Grand Floridian vs. Contemporary ????

[IMAC]

Trying to decide between GF and Contemp for a 3 night stay in Jan 2013.....haven't stayed at either but stayed at BLT and thought being able to walk to MK was great.(3 kids ages 9, 7 and 4) GF rooms nicer? what about construction in both properties? thanks for your 2 cents!!!!

[BrerGnat]

MAJOR construction will be going on in the GF area in January. I'd choose Contemporary, myself. Love that resort!

[faline]

The rooms at the Grand Floridian are very spacious - outside of vacation club villas - they are the largest I stayed in on property. While I would ordinarily select this venue, I'd probably go with the Contemporary due to the current construction at the Grand Floridian.

I especially like the Magic Kingdom view rooms in the Contemporary tower and, as you noted, it is quite nice to be able to walk on over to the Magic Kingdom.

[SBETigg]

I'm a big fan of the Grand Floridian. I love it there, but-- construction. It wouldn't bother me much because I already love the resort. But for a first time stay, I might save it for another time and choose the Contemporary this time. As you say, the walk to MK is a major convenience. While the GF also has some great options to MK (monorail or boat), the walk still beats that.

[mariak]

The Contemporary for sure! We’ve stayed there and at the Polynesian. While the Poly is probably our favorite(our girls call it "home"), it really was wonderful to walk to the Kingdom in under 10 minutes(as you know)! Our room location was not the greatest…RIGHT over Chef Mickey’s. It was in December and the LOUD Christmas music every morning was nice for the first couple of days but got old fast. I would request to be higher up and on the opposite end of Chef Mickey’s.

We’ve never stayed at the Grand Floridian and probably never will because I’ve heard from two totally different people (one who stayed twice/ the same report) that their rooms felt musty and damp. Hmm…not sure if they just happened to stay in the same room or the same area close to the same time or what but I don’t know that I’d want to chance it. Plus, the GF people are the last ones on the monorail when it’s already packed and they never look happy. Then, they’re the last to be dropped off at the end of the night. They don’t have to stand long on the way to MK but I wouldn’t like having to try to find space on the monorail every morning. It would be so nice if you could walk there!!!

Have a magical trip!

Maria

[SBETigg]

Maria, I've stayed at the GF lots of times and have never had a musty or damp room. Also, there is a boat launch to and from the MK, so there's not a sole reliance on the monorail. We love taking the monorail to the MK (even when it's crowded, it's just a very short ride) and the boat launch from the MK back to GF (first drop off in that direction). It's not for everyone, but neither is the Poly, or the Contemporary, and you will see a mix of reviews on every resort. If you're ever curious to try the GF, I wouldn't let those few reviews put you off. It's not the norm to my experience at all.

[Tigerinvestigator]

Another vote for the Contemporary. For what you will pay at the GF for a standard room, you can usually book a Tower room at CR for about the same amount.

[Gator]

As much as I like Contemporary, if you have a chance to stay at the flagship property, do it. GF is just nice. Hard to pass up such a great place.

[mariak]

Maria, I've stayed at the GF lots of times and have never had a musty or damp room. Also, there is a boat launch to and from the MK, so there's not a sole reliance on the monorail. We love taking the monorail to the MK (even when it's crowded, it's just a very short ride) and the boat launch from the MK back to GF (first drop off in that direction). It's not for everyone, but neither is the Poly, or the Contemporary, and you will see a mix of reviews on every resort. If you're ever curious to try the GF, I wouldn't let those few reviews put you off. It's not the norm to my experience at all.

Thanks for the info. It's good to know. The two people that I talked to were people that I happened to talk to on 2 different trips and I found it interesting that they both had the same complaint. Weird.

I know everyone has different opinions about different resorts. I think it just depends on personal preference and experiences. I've heard some knock the Polynesian which is one of our favorites. So I definitely shouldn't knock it before I try it. Thanks again for reminding me of that. We might just take your advice and give it a try sometime.

Thanks!

Maria

[Donald A]

I have stayed at every deluxe resort on the property except Old Key West and Poly (both of which I visited) and hands down, the Grand Floridian is the nicest resort at which I have ever stayed. However, there is construction but I am not sure how much it wound effect you as it is a whole seperate complex for the DVC villa section. Either way with your 2 considerations you can not go wrong!

[Aurora]

Tough choice! With the ages of your kids I would automatically say, hands down, the Contemporary! But since you've already stayed at Bay Lake Tower, maybe you're looking for some variety?

I think for the kids, the CR has an edge on the coolness factor -- Magic Kingdom views, the monorail going through the building and the giant atrium, plus it's less formal on the decor. And of course there's that "extra" MK transportation option -- your feet! But the GF is beautiful and certainly different from BLT and CR.

As others have said, you can't go wrong with either.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Never stayed at either, just putting my two cents in based on first impressions.

The Contemporary is not as nicely themed to me as the other resorts that just have that special Disney feeling to them. However, I would stay there if I could afford to stay in the Magic Kingdom view room. I just think laying in bed and watching the fireworks over the castle would be amazing. I would choose this resort only if I could get that view.

The Grand Floridian is just stunningly beautiful. Some people have said that the people staying there are snooty but I've never gotten that vibe. I would like to stay there one day. I think you can get the MK view here too but not sure its as good as the CR view. The only drawback is the construction going on now. Not sure if it would interfere with your enjoyment of the resort or not.

[Keneva]

We stayed in CR tower overlooking MK and the view at night is memorable. DD still talks about it. As an adult, I liked the GF better. I don't think my kids cared either way honestly.

[Granny Jill A]

Stayed at Contemporary two years ago and had the MK view - AWESOME. Not much in the way of theming at the hotel, but being first stop on the monorail was wonderful. Don't let them put you right over Chef Mickey, though. They told us we wouldn't hear anything. Wrong.

This year we are trying the GF. Hope it's worth the money