Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[BabybetterDisney]

Deleted

 

[crazy4wdw]

Hi, I have a question about the security checkin for the Contemporary. I notice in the past that at one point late in the day, they are gone and people there are directed to the main security at MK. Does anybody know around what time that happens? Thanks!

Are you talking about the security check on the walkway between the Contemporary and the Magic Kingdom?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Can anyone tell me what is on the cabana menu? Thinking about renting one for our non-park day and wondering if it is just the stuff from the Sand Bar?

It’s just stuff from the Sand Bar: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/contemporary-resort/sand-bar/menus/

You can order from the Private Dining menu (aka, Room Service) for delivery to the cabana, but it’s a seperate service than the cabana attendant (they’ll likely direct you to a number to call if you ask, or they may look at you funny).

We’ve done a cabana a CR - I don’t necessarily love CR’s pools but I love the vibe down there and the relaxing setting on the shores of Bay Lake. Happy to answer any questions.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

deleted

 

[Staren]

Does anyone have experience with a fear of heights and the CR upper floors? I just booked an Atrium club level stay for December 2019, then realized that the walkways facing the concourse on the 12th floor might bother me some. Are the railings fairly high? Photos that show the CR halls seem kind of rare.

 

[ksromack]

Does anyone have experience with a fear of heights and the CR upper floors? I just booked an Atrium club level stay for December 2019, then realized that the walkways facing the concourse on the 12th floor might bother me some. Are the railings fairly high? Photos that show the CR halls seem kind of rare.

I'm not terribly crazy about heights but the railings are solid, looking into the atrium and they are close to chest high on me (I'm 5'3"l. This is just going by recollection. I felt very separated by them.

 

[ninafeliz]

Does anyone have experience with a fear of heights and the CR upper floors? I just booked an Atrium club level stay for December 2019, then realized that the walkways facing the concourse on the 12th floor might bother me some. Are the railings fairly high? Photos that show the CR halls seem kind of rare.

I'm not terribly crazy about heights but the railings are solid, looking into the atrium and they are close to chest high on me (I'm 5'3"l. This is just going by recollection. I felt very separated by them.

I agree, the railings are pretty high. I’m also around 5’3” and I feel like I had to almost peer over, they were definately at least chest high on me. My memory makes it seem like they were upper chest, like close to shoulder level, but I’m not sure on that. Either way, I feel like you could walk to your room and pay no attention to the fact that you are able to see over the railing down to the concourse and just feel as if you’re In a regular hall. You just see the large windows on the end of the resort and the walls if you walk and don’t try to look over/down. The balcony wall is a solid, regular wall, also, so no slats, etc like room balconies. This is harder to write than just explain in words, lol, I hope this makes some sense!

 

[crazy4wdw]

Security screening improvements coming to the Magic Kingdom to Contemporary Resort walkway

https://www.wdwmagic.com/attraction...ic-kingdom-to-contemporary-resort-walkway.htm

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Security screening improvements coming to the Magic Kingdom to Contemporary Resort walkway

https://www.wdwmagic.com/attraction...ic-kingdom-to-contemporary-resort-walkway.htm

Like x100

Thanks for sharing!

 

[EilonwyAskOnce]

It’s just stuff from the Sand Bar: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/contemporary-resort/sand-bar/menus/

You can order from the Private Dining menu (aka, Room Service) for delivery to the cabana, but it’s a seperate service than the cabana attendant (they’ll likely direct you to a number to call if you ask, or they may look at you funny).

We’ve done a cabana a CR - I don’t necessarily love CR’s pools but I love the vibe down there and the relaxing setting on the shores of Bay Lake. Happy to answer any questions.

Thank you! I'm waffling between this and going to Disney Springs for the day with our little girl (maybe BBB) while husband is off golfing. The only drawback to the cabana rental is I'd probably spend more time in the pool keeping my kid from drowning herself than under the shade!

 

[trishadono]

Hi all! just booked two rooms in the Garden Wing for two nights before our 10 night stay at the Beach Club. Have two quick questions. Are there adjoining rooms in the wing? Also will be there for Halloween. Do they do anything fun for the kids that evening? Appreciate any feedback. This is our first time staying here

Sorry for the late post. I found a pic from my Gv room back in 2013 and yep it has a connecting door.

