Hotel close to monorail?

[ChicagoLaura]

We will be traveling to Disney in October for a short (3 day) trip with our 1 year old. We are looking to stay as close to the parks as possible with the easiest (quickest) access to and from the parks possible.

I'm guessing our best bet would be a hotel that is right on the monorail... not sure which ones do this. I think the poly is one...

What hotel would be best so that we could easily get back and forth for naps and maximize our time in the park instead of waiting for buses etc.

Thanks so much!

[mook3y]

:welcome:
Welcome to Intercot!

You are correct, the Poly is one, the other two are the Grand Floridian and the Contemporary.

The advantage of the Contemporary over the other two, is that you have a 5 minute walk to get to the MK. Also, you are 1 stop from the TTC to transfer to the Epcot monorail.

We stayed at the Poly last year when our youngest was 1 and loved the convienience of using the monorail.

[DVC2004]

Yes, Poly, Contemporary, and Grand Floridian are all on the Monorail. I have stayed at all three and all have different themes, but I like Poly the best.

[Tygger7]

Welcome to Intercot! While I like the Poly better in terms of atmosphere, the Contemporary would be the most convenient and most reasonably priced.

[DisneyDINK]

Monorail access is nice, but I also like to take the boats to and from the MK, which might open up the Wilderness Lodge which is not on the monorail. I love the Poly for a lot of reasons. The only drawback to the Poly is the long bus ride to get to the Animal Kingdom, which might be a fun park to experience with a one year old.

When I read your post I found myself asking which park/resort/pool (etc.) would be the best for someone with a one year old. I'm by no means an authority on that, but lots of other posters are.

Have fun!

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Personally I do not think the Monorail is worth the fu$$, the only convenience it has over buses is that you don't have to fold your stroller up to board. I actually liked the bus service at Pop more than the Monorail service at the Contemporary, and the bus service at the Contemporary was the worst resort I have ever experienced.

But if you had to pick one of the three Monorail resorts I would stay at the Contemporary. If having a spectacular view is a must then you have to stay in a Tower Room, MK View, but if transportation is your only must-have stay in the much-cheaper Garden Rooms.

The Monorail ride to MK is long since the Monorail has to leave the Contemporary then make stops and 1) The Ticket & Transportation Center, 2) the Poly, 3) the Grand Floridan, then 4) finally at MK.

It was much easier to just walk to MK from the Contemporary, and it was SUPER SWEET to be able to walk back to your resort at park closing instead of having to depend on any mode of Disney Transportation at closing time!

Just my :twocents:

[Jillirose]

Also consider which parks you will spend the most time at. We like BC and Dolphin, because of the atmosphere and transportation options. You can boat or walk to DHS or EPCOT. You can catch the monorail from EPCOT. We eat at EPCOT nightly, so that also figures in.

[brownie]

:welcome:

Welcome to INTERCOT!

If you are looking for quick access to the Magic Kingdom, then the Contemporary is probably the resort to stay at. You can access the Magic Kingdom and Epcot from the monorail, but have to take buses or other transportation for the other parks. You might think about where you will be spending most of your time before making plans for quick access back to your hotel.

[CleveRocks]

Transportation-wise, I find Polynesian to be the most convenient. It's an easy monorail OR small boat ride to Magic Kingdom. AND you can also walk to the TTC to get a direct monorail to Epcot. From Contemporary and Grand Floridian, you have to take a monorail to TTC and then switch to (and wait for) another train.

[KylesMom]

I'll add another Welcome to INTERCOT, Laura! :party:

If you're planning on spending a good portion of your time at MK for your 1-year old, I would highly recommend The Contemporary. The walk with a stroller is 8-10 minutes in the morning, and the CR is the first stop on the return monorail trip during the warmer part of the afternoon. If, however, you're planning on spending time at Epcot for the F&W festival, you may want to consider The Polynesian for easy access to the Epcot monorail, which is separate from the MK monorail line.

