Contemporary Garden vs. Tower

[DarthGoofy]

Now I have questions about the CR. I know that the tower rooms are much more desirable than the garden wing rooms, but they are also much more expensive.

For those of you who have stayed at the CR, do you think that you miss out on the "Magic" by staying in a Garden Wing Room.

Again, this will be our first trip with my DS(4). I really want to stay at the Poly, but don't know if I will be able to swing that or not. The WL would be a great choice, but my DW doesn't want to stay there because we just stayed there last January.

What to do, what to do?

 

[veruka]

Personally, I prefer the North garden wing over the towers. It's quieter and if you're lucky to get a room that overlooks the water, it's amazingly peaceful and tranquil. Plus, you're closer to the water when you're in one of the garden views.

 

[BambiTamby]

Well, we've haven't stayed there yet!
but, we're looking forward to the Tower view!
Read so many things about each view...the castle turning colors at night and seeing the FW. OR, waking up to the beautiful mist over Bay Lake every morning, seeing the water sports, pool, and the ELP.
Either way, we're happy campers!

Actually, with our AP rate, there wasn't much difference at all between the prices!
so, if you can get a good deal, why not?

I've heard alot of pro and cons on this issue.
I look at it this way...I'm in the middle of the magic,
no matter what room I'm in!

The CR is the only deluxe we haven't done!
So we are very excited about trying it!

 

[MickeyisanNDfan]

The tower is great but the North Wing is just as great. It is a short walk to the food and fun center and a short walk the other way to the Magic Kingdom. I have also stayed in the South Wing but it seemed a little farther away from things. The Contemporary is my favorite Disney resort, we were at the Poly last weekend and can't wait to get back to the Contemporary in November, whether it be tower or wing.

 

[Kimberle]

We stayed in the North wing when dd was 2.5.

It was very nice. We were on the MK side, on the 2nd floor about 1/2 way down. We had a great view of the fireworks from our room. The wing was very quiet.

The wing rooms have no balaconies. Just the 1st floor has a small patio.

The rooms are quite large by Disney standards. The bathroom is nicely set-up.

We enjoyed our stay. Next time (maybe April, crossing fingers & hoping for a discount code), we're going to splurge and stay on the 14th floor, lake side. (Concierge floor).

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

I don't think staying in a wing room will take away from the "magic". Lets face it, your 4 year old really won't care about the view, which is why most people choose the tower over wing rooms. This is not to suggest that you won't have a nice view in a wing room. The location can't be beat and you will have wonderful choices for meals.

Have Fun!!!

 

[sotoalf]

I prefer the South or North Garden Wings - that is, if you get a first-floor patio. I've said it before on these posts, but if you luck out and get a Bay Lake view you'll have the most tranquil, overlooked rooms at WDW. You'll even have your own private beach. There's nothing like enjoying your coffee in the morning or a drink at night from the seclusion of your patio.

 

[Ellester]

We stayed in the North wing earlier this month through Shades of Green. We were on the second floor, bay side. The rest of our family was on the parking lot side, I would go with bay side. It was so peaceful. We could also see the tennis courts. We didn't have a balcony, but we weren't in the room much. The room was huge! It was a long walk to the ice machines/vending though. I agree that the North wing is very convenient to MK. I think our walk from our room to the monorail station was about the same as our from our room to MK's gate! It was an even shorter walk once we figured out we could get to our room quicker from the North door and elevator. I would stay in the North wing again in a minute! My girls (5 & 2) loved it too!

 

[Paul Samanant]

I will offer a minority opinion. I'll try to elaborate why, and you can decide for yourself. We have stayed at the Contemporary 5 times and it is our favorite resort. We have stayed in the wing once. Lake view once. MK view 3 times. It is OUR opinion that there is great value added in theming and magic to stay in the tower/MK view and I'll try to elaborate why:

1) The view of the MK especially at night with castle changing colors, along with the colors of future world and the rest of MK is spectacular. We leave the curtains open and take it all in.
2) You also have the view of the lake. Combine the MK views with the lake, the boats, the Polynesian, the lit up GF, the monorails running in the distance (You also get the late afternoon/evening sun, so sunsets over the lake into the night is nice)
3) Fireworks view from your room/balcony is nice. As is the electrical water pageant as it moves around the bay.
4) The rooms are brighter during the day (the decor seems to be brighter, but this could be my imagination).
5) It is nicer to step out of the room into the concourse, hear all the activity from chef mickeys, look down and see the monorail glide through, hear music, etc, as opposed to the darker hallways of the wing.
6) It is a short elevator/escalator ride to the monorails. You will generally want to walk to MK most of the time, but monorail is nice for return and travel to epcot.


For us, staying in tower with the MK view was far superior to the wing (we would not pay the money to stay in the wing). This is our opinion, and you'll have to weigh that against the cost + other opinions. Maybe you can get a good discount rate such as APH to mitigate the cost of the tower.

 

[bethbuchall]

You don't want to count on it, of course, but friends of mine went in September and were given a Tower room even though they had reserved a Wing room.

We are going in May, and I decided that I really wanted the tower, so that is what I reserved.

I think that it is less expensive to get the cheapest room at the Poly (depending upon view/location) than a Tower room.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I've only ever stayed in the Tower (12th floor), but I would consider staying in the wings. They look like they'd be fine, plus they are still in the awesome location next to the MK and on the lake!

 

[mariamouse]

I completely agree with Paul S.- stayed in a very nice room in the N. Garden Wing and while we still had a great time, we all agreed that if we ever came back, we would spend the extra to stay in a tower room... I felt more magic being in the middle of everything and knowing you would have that amazing view!! However, this was just my experience- I would probably only stay at the CR again if it was in a tower room. Have a great trip!

mariamouse