What would you choose? The Polynesian or Disney's Contemporary Resort

[clapton]

My choice would be CR, but I have never been a fan of the Poly. I love the CR and it holds sentimental value for my family because it was the first hotel we stayed at years ago when my kids were little. I know some people don't like the theme but I love the concourse with the monorail going through it and all the activity going on. Either one is a great choice just two completely different experiences.

 

[Scarlett81]

CR. I like the room decor better. I like the dining better, and being able to get to the transfer station a teeny bit faster over to Epcot.
I think our greatest Disney moment to date may have been watching Wishes from Cali Grill with our whole family, and enjoying the amazing view from up there.

 

[Amanda999]

You have DD4 and DS9? Either is good, but I think they (especially DS9) will DIE when they see the volcano pool! My sons were 9 when we first went there, and they just loved it due to the theming, and the actual slide (which is inside the volcano - well, at least pre-renovation) is faster and longer IIRC than the pool slide at the CR.

They are both great resorts. You can't go wrong.

 

[Marthasor]

Poly is our favorite monorail resort. We haven't stayed there in a while because of the construction and have ended up doing 2 CR stays this year because Poly is a mess right now. We enjoyed CR, particularly the walk to MK. Plus we stayed CL Bay Lake side on one of the stays and saw the EP and DHS Frozen fireworks from our balcony which was really cool. But we hands-down love the theme at Poly more. Love being able to see the fireworks from the beach and being able to walk to TTC to grab the monorail to EP. CR definitely has a convention feel to it. Would rather stay in a tropical paradise!

 

[sotoalf]

I reach a draw with both hotels until the question of dining. To me it's incredible that a resort as expensive as the Polynesian has one bar, offers such a tight place for it, and only two restaurants, one of which is a very good coffee shop and the other is, uh, 'Ohana.

 

[pens4821]

I love CR. while some say they hate the theme I love it. The clean sleek contemporary look of the rooms is what I like the most. Walking through the fourth floor with everything going on and the monorail is great.

If you're going you have to stay in the tower. While people say it's loud, I don't really notice unless you're on the fourth floor. I love walking out of the room and looking down at all the excitement going on at the fourth floor. I like to stand there and people watch for a bit everytime I leave the room. It gives me a great feeling of disney excitement. You can't really hear anything once you're in he room (maybe faintly if it's dead quiet in the room but never bothered us and NEVER heard anything while trying to sleep).

The view of wishes from the tpv rooms is great and I'm assuming the bay lake view is tranquil. Monorail transportation and MK walking is convenient and easy. The cafe is good and even though the reviews are horrible we LOVE chef mickeys for dinner. The only drawback was bus transportation was horrible.

We will probably eventually try poly but I'm just always shocked at how many people dislike CR.

 

[ObiWan]

I have just begun the planning for our Fall 2015 trip and I am stuck - the Polynesian or the Contemporary? Which do you prefer and why?

I know that the last time that I was at the Polynesian (May 2014 - only there for dinner) there seemed to be quite a bit of construction happening there. And as for the Contemporary, I HEAR that it's nice, but I've also heard that the rooms are older, etc., but the proximity to MK is awesome, especially since we will be there for MNSSHP.

Thoughts?

Without a doubt the Poly. It has always been considered the best place to stay on property, and with the renovations it should be awesome. Not to say the CR isn't great, but it doesn't stand up to the Poly.