POR - Contemporary - WL?

[scanne]

We are booked in a Royal Guest room this summer at POR.
I am excited but hesitant.
The rooms look beautiful and elegant and definitely suit my taste.

I am hesitant because of the bus service to the MK. It's our favorite park and we love being at a MK resort.

So, we are thinking of changing to WL or CR. We've stayed at WL 6 times. Love it there.
We have never stayed at CR. Would probably book a Bay Lake view tower room.

So, would you stay CR over POR? My main concern is transportation to the MK.

Thanks.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

At the Contemporary you will have the walkway to the Magic Kingdom which takes about 10 minutes, so if getting there is your main concern you should go with the Contemporary. Plus their Standard Rooms are among the biggest of the Deluxe Resorts and all their rooms in the Tower come with a guaranteed full size balcony.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We're MK fans also....we've done quite a few stays at the CR but that was in the late 70's and 80's....CR was alot different back then, had everything we wanted in a resort...but as the years wore on and the changes made to the resort...it has lost its appeal......nothing draws us to consider a stay there...and the walk is not that great in the Florida heat, either coming or going...it's more like a choice of scaling the monorail ramp with tons of people at nights end or making the walk back...and if I choose a monorail resort and paid the money, I sure as heck ain't going to walk....

Moderates never appealed to us, motel style resort......

WL caught our fancy the year they opened up....we were staying at the GF that trip (this trip is what broke our CR trips, Disney offered us the GF for the same money) so we wandered over to the WL and was blown away....next trip had to be there (and we tried switching from the GF, GF didn't do a thing for us) ....in between some stays at Y&B and AKL plus the Poly thru the years, we finally returned to the WL and haven't looked back, last 10+ stays have been there....we enjoy being in the MK area, love being on the lakes, like the compactness of the resort and being under one roof and best of all, the price...we won't go to WDW for 4 or 5 nights...we want 9-12 nights and the savings at WL over the monorail resorts affords us that option....yeah, the rooms are smaller but we aren't going to host a party in them, if we're awake, we're either at the parks or at the pool, room is just for sleeping.....we enjoy the resorts pool, love the ambiance and soothing music there and popping down to the pool from the room, stopping at the QS is so easy....

We like the layout of the resort, walking trails, boat rentals, EWP each night and having quick access over to FW...all said and done, we've been to alot of resorts and nothing does for us what the WL does in all areas....

 

[shell8558]

I have never stayed at CR. However, I have stayed at both the WL and POR. With POR being our favorite! The new Royal rooms are located in the Mansions which are beautiful and easy walking distance to the pools and food court. The bus transportation is fine. We have had no problems and we always stay Memorial Day week. We have also utilized the boat to DD many times and enjoy that as well.

 

[AshleeH]

We love CR because of the walkway! I've said it before, but it's worth it's weight in gold! When we stayed at AK:KV our first year (which was a lot of fun!) we got stranded in the Magic Kingdom for two hours after close one night because the crowd exiting was so massive. The entire time we were sitting over near Guest Services and we'd look longingly at the Contemporary and wish we had stayed there. Last year we planned a trip spur-of-the-moment so they didn't have the entire week available, but we stayed there for the first half of the week and loved it! This year we planned a trip well in advance (so we could stay there the entire time) and got a free upgrade to Bay Lake so we're really looking forward to it!

We go to Magic Kingdom (and MNSSHP) so often that it's more than worth it for us. Words cannot express how much I love bypassing the crowds that are dependent on Disney transportation and controlling when and how I leave the Magic Kingdom .

 

[Disneymama5816]

While we have not stayed at the WL (yet) I have to say the CR is easily our favorite resort. We are currently booked in Royal rooms for our stay in July. I am actually hoping the CR will open up some less expensive rooms as I might decide to do a split stay. That being said, the view of the Bay Lake is absolutely breathtaking. I would stay there in a heartbeat!

 

[Sue M]

We've stayed at both POR and WL several times, and love both. You know about WL transportation, POR is good, but not as good as a boat ride away from MK.
We haven't stayed at CR, theming doesn't appeal to me, but one day I may try it just to see!
The rooms are larger, and the walk to MK or back to CR is a big plus, esp at park closing when monorail is so crowded.

But I have to say, the best resort transportation I've had was at Poly. Boat or monorail to MK, and a short walk to TTC for Epcot monorail. At CR you have to take the resort monorail then transfer to Epcot monorail.

 

[DisLee]

CR hands down.

 

[jpdeg99]

Never stayed at Wilderness Lodge. We have stayed at POFQ and CR. Contemporary was awesome. We have two little kids and hate taking the buses (mainly because of the huge rental stroller we have). Contemporary has the walkway, which is priceless, and is a very easy, pleasant walk. We've now been spoiled. Our next trip may be in December, so I am considering Wilderness Lodge for the decorations, and the fact that we can boat to the Contemporary and walk to MK. It's also a lot cheaper than the Contemporary. The princess rooms look nice, but if we stayed there, we'd just drive to avoid the buses.

 

[DanPadavona]

Several years ago I timed the bus trip from POR to MK and it came to about 20 minutes. It takes about 15 minutes to walk from Contemporary to MK depending on which wing you are in. Not a huge difference.

But I'm also the type who likes to stay close to the action and that's why we usually go Deluxe and stay on the monorail or the Boardwalk. You can't beat the easy access.

If you feel really strongly that you will be missing out, give CR a call and see if you can get an upgrade deal at a Deluxe.

 

[MissionMouse]

...So, would you stay CR over POR? My main concern is transportation to the MK. Thanks.

We have only stayed at Deluxes, so my response has no weight regarding POR, but we have stayed at all the MK area resorts. If transportation is a concern I would say all the resorts will get you there, but it is a matter of how long along with how polite will the experience be. Bus lines are always an x factor depending on the time of day and the guest who staying at the resort during your stay. We always find the resort location to be a big plus in enhancing our stay. The CR walkway is a great option to avoid transportation lines. If the monorail lines are long or down a simple 5-8 minute walk and you are home. Never encountered a guest breaking into the bus wait line for other parks at the CR, can't say that for many of the other deluxes...probably happens at the CR too...but if you are focused on the MK it a simple/short 5-8 minute walk away.