Family of 5 - how did you like the Contemporary??

[Avery&Todd]

I know Im ahead of the game here, but I'm pondering our next trip in June 2014...and we're hoping to bring my oldest son's best friend along with us...

which will make us a family of 5. 2 adults and 3 kids (boys) who will be 15, 14 (turning 15 the next month) and 12...

We've stayed at the WL with bunk beds twice and LOVED it...

and last year we stayed at BC and LOVED it but DH complained a little that he missed the themeing of the WL and having the MK right there..

So I've been pondering the other deluxe hotels around MK...

Since we've never stayed at a monorail resort before I was thinking the Contemporary...and we've eaten there a few times and I like their transportation options.

I know the themeing is a little futuristic, but did you like it, or was it only meh, or did the rest of the awesomeness about the hotel make up for the lack of themeing??

Or am I totally crazy and its just a fabulous hotel???

thanks great DIS'rs!!

 

[Magic3forme]

the Contemp has always been my favorite resort!! The theming, the restaurants, the gift shops, and of course the monorail runs right through it.

We bought Bay Lake DVC just so we could always stay there.

We love being able to walk to Mk in the morning then on the way home, Contem is the first stop on the monorail.

have you thought at all about renting DVC points for BLT? with a one bedroom you get a full kitchen, 2 full baths and a washer/ dryer. so much more space.

 

[DisneyTippy]

I have stayed at all the deluxe resorts and the Contemporary was a bit of a let down. It was really cool to have the monorail outside your door,but the rest was just OK. Not my favorite. Good Luck!!

 

[Avery&Todd]

have you thought at all about renting DVC points for BLT? with a one bedroom you get a full kitchen, 2 full baths and a washer/ dryer. so much more space.

I HAVE pondered that but honestly we just LOVE The DxDP...and I've tried talking DH into not using the Dining Plan but maybe even dumping a huge sum of money onto a Disney gift card so we can "pretend" to have the DxDP, but he loves the idea that we can all order whatever we want and cost is not considered..and our kids are pretty adventurous eaters so they love they can order whatever..

I still might need to consider renting points..

are there any other restrictions about renting points besides not being able to buy the Dining Plan??

 

[mickeynut1]

are there any other restrictions about renting points besides not being able to buy the Dining Plan??

You can get the DDP when you rent points, but you don't have to buy park tickets to get it like you do when you get a package with WDTC. If you do decide to rent points, tell the owner you want the DlxDDP and he/she will add if for you. When doing this, I think the DDP has to be paid for at that time. I think park tickets have to be purchased separately, but I'm not sure; hopefully someone will be able to give information on that. Good luck.

 

[Magic3forme]

I HAVE pondered that but honestly we just LOVE The DxDP...and I've tried talking DH into not using the Dining Plan but maybe even dumping a huge sum of money onto a Disney gift card so we can "pretend" to have the DxDP, but he loves the idea that we can all order whatever we want and cost is not considered..and our kids are pretty adventurous eaters so they love they can order whatever..

I still might need to consider renting points..

are there any other restrictions about renting points besides not being able to buy the Dining Plan??

you can get the dining plan with DVC! The owner/ company just has to add it for you. --and it has to be paid when it is added. We have done the dining plan a few times.... our kids are adventurous too!! ( and they like to eat!!)

I pay everything with Disney gift cards!!!! ( gas discounts etc.)

 

[Avery&Todd]

you can get the dining plan with DVC! The owner/ company just has to add it for you. --and it has to be paid when it is added. We have done the dining plan a few times.... our kids are adventurous too!! ( and they like to eat!!)

I pay everything with Disney gift cards!!!! ( gas discounts etc.)

HOLY COW!!!!??! I had NO IDEA I could also get the DxDP!

well, I guess its a good thing I asked b/c now I have time to research it!!

not to sound totally dumb, but what's the going rate for points at BLT - not one of those awesome suites but a regular room??

I KNEW if I asked you guys I would get great answers!!!

 

[scootch]

We stayed at the Poly the first year and thought we "downgraded" when we went to the Contemporary(that trip it was a wing room)... well we were completely WRONG. It is now our favorite resort, with WL a close second. The proximity to MK just makes it oh so magical. The tower rooms are very large.

 

[AJKMOM]

The only problem I can see if if the "boys" won't share a bed. I don't think there are bunk beds in the Contemporary, or the Poly either.

 

[mickeynut1]

The only problem I can see if if the "boys" won't share a bed. I don't think there are bunk beds in the Contemporary, or the Poly either.

You are correct that neither resort has bunk beds, but both have 2 queens and a daybed.

 

[twinboysmom]

I don't have a family of 5 but BLT/CR is by far our favorite resort. For us there is nothing better than being able to walk to the MK. Also, all the views of the MK even if you don't have a MK view there are plenty from the resorts.

A little about renting points, I would recommend you go to the dvc boards. There are sticks about it. Another good place is David's vacation rentals, a sponsor on these boards. A ton of info there. His prices might be a little bit more than what you would pay per point if you found a private renter but it is easier, especially if it is your first time renting. You would need a 1 bedroom unit (or a 2 bedroom if you wanted more space) but it would give you 2 full bathrooms and a king size bed in the master, a queen pullout, and a chair than pulls out to about a twin size bed. Don't forget washer, dryer, jacuzzi tub, standing shower. I think around 13 per point from him, 10-11 privately for blt. We hope to be there in June 2014 as well but we own dvc and blt is not our home so we might be staying elsewhere. Blt really spoiled us.

