(CLOSED) Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT and BAY LAKE TOWER INFORMATION THREAD

[CJK]

Is there a list of Contemporary Resort activities for New Year's Eve somewhere? Thanks!

 

[Brian Noble]

We can get away with the 1 br but so many times dd and i would come back at night late to find the guys in the king.

We've come to the conclusion that a 2BR is really the minimum we want for a vacation, no matter where we go. Being timeshare owners has really spoiled us.

 

[Chm635]

Just returned from our first stay, Tower Room,
BLV. We loved it, DH is having a hard time admitting, he might like the Tower more than Poly at this point in our life with a young person (9 mos). The convenience of the Tower is so great, it didn't even seem fair to compare it to the other resorts. Of course now I must wean myself off banana-Carmel Mickey Waffles, cupcakes and coffee!

 

[Babsy]

Just returned from our first stay, Tower Room,
BLV. We loved it, DH is having a hard time admitting, he might like the Tower more than Poly at this point in our life with a young person (9 mos). The convenience of the Tower is so great, it didn't even seem fair to compare it to the other resorts. Of course now I must wean myself off banana-Carmel Mickey Waffles, cupcakes and coffee!

I am glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay at the CR . The convenience is amazing.

I understand your hubby's dilemma, though. I am very attached to the Poly, too, but this just might be even better!

We loved the CR tower ourselves so much in Nov that we are going back in Jan!!!!

 

[GovieMom]

Just returned from our first stay, Tower Room,
BLV. We loved it.

I am SO glad to hear how much you enjoyed your BLV room in the Tower. So many people say that the TPV is the only way to go, but that room category (sans Club Level) wasn't included in the latest 35% RO discount, which was the only way we could have afforded it. Glad to hear good things about the Bay Lake view; we can't wait!

 

[WDWKOOK]

So my FIL surprised by DH and by offering to pay for dinner at Victoria & Alberts for our trip in May!! We always do a date night and leave the kids with G&G on our trips. We had an ADR at Narcooses which I was really looking forward to but it's going to have to wait for next time, can't pass up the opportunity to eat at V&A. What a trip! Two firsts - BLT and V&A's!!

What a great surprise and trip of firsts!

We have stayed in both 1 and 2 br villas and love BLT! We are family of 4, dh,dw, dd18 and ds16. We can get away with the 1 br but so many times dd and i would come back at night late to find the guys in the king. (Me stuck with sleeper)I decided having a second br meant I got a real bed on vacation. We also invite the inlaws and put them in king room and we have 3 queens and a twin still available.

I love the talking elevators, the whimsy of the curved halls, the modern feel, and so much more! If you have not yet found the thread by worktoplay in dvc resort section, ther are some GREAT pictures of views and rooms!

Any questions let me know! We are trying VGF this January but BLT is still a favorite of ours

I agree with your BLT description and thanks for posting about the BLT room number/view thread. I also have one bedroom photos HERE on the thread for anyone who hasn't seen them.

Is there a list of Contemporary Resort activities for New Year's Eve somewhere? Thanks!

There is, but it's not online, unless someone posts theirs later. The CMs will give you a flyer at check-in (or it may be included in your packet) with special holiday activities and/or NYE events.

Just returned from our first stay, Tower Room,
BLV. We loved it, DH is having a hard time admitting, he might like the Tower more than Poly at this point in our life with a young person (9 mos). The convenience of the Tower is so great, it didn't even seem fair to compare it to the other resorts. Of course now I must wean myself off banana-Carmel Mickey Waffles, cupcakes and coffee!

Welcome back and you stayed in our favorite view. So….when are you going back?

 

[Chm635]

I am SO glad to hear how much you enjoyed your BLV room in the Tower. So many people say that the TPV is the only way to go, but that room category (sans Club Level) wasn't included in the latest 35% RO discount, which was the only way we could have afforded it. Glad to hear good things about the Bay Lake view; we can't wait!

