Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[jbharr1]

Back from our stay 5/3 - 5/8. booked garden wing standard. did online check in requested high floor and checked the option to have room early as we were scheduled to land at 1130. Had room ready txt upon arrival to MCO. we were in room 5359. could see the top of the castle, seven seas lagoon and the GF. Room was clean which feels weird to need to point out. Mousekeeping was fine throughout our stay but could never seem to reset the coffee station. Soaps and stuff were never replaced which is ok. Didn't use the pool but did walk around the area and thought it to be more than I was expecting.
Never had an issue with the busses or monorail. Took monorail to GF twice and it took about half as long as I expected. Epcot monorail too. No breakdowns or maintenance shutdowns.
Had dinner at the wave grabbing day of ADR during the rain on 5/4. Food was good. It was loud but not too bad considering that nearly every table had kids at it. Service got extremely slow towards the end of our meal. It felt like they weren't prepared for the crowd that night. My bill was incorrect and then still incorrect after they tried to fix it. They charged us for two desserts when we only had one then took the wrong one off. there was only a couple dollar difference and we were going on 20 minutes since we were done eating so we just paid it. Should have ate at the bar. Got pastries at contempo each morning. quick and easy. 15 minutes from when i left my room to when i returned.
the concierge can put in late check out requests and apply gift card to your bill in case i'm not the only one who didn't know they could do that.
The walk to and from MK is by far the greatest amenity here.
The garden wing was very quiet. Nice after all the park stimulus.
We definitely liked this resort. Wouldn't say love it. It's location is it's saving grace for me. There wasn't that initial 'wow' upon arriving. Think of when you first walked into YC or GF with their large detailed lobby and compare to CR with its check in counter and elevator bank. Perhaps it is because the convention space is right there and off to the side our out of the way.

I wouldn't hesitate to consider CR for a future stay, especially on a MK centric trip.

 

[AllieBee]

Love all of the info, hints, and reviews on this thread! Bravo! Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this December, and I am so excited to walk to and from MK! Used to having kids fall asleep on my while waiting for the launch to GF! Can't wait to experience all this resort has to offer!

 

[Winniebell10]

Love this thread! Staying at CR in TTPV 12/3-12/10. Going for the Christmas fun, MVMCP, and our oldest turns 14 on this trip. Seems like yesterday we were at the CR with him on his first trip when he was only 2 1/2. Sniff. Time flies. Can't wait! I just love the CR. I remember staying there as a kid in the '70's and '80's with a TPV and waking up in the middle of the night. The castle would be lit, and I would be so excited I couldn't stand it. Lots of great memories here. Ok, and the Poly too. But this is about the CR.
Thanks for all of the updates folks, they're keeping me going until December!

 

[momof2halls]

We have started packing for our trip in 11 days. Can anyone tell me what toiletries are provided by mousekeeping? We stated at AoA last time and had bar soap and shampoo/conditioner. I read somewhere that deluxes have body wash and lotion, is that correct?

 

[lovingeire]

We have started packing for our trip in 11 days. Can anyone tell me what toiletries are provided by mousekeeping? We stated at AoA last time and had bar soap and shampoo/conditioner. I read somewhere that deluxes have body wash and lotion, is that correct?

We had shampoo, conditioner (each separate, not combined like AoA), body wash, bar soap, lotion, mouth wash, shower caps, toothbrush pack and a pack with q-tips and cotton balls last weekend. In addition, there was a larger bottle of Dasani water in the room daily. (We drank the water or I filled a smaller water bottle with it each evening so they replenished it each day for us.)

 

[21stamps]

Just got back from our quick weekend stay at the Contemporary. It was everything I imagined it would be and more! My husband now swears he will not stay anywhere else. I'm guessing I have now spoiled all of us too much!

We were booked in a TPV room and did online check in around 60 days out. We requested an odd number room, high floor. We arrived around 9:30 am on check in day. (We stayed off site after dinner with family the night before.) Our room wasn't ready yet, no big shock there and we were all set up for the text notification. We stowed our luggage with bell services and headed off to MK. We got a text around noon that our room was ready. We were in 4735 on the 11th floor. The view was great and we loved it! We watched Wishes from our room every night, one night from bed!

