At the Contemporary NOW!! Live Report

[pixie921]

We’ve been here at the Contemporary since Sunday night and are having a great time. It was nice flying down from Michigan where it was 11 degrees to almost 80 here in Florida!

When we checked in we were given a surprise upgrade to the 12th floor, and we’re loving the club level! We’re over the convention center, but have a great view of the Magic Kingdom. Watching the fireworks from the balcony has been great.

The cast members here at the CR have all been amazing. Friendly, helpful, going above and beyond. The resort itself is nicely decorated. Not over the top, but it still feels very cheery and Christmas-y. We had a Christmas tree delivered from the Disney Florist yesterday so even our room feels festive.

Crowds haven’t been as bad as we expected. We did nighttime EMH at the Magic Kingdom on Sunday and stayed ‘til 1:30 a.m. We rode everything we wanted to without waiting much at all. We skipped the parks yesterday and went shopping at Downtown Disney instead. It wasn’t any more crowded than on any of our other trips.

We went to the Studios yesterday and the crowds felt like they were picking up. We rode Toy Story Mania first thing (LOVED it!) and then again a bit later with Fast Passes. We used Fast Passes on Tower of Terror and got them for Rock n Roller Coaster and Star Tours for later in the day. We had lunch at 50’s Prime Time Café (2 in our group loved their meals, mine was just okay, and our son and nephew didn’t like their meals at all), took a mid-day break, and then went back at night to use our FPs from earlier in the day. We also got to use FPs for one more TSM ride given to us earlier in the day by a sweet lady who wasn’t going to use them.

Speaking of that, I was prepared for crowds full of grumpy guests, but people really seem like they’re trying to be polite and patient. It’s a nice holiday feel here.

We did MK EMH this morning and the first hour was AWESOME!! The crowds really started pouring in at 9 a.m. We stayed for the noon parade and had a great spot on the train station platform. I have "parade anxiety" ... I HATE dealing with the seemingly inevitable rudeness that parades seem to bring out in people. The train station is about the only place I like to watch parades. No one can really get in front of you, though several kids tried to literally squeeze in between my son and the railing today ... one even came and stood on the chair he was sitting on (her mother TOLD her to do it)! Good thing he's patient ... and skinny, LOL!

And before we left, I was reading all the reports of illness down here. I was TERRIFIED we’d pick it up, too. So far, so good, thank the Lord! And we haven’t seen any sign of it anywhere, so maybe they finally got it under control.

If anyone has any questions, I’d be glad to answer them. We’re enjoying being here a lot, and have booked the Contemporary for next year, too.

 

[Misty89]

ty for the TR

we have 42 more days until we get some relief from snow he**, Opps! I mean Winter.

 

[pixie921]

ty for the TR

we have 42 more days until we get some relief from snow he**, Opps! I mean Winter.

It's definitely a change having sunshine and green plants everywhere! I just talked to my dad (he's watching our animals) and he says there's over a foot of snow at home and the roads are a mess. I guess we picked the right week to head south!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Congragulations on the upgrade.

 

[pixie921]

Congragulations on the upgrade.

Thanks -- it's been very nice. We're spoiled now.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks -- it's been very nice. We're spoiled now.

So is this a case that you won't be able to stay anywhere but Club Level no matter the Resort?

 

[pixie921]

So is this a case that you won't be able to stay anywhere but Club Level no matter the Resort?

Well, that's what my husband seems to think, LOL!!

What I meant, though, was the CR has spoiled us in general. Being able to walk to the MK, having the monorail right here (though it's been so crowded a couple of times being that it's Christmas week we haven't ridden), the good selection at Contempo Cafe, and the great gift shops that we've always visited on every trip ... plus the view from our room!! Wow! And then having the lounge available and the great cast members on this floor have made our stay extra special. We've decided the CR is definitely our preferred resort (we've stayed at most of the resorts here over the last 10 years) and that club level here is an even nicer way to do it!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Well, that's what my husband seems to think, LOL!!

What I meant, though, was the CR has spoiled us in general. Being able to walk to the MK, having the monorail right here (though it's been so crowded a couple of times being that it's Christmas week we haven't ridden), the good selection at Contempo Cafe, and the great gift shops that we've always visited on every trip ... plus the view from our room!! Wow! And then having the lounge available and the great cast members on this floor have made our stay extra special. We've decided the CR is definitely our preferred resort (we've stayed at most of the resorts here over the last 10 years) and that club level here is an even nicer way to do it!

Those are a lot of the same reasons why my family and I also enjoy staying at there.

 

[momtobrynncess]

How awesome for you! Thanks for the crowd info. Dd5 has decided that she wants to go during Christmas next year. We have been flip flopping back and forth about what time of the year to go next year. We usually go during September for free dining, but this year we went end of Sept into early October. We really enjoyed MNSSHP which we had never done before. We were contemplating going even later next year, maybe Thanksgiving time, or even later, but have been nervous about crowd levels. We are spoiled by the smaller crowds in September after the kids go back to school, and don't know if we can handle the Christmas crowds. How do they compare to other times of the year you have been there?

