Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[gamecock]

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

 

[akkraft]

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

 

[trishadono]

Thanks akkraft!!

 

[Mousemommy1]

Sounds like a great trip Akkraft! Thanks for the review!

 

[AaronInWI]

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.

 

[mickeynut1]

We are saying TPV Club level Jan 23-29 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 .

Happy kid at Chef Mickey's!

Cute pic .

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

Thanks for your live reports .

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

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 .

 

[Grand Admiral]

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.

 

[mickeynut1]

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 .

 

[trishadono]

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.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Love the pics Grandadmiral !!!!

Kook how did I miss the bus schedule change. 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 !!!

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

IDK, that BC/YC bus can sometimes be packed! We've taken it back from YC to MK and it's usually fine until it gets to BC then it's packed. If it's not early morning or late night, you should be fine though. Have you considered a taxi?

We are saying TPV Club level Jan 23-29 Does anyone have recent photos of the snacks offered in the lounge.

I've added your dates to the Log-orail

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.

Welcome to the DIS and the CR/BLT thread. YAY for a trip with your DS and DSS! Will your sister be visiting you at CR?

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.

Just looking at the pictures again makes me really want to go back. Boy, did we love it there...

I feel the same way when I look back at all our Disney photos. Thanks for much for posting them and I'm going to post a link to them in the BLT section

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

Go ahead and do both because OCI is very limited. The Room Assignor see both called-in and OCI room location requests - they don't cancel each other out. Just make sure they don't contradict each other and do it at least a week prior to arrival.

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

Welcome to the DIS and the CR/BLT thread, Aaron. What a thorough report - thank you! Your comments will be helpful to many. How sweet of you to treat mom to a trip and you were a very generous tipper, too

When do you think you'll be able to return? Will you try something new or stick with CR?

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.

Another thorough review - thank you. It really helps everyone to read such detailed and honest reviews. Do you think you'll book GF next time or maybe a split CR-GF stay

 

[WDWKOOK]

Some unexpected "fireworks" last night at 7DMT. If the ride is still closed, and you have a FP+ for today, you should receive an email notice via MDX alerting you to the cancelation of your FP+. You would be able to re-use the FP+ when the ride re-opens.

7DMT CATCHES FIRE - NO INJURIES.



Also, Blizzard Beach is closed again today due to the cold weather. TL is also closed due to its annual refurbishment through 1/3/15.​

 

[Ashley Marie]

We're checking into the Contemporary in a couple weeks! We have a tower room booked.

Any tips for a sleeping arrangements for a toddler? My daughter is 2.5 and sleeps in a toddler bed at home, with a railing on part of the side. I know we can request a pack & play but I have a feeling she's not going to be too happy about sleeping in a crib again.

I've heard we can request bed rails? Has anyone here used them on a bed in the room? Her bed at home is pretty low to the ground... is the daybed a little lower to the ground/smaller?

 

[LoveforDisney10]

Hi,
Looking at CR for my next visit. Is the resort kid friendly or gear more towards adults? TIA!

 

[Cluelyss]

Hi, Looking at CR for my next visit. Is the resort kid friendly or gear more towards adults? TIA!

We were just there with DD6 and DS3 last month. While the "theming" of the resort is nothing the kids will get excited about, everything in Disney is kid friendly! Unfortunately, the play area at the pool was closed during our stay, but we still used the pool plenty and they loved the waterside. There were also tons of kids' activities going on at the pool during the day (trivia contests, dance parties, hula hooping) and a ping pong table outside as well, in addition to beach access and movies under the stars. (My kids were also crazy about the Mickey head pillows in our room!)

Being able to walk to MK with 2 little ones was an amazing perk, and having the monorail right there was great, too. You also have Chef Mickey right there in the resort, and the Pirates & Pals cruise leaves from there as well (which I cannot recommend enough!) We have no complaints about staying there with kids, though we don't spend a lot of time at the resorts. If you plan to be in your room or at the resort a lot, you may want to look at something with more of a theme geared toward the little ones. Otherwise, there's plenty for them to do at CR and I'm sure you'll love it there!

 

[LoveforDisney10]

We were just there with DD6 and DS3 last month. While the "theming" of the resort is nothing the kids will get excited about, everything in Disney is kid friendly! Unfortunately, the play area at the pool was closed during our stay, but we still used the pool plenty and they loved the waterside. There were also tons of kids' activities going on at the pool during the day (trivia contests, dance parties, hula hooping) and a ping pong table outside as well, in addition to beach access and movies under the stars. (My kids were also crazy about the Mickey head pillows in our room!)

Being able to walk to MK with 2 little ones was an amazing perk, and having the monorail right there was great, too. You also have Chef Mickey right there in the resort, and the Pirates & Pals cruise leaves from there as well (which I cannot recommend enough!) We have no complaints about staying there with kids, though we don't spend a lot of time at the resorts. If you plan to be in your room or at the resort a lot, you may want to look at something with more of a theme geared toward the little ones. Otherwise, there's plenty for them to do at CR and I'm sure you'll love it there!

