CBR vs Contemporary

[Mitre10]

Hi, I'm new here

Our family usually stays at Vistana because my mother is an owner there. We stayed one night at AoA a couple of years back, but we're considering our first week-long onsite stay this upcoming March. Our kids are 5 and 8.

We went through the hotels online with the kids and focused on the mods. They both became obsessed with CBR--DS8 with the pirate pool and DD5 with the Mickey Mouse bed (I know they don't all come with those). I have a full price reservation made there.

I then got a travel agency quote for our trip. For about $300 more we could stay at the garden wing of the Contemporary. I feel like it's a no-brainer to switch but my kids were not impressed with the photographs--they really want that pirate pool. And then there will likely be a RO discount at that time that I could apply to CBR, making the price difference a little more significant.

What would you do? Pocket the money and go with kid choice? Go with the hotel with less kid appeal under the assumption that it's Disney...plenty of kid appeal everywhere?

 

[Grand Admiral]

The benefit of staying at CR is the proximity to MK. Its the only resort that is walkable to MK. Personally, I love CR, but that's due to nostalgia going back to when I was a kid and wanted to stay at the cool resort that the monorail goes through.

If you're going to plan on spending a lot of time at MK, it may be worth it. The rooms are some of the largest on Disney property as well. Garden wing doesn't have theme park views, so that's one benefit of CR you won't be getting.

However, if you think your kids will be happier at CBR, that might be the way to go. CR doesn't have a lot of the theming that appeals to kids. Things like themed rooms and pools are a big deal to kids.

I've been to WDW plenty of times in my life, so I look at the trips I take with my DS as being more for him than for me.

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi, I'm new here

Our family usually stays at Vistana because my mother is an owner there. We stayed one night at AoA a couple of years back, but we're considering our first week-long onsite stay this upcoming March. Our kids are 5 and 8.

We went through the hotels online with the kids and focused on the mods. They both became obsessed with CBR--DS8 with the pirate pool and DD5 with the Mickey Mouse bed (I know they don't all come with those). I have a full price reservation made there.

I then got a travel agency quote for our trip. For about $300 more we could stay at the garden wing of the Contemporary. I feel like it's a no-brainer to switch but my kids were not impressed with the photographs--they really want that pirate pool. And then there will likely be a RO discount at that time that I could apply to CBR, making the price difference a little more significant.

What would you do? Pocket the money and go with kid choice? Go with the hotel with less kid appeal under the assumption that it's Disney...plenty of kid appeal everywhere?

We've never stayed at CR, but we loved everything about CBR. As the pp said, CR is great if you will be spending a lot of time at MK as you can't beat being within walking distance, but I think CBR is more appealing. The rooms at CBR are smaller than at CR, but the pirate pool is awesome and we found the transportation to be some of the best. A lot of people don't care for CBR as the resort is big and spread out and there are multiple internal bus stops, but we loved every minute of our stay. CBR is centrally located and in our experience, it didn't take more than 10 minutes to get to any theme park, water park, or DTD. We also found the food court to be great as there was plenty of variety. It does seem like a no-brainer to go with the CR for just $300 more, but if it were me, I think I'd stick with CBR if that's where the kids want to stay. The pirate pool is fun and the resort overall is beautiful (IMO). Our first onsite stay was at CBR and we chose it by pics as well and we've never regretted that choice and wouldn't hesitate to return.

 

[maxiesmom]

I would only book CBR if you can swing a preferred room. No way would I ever book standard there again, you can end up so far from the themed pirate pool as to make it a giant pain to go there.

But how much time do you plan on spending at the resort? Unless you plan on spending hours and hours at the pool, I wouldn't make that the deciding factor.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I have stayed at the CR two times (garden wing and tower room). I have stayed the the CBR 2 times. I would go with CBR to be honest in your case. The pool is so much nicer and the quick service food is great. I would make sure to book a room near the pool area, otherwise it can be far. While you can't beat the location of the CR, the garden wings were a hike to the main lobby. And the pool area lacks so much that I probably will never stay at the CR again. The only plus it has IMO is being able to walk to MK, but is the MK where you would spend most of your time? Another negative I did find with CBR was it's very spread out and many many bus stops.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would go to CBR since your kids are set on it and excited. We've stayed twice when my son was 9 and 11. My daughter was 3 and 5. They loved the pirate pools. Even the splash area was awesome. We were in Aruba both times and it was a short walk to
OPR and the pool. I think the best requests are Jamaica 45 abd Aruba 51.
The buses were awesome during both of our stays.

 

[HopperFan]

- I would NEVER pay full price especially at CBR (except for FD)
- I would only book Preferred at CBR if I planned to use amenities
- If you book CR you can tell them you could spend more time at Magic Kingdom
- Monorail rides come with CR
- Have you looked at the Pirate & Pals Cruise from CR?
- You can watch wishes from a observation deck.
- You can watch the Electric Water Parade and a great view by pool area with no lights in background.
- Location Location Location compared to one of the most spread out resorts with biggest bus system.....
- Staying at CBR, we drive everywhere

CR has no true appeal to me but for $300 I would be ALL OVER IT!!! especially for location and younger kids.

HOW ABOUT ........... so you don't lose the deal, book CR.
Then watch for when discounts come out and if you decide to move to CBR do so with the discounts. But it gives you time to show the kids all the cool stuff and why?

PS Rule of thumb, don't show the kids hotels, just pick one and then tell them where and all the cool stuff. Guaranteed they won't care, they are at Disney World!

 

[beccasmom]

We love the CR and that would be my choice in a heartbeat! Very convenient to the MK and many great restaurants since you'll be close to the Poly and GF via the monorail (nice if you're on a dining plan). Chef Mickey's is on the 4th floor of the CR....a huge hit with kids. And if you're planning mid-day breaks, getting back to the resort is a breeze from the MK and only a little more circuitous (add a transfer) from Epcot. From the MK you can even walk if you have energy to spare.

We've stayed many times in the CR garden wings and the rooms are very spacious and comfortable. On the surface I know kids may find the resort to be kind of "blah", but watching the monorail whoosh through the hotel concourse is a cool thing to see. There are extensive watercraft activities available and a very nice pool area (albeit not themed).

We enjoyed the CBR a lot, but I would postpone that visit for another time if that's possible. The CR deal is too good to pass up IMHO. Welcome to the DIS Boards!

 

[busymommy2pink]

- I would NEVER pay full price especially at CBR (except for FD)
- I would only book Preferred at CBR if I planned to use amenities
- If you book CR you can tell them you could spend more time at Magic Kingdom
- Monorail rides come with CR
- Have you looked at the Pirate & Pals Cruise from CR?
- You can watch wishes from a observation deck.
- You can watch the Electric Water Parade and a great view by pool area with no lights in background.
- Location Location Location compared to one of the most spread out resorts with biggest bus system.....
- Staying at CBR, we drive everywhere

CR has no true appeal to me but for $300 I would be ALL OVER IT!!! especially for location and younger kids.

HOW ABOUT ........... so you don't lose the deal, book CR.
Then watch for when discounts come out and if you decide to move to CBR do so with the discounts. But it gives you time to show the kids all the cool stuff and why?

PS Rule of thumb, don't show the kids hotels, just pick one and then tell them where and all the cool stuff. Guaranteed they won't care, they are at Disney World!

Basically all of this. I don't like contemp, but would be all over it for $300 more. The walk to magic kingdom is appealing. I also have a bad taste in my mouth from our CBR stay. The pool wasn't worth it.

 

[GPC0321]

I understand the kids' excitement about the pool and such, but the reality of what the Contemporary offers just greatly outweighs a cute pool and rooms, IMO. Show them videos of the fireworks from the Contemporary's view. Show them the monorail and tell them that comes right to (through!) your hotel and can take you to Epcot. Tell them they'll be able to walk to Cinderella's Castle from your hotel. Tell them about Chef Mickey's and how they can eat with Mickey and the gang at this hotel. Tell them they can take a boat over to Fort Wilderness and see, pet, and ride horses. Tell them there's a pirate cruise they can take to watch the fireworks.

It would be no contest for me. I'd sell the heck out of it to them. I know they're kids and kids like kid things, but that's a great deal for the Contemporary, and I think the kids would actually have a better overall vacation there than at CBR. They don't see the bigger picture and think about things like convenience, larger rooms, and the other luxuries of being at a deluxe resort within walking distance to one park and a monorail ride to another. And truth be told, aside from the pool theme, and maybe the room decor (I'm not a fan of CBR's room decor, but I'm not a kid), the Contemporary offers MUCH more kid-friendly fun to be had.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Mitre10]

Thanks all! I changed the reservation to CR though I'm going to keep watching out for discounts--it just seemed too awesome of a deal to pass up.

 

[rcraw45425]

CR all the way. Our girls are grown now but that's pretty much exclusively where we stayed during their younger years. The room size difference alone is worth the extra money, you're getting 394 sq ft at the CR plus a patio (ground floor) or a slider for the upper floors. The rooms at CBR are 314 sq. ft. If your kids need to run off extra energy I'd ask for a ground floor room wit the patio, then you could open that door and sit outside and they could have some grass to run around in.

