Contemporary - Tower vs Garden Wing?

[jerseyjersey]

Thinking of a possible quick summer trip (we keep getting PIN codes and I've decided to take this as a sign ), and thought maybe we'd try the Contemporary, where we've never stayed before. There are currently both Tower and Garden Wing rooms available, with the Garden Wing rooms being over $100 per night less expensive. It doesn't look like such a bad walk between the two, but does staying in the GW lessen the magic to any significant extent, or are there any other real disadvantages other than being a bit further removed from the center of the action?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Depends what you consider magic. GW rooms tend to view lawn/landscape, but are much quieter. Only first floor rooms have patios.

 

[melanielll]

We stayed in the Garden Wing years ago. Then we switched to Tower - theme park view. We stayed that way for around 10 trips. Now that they have killed Wishes, we are switching back to the Garden Wing. Both have advantages - but I can't justify the cost of the Tower with no fireworks. I will agree that the Garden Wing is much quieter than the Tower. Plus - if you are on the theme park side and on a lower floor, there is some vibration from the monorail. The views from the tower are great - but we are never in the room that much. I was the only one who ever sat on the balcony - except during Wishes.

 

[jerseyjersey]

Depends what you consider magic. GW rooms tend to view lawn/landscape, but are much quieter. Only first floor rooms have patios.

Thanks! Quiet is not a bad thing! Our only real experience at the Contemporary has been Chef Mickey's, so I can see the appeal of a less hectic environment. So the rooms on the upper floors don't have balconies?

We stayed in the Garden Wing years ago. Then we switched to Tower - theme park view. We stayed that way for around 10 trips. Now that they have killed Wishes, we are switching back to the Garden Wing. Both have advantages - but I can't justify the cost of the Tower with no fireworks. I will agree that the Garden Wing is much quieter than the Tower. Plus - if you are on the theme park side and on a lower floor, there is some vibration from the monorail. The views from the tower are great - but we are never in the room that much. I was the only one who ever sat on the balcony - except during Wishes.

Thank you! The views from the tower do look awesome! We are not in the room all that much generally either(though this trip would be in August, so we may need more time to recharge than we've needed on our fall and spring trips in the past). We will likely (hopefully!) have at least several nights of plans (Halloween Party, Dessert Party, Pirates and Pals (?)), so the main draw of staying at the CR would be the convenience and being in the center of the action.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So the rooms on the upper floors don't have balconies?

GW is 3 floors. Floors 2 and 3 have no balconies, no.

 

[jerseyjersey]

GW is 3 floors. Floors 2 and 3 have no balconies, no.

Thank you. That's definitely something for us to consider. We're staying at BC for an upcoming trip, and know there's a good chance of getting a tiny balcony and a tiny chance of no balcony, but that seems much better than a 2/3 chance of no balcony at all!

 

[Shanti]

Thinking of a possible quick summer trip (we keep getting PIN codes and I've decided to take this as a sign ), and thought maybe we'd try the Contemporary, where we've never stayed before. There are currently both Tower and Garden Wing rooms available, with the Garden Wing rooms being over $100 per night less expensive. It doesn't look like such a bad walk between the two, but does staying in the GW lessen the magic to any significant extent, or are there any other real disadvantages other than being a bit further removed from the center of the action?

We loved our garden wing room. It's a very short walk to the main building, and is also quieter than the main building. The rooms are exactly the same as the tower rooms. Ask for a ground floor room.

 

[melanielll]

There are also some nice view rooms in the Garden Wing. The building in the back has rooms (which I think are numbered in the 6000s) looking out over the water. We have stayed there and enjoyed it.

 

[pbb&j]

I haven't stayed in a tower room, but the garden wing rooms are very convenient to the pool, and if you have a car, it's so easy to get to the parking area compared to many of the deluxe resorts.

 

[jerseyjersey]

We loved our garden wing room. It's a very short walk to the main building, and is also quieter than the main building. The rooms are exactly the same as the tower rooms. Ask for a ground floor room.

Thank to you for the info! A quieter building + a super short walk to the main building, seems to be a great combination. Wonder how good the odds would be of a request for a ground floor room being honored in late August?

 

[jerseyjersey]

I haven't stayed in a tower room, but the garden wing rooms are very convenient to the pool, and if you have a car, it's so easy to get to the parking area compared to many of the deluxe resorts.

Thanks pbb&j! We normally rent a car when we go to WDW, so the parking is another item in the pro column for us.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The second and third floors of the Garden Wing have what might be called a Juliet balcony (but not quite, no standing room). There is a large sliding window that opens, but there is nowhere to step out. It's just a nice open window with a view. We enjoyed our stay at the GW several years ago. It was less than five minutes to get to the monorail (and no waiting on elevators).

 

[KrazeeK120]

We stayed in the Garden Wing years ago. Then we switched to Tower - theme park view. We stayed that way for around 10 trips. Now that they have killed Wishes, we are switching back to the Garden Wing. Both have advantages - but I can't justify the cost of the Tower with no fireworks. I will agree that the Garden Wing is much quieter than the Tower. Plus - if you are on the theme park side and on a lower floor, there is some vibration from the monorail. The views from the tower are great - but we are never in the room that much. I was the only one who ever sat on the balcony - except during Wishes.

There is still going to be a fireworks show...

 

[melanielll]

I have seen the new show. It previewed in March. It is mostly laser and projections with a few spurts of fireworks. Kind of like Jingle Bam, but longer and with less elves. It is a major disappointment. I am sure that it costs less to put on than Wishes - and that is why they changed it. I expect that fireworks (real fireworks) will soon be only a part of paid events.

 

[wdwnut61]

We have stayed in both the tower and GW rooms. Our most recent stay in March was a standard view GW. We were very pleased the rooms are identical.

 

[caliope]

We're booked for our first CR stay in late August. I was torn between GE and tower as well and ultimately chose tower because that's what DH said he'd prefer. However, I've read a lot of positives about GW and hope to try that out in the future as well. I don't think you can go wrong either way. There are pros and cons to every decision.

 

[jerseyjersey]

The second and third floors of the Garden Wing have what might be called a Juliet balcony (but not quite, no standing room). There is a large sliding window that opens, but there is nowhere to step out. It's just a nice open window with a view. We enjoyed our stay at the GW several years ago. It was less than five minutes to get to the monorail (and no waiting on elevators).

Thank you for mentioning the Juliet balcony, Deb&Bill. The light and the breeze are definitely a good part of what we like about having a balcony, so that may still work reasonably well for us, if we can't get a room on the first floor.

 

[jerseyjersey]

Thanks all, for your responses! It really does sound as if we can't go wrong either way.

 

[Shanti]

Thank to you for the info! A quieter building + a super short walk to the main building, seems to be a great combination. Wonder how good the odds would be of a request for a ground floor room being honored in late August?

Good odds, particularly if that's your only request (they let you make two requests, but just enter that one). When you arrive, go to the check-in desk to find out where your room is. If you're not on the ground floor, politely ask if they can move you. I've been moved upon request at WDW before. It's particularly easy if you're not in the room yet.

 

[Michblue]

I have seen the new show. It previewed in March. It is mostly laser and projections with a few spurts of fireworks. Kind of like Jingle Bam, but longer and with less elves. It is a major disappointment. I am sure that it costs less to put on than Wishes - and that is why they changed it. I expect that fireworks (real fireworks) will soon be only a part of paid events.

This is good to know, thanks. I read Wishes was ending but I assumed they would replace it with something comparable. We are staying CR TPV for the first time. There will be some MVMCP's during our stay, do they have good fireworks? Is that the Jingle Bam you mentioned? Thanks