Mousekeeping was great! They kept us well stocked on ammentinties (water, shampoo, lotion, etc.) and the room was always neat and tidy. The Contempo Cafe was great and we ate lunch there a few times during our short stay. Front desk and conceirge staff were helpful and courteous. Elevators were smooth and easy to take. The one day we used buses they arrived a minute after we did and we had a private bus to DHS.

All in all, the stay was everything we hoped it would be. Can't wait to stay at the CR again!

I'm also planning on requesting a high floor, is there a specific reason for "odd number" as well?

 

[momof2halls]

We had shampoo, conditioner (each separate, not combined like AoA), body wash, bar soap, lotion, mouth wash, shower caps, toothbrush pack and a pack with q-tips and cotton balls last weekend. In addition, there was a larger bottle of Dasani water in the room daily. (We drank the water or I filled a smaller water bottle with it each evening so they replenished it each day for us.)

Wow! Thats awesome! Was this in a standard room?

 

[revdon64]

I'm also planning on requesting a high floor, is there a specific reason for "odd number" as well?

As I understand it (not from experience), Theme Park View rooms with odd numbers have beds that face MK so you can watch the fireworks from bed.

 

[revdon64]

I read somewhere that the fireworks music can be tuned in on the TV in your room from CR. Is this true or was I misled?

 

[kcpinwdw]

Wow! Thats awesome! Was this in a standard room?

I was in basically the cheapest room possible, garden view standard view, and we had all of this. Shampoo and conditioner were the larger tubes too, not the little bottles I've gotten at some other deluxes.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I read somewhere that the fireworks music can be tuned in on the TV in your room from CR. Is this true or was I misled?

This is true at CR & BLT.

 

[momof2halls]

I was in basically the cheapest room possible, garden view standard view, and we had all of this. Shampoo and conditioner were the larger tubes too, not the little bottles I've gotten at some other deluxes.

Yay!!! Thanks so much!

 

[WDWKOOK]

55 days until our 25th anniversary second honeymoon trip. Tower, theme park view, and best of all... no kids!

Even fewer days now! Congratulations on your upcoming 25th anniversary. But, I hate to disappoint you, there may be one or two kids around WDW

Just got back from 4 nights at the Contemporary. Here is my mini review! I booked a garden wing standard view room through a travel agency exclusive deal. I did online check in around 60 days out and requested Ground Floor and close to transportation. Our flight got into Sanford at 5pm, and we rented a car, so I put our expected arrival time at 6pm. At 6pm on the dot I got my text that my room was ready and I could bypass the front desk. I drove to the Contemporary and through the main entrance. I told the bellman/valet guy that I was checking in and that I had my room ready text. He was VERY nice and made sure I had a magic band, asked if I needed help with my luggage, and gave me directions on how to park in the garden wing area. I drove over there, there were plenty of available spots.

Our room was 5165. This met both our requests! I was surprised when we got there that it was a king bed room. This worked fine since it was just me and my three year old, and I would be lucky if I got him to sleep in a bed by himself in a hotel, ha ha. This also left plenty of extra space in the room which was nice. The room was in great shape and very clean. The patio was very nice and as always, my son loved the monorail view. I can see how the walk to the lobby could be far for the other wings of the garden wing, but from our location it was super easy and we were so close to the pool. Comfortable bed with plenty of pillows. Room fridge was super cold which I love. 4 nights and we didn't turn on the TV even once if you can believe that, so I cant speak about that. I was expecting the sinks to be a problem from what I read but since I was expecting a problem I thought they were just fine! I give the location and room a big thumbs up.

After we settled in the room I went to the front desk to ask about our dining plan and mugs. I was actually a little off put by this interaction. I just walked up and said, "we just got here and went straight to our room after our text," and I swear I thought he rolled his eyes at me, but I continued "and I was wondering where we pick up our dining plan mugs?" He just says "contempo café." With no other explanation or offer of information, which felt odd and very impersonal. So yes, I know that I need to go up to the 4th floor and get the mugs from the café now, but I've only been in this building once in my life and that was via monorail. I feel that when I told him I literally just checked in he should have offered that information, or at least offered me a map, I didn't even know where the elevators were. So my front desk interaction gets a thumbs down.

