another family you are going to experience WDW with you should stay MK resort area. Personally if you don't care, then do CR and try to get a room with a view for a new experience/memories; if you want to be right there with the other family doing everything together...then pick PR
 
We are planning a vacation for August, our family is torn between two resorts that we have never stayed in. Polynesian Resort or the Contemporary, which one would you recommend? And why?

We've never stayed at the CR, but we love everything about the Poly! The tropical atmosphere is beautiful and relaxing, the pool is great as it backs up to the beach with a view of the castle in the distance, and it's convenient to both MK and Epcot. CR is on my list to try, but for a summer trip, my choice would be the Poly. Good luck :wizard:.

Is your trip long enough that you can do a split stay? That way, you'd get to try where you husband wants and you'd also get to stay where your friends are.

I agree with a split if that's an option :).
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJA

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top