Actually happier with BLV, so peaceful, we could watch the boats all day. You could see Wishes from the end of the hall or step outside onto steps, we stayed inside because DD was in room. Then went back to our balcony and watched Epcot fireworks. Fair warning, water electric parade was very loud. Planning on going back next year and hope to book same room/view. Have fun!

 

[Chm635]

Welcome back and you stayed in our favorite view. So….when are you going back?

Ha ha ha! On this snowy day in NOVA I just told DH I was ready to plan another Disney trip...just a quick wknd in February, must get proper usage out if our APs! Thank you Kook for the recommendations, we were on the 11th floor, king bed, it was perfect! I loved BLV, you were right, so peaceful. Wish you had warned us, that water parade is loud and persistent, kept coming back by the room! It became a running joke. We loved our trip, hoping for exact same room next time.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Ha ha ha! On this snowy day in NOVA I just told DH I was ready to plan another Disney trip...just a quick wknd in February, must get proper usage out if our APs! Thank you Kook for the recommendations, we were on the 11th floor, king bed, it was perfect! I loved BLV, you were right, so peaceful. Wish you had warned us, that water parade is loud and persistent, kept coming back by the room! It became a running joke. We loved our trip, hoping for exact same room next time.

Snow? Loud EWP?

It's rather peaceful out there now, isn't it? Just the constant humming of snow plows. Hope you have the day off like my DH today. The EWP can be a negative if you like to be asleep before 10:10 or not reminded that it's 10:10. But, we still prefer it over looking down at a parking lot and it's kind of nostalgic and iconic.

 

[Disney Mommy D]

Hi everyone! We are officially booked... May 2-7, TPV. I made all of our ADRs today. I got most of the times I was looking for. This will be our second trip. We went last April and stayed at Poly. It will be myself, my hubby, our 5 year old son, and our 8 month old daughter. We haven't been since the release of the magic bands. Does anyone have any tips or advice concerning the way things are done now? Also, any tips for traveling with a baby at WDW? Thanks so much for any info!

 

[Chm635]

Hi everyone! We are officially booked... May 2-7, TPV. I made all of our ADRs today. I got most of the times I was looking for. This will be our second trip. We went last April and stayed at Poly. It will be myself, my hubby, our 5 year old son, and our 8 month old daughter. We haven't been since the release of the magic bands. Does anyone have any tips or advice concerning the way things are done now? Also, any tips for traveling with a baby at WDW? Thanks so much for any info!

Hello! Just returned from traveling with 9mo old, didn't take a stroller, baby wore the whole time and loved it. I have a Beco Gemini, so when she was awake I faced her out, tired, faced her in and she napped. If you are nursing, the baby care centers are nice, but I just nursed on the go, if you have a small blanked or cardigan, you should be good. It is so busy no one really paid attention to me. FastPass+ was okay, the limit of three/day was a pest, you can sign up 60d out. Sign up for the rides you really want, we were surprised at some of the lines and the wait times did affect what we rode (HM, Land ride at Epcot, POTC were longer than usual). We travel light so usually only took hand gel, wipes and a couple of diapers into the park. Figure if anything bad really happened we could buy clothes. Strange question but do you Cloth Diaper? If so, take a Flip cover for over the disposable dipe at night. We almost ran out of PJs, if I had packed one cover it would have saved us wet mornings. If you have any questions PM me, I would love to be helpful.

 

[BBL24]

I posted this on a separate thread, but I haven't gotten any responses. I found this thread, and figured it would be a better place to ask. We're staying in a 1 bedroom in BLT, early February. Have a few questions, mostly about BLT. So excited for our first stay on the monorail, and first stay at BLT!

1) We're on free dining and get mugs with our plan. Do we have to go to the Contempo Cafe to fill up or is there somewhere closer?

2) This is our first time on the monorail (YAY!!), I read that the monorail doesn't run after EMH anymore, so I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly. The resort line will run an hour after regular MK closing time, correct? If we happen to be returning from Epcot later than this (which I don't think is possible on our trip) do we bus to the Contemporary from Epcot or from the TTC? If the monorail is down how does getting to and from Epcot work?

