DISNEY'S CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information Thread!

[Desnik]

Thanks for all this great info. We will be leaving in 2 hours! I will definately post any info I get on everything that's going on at the CR. I am especially interested if the construction is really a DVC because we'll be all over it!LOL I will be taking lots of pictures too!

Marc A.
See you there!!!

 

[triplefigs]

Have a great trip, Densnik!

 

[madcam]

Getting scared here...........leaving for CR two weeks from today and although I do realize that they are under construction.......how bad is it? I mean does it feel like a job site in the hotel or is it just some areas that are walled off? Obviously I can't really do anything about it at this point but I would rather prepare myself so that I am not severly disappointed when we get there. We are staying in the South Wing so how is the walk from the main tower and how is the walk to MK? Are we going to be picking our way around dumpsters and scaffolding? And what is the deal with all the posts I keep reading about dirty rooms with food and toenail clippings and dust and dirty linens in the hallways? Not just with this resort but all the Disney resorts........surely they keep tabs with these boards and what people are saying. Is it as bad as people make it out to be or is it just that the people with complaints are the only ones who post?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Getting scared here...........leaving for CR two weeks from today and although I do realize that they are under construction.......how bad is it? I mean does it feel like a job site in the hotel or is it just some areas that are walled off? Obviously I can't really do anything about it at this point but I would rather prepare myself so that I am not severly disappointed when we get there. We are staying in the South Wing so how is the walk from the main tower and how is the walk to MK? Are we going to be picking our way around dumpsters and scaffolding? And what is the deal with all the posts I keep reading about dirty rooms with food and toenail clippings and dust and dirty linens in the hallways? Not just with this resort but all the Disney resorts........surely they keep tabs with these boards and what people are saying. Is it as bad as people make it out to be or is it just that the people with complaints are the only ones who post?

One of my friends who was just there told me the only thing that was walled off is the entrance to the Food & Fun Center and I guess you can also say the same thing about the construction in the North Garden Wing. At least when walking by it, when you look at it from the 4th floor or on the Monorail you can see what's going on. The walk from the South Garden Wing is about 5 minutes to the Tower so it's not that bad and as for the rooms, my parents and I never had any of those problems you mentioned so I can't help you there.

 

[Kteacher]

I was just there as well. The center area of the gift shop side of the 4th floor is walled off. During the day the construction there was noisy. The food and fun center was also walled off, and the rest rooms on the lobby level were closed. There was very little work being done on the DVC tower that's being built. CMs I talked to told me this construction was going to take 2 years.
As far as housekeeping, we had issues the first day, but after we talked to someone it was taken care of.
I'm getting ready to book my next trip for Oct. '08. If you look at my signature, you can see I'm a CR lover, but I'm thinking of staying at the Poly to avoid the construction.

 

[chrisp]

Getting scared here...........leaving for CR two weeks from today and although I do realize that they are under construction.......how bad is it? I mean does it feel like a job site in the hotel or is it just some areas that are walled off? Obviously I can't really do anything about it at this point but I would rather prepare myself so that I am not severly disappointed when we get there. We are staying in the South Wing so how is the walk from the main tower and how is the walk to MK? Are we going to be picking our way around dumpsters and scaffolding? And what is the deal with all the posts I keep reading about dirty rooms with food and toenail clippings and dust and dirty linens in the hallways? Not just with this resort but all the Disney resorts........surely they keep tabs with these boards and what people are saying. Is it as bad as people make it out to be or is it just that the people with complaints are the only ones who post?

We just returned - don't worry. It does not feel like a job site in the hotel, just some areas are walled off as mentioned above. There is construction going on during the day, but you'll be at the parks! The walk to the MK is fine, you will not be picking your way around anything - just head into the tower, out the front door then to the walkway - you won't even know construction is taking place - other than seeing the fenced off area where the north wing used to be - but that's far from your path. We did not have any problem at all with our room - it was spotless. Enjoy!

 

[Desnik]

Getting scared here...........leaving for CR two weeks from today and although I do realize that they are under construction.......how bad is it? I mean does it feel like a job site in the hotel or is it just some areas that are walled off? Obviously I can't really do anything about it at this point but I would rather prepare myself so that I am not severly disappointed when we get there. We are staying in the South Wing so how is the walk from the main tower and how is the walk to MK? Are we going to be picking our way around dumpsters and scaffolding? And what is the deal with all the posts I keep reading about dirty rooms with food and toenail clippings and dust and dirty linens in the hallways? Not just with this resort but all the Disney resorts........surely they keep tabs with these boards and what people are saying. Is it as bad as people make it out to be or is it just that the people with complaints are the only ones who post?

