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

[WDWKOOK]

I have been a long time reader of this thread and have learned a lot from everyone's comments and information sharing. We just returned today from a 4 night stay at the Contemporary. We had booked theme park view Atrium Club level.

When we arrived we were met at the front door and the CM told us they had moved us to the 14th floor! The CM told us the 14th floor had been open for about 3 weeks. We had a 2 queen bed non-suite room. Everything is finished on the floor, but only 9 rooms were occupied.

It was beautifully decorated and extremely nice. We could not believe the balconies! They were huge, it was great. The lounge itself is small, but really well designed and decorated. It felt "cozy", not cramped or crowded at all.

The room was also larger than what we are used to (we usually stay Poly), but there was no day bed. The bathroom was also very large.

The concierge staff could not do enough for you. We don't ask for much, but we ran several days while we were there and the staff was always ready with a bottle of water when we got back. They had small bottles of water available, but you have to ask for them.

We have stayed at all the concierge levels except for the BWI and WL, the food was great, the Tower Club did some things really well and the Poly does some things really well.

This is now our favorite place to stay in Disney.

How exciting and thank you for posting about your upgrade. Sure do wish you had some photos to share - even bad ones - we don't mind! I, too would like to know if the décor now matches the rest of the (post-rehab) rooms. In the past, the décor on the 14th didn't match the other floors. Were the bathroom sinks identical to the other rooms?

 

[WDWKOOK]

By Leah Zanolla
Jul 10, 2013

Update 9/9/13: The fridges have been replaced at the Art of Animation, Boardwalk, Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht Club and Beach Club. They have also been replaced at the Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier at Disneyland.

 

[WDWKOOK]

More on the new CA Grill.... Disney Parks Blog pre-opening meet-up with more photos and a video.

 

[disneynanacat]

The "Coming to you live" thread on dining reviews board has their first CG review posted too. Sounds like a wild night there last night!

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

Grocery order placed, bands and FP+ all set (we are split stay with AKV), and we are READY TO HEAD HOME! Leaving this Saturday AM and move over to BLT on Sunday. Sooooo ready to be there! We have a 2br Lake View through Friday.

Now all I have to do is pack. I have the essentials (glow bracelets, sunscreen, and stickers), but now it is time for clothes.

Off to the front of this page to see what kind of wine we can buy there. Luckily we start with a trip to Epcot on Monday so we should be able to pick some things up there! So excited to try BOG and see the new Princess meet&greet!

 

[trishadono]

Grocery order placed, bands and FP+ all set (we are split stay with AKV), and we are READY TO HEAD HOME! Leaving this Saturday AM and move over to BLT on Sunday. Sooooo ready to be there! We have a 2br Lake View through Friday.

Now all I have to do is pack. I have the essentials (glow bracelets, sunscreen, and stickers), but now it is time for clothes.

Off to the front of this page to see what kind of wine we can buy there. Luckily we start with a trip to Epcot on Monday so we should be able to pick some things up there! So excited to try BOG and see the new Princess meet&greet!

I love my wine too. For example Kendall Jackson Chardonnay at CR was $15 (or so) and it is usually cheaper there than my home state of NY. Whereas I bought a bottle of wine in Italy and I when I got home i found out I paid double at disney. SO don't discount the hotel wines, some are good.

 

[RapunzelsGoodMom]

I love my wine too. For example Kendall Jackson Chardonnay at CR was $15 (or so) and it is usually cheaper there than my home state of NY. Whereas I bought a bottle of wine in Italy and I when I got home i found out I paid double at disney. SO don't discount the hotel wines, some are good.

Definitely hoping for some good wines there. We can get one or two in Epcot but I'm hoping to just go with what they have. I suspect we'll be JUST FINE. And so much easier than driving it down or getting the stuff the grocer's deliver.... I'll be sure to include the wine finds in my trip report!

 

[minniesbiggiestfan]

2 days until we are at our Disney home!! Ill be posting pics. Stay tuned. Now I need to pack!!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Another CA Grill opening night review. This one covers the pluses and minuses and has many photos and a video with snazzy music​

 

[TOT Groupie]

Ok, this is my 3rd attempt to post this reply, I keep getting thrown out.

I do believe the décor is different in the rooms, and in particular the lounge than the other floors. There was no yellow in the room we had and there was no desk. The carpet in the halls was the same (fried egg design) as I had seen in the pictures posted on this thread. The room was in white and shades of gray. Very soothing and serene.

Everything was brand new, beds, tvs, linens, etc. The bathroom was vary spacious, but seemed to have a lot of wasted space. There was one sink in the tub area, but there was a lot of surface space. The vanity was open and it looked like you could store things underneath, but you didn't need it with all the surface area. There was a magnifying mirror attached to one side of the vanity and there was a large mirror over the sink. There was a second sink in the toilet area located on the far side of the bathroom. It was a separate area. There were a lot of towel bars, but only one hook. Those were the only mirrors in the room.