3) We're booked in a lake view room, we can't decide if we want to try and request a certain view, there's aspects of all the options we like. Is there any "bad" lake views, or should we just take our chances?

4) We're going to be renting a stroller from an outside company that delivers to bell services. Is there bell services in BLT, or only the Contemporary? Do we check in at BLT?

5) Lastly, when should we expect our package containing our ME tags? We're Canadian if that makes a difference.

 

[Shoshana]

Watch Out Contemporary Resort! The Wisconsinites will be there in 2.5 days. 8 nights TPV (for Nana, of course)

The travelers: Nana (83), Me, and daughter (10).

Daughter's friends: American Girl doll, Goofy stuffed animal, Jesse doll.

The electronics: Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, Sony movie player, camera, Satechi 10000 portable battery.

The mobility devices: rental Power wheelchair, rental electric lift recliner, rolling walker with seat.

The suitcases: 4 plus 2 carry on. (not bad!)

The itinerary: Drive three hours in the middle of the night to catch non-stop flight at OHare so Nana doesn't have to change planes.

The missing item: Sunscreen. Cannot buy sunscreen in Wisconsin in December.

The presents: Shipped via the North Pole to south Florida (where we're headed after a week at Disney).

Items still on to do list: Pack dog's supplies & take to kennel. Finish grading final exams and submit grades.

This vacation is entirely too complicated!

 

[SRUAlmn]

Watch Out Contemporary Resort! The Wisconsinites will be there in 2.5 days. 8 nights TPV (for Nana, of course)

The travelers: Nana (83), Me, and daughter (10).

Daughter's friends: American Girl doll, Goofy stuffed animal, Jesse doll.

The electronics: Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, Sony movie player, camera, Satechi 10000 portable battery.

The mobility devices: rental Power wheelchair, rental electric lift recliner, rolling walker with seat.

The suitcases: 4 plus 2 carry on. (not bad!)

The itinerary: Drive three hours in the middle of the night to catch non-stop flight at OHare so Nana doesn't have to change planes.

The missing item: Sunscreen. Cannot buy sunscreen in Wisconsin in December.

The presents: Shipped via the North Pole to south Florida (where we're headed after a week at Disney).

Items still on to do list: Pack dog's supplies & take to kennel. Finish grading final exams and submit grades.

This vacation is entirely too complicated!

But once you get there it will be soooooo worth it!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hi everyone! We are officially booked... May 2-7, TPV. I made all of our ADRs today. I got most of the times I was looking for. This will be our second trip. We went last April and stayed at Poly. It will be myself, my hubby, our 5 year old son, and our 8 month old daughter. We haven't been since the release of the magic bands. Does anyone have any tips or advice concerning the way things are done now? Also, any tips for traveling with a baby at WDW? Thanks so much for any info!

Congratulations and you are very efficient! The MBs were not being used at WL in the summer so this will be our first use of them next week. I'll post about our experience. It looks like you have some great baby advice from Chm635

Hello! Just returned from traveling with 9mo old, didn't take a stroller, baby wore the whole time and loved it. I have a Beco Gemini, so when she was awake I faced her out, tired, faced her in and she napped. If you are nursing, the baby care centers are nice, but I just nursed on the go, if you have a small blanked or cardigan, you should be good. It is so busy no one really paid attention to me. FastPass+ was okay, the limit of three/day was a pest, you can sign up 60d out. Sign up for the rides you really want, we were surprised at some of the lines and the wait times did affect what we rode (HM, Land ride at Epcot, POTC were longer than usual). We travel light so usually only took hand gel, wipes and a couple of diapers into the park. Figure if anything bad really happened we could buy clothes. Strange question but do you Cloth Diaper? If so, take a Flip cover for over the disposable dipe at night. We almost ran out of PJs, if I had packed one cover it would have saved us wet mornings. If you have any questions PM me, I would love to be helpful.

