Contemporary Resort v. Grand Floridian?
We´lll be staying on property at Disney in November. I have heard the service at the GF is magnificent. However, traveling with a 3 year old, location and walking the least is important. I´m also concerned about the view. Contemporary will offer a high floor view, while at the GF, we may end up at the lower concierge level. Any thoughts?
Comments
The Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian are all close to Magic, and use the monorail. I think staying at any of these 3 places will be fine with going to and from Magic. I just booked a November trip to Disney a few weeks ago. We are traveling with a 5, 3.5 and 2 yr old. We wanted to stay close to Magic because we will probably be at Magic the most days. We wanted to stay at the Contemporary because of the few hotels near Magic Kingdom, it is the most affordable. When I called, the Contemporary was pretty much all booked up, they only had Concierge level available, expensive! It was actually $600 less to stay at the Grand Floridian. I have always heard GREAT...things about GF, so we booked GF, the monorail stops there too. I also heard the Contemporary--can be "busy" and "loud" like a train station. And I read that even though you can rent a stroller in the park, you may actually "need" your own with some of the walking thru the hotels and other areas. Just a tip. As far as the view...just consider how much time you will actually be in your hotel room. For an additional $400 we could have gotten a Lagoon view. With that, I can see the light parade from our room. Every night. I don't even know if we will be in our room at that time, every night...or what my real view would be. Not worth it to me. We have a garden view, and I heard the gardens are absolutely gorgeous...but like I said, how much time are we going to be in our room, looking at the gardens. Yeah, with kids (believe me I understand) you want to be able to go back to your room easily. You aren't the only one. I think with a trip to Disney you need to be more flexible and go with the flow...or the whole trip might be spent in the room watching your 3 yr old nap. Our two year old will still need naps in November, if it is not possible to go back to the room, he will most likely nap in the stroller. And with 3 small kids, we will be out early in the AM---and our night will not be long. We will probably eat early and finish our evening at the pool.
This site was recommended to me. There are a lot of tips on what to do, when to do it, stuff for kids...etc. http://allears.net/acc/ola_mk.htm
It's an unofficial Disney site put together by diehard Disney fans. Check out each hotel's faq's and maybe you can make a decision.
As said before, the deluxe resorts in the Magic Kingdom are very nice, and on the concierge level, even nicer -- and we felt worth the extra expense, especially with little ones that are always hungry.
The Contemporary is nice in that you have the monorail going through and also there is a foot path into the Kingdom. The Polynesian and Grand Floridian are also on the monorail. In addition they and Wilderness Lodge also have small boat ferries across the lake to the Magic Kingdom and back.
All of the resorts are super convenient and very easy to get back to for a break. We like to head out early and enjoy the morning in the park. Then as the day heats up, and the crowds get bigger, you can head back, enjoy the pool, explore the other Magic Kingdom resorts, or even rest before heading back out in the evening. It is easy to get back for the electric light parade on the lake and the nightly fireworks -- if you want to avoid the crowds in the park with a tired little one.
I will say, the one concierge expense we will not justify again is paying for a lagoon view room. We watched the fireworks every night from the concierge lounge and enjoyed the view, along with the desserts and cordials.
Both resorts are Deluxe Resorts and offer excellent amenities, high-quality accomodations, and immediate proximity to Magic Kingdom. The Grand Floridian is Disney's flagship resort so it is the most elegant and luxurious resort on property, you can request a lagoon-view room if you would like a view of the Cinderella Castle. If you are staying at Disney's Contemporary be sure to book a room in the main tower with a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon, all floors in the main tower will offer a good view but the concierge level is the highest floor if thats what your interested in. In addition, the Contemporary Resort rooms are recently renovated so you will find fine decor and plasma-screen TVs in all the rooms. Have Fun!
Grand Floridian Concierge
I have stayed at both resorts & also have a child under 5. I will offer you my opinion on each. The Contemporary Resort is one of Disney's oldest. It is very bright(all hours of the day & night) and very noisy (the monorail runs directly through the center of the resort). It has great food choices & is convenient to Magic Kingdom. Plan on standing in long lines for elevators to your room.
The Grand Floridian is Disney's finest (and most expensive) resort, but you do indeed get what you pay for. It is on the monorail system so it is convenient to all parks. We had a wonderful trip staying at this property. It was quiet & very entertaining. The food choices are wonderful, but a little more pricey.
I just stayed at the Grand Floridian this weekend, they have two pools, one with a slide and one without. The contemporary only have one pool. I know the Grand Floridan only have 5 floors whereas the Contemporary has more floors. Either way you can see Magic Kingdom from both resorts.
GF is definitely a more elegant resort, but the accomodations are spread out over several buildings. This could add to your walking/stroller pushing unless you request main lobby accomodations. Contemporary will offer you much better views, but you may want to request Magic Kingdom view as opposed to Bay Lake view. (MK view will probably cost more) Contemporary is all under one roof, and getting in and out of your room to go to restaurants, monorail etc. should be a bit easier. Both have great character breakfasts,(although Con. offers buffet style at Chef Mickeys)characters will vary from resort to resort,check with concierge.Monorail will take you from the lobby of either resort to MK and EPCOT (EPCOT requires a change of trains at Ticket and Transportation Center. easy to do.)Bus service to all other destinations,no worries, buses run very efficiently. Boat service from either resort to MK, Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge(more good character dining and overall viewing,) Fort Wilderness(same as WL and lots of kid friendly options). Have fun! You wont be disappointed with either choice.
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personally I like the Polynesian--I just got back with 3 young kids----the contemporary is under major construction---we went to chef mickeys and it was a mess to look at---the GF is beautiful, but i find that it is not "kid friendly'--very snooty. at the poly they have a great conceirge level and i loved watching the water parade followed by the fire works at magic kingdom on the beach~~~~~