Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[xjay]

Hey KOOK!

We had to change our original May Dates to May 15-20. Unfortunately we won't be able to spend Mother's Day at WDW. We tried really hard to work around my little sister's school schedule but that week just wouldn't work. We're still booked at the CR with Standard Room - Atrium CL, but I now have 2 rooms booked in that category instead of 1. It would be impossible for all 5 of us to share a room without one of us going crazy. I'm so excited for this trip since on our last day, BF and I are going to attempt to go to all 6 parks coast-to-coast in one day! We have already planned to go to Disneyland on the 20th for the 60th anniversary. Now I'm just counting down the days until I'm back at my happy place

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks, KOOK - that's really helpful. I think I'll just leave it and not request anything - don't have a particularly strong preference. Excited about our stay. It was hard to give up Poly, but we'll be back next year and it's too stressful wondering about the pool right now. I actually enjoy the CR pool even though it's not as themed as others. In our experience, it's not crowded. The slide is fun for the kids and it has a great view of Bay Lake for me.

If the kids want to swim before magical express picks up, and after check-out, are restrooms/changing facilities available near the pool? Didn't notice that last time, but thinking the boys may put swimsuits in their carry-ons just in case.

 

[Summertinkerbell]

We originally wanted to book Poly for August 2015, but with construction and new issues with the pool, we wanted to switch to GF, but it is outside of our budget. Since we are determined to be on the monorail, it looks as if we will be booking the Contemporary. I'm trying to get excited about staying there. Can anyone sing it's praises?

 

[Scott MC]

Welcome and thanks for explaining DP. I'll put your dates in the Log-orail and sorry about getting yet another blizzard

If you're a VG (View Guy), then you might want to consider a Tower room. If you booked a Standard View in the GW your view will definitely be of the parking lot with the monorail above. If you're happy with this view, then it's a good deal in that it is the least expensive CR room. Keep in mind though that in the GW, none of the rooms have balconies, but the first floor does have a patio. So again, if you're a VG, then the Tower rooms offer the best views. In the Tower, all the views are unobstructed and all the rooms have balconies.

I don't know if this will settle anything, but I feel like BLT and CR are really quite different because of the rooms. The rooms are completely different and walking out of a Tower room and looking down below to all the action on the 4th floor and seeing the monorail go by makes it a different feel from BLT. But, if you're staying in the GW, the only big difference will be the room.

Thanks for the hello. We'd love to be able to stay in the main tower, but the travel agency we're booking through is only offering Garden Wing with a standard view. I agree it's not the world's greatest, but I like certainty, and with this, much more than at the Poly, I know what I'm getting, and that brings me a sense of peace.

 

[pixarmom]

We originally wanted to book Poly for August 2015, but with construction and new issues with the pool, we wanted to switch to GF, but it is outside of our budget. Since we are determined to be on the monorail, it looks as if we will be booking the Contemporary. I'm trying to get excited about staying there. Can anyone sing it's praises?

I'll help! We've stayed at all the monorail resorts and while Poly is our favorite, we enjoy each for different reasons. If you are spending any amount of time at MK, CR can't be beat. We walk to MK and take the monorail home from MK. Monorail busy? Just walk back and you are in your room minutes after you leave the park. One night during value season, it took us 1.5 hours to get to our Poly room after Wishes. It was that crazy - during value season. Not an issue at CR. Part of the reason we decided to stay at CR after jumping ship from Poly for Easter Weekend is the proximity to MK on a 3am EMH night. Our teens can spend time at MK on their own while I take our youngest back to the room and it's so easy for them to get back.

I'm not a fan of the busy concourse and Chef Mickey's is not my favorite when I'm in the middle of it. (Although we just celebrated our youngest son's bday there last month - he loves it.) But from above, I think it's fun to see and hear. It's a far different feeling staying there than walking through the concourse during a visit or for dinner.

And in our room - love the space, the views of bay lake, the immediate peace and calm in the middle of the fun. Again, this is something we didn't experience until actually staying there. Before staying at CR, our youngest cried once when we took a cab from BC to CR for dinner because he thought we were returning to the airport. But when you're inside looking out - that's what makes CR a great place to stay.

I'll quickly mention club level because we love it at CR. (We'll miss it Easter Weekend, but just can't quite justify those rates during holiday season.) We think the perfect combination is bay lake view from the room and theme park view from the club lounge. It's always open (even when not serving) for extra space beyond your room and makes CR feel so welcoming and homey. It helps avoid the busy concourse level for drinks and snacks. Yeah, we'll miss it . . .

As I mentioned above, the pool is not the most themed. For us, the benefit is a fun slide for the kids at a relatively uncrowded pool with a really nice view of bay lake. I love the "bullseye" pool right at the edge of the lake.

