Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[Yooperroo]

The bus situation was much improved today now that all 4 parks are open. Although lines are still long due to how few can get on each bus, they came with much more frequency.

And a coffee update, the coffee shop in the main lobby is not open.

 

[TreyQ3]

The bus situation was much improved today now that all 4 parks are open. Although lines are still long due to how few can get on each bus, they came with much more frequency.

This morning the bus service to DHS was great. The cast member at the bus stop said that they weren’t supposed to dispatch buses to DHS until 9:00. The first DHS bus left CR/BLT at 8:50. The second bus showed up at 8:55 and the third was pulling in as we were leaving on the second bus.

Now coming back is a different story. Nothing has changed from our prior visits. We had to wait 15+ min for a bus.

For those asking about Magical Express - the order of stops for our bus was Saratoga Springs, BLT and GrandFlo. In the past we were grouped with Wilderness Lodge. Also, they assign seats for your party to force social distance.

 

[Yooperroo]

We spent most of the afternoon today at the pool. I'm happy to report there was plenty of room to distance while in the pool, and plenty of distanced pool chairs and loungers. The kids and I had a lot of fun playing the pool games and trivia.

 

[TreyQ3]

Sorry for the stream of consciousness: this is a timetable for us yesterday. Hope it helps to frame your expectations.

11:00 - Flight arrived at the gate (we landed at 10:45 and were early but had to wait 10 min for a gate to open up)
11:30 - Got to DME area after claiming our luggage. There was literally no one else in the que area
11:35 - Bus left airport (we got really lucky) - probably ~15 on the bus
12:10 - Arrived at CR/BLT
12:45 - Arrived at MK after going to our room
1:00 - Stopped at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and mobile ordered. You have to mobile order
1:06 - Food ready
1:30-4:00 - Rode in order Buzz, 7DMT, Peter Pan, IASM, HM, Splash, BTMRR, PotC. All were walk-on
4:00-5:00 - Shopped
5:00 - Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern - always a great meal. Hardly anyone there and they have marked off tables to enforce social distancing.

My youngest son failed the initial temp check going to MK. Then they waited a minute and tested him again aiming for behind the ear instead of his forehead. He passed the second check. We have been kidding him that he has ‘Rona for 2 days now.

So far the bag check at security has been wildly inconsistent. Sometimes they are content to look in my wife’s purse but not really examining it. Other times they insist that she goes through the metal detector with the purse. Sometimes they ask my son to remove metal items (cell phone & charger) from his backpack and then others get angry when he starts to do this. It’s really hard to figure out what we need to do.

We are really impressed with the safety measures put in place. Hand sanitizer is everywhere. Markers on the floor where to wait to ensure 6 ft distance. Plexiglass where needed. 100% face mask usage for both cast members and guests. It is safer here than shopping anywhere back at home.

 

[jlnten17]

Has anyone been there this month that can share a copy of the activity/resort guide? We are wondering if they are showing movies under the stars, I saw a post on The Polynesian that indicated they were being shown at that resort at least.

 

[mrhat]

Just curious if anyone has had luck with floor requests at BLT since it re-opened. Given the elevator delays was thinking of trying to request a 1st or 5th floor room to open up some options....only our 2nd time at BLT (yes I'm a lowly resale DVC contract) and the first time last year admittedly didn't care about anything but getting a TP view.... now tho, ease of access, in/out options seems like the better route. Is ~5 days prior to arrival still a good time to call on something like that?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Has anyone been there this month that can share a copy of the activity/resort guide? We are wondering if they are showing movies under the stars, I saw a post on The Polynesian that indicated they were being shown at that resort at least.

May change eventually, but as of last week there wasn’t a printed activity guide like usual.

 

[Llama mama]

How is the current bus situation running in the morning? Is it getting better daily? How early are guests lining up?

 

[trishadono]

May change eventually, but as of last week there wasn’t a printed activity guide like usual.

So anything you liked of BLT? Edited :just read you moved to poly. I know you love it there.!

I’m disappointed I had to lose my blt but I switched from GV to Deluxe room this Morning,

Here it is for those wondering.

 

[scjm222]

So anything you liked of BLT? Edited :just read you moved to poly. I know you love it there.!

I’m disappointed I had to lose my blt but I switched from GV to Deluxe room this Morning,

Here it is for those wondering.

View attachment 511335

We’ve stayed in this one before and it’s amazing to have the extra space and 2 showers!

 

[kristidiaz1]

I keep reading about so many quests receiving pixie dust/upgrades from the garden wind to the main tower...is anyone in the garden wing now lol? That's where we're currently booked (garden view) in about a week. I'm actually hoping to stay in the garden wing as we were hoping for ground floor and the reports of long elevator waits scare me. We have a stroller age little one who often gets carried back at the end of the day and we usually stay ground floor. And without fireworks, it seems like a big theme park view perk is gone. Anyone there now or recent experience? Thanks!