 

[pixie921]

How awesome for you! Thanks for the crowd info. Dd5 has decided that she wants to go during Christmas next year. We have been flip flopping back and forth about what time of the year to go next year. We usually go during September for free dining, but this year we went end of Sept into early October. We really enjoyed MNSSHP which we had never done before. We were contemplating going even later next year, maybe Thanksgiving time, or even later, but have been nervous about crowd levels. We are spoiled by the smaller crowds in September after the kids go back to school, and don't know if we can handle the Christmas crowds. How do they compare to other times of the year you have been there?

The crowds are definitely heavier than when we usually go (October or sometimes May) but they haven't been unmanageable. I'm thinking they're probably lighter this year than a "normal" Christmas, due to the economy, but I don't have any prior Christmas trip to gauge it against.

I do know that the Contemporary is at 98% occupancy. The concierge staff told us the only rooms not booked are the suites. We've had to spend a LOT of time waiting for elevators here, and they're almost always squished full.

We decided that we'd do a Christmas trip again, but probably leave the 26th instead of a few days after like we are this year. The days before Christmas were definitely a bit quieter, but we've still been able to see and do everything we've wanted to without having to endure a lot of long lines or waits.

Hope that helps a little! It's definitely been fun!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

We've had to spend a LOT of time waiting for elevators here, and they're almost always squished full.

Have you done most of the waiting for the elevators in the evening, because when we were there that seemed to be the time when they got jammed with other people.

Also have you had any problems inserting your KTTW cards in one of the elevator slots for the 12th floor, because last week while I was in one of them it was not working and some other guests going to the 14th floor could not access it, so we had to go out and try a different one. Then a few days latter it happened again.

 

[FlyingPegasus]

Hi there,

We are checking in to the Contemporary club level tomorrow.

I have a question about the club.

Do they have soft drinks available all day, or only during certain hours?

Are they in cans or is there a dispenser to use with a refillable mug?

I have tons of other questions but am too excited to think right now.

We stayed at the Contemporary for 4th of July, we were not club level at that time.

The Fireworks were awesome from the balcony. I enjoyed just laying in bed at night with the curtains open and watching the lights change on the castle.

We had such a great time we booked this New Years Eve trip before we left!

Woot ~ Tomorrow !!!!!

Fly & q

 

[pixie921]

Have you done most of the waiting for the elevators in the evening, because when we were there that seemed to be the time when they got jammed with other people.

Also have you had any problems inserting your KTTW cards in one of the elevator slots for the 12th floor, because last week while I was in one of them it was not working and some other guests going to the 14th floor could not access it, so we had to go out and try a different one. Then a few days latter it happened again.

Yes, the evenings are definitely worse! Although there have been a TON of people checking in today. And we did have trouble with a couple of the elevators, but they fixed it the second or third day we were here (after the first day they just activated the "12" button in th elevator so we could get to the floor). In fact, we rode up one time with the gentleman who was doing the repairs. He was very nice, and our cards have worked fine since.

Hi there,

We are checking in to the Contemporary club level tomorrow.

I have a question about the club.

Do they have soft drinks available all day, or only during certain hours?

Are they in cans or is there a dispenser to use with a refillable mug?

I have tons of other questions but am too excited to think right now.

We stayed at the Contemporary for 4th of July, we were not club level at that time.

The Fireworks were awesome from the balcony. I enjoyed just laying in bed at night with the curtains open and watching the lights change on the castle.

We had such a great time we booked this New Years Eve trip before we left!

Woot ~ Tomorrow !!!!!

Fly & q

There's pop in the lounge most of the time, but there have been a couple of times we've gone in and not found any. My one complaint is that the pop is kept warm. At the Poly they kept them in a fridge, and I really wish they did that here. We've been trying to keep a few cans in our room fridge just so we have cold ones when we need them. And of course the refillable mugs are still available on the 4th floor in the Contempo Cafe. We did those, too, so we have them with us when we eat.

I hope you have a wonderful trip! We've certainly enjoyed ourselves.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Yes, the evenings are definitely worse! Although there have been a TON of people checking in today. And we did have trouble with a couple of the elevators, but they fixed it the second or third day we were here (after the first day they just activated the "12" button in th elevator so we could get to the floor). In fact, we rode up one time with the gentleman who was doing the repairs. He was very nice, and our cards have worked fine since.

Well at least they fixed the problem with the elevators so you don't need to worry about it.

Hi there,

We are checking in to the Contemporary club level tomorrow.

I have a question about the club.

Do they have soft drinks available all day, or only during certain hours?

Are they in cans or is there a dispenser to use with a refillable mug?

The drinks are available after breakfast when they put out the afternoon snacks and are there until 10:00 PM when they take away the desserts and they are in cans. Now even though they are not kept in a fridge like at the Polynesian Club Level you can take some back to your room to put in your fridge like my family and I did or take a glass or cup from the lounge with some ice and fill it up into there.