Contempory or Port Orleans Riverside

[rcraw45425]

CR, much more to do. Have neve stayed at POR but spent a few awful nights at POFQ, the buses were terrible, room was small, people congregating outside of the doors to smoke, not our cup of tea. The rooms at CR are a lot more spacious, plus the daybed. Be aware though, in the wing, there are no balconies, but first floor rooms do have a patio. You can also view the MK fireworks from the 4th floor viewing area at night, not to mention the short walk to and from MK is great. Have not tried Contempo Cafe, but a previously mentioned you can hop he monorail to the Polynesian and GF, or take a short boat ride to WLor Ft Wilderness for more dining options.

ETA: CR also shows movies on the lawn/beach at night which is an added plus.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

just contempory cafe

here the menu
http://allears.net/menu/menu_contempo.htm

think it was similar prices to the Polyn - captain cooks - which you also have access to - just get on the monrail - first TTC, then the Polyn

http://allears.net/menu/menu_chh.htm

The Contemporary also has the Sand Bar which is located by their pool, although the menu is not as big as the Contempo Cafe and their hours vary depending on the type of season.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/dining/diningdetail.cfm?Restaurant.ID=402

 

[jenny chester]

I would have to say port orleans riverside I have stayed they 5 times now and love it more every time, the pools are great, the boat to down town disney is lovely way to relax and so are just walking around the grounds, what ever hotel you go for you will have a fab time,

 

[daisy2jae]

Well it's a done deal. got it booked at the contempory. I'm very excited. I think we may try the Port Orleans Riverside next year on our trip unless we love the contempory that much and can afford it. I can't wait for our trip! Time needs to go by fast!!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Well it's a done deal. got it booked at the contempory. I'm very excited. I think we may try the Port Orleans Riverside next year on our trip unless we love the contempory that much and can afford it. I can't wait for our trip! Time needs to go by fast!!!

I hope you have a great time staying there.

 

[skipperkim]

I've stayed at CR once and POFQ twice. I realize you've made up your mind, but one thing to keep in mind that if you'll be going to DHS, DTD or AK you will share a bus with Poly and GF. These buses are full at most times. A PP stated that people were smoking outside their rooms on the walkways, I would assume this was before the DA went into affect.

If you're used to sleeping in a king size bed at home then even the queens won't be the same.

 

[baler31]

We love CR, have stayed at all the Deluxes and usually choose CR unless we are spending lots of time at the pool then we go BC. CR is still by far my favorite resort especially since the last refurb.

 

[JJsmama]

We'd stay in the garden wing with a standard view. I know this would be the low end of the contempory views but is it that terrible? I can't imagine we'd be too worried about the view....

Don't worry about the view! That is for those to worry about who have a little extra in the budget that year. You would still be staying at CR. You would still be right next door to MK. You would still be able to take monorail home from Epcot after dinner. You will still have much less 'bus time' than at the mods or values. The rooms are just like the Tower, just a few steps further walk. There are many people who prefer the Garden Wing b/c they can walk straight out to the pool, gardens, etc.

 

[rcraw45425]

I've stayed at CR once and POFQ twice. I realize you've made up your mind, but one thing to keep in mind that if you'll be going to DHS, DTD or AK you will share a bus with Poly and GF. These buses are full at most times. A PP stated that people were smoking outside their rooms on the walkways, I would assume this was before the DA went into affect.

If you're used to sleeping in a king size bed at home then even the queens won't be the same.

Actually no, this was after, they just didn't care.

 

[daisy2jae]

thought I'd share how we came to pick CR over POR.
A few of the reasons:
1. We've always wanted to stay they since our first visit in 2006 but never had the money in the budget.
2. Location - we love the idea of walking to CR at the end of the night. Walking doesn't bother us we did it last year at Disneyland and walked 1 mile to the hotel each night. It was a nice way to slow down after a crazy day in the park.
3. We have a lot of 8-830am breakfasts. By being closer we won't have as much travel time.
4. We won't get in till later in the day the first day there. By being this close to MK we'll be able to go to the park for a little while. I thought we'd spend the first night unpacking but I always want to be in the park instead.
5. The beds...I know the queen is not a king but it's still better than the full at POR. Plus the kids will have a daybed instead of the trundle.
6. Of course there were a few other things but these really are the main reasons we picked CR.

Thanks everyone for the thoughts. It helped with making pros and cons to get to how we picked CR. If we can't afford the deluxe next year we're going to stay at the POR. I really do love the pics we've seen and it sounds like a fun place to stay. However since we can afford CR I can't pass up the chance to stay at the CR since it's been on our to-do list for a few years. I can't wait for September!!!

 

[Brandis]

As an alternative to the CR, have you thought about renting points from a DVC member or booking a cash stay at a DVC resort? If you like the design and the location of the CR, you could try Bay Lake Tower which is right next to CR.