Either way you can't go wrong! :mickey:

[steamboat willy]

Another WELCOME TO INTERCOT :party: You will find answers and opinions to your many questions right here


Also consider which parks you will spend the most time at. We like BC and Dolphin, because of the atmosphere and transportation options. You can boat or walk to DHS or EPCOT. You can catch the monorail from EPCOT. We eat at EPCOT nightly, so that also figures in.

Jillirose is correct. You've never been to Disney and your staying for only 3 days. You need to decide how and where to spend your days. Are you going to Theme Parks all three days? Which Park or Parks are going to visit. October is a GREAT MONTH to visit WDW!
REMEMBER....Take your time. You will not be able to do and see it all.
Monorail Resorts - Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Contemporary are all Deluxe Resort and are the most convenient to the Magic Kingdom but also the most $$$. There are other Resort closer (less $$) to Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Disney Studios, just not on the Monorail Loop. Bus transportion, BOATS or simply walk over to some of these PARKS.
Keep asking question here, these folks can help with ALL your ???

One other suggestion, Check with Magical Journeys for the best rate/package if you haven't got a reservation yet! They will get you the best rate available with no hassle.

Most of all, ENJOY the MAGIC!

[tdk316]

Contemporary resort! :D Although we've never stayed there, we have been staying at Bay Lake Towers with the kids so I can speak to everything except the actual rooms. You may want to look into BLT also. With discount codes a one bedroom at BLT was very close in price to other deluxe properties which is why we started staying there to begin with. ?s, PM me.

I'm not much for the Contemporary's building (it's UGLY IMHO) but the location can't be beat. We never rode the monorail to the MK in the mornings, we just walked so the stops weren't a big deal for us. The biggest bonus for us was being the first stop on the air conditioned monorail on the way to nap time! Our kids tend to melt down fast so being the first stop was huge for us, as was having the option to run back if we didn't think the monorail would be fast enough. :blush:

If you're planning on spending a lot of time in Epcot, stay at BC instead. The walk to Epcot isn't bad (or you can take the boat), and the pool can't be beat. There is a zero-entry sandy bottom pool that both of my little guys LOVE. Of course, my youngest tried to eat all of the sand, but it all came out in the end and he was fine. TMI...

[BrerGnat]

Another vote for Contemporary, and stay in the Tower if you can afford it. It's SO nice to walk to/from MK and when you have little ones, VERY nice to enter the hotel and simply take an elevator up to your room without having to navigate spread out grounds and separate buildings (like you have to at Polynesian and Grand Floridian).

[FiggyFan]

When DS was younger, we stayed at the Poly. As stated earlier, the ability to walk either to the Great Ceremonial House (main building) for a monorail to MK or to the TTC for a monorail to Epcot is a big plus

We also liked the spread out grounds, especially in the evening. Pushing a stroller along relatively quiet, dimly lit (Tiki torches) walkways was a great way to wind down and get DS (and DW) ready for sleep.

Now that DS is older, we like the Epcot resorts (especially BC), but still have a soft spot for Poly.

[LisaP]

We stayed at Poly last month for the very same reason. I was NOT interested in folding up the stroller for transporation ... it was a deal breaker for me :D I have a 5yo and 2yo and splurged for the double stroller.

I gladly paid the Poly rate for the convenience of the monorail and I absolutely love the atmosphere. Great family resort!

[andreallybadeggs]

We love the 3 monorail resorts and highly recommend any of them if $ is not an issue. However we have also stayed in other resorts, relied on busses, and had a perfectly wonderful time. Also agree with PP that the Magical Journeys folk are an amazing resource with a wealth of knowledge and great service. Give them a try-- won't cost you a penny and likely to save you enough for a little extra fun in those 3 days. :mickey:

[ransam]

I don't think you can go wrong w/ either of your choices.

[LudwigVonDrake]

:welcome: