Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[kappyfamily]

Hello! Fairly new here and hoping for some advice! I have us booked to stay at the CR in the Garden Wing in early February, as the prices were really great. My husband is really wanting to stay on the monorail and is loving the fact that we will be walking distance to the MK. We originally were going to stay at AOA in a Nemo suite, and I am kind of sad that we changed our reservation to the CR. Our kids are 12, 9 and 4, so we are a family of 5 and probably would have done well in AOA suite. Is the CR worth staying at, though, since the price is only about $500 more from our original total at AOA? I, too, love the idea of staying on the monorail and I think our kids will really love that too, but am not loving the theming at the CR as much as AOA. Did we make the right choice? I've read so many mixed reviews about the Garden Wing; people either love it or hate it. Help! I'm really thinking about switching us back to AOA, but if the CR is really worth it, then maybe we should give it a try and stay in a deluxe resort. Thank you so much!!

Garden wing is great we are staying there again in a couple weeks. Enjoy!

 

[Cluelyss]

Hello! Fairly new here and hoping for some advice! I have us booked to stay at the CR in the Garden Wing in early February, as the prices were really great. My husband is really wanting to stay on the monorail and is loving the fact that we will be walking distance to the MK. We originally were going to stay at AOA in a Nemo suite, and I am kind of sad that we changed our reservation to the CR. Our kids are 12, 9 and 4, so we are a family of 5 and probably would have done well in AOA suite. Is the CR worth staying at, though, since the price is only about $500 more from our original total at AOA? I, too, love the idea of staying on the monorail and I think our kids will really love that too, but am not loving the theming at the CR as much as AOA. Did we make the right choice? I've read so many mixed reviews about the Garden Wing; people either love it or hate it. Help! I'm really thinking about switching us back to AOA, but if the CR is really worth it, then maybe we should give it a try and stay in a deluxe resort. Thank you so much!!

After being able to walk to MK you will never want to take a bus anywhere ever again!!

CR is one of our favorite resorts. The theming does not WOW us either, but the location can't be beat. The restaurants are great, and you have monorail access to Poly and GF for more fabulous dining. You can see the EWP and Wishes from the beach, the pool is rarely crowded (and has a water slide) and the rooms are very spacious. I think you'll end up loving it there, no regrets!!!

 

[CuseWazowski]

Hello! Fairly new here and hoping for some advice! I have us booked to stay at the CR in the Garden Wing in early February, as the prices were really great. My husband is really wanting to stay on the monorail and is loving the fact that we will be walking distance to the MK. We originally were going to stay at AOA in a Nemo suite, and I am kind of sad that we changed our reservation to the CR. Our kids are 12, 9 and 4, so we are a family of 5 and probably would have done well in AOA suite. Is the CR worth staying at, though, since the price is only about $500 more from our original total at AOA? I, too, love the idea of staying on the monorail and I think our kids will really love that too, but am not loving the theming at the CR as much as AOA. Did we make the right choice? I've read so many mixed reviews about the Garden Wing; people either love it or hate it. Help! I'm really thinking about switching us back to AOA, but if the CR is really worth it, then maybe we should give it a try and stay in a deluxe resort. Thank you so much!!

I'm a big fan of the GW. It's the least expensive deluxe monorail option, but the rooms are large enough for 5 people to be comfortable. You are right by the pool, a short walk from the tower, and avoid elevator waits to get to the tower rooms. We enjoyed the theming, extra space and extra bathroom at AOA, but have always loved staying in the GW.

 

[cheryterese]

We are booked! Garden Level Standard for late August 2017! Hoping for a room discount and if so we may upgrade to Tower Lake View. This will be our first deluxe stay with the kids (dh and I did Wilderness Lodge for our honeymoon) and first time for all of us at a monorail resort. We're all so excited!