I did notice that the sheers on the window/glass door to the balcony appeared to be the same for every floor.

We had two chairs and a small side table on the balcony, but we had room for several more chairs and a larger table.

Like I said there was no day bed and there was not any kind of lounge chair. We had connecting doors on both sides of our room. We connected to what looks like one of the kind bed rooms and a one bedroom suite, and I guess a chair would have been in the walking path. We did have a table and two chairs.

We had a new freezer and the wall unit that had the freezer, drawers, tv, etc appeared to be new.

I'm sorry if this seems disjointed, but I'm at work and I keep getting distracted.

 

[mickeynut1]

I have been a long time reader of this thread and have learned a lot from everyone's comments and information sharing. We just returned today from a 4 night stay at the Contemporary. We had booked theme park view Atrium Club level.

When we arrived we were met at the front door and the CM told us they had moved us to the 14th floor! The CM told us the 14th floor had been open for about 3 weeks. We had a 2 queen bed non-suite room. Everything is finished on the floor, but only 9 rooms were occupied.

It was beautifully decorated and extremely nice. We could not believe the balconies! They were huge, it was great. The lounge itself is small, but really well designed and decorated. It felt "cozy", not cramped or crowded at all.

The room was also larger than what we are used to (we usually stay Poly), but there was no day bed. The bathroom was also very large.

The concierge staff could not do enough for you. We don't ask for much, but we ran several days while we were there and the staff was always ready with a bottle of water when we got back. They had small bottles of water available, but you have to ask for them.

We have stayed at all the concierge levels except for the BWI and WL, the food was great, the Tower Club did some things really well and the Poly does some things really well.

This is now our favorite place to stay in Disney.

Thanks for your review.....congrats on the upgrade . We are booked CR TPV Atrium club and Poly CL in December and I'm really excited to try them both. Glad you had a nice trip .

Grocery order placed, bands and FP+ all set (we are split stay with AKV), and we are READY TO HEAD HOME! Leaving this Saturday AM and move over to BLT on Sunday. Sooooo ready to be there! We have a 2br Lake View through Friday.

Have a great trip .

2 days until we are at our Disney home!! Ill be posting pics. Stay tuned. Now I need to pack!!

Have a great time . Can't wait to hear about it and see lots of pics!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Ok, this is my 3rd attempt to post this reply, I keep getting thrown out.

I do believe the décor is different in the rooms, and in particular the lounge than the other floors. There was no yellow in the room we had and there was no desk. The carpet in the halls was the same (fried egg design) as I had seen in the pictures posted on this thread. The room was in white and shades of gray. Very soothing and serene.

Everything was brand new, beds, tvs, linens, etc. The bathroom was vary spacious, but seemed to have a lot of wasted space. There was one sink in the tub area, but there was a lot of surface space. The vanity was open and it looked like you could store things underneath, but you didn't need it with all the surface area. There was a magnifying mirror attached to one side of the vanity and there was a large mirror over the sink. There was a second sink in the toilet area located on the far side of the bathroom. It was a separate area. There were a lot of towel bars, but only one hook. Those were the only mirrors in the room.

I did notice that the sheers on the window/glass door to the balcony appeared to be the same for every floor.

We had two chairs and a small side table on the balcony, but we had room for several more chairs and a larger table.

Like I said there was no day bed and there was not any kind of lounge chair. We had connecting doors on both sides of our room. We connected to what looks like one of the kind bed rooms and a one bedroom suite, and I guess a chair would have been in the walking path. We did have a table and two chairs.

We had a new freezer and the wall unit that had the freezer, drawers, tv, etc appeared to be new.

I'm sorry if this seems disjointed, but I'm at work and I keep getting distracted.

Sounds like you were in 4913 which is a MKV Queen room? There are only 3 Queen rooms up there. Today, I was able to confirm that one is available with the military discount for next summer. I haven't made a decision yet on it though. It's only $30 more per night than Atrium Club. I love the idea of being on a floor with only 15 other rooms and having an extra large balcony and larger room is also nice. I imagine the lounge was always quiet, clean and peaceful? There was no glass desk or no desk at all? Was there at least a table and chairs in the room? Did it have the double closets with some drawers in the closet?

Have you ever stayed Atrium Club level? If so, would you book the 14th again or would you stick with the 12th? You might not know the answer, but was the food and drinks identical to the 12th floor? I sure wish you had some photos of the lounge or room you could post - I can't find any post-rehab anywhere. How many nights were you there? Thanks for answering so many questions.

 

[TOT Groupie]

Yes, we were in 4913, I would book it in a heart beat. We have stayed at all the CLs except for BWI and WL - and this was our favorite. The Poly is a close second. Yes, the lounge was always clean and peaceful with plenty of food.

