GF vs Poly...really need some help!

[Babsy]

Funny, I had just asked my 11 and 8 year olds about a week ago where they’d rather stay next trip: GF or Poly. Both kids said, without hesitation, GF. They LOVE the pools at GF. GF is their favorite resort, with CCV and Poly in 2nd. Either resort, they’ll have a great time. Both fun and beautiful in their own way. Enjoy and good luck deciding!

My 10 and 6 year old grand daughters said the same. We have stayed at the Poly, GF and the CR/BLT with them (plus others beyond the monorail). Both girls much prefer staying at the GF to any of other resorts. One of the reasons was a preference for the GF pool. I was a bit surprised as I thought that the Poly would be their top choice.

I would definitely choose the GF resort room over a villa in the Poly. Those pull out beds are very uncomfortable!! I slept on one once for part of a night (couldn't sleep the rest of the night) and never again!

The GF will have a large, bright room with two queen beds and a comfortable daybed. The Poly is a wonderful resort with a great atmosphere, but I do not like those studios. YMMV, though. Many others seem to think that they are OK. And the Poly resort has a very special atmosphere.

Good luck choosing!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Exactly why an 11 year old will probably have more fun there than GF.

Hmmm - I have a 12-year old and he would much rather stay at a quieter resort. Chaos and noise aren't every kid's idea of fun.

 

[stranger706]

We stayed at the Poly in a studio in August. Loved most of it but there was about 5 million people at the pools most days. Unusable for us with 3 littles. They were getting trampled. We barely saw anyone in our building over a week I suspect most people at the pools were not guests. Room was great. Loved having 2 monorail stops! Plus the option of the ferry. No matter what we did during the day we always hopped on the monorail to mk or ep at night. Bus service to hs and ak was very slow on 2 separate days. Like an hour wait. Missed some fp from that. We might be back in a few years but for now we’re trying the other deluxes out.

 

[MotherKnowsBest]

I would choose whichever is cheapest. My kids (ages 11 and 9) love all of those resorts. Maybe a slight edge to Poly because the volcano pool is apparently awesome.

 

[Dreams&wishes]

We will be at the Poly in May as well! As mentioned before, if your daughter is used to have the nice Beach Club pool slide she won't be impressed by the GF one. May is definitely a pool month so in that case the Poly it is a better choice I think. My kids also enjoyed the kids activities alot and the lilo playhouse. So I'm sure you will enjoy the Poly alot.

 

[Karnor00]

It's a very personal thing, but I'm not a big fan of the theme at the GF. The service and facilities are excellent, but when I was there it felt like I could have been at any luxury hotel rather than being at Disney.

 

[cwestpvb]

I'd go with GF over Poly any day. Poly is in dire need of an update, and I can't justify paying the cost when it feels so outdated. GF needs some updating too, but it seems to be in better condition. GF feels like a luxury hotel, and if you plan on spending the money on a MK resort it'd be my top choice. 1 monorail stop to MK, and you can easily walk to the Poly to take the Epcot monorail. Lagoon view there is incredible. We had a view of MK from ours and could see the fireworks from bed (we were in Boca Chica if I remember correctly). Dining at GF is also better in my opinion.

I didn't find GF to be that "stuffy" as people often say, and cast members there are great. If you're gonna go big at Disney, you might as well go with the grand (but if you like BC you should look at YC too since that's my family's top choice!).

 

[mherb]

I'd go with GF over Poly any day. Poly is in dire need of an update, and I can't justify paying the cost when it feels so outdated. GF needs some updating too, but it seems to be in better condition. GF feels like a luxury hotel, and if you plan on spending the money on a MK resort it'd be my top choice. 1 monorail stop to MK, and you can easily walk to the Poly to take the Epcot monorail. Lagoon view there is incredible. We had a view of MK from ours and could see the fireworks from bed (we were in Boca Chica if I remember correctly). Dining at GF is also better in my opinion.

I didn't find GF to be that "stuffy" as people often say, and cast members there are great. If you're gonna go big at Disney, you might as well go with the grand (but if you like BC you should look at YC too since that's my family's top choice!).

I'd go with GF over Poly any day. Poly is in dire need of an update, and I can't justify paying the cost when it feels so outdated. GF needs some updating too, but it seems to be in better condition. GF feels like a luxury hotel, and if you plan on spending the money on a MK resort it'd be my top choice. 1 monorail stop to MK, and you can easily walk to the Poly to take the Epcot monorail. Lagoon view there is incredible. We had a view of MK from ours and could see the fireworks from bed (we were in Boca Chica if I remember correctly). Dining at GF is also better in my opinion.

I didn't find GF to be that "stuffy" as people often say, and cast members there are great. If you're gonna go big at Disney, you might as well go with the grand (but if you like BC you should look at YC too since that's my family's top choice!).

Beach and Yacht are fully booked for our stay. I would easily do a split stay between there and Poly or GF if it was opened. Only thing near there is BW and I just am not interested in that resort for some reason.

 

[rosiebean]

We will be at the Poly in May as well! As mentioned before, if your daughter is used to have the nice Beach Club pool slide she won't be impressed by the GF one. May is definitely a pool month so in that case the Poly it is a better choice I think. My kids also enjoyed the kids activities alot and the lilo playhouse. So I'm sure you will enjoy the Poly alot.

Huh. My kids loved the slide at Stormalong Bay and loved the slide at GF almost just as much. We were at GF in August a few years ago, and it was never too crowded or chaotic (unlike the Volcano pool at Poly). The pool at GF is fantastic at night, and watching the water pageant from the edge of the pool while my kids went down the slide several times is one of my favorite memories.

