The ALL NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower FAQ with PICs! (July 2011)

[poohgirl6]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

You're welcome. I love that you can use your KTTW card at the CR laundry. You can't at WL. Make sure you put very little in the dryers or else everything will be wet after one cycle. For two washers full, I use four dryers. I learned the hard way...

That's cool about being able to use the KTTW card for laundry instead of hoarding coins I have only done laundry before at BCV (when we rented points for a studio) and laundry was free.

Thanks for the heads up about the dryers too! I will keep that in mind

[WDWKOOK]

The next Disney Trading Night, a free pin-trading activity, will be held on May 11, 2012, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Fantasia G Ballroom.

Originally Posted by poohgirl6

That's cool about being able to use the KTTW card for laundry instead of hoarding coins I have only done laundry before at BCV (when we rented points for a studio) and laundry was free.

Thanks for the heads up about the dryers too! I will keep that in mind

You're welcome

[JavArmy]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

The next Disney Trading Night, a free pin-trading activity, will be held on May 11, 2012, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Fantasia G Ballroom.






You're welcome

Sounds like fun, too bad its not in June!

[psac]

Here live at BLT since Saturday. Have a bunch of thoughts. For some background, we're two adults, 35 and 40, with no kids and we're DVC members. We've been coming once or twice a year for the last few years or so. We really LOVE the Boardwalk (our DVC "home"), but we had extra points and wanted to try BLT for the convenience of the monorail, closeness to MK, somewhat newness factor, and also just to try something different since we're back in the BW in November.

We booked a 1BR LV, and asked for a high floor, even number (outer ring), south facing room. I was hoping for the view of the marina, CR, WL, etc. we ended up getting 11th floor, but on the inner ring, south side. Our view is of the pool (which is nice), the lake in the background, and a lot of the other rooms in BLT. Not a terrible view, but with our last three trips being two boardwalks and a MK view at the CR, we've been spoiled. Our fault for not booking MK view this trip, but we didn't want to spend the extra points. The good thing about our room is that we're really close to the elevator, and it's a super quick ride to the skybridge to the CR, which is nice after our last trip to the Boardwalk having literally the last room and a REALLY long walk there.

For Kook's question, we really haven't seen the terrible wear and tear that others have mentioned. The dining area table has some bad scratches, but so did our coffee table at the BW. Overall the room looks in good shape. But looks can be deceiving. On the second or third day, we got back to the room and the floor in our bedroom and the floor of the closet were really wet. We could tell it had to be coming from the master shower, which was right behind the closet. We called housekeeping and they said they would send an engineer. An hour later, nothing. Tried housekeeping again and was on hold for 10-15 mins (?!?), so we hung up and called the front desk. They said it was close to a shift change, so an engineer would be up in a half hour. (we weren't too happy). They did send a housekeeper right away with some towels. Eventually when the guy
came, he said he knew right away what it was. He said he's seen this a number of times before when the shower head is pointed downward, the water gets in the wall. He said it was a terrible design. He said he fixed it, and also changed out the diverter to the rain shower, which he said would stop the cold water from leaking on our heads, which it had been. Also he fixed the light in the second bathroom, which wasnt lined up correctly with the hole, so it wasn't as bright as it could have been. He engineer also went off on the bad light choices, that he has to replace them every few months instead of five years with a CF bulb. They put a big blower on the carpet, which pretty much dried it out by the time we got back from dinner. We again called housekeeping to pick up the blower, again waited on hold 10-15 mins (!?!), so I just unplugged it myself and moved it out the door and it stayed there for 2-1/2 days until someone finally took it.

(to be continued...)

[Valgoof]

I just booked CR TPV for Dec 9-14!!!!!! I cannot wait to see the castle from my balcony, especially with the lights!!!!!
I have been to WDW 4 times and have never stayed onsite. DH wants to explore other vacation destinations for the next couple years, so I decided we are going to go big this trip and stay at CR. Didnt do MVMCP last year. Not sure if it is worth the $$ for us, but still considering it. Might just go to MK for regular Wishes and watch holiday Wishes FROM MY BALCONY!!!
Have I mentioned I am excited???????

