Contemporary - Wings

[limabeanmom2003]

We stayed at WL this past September and rode the boat to MK often. Each time we passed the Contemporary, I looked at the wing buildings and thought that they looked pretty drab on the outside. I have never stayed at the Contemporary. I would love to stay in the tower one day, but I can't imagine ever wanting to stay in one of the wings. I have seen pics of the interior/rooms and I like the modern look, but the outside of the buildings look like they need to be jazzed up (again, I am speaking of the wing buildings, not the tower). I am really suprised that Disney had not improved the exterior of the wings by now. Maybe Disney doesn't feel that it is a priority because of all of the great features of the resort (monorail, walk to MK, Chef Mickey's, etc), therefore people will continue to stay there? I am curious what others think about this. I do not mean to offend anyone who loves the Contemporary. I have been traveling to WDW for 30 years now and I love the Contemporary because it is an original resort. I am just curious to find what other people think about those wings!

 

[freediverdude]

I think the wings are designed to look similar to the tower, only shorter. If you look closely, they're designed to look wider at the base then at the top. I also think this might be why the 2nd and 3rd floors of the wings don't have balconies- because if they did, it would look funny, and the top two stories would look wider than the ground floor. The tower also has that very plain modern concrete look, so the wings basically match the tower's look. I'm not sure you could change the wings very much without it looking odd and not matching the tower anymore. I think all 3 buildings would have to be redone at the same time.

 

[Got Quattro?]

I had no problem with the wings rooms.....very spacious...nicely decorated......did not mind being out of the way from the monorail

 

[angey77]

Maybe Disney is not as worried because of a rumor I heard (???). Some time in the future, a new DVC will open and occupy where the north wing is now. Anyone else hear this? Its a long way away, I would think with SSR still going up, but I could see why there wouldn't be a rush to do anything at CR.

 

[sotoalf]

'm one of the few people on this forum who PREFERS the garden wings to the Tower - provided I get a water view. In June we got a North Garden Wing rooom facing Bay Lake, and I can't describe how serene and beautiful it was. Our first-floor patio was visited by ducks every morning, and at night it was great enjoying a cigar and drink with Bay Lake lapping no more than 10 feet away.

 

[hookedup]

The best thing about the Garden Wing rooms is the price! The 2 times I have stayed there the prices was better than any other deluxe (except AKL) and MK area hotel. So if you want the convenience of the CR with a lower price they are the way to go IMO.

 

[GOBA Mom Lynn]

I had thoughts about those wing rooms when we took the boat, too. The plainness didn't bother me, I just envied those who had the patio rooms, that they were so close to the water!

Are the first floor rooms with a patio more than the 2nd or 3rd floor ones without, especially because you don't get a balcony? If they're the same price, I guess its all a matter of the old "request and then cross your fingers"!

Lynn

 

[rcraw45425]

No, they aren't more costly. We had one in June with a Georgia resident discount and it was $149 a night. That was the first week of June. The best part of the ground floor rooms is that you can get to the pool/playground area a lot easier if you have kids. The rooms are the same size, plus you have a little table and two chairs for sitting outside. The upper floors have a siding glass door but there is nowhere outside to stand, the "balcony" is about two inches deep! LOL. This is the best value out there for deluxe. The rooms are spacious and sleep 5 with the daybed. It's also pretty comfy too, innerspring mattress. We were at the WLand Poly the first of this month and WL rooms are nowhere near as large. The Poly rooms are but the rates even with the codes are still a little steep for me. Maybe the AP ones will be better. HTH

 

[limabeanmom2003]

Originally posted by sotoalf
'm one of the few people on this forum who PREFERS the garden wings to the Tower - provided I get a water view. In June we got a North Garden Wing rooom facing Bay Lake, and I can't describe how serene and beautiful it was. Our first-floor patio was visited by ducks every morning, and at night it was great enjoying a cigar and drink with Bay Lake lapping no more than 10 feet away.

Those rooms facing Bay Lake do have a great view! Very peaceful, I am sure.

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Originally posted by freediverdude
I think the wings are designed to look similar to the tower, only shorter. If you look closely, they're designed to look wider at the base then at the top. I also think this might be why the 2nd and 3rd floors of the wings don't have balconies- because if they did, it would look funny, and the top two stories would look wider than the ground floor. The tower also has that very plain modern concrete look, so the wings basically match the tower's look. I'm not sure you could change the wings very much without it looking odd and not matching the tower anymore. I think all 3 buildings would have to be redone at the same time.

Some Contemporary trivia here that I learned from a CM on a Wishes Cruise this past November:

The rooms in the CR were designed to be modular, and were all built offsite, and then trucked to the site to be slid into the A-frame. The theory was, that when a room needed to be redone, the room module could be removed and replaced. Well, the soft Florida earth shifted under the A-frame, and now the modules cannot be removed due to settling. Also due to this, they didn't make the building as tall as originally designed.

The wings were made from the remaining room modules!

-Joe

 

[lyncruiser]

Stayed in the North Wing in August. We enjoyed it. The convenience can't be beat. We had a standard view and ended up with a first floor room overlooking a pretty lake. There were ducks and bunnies outside our sliding door. We couldn't sit on the patio at night, though -- way too many bugs biting us.

The room itself was large and very comfortable. Had a large oval table which was great for breakfast in the room, working at my laptop, etc.

The bathroom was roomy and had a separate toilet room. We like that the sink is in the bathroom, not in the room -- like in the newer Disney hotels. (I know we're in the minority on this.)

As far as the decor, we thought it was basically hideous. And the hallways of the wing reminded me of nothing so much as the hallways at the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas. If you've ever been there, you'll have a good picture of what I mean.

We liked the two pools. The pool with the slide is fun and we loved the adult pool next to the lake.

Upshot -- convenience is the best thing, room size is next. I don't have a huge hankering to stay in the tower versus the wings. To me, the hotel decor is totally unappealing whether you're in the wings or the tower. I'd stay in the wings again for monorail convenience, room size and price.