Contemporary and BLT questions!

[MickeyTD]

I think we've decided to stay at the contemporary in April, which will be our first trip as a family (dw ds3 and ds1) and my first time at the contemporary. Is staying in the tower worth the extra money, and is staying on the mk side worth the even more money? Also, would it be worth us renting points and staying at BLT, or just sticking with CR? Thanks!

[AJKMOM]

If money is an issue, the Garden Wing has nice rooms, just not in the best location. Some love staying in the tower, but you will pay a lot more. The wing is walkable to the tower where the monorail is. Maybe 5 minutes is all. Of course, for another 5 minutes you can be at the MK turnstiles.

You can check out the DVC board to rent points, but might not have much luck, as BLT fills up pretty fast.

[SRiley1985]

I haven't stayed at BLT, but we did stay at Kidani for 6 nights in a 1 bedroom in September and I can tell you that having the extra space and a kitchen was a godsend. When we go as a family, we will never be able to stay in a regular hotel room again. So my vote would be 1bdrm BLT.

[sheilanne]

Originally Posted by MickeyTD

I think we've decided to stay at the contemporary in April, which will be our first trip as a family (dw ds3 and ds1) and my first time at the contemporary. Is staying in the tower worth the extra money, and is staying on the mk side worth the even more money? Also, would it be worth us renting points and staying at BLT, or just sticking with CR? Thanks!

We just returned from BLT last night, after being there for 8 days. We had an issue which will probably prevent us from ever going back. Our party consisted of my DH, DD, DSIL, GRD6, and DGRD4 months, and myself. Saturday night around midnight, I awoke to a tapping noise. The room was pitch black, and I walked toward the restroom and standing by the restroom was a man that looked startled to see me. He shoved a blanket in my arms and said, "Here is your blanket you ordered"and rushed out of the room. I really didn't think much about it because I thought my daughter or son-in-law had ordered it. I just went back to sleep but the next day questioned my family and no one knew anything about it. Sunday night I put the extra lock on the door. At 4 in the morning, my husband and I both sat up in the bed when we heard someone open the door but the lock kept them out. We notified management and they told us they would do an investigation so we waited all day and a manager finally called and said it was just a misunderstanding, they were in the wrong room! This was just not an acceptable answer! I don't believe anyone should be entering a room in the middle of the night while guests are sleeping. My daughter is a photographer, and admitted she had left expensive equipment out of the safe, so we wonder if someone cleaning had seen it and was coming back for it. I don't know, it just didn't seem right to pay that kind of money, and feel unsafe. The manager had kind of an attitude and didn't see anything wrong.

[KrazeeK120]

I've stayed in the Contemporary Tower (Bay Lake side) and I would say if you can afford it, stay in the tower. The views are breathtaking. I have a co-worker who loves the Contemporary and she stayed on the MK side when her kids were young. She keeps telling me, when you have kids, you HAVE to stay on the MK side because seeing their faces when they see the fireworks from their very own room is a priceless experience. Except...it's not really priceless...it's actually rather pricey...

I don't have any knowledge of BLT, so sorry I cannot help you there.

[spiceycat]

own at BLT - since I am single always, always use the double lock.

it is a hotel.

blt studios are tiny - you do not want a blt studios. the 1-bedroom while HUGE - are expensive - either thru Disney or thru a DVC member.

so would probably agree that the Garden view at CR is your best bid.

if you do decide to rent points (reservation) thru a DVC member - see if they can't get you standard view (it is cheaper than lake view or theme park view)

[MickeyTD]

Thanks everyone. What is the best floor of the tower to be on for fireworks viewing?

[mfd25wife]

We stayed in a studio lake view at BLT. I didn't think it was tiny, but it was tighter than we were used to because we usually get 1br. I had waited too long to book and had next to no options. We were on the 10th floor and had a great view of the fireworks from the balcony. When i was sick, I was able to sit outside and drink coffee as I watched them.

[Kimberle]

Originally Posted by MickeyTD

Thanks everyone. What is the best floor of the tower to be on for fireworks viewing?

You'll be able to see the FW from any floor in the tower. We stayed on the Lake side during our stay. We were on the 14th floor. The views were breathtaking. We could see the top of the Epcot FW's.

[TXPyroMom]

We stayed on the 8th floor and the fireworks view was amazing. I was also great for DD5 to watch Wishes in her PJ's and then go right to bed... especially since we are a rope drop family. Hubby and I would sit on the balcony with a drink and watch the castle change colors while she fell asleep.

The only complaint I had there was the elevators... they are really slow, but it's a great resort, I fell in love

[Deb & Bill]

If you are looking to purchase a reservation from a DVC member ("rent points") for April (like Spring Break/Easter), you are probably too late for BLT. Especially for the theme park view.

Just some clarification.

The main building at the Contemporary Resort is called the tower and the smaller building to the south is the Wing building. The area to the north used to be the site of the North Wing, but it was torn down and Bay Lake Tower was built on the site, which is a DVC resort (Disney's version of a timeshare). So when you say tower, do you mean the main Contemporary tower or BLT?

Everyone always talks about the BLT one bedroom being HUGE. But it really isn't. It's smaller than the Old Key West one bedroom villa where we usually stay. The patio/balcony is a lot smaller than the one at OKW, but similar to the ones at the other DVC hotel-style resorts. But the BLT one bedroom is HUGE compared to the BLT studio which is the smallest of all the studios except for the AKV value studio. But most of the space at the BLT studio is in the bathroom and the kitchenette which leaves a lot less for the living space.

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by MickeyTD

Thanks everyone. What is the best floor of the tower to be on for fireworks viewing?

If you are talking about BLT and not the main Contemporary Building, we found watching the fireworks from the connecting bridge (between the CR and BLT) gave a great view and the parking lot also gave a great view.

[ErinsMommy]

Originally Posted by KrazeeK120

She keeps telling me, when you have kids, you HAVE to stay on the MK side because seeing their faces when they see the fireworks from their very own room is a priceless experience.

This just gave me goosebumps -- I can't wait to see DD's expression!!

[ErinsMommy]

Originally Posted by MickeyTD

I think we've decided to stay at the contemporary in April, which will be our first trip as a family (dw ds3 and ds1) and my first time at the contemporary. Is staying in the tower worth the extra money, and is staying on the mk side worth the even more money? Also, would it be worth us renting points and staying at BLT, or just sticking with CR? Thanks!

We'll be staying on the MK side in February and will be happy to post and give you a report after our stay if you like. Not sure if we'll have the itouch figured out by then to do live trip reports though.

[DisneyDudet]

Originally Posted by sheilanne

We just returned from BLT last night, after being there for 8 days. We had an issue which will probably prevent us from ever going back. Our party consisted of my DH, DD, DSIL, GRD6, and DGRD4 months, and myself. Saturday night around midnight, I awoke to a tapping noise. The room was pitch black, and I walked toward the restroom and standing by the restroom was a man that looked startled to see me. He shoved a blanket in my arms and said, "Here is your blanket you ordered"and rushed out of the room. I really didn't think much about it because I thought my daughter or son-in-law had ordered it. I just went back to sleep but the next day questioned my family and no one knew anything about it. Sunday night I put the extra lock on the door. At 4 in the morning, my husband and I both sat up in the bed when we heard someone open the door but the lock kept them out. We notified management and they told us they would do an investigation so we waited all day and a manager finally called and said it was just a misunderstanding, they were in the wrong room! This was just not an acceptable answer! I don't believe anyone should be entering a room in the middle of the night while guests are sleeping. My daughter is a photographer, and admitted she had left expensive equipment out of the safe, so we wonder if someone cleaning had seen it and was coming back for it. I don't know, it just didn't seem right to pay that kind of money, and feel unsafe. The manager had kind of an attitude and didn't see anything wrong.

OMG!!! How scary! Please call and speak to someone else about this ASAP!! This might not just have happened to you, or even just at this time. Someone other than that shift manager needs to know about this. When in a hotel, we always use all of our locks, but I will do a double check next week. This could happen anywhere at any time. That type of thing needs to be investigated by more than who you spoke with.