Mousekeeping was great. I had no problems and the room seemed to be done nice and timely. Thumbs up.

Noise level: Almost none! Very quiet room. No connecting door which I think helps. Mild noise in the hall since we were near the door but nothing bad and I was not woken up at night even once (which happened SEVERAL times a night last trip at Yacht club). Thumbs up.

Pool area is a bit boring compared to some of the other deluxes, but it was SO EMPTY that it more than made up for it. I never had to wait to order food, there were chairs available no problem, etc. The sand bar café doesn't have a self-refill for your mugs, you ask at the counter and they give you are regular cup of soda instead. Pool area thumbs up.

Transportation was spotty. Of course the walk to MK was just magic. Worth the price of staying there for sure. I can't believe how fast we were in bed after Wishes! It's just a great feeling to veer away from the masses at the exit and head down that walkway. Two days we had early plans and the monorail wasn't working. We took a bus to Epcot instead and it was easy. Both the bus home from AK and DHS seemed to take a bit longer than expected. The bus home from AK was terribly crowded, lots of people going to dinner reservations and the bus was shared with Wilderness Lodge. Overall thumbs up though compared to other Disney resorts!

Great stay overall! Next time we go back we are staying at the Poly again but I would definitely consider coming back to the Contemporary, especially if I got a good rate in the main building, but would easily stay garden wing again as well.

Thank you for posting your TR, @kcpinwdw. It's great that your room request came through, but there's no excuse for that CM doing the bare minimum in answering your question. You should have received a warm welcome and more assistance.

It's great that they're still providing drink refills at the Sand Bar. I wasn't sure if that had been discontinued. Can't believe you never turned on the TV once?! I look forward to watching the WDW channels and hearing the familiar music and watching those silly cartoons (multiple times). Hope you get to book your Poly stay soon - aloha!

We are in garden wing standard view. Requested high floor and early check in. Had room ready txt when we landed at 11:30a. 535X. Can see the top of the castle, seven seas lagoon, gf

Walk to MK is exactly 15 minutes from door close to tap style. It is very quiet which is nice. Haven't used the pool but it looks more than I expected. Have had really good luck with the monorails for the 3 days we've been here so far. Been early to everything due to planning for delays

We like it. Probably don't love it yet but it is staying on our list of resorts to consider for future visits

I hope the rest of your stay was magical

Hello all! We are currently booked for the CR Bay Lake View this June 2-5!! We cant wait!!! Is anyone else worried about the monorail closures? Could someone tell me more about it? Id hate to be there and not be able to take the monorail its one of our favorite parts and we have a first timer joining us!

Welcome and I'll add your dates to the Log-o-Rail. Whenever the monorail is down, they will usually provide buses to Epcot and you can always walk to the MK. All other destinations are reachable by boat and/or bus, so no worries.

We pulled the trigger and will be back at CR 1bedroom bay lake view CL 9/3-9/10. We also added on free dining which will mean it's time to start training to eat!

Beyond excited to be back after our June 2015 stay in what may be the same room!
Looking forward to following the thread.

Yippee! I'll get those dates logged for you. I hope your meal training is going well

Just got back from our quick weekend stay at the Contemporary. It was everything I imagined it would be and more! My husband now swears he will not stay anywhere else. I'm guessing I have now spoiled all of us too much!

We were booked in a TPV room and did online check in around 60 days out. We requested an odd number room, high floor. We arrived around 9:30 am on check in day. (We stayed off site after dinner with family the night before.) Our room wasn't ready yet, no big shock there and we were all set up for the text notification. We stowed our luggage with bell services and headed off to MK. We got a text around noon that our room was ready. We were in 4735 on the 11th floor. The view was great and we loved it! We watched Wishes from our room every night, one night from bed!

Mousekeeping was great! They kept us well stocked on ammentinties (water, shampoo, lotion, etc.) and the room was always neat and tidy. The Contempo Cafe was great and we ate lunch there a few times during our short stay. Front desk and conceirge staff were helpful and courteous. Elevators were smooth and easy to take. The one day we used buses they arrived a minute after we did and we had a private bus to DHS.

