Any CR lovers out there??

[lezammer]

Hi everyone! OK, planning a Nov. trip with DH, DD (2 yrs), and DS (9 mos). DH and I decided that a hotel along the monorail would be the best since the kids are babies. GF sound wonderful, but toooo $$$$$. Granted one of you dear wonderful people told me to splurge now since my little ones don't have to pay for admission and food (Terrific advice by the way!), but I still can't justify spending that much. Seems like Poly gets the most votes from those of you out there who have responded to my other posts, but is only a few hundred less ($500 ish). So the money difference isn't a big deal, but I have heard that the CM's at Poly are not as nice as GF. For that amount of money spent there, I do expect it to be a more "magical" stay with more courteous CM's. So this leaves me with CR, which I hadn't considered b/c I just assumed it is very old, dated, not well kept. Am I wrong? Where is the best room? I could stay at the Tower Concierge room for a little less ($200 ish) than Poly Garden View and a considerable amount ($700 ish) less than GF Lagoon View. Help!!!!!

 

[Minky]

The CR is my favorite resort, the short walk to the MK alone is worth it to me, but laying in bed and watching the castle change colors, or seeing wishes from the balcony and not having to fight the crowds to exit Main St. are all big pluses too. I didnt think it at all old or dated, but a CLASSIC!
A lot of people arent crazy about the decor, but I thought it was fun. Are you sure about tower concierge being cheaper than Poly GV? Last time we stayed Conierge at the CR it was around 500 a nite? The regular tower rooms were about half that maybe a little less?

 

[swilphil]

I love the CR. Have you seen the updated rooms? They are awesome. If you are going in 2006, check out the prices on the Disney Website or just call. They now have a higher price for MK view in the tower. They also have concierage and concierage light.

 

[chipscinderelly]

Putting my flame suit on

Although we have not stayed at CR (def want to) we have stayed at GF and I was not that impressed with the CMs as a few were pretty rude to us. I think it's more of how their day is going vs which resort you are staying at so no worries!

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

I would give the CR a try. We did last November and just LOVED it, which really surpised me to be honest. I thought we would think it was just ok, but it was fantastic!!! We did have a tower room with a MK view. I could lay in bed and watch the castle turn colors. Just magical. The service was tip top as well. I can't wait to stay their again!!!

 

[Martha7]

We stayed in the North Wing garden view room, (don't know if we were upgraded, since we ended up facing Bay Lake). We loved it! Plenty of space in the rooms, great bathroom layout, etc. But the absolute best is being able to head down to the end of the hallway, out the door, across the parking lot, and you're right on the sidewalk leading to the MK turnstyles! Love the monorail access too, but for MK, it's so much faster to stroll over!!! Very magical!

 

[5DisneyNuts]

We have stayed at the BC, CSR, WL and the CR Tower and we all love the CR the most (with the WL a close second)...In fact it has spoiled us. DH doesn't want to try anywhere else..The tower is very convenient with young children especially on those late MK nights - just wheel the stroller right to your room!
The view from the balcony is beautiful and we love the convenience of all the shops and restaurants right outside your door. Not to mention - the biggest (regular) rooms on property make it seem less crowded..
I know some folks feel it is noisy and can overload the senses, but we love it!

 

[SB in KY]

Our first family trip to WDW (over 12 years ago now) when my girls were toddlers we stayed at the Poly because everything we read led us to believe that the CR was loud, tacky and old. We really loved the Poly that trip, but REALLY liked the CR when we went there for dinner one night. Beginning with trip #2 a few months later we stayed at the CR and although most of our trips now are at DVC resorts we still think the CR is our favorite hotel ever (and we have stayed at all of the deluxes and home away from homes).

I think it is the ideal place for families with little ones....just an elevator ride from the monorail, great pool and boat access. largest rooms on property, incredible views, nice shops and restaurants, etc.

By all means stay at one of the monorail resorts and IMHO the CR is perfect.

The GF was our least favorite of the 3...just too far from the rooms to the services, monorail, buses, pools etc. The poly is great for families too, but I would just request a room near the GCH because it too is very spread out.

 

[Lives4Disney]

Hi, we have stayed at the CR MANY times - mostly tower club - over the past 13 - 14 years. It is my kids' favorite Disney resort of all we have stayed - and that includes Poly Lagoon view concierge, GF Main building concierge, YC/BC, and Swan....

They love the arcade, restaurants, monorail, VIEW of the MK.....

I really like the CR for that MK view, the shops, convenience, CMs have been pretty good for the most part (you will run into bad apples anywhere), and to me I really feel like I am in the magic when I stay there. There is so much action, and excitement - especially on the 4th floor concourse.

I love the Grand Floridian. It has become my new favorite and it is my choice, but the CR is a lot of fun and you just cannot beat the location. If my kids were choosing they would choose the CR. It is a close second for me. When we go back to WDW after the remodel is completed, I definitely want to stay at the CR.

Happy planning!

Lives4Disney

 

[ckret01]

I stayed at the CR last year and absolutely loved it. We were fortunate enough to have a MK view and it was incredible. Just waking up in the morning and looking over the lake and the MK, nothing could beat that. YOu canm hear the sound of the train. I loved being able to walk from the MK to the CR. It was so quick and easy and felt there was no traveling between the resort and the park b/c it was so close. I wan't a fan of the food court at all. I feel the POR (b/c that is the only other moderate I have stayed in) was much better.

 

[JudicialTyranny]

We stayed at the CR in May. The primary reason for picking it was that my wife is pregnant and being that close to the monorail saved walking time.

We liked it alot - it has 3 good restaurants, plus the counter service food was decent. The kids liked the arcade (win tickets for prizes). The pools were never really crowded - some nights I had a jacuzzi to myself while the kids played in the pool. We watched the fireworks from our room (tower). When we were at MK until closing, we skipped the crowded monorail and just walked the path back to CR.

 

[CuteKatCar]

We have stayed in all 3 monorail resorts. And for the same reason - our kids were small!! While we love the GF, it is getting pricey for us with the girls getting older. Didn't like the Poly very much, just my opinion. The CR rooms are BIG and roomy - lots of storage space also. A big dresser area to put all your food stuff.

The location of the CR can't be beat. We would leave MK on a parade night and just turn left and walk back while the swarms are heading to the buses/monorail. That in itself is worth it. You will spend most of your time at MK, so the location is perfect. The walk is appr. 10 minutes.

I love the hustle and bustle of the hotel. Some don't. We were also upgraded one year to a tower room. That was great, but one of the benefits of staying in the wings is that you don't have to deal with the main bldg and waiting for a busy/crowded elevator.

The pool is nothing to write home about, but there's a bar there and that's all I need . Not sure about baby pool, because we were out of that stage by the time we got there (more into game room).

We have decided to venture out to the Beach Club this year. Our friends also only ever stayed on monorail until their kids got bigger. NOw they stay at YC/BC. We can walk to Epcot or boat/walk to MGM. We have been so spoiled not having to take a bus to every locale, that I don't think we can go back.

Speaking of buses - keep this in mind. The bus is shared with Poly and sometimes GF. The CR is the FIRST to be picked up and the FIRST to be dropped off. That was another thing I didn't like about Poly. We went to water park and the first bus that showed up was full. We had to wait for another bus!!

The CR should hire me as a PR person!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Good Luck!

Anna

 

[minijeanie]

stayed at CR tower this year and loved, loved it..

always thought I would never want to stay there, but decided to do tower room this year..got MK view and it was beyond perfect.

with your children being so small, it will be so convenient for you to come back to room so they can nap. The balcony is absolutely wonderful. You can watch the boats, monorail and at nite, the castle is exquisite.

my first choice with small children is definitely CR

but wlll admit pool does not have the best theme, but with your kids ages they will never notice. They will just enjoy the water

 

[lezammer]

stayed at CR tower this year and loved, loved it..

always thought I would never want to stay there, but decided to do tower room this year..got MK view and it was beyond perfect.

with your children being so small, it will be so convenient for you to come back to room so they can nap. The balcony is absolutely wonderful. You can watch the boats, monorail and at nite, the castle is exquisite.

my first choice with small children is definitely CR

but wlll admit pool does not have the best theme, but with your kids ages they will never notice. They will just enjoy the water

Thanks Minijeanie! Please tell me, did you request the tower? So when I actually book it, whether I do it myself online or via TA, do I select Tower Lodge (is that the same thing?)? You're right about my kids not caring about the pool. My daughter would play on the water squirting thing on the ground all day long!! I'm slowly getting sold on the CR, but I do have to admit I am worried about renovations. Hope it won't be too noisy or a pain. Thanks in advance for the reply!