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by psac

Here live at BLT since Saturday. Have a bunch of thoughts. For some background, we're two adults, 35 and 40, with no kids and we're DVC members. We've been coming once or twice a year for the last few years or so. We really LOVE the Boardwalk (our DVC "home"), but we had extra points and wanted to try BLT for the convenience of the monorail, closeness to MK, somewhat newness factor, and also just to try something different since we're back in the BW in November.

We booked a 1BR LV, and asked for a high floor, even number (outer ring), south facing room. I was hoping for the view of the marina, CR, WL, etc. we ended up getting 11th floor, but on the inner ring, south side. Our view is of the pool (which is nice), the lake in the background, and a lot of the other rooms in BLT. Not a terrible view, but with our last three trips being two boardwalks and a MK view at the CR, we've been spoiled. Our fault for not booking MK view this trip, but we didn't want to spend the extra points. The good thing about our room is that we're really close to the elevator, and it's a super quick ride to the skybridge to the CR, which is nice after our last trip to the Boardwalk having literally the last room and a REALLY long walk there.

For Kook's question, we really haven't seen the terrible wear and tear that others have mentioned. The dining area table has some bad scratches, but so did our coffee table at the BW. Overall the room looks in good shape. But looks can be deceiving. On the second or third day, we got back to the room and the floor in our bedroom and the floor of the closet were really wet. We could tell it had to be coming from the master shower, which was right behind the closet. We called housekeeping and they said they would send an engineer. An hour later, nothing. Tried housekeeping again and was on hold for 10-15 mins (?!?), so we hung up and called the front desk. They said it was close to a shift change, so an engineer would be up in a half hour. (we weren't too happy). They did send a housekeeper right away with some towels. Eventually when the guy
came, he said he knew right away what it was. He said he's seen this a number of times before when the shower head is pointed downward, the water gets in the wall. He said it was a terrible design. He said he fixed it, and also changed out the diverter to the rain shower, which he said would stop the cold water from leaking on our heads, which it had been. Also he fixed the light in the second bathroom, which wasnt lined up correctly with the hole, so it wasn't as bright as it could have been. He engineer also went off on the bad light choices, that he has to replace them every few months instead of five years with a CF bulb. They put a big blower on the carpet, which pretty much dried it out by the time we got back from dinner. We again called housekeeping to pick up the blower, again waited on hold 10-15 mins (!?!), so I just unplugged it myself and moved it out the door and it stayed there for 2-1/2 days until someone finally took it.

(to be continued...)

Thanks for posting your LIVE review of the BLT 1 bedroom.

First, I'm surprised they didn't offer to move you because of the leak. Did you want to move to dryer ground or were you all settled in and the leak was dried up quickly enough?

Second, I'm just curious if when you checked-in and didn't get your entire request granted, did you ask about availability of an outer ring room? Just wondering if they were fully booked and there was no wiggle room.

I'm glad your room wasn't in obvious dis-repair, but that leak sure made up for it! You'd think that with BLT being open for some time now, they would have just went ahead and corrected the diverters BEFORE they became a problem for guests. But, maybe it's not a problem until a guest complains?

Your "blower sitting in the hallway for 2.5 days" remark makes me recall all the room service trays at the Poly that seem to sit in the hallways for days...

I think I see where your review is going and I think it has you staying elsewhere next time? Perhaps BWV or are there some other resorts you haven't tried yet like VWL?

Looking forward to the next installment

[psac]

So, aside from the mishap, I like the room, the modern decor is nice, love having the full tub and shower in the second bathroom, so my wife and I can get ready at the same time, especially since we take two showers a day -- in the morning and before going back out for dinner. It's good they didnt keep that terrible sink design from the CR, and the room is relatively quiet except for Wishes at 10 and the EWP at 10:15, which we can only hear and not see.