For the longest time, Poly was my very favorite resort at Disney. The overall vibe at the resort, especially on the grounds, is great. But rooms, frankly, are worn down a bit and the long house interior hallways are sad and dark (and dirty room service dishes sit outside rooms forever). The grounds, while fun and lively are often busy and crowded thanks to ‘Ohana, Trader Sam’s, the Luau, and general foot traffic because it’s the Poly. I was shocked at how much more I enjoyed my stay at GF. It’s not stuffy at all; it’s very relaxing; interior hallways at outbuildings are kept spotless (ours had a Mousekeeper cleaning our building’s public areas constantly); restaurants, lounges, and quick service was better (in our opinion) and less crowded than at Poly; and our room felt brighter and more up to date.

FWIW, from what I have read and heard, the DVC rooms at Polly are much more up-to-date and much nicer than regular rooms. And I would totally stay there again, as much as I loved GF, Poly is still a great resort. And the best thing is, you can walk back-and-forth between the two easily, so you can visit one while staying at the other… I just have found that I prefer to stay at GF and visit Poly every once in a while rather than the other way around.

 

[Beachmom0317]

We have stayed in a Poly studio in the Moorea building and it was so convenient to walk to the TTC and also walk to GCH. We walked to GF to visit it and loved that walk. The poly pool is amazing and i love the lush landscaping in the outside seating area for capt cooks. The second bathroom in the studio was a game changer. do you get free laundry if you stay at a studio on cash and not points? We seem to always have laundry on vaca so the free laundry is always a perk, but we always stay on points. Either way you’re at Disney!

 

[Katie_owen]

We have stayed at both and have no kids and from both environments, I would recommend the Polynesian resort! The pool is amazing for kids and so much more to do! Not to mention O’hana for breakfast!!! Your daughter will love it!!

 

[HairyChest]

I love both. My 2 favorite. Either one you stay, you can easily walk to the other to do the activities/dining. I'd go with the Grand because of the Lagoon view which is amazing having stayed in that. Having 2 queen beds also makes the room feel better to me. Also because its Christmas time, the grand is decked out and so special. You won't get the feeling until you stay there. And this is coming from a poly at heart guy.

 

[Dallasmomoftwo]

I think you made the right choice with the Poly. It is my kids' favorite resort. Being able to get a Dole Whip at the Pineapple Lanai is great, and the food at Captain Cook's is good. Also, we love to order the Twilight Feast from Ohana and have it delivered to our room. We stayed at Yacht Club this past summer and my kids weren't wowed at all. It was convenient to walk to Epcot, but that was the main draw. We ended up back over at the Poly to eat and to rent the Sea Racers. We wished we had stayed there instead.

 

[toodycat]

GF is beautiful and there is plenty to do. The outer buildings are fine. It’s not a big resort, so no matter where you are, it’s not a far walk to the pool or lobby. The GF feels really special and full of pixie dust to us and the CMs are very kind and efficient. I’ve never felt the Disney magic as intensely at the Poly. If you have a pin code for the GF, I say go for it.

 

[mherb]

I love both. My 2 favorite. Either one you stay, you can easily walk to the other to do the activities/dining. I'd go with the Grand because of the Lagoon view which is amazing having stayed in that. Having 2 queen beds also makes the room feel better to me. Also because its Christmas time, the grand is decked out and so special. You won't get the feeling until you stay there. And this is coming from a poly at heart guy.

Thanks! We aren’t actually traveling there until May. I am just surprising them with the trip as their Christmas gift.

 

[CartyGirls]

Since I just stayed for the first time at the Poly last February and it was the most magical vacation of my life and I wish we could afford to do it again this coming trip. It was an amazing resort. With that being said if I had to choose for me and my girls we would be at the GF for sure since we have never been. That would be the only reason. Would love to stay there just once. Hope they love their Christmas present

 

[bethclayton]

I would choose the GF. First of all, the living area of the studios is way too tiny, IMO (unless they are dramatically larger than BLT studios; if so, disregard that). I also just always feel like the Poly ends up feeling really chaotic. While the vibe there initially seems to be cool and laid back and exotic, after a short while, I feel like all I notice are kids having meltdowns and running all over, and people being pushy, and just feels overwhelming and crowded and not what I want for the price that I am paying. I love to visit there, but I'm never thrilled with staying there. It's kind of like taking the chaos of the parks "home" with me after a long day. And while their pool looks more fun for kids, I have always found it to be crowded and uncomfortable. I don't know how much an 11 year old without other kids to hang out with would love it.

The GF is not stuffy at all, it is elegant while still being family friendly. I feel so much more relaxed there. I feel that there is more to do there (maybe just my perception)... way more shopping, more restaurants, the quick service has a nice outdoor seating area overlooking the marina, the lobby is such a nice place to just sit and relax and people watch, and listen to the live music. The pool is large and more relaxing, and they still have the fun and games for the kids.

 

[nkereina]

My initial inclination was Poly because transportation and convenience is most important to me when deciding on a resort. The monorail plus the ability to walk to TTC to hop on the Epcot monorail make it more convenient than GF, IMO. But that said, $300 more than GF is significant to me. So with that in mind, I would switch to GF. You will get comparable service and quality at both. The theme may be more appealing at one over the other, but that's subjective and they each have their pros and cons. You can't go wrong at either, so might as well save the $300.

 

[John Lesley and Sam]

Did you check out the room layouts ? The Poly Villas studio has two bathrooms which is very nice.

 

[John Lesley and Sam]

The Poly studios are much larger than the studios at BLT.

BLT is 339 square feet and the Poly is 447 square feet.