 

[AliceIn]

I'll help! We've stayed at all the monorail resorts and while Poly is our favorite, we enjoy each for different reasons. If you are spending any amount of time at MK, CR can't be beat. We walk to MK and take the monorail home from MK. Monorail busy? Just walk back and you are in your room minutes after you leave the park. One night during value season, it took us 1.5 hours to get to our Poly room after Wishes. It was that crazy - during value season. Not an issue at CR. Part of the reason we decided to stay at CR after jumping ship from Poly for Easter Weekend is the proximity to MK on a 3am EMH night. Our teens can spend time at MK on their own while I take our youngest back to the room and it's so easy for them to get back.

I'm not a fan of the busy concourse and Chef Mickey's is not my favorite when I'm in the middle of it. (Although we just celebrated our youngest son's bday there last month - he loves it.) But from above, I think it's fun to see and hear. It's a far different feeling staying there than walking through the concourse during a visit or for dinner.

And in our room - love the space, the views of bay lake, the immediate peace and calm in the middle of the fun. Again, this is something we didn't experience until actually staying there. Before staying at CR, our youngest cried once when we took a cab from BC to CR for dinner because he thought we were returning to the airport. But when you're inside looking out - that's what makes CR a great place to stay.

I'll quickly mention club level because we love it at CR. (We'll miss it Easter Weekend, but just can't quite justify those rates during holiday season.) We think the perfect combination is bay lake view from the room and theme park view from the club lounge. It's always open (even when not serving) for extra space beyond your room and makes CR feel so welcoming and homey. It helps avoid the busy concourse level for drinks and snacks. Yeah, we'll miss it . . .

As I mentioned above, the pool is not the most themed. For us, the benefit is a fun slide for the kids at a relatively uncrowded pool with a really nice view of bay lake. I love the "bullseye" pool right at the edge of the lake.

Thanks for the great information! I know you from the BC/YC thread, and we are also looking to give another resort a try. I love both the BC/YC, but for a family of 5, the view for CL is always standard. I cannot wait to stay at the CR CL where every room has a beautiful view!

 

[Cluelyss]

I'll chime in too....we are a Poly family but jumped ship to CR last fall to avoid the construction and could not have been happier. The walk to MK cannot be beat, bus service to HS and AK was great and our GW room was beautiful. Agree with the post above that the pool, while not themed, was never crowded with a great water slide, and you also have beach access and a gorgeous view of Bay Lake. We would definitely stay CR again, even once Poly construction is complete.

 

[pixarmom]

Thanks for the great information! I know you from the BC/YC thread, and we are also looking to give another resort a try. I love both the BC/YC, but for a family of 5, the view for CL is always standard. I cannot wait to stay at the CR CL where every room has a beautiful view!

The views are such a treat! After I posted, I went back to check rates for CL again . . . we just love it so much. With tax, it's an additional $243/night. We're good for $100 extra a night and in some cases, even $150/night, depending on our plans and whether we'll use the lounge enough. Anyway, the club lounge at CR is just fantastic - hope you love it as much as we do!

 

[Summertinkerbell]

Thank you everyone! I'm beginning to feel better about our choice to book CR.

Can anyone describe how the Quick Service food is?

 

[Cluelyss]

Thank you everyone! I'm beginning to feel better about our choice to book CR.

Can anyone describe how the Quick Service food is?

There's a QS location on the 4th floor near Chef Mickey that had a great selection of premade and made to order food. Not much seating though. We also loved the QS location by the pool, too.

 

[psac]

Thank you everyone! I'm beginning to feel better about our choice to book CR.

Can anyone describe how the Quick Service food is?

It's been a few years, but we liked the Contempo Cafe. Kook has a lot of info on the first page. But we liked the burgers and salads, and the cupcakes are known to be some of the best on property, along with the Boardwalk Bakery and Hollywood Rolls.

 

[AliceIn]

The views are such a treat! After I posted, I went back to check rates for CL again . . . we just love it so much. With tax, it's an additional $243/night. We're good for $100 extra a night and in some cases, even $150/night, depending on our plans and whether we'll use the lounge enough. Anyway, the club lounge at CR is just fantastic - hope you love it as much as we do!

I hear you on the CL prices. We lucked out this time, as we got the Passholder rate at the Contemporary for 30% off, which made CL much more attractive. We're doing one night at the YC CL at the end of the trip so we get our Stormalong Bay fix. We love having breakfast in the lounge. We are only doing one sit down meal this trip (hubby and I only at California Grill), so we will probably use the lounge more often at appetizer time than we have in the past. We really cannot wait to go!

 

[pixiesnake]

The modified routes will be in effect on Feb. 3-5, Feb. 9-12, Feb. 23-26 and March 2-5, 2015 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. During these times, Monorails on the Resort beam will travel between Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Magic Kingdom® Park. Monorails on the Express beam will now make an additional stop at Disney’s Contemporary Resort as they travel between Magic Kingdom Park and the Transportation and Ticket Center.