Very helpful post

I posted this on a separate thread, but I haven't gotten any responses. I found this thread, and figured it would be a better place to ask. We're staying in a 1 bedroom in BLT, early February. Have a few questions, mostly about BLT. So excited for our first stay on the monorail, and first stay at BLT!

1) We're on free dining and get mugs with our plan. Do we have to go to the Contempo Cafe to fill up or is there somewhere closer?
We go to the CC for mug refills. You can refill at the BLT pool, but I believe the hours are more limited than CC's and you can't get hot beverages.

2) This is our first time on the monorail (YAY!!), I read that the monorail doesn't run after EMH anymore, so I just want to make sure I'm understanding correctly. The resort line will run an hour after regular MK closing time, correct? If we happen to be returning from Epcot later than this (which I don't think is possible on our trip) do we bus to the Contemporary from Epcot or from the TTC? If the monorail is down how does getting to and from Epcot work?
The RESORT MONORAIL operates from 7 AM until one hour after regular park closing. The monorail no longer operates after evening Extra Magic Hours. During special events, such as MNSSHP and MVMCP nights, the resort monorail runs until 30 minutes after the event ends. The EPCOT MONORAIL operates from 8 AM until one hour after regular park closing. I believe there is an EMH bus for the monorail resorts that normally don't have an Epcot bus.

3) We're booked in a lake view room, we can't decide if we want to try and request a certain view, there's aspects of all the options we like. Is there any "bad" lake views, or should we just take our chances?
We prefer to be in an OUTER villa. These do not face in toward the BLT pool area.

4) We're going to be renting a stroller from an outside company that delivers to bell services. Is there bell services in BLT, or only the Contemporary? Do we check in at BLT?
You can check-in at BLT and use Bell Services there, but if you take ME, it will only drop-off at CR.

5) Lastly, when should we expect our package containing our ME tags? We're Canadian if that makes a difference.
I've never used ME, but I think they may be sent within 30 days of arrival. Hopefully an ME expert will confirm this.

Welcome to the thread! I tried to answer your questions above in RED. Let us know if you have any other questions

Watch Out Contemporary Resort! The Wisconsinites will be there in 2.5 days. 8 nights TPV (for Nana, of course)

The travelers: Nana (83), Me, and daughter (10).

Daughter's friends: American Girl doll, Goofy stuffed animal, Jesse doll.

The electronics: Iphone, Ipad, Ipod, Sony movie player, camera, Satechi 10000 portable battery.

The mobility devices: rental Power wheelchair, rental electric lift recliner, rolling walker with seat.

The suitcases: 4 plus 2 carry on. (not bad!)

The itinerary: Drive three hours in the middle of the night to catch non-stop flight at OHare so Nana doesn't have to change planes.

The missing item: Sunscreen. Cannot buy sunscreen in Wisconsin in December.

The presents: Shipped via the North Pole to south Florida (where we're headed after a week at Disney).

Items still on to do list: Pack dog's supplies & take to kennel. Finish grading final exams and submit grades.

This vacation is entirely too complicated!

You have me worn out, Wisconsonite/Shoshana...phew and nice work! Nana is one lucky girl. You could have dropped her off at Midway...

Have you tried a chain pharmacy or even WM for the sunscreen? It'll save you a few bucks over Disney prices. Do you need to plan a vacation for right after this vacation?

 

[Happyjen27]

Hi everyone! We are officially booked... May 2-7, TPV. I made all of our ADRs today. I got most of the times I was looking for. This will be our secowere trip. We went last April and stayed at Poly. It will be myself, my hubby, our 5 year old son, and our ch old daughter. We haven't been since the release of the magic bands. Does anyone have any tips or advice concerning the way things are done now? Also, any tidbit and r traveling with a baby at WDW? Thanks so much for any info!