Thanks so much! My kids will be 6 and 3 next year (Dec 5-12, 2015!!). I plan on a resort day/DTD for 3 days. But it sounds like they have enough to do for the kids. The idea of being so close to MK (our main park) is very appealing. I was wondering about the theme being to "grown up".

 

[Cluelyss]

Thanks so much! My kids will be 6 and 3 next year (Dec 5-12, 2015!!). I plan on a resort day/DTD for 3 days. But it sounds like they have enough to do for the kids. The idea of being so close to MK (our main park) is very appealing. I was wondering about the theme being to "grown up".

Since you will be there during Christmas time, I would definitely plan a few hours of your "down time" touring the other MK resorts as most put on quite elaborate Christmas displays! You can access 3 of the 4 along the monorail (Poly, CR and GF) and WL is accessible via boat from CR. Fort Wilderness also offers evening horse-drawn sleigh rides through their property - many campers put up lights and decorations as well, which is just another boat ride away from WL.

 

[Leleluvsdis]

Since you will be there during Christmas time, I would definitely plan a few hours of your "down time" touring the other MK resorts as most put on quite elaborate Christmas displays! You can access 3 of the 4 along the monorail (Poly, CR and GF) and WL is accessible via boat from CR. Fort Wilderness also offers evening horse-drawn sleigh rides through their property - many campers put up lights and decorations as well, which is just another boat ride away from WL.

fort wilderness is a MUST do!!!!! Especially at Christmas!!!! Many campers go all out!!! I also recommend the holiday sleigh ride at ft wilderness. The driver takes you around the campground for about 30 minutes and normally knows the best sites to view

 

[WDWKOOK]

We're checking into the Contemporary in a couple weeks! We have a tower room booked.

Any tips for a sleeping arrangements for a toddler? My daughter is 2.5 and sleeps in a toddler bed at home, with a railing on part of the side. I know we can request a pack & play but I have a feeling she's not going to be too happy about sleeping in a crib again.

I've heard we can request bed rails? Has anyone here used them on a bed in the room? Her bed at home is pretty low to the ground... is the daybed a little lower to the ground/smaller?

Your vacation is almost here! The daybed sounds like it would be perfect for DD. She'd feel like a very big girl, but she'd be in a bed just the right size for her and fairly close to the ground. IDK if the railings will work on the daybed, but it's worth a try. Photos of the open daybed are located HERE.

fort wilderness is a MUST do!!!!! Especially at Christmas!!!! Many campers go all out!!! I also recommend the holiday sleigh ride at ft wilderness. The driver takes you around the campground for about 30 minutes and normally knows the best sites to view

Eating there is lots of fun, too. You can take the Blue Flag boat right over or even take the Blue Flag to WL and then walk over…or walk back to WL from FW and then take the MK bus and walk back to CR

 

[mickeynut1]

We're checking into the Contemporary in a couple weeks! We have a tower room booked.

Any tips for a sleeping arrangements for a toddler? My daughter is 2.5 and sleeps in a toddler bed at home, with a railing on part of the side. I know we can request a pack & play but I have a feeling she's not going to be too happy about sleeping in a crib again.

I've heard we can request bed rails? Has anyone here used them on a bed in the room? Her bed at home is pretty low to the ground... is the daybed a little lower to the ground/smaller?

I think I've seen pics of bed rails on a daybed at the Poly so they would probably work at the CR, but I agree with WDWKOOK that if they don't, I think your DD would be fine as the daybed isn't far from the ground .

Hi,
Looking at CR for my next visit. Is the resort kid friendly or gear more towards adults? TIA!

The CR will be fine as all of the resorts are kid friendly .

Since you will be there during Christmas time, I would definitely plan a few hours of your "down time" touring the other MK resorts as most put on quite elaborate Christmas displays! You can access 3 of the 4 along the monorail (Poly, CR and GF) and WL is accessible via boat from CR. Fort Wilderness also offers evening horse-drawn sleigh rides through their property - many campers put up lights and decorations as well, which is just another boat ride away from WL.

I agree .

fort wilderness is a MUST do!!!!! Especially at Christmas!!!! Many campers go all out!!! I also recommend the holiday sleigh ride at ft wilderness. The driver takes you around the campground for about 30 minutes and normally knows the best sites to view

We've never been to FW, but it's definitely on our list the next time we go during the holidays. I have seen pics and like you said, it's amazing what the campers do (and I can only imagine how much better it is in person).

Eating there is lots of fun, too. You can take the Blue Flag boat right over or even take the Blue Flag to WL and then walk over…or walk back to WL from FW and then take the MK bus and walk back to CR

Hi KOOK

Trails End is on my list to try after reading all of your great reviews of it .

 

[Stacy007]

Hi
What type of room is the Garden Wing-King? We just booked a bounce-back offer for next year and this was one of the only room types left. Based off of the quoted price, we're thinking that it might be like a deluxe room...
Thanks!
Stacy