 

[momof2halls]

Hello! Fairly new here and hoping for some advice! I have us booked to stay at the CR in the Garden Wing in early February, as the prices were really great. My husband is really wanting to stay on the monorail and is loving the fact that we will be walking distance to the MK. We originally were going to stay at AOA in a Nemo suite, and I am kind of sad that we changed our reservation to the CR. Our kids are 12, 9 and 4, so we are a family of 5 and probably would have done well in AOA suite. Is the CR worth staying at, though, since the price is only about $500 more from our original total at AOA? I, too, love the idea of staying on the monorail and I think our kids will really love that too, but am not loving the theming at the CR as much as AOA. Did we make the right choice? I've read so many mixed reviews about the Garden Wing; people either love it or hate it. Help! I'm really thinking about switching us back to AOA, but if the CR is really worth it, then maybe we should give it a try and stay in a deluxe resort. Thank you so much!!

2 years ago we had our first family trip and stayed at AoA in a Cars suite. Our boys were 4 & 8 and we all loved it. The resort is very immersive and you really feel like you are at WDW. When we began planning for our trip we made this year we decided we wanted to discover a new resort even though we knew we would loose the extra space (seperate bedroom and extra bathroom). We were originally booked at CBR but ended up gettinh a great deal at CR in garden view room. Our boys are now 6 & 10 and they were equally as excited about being on the monorail. Let me just tell you, we have ALL drank the kool-aid and i dont see us ever staying anywhere but on the monorail. We loved the garden room area. You are very close to the tower but you can escape the crowd and relax in peace at the garden wing. Since we stayed at a value the first time we were able to realize how much of a difference it is at the deluxe resort. We loved the monorail but we also enjoyed the short walk to/from MK. We took advantage of this several times. I would definitely recommend staying at CR.

 

[stitchfan18]

We check into BLT on Halloween. is there already info out about special resort events/ Halloween activities, or will we have to wait until next week? I think I looked at last years activities and saw some trick or treating at the gift shops, and a character m&g. We'd love to participate if it happens again this year!

 

[MinMou]

Hello! Fairly new here and hoping for some advice! I have us booked to stay at the CR in the Garden Wing in early February, as the prices were really great. My husband is really wanting to stay on the monorail and is loving the fact that we will be walking distance to the MK. We originally were going to stay at AOA in a Nemo suite, and I am kind of sad that we changed our reservation to the CR. Our kids are 12, 9 and 4, so we are a family of 5 and probably would have done well in AOA suite. Is the CR worth staying at, though, since the price is only about $500 more from our original total at AOA? I, too, love the idea of staying on the monorail and I think our kids will really love that too, but am not loving the theming at the CR as much as AOA. Did we make the right choice? I've read so many mixed reviews about the Garden Wing; people either love it or hate it. Help! I'm really thinking about switching us back to AOA, but if the CR is really worth it, then maybe we should give it a try and stay in a deluxe resort. Thank you so much!!

This is pretty much a personal decision. * If you are going to spend a lot of time in the room, then theming is more important. If you want to spend as much time as you can in the parks, then it's less important.
*Being a monorail resort means you can avoid taking a bus to both MK AND Epcot. I have friends who hate staying at resorts where you have to take a bus everywhere - it does take more time away from your day.
And you could take a boat from Epcot to HS, if you want to combine both in one day.
*Even if the monorail breaks down, you can still get to MK without much trouble.
*If you plan to spend a lot of time in the pool, there isn't much theming at the CR pool.
*Some of the best restaurants, food wise and experience wise, are on the monorail. Your 4 yr old will probably love Chef Mickeys at CR, your family will probably enjoy Ohana at the Polynesian
* CR is a boat ride away from Fort Wilderness, where you can take carriage rides and go to the Hoop De Doo review
* The marina has other fun things to do.

Only you know which of these things is more important to your family. And even if you guess wrong - you are still at WDW!

