Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

Love the pics Grandadmiral !!!!

Kook how did I miss the bus schedule change:confused3. Dd and I often take bus back from parks to TTC if it arrives before our monorail resort bus. I had 3 trips this year and didn't know the change to MK !!! :rotfl:

I am thinking to save walking for mom that our Epcot night I will take mono or boat to MK (from poly) then take bus to BC/YC then walk or boat into Epcot. She only wants to walk the showcase.

Anybody try that?

Thanks, Trish
 
Sorry, I haven't bothered to photo the desserts the last couple of evenings, but they have been different each night. Both afternoons have been the standard cookies with chips, gummy Bears, goldfish crackers and such. This morning was the standard continental breakfast.

Last night I noticed very little noise, tonight there is a fair amount of noise out in the atrium. I'm not sure if that's due to increased crowd or what. Still, it's not a lot of sound, and not enough to bother you if you aren't looking for it.

Just watched our second Wishes from the comfort of our own room. Off to bed!
 
Sorry, I haven't bothered to photo the desserts the last couple of evenings, but they have been different each night. Both afternoons have been the standard cookies with chips, gummy Bears, goldfish crackers and such. This morning was the standard continental breakfast.

Last night I noticed very little noise, tonight there is a fair amount of noise out in the atrium. I'm not sure if that's due to increased crowd or what. Still, it's not a lot of sound, and not enough to bother you if you aren't looking for it.

Just watched our second Wishes from the comfort of our own room. Off to bed!

Thanks for checking in! Have a :wizard: day!
 


May I join in? Hi everyone! I just booked our August 2015 trip - staying at CR TPV.

Since 1993, I've gone to WDW 2-3 times (my sister lives down there). My last trip was in 2012 with my then Fiance and his son. Flash forward two years of marriage and we are planning another trip this time adding our toddler son as well as my step-son.
 
What is best room request for lake view room?? I am so excited to stay here!!!!
You're staying in the Contemporary Tower, correct? We typically request highest floor when we stay there, although to be honest that our request at any hotel we stay at. Other than that, there isn't a huge difference in view between different lake view rooms. Some like to request away from Chef Mickey's, but I never found the noise to be much of an issue.
 


May I join in? Hi everyone! I just booked our August 2015 trip - staying at CR TPV.

Since 1993, I've gone to WDW 2-3 times (my sister lives down there). My last trip was in 2012 with my then Fiance and his son. Flash forward two years of marriage and we are planning another trip this time adding our toddler son as well as my step-son.
You're going to love it! You simply can't beat the convenience of being able to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom. We stayed there on our honeymoon, and it spoiled us. We can't imagine staying anywhere else but the CR/BLT.
 
You're going to love it! You simply can't beat the convenience of being able to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom. We stayed there on our honeymoon, and it spoiled us. We can't imagine staying anywhere else but the CR/BLT.

This will be my first time staying at CR. In the beginning I stayed at an off-site timeshare, the then CBR, then POP the last 5 years. I cannot wait! I'm looking forward to sitting on the balcony watching the castle with my little boy
 
I figured I should share a few photos of the BLT from our August stay. We booked a lake view studio and requested high floor, inside the C. We were initially given 4th floor, outside the C (probably because we checked in at 9:00 am and they wanted to get us a room ASAP). Thankfully one phone call rectified that, and we were assigned 8409, which is 14th floor inside the C (I don't know N-S-E-W directions, but it was the Magic Kingdom side of the resort). Anyway, here's those photos.

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Room 8409


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Bathroom


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Shower


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Queen bed and pullout couch


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Bed looking towards door


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Kitchenette/pantry (right side)


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Kitchenette/pantry (left side)


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Balcony view looking left


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Another of the balcony view looking left (and down)


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Balcony view looking straight ahead


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Closeup of the water slide

Just looking at the pictures again makes me really want to go back. Boy, did we love it there...
 
You're staying in the Contemporary Tower, correct? We typically request highest floor when we stay there, although to be honest that our request at any hotel we stay at. Other than that, there isn't a huge difference in view between different lake view rooms. Some like to request away from Chef Mickey's, but I never found the noise to be much of an issue.

Is it best to do room request by phone or at online checkin? If you do it by phone and then list requests on online checkin, will that "cancel" out the phone requests? and will leaving online requests blank cancel the phone requests?
thank you
 
Hello there Disney folks!

I don't normally post anything of use here but i wanted to share my thoughts and experiences we had during our week long stay at the Contemporary Resort! (sorry the long post or if this should go in trip reports! ~i've got so much to say!)

