Contemporary Tower/Garden Wing

[Jacklynn]

What are the differences between the Tower/Garden Wing?

Obviously one isn't as tall. So is it not worth it to stay at the Contemporary if you aren't at the tower? Or doesn't it not really make that much of a difference. We wouldn't be getting a park view anyways just because we were originally going to stay at POFQ but I dk what I wanna do... I keep stinking trying to upgrade... I may not even be able to talk him into it... but anyways I'm just curious if you aren't getting a park view anyways if the garden wing is any different than the non-park view side of the tower.

Also it would be $3549 to stay in the contemporary garden wing verses $2841 standard room at the WL (both prices include tickets too for two adults) Would the better choice be WL for the price? That is if I could even get my husband to upgrade from POFQ... or should we just stick with POFQ.... ahhhh I keep changing where I want to stay, we need to just book it so I can stop trying to change my mind!!!

 

[crazy4wdw]

What are the differences between the Tower/Garden Wing?
Obviously one isn't as tall. So is it not worth it to stay at the Contemporary if you aren't at the tower? Or doesn't it not really make that much of a difference. We wouldn't be getting a park view anyways just because we were originally going to stay at POFQ but I dk what I wanna do... I keep stinking trying to upgrade... I may not even be able to talk him into it... but anyways I'm just curious if you aren't getting a park view anyways if the garden wing is any different than the non-park view side of the tower.

The main difference between the tower rooms and garden wing rooms is the tower rooms have balconies. In terms of the room size and decor, all of the rooms are identical. With the garden wing, you would either have a view of the parking lot (standard), pool/marina area, Bay Lake, or the canal which connects the two lakes. The main advantage of staying at the CR over the other resorts is its proximity to the Magic Kingdom. You can walk over there in 10 to 15 minutes. You also have monoral access to MK and Epcot. If you're not going to be in your room that much to enjoy the view, the garden wing would most likely work fine. Another plus for the CR is that it has some of the largest rooms on Disney property, about 440 sq. feet.

 

[pooh2001]

The Garden Wings are being torn down. No more playground and no more tennis courts.....
"The North Garden wing has been demolished. The tennis courts and playground are also gone. Rumors persist about either family suites or a Disney Vacation Club Resort however no official announcement has been made."

Not sure about the South Garden Wings.

 

[Daydreamer64]

There are still garden wings because when we called to reserve we had a hard time getting the tower and were told that there were garden rooms available- this call was in September.

You are correct that the south wing was demolished- there are pictures of the new area construction on the resorts board - HTH

Have all of the remaining rooms been remodled and how do the CR rooms conpare to the AKL rooms now that all of the concierge rooms are on the 4th floor at AKL?

 

[crazy4wdw]

The Garden Wings are being torn down. No more playground and no more tennis courts..... "The North Garden wing has been demolished. The tennis courts and playground are also gone. Rumors persist about either family suites or a Disney Vacation Club Resort however no official announcement has been made."

Not sure about the South Garden Wings.

Only the north wing has been torn down, the south wing is still there and was recently rehabed from top to bottom. The tennis courts and playground will return once the DVC Tower (or famiily suite tower) is completed sometimes in 2009.

 

[crazy4wdw]

You are correct that the south wing was demolished- there are pictures of the new area construction on the resorts board - HTH

Have all of the remaining rooms been remodled and how do the CR rooms conpare to the AKL rooms now that all of the concierge rooms are on the 4th floor at AKL?

Acutally, its the north wing that was demolished. All of the rooms in the CR, both tower and wing, were rehabed about a year ago. The CR rooms (440 sq feet) are much larger the the AKL rooms (340 sq ft)

 

[Clubhouse Mickey]

We just got back from the Contemporary last week. We stayed in a garden room, not a tower room. It was about $800 less than friends of ours who paid the extra for a tower MK view.

The plusses of staying at the Contemporary are the monorail and the close proximity to MK, as a prior person posted. You can walk to the MK in about 10 mins on a trail from the hotel to the park.

The monorail goes through the hotel, which is neat. However, the main concourse has been undergoing renovation. They just opened a new shop while we were there, so now there are at least 2 main shops. But the food court was down and in its place, there was just a temporary grab and go. The selection is very limited and really only good for maybe a quick pastry or coffee in the am or a snack / drink throughout the day. Also with this temporary food place, they are unable to do the refillable mugs for your length of stay.

Staying in the wing vs the tower, we did have to walk a bit to the main bldg. It was not bad though as we walked along the pool/lakeside area and it was quite pretty. With all the walking you do at disney anyways, this did not add much but it is worth knowing ahead of time, that if you do a wing room you may have to do some extra walking.

The rooms are quite spacious and very modern. There was a flat screen tv and complimentary computer w/ free internet in every room. I did not care for the bathroom sinks though. As is well known through these boards, the sinks are very shallow and square shaped. I wash my hair in the sink and suffice it to say that did not work well for me. Housekeeping was quite good. The beds were heavenly! Lots of pillows and nice thick covers. There was a nice area near the entrance with a refrigerator and counter. Two decent size closets, one with drawers, plus drawer space in the room.

Being at the hotel with Chef Mickey's was nice. We have a 6 yr old daughter and did that for b-fast one day. There is also the Concourse Steakhouse and the California Grill in the hotel, which are highly rated as well. However, you best have ADR's or you will likely be turned away.

