Choosing between Rides and Resorts (GF or Contemporary)

[jemtx]

I don't blame your hubs for saying no to a split stay. You don't mention your children's ages but since they're the age to enjoy a splash pad I have a general idea. We just did our first split stay two weeks ago. We did 2 nights in a suite at CR and then moved to another resort for a longer stay. It was extremely easy for us but we lived out of our suitcases for those first two days, were careful not to accumulate anything, and it was just the two of us. I wouldn't have enjoyed it with small kids.

Did you stay at the Tower Club at CR? How was the club level there?

 

[Crescent_Lake]

Did you stay at the Tower Club at CR? How was the club level there?

Our suite was in the garden wing so we had Atrium club. Our next trip is a one bedroom TPV on the 14th floor (for a whole week!) It will be our first Tower Club stay. It's not until September but I'm excited already!

 

[jemtx]

Our suite was in the garden wing so we had Atrium club. Our next trip is a one bedroom TPV on the 14th floor (for a whole week!) It will be our first Tower Club stay. It's not until September but I'm excited already!

Wow you must’ve liked the club level. The upcoming tower club suite sounds amazing. How did you like the atrium club?

 

[Crescent_Lake]

Wow you must’ve liked the club level. The upcoming tower club suite sounds amazing. How did you like the atrium club?

This was our second stay with Atrium Club. I think I posted about the first stay in the club level thread. That first time wasn't a great experience because it was really crowded all during our stay, and we had issues with other guests clearing everything out faster than the CMs could replace it.
However, on this trip just two weeks ago our experience was totally different. We never had a problem getting a seat. On our arrival day our flight had been cancelled without warning as we were driving to the airport. Needless to say we did not arrive at noon like we hoped. We got to CR at 6:50PM, 10 minutes before appetizers end. We had already missed our dinner reservation at California Grill and we were starving and exhausted. (We'd been up since 3:00 AM.) The club CMs took amazing care of us and made sure we had a full dinner from the appetizers (and Champaign) even though it was time for them to clean up. They did every thing possible to make up for our crumby travel day. I have nothing but great things to say about Atrium Club.

 

[jemtx]

This was our second stay with Atrium Club. I think I posted about the first stay in the club level thread. That first time wasn't a great experience because it was really crowded all during our stay, and we had issues with other guests clearing everything out faster than the CMs could replace it.
However, on this trip just two weeks ago our experience was totally different. We never had a problem getting a seat. On our arrival day our flight had been cancelled without warning as we were driving to the airport. Needless to say we did not arrive at noon like we hoped. We got to CR at 6:50PM, 10 minutes before appetizers end. We had already missed our dinner reservation at California Grill and we were starving and exhausted. (We'd been up since 3:00 AM.) The club CMs took amazing care of us and made sure we had a full dinner from the appetizers (and Champaign) even though it was time for them to clean up. They did every thing possible to make up for our crumby travel day. I have nothing but great things to say about Atrium Club.

Sorry to hear about your arrival difficulties. Traveling can really suck. So nice to hear that the club staff were so kind and helpful. We’ve only stayed atrium club once and we’re lucky with the crowds it not being too bad, but I’m a little fearful of it for our upcoming summer trip.

 

[Crescent_Lake]

Sorry to hear about your arrival difficulties. Traveling can really suck. So nice to hear that the club staff were so kind and helpful. We’ve only stayed atrium club once and we’re lucky with the crowds it being too bad, but I’m a little fearful of it for our upcoming summer trip.

I think it's just hit or miss. The first time for us was during what is typically a slower week in January and this March trip was during spring break. Like many things, your experience is going to be impacted by the behaviors of other guests. You just can't predict that. I hope your trip is wonderful!

 

[Rex1993]

Well my vote is for GF but that’s because I’m writing this staying at VGF. Yes, seeing fireworks from your room is nice but the view from the dock at GF is awesome too. Just love the resort here!

 

[glocon]

Another vote for trying to GF.
It might be your new favorite resort!

I’ve never stayed there so can’t give insight on that, but if you had a dream of staying there someday, I would do it now since you can. You never know when circumstances can change then you won’t have that option again.