All in all, the stay was everything we hoped it would be. Can't wait to stay at the CR again!

You changed your avatar - so cute - but, when are you going to book DH's favorite resort?!

Back from our stay 5/3 - 5/8. booked garden wing standard. did online check in requested high floor and checked the option to have room early as we were scheduled to land at 1130. Had room ready txt upon arrival to MCO. we were in room 5359. could see the top of the castle, seven seas lagoon and the GF. Room was clean which feels weird to need to point out. Mousekeeping was fine throughout our stay but could never seem to reset the coffee station. Soaps and stuff were never replaced which is ok. Didn't use the pool but did walk around the area and thought it to be more than I was expecting.

Never had an issue with the busses or monorail. Took monorail to GF twice and it took about half as long as I expected. Epcot monorail too. No breakdowns or maintenance shutdowns.

Had dinner at the wave grabbing day of ADR during the rain on 5/4. Food was good. It was loud but not too bad considering that nearly every table had kids at it. Service got extremely slow towards the end of our meal. It felt like they weren't prepared for the crowd that night. My bill was incorrect and then still incorrect after they tried to fix it. They charged us for two desserts when we only had one then took the wrong one off. there was only a couple dollar difference and we were going on 20 minutes since we were done eating so we just paid it. Should have ate at the bar. Got pastries at contempo each morning. quick and easy. 15 minutes from when i left my room to when i returned.

the concierge can put in late check out requests and apply gift card to your bill in case i'm not the only one who didn't know they could do that.

The walk to and from MK is by far the greatest amenity here. The garden wing was very quiet. Nice after all the park stimulus.

We definitely liked this resort. Wouldn't say love it. It's location is it's saving grace for me. There wasn't that initial 'wow' upon arriving. Think of when you first walked into YC or GF with their large detailed lobby and compare to CR with its check in counter and elevator bank. Perhaps it is because the convention space is right there and off to the side our out of the way.

I wouldn't hesitate to consider CR for a future stay, especially on a MK centric trip.

Thank you for posting about your stay, @jbharr1. It's never odd to mention how your housekeeping was at WDW. Everyone loves to know since it can vary so much housekeeper to housekeeper.

Love all of the info, hints, and reviews on this thread! Bravo! Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this December, and I am so excited to walk to and from MK! Used to having kids fall asleep on my while waiting for the launch to GF! Can't wait to experience all this resort has to offer!

Welcome, @AllieBee! You'll love the walkway - it's dreamy and you also have the boat to FW and WL.

Love this thread! Staying at CR in TTPV 12/3-12/10. Going for the Christmas fun, MVMCP, and our oldest turns 14 on this trip. Seems like yesterday we were at the CR with him on his first trip when he was only 2 1/2. Sniff. Time flies. Can't wait! I just love the CR. I remember staying there as a kid in the '70's and '80's with a TPV and waking up in the middle of the night. The castle would be lit, and I would be so excited I couldn't stand it. Lots of great memories here. Ok, and the Poly too. But this is about the CR.

Thanks for all of the updates folks, they're keeping me going until December!

Welcome to the thread, @Winniebell10 - I'll log your dates on PAGE 1. Time really does fly, my DD is graduating high school and I feel like it was just yesterday she was playing in the sand at CR. Do you have any photos of your 70's stay at CR? I just love all the "vintage" WDW resort photos - so much orange!

I was in basically the cheapest room possible, garden view standard view, and we had all of this. Shampoo and conditioner were the larger tubes too, not the little bottles I've gotten at some other deluxes.

Just so no one is confused, what you experienced is not typical, not even for a Club Level room. Water bottles aren't provided in guest rooms at WDW. I can't explain why your room had them everyday. And, toiletries such as a toothbrush, razor, mouthwash, solar gel... are usually only provided in a Club Level room and not even all those items are in every CL room. It's really nice you had all those items, but I just don't want anyone to expect them in their room.