 

[Cluelyss]

We check into BLT on Halloween. is there already info out about special resort events/ Halloween activities, or will we have to wait until next week? I think I looked at last years activities and saw some trick or treating at the gift shops, and a character m&g. We'd love to participate if it happens again this year!

http://www.kennythepirate.com/resor...-guides/contemporary-resort-recreation-guide/

 

[Dave006]

http://www.kennythepirate.com/resor...-guides/contemporary-resort-recreation-guide/

Or you could just look at this great post here on DIS...

http://disboards.com/threads/list-of-halloween-activities-by-resorts.3550980/

Dave

 

[stitchfan18]

Or you could just look at this great post here on DIS...

http://disboards.com/threads/list-of-halloween-activities-by-resorts.3550980/

Dave

Thank you!

 

[Doc Mickey]

First post, but longtime reader...

My wife and I will be staying at the Contemporary soon. I was planning on doing massages at the Olympiad Fitness Center but I called Disney to schedule and they said it was closed and that if we wanted massages, we would have to go to The Grand Floridian. Has anyone been there recently that can confirm this?

 

[howvan]

Are toiletries like soap and shampoo provided in the GW?

 

[Cluelyss]

Are toiletries like soap and shampoo provided in the GW?

Yep! Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, bar of hand soap, bar of face soap, plus shower caps and a tooth kit (with brush, paste and floss)!

 

[Gryhndmom]

First post, but longtime reader...

My wife and I will be staying at the Contemporary soon. I was planning on doing massages at the Olympiad Fitness Center but I called Disney to schedule and they said it was closed and that if we wanted massages, we would have to go to The Grand Floridian. Has anyone been there recently that can confirm this?

Stayed at BLT but i had a massage at Senses located at GF and it was marvelous ! David was my masseuse and I can highly recommend. If you are a DVC member there is a discount.

 

[anomamatt]

Is there a good resource on travel to/from CR and each of the parks? We are staying in CR (Feb/Mar) and I would like to start making touring plans. I have seen the general "plan on 1.5 hours transit" warnings everywhere, but wondered the best place to get CR specific guidelines. I know CR to MK is a 10 minute walk. But I would like to get an idea of how long via monorail to MK, how long to EPCOT, etc... I'm sure there is a good resource for this, but I have not found it. Thanks!

 

[Dave006]

Are toiletries like soap and shampoo provided in the GW?

Yep! Shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash, bar of hand soap, bar of face soap, plus shower caps and a tooth kit (with brush, paste and floss)!

You will receive the exact same toiletries as any regular CR Tower room. Biggest differences in staying in the GW is the much lower cost, a slightly longer walk, and a more generic hotel room type view.

Dave

 

[AaronInWI]

Is there a good resource on travel to/from CR and each of the parks? We are staying in CR (Feb/Mar) and I would like to start making touring plans. I have seen the general "plan on 1.5 hours transit" warnings everywhere, but wondered the best place to get CR specific guidelines. I know CR to MK is a 10 minute walk. But I would like to get an idea of how long via monorail to MK, how long to EPCOT, etc... I'm sure there is a good resource for this, but I have not found it. Thanks!

You could try the WDW Transportation Wizard at Our Laughing Place here. It has been around for quite a while (as you can tell just by the design), and there are certainly some questions about its accuracy, but it could give you a general idea of "will it take me 15 minutes or 2 hours".
http://www.ourlaughingplace.com/aspx/twiz.aspx
There is also a thread in the DIS Travel forums here related to how to navigate WDW. You could ask your question there as well.

 

[holden]

Is there a good resource on travel to/from CR and each of the parks? We are staying in CR (Feb/Mar) and I would like to start making touring plans. I have seen the general "plan on 1.5 hours transit" warnings everywhere, but wondered the best place to get CR specific guidelines. I know CR to MK is a 10 minute walk. But I would like to get an idea of how long via monorail to MK, how long to EPCOT, etc... I'm sure there is a good resource for this, but I have not found it. Thanks!