 

[Llama mama]

I keep reading about so many quests receiving pixie dust/upgrades from the garden wind to the main tower...is anyone in the garden wing now lol? That's where we're currently booked (garden view) in about a week. I'm actually hoping to stay in the garden wing as we were hoping for ground floor and the reports of long elevator waits scare me. We have a stroller age little one who often gets carried back at the end of the day and we usually stay ground floor. And without fireworks, it seems like a big theme park view perk is gone. Anyone there now or recent experience? Thanks!

We arrive the 31st and agree ,we hope to stay in the garden wing. We prefer the quietness and no elevator approach too. The only request I made was near the main tower for walking distance to the restaurants since we have numerous breakfasts booked. Hope you have a fantastic trip!

 

[Llama mama]

On site guests. Is the service at Contempo Cafe running smoothly?
Are the morning buses improving?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just curious if anyone has had luck with floor requests at BLT since it re-opened. Given the elevator delays was thinking of trying to request a 1st or 5th floor room to open up some options....only our 2nd time at BLT (yes I'm a lowly resale DVC contract) and the first time last year admittedly didn't care about anything but getting a TP view.... now tho, ease of access, in/out options seems like the better route. Is ~5 days prior to arrival still a good time to call on something like that?

Do you have a standard reserved? You'll need a standard reservation to get a lower floor. Just ask MS to add your request to your reservation. There is no calling, other than calling MS to add it, the resort to put in a request. Just email if the wait to talk to MS is too long. They usually get back to me within a few days. Include your reservation number with your request. And they will tell you that it is just a request and not guaranteed.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

So anything you liked of BLT? Edited :just read you moved to poly. I know you love it there.!

I’m disappointed I had to lose my blt but I switched from GV to Deluxe room this Morning,

Here it is for those wondering.

View attachment 511335

Quick question- did they give you a problem making the switch with your recovery booking? A Polynesian Deluxe Studio opened up, which would work better for us with the 2 bathrooms, and I’m waiting for a higher up to call me back since the cm I spoke to is telling me since it’s a recovery booking I’m not allowed to make any changes. Doesn’t sound right to me. We were supposed to be at GF and YC originally- I told the cm it’s not that we decided to change resorts- the resorts shut down. After 20 years of going to Disney I have to say I’m disappointed in this customer service!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Quick question- did they give you a problem making the switch with your recovery booking? A Polynesian Deluxe Studio opened up, which would work better for us with the 2 bathrooms, and I’m waiting for a higher up to call me back since the cm I spoke to is telling me since it’s a recovery booking I’m not allowed to make any changes. Doesn’t sound right to me. We were supposed to be at GF and YC originally- I told the cm it’s not that we decided to change resorts- the resorts shut down. After 20 years of going to Disney I have to say I’m disappointed in this customer service!

The Polynesian studio really doesn't have two bathrooms, just two bathing areas. Still only one toilet. It sleeps five.

 

[trishadono]

Quick question- did they give you a problem making the switch with your recovery booking? A Polynesian Deluxe Studio opened up, which would work better for us with the 2 bathrooms, and I’m waiting for a higher up to call me back since the cm I spoke to is telling me since it’s a recovery booking I’m not allowed to make any changes. Doesn’t sound right to me. We were supposed to be at GF and YC originally- I told the cm it’s not that we decided to change resorts- the resorts shut down. After 20 years of going to Disney I have to say I’m disappointed in this customer service!

I called and was allowed to change the blt 2 br to a 1 br. They said not supposed to but I asked if they could check and they did.

In the end I canceled that because AP price was far better,

 

[TriSeb°o°]

I was told that the room switch due to a closed resort is “price protected” on only the first move. If I change it resorts again then the price will be quoted at the current rack or any currently available discounts rates.

Do the BLT elevators suffer the same congestion as CR? I have personally experienced the jams and inconsiderate guest @ CR, and that was with 5 elevators running!

 

[TreyQ3]

On site guests. Is the service at Contempo Cafe running smoothly?
Are the morning buses improving?

Contempo Cafe is, well, running. They seem a little short staffed in the kitchen. Mobile orders take 10-15 min. Hardly anybody eating in the restaurant. And it is eerily quiet with Chef Mickey closed after breakfast. The menu has been reduced.

In our experience the morning busses are fine. Getting back is really problematic. For our 2 days at DHS, the busses started running at 8:50 and 9:05. And there were at least 3 busses in quick succession. We got to the bus stop at 8:40 and were on the 2nd and 3rd bus. The lines quickly grew after we arrived. The Epcot bus was timely as well. I didn’t notice the time because we weren’t trying for rope drop there.

FYI for DHS. We arrived both days around 9:30-9:40. If you are a Toy Story fan I recommend going to SDD first. It opened for us at 9:50 and we rode TSMM by 10:05. We secured RofR reservations while in line for TSMM. We tried the other order and it took 20 min longer to ride both.

 

[bcuinohio]

The Polynesian studio really doesn't have two bathrooms, just two bathing areas. Still only one toilet. It sleeps five.

The two showers are nice though. Saved us a lot of time getting ready in the morning. I don’t know why they didn’t just add a toilet to the second one.