I traveled with my DW, DS7 DS5 and Dear Mother! (68). I'm an average guy from Michigan and we've stayed previously at the Poly (on a MIL subsidy... this trip was all us). I have high expectations for Disney but am forgiving and almost without exception in a very positive frame of mind... I tell you this so you can calibrate my review here ! :)

So, like i said we just returned home the other day. We stayed Monday thru Monday. We all had a blast, I was worried before our trip that it would all be too expensive and i wouldn't feel like the cost of everything was worth it... While it is definitely expensive i feel like you can see and feel where your money goes and are thereby happy to be spending it. (Hint: we're not struggling but we're not rolling in it either so a stay at the CR is huge splurge for us)

Anyway, We had a 11th floor Bay Lake View. I reserved the Tower to make sure we had a balcony. We used the balcony A LOT! It was an afternoon wine and snack retreat for the adults while the kids had a little quiet movie down time. (adults even ate room service out there one night) The view all day long is great, sunrises, people watching, silly water show etc. After a long day of touring we appreciated being on the afternoon shady side of the building. TPV would put you in the hot sun in the afternoon, less desirable for a relaxing afternoon sit on the balcony IMHO. We're not that into the fireworks. plus watching the fireworks you are off center from the castle and not really seeing the intended aspect of the show (i'm quibbling i know), I'd just plan one late night and see them 'in person' and don't worry about the TPV side of the resort! (also don't leave food on the balcony - birds will eat it)

The CR grounds are very nice and i didn't really even mind that the CR 'has no theme' like i thought i would. I was just so happy to be there. there is lots of space around the outside and everything is beautiful, clean and well cared for. I'm sure there was a conference or two going on there but we didn't notice/mind them at all... Also i think the WL pool was closed and boating over folks to use the CR pool... couldn't even tell, pool was usually quiet.

The CR staff were without exception friendly and hardworking... smiles everywhere just like you'd expect. one even let me cancel my Wave dinner reservation 50 minutes prior without the penalty... (that place seemed busy i'm sure they filled the seats.)

The CR rooms are large and great, well designed, lots of nooks and crannys for all your stuff. their condition is good. some wear and tear is showing, minor stuff but sort of noticeable. We still felt like we were staying in a very nice room but it's clear that your $500 per night is paying for many other things and not to provide a world class room. plus those bathroom sinks are the worst! :) nothing really drains. (1st WP's)

You are paying for a world class location, we walked to the MK 7 out of 10 one way trips.... its a breeze even after a long day we enjoyed it. The kids were in a stroller so that made it possible.... otherwise i wouldn't expect the kids to want to walk .6 miles after a long day. I think walking is probably quicker than the monorail at least on the way there. The monorail was great, they are showing some wear as well but were plentiful and efficient for us! Side note the busses were also great ~ no troubles.

I was worried about the CR elevators, they were great until or last two days when one or two were periodically on the fritz.... basically our typical 30 second wait turned into a 1-5 minute wait once and a while, nothing serious. just unexpected when everything else goes so smoothly. (it was a slow week in general but i think the hotel was still booked solid)

The pools are nice, nothing to write home about but my boys were thrilled with them! the water slide is a great beginner slide for little ones, and two hot tubs! my boys almost prefer the quiet pool not sure why... here's a fun tip, we did dinner two night in a row at the quiet pool. we had the quiet pool to our selves. we took our food tray all the way from Contempo Cafe outside one night and got a perfectly tasty dinner from the cove bar the other night. It was cool and truly quiet and such a nice escape from the crowds at all other meals.

Food options are super and we're sort of fussy about food... The Contempo Cafe was fine, lots of light tasty options... We loved the Wave for breakfast and dinner, the Wave breakfast buffet is great but expensive, their menu breakfast is much more reasonable. Chef Mickey is the typical frenetic, gluttonous affair that is a character meal.... we loved it. My boys aren't much for meeting characters but they soaked it up. That being said, skip it if you're on a 'budget'.

Our Dinner at the California Grill was magical and spectacularly delicious. We had a great waiter and felt really well cared for. (wife and I split 3 appetizers and one entree had 4 drinks and one desert ~$180 plus $45 tip ~ worth every penny, watched the fireworks to boot.

We ended our trip watching Frozen under the stars! Fun fun fun!

So there you go! Other odds and ends ~ Magic bands are fun and work great! MDE App was great for us as well, used with the Touring Plans App it's a potent on the fly planning tool. The parks were all great! Fastpasses worked flawlessly. I'm a happy camper and can't wait to go back.