We just got back yesterday. When you first walk in you see in the middle of the check in/lobby it is walled off and you can see the exposed ceiling. It actually didn't bother us. I knew there was construction going on, it was just DH and I and we were only there for 2 nights. Like others have said the lobby restroom is closed, and the F&F center was walled off. On the 4th floor on the opposite end of Chef Mickey's, where the store is there is construction in a walled off area. We did hear sawing in the morning at around 9:30. It wasn't that loud. We didn't see anyone working in the area of the major construction outside. It is visable and it didn't bother us because we expected it. Personally I did feel that if we were with our kids for a week stay, we would choose somewhere else. That's just my opinion. We did have issues with our room. We were in a Tower MK view room and it was very dusty. I am usually not too picky about dust but this was beyond normal. It looked as if the room was never dusted. Also, the floor was not vacuumed. There were Froot Loops in plain site on the floor when we checked in. As well as confetti Mickey heads on the floor between the balcony doors and the bed. There was a chunk of marbel missing from the end table, the daybed had a large slash in it like someone took a knife and slashed it. There were also stains on it, the shower didn't work properly, the beds were made and the tub was clean. The sinks look great but are not practical. It was actually annoying. We just felt that the rehab was done but in our room it looked like it had been done half ***(you know what I mean, an expression I can't post here!LOL) I have a ton of pictures that show what I mean but have to wait for DH to help me post them. I need to make the files smaller. Anyway, we did have a good time there. The food at the grab and go was really good. The location is great, we rented a boat at the marina and had a good time. We did see the ducks and birds around the pool but not in the pool. The pool was OK, nothing great but not bad either. I didn't notice any food being sold near the pool. Maybe I'm wrong but when we went to the sand bar there was a menu for drinks and some chips for sale.
We did tell the front desk about the issues with the room and they said they would look into them. When our room was "cleaned" it still wasn't vacuumed and she threw away M&M's we had on the counter. I have to say that we have stayed at WDW resorts a lot and this was the dirtiest room we have been in. It wasn't terrible and enough for us to want to move, but it's not what I expect when paying almost $445 per night for a room.

 

[LMEJ]

I am not attempting to defend mousekeeping at all, and obviously crumbs and mickey confetti should be vacuumed regularly, but if all that construction is going on, I can see why there would be heavy dust. We had our kitchen renovated recently, and I couldn't believe how much dust there was throughout the house every day - even in rooms where I kept the door closed.

I leave for CR in a little over a month! Hoping for good mousekeeping!

 

[Desnik]

I am not attempting to defend mousekeeping at all, and obviously crumbs and mickey confetti should be vacuumed regularly, but if all that construction is going on, I can see why there would be heavy dust. We had our kitchen renovated recently, and I couldn't believe how much dust there was throughout the house every day - even in rooms where I kept the door closed.

I leave for CR in a little over a month! Hoping for good mousekeeping!

I agree and didn't think of that! It very well could be the case. But, even taking that into consideration when you see the picture I took with the dust you can clearly see it was something that hadn't been dusted in a long time. I have lived in my house for 4 years and we have always been renovating something. Gutting kitchen, bathrooms, etc... Lot's of dust everywhere and I have to dust daily. If the Mousekeepers were dusting everytime they cleaned the room, and all it takes is a quick wipe down, then I doubt it would be at the level it was in our room. But you bring up a good point and the head of mousekeeping should be on top of their workers making sure they clean and dust. I wonder if a manager/head of mousekeeping ever just goes around the resort checking random rooms after cleanings?

 

[cheerbop]

I hate to say it, but agree with the level of dust.....
Construction or not, it should still be cleaned, and also the rooms NEED to be vacuumed every day.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Just here to and get excited 'cause we just booked CRTower with MK view for our long weekend in January! Hooray! We're going with some friends who have never stayed in the CR--so excited to share it with them! (Hope the construction will have progressed enough that they will understand why we love that resort!)
Boy, I'm in trouble. I still have 3 months til we go. Can't wait!

 

[wishstar]

Just got back on Saturday and had a great stay at the CR.

The construction wasn't a big deal. It was hidden away behind panels and you didn't really notice it. We were usually gone by 8:30 in the morning so I can't say much about noise, but we didn't notice it when we returned at 3:00 for a good long nap. I actually thought the noise of Chef Mickey was worse. Every hour you would hear the clapping and the "woo hoo"ing. This seems to go on from 7:00AM to 10:00PM. The TV masks the noise, but when we took a nap, my DD would jump up and run out the door to see which character was being featured when the clapping began.

Poolwise, my DD really liked it. The slide was great and the pool deep enough for her to swim in. It doesn't have the theming that other WDW resorts have, but we still had fun there. And the beach hammocks were great. Note, there are two windows for the Sand Bar. The window facing the tower has the food service (Had a good barbeque sandwich) and the window facing the pool sold drinks.

Mousekeeping was great in my room. It was vacuumed everyday, new soap and shampoo set out (even when we didn't need it), and she would set up my DD's AG doll in some fun way while we were gone (reading a book, watching TV, getting ready for a shower with Eyore holding the toothbrush and toothpaste). We even received a lovely thank you note from her at the end of our stay. Made me wonder if anyone ever tips. We tipped $5/day for the 3 of us which I think is reasonable but not something to write a note for.