I don't know about the infant scene but I've done okay by magic bands I think. We still rocked rope drop yesterday and used the first 2 hours with regular standby and old fp-. Then ETWB fp+ kicked in at 10. From there we had another at 11. Then went to lunch and took a nap. Used another 2 for parade and wishes that night. I got pixie dusted with an extra when I called tech services. Mostly just book your must haves late morning. Or sleep in a bit and count on only getting your fasfpass rides done with short lines.

I am writing from our TPV tower room right now! I feel like we got the most amazing pixie dust this trip! ! First the extra fp+ and then we walked into our room and I saw a glimpse of the bus stop lights. It struck me! I shouldn't be seeing bus stops. I ran over and saw the castle all aglow ! We were upgraded!

 

[Disney Mommy D]

Hello! Just returned from traveling with 9mo old, didn't take a stroller, baby wore the whole time and loved it. I have a Beco Gemini, so when she was awake I faced her out, tired, faced her in and she napped. If you are nursing, the baby care centers are nice, but I just nursed on the go, if you have a small blanked or cardigan, you should be good. It is so busy no one really paid attention to me. FastPass+ was okay, the limit of three/day was a pest, you can sign up 60d out. Sign up for the rides you really want, we were surprised at some of the lines and the wait times did affect what we rode (HM, Land ride at Epcot, POTC were longer than usual). We travel light so usually only took hand gel, wipes and a couple of diapers into the park. Figure if anything bad really happened we could buy clothes. Strange question but do you Cloth Diaper? If so, take a Flip cover for over the disposable dipe at night. We almost ran out of PJs, if I had packed one cover it would have saved us wet mornings. If you have any questions PM me, I would love to be helpful.

Thank you for this info! Are you able to still do regular FastPass with your KTTW card on top of the FastPass+. Did you run into any issues with this new system? Thanks again!

 

[Disney Mommy D]

I don't know about the infant scene but I've done okay by magic bands I think. We still rocked rope drop yesterday and used the first 2 hours with regular standby and old fp-. Then ETWB fp+ kicked in at 10. From there we had another at 11. Then went to lunch and took a nap. Used another 2 for parade and wishes that night. I got pixie dusted with an extra when I called tech services. Mostly just book your must haves late morning. Or sleep in a bit and count on only getting your fasfpass rides done with short lines.

I am writing from our TPV tower room right now! I feel like we got the most amazing pixie dust this trip! ! First the extra fp+ and then we walked into our room and I saw a glimpse of the bus stop lights. It struck me! I shouldn't be seeing bus stops. I ran over and saw the castle all aglow ! We were upgraded!

I think I am a little behind on my lingo... What is ETWB? So you can still use the old FastPass using your KTTW card even if you do FastPass+ as well? Congrats on the upgrade!!! How exciting! I hope your trip is amazing! Thanks for the info!

 

[Happyjen27]

I think I am a little behind on my lingo... What is ETWB? So you can still use the old FastPass using your KTTW card even if you do FastPass+ as well? Congrats on the upgrade!!! How exciting! I hope your trip is amazing! Thanks for the info!

ETWB is enchanted tales with belle. Wait time was 50 min at 11am standby. Yes right now contemporary guests still are within Disney rules to pull old fp with Kttw and use fp+ . Not sure if that will change in the future.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I don't know about the infant scene but I've done okay by magic bands I think. We still rocked rope drop yesterday and used the first 2 hours with regular standby and old fp-. Then ETWB fp+ kicked in at 10. From there we had another at 11. Then went to lunch and took a nap. Used another 2 for parade and wishes that night. I got pixie dusted with an extra when I called tech services. Mostly just book your must haves late morning. Or sleep in a bit and count on only getting your fasfpass rides done with short lines.

I am writing from our TPV tower room right now! I feel like we got the most amazing pixie dust this trip! ! First the extra fp+ and then we walked into our room and I saw a glimpse of the bus stop lights. It struck me! I shouldn't be seeing bus stops. I ran over and saw the castle all aglow ! We were upgraded!

Congrats on the upgrade!!! Glad you are having a good time!