(CLOSED) Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER INFORMATION THREAD

[WDWKOOK]

I just booked CR garden wing/standard view room with the 40% military discount for next May! I did think twice about booking a TPV room in the tower, but I am trying to stay on a budget and the tower is still more than I wanted to pay even with the discount.
I'm really happy we were able to book the least expensive rate combined with the discount! We're doing the deluxe dining. You can see what my priorities are! I'd rather eat well than have a pretty view!

Congratulations and isn't the military discount wonderful?! Thank you for your service!

Getting close!!!!!!

Kook, Jessie, Martini and Met...seems we are all there around the same time.

Open invite and your refillable beverage of choice is on me

Kook...honestly, this thread has been an invaluable resource. Thank you for keeping it current.

You're welcome and your offer is tempting! Sounds like a refillable mug meet 'n greet at the Contempo might be in order. Let's all keep the PM lines of communication open. I have another DIS meet-up (Resort Changers' and possibly at the Poly) in the works, so maybe we could combine them

Sounds good to me! Lol. 9 days to go!!

And yes, thank you Kook! This thread really helped out a lot in my planning and decision making!

So glad it's been helpful to you and see my post above.

Just got our magic bands!!

Katie

I'm starting to look ahead toward when Room Only Discounts come out. I've read here that they often overlap with FD

For log-o-rail and purposes of this discussion we are arriving in the World on December 10 and leaving December 17, 2013.

So, we booked a garden wing because I couldn't swallow the 700 per night Tower price, no matter how much I like to spend money on vacation. We are in the Garden Wing.

Now I'm wondering, within the CR there seem to be caveats about the Room only discount depending on which room is booked. So, is GW usually excluded?

I've checked Mousesavers and they don't always list the room classifications.

Thanks in advance Contemporaries!!

I'd be happy to add you, fellow Contemporarian.

I am happy to say I just booked our August 2014 trip at the CR!!!! We booked a garden wing room at 40% off (mil discount) and will be there from 8/16/14-8/24/14!!!!

Wooooohoooo!!!!!

Let the countdown begin!

Please keep us updated on the Magic Bands. Did you customize them?

Does anyone know more about Magic+ and Annual Passes?
We are booked for January 18-25, 2014 split stay BWV and BLT and plan to buy APs during that stay. Should we buy our APs before we arrive to be eligible for Magic+? If we buy APs early when do they expire because we hope to use them again May 2014 and early January 2015.

Next week I'll be exchanging my AP vouchers and will post here if I learn anything about APs and MBs. As was already posted, when you buy in advance (we bought the military APs), you just receive an unregistered voucher that you must exchange and activate at Guest Services before use.

 

[dmaz]

So excited out Magic Bands arrived today. The packaging is awesome!

This has been such a crazy few weeks. Decided to switch to a split stay including the CR after we had to change dates and discount is not available during our new dates. Started with 3 and 3 but changed to 2 and 4 when the Magic Bands and FP+ came into play. So far I love knowing we have secured some of our favorites without having to run for them. Also think it swill be easier at the entrance to parks and room to not have to fish everyone's passes out.

Can't wait!

 

[YCFAN]

Grr...I hope this changes. I like your plan, but we are planning on getting an AP discount, so would I be able to buy tickets (so we can book FP+,) get the AP discount, arrive at WDW, go upgrade to an AP and then check in? That's insane, but it sounds like it might be what we have to do.

I know, ridiculous, but that could work. I hope by the time we go they've changed it to include AP voucher combined with a resort reservation or something but I'm afraid that as long as the AP is not active this is the way it's going to be. You'd also have to actually walk into a park to be able to upgrade your ticket to a pass. It has to be used at least once. It will work for us because we plan to go to a park on our arrival day anyway. We mainly want to do it for the TIW card. And before anyone asks, yes it saves us more than enough money to be worth the upgrade.

 

[SRUAlmn]

I know, ridiculous, but that could work. I hope by the time we go they've changed it to include AP voucher combined with a resort reservation or something but I'm afraid that as long as the AP is not active this is the way it's going to be. You'd also have to actually walk into a park to be able to upgrade your ticket to a pass. It has to be used at least once. It will work for us because we plan to go to a park on our arrival day anyway. We mainly want to do it for the TIW card. And before anyone asks, yes it saves us more than enough money to be worth the upgrade.

Same here since we're hoping to book at BLT and it would save us a LOT! (We're just getting one AP.) We aren't going until next July, so maybe this AP FP+ mess will be ironed out by then! I also wondered about having to enter the park first. Is that just if you get UT tickets and you want them to register as full price? I suppose we could park at BLT, walk over to MK, handle the ticket stuff, walk back and check in. What a pain!!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Congratulations and isn't the military discount wonderful?! Thank you for your service!


