Contemporary or WL in Dec

[AEA1127]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I just returned home from a magical trip with our 6 month old. Our son did so well and we had so much fun that we are going to book a return trip in December! We're looking for a good home base for the mid afternoon lunch time nap. We were thinking of the Beach Club but considering the amount of time we spent at Magic Kingdom it seems much smarter to stay in the Magic Kingdom area.

My gut is saying go with CR so that we can walk back and forth to the MK which is a obviously a huge perk with a stroller, but Wilderness Lodge seems really quiet and relaxing. I've also heard the Christmas decorations are gorgeous there. I'm torn but leaning towards the Contemporary. Just looking for any insight from the seasoned pros. Thanks!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I just returned home from a magical trip with our 6 month old. Our son did so well and we had so much fun that we are going to book a return trip in December! We're looking for a good home base for the mid afternoon lunch time nap. We were thinking of the Beach Club but considering the amount of time we spent at Magic Kingdom it seems much smarter to stay in the Magic Kingdom area.

My gut is saying go with CR so that we can walk back and forth to the MK which is a obviously a huge perk with a stroller, but Wilderness Lodge seems really quiet and relaxing. I've also heard the Christmas decorations are gorgeous there. I'm torn but leaning towards the Contemporary. Just looking for any insight from the seasoned pros. Thanks!

I've done both at similar times of year with somewhat similar ages.

For us, CR would get the nod purely for convenience. Yes, WL is more quiet and relaxing, but just slightly more of a hassle with the boat/stroller. We've had a few times where DD or DS fell asleep on the boat back for nap time, and then wouldn't go back to sleep once we got in the room (our absolute worst case scenario for our kids!).

Another consideration that may/may not be important to you.... room size. We prefer the larger rooms at CR, especially with a crib. WL is obviously gorgeous with the architecture, lobby, amenities, etc - but the rooms are small.

If you do decide to stay CR, you can always take the boat over to WL one day/night to check out the WL Christmas decorations.

If your son was a little older and would enjoy the pool/splash pad, I might give WL more thought.... the pool/splash pad setup at WL is superior to CR for little ones. But at roughly 1 and hit/miss pool weather in December, I'd be tempted to not make that much of a consideration.

Not sure when in December you're planning to go, but if it's during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party season, the view of the holiday fireworks from CR is great (even if you don't have a TPV room, you can watch from other places). Some rooms from WL do have a MK view, but no guarantees and you're much further away.

Sorry for the novel, happy to answer any questions! Happy planning!

 

[doubtingthomas6]

CR with a theme park view.
Expensive but its the best view in all of Disney World especially at fireworks time

 

[mickeynut1]

Hi everyone!

My husband and I just returned home from a magical trip with our 6 month old. Our son did so well and we had so much fun that we are going to book a return trip in December! We're looking for a good home base for the mid afternoon lunch time nap. We were thinking of the Beach Club but considering the amount of time we spent at Magic Kingdom it seems much smarter to stay in the Magic Kingdom area.

My gut is saying go with CR so that we can walk back and forth to the MK which is a obviously a huge perk with a stroller, but Wilderness Lodge seems really quiet and relaxing. I've also heard the Christmas decorations are gorgeous there. I'm torn but leaning towards the Contemporary. Just looking for any insight from the seasoned pros. Thanks!

We haven't stayed at CR and although walking to MK is a huge perk, my choice would be the WL in December. The WL is beautiful any time of year, but especially so during Christmas time. While not as convenient as CR, WL has the boat as well as a bus (which is direct with no stops) to MK. If you are looking solely for convenience to MK, the CR would be the best choice (IMO). But, if atmosphere and holiday decorations are priorities, I'd go with WL. All resorts are nicely decorated, but the holiday atmosphere at the WL is hard to beat (IMO). Good luck deciding, but I'm sure you'll have a great time at either resort as Disney during the holidays is amazing no matter where you stay .

 

[DG25]

I think either choice would be good, but myself I would pick WL. I just like it so much better. The boat ride is fast and easy. And a peaceful way to switch from over excitement to relaxation. I was very surprised about CR, never thought I would ever go there, but due to very bad experience at BC we were sent over to CR, can't say much about the rooms because we had the hospitality suite which was huge, and club level was the best, but the pools were boring. The walk back was great to have, but we always felt pushed alone because so many were walking. The staff was great. We went BLT and hated it. We have never had a bad experience at WL, quiet, quaint, relaxing. Beautiful at Christmas. I would ask for a king room so you have a little more space for the crib, because I will say at the lodge space is tight, I have no idea why they made the rooms so small at WL, but they did not learn and did the same at AKL and DGC, at DGC I feel like we literally sleep on top of each other, at least WL doesn't feel that way to me. I like the food service better at WL, by then the new areas will all be open, and no more construction. The bus to me to everywhere was so much better at WL than anywhere else on property, fast and very uncrowded even the last bus of the night was not crowded.

 

[AEA1127]

Thanks everyone! Already so many things to think about.

For us, CR would get the nod purely for convenience. Yes, WL is more quiet and relaxing, but just slightly more of a hassle with the boat/stroller. We've had a few times where DD or DS fell asleep on the boat back for nap time, and then wouldn't go back to sleep once we got in the room (our absolute worst case scenario for our kids!).

This is exactly what makes us lean towards the CR over other options. Normally my husband and I could care less about taking busses (or boats) but with the baby it was a challenge this past trip. We learned pretty quickly in the week that though our trip was amazing, it would have been easier to have other ways to get to parks and restaurants besides the bus system.

Not sure when in December you're planning to go, but if it's during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party season, the view of the holiday fireworks from CR is great (even if you don't have a TPV room, you can watch from other places). Some rooms from WL do have a MK view, but no guarantees and you're much further away.

This is such a good thing to remember! We've done the party in the past but not sure if it would be worth it with the baby. Something to certainly think about before we buy tickets but I love the option to see the fireworks even if we choose not to attend.

The bus to me to everywhere was so much better at WL than anywhere else on property, fast and very uncrowded even the last bus of the night was not crowded.

Good to know, thank you!

Thank you everyone for your responses, they are greatly appreciated! This is a hard decision.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would do CR. You'll have the walk to MK, monorail to EP and a much bigger room. Yes, WL is beautiful at Christmas, but you can always take the boat over to visit. As others have said, the boat with a stroller can be a real pain and you have to bus everywhere else. I found the bus at WL to be terrible as they seem to always share with another resort. We stayed at WL in 2011 (when DS was 3) and I swore never again because the buses were so slow. After his afternoon nap, I always felt trapped there as our only choices were to stay at the resort or get on inconvenient Disney transportation again to get somewhere else for dinner. With CR, you'll have everything on the monorail (plus walking to MK) at your convenience. We are finally staying at WL again this summer but only because, now that we don't need a car seat, we can Uber everywhere which is what we will do as I can't stand the bus system at WL!

 

[blessedby3]

I would book the CR and visit and have a meal at the WL. The CR is just so darn convenient!

 

[AEA1127]

I would book the CR and visit and have a meal at the WL. The CR is just so darn convenient!

I think we would definitely take the trip over to see the decorations and eat. I keep hoping to make it to Artist Point, so this may be the perfect trip to make that happen!

 

[AEA1127]

Just wanted to thank everyone again for their insights. We booked at the Contemporary and are already really looking forward to it!

 

[tgarre06]

Just wanted to thank everyone again for their insights. We booked at the Contemporary and are already really looking forward to it!

Excellent choice! I've stayed at both WL and CR with my little ones (as young as 8 months at time of travel) and would pick CR hands down. Walking back to your hotel from MK is MAGICAL for our family!