 

[ep4244]

We just got back from a split stay BWI/CR. I really thought I would like BWI more (had never stayed at either resort), but I and my DD's both preferred CR. The girls loved the stores especially Fantasia with all the princess stuff. What really surprised me was they also liked the pool more. I expected them to be disappointed after the Keister Koaster slide, but they liked the shorter CR slide to quote them "it was way faster" and the lifeguards were a blast, playing with the kids, throwing water on them as they slid down.

I have nothing but great things to say about CR, of course, having an 8th floor MK view wasn't bad either. Room was always nice and clean. And we got several towel animals from mousekeeping. And loved having Chef Mickey and the Concourse steakhouse was great. And the convenience of the refillable mugs (got my moneys worth on the frozen cola alone).

All the CM's we had interactions with from bell services to mousekeeping with smiling and eager to help with any questions I had.

Now we're waiting for the renovation to get finished so we can go back and enjoy the "all new" CR Tower.

 

[lezammer]

We just got back from a split stay BWI/CR. I really thought I would like BWI more (had never stayed at either resort), but I and my DD's both preferred CR. The girls loved the stores especially Fantasia with all the princess stuff. What really surprised me was they also liked the pool more. I expected them to be disappointed after the Keister Koaster slide, but they liked the shorter CR slide to quote them "it was way faster" and the lifeguards were a blast, playing with the kids, throwing water on them as they slid down.

I have nothing but great things to say about CR, of course, having an 8th floor MK view wasn't bad either. Room was always nice and clean. And we got several towel animals from mousekeeping. And loved having Chef Mickey and the Concourse steakhouse was great. And the convenience of the refillable mugs (got my moneys worth on the frozen cola alone).

All the CM's we had interactions with from bell services to mousekeeping with smiling and eager to help with any questions I had.

Now we're waiting for the renovation to get finished so we can go back and enjoy the "all new" CR Tower.

Thanks for the reply. Do you know when the CR Tower renovations will be finished? I'm slowly getting sold on the CR, but am afraid the renvations will be a pain. (Not to mention I have a 9 mo old who is a light sleeper)

 

[CuteKatCar]

I have to say that Disney is pretty good about trying not to let renovations disturb the guests. We stayed at the GF one year when they did the rehab and you would have never known it was going on except for the scaffolding. You may want to check with the resort itself or maybe someone else here can tell you about the renovations schedule itself.

Anna

 

[Kteacher]

Another CR lover here We'll be staying Tower Club ( now called Atrium Club, I think ) in a little over a week I can only echo what's already been said here- the lifeguards are great, resort staff have always been wonderful. My kids love the slide at the pool. The food court is smaller than other resorts, but this has never been an issue for us- we usually eat lunch and dinner in the parks . The Main Street Bakery in MK and the bakery in Norway in Epcot are good places to pick up something for breakfast the next morning on your way out of the park. If you like pin trading , they have great ones at the pin station near the shops . We were able to get our July 4th pins there one year with no lines before we headed out to the parks . We also have a first day tradition of walking to MK along the pathway as soon as we've stowed our bags I already have another trip planned for October '06, and possibly April '07, and both stays will definitely be at the CR!

 

[cinmell]

We love the Contemporary! It's very convenient b/c of the monorail and boats and it's really great if you have little ones b/c you can walk to and from the MK. It was wonderful being able to skip the crowded monorail after fireworks and parades and just walk back to our resort in under 10 minutes.

We like have the shops on the concourse area and 2 pools. The arcade is fun too. The MK view from the tower is unbelievable! We've stayed on the 12th floor concierge a couple of times and had great experiences each time.

 

[ep4244]

Thanks for the reply. Do you know when the CR Tower renovations will be finished? I'm slowly getting sold on the CR, but am afraid the renvations will be a pain. (Not to mention I have a 9 mo old who is a light sleeper)

I've heard January 2006 for Tower Room to be completed. We can't go back before May 2006 so I'm assuming it will all be finished when we go.