OK, we are back from our trip so I can give you the update
@disneygrandma with regard to the resort and the shuttle situation. We were able to check into the Resort at 10am on Friday which was so helpful. I figured that we'd have to check our bags and then come back to the resort later to check in. The shuttle leaves the resort every 30 min, on the hr and half hr. There are 4 hotel stops on the A line - on your way to the parks, B is #3 so after it picks you up, it only makes one more fast stop at the Doubletree and then goes onto the parks. On the return from the parks, it stops at the Hilton and Holiday Inn first but they're one right after another so the stops are pretty quick. The first day, we took the shuttle to and from EPCOT. It drops you/picks up at the TTC. We waited about 15min at the end of the night for the shuttle and it made another stop at HS before heading back to the resorts. Now, we didn't stay for Illuminations that night so while our shuttle had maybe 15 people total after both stops, I'm sure if you stayed until the end of the night, it would have been crowded. The remaining 3 days, we used a combination of Uber to the parks, Disney internal busses between parks and the hotel shuttles back to the Resort at the end of the day. With EEMH, we didn't want to waste time in the mornings waiting for the shuttles. Uber from B to HS cost us about $10+tip. It drops off right next to the new Skyliner station which was super convenient. Uber to MK dropped off at TTC and cost about $12+tip. For us, we knew we'd be dropped there bc my husband wanted to take the Ferry over to MK. However, it does add time to the trip so like others have mentioned, I would ask to be dropped at the Contemporary if time were a concern. My general impressions of the shuttle was that if time is a concern for you, Uber is much more convenient and certainly WAY cheaper than having to rent a car plus pay to park. On the rides home, the shuttles were standing room only coming back from both AK and HS and made multiple stops but, if you're not in a rush to get back to the resort, they were convenient and free so we had no issue with them. At AK, the pickup point is not well marked so be sure to ask an employee in the parking area where the pickup is bc you won't find it on your own.
As for the Resort, I have really no complaints. The room was exactly as advertised, a little dated but totally clean. My only complaints were that the AC was very loud when it kicked on during the night and that the only plug near our bed was an European plug, not a U.S., so you couldn't plug your phone in near the bed to use as an alarm. I'd recommend bringing an extension cord if that's important to you. The hotel itself was quiet and we rarely heard other guests from our room. The store in the lobby was pricey IMO (on par w Disney pricing) but they had coffee every morning and also some breakfast offerings. I'm not sure what time they open but we were there a little before 7am every day. They're open until Midnight. We also tried the restaurant. It was fine, service was slow despite only having maybe 8 tables of guests. Food was adequate, I'd say equivalent to an Applebees or Chili's. The pool area looked nice, lots of loungers around it and a game area for the kids right there as well.
If you have an other questions, just ask
