Contemporary - Tower or Garden Wing?

[DisneyDreamingInMI]

Our family of four has decided to stay at the Contemporary for our next trip in 2014 and after doing some inital research I see that there are two categories of rooms - tower and garden wing?

I'm looking for some insight on the similarities and difference between these rooms and the pros and cons of each?

My hubby is very practical and would love to save the money on the price difference between the two and put it toward our plane tickets, spending money, etc. But I want to make sure we are not missing anything by just basing the decision on cost alone.

Walking is not a problem for us and we plan on walking to and from the MK via the walking path. I need a pretty quiet room in order to sleep so that is a consideration as well.

Any insight into this decision would be much appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We have stayed in both. The rooms are exactly the same in terms of decor and size. (The size difference only in the Garden Wing Deluxe rooms).

Wing rooms don't have balconies that you can stand on. But ground floor rooms will have patios. Tower rooms all have balconies.

We were never bothered by walking through the lobby, past the tower elevators and out to the wing entrance. It is covered in the event of rain.

If you plan on using the Contempo Cafe frequently to refill resort mugs, then the tower would be more convenient.

I am glad we experienced the tower MK view once, but I doubt I would pay to stay in there again. We were perfectly happy with the wing (and the substantial cost savings)

HTH!

 

[beccasmom]

We always chose one of the wings (there were two back in the day! ) and were always happy with that decision. We mostly did so due to price, but the wings always seemed to be quieter and a bit "away from it all", which was fine for us. The rooms at the CR are very roomy and comfortable. We often had some lovely Bay Lake views. We did not mind the walk to the Tower; walking at WDW is something we're used to doing plenty of anyway!

 

[OKW Lover]

For us the attraction at the Contemporary is the tower rooms. Never been a fan of the garden wing. It feels like the poor stepchild to me.

 

[twinboysmom]

If the view isn't a deal breaker, they are a great way to save money. Same amenities just a slight bit further to walk. Personally, I think they are a little quieter. Some of the rooms in the towers can hear chef mickeys. Some of the garden wing rooms will have some decent views of the water too.

 

[lovingeire]

We are having the same debate for our Jan 2014 trip. I am torn between saving money and that I'd live to see the fireworks from our room. But the overall reason were planning on staying there is for the walk to MK and the monorail. I'm just worried we'd be disappointed when push came to shove if we weren't in the tower.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We are having the same debate for our Jan 2014 trip. I am torn between saving money and that I'd live to see the fireworks from our room. But the overall reason were planning on staying there is for the walk to MK and the monorail. I'm just worried we'd be disappointed when push came to shove if we weren't in the tower.

Remember that in January, fireworks are likely to be early since the park closes earlier. Will you be back in your room from dinner or another park by then?

We stayed in the tower in June when the fireworks were at 10pm and later.

Just something to think about...

 

[AndyFL]

We have stayed in both. The rooms are exactly the same in terms of decor and size. (The size difference only in the Garden Wing Deluxe rooms).

Wing rooms don't have balconies that you can stand on. But ground floor rooms will have patios. Tower rooms all have balconies.

We were never bothered by walking through the lobby, past the tower elevators and out to the wing entrance. It is covered in the event of rain.

If you plan on using the Contempo Cafe frequently to refill resort mugs, then the tower would be more convenient.

I am glad we experienced the tower MK view once, but I doubt I would pay to stay in there again. We were perfectly happy with the wing (and the substantial cost savings)

HTH!

Dittos!

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed in the Garden rooms once, the price was amazing, $137 a night back in May 2005 lol! Never see those rates ever again

While the price and location was a steal the room didnt do it for us...we felt so removed from the resort, felt more like a moderate than the deluxe. It was a hike from our room, all the way on the end of the building, to the ground floor lobby of the CR

Next time we stay CR it has to be in the main building.

 

[cdnmickeyfan5324]

Looking forward to staying at the Contemporary for the first time! It's actually the first deluxe resort for us. We are only staying at Disney for two nights so decided to splurge. We are staying in the tower with a magic kingdom view. Can't wait. I figure if you are going to do a deluxe resort than do it BIG!!! Have fun planning!!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We always stay at CR mk view room. We think it's worth every penny and really is the main reason we stay at CR. I would never stay in Garden wing because if I wasn't going to have the view I'd just stay somewhere cheaper.

 

[cheesemouse]

I see you have 2 young kids (same age as mine!). The biggest deciding factor for us in this decision (our trip is this March) was the balcony/patio situation. As a PP mentioned, all of the tower rooms have a balcony. In the garden wing, the 1st floor rooms have a very nice patio. But the 2nd and 3rd floor rooms have no balcony. This is a big deal for us because we go back to the room every day for naps for the kids and like to have somewhere to go (i.e. the balcony or patio) while they are sleeping. I just wasn't willing to chance getting a 2nd or 3rd floor room if we booked a garden wing room so we ended up doing a tower room instead. Now, in the future, when naps aren't an issue, we'll be back to the garden wing.

Also, the garden wing rooms are very close to the pool which is great for a QUICK swim before or after naps, or at midnight in July when it's still 85 degrees out. The tower rooms are very close to the dining/shopping/monorail. Hope this helps!

 

[DisneyDreamingInMI]

Thanks for your input everyone!

If anyone else has any thoughts, feel free to share...I'd love to hear them!

Once we make our final decision I'll report back!

 

[buzzrelly]

We stayed in the CR tower TPV in 2010 and it was AMAZING! We are planning another trip this April and just thinking about that view is getting me so excited. Sure, it's really expensive but totally worth every penny. If you are worried about the noise from the monorail or Chef Mickey's, don't be. I am a fairly light sleeper and I never heard anything when I was sleeping. If you can afford it, stay in the tower. You won't regret it.

 

[poohgirl6]

We have stayed at both and while the tower room balcony was awesome, if money if an issue, the garden wing can't be beat.

Then rooms are exactly the same inside, and the walk to the main bldg is not far at all and is covered.

One thing to note about the tower balcony...we had a Bay Lake view and enjoyed it very much. In the afternoon, it was shaded completely, whereas the Theme Park view would be in direct sun during the hottest part of the day. We loved our view of the pool and all of the activity on the lake, and the EWP at night.

Either way, the CR is a great choice

 

[amos07]

I have stayed in both the garden wing rooms and the theme park view rooms in the tower. I really don't have a preference for either and base my decision off of how much do I want to spend on a room and how often will I be in the room. The theme park view is amazing, watching the fireworks from your own room away from the crowd is definitely an awesome plus. However, even if you don't have a room in the tower there is an observation deck in the tower where you can watch the fireworks from. If you do choose the tower I would recommend one that is higher up. We stayed on the 1st floor above the monorail and we could actually feel every time that it went through. The garden wing rooms definitely are a bit quieter as they are away from the hustle and bustle of the monorail/restaurants in the tower.

 

[El Perro]

Unless you need the view or the easy access to the facilities in the tower then go Garden Wing. Not really worth the extra dough for the tower even though it's a nice splurge.

Think about it this way - you're paying an extra $100 a night to look at a man made pond in the middle of the swamp.

 

[Metro West]

My family stayed at the Contemporary five times in the 70's and 80's and we never once got the tower rooms. It was always sold out when we visited. And what was worse...we put us on the second floor in the garden wings. Our room didn't even have a balcony.