Idk if the tpv rooms are the best place to see the fireworks or if there is somewhere better at the GF for a better view (maybe the beach?)

Either way, you and the kids will have a magical time .

 

[vivigrace611]

Considering it's 9 nights and 2 rooms, that's a reasonable price difference. The word "several" led me to expect more like twice that difference, which is why I wasn't sure if the rooms were comparable. I'm a big fan of The Contemporary, but your reasons for staying at The Grand Floridian are compelling. In your shoes, I think it would come down to how badly I wanted the VIP tour. If the trip were shorter I'd probably lean toward CR and VIP, but with 9 days, you're going to have a lot of time to do everything in the parks. I feel like being at the resort that's a better fit for your family really matters on a longer trip.

Wow, that’s a big difference. Didn’t realize that GF had gotten so high for that room category. I can see how that adds up. For that price difference you could probably add club level on to your CR room.

Btw, how many people in your travel party?

@jemtx - Four of us. Kids are 6 and 8 at the time of travel. Having that additional space to spread out beyond a 2 queen is a luxury that we feel is worth it, especially for a long trip. Appreciate your input on CR - sticking w/the tried and true and TPV's worth-it-ness.

I can't think of any better "guide post"!

Great insights on the thread @Crescent_Lake; thanks.

I was fascinated by your literal next-level experiences with Atrium Club Level. It may not be in the cards for us, especially with the two rooms, the costs balloon! Glad you had such an incredible experience.

 

[jemtx]

@jemtx - Four of us. Kids are 6 and 8 at the time of travel. Having that additional space to spread out beyond a 2 queen is a luxury that we feel is worth it, especially for a long trip. Appreciate your input on CR - sticking w/the tried and true and TPV's worth-it-ness.


Great insights on the thread @Crescent_Lake; thanks.

I was fascinated by your literal next-level experiences with Atrium Club Level. It may not be in the cards for us, especially with the two rooms, the costs balloon! Glad you had such an incredible experience.

I completely understand about wanting to spread out and be comfortable with two rooms. I’m not sure what the prices look like before any discounts are out, but I’m wondering what about a one bedroom suite on the 14th floor (Tower Club) at CR?

 

[Marthasor]

Thanks for weighing in @Marthasor - We have a TA keeping an eye out on discounts, and I agree with you there isn't a bad view. My husband's loose preference was to go back to what we know works. His one request was theme park view because he loved seeing the fireworks from the room at the Contemporary. For this trip, we purposely added two resort days from having no resort days our first trip, so we definitely want to enjoy it. Thanks again.

If your DH's one request is to have a great view of the fireworks, I think I would switch to CR. If you want to "plus" your resort days (since you will lose the GF splash pad), perhaps consider a water park day? You can even rent a cabana at CR if you think that would make the pool more enjoyable or special for your family. If you think your kids would be comfortable on a pull-out sofa and chair, you may also ask your TA to be on the lookout for a BLT, one-bedroom villa with TPV. It will give you two rooms (primary room with king bed plus living room with pullout sofa and chair), a full kitchen and washer/dryer (which might be nice for a 9-night stay!) and will, most likely, cost substantially less than two TPV rooms on the CR resort side. I would start looking for availability for this room about 11 months prior to your check-in date.

 

[vivigrace611]

For fun, I'm sharing pics of a theme park view at the Grand Floridian that my travel agent shared with me. It's from her room at the Boca Chica building, 5th floor on a recent stay in 2023. Gotta admit. It's pretty sweet!

Of course, I'm not guaranteed this room or view. Even 1st floor rooms can be classified as theme park view.

Moreover, since folks have called it out, I am seriously questioning whether the markup from GF water view to theme park view is worth it: $5,000 or $2,500 / room.

I'm putting more weight on fireworks because we likely won't be sticking around for them at the parks. We do early entry and rope drop on park days. Typically back to the room by 8:30 pm. Last trip, we made one exception and did the MK dessert party, and my 4 year old fell asleep in the stroller half way through the show.