Just a comment, I know everyone raves over the MK view of the CR but frankly, the "extras" in the view (parking lot, etc.) leave a lot to be desired for me. I really liked the Bay view because I looked over a beautiful lake and every night was able to see the Electrical Water Pageant to my DD's delight. It actually made me forget that I was in this big theme park area. The garden wing area looked lovely. I'm sorry they are building that big tower because it will really cut into the view. Though the view from the new tower will probably be great!

One last comment. If you like a night light, bring one. The room is pitch dark (and I mean dark) with all the lights off and the curtains drawn. The only alternative are the mirror lights in the bathroom, that while dim aren't dim enough because of the glass bathroom door. And forget about decent makeup. The lights in the bathroom when they are all on, aren't bright enough to do your makeup with. I just walked out the door hoping I didn't look like a painted lady. In fact the whole room was rather dim. We would turn every light on at night when we got dressed. But who cares, we are on vacation and nobody knows us.

Yours,
JC

 

[triplefigs]

A little OT, but my DS is pretty sick and has been for over 2 weeks. There's a link to the story in my signature. If you pray, we'd sure appreciate it.

Denise

 

[Desnik]

A little OT, but my DS is pretty sick and has been for over 2 weeks. There's a link to the story in my signature. If you pray, we'd sure appreciate it.

Denise

I have been praying for you since you first posted about your DS on the CB. I also pray that you are given the strength to cope and keep fighting for answers for your DS. My heart really goes out to you. I posted on that thread about the difficulties DS had and the struggle we went through to get some answers. I know how difficult this can be.


wishstar
As a nightlight, we put on the light under the tv. The area with the tiles on it lights up nicely at night.

Be careful because the marble tiles on the floor leading to the bathroom are slippery. I slipped in the middle of the night and hit my shoulder on the door handle to the bathroom! Oh, there is also no lock on the bathroom doors.

 

[triplefigs]

I have been praying for you since you first posted about your DS on the CB. I also pray that you are given the strength to cope and keep fighting for answers for your DS. My heart really goes out to you. I posted on that thread about the difficulties DS had and the struggle we went through to get some answers. I know how difficult this can be.

I really appreciated your post and support. I am so grateful to everyone for praying for us. I just can't wait to take him to the CR and GF in Feb. It is his favorite place and all he talks about.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Just got back on Saturday and had a great stay at the CR.

The construction wasn't a big deal. It was hidden away behind panels and you didn't really notice it. We were usually gone by 8:30 in the morning so I can't say much about noise, but we didn't notice it when we returned at 3:00 for a good long nap. I actually thought the noise of Chef Mickey was worse. Every hour you would hear the clapping and the "woo hoo"ing. This seems to go on from 7:00AM to 10:00PM. The TV masks the noise, but when we took a nap, my DD would jump up and run out the door to see which character was being featured when the clapping began.

Poolwise, my DD really liked it. The slide was great and the pool deep enough for her to swim in. It doesn't have the theming that other WDW resorts have, but we still had fun there. And the beach hammocks were great. Note, there are two windows for the Sand Bar. The window facing the tower has the food service (Had a good barbeque sandwich) and the window facing the pool sold drinks.

Mousekeeping was great in my room. It was vacuumed everyday, new soap and shampoo set out (even when we didn't need it), and she would set up my DD's AG doll in some fun way while we were gone (reading a book, watching TV, getting ready for a shower with Eyore holding the toothbrush and toothpaste). We even received a lovely thank you note from her at the end of our stay. Made me wonder if anyone ever tips. We tipped $5/day for the 3 of us which I think is reasonable but not something to write a note for.

Just a comment, I know everyone raves over the MK view of the CR but frankly, the "extras" in the view (parking lot, etc.) leave a lot to be desired for me. I really liked the Bay view because I looked over a beautiful lake and every night was able to see the Electrical Water Pageant to my DD's delight. It actually made me forget that I was in this big theme park area. The garden wing area looked lovely. I'm sorry they are building that big tower because it will really cut into the view. Though the view from the new tower will probably be great!

One last comment. If you like a night light, bring one. The room is pitch dark (and I mean dark) with all the lights off and the curtains drawn. The only alternative are the mirror lights in the bathroom, that while dim aren't dim enough because of the glass bathroom door. And forget about decent makeup. The lights in the bathroom when they are all on, aren't bright enough to do your makeup with. I just walked out the door hoping I didn't look like a painted lady. In fact the whole room was rather dim. We would turn every light on at night when we got dressed. But who cares, we are on vacation and nobody knows us.

Yours,
JC

Thanks for you're great reivew, I enjoyed reading it.

 

[klmall]

wishstar
As a nightlight, we put on the light under the tv. The area with the tiles on it lights up nicely at night.

Thanks for the suggestion. I saw this in a picture elsewhere and had wondered if it would work as a nightlight.

Kathy

 

[Desnik]

Here are some pics of the construction on the 4th floor. These were taken from the 6th floor.

Here's the view from our room:

 

[thptrek]

Desnik, don't you just love that view!!! That is why CR is our favorite resort.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks for posting those pictures and after seeing them it looks like the new store on the 4th floor will be ready on time.