Me, my wife, our son (4) daughter (2) and son (2) have 5 nights booked at the Contemporary Garden Wing in May (shoutout to everyone for all the great advice in a separate thread!)
I’m wavering on my hotel choice - mainly because I’m wondering if we’ll miss out on the “magic” of the contemporary by not being in the main tower, and also, the garden wing has no bathtubs (not ideal for 2yo twins).
But, walkability with no elevators seems compelling too. Not sure how much the no elevator situation really moves the needle though.
All of these options are in a close enough price range to easily adjust to:
-Garden Wing 2-queen room (current booking)
-Main Tower 1 king + 1 daybed room (appears to have a bathtub)
-Polynesian Resort (standard room)
-Some dates, the Grand Floridian
The most important aspects are space and transportation options. We will have 2 cribs in the room so I need solid square footage. This makes 1 king more appealing than 2 queens. I also want easy-ish transportation to parks throughout the day. A bathtub is certainly a huge help too. And of course while we will barely be in the room at all, it is our first Disney trip as a family and I want the atmosphere to be as magical and immersive as we can, without sacrificing comfort or location.
What say you? Am I overthinking? Is Garden Wing the best option for us? Or would you consider the Poly or Main Tower?
You are walking distance to MK, which makes things really easy for mid-day naps.
And the excitement of seeing the monorail go through the building will likely have the twins entranced.,
I think the views both ways are fantastic. Personally I love Bay Lake at sunrise and sunset. And a good view of the Electrical Water Pageant, which the twins will likely also love. But the other way gives you MK &/or the 7 seas lagoon with fireworks.
I would consider the Poly if you are spend a decent amount of time at Epcot. It takes a really long time to get from Epcot to the Contemporary via the monorail. We loved Bay Lake Tower but this trip (changing lines and taking the full resort loop) at the end of the night really soured us. At the Poly you can at least walk from the TTC.
If you plan mostly MK then definitely stick with the Contemporary!
I may be wrong here but I believe if you want a resort view 1 king room at either Poly or GF, you would also not be in the main building. I’m not sure about water view or theme park view rooms. Would that also seem “less magic” like the garden rooms at Contemporary? It might be worth your time to look at Touring Plans room finder and seeing if you’d be happy with the locations of the room types you’re considering.
I’ve not stayed in the main Contemporary building, but I’ve read that it can be a bit noisy, even in the rooms, which might be exciting for your toddler or might be overstimulating. I love the monorail going through the hotel but I did find eating at Chef Mickeys and the Contempo Cafe to be a bit chaotic at times.
I’ve only stayed at GF and Bay Lake Tower (both in DVC rooms), but both are extremely convenient. We loved being able to walk to/from Contemporary to MK when my kiddo was still in a stroller. I can’t see how you could go wrong with any of these options, honestly. All three feel magical to me. If go with the cost and theming that fit you best.
(If your kids like water, GF has the cutest splash pad on property, in my opinion. It’s Alice in Wonderland themed.)
This is a great point! I think the Contemporary splash pad is lackluster. The Poly has an awesome one too. I’ve never been to the GF but have heard really good things about those pools.
Every family is different, but we stayed at contemporary main building in August 2024. My daughters were 11 and 8 at the time, and they loved the monorails and all the action. We requested the other side of the building from Chef Mickey and a high floor because we were afraid of noise. We got both and the room was quiet. It also helped because there was room in the elevators when we were going down. The room was large, and the table and sofa situation was a huge help for breakfast and snacks. I had thought the pool/splash pad would be a disappointment to my kids, but they loved it. It was also a huge bonus being able to walk to Magic Kingdom. To us, the extra money to stay in the main tower was worth it. Kids loved seeing the monorail go through the building every time we left and returned to the room.
We stayed at the Poly last summer and enjoyed the size and theming of the rooms. We also stayed there when the kids were much younger - and got a crib, pack in play, and a double stroller in the room with 2 queen beds. Last summer, we had more trouble with the elevators there than at the contemporary. The main pool was great, but crowded. We enjoyed the quiet pool and Moana pool a lot too.
We plan to stay at Grand Floridian this summer, so I can’t speak to that resort yet. But we had dinner there one night last summer, and wished we were staying there.
In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with any of your choices. I think your family would “feel the magic” at any of those resorts/rooms, so you can’t go wrong.
What say you? Am I overthinking? yes and no. It IS Disney so lotsa planning is good but it is Disney so it’s all good
Is Garden Wing the best option for us? I say yes. It’s a quiet respite from all the wall to wall sensory input you adults will be subjected to, to say nothing of the littles. The tower is noisy also
Or would you consider the Poly or Main Tower? save these for the next trip(s)
The bathtub thing is easily rectified by the pool. It’s not like they’re teens who need to remove hormonal sweat and bacteria. (Yet )
The garden wing is I think on the same level as the pool. Or at least one floor is. Better than traipsing thru the Tower lobby on safari to the pool.