 

[kcpinwdw]

toiletries such as a toothbrush, razor, mouthwash, solar gel... are usually only provided in a Club Level room and not even all those items are in every CL room. It's really nice you had all those items, but I just don't want anyone to expect them in their room.

I had no idea... interesting. they were already there at check in too, not just after we tipped (they've left us upgraded little amenities in the other resorts before. Here is what we had, I was so impressed I took pictures! I didnt know it wasnt standard.

 

[WDWKOOK]

I had no idea... interesting. they were already there at check in too, not just after we tipped (they've left us upgraded little amenities in the other resorts before. Here is what we had, I was so impressed I took pictures! I didnt know it wasnt standard.

Thank you for posting your photo. I've only had those items in a Presidential Suite at WDW, though they may be in other types of suites as well. You really lucked out if you weren't in a suite - very nice! And, we didn't even have bottled water in the Presidential Suite - not complaining at all, but it's still very unusual that you had bottled water in your room. Most CL lounges don't even provide plastic bottles of water any longer. This is indeed a Disney mystery

 

[baivasps]

We are staying in the garden wing standard view 12/2-12/7. We have stayed at BLT several times on rented points but always in June. We love it but couldn't rent points for those days. Hoping we love this just as much.

 

[lovingeire]

Wow! Thats awesome! Was this in a standard room?

We were booked in a Theme Park View room, but it sounds like this is the standard spread for the CR.

As I understand it (not from experience), Theme Park View rooms with odd numbers have beds that face MK so you can watch the fireworks from bed.

Yes, we booked the odd numbered room so we could see the fireworks from bed. We could only see them from one bed, but we did watch the fireworks every night of our stay from our room/balcony.

I read somewhere that the fireworks music can be tuned in on the TV in your room from CR. Is this true or was I misled?

Yes, it is channel 105 at the CR for the Wishes music.

You changed your avatar - so cute - but, when are you going to book DH's favorite resort?!

Thank you! That's a photo from last weekend. Crystal Palace is our tradional breakfast, and let me tell you, making a pre park opening breakfast there is way easiser from the CR then elsewhere. I have no clue when we will be booking in the Lodge. It might be trumped by CR, but we all really do love it. We were tempted to go Memorial Day weekend before the rest of the family's passes expire on our way north for our move, but maybe in the spring for the Dark Side race will be the next family trip.

 

[AaronInWI]

Just got back from our quick weekend stay at the Contemporary. It was everything I imagined it would be and more! My husband now swears he will not stay anywhere else. I'm guessing I have now spoiled all of us too much!

Haha! Yep, that's what happened to us, too, on our honeymoon. My wife had never been to WDW before, and said that she'd be happy staying anywhere, including the AoA value resort. I picked Animal Kingdom, because it was our honeymoon and wanted to treat ourselves, plus she loves animals and I thought she'd get a kick out of seeing them from our balcony. She asked if we could stay at CR instead because it was so close to MK, and costed about the same (or maybe less) than the room I wanted at AK. I said sure, we stayed there, and haven't been able to stay anywhere else! So yep, we spoiled ourselves!

The garden wing was very quiet. Nice after all the park stimulus.

Truthfully, this is one of the things we love about CR/BLT so much. We spend all day immersed in Disney iconography and magic, and we love being able to go back to our "non-Disney-fied" room (for lack of a better term) and do a little "Disney detox" for a couple hours in the afternoon or for the night at the end of the day. It helps us recharge our batteries so we're raring and ready to go when we head back to the parks. But I realize we might be strange in that way. We definitely feel like there can be too much of a good thing, no matter how much we love it.

 

[jbharr1]

We had the same bathroom amenities as pictured above. Expected body wash, lotion, shampoo, mouth wash but not the toothbrushes

We also had one large bottle of disani water upon arrival with a note it was comp. I've seen places leave bottles of water and then charge you if you open them. After the first night we were left two bottles every day. There was some work being done in garden wing so maybe they were having water quality concerns?

 

[skateshome]

Here's a panoramic view from BLT Room 7818. Not sure if it can be added to the room views post or not.....but thought I would share. Best trip yet!!! Since this is Panoramic the castle looks much further away than it actually appears in real life.