Enjoy,
Aaron
 
Is it best to do room request by phone or at online checkin? If you do it by phone and then list requests on online checkin, will that "cancel" out the phone requests? and will leaving online requests blank cancel the phone requests?
thank you
I typically do both. Because my only request is higher floor, I figure making that request over the phone and then during the online check-in will just reinforce what I'm asking for. I honestly have no idea how they factor in phone requests and online requests, but at least I'll feel like I've done what I can to get what I'd like. Perhaps others on here might give you a different perspective. But no matter what, you're going to love staying there! We are in the minority in that we prefer the serenity of the lake view versus the more popular theme park view. We love having a quiet breakfast on the balcony, and then unwinding at night watching the activity at the pool. And of course, the nightly Electrical Water Pageant.
 
We are saying TPV Club level Jan 23-29 :cool1::cool1: Does anyone have recent photos of the snacks offered in the lounge.

I don't have any pics, but wanted to say congrats on your upcoming CR stay :yay:.

Happy kid at Chef Mickey's!

Cute pic :goodvibes.

Just watched our second Wishes from the comfort of our own room. Off to bed!

:cloud9:

Thanks for your live reports :wizard:.

Hi everyone! I just booked our August 2015 trip - staying at CR TPV.

:cool1::cool1:

I figured I should share a few photos of the BLT from our August stay. We booked a lake view studio and requested high floor, inside the C. We were initially given 4th floor, outside the C (probably because we checked in at 9:00 am and they wanted to get us a room ASAP). Thankfully one phone call rectified that, and we were assigned 8409, which is 14th floor inside the C (I don't know N-S-E-W directions, but it was the Magic Kingdom side of the resort).

Great pics, thanks for sharing :).

Is it best to do room request by phone or at online checkin? If you do it by phone and then list requests on online checkin, will that "cancel" out the phone requests? and will leaving online requests blank cancel the phone requests?
thank you

I've never used OCI, but always have any requests noted when I book. Like the pp, I don't know if requests made during OCI cancels out ones already noted on your reservation, but just wanted to mention that sometimes requests get overlooked, so if you see that your requests weren't met, you could always ask if a different room is available. Whether or not the CM will be able to make a room change will depend on how busy it is, but they are usually very accommodating whenever possible ;).

Hello there Disney folks!

I don't normally post anything of use here but i wanted to share my thoughts and experiences we had during our week long stay at the Contemporary Resort!

Glad you had an amazing time and thanks for the great review :wizard:.
 
It's check-out morning at CR, so I figured I'd write my thoughts over my bagel and coffee.

We have an almost-3-year-old, so convenience was paramount. For us, getting the Atrium Club level room was a wonderful convenience. My son is early to bed, early to rise, so having the club lounge available really was worth it for us. In the evenings, we could put him to bed and take our baby monitor down to the lounge and relax.

Considering the prices you'll pay for a beer or even a bottle of water at WDW, we saved quite a bit on beverages, because we could get those in the lounge any time of day, in addition to soft drinks, juice, etc.

In the mornings, it was handy to be able to get my son out of the room and let him watch classic Disney cartoons in the lounge while my wife got herself ready.

After seeing complaints about the food at Chef Mickey's, I was pleasantly surprised when we dined there. Sure, it wasn't the most fantastic food, but it was fine, and there were a few more sophisticated options here and there.

Being close to the MK was ideal for us. My son isn't quite old enough to appreciate the other parks, and we had a short trip. Being able to walk back and forth saved us. Yesterday, when my son had a meltdown from overstimulation at Buzz Lightyear's SRS, we just walked back. He had time to cool down as we walked back to the hotel for a break and a swim. No waiting for transportation or trying to contain a crying toddler in a confined space.

Being able to watch Wishes and Hallowishes while sitting on our bed was awesome. Sure, it doesn't give you the right perspective for experiencing the show, but when you have a sleeping toddler, beggars can't be choosers.

I do have a few nitpicks.

The wifi SUCKS. It's 2014, and these rooms are expensive. There's no excuse for such poor wifi speeds and flaky connectivity. Disney should be ashamed of such crappy service.

No HD in the guest rooms. Again, it's 2014, almost 2015. If the club lounge is showing HD channels, the guest rooms should be too. This is an inexcusable cheapskate thing to skimp on, especially at a Deluxe resort.

The beds are hard and bouncy. Like sleeping on a trampoline. My wife and I had to sleep in separate beds because we were both so uncomfortable the first night we were keeping each other awake tossing and turning. Maybe I'm just being a special snowflake here. I have a pretty nice Simmons Beautyrest mattress at home, so these felt like cheap hotel beds. Again, Deluxe hotel, how about some deluxe beds?