It's good being close to the CR and the monorail, we've been to MK three times this trip, and we ate at Kona in the Poly twice, Citricos tonight, and Cali Grill tomorrow. All would have been harder to do from the BW. Also we ate at the Contempo Cafe last night for dinner (too tired and cancelled our ADRs), and for a quick service, it was really good. Also we tried the wave for the first time, and it was excellent, definitely recommend. One afternoon we hopped on the Blue Flag boat to the Wilderness Lodge, and ate lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Lunch wasnt great, but like our previous time visiting, you can't see that lobby and not say "wow!". I can see how you love it KOOK! The boat ride itself was nice, too (took the long way stopping at FW on the way back.)

As an aside for cupcake lovers, we tried the Caramel Dos Leches and the Red Velvet cupcakes from the Contempo Cafe. The red velvet was good, but nothing special. However, the Caramel Dos Leches was INSANE. Caramel flavored icing on a yellow cake, but the the center of the cupcake had a liquid gooey caramel center like a molten lava cake. Really good. My wife thought it was too sweet, but what does she know?

Oh yeah, the wifi in the room is terrible, just as bad as the BW. Better than nothing I suppose.

We only took the bus once, to HS, just missed it both ways, and waited 20-25 mins for the next one both times. Not ideal.

We saw Wishes from the CR fourth floor observatory, it was cool being right under the monorail. We wanted to go up to the TOWL, but there was a love bug infestation by the elevator bank in the first floor where you had to transfer, so we ran back in the elevator and opted for the bridge to the CR. they miraculously cleaned out the area by the next day, though.

Heavy rains and thunder now, you'd think they could do something about that as well...

[psac]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

Thanks for posting your LIVE review of the BLT 1 bedroom.

First, I'm surprised they didn't offer to move you because of the leak. Did you want to move to dryer ground or were you all settled in and the leak was dried up quickly enough?

Second, I'm just curious if when you checked-in and didn't get your entire request granted, did you ask about availability of an outer ring room? Just wondering if they were fully booked and there was no wiggle room.

I'm glad your room wasn't in obvious dis-repair, but that leak sure made up for it! You'd think that with BLT being open for some time now, they would have just went ahead and corrected the diverters BEFORE they became a problem for guests. But, maybe it's not a problem until a guest complains?

Your "blower sitting in the hallway for 2.5 days" remark makes me recall all the room service trays at the Poly that seem to sit in the hallways for days...

I think I see where your review is going and I think it has you staying elsewhere next time? Perhaps BWV or are there some other resorts you haven't tried yet like VWL?

Looking forward to the next installment

In terms of our request, my wife prefers to just play room roulette, and when I saw the room number, I asked if she wanted to ask about switching, and she thought it was fine. The good thing about the inner ring is the laundry room, which is a nice place to put our luggage instead of in the corner somewhere. (Outer ring rooms just have a laundry closet for lack of better word). After the leak, we didnt want to go through the hassle of repacking everything, so we didn't ask to move.

In terms of staying here again, you're right, we won't. It's not worth the extra points over the Boardwalk, which we like more. We would try the GF villas when they open if we can. We might have to ("have to" like we're being forced, ha) book a cash trip if we come next spring, we might try the Poly for something completely different. We also want to try the AKL, but we're hesitant for the same reason we're not likely to book the WL -- we like having the non-bus access to two parks, which neither of those give. Also the monorail resorts all have access to tons of Table Service restaurants, and the Epcot resorts have the other resorts (including the Swan/Dolphin), plus the Epcot world showcase as an easy walk for TS.

[psac]

For one more note, even of we're not likely to book BLT again, for those who need/want the extra villa space, and want the quick access to MK, I would still say it's worth a try.