Halloween at the resorts, I know they do the pool stuff for kids all Halloween themed and some resorts have reported other special things I just am not sure what CR does. You will have a great spot to watch Hallowishes at least if not going to mnsshp.

You could boat over to FW, I think the campgrounds get decorated and stuff. If that appeals to you , check that thread.

 

[Gryhndmom]

Security screening improvements coming to the Magic Kingdom to Contemporary Resort walkway

https://www.wdwmagic.com/attraction...ic-kingdom-to-contemporary-resort-walkway.htm

One can only hope the security checks improve with a new process. Would also like to see them improve the multiple checks going from BLT/contemporary to Epcot via monorail.

 

[WeLoveLilo05]

Hi everyone!
Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this August (hope we made the right choice!) in the Garden Wing. I am beginning to stress that maybe we wont like it. We were drawn because the walk to MK and thought this would be perfect because we are there the most and because we plan on doing MNSSHP (location, location, location! lol). And we have been to contemporary MANY times for meals and is this weird to say, but every bathroom I have ever been in there has always been extremely clean!! LoL So I thought maybe that was a reflection of the hotel as a whole. However I just watched a youtube video of someone complaining how dirty their room, specifically bathroom was upon check in.
Is the walk from the Garden wing long to the Contempo Cafe and the gift shops?
Is it really far to MK from Garden Wing?
Can we use the pool by BLT or is that just for DVC members?
How long is boat ride to WL? Thinking of trying to get storybook dining reservations.
How were the eats at Contempo Cafe? (we usually do BC and the menu there is slim pickings!)
We did Cali Grill for dinner last year and loved it, anyone ever do brunch? Your thoughts?
Pros and Cons of contemporary overall?
Thanks!! Any tips greatly appreciated!

 

[diser_fam]

Is the walk from the Garden wing long to the Contempo Cafe and the gift shops?
Is it really far to MK from Garden Wing?
We did Cali Grill for dinner last year and loved it, anyone ever do brunch? Your thoughts?

With regards to the questions above:

I had the same concerns you did the first time we stayed in the Garden Wing, but the walk from the Garden Wing to the Contempo Cafe and gift shops is minimal. Less than 5 minutes. This past October our room was at the end closest to the Main Building, so the walk was only 2 or 3 minutes.
The walk from MK to the Garden Wing is just a couple of minutes longer than to the Contemporary itself. Not a bad walk at all. You cannot beat the location and being able to walk back from MK!

We did the Brunch in February of 2017 and will be doing it again this June. All 4 members of my family loved it. The Brunch entrees are not as good as their Dinner entrees in my opinion, but they were still good. The Self Serve selections were fantastic!

 

[trishadono]

Hi everyone!
Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this August (hope we made the right choice!) in the Garden Wing. I am beginning to stress that maybe we wont like it. We were drawn because the walk to MK and thought this would be perfect because we are there the most and because we plan on doing MNSSHP (location, location, location! lol). And we have been to contemporary MANY times for meals and is this weird to say, but every bathroom I have ever been in there has always been extremely clean!! LoL So I thought maybe that was a reflection of the hotel as a whole. However I just watched a youtube video of someone complaining how dirty their room, specifically bathroom was upon check in.
Is the walk from the Garden wing long to the Contempo Cafe and the gift shops?
Is it really far to MK from Garden Wing?
Can we use the pool by BLT or is that just for DVC members?
How long is boat ride to WL? Thinking of trying to get storybook dining reservations.
How were the eats at Contempo Cafe? (we usually do BC and the menu there is slim pickings!)
We did Cali Grill for dinner last year and loved it, anyone ever do brunch? Your thoughts?
Pros and Cons of contemporary overall?
Thanks!! Any tips greatly appreciated!

I ignore those posts. Some people are just not happy or over complain.

CR is a great resort!

I boat from CR to wl often just for something to do . The ride is short , 5-8 mins maybe . It all depends on when you catch it. You know how it is, sometimes you arrive just as it leaves.

Just in case that happens you can walk to MK and take the bus over (or if after dinner do in reverse) . My dh didn't believe me so I made him try it in Nov. He said wow that's so fast. Yep, they go in a continuous loop so a bus feels like it's always pulling up.