I tried to book again for several trips we have planned next year, but none of the queen rooms were available. We have not stayed Atrium Club yet, but it was available for all of our dates, so I guess we will be there next February. If the Poly club level = Atrium club, I would stay Tower club. It is just quieter and more relaxed. I wish I had taken pictures of the lounge, it is really well decorated and designed. It looks like someone's great room. There are cabinets that run around about half of the room in a rough semi-circle and all the food and drinks are placed on the top of the cabinets. Glasses, cups, saucers, plates are underneath.

There some comfortable chairs with a coffee table in the middle of the room and on the side opposite the food there is a long banquet or booth style bench running along the side and about 4 tables spaced out along that area with chairs opposite. That is probably not a good description. The outside wall is all glass with two entrances to the balcony.

There was no desk at all in the room. There was a circular table and two chairs.

I wish we had taken pictures of the lounge, we really liked the décor.

 

[TOT Groupie]

We were there for 4 nights. There was usually just my DH and I and one other party in the lounge at any one time. We saw about 4 of the other parties staying there.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Yes, we were in 4913, I would book it in a heart beat. We have stayed at all the CLs except for BWI and WL - and this was our favorite. The Poly is a close second. Yes, the lounge was always clean and peaceful with plenty of food.

I tried to book again for several trips we have planned next year, but none of the queen rooms were available. We have not stayed Atrium Club yet, but it was available for all of our dates, so I guess we will be there next February. If the Poly club level = Atrium club, I would stay Tower club. It is just quieter and more relaxed. I wish I had taken pictures of the lounge, it is really well decorated and designed. It looks like someone's great room. There are cabinets that run around about half of the room in a rough semi-circle and all the food and drinks are placed on the top of the cabinets. Glasses, cups, saucers, plates are underneath.

There some comfortable chairs with a coffee table in the middle of the room and on the side opposite the food there is a long banquet or booth style bench running along the side and about 4 tables spaced out along that area with chairs opposite. That is probably not a good description. The outside wall is all glass with two entrances to the balcony.

There was no desk at all in the room. There was a circular table and two chairs.

I wish we had taken pictures of the lounge, we really liked the décor.

We were there for 4 nights. There was usually just my DH and I and one other party in the lounge at any one time. We saw about 4 of the other parties staying there.

Thanks for your quick reply. It sounds as fantastic as I pictured it - like your own little club level oasis. You probably didn't even see anyone in bare feet or PJs

 

[kellylfitz]

We were there for 4 nights. There was usually just my DH and I and one other party in the lounge at any one time. We saw about 4 of the other parties staying there.

Thanks for the update! We requested 4912 and 4913 for our October trip. Even more excited now!

 

[WDWKOOK]

I just remembered a concern I had about the 14th floor. I just read a new CA Grill review that mentioned that the new restaurant is much louder and noisier than it used to be. That reminded me that I had read that it can be very noisy in the 14th floor rooms, particularly after CA Grill closes and they're cleaning up into the wee hours. I know that it hadn't opened back up yet when you were there, but did you hear anything above you?

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thanks for the update! We requested 4912 and 4913 for our October trip. Even more excited now!

So excited to see your photos and read your review. Can you post live?

 

[kellylfitz]

So excited to see your photos and read your review. Can you post live?

Sure thing! I will post some photos as soon as I get them.

 

[LuvMySoldier07]

Ok, this is my 3rd attempt to post this reply, I keep getting thrown out.

I do believe the décor is different in the rooms, and in particular the lounge than the other floors. There was no yellow in the room we had and there was no desk. The carpet in the halls was the same (fried egg design) as I had seen in the pictures posted on this thread. The room was in white and shades of gray. Very soothing and serene.

Everything was brand new, beds, tvs, linens, etc. The bathroom was vary spacious, but seemed to have a lot of wasted space. There was one sink in the tub area, but there was a lot of surface space. The vanity was open and it looked like you could store things underneath, but you didn't need it with all the surface area. There was a magnifying mirror attached to one side of the vanity and there was a large mirror over the sink. There was a second sink in the toilet area located on the far side of the bathroom. It was a separate area. There were a lot of towel bars, but only one hook. Those were the only mirrors in the room.

I did notice that the sheers on the window/glass door to the balcony appeared to be the same for every floor.

We had two chairs and a small side table on the balcony, but we had room for several more chairs and a larger table.

Like I said there was no day bed and there was not any kind of lounge chair. We had connecting doors on both sides of our room. We connected to what looks like one of the kind bed rooms and a one bedroom suite, and I guess a chair would have been in the walking path. We did have a table and two chairs.

We had a new freezer and the wall unit that had the freezer, drawers, tv, etc appeared to be new.

I'm sorry if this seems disjointed, but I'm at work and I keep getting distracted.

Thank you for your posts about Tower Club I am staying there this weekend and was concerned the refurb wasn't completed yet. I am so excited to see it! I will post some pictures when I return for those who are interested