I've copied my trip report from our stay at the CR Tower Club. We were there for 5 wonderful nights in Dec. 2002. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. I hope this helps answer some of your questions.
Just back from the Contemporary Tower Club
Hi everyone,
We just got back from 12 magical days at WDW. The first 6 days we stayed at the Contemporary Tower Club. Our last 6 days were spent at the AKL Lodge Concierge. Both resorts were amazing in their own way. I'll begin with my impressions of the CR. I'll post a separate report of the AKL.
We arrived on Dec. 27th around 1:00 pm. Thats when we got our first taste of how crowded it was going to be. The line to check in was all the way back to the door. This was our first trip during the holiday season. After waiting for over an hour it was finally our turn. I had requested a MK view as we were celebrating our 16th anniversary and I was not disappointed. Not only did we have a MK view but we were in room 4848 all the way at the end closest to MK
We were escorted upstairs to the 12th floor where I had to insert our key. The kids loved hearing the different characters announce what floor we were on. We were greeted by the concierge staff. They were very friendly and helpful. I was given an itinerary of our priority seatings. Our room was clean and yes very bright and bold but all I could focus on was the large balcony in front of me. I started to cry when I saw how close we were to Space Mountain and Cinderellas Castle. The view was breathtaking. We could see the Poly, GF and the MK. Every night we would fall asleep and wake every morning to the sound of the MK train whistle. The 12th floor is the highest floor where you can step out of your room and look straight down to the concourse and watch the monorail arrive and depart. The beds were large and very comfortable. I really liked the bathroom and the separate room with the sink and toilet, very convienent. The closet was huge and we had plenty of drawer space. We had requested a refrigerator( no fee for concierge guests) and were given 2 bottles of water a day. We simply called and were given as many bottles as we needed. We had a grocery stop with Tiffany and had purchased soda's and juice boxes.
The concierge lounge is located by the elevators. The breakfast offerings were as follows:
Assorted teas
Packets of hot chocolate
2 juices ( orange and cranberry)
3 milk ( skim, 2% and chocolate)
Assorted bagles
Assorted danish
Assorted muffins
Boxed cereals
Fresh fruit ( cut up)
Crossants
Donuts
There were plates, cups and silverware to eat in the lounge and paper cups with lids to take with you. There were maybe 6 or 7 tables or you can take your breakfast to your room. Breakfast was served from 7:00am till 10:30am. The concierge was available from 7:00am to 4:00pm. After 4:00 you could still reach the concierge staff by pressing the concierge button on your phone. Even though they were on the 14th floor, they were still available if you needed to change, cancel or make a new PS as well as answer any questions. During the hours of 2:00pm till 4:00pm a snack was available in the lounge. The offerings were:
Coffee (regular and decaf)
Hot chocolate
Fresh, warm homemade cookies ( chocolate chip, sugar and oatmeal raisin)
Sinfully sweet brownies
Rice crispy treats
My 2 DD's are not early risers and DH and I enjoyed being able to walk down the hall and share a quiet breakfast. We did'nt worry about leaving the girls alone as we could see our door from the lounge. We would bring the girls their breakfast back to the room. They were rested and ready to eat and DH and I did'nt have cranky kids while we were trying to enjoy our breakfast
The transportation was excellent. We never waited for a monorail and we were able to ride upfront twice during our stay. We enjoyed being on the monorail because it was so easy to vist the Poly and the GF. Bus service was very good as well. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus.
The 2 pools and hot tubs were great. My youngest DD loved the slide. My oldest DD and I finally got to try the mouse boats. We went on NYE and had a blast. There was a bad storm approaching central Florida later that day and it made the water very choppy. We were nervous at first but that feeling left qucikly. I found myself looking for the larger boats so I could pass through their wakes. We were wet when we came back but very happy. There are so many places to go around Bay Lake. We went over to Fort Wilderness and the WL, then over by the Poly and GF. It was so cool riding by the front of the MK. From now on no matter where we stay the mouse boats are a must do for us
The CR has an amazing Pin Station and my two DD's and I our hooked. We were able to get the limited addition NYE and NYD pins. I felt so sorry for the people who were in the parks on NYE. So many soaked people were in the CR buying dry clothes for their kids. The fireworks from our balcony were amazing. They were launced in two places, from the MK and also from the bay near the GF. I recently purchased a digital camera for our trip. Once I figure how to download them, I will post pictures.
My youngest DD really enjoyed the Priate Cruise. DH, myself and my older DD had breakast at 1900 Park Faire. We were able to enjoy all the beautiful Christmas decorations at the GF. I couldn't believe how large the tree or the ginerbread house were. Both were stunning as were all the decorations at the GF.
I'm sorry this is so long, I quess I got carried away. If you have any questions about the CR just ask. A quick hello to
Scooter's Mom. I got to meet my first Dis member. Her son and my DD went on the Pirate Cruise together. I hope you enjoyed your trip as much as we did