You're welcome and your offer is tempting! Sounds like a refillable mug meet 'n greet at the Contempo might be in order. Let's all keep the PM lines of communication open. I have another DIS meet-up (Resort Changers' and possibly at the Poly) in the works, so maybe we could combine them


So glad it's been helpful to you and see my post above.





I'd be happy to add you, fellow Contemporarian.


Let the countdown begin!


Next week I'll be exchanging my AP vouchers and will post here if I learn anything about APs and MBs. As was already posted, when you buy in advance (we bought the military APs), you just receive an unregistered voucher that you must exchange and activate at Guest Services before use.

Feel free to add me to the Log-o-rail!!!

 

[YCFAN]

Same here since we're hoping to book at BLT and it would save us a LOT! (We're just getting one AP.) We aren't going until next July, so maybe this AP FP+ mess will be ironed out by then! I also wondered about having to enter the park first. Is that just if you get UT tickets and you want them to register as full price? I suppose we could park at BLT, walk over to MK, handle the ticket stuff, walk back and check in. What a pain!!!

I believe you have to have used your ticket in order to upgrade it no matter what type of ticket you have.

 

[harleyquinn]

Add me to the "lucky" group testing the MagicBands. I have complicated ticket situations, so it appears that we won't be able to book any of the FP+ experiences until we are there and have our tickets. (I get a free ticket as a travel agent--I know poor me! and I want to bridge DD and DH's passes to APs)

We got our bands though! Pretty spiffy!

 

[OurBigTrip]

Please add me to the Log-o-rail as well. Just switched our 10 night stay next Jul/Aug from AKL Savanna to CR Tower Theme Park View - thank you military discount!!

Our ultimate goal is a 2BR at BLT, but we'll be thrilled with these rooms as well!

Our dates are 29 Jul - 8 Aug 2014.

 

[Princess Katherine]

Please keep us updated on the Magic Bands. Did you customize them?

Does anyone know more about Magic+ and Annual Passes?
We are booked for January 18-25, 2014 split stay BWV and BLT and plan to buy APs during that stay. Should we buy our APs before we arrive to be eligible for Magic+? If we buy APs early when do they expire because we hope to use them again May 2014 and early January 2015.

Yes, we choose the colors we wanted and our names our written on the side that is not shown. We ordered them on Saturday and got them on Tuesday by UPS.

 

[OurBigTrip]

Same here since we're hoping to book at BLT and it would save us a LOT! (We're just getting one AP.) We aren't going until next July, so maybe this AP FP+ mess will be ironed out by then! I also wondered about having to enter the park first. Is that just if you get UT tickets and you want them to register as full price? I suppose we could park at BLT, walk over to MK, handle the ticket stuff, walk back and check in. What a pain!!!

Hi vacation mate!! I just called and switched our AKL Savanna rooms to CR Theme Park View with the military discount...one step closer to BLT!!!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Hi vacation mate!! I just called and switched our AKL Savanna rooms to CR Theme Park View with the military discount...one step closer to BLT!!!

Hi friend!! Yeahoo!!! This waiting for the next month is killing me

 

[OurBigTrip]

Hi friend!! Yeahoo!!! This waiting for the next month is killing me

I know!!!!

 

[witchesbrew]

how did you find standard view?? i have been searching for september 2014 and cant find it at all since the day the rates were released

I think we just got lucky with the dates. We're going May 24-28th. I know the standard view in the garden wing is hard to get because it is such a good rate. Is there something going on Sept. 2014 that would have caused the rooms to be booked up so early? Maybe people booked it in hopes of getting FD with it later on? Hopefully people will cancel and you'll be able to get the room!

Congratulations and isn't the military discount wonderful?! Thank you for your service!

Thanks, WDWKOOK! It's actually my DH that is in the Army. Although I did serve 10 years in the Air Force I love the military discount! I'm so grateful they renewed it for next year!
Please add our dates to the Log-o-rail May 24-28, 2014

 

[princessap]

I called the day rates were released and nothing was available. Am wondering if they are not released yet?!?! I will keep trying though as my ultimate goal is to end the stay with TPV.

Congrats on booking!

 

[witchesbrew]

I called the day rates were released and nothing was available. Am wondering if they are not released yet?!?! I will keep trying though as my ultimate goal is to end the stay with TPV.

Congrats on booking!

Thanks!

Hm, maybe the rates not been released yet for Sept 2014. Good luck! That would be awesome to end your stay with TPV!

 

[princessap]

Thanks!

Hm, maybe the rates not been released yet for Sept 2014. Good luck! That would be awesome to end your stay with TPV!

thanks. fingers crossed I get it.

 

[psac]

Some pics from July.

 

[psac]

One interior shot.



She's such a flirt. .

 

[Cobern]

Ok so I heard from one of my relatives who is a DVC owner that at the Contemporary there is a whole floor that is a play area for kids. Is this true? If so where and does anyone have pictures of it? Thank you

 

[snowwhite84]

Can I get added to the log?

We are booked March 17-23, 2014, in the GW. So excited and love this thread!