We visited the Wilderness Lodge by boat one morning. I love the atmosphere of this hotel! It looks like it was made with Lincoln logs with green accessories. Very rustic and lodgy. We ate at Whispering Canyon for b-fast and it was wonderful! We loved the lobby and the pool area as well. It would be on my list of hotels to consider when we go back. You are still close to the MK but transportation would be via boat or bus, I believe.

good luck deciding. You will have a great time at any disney hotel, I am sure.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

If I couldn't stay in a Tower Mk view room at CR, then I would choose to stay at the WL. Actually, I will be staying in a Tower MK View next month and am looking forward to it, but it will probably the only time I am able to do this, because I could stay at the WL for several more days than at CR. I have stayed at WL and just absolutely love the atmosphere, it is so cozy, warm, and homey feeling.

I can't comment on AKL yet, because we haven't stayed there yet, but will in 22 days.


Suzanne

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If you are able to stay in the Tower both the Magic Kingdom view and Bay Lake view are great, so the only difference there is the price since the Bay Lake view would be less expensive. Even though my family and I have not stayed in the Garden Wing before, from what I have read about them and seen in person they are not in a bad location. So from the South Garden Wing it's about a 5 minute walk to the Tower and it's still the same exact room, minus the views you would get and not having any balconies.

 

[cmonroe]

Only the north wing has been torn down, the south wing is still there and was recently rehabed from top to bottom. The tennis courts and playground will return once the DVC Tower (or famiily suite tower) is completed sometimes in 2009.

I second this. It is the north wing. Fortunately we stayed in the north wing one last time on our 04 trip. We were able to watch the fireworks from our room, was closer to the path to MK and food and fun center (which as we all know now has moved).

I've stayed in the south wing rooms a couple of times since I was a kid, we mostly stayed in the tower and the north wing. The south wing rooms were fine, but really just a longer walk and IMHO less to look at. You did have access to the beach, etc. but I preferred the ability to see the MK from the room.

Obviously price is a huge difference. I'd say we spent half the time in the tower and half the time in the wings to afford staying there over the years.
If you have never stayed in the tower, with an MK view, hold onto your seat.
It is one of the most amazing views at night (for WDW addicts like us).
If you are able to afford staying in the tower, and fortunate enough to get an MK view, I would do it at least once.

But from my signature, you can see, I am a bit biased

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If you have never stayed in the tower, with an MK view, hold onto your seat.It is one of the most amazing views at night (for WDW addicts like us).

I agree with you 100%, the Magic Kingdom view from the Tower rooms are the best in all of WDW.

 

[skipperkim]

I've stayed at both POFQ and CR. Love them both for different reasons. I love POFQ, for beauty, budget and how compact the resort is. CR you can't beat that walk back from MK in the evening. I was able to stay at CR north garden wing and we, my 2 DS's, had a view of the fireworks from our room at night. It made getting to Epcot the next morning for our Segway tour easy too.

 

[sraiford]

We just returned from a stay at the CR I had booked a std view/garden wing and was upgraded to the tower/bay lake view. It was magical We loved our room. We stepped outside our door and had a perfect view of the castle. I love the CR and would try to convince your DH to stay there even if it is in the garden wing. The pool and beach are right by the wing and it is just a wonderful resort. I loved swinging in the hammock

 

[CheshireVal]

I prefer the view of Bay Lake from the tower rooms, personally. However, some of the garden wing rooms are really close to the water-- very cool!

 

[Jacklynn]

My husband (and I) don't think we can afford the CR, but instead either POFQ or WL... any thoughts between those two? I like the location of WL and the theme is great, but I dk if it is worth the extra money...

I am sooo awful at making a decision...I guess this topic kind of exceeds what the title of this topic is... lol

 

[fla4fun]

I prefer the view of Bay Lake from the tower rooms, personally. However, some of the garden wing rooms are really close to the water-- very cool!

I like the water views too, either from the tower or from the wing. Since the rooms are laid out the same, I base my choice on how long the trip is and what my budget looks like. I really prefer the wing rooms to the tower, because I've had a lot of issues with the tower elevators (even got stuck mid floor with the door half open once - not fun). I don't always need a balcony, especially during hot weather, so that's not always an issue. Sometimes I just want the convenience of being able to walk back from MK, and I want it at the lowest price possible.

 

[lyeag]

We have stayed in both. The water views in the wings are very nice. We had a room in the south wing on the very end and it was so peaceful!! Of course there was a long walk to the main building, but it was worth having easy parking, as well as a quiet room.

We stayed in the tower last year with a bay view and it was also very nice. I would like to have a MK view at least once, hopefully next Chrismas, but I don't think I would want to pay that much every time.

 

[testsherpa]

Because of a mixed up reservation, I had the opportunity to stay in both the garden wing and the tower last month. I had to check out and check back in on the same day. So here are my impressions.

The rooms are basically the same.

The garden wing is more quiet. No monorail noises, less people, no noise from Chef Mickey's, etc.

The garden wing is a longer walk and less of a view.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Because of a mixed up reservation, I had the opportunity to stay in both the garden wing and the tower last month. I had to check out and check back in on the same day. So here are my impressions.

The rooms are basically the same.

The garden wing is more quiet. No monorail noises, less people, no noise from Chef Mickey's, etc.

The garden wing is a longer walk and less of a view.

Based you're impressions which one would you like to stay at again, if both types of rooms were available?