Anyway, pics:

 

[vivigrace611]

Another vote for trying to GF.
It might be your new favorite resort!

I’ve never stayed there so can’t give insight on that, but if you had a dream of staying there someday, I would do it now since you can. You never know when circumstances can change then you won’t have that option again.

Wholeheartedly agree on taking opportunities as they come. It's fortunate that we get to wax philosophical about leisure and recreation. I don't take it for granted!

Idk if the tpv rooms are the best place to see the fireworks or if there is somewhere better at the GF for a better view (maybe the beach?)

Either way, you and the kids will have a magical time .

At GF, there are other spots: Courtyard pool, marina, Ferry Dock and Narcoosee's for diners.

Thanks so much.

I completely understand about wanting to spread out and be comfortable with two rooms. I’m not sure what the prices look like before any discounts are out, but I’m wondering what about a one bedroom suite on the 14th floor (Tower Club) at CR?

Interesting, I'll explore pricing with my TA. Can't argue w/14th floor. Thx for the suggestion. I priced out Bay Lake Tower one bedroom suite but decided against it because I read that BLT needs some updating. : /

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Interesting, I'll explore pricing with my TA. Can't argue w/14th floor. Thx for the suggestion.

CR CL fan here so my advice is neither financially sound nor reasonable.

We’re a family of four that likes space and those 1BR tower suite are very comfy. If your husband likes balconies they are huge on the 14th floor. The room setup is a large living room and a bedroom with 2 queens (may not be appealing if you like two dedicated bedrooms). The living room has a pull out couch for a bed and full separate bathroom.

Run the math but between two regular TPV rooms and a 1BR TPV Suite I’m guessing it’s pretty close.

BTW, my wife drug me kicking and screaming on a CL stay way back when (I was horrified at the price and frankly mad she booked it) but it turned out to be a great splurge for the way we like to enjoy WDW, especially long trips. Just so convenient with little ones.

 

[Carolynleanne]

This may or may not be helpful, but I was like you a DREAMED of a Grand Floridian stay for years. It was a bucketlist item, and we were able to make it happen. I was actually disappointed! The resorts architecture is beautiful, no doubt, but we actually found the service lacking for the cost. We didn't love how far of a walk it was to the quick service location either. We thought the pool was fine.

The highlights was our fireworks view as well as the ease of access to Magic Kingdom, but I think the bottom line is that were EPCOT people, haha. I wouldnt do Grand Floridian again unless it was a good sale price. We often will make a dining reservation on site though to enjoy the views or pop by for a walk-around.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Here comes my 2 cents....

I would stick with GF but downgrade to either resort or water view. Chances are high that a discount will come out for your stay and you may be able to upgrade back to TPV for a better price. Also, the fireworks are for what?, 30 minutes a night? Not sure the price supports the upgrade. FWIW, we really enjoy sitting outside Gaspie's overlooking the marina for fireworks. They set up a big speaker and play the music soundtrack for the fireworks. You can enjoy a few drinks or dessert while waiting for the show to begin.

For a 9 night trip, you will appreciate the more relaxing resort atmosphere at GF over CR. GF has outstanding pools and a really fun waterplay area for the littles. The pools also have better food and drink service. You may also appreciate having a laundry room in each building at GF if you need to do a few loads over the 9 day trip. GF is the only resort with room service if that interests your family. I also prefer GF dining to CR dining although being on the monorail means easy access to all of the dining on the loop.

CR is a great resort --although I am NOT a fan of the new Incredibles rooms--but to me it's more of a "5 day trip" resort. 9 days at CR with their somewhat sterile pool area and all-in-one-building rooms/dining/shopping would become kind of "meh" after about 5 days.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Have you looked into renting DVC points to get a 2 Bedroom at either of those resorts? Guessing the savings might be enough over the cash rooms to get a room that sleeps 9 AND still get one day of VIP.

Renting DVC does have some drawbacks such as most reservations are nonrefundable or cancellable. But honestly if the OPs family plans to travel to WDW a lot over the next 4 to 10+ years BUYING DVC is something they should probably explore