The 1.5hr estimate is given for good reason. There is so much unpredictability when traveling from place to place in Disney. You could wait two minutes for a bus to DHS, or 30. You could be on a monorail that gets stuck, etc. You also need to account for time going through security, walking to a dinner reservation, etc.

Case in point...we recently stayed at BC. We were unaware of the construction taking place on the bus stop. Because of that, the bus stop was relocated. It took us much longer than usual to get to the new bus stop, especially because we weren't quite sure where we were going. By the time we got to the stop, there were at least 100 people waiting for buses. Of course there is no line, so when a bus pulled up everyone was trying to get on. We had to wait a long time for a bus going to our location that wasn't full when it arrived. From the time we left our room until the time we walked into the gates at MK it was about an hour.

We will be renting a car for all future trips. That is the only real way to have a better estimate of arrival times.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We are at BLT now. There is a publix "behind " WDW. We have done the right turn lane out of CR/BLT even though there is a marked through arrow indicating don't turn right. A CM told us a few years ago that the arrow was there to keep guests From taking a right turn out of resort since it is Disney back roads and employee parking etc. We went to the publix Sunday after checking in and took the back roads. There are no signs saying "guests" can't drive there and have not been stopped.

Great information, @Gryhndmom

Concerning the PUblix. When you came back to the BLT where do you take a left to get back into the parking lot. The light has a no left turn sign so I would go up and make a uturn everytime. Seemed weird.

Bumping your question, @skateshome.

We are booked! Garden Level Standard for late August 2017! Hoping for a room discount and if so we may upgrade to Tower Lake View. This will be our first deluxe stay with the kids (dh and I did Wilderness Lodge for our honeymoon) and first time for all of us at a monorail resort. We're all so excited!

Welcome to the thread, @cheryterese!

Just to clarify, the Garden Wing isn't a level, it's a separate wing from the Tower. So if you were to upgrade, you'd be upgrading from the least expensive to the most expensive non-Club Level standard room booking.

There should definitely be some sort of discount that you'll be able to use for 8/17 or at a minimum, Free Dining, though a room discount is a better deal with a Deluxe booking.

Or you could just look at this great post here on DIS...

http://disboards.com/threads/list-of-halloween-activities-by-resorts.3550980/

Dave

Great link. Thanks for all your helpful replies to my Resort threads, @Dave006

First post, but longtime reader...

My wife and I will be staying at the Contemporary soon. I was planning on doing massages at the Olympiad Fitness Center but I called Disney to schedule and they said it was closed and that if we wanted massages, we would have to go to The Grand Floridian. Has anyone been there recently that can confirm this?

to the DIS and the CR/BLT thread, @Doc Mickey!

That's odd. I was in the Olympiad gym last month and there was no indication the massages were no longer being offered. I know that WL stopped offering massages due to the DVC construction there. Is it possible the CM confused Sturdy Branches with the Olympiad? They are still showing them as available on the Disney website. Did you call this number to try booking?

Scheduling an Appointment
Appointments are strongly recommended. Please call (407) WDW-SPAS or (407) 939-7727

Are toiletries like soap and shampoo provided in the GW?

In addition to large Spa H2O toiletries, also unique to CR is bottled water and coffee creamer which is provided daily.

Is there a good resource on travel to/from CR and each of the parks? We are staying in CR (Feb/Mar) and I would like to start making touring plans. I have seen the general "plan on 1.5 hours transit" warnings everywhere, but wondered the best place to get CR specific guidelines. I know CR to MK is a 10 minute walk. But I would like to get an idea of how long via monorail to MK, how long to EPCOT, etc... I'm sure there is a good resource for this, but I have not found it. Thanks!

In addition to the Transportation Wizard that was mentioned that will give you apx. times, there's also general information in the TRANSPORTATION chapter of the thread HERE.

 

[WDWKOOK]

$650 per person plus tax/tip!

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