 

[ElizabethB]

We stayed at CR in a garden wing room. We loved it. The CR rooms are large and comfortable. The monorail is really convenient and there is just something about seeing it go through the building that is still neat. The pools are not the best themed, but they are fun. Plus there are various lake sports and activities available for your older kids.

I would only pick BLT if you are going to get a one bedroom. The studios are way too small for 5. I'm not even sure you can have 5 in one studio. Even with a one bedroom, the boys will have to share a queen sofa bed.

Dh and I tried to sleep on the queen sofa bed at Beach Club Villas and it was really miserable. So, I would probably still go with a CR room -- with two comfortable queen beds and the day bed.

For convenience to MK, CR cannot be beat. It's an easy walk if you don't want to wait for the monorail.

 

[Missyrose]

HOLY COW!!!!??! I had NO IDEA I could also get the DxDP!

well, I guess its a good thing I asked b/c now I have time to research it!!

not to sound totally dumb, but what's the going rate for points at BLT - not one of those awesome suites but a regular room??

I KNEW if I asked you guys I would get great answers!!!

BLT is a DVC resort, so all the rooms in the building are villas. A studio has a queen and a pullout couch.

A 1-bedroom has a king in the master and a pullout couch and sleeper chair in the living room.

There are also two- and three-bedroom villas that sleep more people than in your party.

If you're worried about the boys not wanting to share beds, then you could look into a 2-bedroom (which would give you a king, a queen and two pullout couches).

But to answer your questions, there are no "regular rooms" at BLT and renting points should run you anywhere from $11-$15 per point.

 

[::danielle::]

I would highly recommend researching the ins-and-outs of staying at a DVC resort. There are many great aspects but some people are put off by the differences (i.e. - lack of daily housekeeping).

Only you can decide what will and will not work for your family.

 

[Avery&Todd]

The only problem I can see if if the "boys" won't share a bed. I don't think there are bunk beds in the Contemporary, or the Poly either.

Yes, I do realize that the boys would have to share a bed - and normally we have a "no touching" rule b/c touching leads to arguing and I just don't want to hear it..especially at the happiest place on earth!! BUT we all agreed that if the friend came with us that 2 boys would need to share a bed - and it would probably be my oldest and his friend...we think it might be a little easier to sleep since it wasnt his brother touching him!!

A little about renting points, I would recommend you go to the dvc boards. There are sticks about it. Another good place is David's vacation rentals, a sponsor on these boards. A ton of info there. His prices might be a little bit more than what you would pay per point if you found a private renter but it is easier, especially if it is your first time renting. You would need a 1 bedroom unit (or a 2 bedroom if you wanted more space) but it would give you 2 full bathrooms and a king size bed in the master, a queen pullout, and a chair than pulls out to about a twin size bed. Don't forget washer, dryer, jacuzzi tub, standing shower. I think around 13 per point from him, 10-11 privately for blt. We hope to be there in June 2014 as well but we own dvc and blt is not our home so we might be staying elsewhere. Blt really spoiled us.

I would highly recommend researching the ins-and-outs of staying at a DVC resort. There are many great aspects but some people are put off by the differences (i.e. - lack of daily housekeeping).

Only you can decide what will and will not work for your family.

YES!! I found David's pages about renting from them and I've already been researching there, and I thought I'd pop around to the DVC board and read what others are renting for - but it does appear that I'll pay between $10-$13/point..

and I'll have to talk to DH about going points vs. a regular room - I know that there is more room in a Villa, but DH enjoys being pampered on vacation (think of the DxDP) and he might not be too keen on housekeeping...

BUT, we'll see...

and THANKS to everyone who replied!!!

 

[meredith1]

HOLY COW!!!!??! I had NO IDEA I could also get the DxDP!

well, I guess its a good thing I asked b/c now I have time to research it!!

not to sound totally dumb, but what's the going rate for points at BLT - not one of those awesome suites but a regular room??

I KNEW if I asked you guys I would get great answers!!!

A two bedroom suite w/ MK view was going to cost me about 3250 if I remember correctly. It was for 5 nights for the first week of December. I couldn't find anyone that was willing to give out that many points-even though I had all my info in prior to the eleven month. I tried going through David's to no avail. We bit the bullet and finally got our ressie through Disney.

 

[1mama2three]

We have a family of 6, and we LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the Contemporary. Our kids are ages 7,5,2,1, and the two older girls shared the bed, and the 2 year old had the sleeper couch/futon. We felt like there was more than enough space. My husband (he is 6 ft. tall) napped on the couch with the 2 year old a couple of times, and he said that it was comfy.

We stayed in the Garden Wing in a ground floor room with a patio. We faced bay lake and the beach. Woke up every morning and went to sleep every night to the boat horns, which thought was great (although some people might not). We could sit on our patio while the kids played in the sand and the baby slept in the room. And...something you don't find often at Disney...it was QUIET & peaceful. Rarely anyone walked by...just a few joggers from time to time. From around the corner, we could see Wishes at night in between the contemporary and BLT and the pool was very close by. We were worried we would miss all the other resort theming, but the location of the CR was all we needed for theming. We could hear the MK train whistle all day. We could walk to the MK in about 10 minutes and the monorails were very convenient too. Also, when we would come back to the CR and go through the main building chaos, we were always thankful to walk right out the back doors to our little sanctuary...but I'm sure we're the minority because many people enjoy being a part of the Tower atmopshere.

I'm not sure if another trip like this will be in the budget before we outgrow the CR, but I sure hope so because it will be hard going back to POP. LOL! Oh, and we have always visited POLY at least 2-3 times during every visit to soak in the atmosphere, but when staying at the CR we never once made it over there. We enjoyed our resort so much we didn't have to...although don't get me wrong, the Poly is still great!