Cc is good. CG is a nice place to go. Very fun thing to do and lots of options for food and drink. Don't have a res? The bar has space that is 1st come 1st serve with its own lounge menu. Not nearly as good but check out the menus no see. It may work for you.

Blt is only for blt . However blt people can use the CR pool. There are 2 hot tubs at the main pool CR and the 2nd oool out by the water is nice in deep.

I find getting familiar to menus before you go is helpful. Go to disparks online and for" all dining" check box top Left and choose CR. That way you can peek at the pool menu etc too.

Hope these help.

 

[ninafeliz]

Hi everyone!
Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this August (hope we made the right choice!) in the Garden Wing. I am beginning to stress that maybe we wont like it. We were drawn because the walk to MK and thought this would be perfect because we are there the most and because we plan on doing MNSSHP (location, location, location! lol). And we have been to contemporary MANY times for meals and is this weird to say, but every bathroom I have ever been in there has always been extremely clean!! LoL So I thought maybe that was a reflection of the hotel as a whole. However I just watched a youtube video of someone complaining how dirty their room, specifically bathroom was upon check in.
Is the walk from the Garden wing long to the Contempo Cafe and the gift shops?
Is it really far to MK from Garden Wing?
Can we use the pool by BLT or is that just for DVC members?
How long is boat ride to WL? Thinking of trying to get storybook dining reservations.
How were the eats at Contempo Cafe? (we usually do BC and the menu there is slim pickings!)
We did Cali Grill for dinner last year and loved it, anyone ever do brunch? Your thoughts?
Pros and Cons of contemporary overall?
Thanks!! Any tips greatly appreciated!

We have stayed in the main tower, but not in the Garden wing, so keep that in mind when I give my opinion The way I have always looked at the CR is that I would much prefer to be in the main tower, but if it was a garden wing or having to stay in a moderate resort, etc then I would most definitely take the garden wing. From the basic theming and ambience of the CR it is far from my favorite resort, but when you take into account the ability to walk to the MK and the amazing views it jumps up tons. We have stayed at all of the Deluxes, and it still isn't my favorite but our 2 stays there have been wonderful, and I would stay again no problem. Walking to the MK makes up for a lot of shortcomings on atmosphere IMHO.

The walk from the garden wing isn't bad, it should be just a few minutes, and it depends on where in the GW your room is, but it isn't huge so we're not talking major time differences here. It just isn't as convenient as being in the tower. Again, all in perspective. It's a lot closer than pretty much all of the rooms in the value and moderate resorts.

The walk to the MK is just a little bit further from the GW than from the tower, but you can avoid the tower elevators, so I wouldn't worry about that at all. Still very walkable.

You cannot use the BLT pool. Not sure why they did that here, all of the other resorts that i can think of that have DVC and hotel sides allow both sides to use both pools, but not here.

We really like the contempo cafe, we have eaten here even when staying at other resorts.

Overall, the major pro is walkability to the MK, and that counts for a lot when you are leaving after fireworks, or attending special events like EMM, MNSSHP, MVMCP, etc It's a huge plus then. I also think it's pretty cool to swim in the pool and be able to look up and see the iconic building towering over you, and to see bay lake just beyond the pools. Being in the lobby and seeing the monorail go through never gets old. I think the gift shops there are better than average, and they do have some non disney stuff as well. Staying in the tower, the views are also amazing. I find the bay lake view better in some ways than the MK view (except for no fireworks). The best way to do it is stay CL and see Bay Lake from your room and the MK from the lounge. It also never gets old to be able to see down into the Grand Canyon Concourse from the halls outside the rooms. While the decor isn't my cup of tea, it works there and fits. Same with the rooms. I would never decorate my house with the modern decor they use, but I love it in the CR. Like I said, the theming isn't the best or my favorite, but it just all comes together well and the other perks make up for it. The whole thing is iconic and classic Disney.

The cons I would say are all of the concrete, and less of the lush theming and grounds most of the other resorts have. It's just different. I feel it has less of a resort feel and more of a hotel feel. Maybe it's just me. The pool area is nothing special. It's big and wet, but less themed than most other resorts except the values IMO. It is not zero entry. It does have a slide, and I have never had any problem finding loungers, etc there which is a plus. But the view from the pool is nice. I think this area is very overdue for a renovation, but for whatever reason I have never even read a rumor about that happening, so who knows.

