DisneyWorld--Polynesian Vs. Grand Floridian with Kids, Which Is Better/more Fun?

I saw one they were showing on the Travel Channel, it's called POP and it is specifically designed for kids! Check it out... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJRnzSOE1_4

Also this one is amazing for kids... You can even see real safari animals from your balcony! http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLandin...

Poly. Poly all the way! We love that place and our girls (4 and 14 months) ask to go at least 3 times a week. It's incredible. There really are no words to describe how great that place is. I am so jealous you are going!!

UPDATE: Someone stated to do NOT use the conceirge. I beg to differ. My time = money. It may not be worth it to every family but it was very worth it to us.

I vote the Poly. We took our daughter (now 13) every 2 yrs from the time she was 2-8. Sometimes we met family there for a big family get together.

We always stayed at the Poly. It reminded us of being back in Hawaii. The tropical feel is great. The children loved the Hawaiian character breakfast, pools and beach. The luau used to be as authentic as the ones we went to in Hawaii but they are a bit more commercial now. Still a good treat. I could stay at the Poly the entire time and never go anywhere else. The last time we stayed at the Poly, we stayed in the Concierge bldg. It was a little more pricey but they do have snacks and drinks available often. Light breakfast, snack, happy hour, late night dessert.

As for the GF. It is very nice. The GF is classy and has a country clubbish feel about it. Beautiful place and we enjoyed a couple of meals there. We enjoy the country club atmosphere, great service, etc, however, we have that here at home with the private club where we are members.

You can see the nightly fireworks from Magic Kingdom from both places. There was a boat taxi that would take people from the Poly and GF to Magic Kingdom. Sometimes the boat taxi was faster than the monorail. The convenience factor is a huge plus.

Enjoy!!

Hi K.,

I haven't stayed at either, but I've eaten dinner at both multiple times. I love the feel of the Poly - it's laid-back and reminds me of Hawaii. And they have some great restaurants, and a beautiful beach! However, my husband DOES think it looks run-down, which is why we've never stayed there. I can tell you that the Poly has the highest return rate (of previous guests) of any Disney resort, so people who give it a chance definitely like it!

GF is beautiful, but it's too ...well, for lack of a better word, stuffy for my tastes. We haven't been there since we had kids, but even when it was just my husband and I, I remember feeling like I needed to whisper whenI was in the lobby because of its formality.

The Poly has an awesome pool with a neat volcano feature, which I think is more enticing to kids. The GF pool is nice, but more on par with an adult luxury resort.

It took me a minute to realize what you meant about the Poly being near the monorail to Epcot - you mean that it's within walking distance to the TTC, is that right? It is, technically, and I've walked it before, but if you would prefer the GF, it's not going to make that much difference. You'd just ride the monorail from GF to the TTC and switch trains there. That's more fun than walking anyway! :-)

Hope that helps - good luck with your decision! When are you planning to go?

N.

My definite vote for kids is for the Polynesian. Grand Floridian is more adult. Polynesian is an older hotel, but our room was in very good condition. The bonus is that the rooms are larger because its an older hotel. The pool area with the lagoon is very kid friendly. The beach area has sand shovels and buckets. The polynesian and the grand floridian are right next to each other on the monorail, so you can go to eat at the grand floridian easily. The only thing we did not like about the polynesian was that the food choices were limited. They do have a wonderful luau and all of the restraunts were good, but not as many choices as we would have liked. They did have a little coffee stand on the second floor, right next to the monorail, and we would stop there and get coffee, bagels, milk, bananas and pastries each morning, before we hopped on the monorail.

We love both. The Polynesian is not even close to being run down, it is beautiful. It is an advantage to have the option to get off of the monorail at the Ticket center and walk to the Poly. I don't think you can go wrong with either. The Poly has a cool volcano themed pool with a slide. It's my personal favorite.

Hey K.,
We do DW alot and have stayed in most of the upscale property hotels. The GF is VERY formal, we went with our daughter when she was about 5-6 and it was a bit too structured. We have decided that the Polynesian is our choice, it's on the monorail, very convenient to everything. You can take the boat over, you can see the fireworks from the beach. Very nice. Yes, the hotel is old; but convenience factor and beauty are not surpassed. Do NOT pay for the concierge service, though, that was a waste at Disney.
Hope this helps! KathyD.

HI K.,

I grew up in Orlando and worked for disney for 7 years. Both the Poly and the Grand Floridian have teh same access with the monorail to both Epcot and Magic Kingdom. They are just one stop from each other. My choice with kids is the Poly. It is definitely not run down in its age. The Grand Floridian is a beautiful hotel but i just don't think geared toward kids. The Poly has an excellent pool and if I remember correctly when you go under the water, you hear music! You can really pick any disney hotel and not go wrong! All are great and magical! Good luck and have fun on your trip!

yeah, like the others said the GF is just like a country club--stuffy, ornate and formal down to the guy playing the piano in the lobby. My kids are 6, 4 adn 6 mo. and I felt like they didn't belong there at all and was terrified they were going to break something. It's definitely the place for retirees, but not necessarily families.

Hi K.~
Let me start by saying we have stayed at the Poly twice. Both times we struggled w/the very decision you are struggling with and both trips went w/the Poly. Initially, I decided to go w/the Poly over the GF because I though the theming would be more interesting to my 2 young boys. The GF is beautiful but does feel a bit girly to me(appels more to me,not so much to them). The resort lobby and public areas of the Poly do feel a bit 70 ish but the rooms and amenities have been updated many times and are very current and spacious. The location of the Poly is the BEST as far as I am concerned. Everything is at your finger tips and if you are lucky, you may even get a castle view.
That being said, we are planning to go back next year and this time we do plan to stay at the GF because this will be our daughters first trip and we think she might enjoy the atmosphere at the GF(I hope her brothers don't mimd too much ).
So to sum it up, the only real advantage that the Poly has over GF is it is easier to get to Epcot. Other than that, their locations are equally awesome and it just comes down to what theme you are looking for.

Feel free to PM with any more Q's if yo u have any.

N.

I have only stayed at Flo. Its awsome. Very clean. You can see the fire works from the castle, on the deck of the Flo, and the water light parade. Its so close. And if you have little ones I would stay there definately. We took the boat on the way back from WWW, and it was the first stop. And the monorail there cause its also the first stop. So convient. We are staying there again next year. I have a 3yr boy so convienence is #1 for us. And the bus systems are fast also. Have a blast!! You know Flo is rated the #1 hotel in WWW.

We just visited family in Florida and they stayed at the ??? resort. It is the one with the different years 50s through 90s. They have a different themed pool at every year and you do have access to all the pools when you stay there. Not sure if they have bus service to the parks or not, but should as they are Disney resorts. I would definitely stay there the next time we go. It was like only $60 a night and very much good for kids..mine loved it, ages 5 and 8.

Have fun and be safe!! WEAR SUNSCREEN AND BUG SPRAY!!

J. S.