Was anyone there Feb 3-5 or 9-12 that can give me an update? Did the resort beam stop at T&TC? Just wondering how to get from the CR to Poly or GF - switch at T&TC or MK? Thanks.

 

[pixarmom]

I hear you on the CL prices. We lucked out this time, as we got the Passholder rate at the Contemporary for 30% off, which made CL much more attractive. We're doing one night at the YC CL at the end of the trip so we get our Stormalong Bay fix. We love having breakfast in the lounge. We are only doing one sit down meal this trip (hubby and I only at California Grill), so we will probably use the lounge more often at appetizer time than we have in the past. We really cannot wait to go!

Breakfast in the lounge is probably my favorite part - so convenient! When we stayed CL at CR we enjoyed it so much that we said we'd not book CR again without it. So I guess I'm reversing course on that pledge. We also have a passholder discount, but it only does so much to the holiday rates over Easter Weekend. The extra cost is significant, but it's only one night (our other nights are at WL or at the beach) so I'm still not entirely set against it . . .

 

[jeffbear]

Well ... we're out of Raleigh and down to the Contemporary tomorrow ... if we can manage to handle a couple of inches of snow here at the airport. Which is a big IF, as infrequently as we get snow and ice. Meh. It's just me and the wife this time, so we'll take a deep breath and get there when we get there.

 

[discrazy2]

Staying at CR for the first time over Easter. Sooooo excited as this is our dream resort!! Have a question for CR experts. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of drawer space. Any suggestions?

 

[Trekkie]

Staying at CR for the first time over Easter. Sooooo excited as this is our dream resort!! Have a question for CR experts. It doesn't seem like there's a lot of drawer space. Any suggestions?

Well, there's some rather large drawers, between the "desk" and the bed. (Can't remember if it's two drawers or three). (I've never used them, but I have stayed in a room where one of them wouldn't stay closed, and kept opening itself).

And I think both closets have three small drawers.

There's some small shelves, like for knick nacks, next to the TV. And a shelf under the sinks, in the bathroom.

 

[Summertinkerbell]

I appreciate everyone's feedback on CR. Yesterday, we booked our trip and will be staying at the standard Garden Wing. I requested a pool view...maybe we will get lucky. I just really don't want to have a view of the parking lot.

The first morning we wake up in Disney World will be our 22nd wedding anniversary! What a glorious way to spend it. Right away I made our reservations to: 'Ohana for breakfast, Cinderella's Royal Table, California Grill, Cape May Café, 50's Prime Time Café, Via Napoli, and 1900 Park Fare.

The excitement of the trip is kicking in, and I'm actually looking forward to staying at the Contemporary Resort now. No more doubts.

 

[MinnieMeep]

I just got off the phone with Disney reservations, switched the second part of our September 2015 (9/16-9/20) split stay from AKL to CR theme park view club level! Sooo excited! Got 35% off as we originally booked the trip on Bounce Back 2 weeks ago. I've never stayed at CR before, and after thinking about the heat and humidity in September, I thought it would be better to stay at CR instead of AKL due to monorail and easier transportation (I also dreamed about it last night so it got the ball rolling in my head some more LOL, talk about Inception ). We're staying at BWI CL for the first part of the stay 9/12-9/16. We'll save AKL for the cooler months! Looking forward to following this thread now

 

[focusondisney]

What a SUITE anniversary present!

As was posted, you must call the CRO/WDTC/TA to book Tower Club Level rooms and suites. Tower Club level rooms aren't a requested location, they have to be booked to guarantee you'll be on that floor. Non-DVC suites that are on Club Level floors, aren't bookable online.

The 14th floor is called the Tower Club Level, however, on your confirmation, it may read "STANDARD CLUB LEVEL," whereas an Atrium CLub level room will read, "ATRIUM CLUB LEVEL." If your reservation states "Atrium Club," then you have booked the 12th floor, which does not have any suites. You will need to book the 14th floor Tower Club level if you want to book a suite. There is also a one bedroom suite in the Garden Wing. This suite can be booked online because it isn't located on a Club Level floor, though it does come with full CL access.

There are 11 suites on the Tower Club Level and there are also 5 non-suite rooms. Of the 5 non-suite rooms, 2 are King rooms, both with TPV and 3 are Queen rooms: 1 BLV, 1 TPV and one HA. On average, the Tower Club non-suite rooms cost a bit less than $50 more per night Vs. an Atrium Club room.

The CL chapter of the thread (hyperlinked in POST 1) has links to Tower Club photos and a Tower Club room number map.

So my reservation states "standard room- king-club level". Does that mean it's one of the 2 king rooms on the 14th floor? Thanks!