Hope that helped, just a few things off the top of my head.

Edited for an unfortunate spelling error!

 

[trishadono]

With regards to the questions above:

I had the same concerns you did the first time we stayed in the Garden Wing, but the walk from the Garden Wing to the Contempo Cafe and gift shops is minimal. Less than 5 minutes. This past October our room was at the end closest to the Main Building, so the walk was only 2 or 3 minutes.
The walk from MK to the Garden Wing is just a couple of minutes longer than to the Contemporary itself. Not a bad walk at all. You cannot beat the location and being able to walk back from MK!

We did the Brunch in February of 2017 and will be doing it again this June. All 4 members of my family loved it. The Brunch entrees are not as good as their Dinner entrees in my opinion, but they were still good. The Self Serve selections were fantastic!

I'm trying the brunch this Sunday, I can't wait.

 

[PolyRob]

Hi everyone!
Staying at the Contemporary for the first time this August (hope we made the right choice!) in the Garden Wing. I am beginning to stress that maybe we wont like it. We were drawn because the walk to MK and thought this would be perfect because we are there the most and because we plan on doing MNSSHP (location, location, location! lol). And we have been to contemporary MANY times for meals and is this weird to say, but every bathroom I have ever been in there has always been extremely clean!! LoL So I thought maybe that was a reflection of the hotel as a whole. However I just watched a youtube video of someone complaining how dirty their room, specifically bathroom was upon check in.
Is the walk from the Garden wing long to the Contempo Cafe and the gift shops?
Is it really far to MK from Garden Wing?
Can we use the pool by BLT or is that just for DVC members?
How long is boat ride to WL? Thinking of trying to get storybook dining reservations.
How were the eats at Contempo Cafe? (we usually do BC and the menu there is slim pickings!)
We did Cali Grill for dinner last year and loved it, anyone ever do brunch? Your thoughts?
Pros and Cons of contemporary overall?
Thanks!! Any tips greatly appreciated!

My rooms at the CR have always been clean. I would just call housekeeping or go back to the front desk if it was ever dirty anywhere. Sadly mistakes can happen. With that said, I can honestly say I've never experienced a room that was unclean upon check-in at WDW and I travel multiple times a year and am a total germaphobe.

The garden wing is not far at all. It will take 3-5 minutes to go from the garden wing to the main building. When timing a walk to the MK, I would just add an extra 3-5. It all depends on where your room is located in the garden wing. One big pro about the garden wing compared to other deluxe resorts with outer buildings is that it is sheltered on your walk to the main building so you can avoid getting wet if you want to grab a drink or snack.

The WL boat is great. I used Contempo Cafe as my QS when I stayed at WL and Roaring Fork was closed for refurbishment. Didn't bother me one bit. The only time there would be an issue with the boat service is if you're planning on using it during the fireworks cruise. The boat times get messed up/delayed around then.

The only "cons" with CR that I have are that the room theme and pool is more "generic" than a typical WDW resort. The sinks are also located in the same room as the shower (like Poly) because its an older resort. These aren't deal breakers for me. The one thing I actually dislike about the CR room is the bathroom sink. It has a lot of surface area, is very shallow, and has a strange faucet. Besides that, I really don't have any other downfalls.

 

[Sajchinook2015]

I currently have a garden wing booked. But thinking about switching to main building club level. We are party of 3 adults. Both my mom and sister require a scooter. Will the elevators be a problem in the main building going up to club level.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I currently have a garden wing booked. But thinking about switching to main building club level. We are party of 3 adults. Both my mom and sister require a scooter. Will the elevators be a problem in the main building going up to club level.

The elevators at CR can be busy at times. You’re competing not just with resort guests but a lot of traffic going to the 4th floor for Chef Mickeys, the monorail, shopping, etc. It’s not something that would cause me not to stay in the Tower, but stay enough and you’ll inevitably come across a time where elevators either take longer than you think they should or seem crowded.

Ultimately I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Worst thing you get split and take two elevators up. I consider the longer elevator wait to be about the same as what one might spend at, say Poly or an Epcot resort where some rooms can be a hike from the lobby.

I’m a big fan of CR CL, for what it’s worth. We’ve always enjoyed our experiences there.