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks all! I changed the reservation to CR though I'm going to keep watching out for discounts--it just seemed too awesome of a deal to pass up.

Now just focus on all the good that comes with it and I don't think you'll even want to look at anything else. Like we've said when you get a great deal at monorail resort, particularly CR - take advantage!

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Thanks all! I changed the reservation to CR though I'm going to keep watching out for discounts--it just seemed too awesome of a deal to pass up.

I had posted earlier on this thread about choosing CBR for the pool if your kids are into that. However, thinking about it for some time, I KNOW you did the right thing to switch to the Contemporary. Just had to post that.

 

[Ratzo]

I've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, Port Orleans and Contemporary (Garden Wing). Without a doubt, the CR is my go to Disney resort. The biggest downside is that it has the most "vanilla" pool area of any of the resorts. However, I spend at most one day at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood. Those require a bus ride from any resort unless you're staying at a resort near them. I like to do multiple days at MK and Epcot, so the CR is conveniently located to both thanks to the monorail. Of the three on the monorail loop (GF, Poly, CR) the CR wins. Why? It's the monorail first stop on the way BACK from the MK. Much more important when you're tired and want to get back to your room. There are three excellent resturants in the CR: California Grill, Wave of American Flavors, and Chef Mickey's. The other top dining places are in the Poly (Kona Cafe) and GF (Citricos and Narcoossee's), which are a short monorail ride away.

I'm a cheapo when it comes to hotels. I view at them as a place to lay my head. The real value is the parks and attractions. However, the CR's prime location makes it a no-brainer for me. Every minute of travel time is a waste of vacation money. Fort Wilderness was beautiful, but taking a bus everywhere AND paying for a Deluxe Resort was silly. Port Orleans is laid out like a twisty maze. I was the only member of my group who could find their way back to the room. Again, bus rides that waste precious time are needed to go anywhere. If the kids want a wild pool experience, take a day off to go to Blizzard Beach.

 

[JMommyof3]

I could have written your post almost exactly. We too booked our family of 5 at CBR then found screaming rates, $400 more, for CR. We probably used the same TA. It's our first trip and we have 3 days b/w Epcot and MK so staying close by really makes a difference. Although I am also keeping an eye out for discounts. When are you guys planning to go?

 

[GrrArrgh]

I would choose the CR in a heartbeat. And if your kids want pirate stuff, there's a pirate adventure cruise that takes off from the Grand Floridan at 9:30 am (not every day so check the schedule). Kids only, it lasts for two hours, and they get a whole bag of cool loot. At $37 it is the best deal on the Disney property.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I had posted earlier on this thread about choosing CBR for the pool if your kids are into that. However, thinking about it for some time, I KNOW you did the right thing to switch to the Contemporary. Just had to post that.

I agree with this. I think you made the right choice, especially with the ages of your kids.

When we did do CBR I had NO interest in CR and would've picked CBR over the CR even with just a $400 difference. My XH actually made statements that he never wanted to stay there so we never even looked at the prices for CR. CR just seemed plain and boring. Especially the pool. My son was 9 and 11 and my daughter 3 and 5 when we did CBR so really any pool with a slide would've been awesome for them.

BUT the CR has grown on me and something is making me want to try it. It's at the top of my list for a mother/daughter trip I want to do in 2018. I wouldn't do it with my son. He is now 16 and would say something about CR pool. He's been spoiled by CBR, Poly and BC pools.

 

[Mitre10]

I could have written your post almost exactly. We too booked our family of 5 at CBR then found screaming rates, $400 more, for CR. We probably used the same TA. It's our first trip and we have 3 days b/w Epcot and MK so staying close by really makes a difference. Although I am also keeping an eye out for discounts. When are you guys planning to go?

We're going March 11-18th and we're doing 2 days at MK, 2 short days at EP and a day each at AK and HS. How about you?

I am getting cold feet now that I see the price difference increase with the RO offer coming up, but I'm going to sit tight for now--I am a Wishes fan and I can just see myself sneaking out each night to watch Wishes!

 

[Mitre10]

I would choose the CR in a heartbeat. And if your kids want pirate stuff, there's a pirate adventure cruise that takes off from the Grand Floridan at 9:30 am (not every day so check the schedule). Kids only, it lasts for two hours, and they get a whole bag of cool loot. At $37 it is the best deal on the Disney property.

Great, thanks, I'll look into this! I had noticed CBR offers something similar as well.