And yeah, the sinks. They look cool and modern, but they don't drain well and there's no countertop space for my wife to spread out all of her makeup and hair supplies. She's not even someone who wears a lot of makeup or uses a ton of hair supplies. There's one small shoebox-sized area between the sinks for your toiletries. That's it.

Overall, we were pleased with our stay here. The staff were helpful and friendly, and paid special attention to my son, which was nice. Aside from my few nitpicks, we enjoyed our stay here and would stay again.

Although, my wife being the aficionado of Victoriana, would love to stay at GF if we could. ;)
 
It's check-out morning at CR, so I figured I'd write my thoughts over my bagel and coffee.

Overall, we were pleased with our stay here. The staff were helpful and friendly, and paid special attention to my son, which was nice. Aside from my few nitpicks, we enjoyed our stay here and would stay again.

Although, my wife being the aficionado of Victoriana, would love to stay at GF if we could. ;)

Thanks for your review :).

Glad you had a nice stay and would stay at the CR again. We are hoping to try the CR sometime next year and while it does have it's advantages, I have read a lot of negative reports about the sinks and not having enough storage space for toiletries. I haven't read much about the beds, but your report is disappointing :(.

I hope you are able to try the GF one day as that is a beautiful resort with very comfy (IMO) beds :cloud9:.
 
It's check-out morning at CR, so I figured I'd write my thoughts over my bagel and coffee.

We have an almost-3-year-old, so convenience was paramount. For us, getting the Atrium Club level room was a wonderful convenience. My son is early to bed, early to rise, so having the club lounge available really was worth it for us. In the evenings, we could put him to bed and take our baby monitor down to the lounge and relax.

Considering the prices you'll pay for a beer or even a bottle of water at WDW, we saved quite a bit on beverages, because we could get those in the lounge any time of day, in addition to soft drinks, juice, etc.

In the mornings, it was handy to be able to get my son out of the room and let him watch classic Disney cartoons in the lounge while my wife got herself ready.

After seeing complaints about the food at Chef Mickey's, I was pleasantly surprised when we dined there. Sure, it wasn't the most fantastic food, but it was fine, and there were a few more sophisticated options here and there.

Being close to the MK was ideal for us. My son isn't quite old enough to appreciate the other parks, and we had a short trip. Being able to walk back and forth saved us. Yesterday, when my son had a meltdown from overstimulation at Buzz Lightyear's SRS, we just walked back. He had time to cool down as we walked back to the hotel for a break and a swim. No waiting for transportation or trying to contain a crying toddler in a confined space.

Being able to watch Wishes and Hallowishes while sitting on our bed was awesome. Sure, it doesn't give you the right perspective for experiencing the show, but when you have a sleeping toddler, beggars can't be choosers.

I do have a few nitpicks.

The wifi SUCKS. It's 2014, and these rooms are expensive. There's no excuse for such poor wifi speeds and flaky connectivity. Disney should be ashamed of such crappy service.

No HD in the guest rooms. Again, it's 2014, almost 2015. If the club lounge is showing HD channels, the guest rooms should be too. This is an inexcusable cheapskate thing to skimp on, especially at a Deluxe resort.

The beds are hard and bouncy. Like sleeping on a trampoline. My wife and I had to sleep in separate beds because we were both so uncomfortable the first night we were keeping each other awake tossing and turning. Maybe I'm just being a special snowflake here. I have a pretty nice Simmons Beautyrest mattress at home, so these felt like cheap hotel beds. Again, Deluxe hotel, how about some deluxe beds?

And yeah, the sinks. They look cool and modern, but they don't drain well and there's no countertop space for my wife to spread out all of her makeup and hair supplies. She's not even someone who wears a lot of makeup or uses a ton of hair supplies. There's one small shoebox-sized area between the sinks for your toiletries. That's it.

Overall, we were pleased with our stay here. The staff were helpful and friendly, and paid special attention to my son, which was nice. Aside from my few nitpicks, we enjoyed our stay here and would stay again.

Although, my wife being the aficionado of Victoriana, would love to stay at GF if we could. ;)

Thanks again!

Many years ago when dd was only 1 we used a baby monitor as well. We were at CBR with a sitting area right outside our room. She didn't fall asleep well if she could see you so hiding outside for a bit helped.

I love the cl lounge probably the best for breakfast. Its so nice people can eat when ready. I usually bring ds food items back to room. Even as a teen he loves to watch Disney tv and slowly get ready for his day.
 

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