[Carrie772]

Originally Posted by psac

As an aside for cupcake lovers, we tried the Caramel Dos Leches and the Red Velvet cupcakes from the Contempo Cafe. The red velvet was good, but nothing special. However, the Caramel Dos Leches was INSANE. Caramel flavored icing on a yellow cake, but the the center of the cupcake had a liquid gooey caramel center like a molten lava cake. Really good. My wife thought it was too sweet, but what does she know?

We say that nothing is ever too sweet; you just need more milk!

[zima-cheryl]

Originally Posted by psac

We also want to try the AKL, but we're hesitant for the same reason we're not likely to book the WL -- we like having the non-bus access to two parks, which neither of those give.

If you could swing it for a short stay/split stay I would suggest you give it a try.

We did AKL several years ago for a long weekend & loved it for those 3 days. The savanah view was amazing! When or where else can you ever have morning coffee on your balcony with a giraffe?!?

Not sure I would do a whole week, both because of the price & as you said how remote it is, but if I could do 2 nights then have them transfer me to another resort that would be a way to get the best of everything!

[psac]

Originally Posted by Jungle Cruiser

We were over at the CR last night having dinner at the CG. The view from the observation deck of the MK and the GF is spectacular, especially as the sun begins to go down.

One of our favorite restaurants at WDW has always been the CG. I have to say last night for the first time we were a bit disappointed. We aren't drinkers, which seemed to bother our waiter a bit. Our entrees were delicious, however when we told the waiter we didn't care for dessert he said he should have taken the bread away so we wouldn't have filled up on bread. Hmmm, it was probably a joke that fell flat. Finally when we left the manager was standing by the elevator and remarked we had a quick dinner. He made us a bit uncomfortable. We will go back to the CG since we really enjoy the food, but a tiny bit of magic was taken away last night.

After dinner we went down to the dock and watched the boats go by for a bit.
It is a lovely, relaxing spot.

For our last dinner on our BLT trip, we ate in California Grill tonight. We were a little hesitant to go since last time we had a TERRIBLE waitress, and my wife got sick we think from some of the food. But we had eaten good meals there in the past. We were really happy we went. It was REALLY good. The waiter was really good and really friendly. He asked us if we were wine drinkers, and when we said no, he said it would save him from a lot of talking and us a lot of listening. (I did get a couple of Nutty Irishmen cocktails, which wasn't on the menu anymore, but I remembered it was nutty something.). Overall very low pressure and all the food we had was excellent, definitely the best of the trip. In general we've found a lot of signatures are very inconsistent. We've had great and bad meals at Cali Grill, Flying Fish, Citricos, Narcoosee's, etc.

Sad to be leaving tomorrow, always hate the end of vacation. My wife mentioned if we were to pick an apartment to live in, between BLT and BWV, she would take BLT because the modern decor is really well done. And the 1BR villas are bigger than some of our friends' apartments in Manhattan, especially with the second bathroom in BLT that BWV doesn't have in the 1BRs.

[psac]

Originally Posted by zima-cheryl

If you could swing it for a short stay/split stay I would suggest you give it a try.

We did AKL several years ago for a long weekend & loved it for those 3 days. The savanah view was amazing! When or where else can you ever have morning coffee on your balcony with a giraffe?!?

Not sure I would do a whole week, both because of the price & as you said how remote it is, but if I could do 2 nights then have them transfer me to another resort that would be a way to get the best of everything!

Thanks for the tip. We'll have to make that AKL stay on a long weekend sometime!

[JavArmy]

I was just curious, we will be in the garden wing when we go, and does anyone decorate their doors? If so, are they metal, so we can hang magnets? Any guidance would be appreciated!!

[Mary T in PA]

Besides seeing that there is still exterior work going on the facade of the Tower, is there any other refurb going on in the Tower rooms? Believe it or not, I am kinda wanting to do a split stay for our winter trip but haven't been keeping up on CR news.. I know, bad bad Mary!