 

[lumpy08]

You are going to love being so close on the monorail. Last time we went my kids were 6 and 3. It was awesome to go to breakfast then the park. Then as the day got hot we would come back for a quick swim and lunch. We would grab something from the snack bar at the pool with our QS. They have burgers, salads, chicken fingers. I believe they all came with the Mickey ice cream or Mickey Rice Krispy treat. Then the kids would take a nap. We would all get changed and head for dinner and do the parks again. We also went to DTD on the bus and it really wasn't that bad of a ride.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

OP, you made the right choice!!!!! We stayed at POR once and that was more than enough for us I would go back to POP before I went back there. The CR is perfect for you for exactly the reasons you stated a few posts back. Enjoy!

 

[daisy2jae]

thanks again! Sounds like everyone has like CR. I haven't heard too many cons. Makes me even more excited. I know the last few months have gone fast I just hope the next few do too! I never thought we'd ever be able to afford a deluxe. It's a secret for the kids and now it's even harder to keep quiet!

I thought about DVD renting points but to be honest with you I have no idea how that all works. If I had more time to research how to go about it we may have been able to. Maybe we can check into that for next years trip. Who knows maybe after staying at the CR I might (probably) won't want to go back to the value (if I can afford not to!).

 

[my3squeals]

Sept 4-11th 2 adults and 3 kids 3,5,10
Which resort should we stay at? We've only stayed at value resorts since we've always gone dure busy season. Now we're going in sept and it's closer to what we can afford. We thought we'd upgrade and stay the Port Orleans however we've always wanted to try a deluxe. The comtempory is closer to our price range and we love being close to the MK with 3 kids. (naps, etc...) It's apx $1000 more for us to stay at the deluxe. What would you do? I know that's a lot of money but it's probably the only time we'll ever stay at a deluxe as a family of 5. Sounds terrible but I'm use to a king bed and the idea of going to a double at the Port Orleans doesn't sound like good sleep to me. Thoughts or anyone ever stayed at these hotels that would share their experience....

Your story sounds alot like ours. We too are booked CR after much debate, and still am in some ways to tell you the truth LOL. We are staying Sept 5-10 at CR GW-std view! Maybe we will see you there

 

[Brandis]

I thought about DVD renting points but to be honest with you I have no idea how that all works. If I had more time to research how to go about it we may have been able to. Maybe we can check into that for next years trip. Who knows maybe after staying at the CR I might (probably) won't want to go back to the value (if I can afford not to!).

Have a look at http://www.dvcrequest.com, there the whole points rental business is pretty well explained.

 

[daisy2jae]

Your story sounds alot like ours. We too are booked CR after much debate, and still am in some ways to tell you the truth LOL. We are staying Sept 5-10 at CR GW-std view! Maybe we will see you there

we'll be the goofy family wearing matching tshirts most of the days! Have a great trip!

 

[tesslor]

we'll be the goofy family wearing matching tshirts most of the days! Have a great trip!

Hi! We are South Dakota Disney fanatics too!

I think you made the right choice. We stayed at POR in Nov and didn't like it as well as anywhere else we had stayed. Granted, we stayed in a deluxe the last several times. The rooms at POR are tiny, and those double beds are tiny too. It seemed old and kinda dirty (It wasn't dirty, I think it was the theme of the room that I didn't like).
The bussing was poor. We were there almost 2 weeks and I only remember being able to sit down on the bus a couple times, including in the middle of the day.
I am glad we tried it. I would like to try all the resorts at least once, but once at POR was enough for us!

 

[LADYnTRAMP]

The Contemporary. Hands down.

Susan

 

[daisy2jae]

Hi! We are South Dakota Disney fanatics too!

I think you made the right choice. We stayed at POR in Nov and didn't like it as well as anywhere else we had stayed. Granted, we stayed in a deluxe the last several times. The rooms at POR are tiny, and those double beds are tiny too. It seemed old and kinda dirty (It wasn't dirty, I think it was the theme of the room that I didn't like).
The bussing was poor. We were there almost 2 weeks and I only remember being able to sit down on the bus a couple times, including in the middle of the day.
I am glad we tried it. I would like to try all the resorts at least once, but once at POR was enough for us!

I'd also like to try all the hotels (except a few). I can't imagine we won't like thr CR it's been on our list for awhile to try. Now I need to work a little hardier at getting in shape! On my way

A gotta tell ya a quick story about WDW and SD. June 2006 we were walking through the rows to find a spot to sit at Fantasmic. We walked right in front of a family from our home town "Yankton". We kinda looked at each other and couldn't believe we ran into each other. Had no idea each of us were taking a trip at the same time and to the same place. Then to run into each other at the same show...weird. I never thought I'd run into anyone on our trip from SD but never at all thought we'd run into someone from our home town. I guess you never who you'll run into!