The ALL NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower FAQ with PICs! (FEB 2010)

[Cinderumbrella]

Hey all!

Back late last night from a glorious 10 night stay at the CR!! We were in room 4433 (8th floor, facing the MK) Great view, quiet neighbors, and we loved our first stay in the tower!! We watched the fireworks almost every night from the balcony (unless we were in MK seeing them in person ). Mousekeeping was thorough and we received turndown each night (we called to request it our first night) and got pirate chocolates!

Food:
Didn't really eat at the Contempo (except one breakfast), but we did try room service on morning for breakfast and it was good
Ate twice at Cali Grille and had our usual top notch service, great seat by the window and the Bison was to die for!!!
Had an ADR at the Wave for lunch, but slept right through it
Went to Chef Mickey's for breakfast twice but they really rush those characters through now

Resort Activities:
Pool was crowded most afternoons, but it was so stinking hot that it felt good anyway!
Lifeguards had fun activities for the kids by the pool each day (hoola hoop contests, water balloons, water volleyball, trivia etc) Prizes were mardi gras beads etc. DS7 loved it!
Also, don't know if this is "news", but there is now a cabana for rent by the main pool and not just by the quiet pool.
Went to movie under the stars to watch National Treasure one evening. It is behind the BLT walkway now and not on the beach.
Also they moved the campfire time to 5:30 or some insanely early time
We did the Pirate & Pals Firework Voyage and it was AWESOME!! But bring bug spray.

General:
We didn't think the monorail seemed anymore crowded that it was before BLT opened. But we did walk to MK most of the time and only rode it back or when going to EPCOT.
Buses were fine (shared with the Poly mostly) and arrived promptly. We never waited more than 10 minutes for one (even DTD).
The sensor feature on the A/C stinks!!!! It got so hot in the room during the night without movement. But a call to maintenance in the AM (plus again 5 days later when the override cancelled out) fixed that.
They did another power test where they cut all power to the resort overnight for a few hours Same thing happened to us this week last year too. This time the power was only out a couple of hours (unlike last year where it was out for about 4). They do leave a note a couple of days ahead of time to warn you. We turned the A/C down to 65 before we went to bed so it wouldn't get too hot in the room

As for the parks, we stuck with TGM's best parks and thought it was ALOT less crowded than this week last year. Headliners still got over 60 minute wait times, but we did rope drop most days and got tons accomplished in the first 2 hours the parks were open. SWW at DHS was great again! It really is a must do for Star Wars fans

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I have some pictures to upload later.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Cinderumbrella,
Thanks for posting that amazing review and it's great you had a wonderfull time. I also wanted to say that the cabana located by the main pool is the 1st time I have heard of that, so thanks for that information and I also didn't notice the Monorail being more crowded since Bay Lake Tower had opened. Anyway I can not wait to see your pictures and my question is did you get to watch game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals when Patrick Kane scored the Cup winning goal in overtime and what was your reaction, because I didn't think the puck went in at 1st.

 

[WDWKOOK]

This was posted today to a thread about Resort merchandise being phased-out:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37010031#post37010031

Just got back yesterday from the Contemporary, they have NO resort merchandise. The Polynesian however had lots. They had several styles of t-shirts, a beach towel and other home type merchandise. The Grand Floridian also had resort merchandise. The cast member at the Polynesian had no idea that other resorts were discontinuing their merchandise. Other recent trips to Pop Century and the Yacht Club have also resulted in no resort merchandise.
It is quite sad.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hey all!

Back late last night from a glorious 10 night stay at the CR!! We were in room 4433 (8th floor, facing the MK) Great view, quiet neighbors, and we loved our first stay in the tower!! We watched the fireworks almost every night from the balcony (unless we were in MK seeing them in person ). Mousekeeping was thorough and we received turndown each night (we called to request it our first night) and got pirate chocolates!

Food:
Didn't really eat at the Contempo (except one breakfast), but we did try room service on morning for breakfast and it was good
Ate twice at Cali Grille and had our usual top notch service, great seat by the window and the Bison was to die for!!!
Had an ADR at the Wave for lunch, but slept right through it
Went to Chef Mickey's for breakfast twice but they really rush those characters through now

Resort Activities:
Pool was crowded most afternoons, but it was so stinking hot that it felt good anyway!
Lifeguards had fun activities for the kids by the pool each day (hoola hoop contests, water balloons, water volleyball, trivia etc) Prizes were mardi gras beads etc. DS7 loved it!
Also, don't know if this is "news", but there is now a cabana for rent by the main pool and not just by the quiet pool.
Went to movie under the stars to watch National Treasure one evening. It is behind the BLT walkway now and not on the beach.
Also they moved the campfire time to 5:30 or some insanely early time
We did the Pirate & Pals Firework Voyage and it was AWESOME!! But bring bug spray.

General:
We didn't think the monorail seemed anymore crowded that it was before BLT opened. But we did walk to MK most of the time and only rode it back or when going to EPCOT.
Buses were fine (shared with the Poly mostly) and arrived promptly. We never waited more than 10 minutes for one (even DTD).
The sensor feature on the A/C stinks!!!! It got so hot in the room during the night without movement. But a call to maintenance in the AM (plus again 5 days later when the override cancelled out) fixed that.
They did another power test where they cut all power to the resort overnight for a few hours Same thing happened to us this week last year too. This time the power was only out a couple of hours (unlike last year where it was out for about 4). They do leave a note a couple of days ahead of time to warn you. We turned the A/C down to 65 before we went to bed so it wouldn't get too hot in the room

As for the parks, we stuck with TGM's best parks and thought it was ALOT less crowded than this week last year. Headliners still got over 60 minute wait times, but we did rope drop most days and got tons accomplished in the first 2 hours the parks were open. SWW at DHS was great again! It really is a must do for Star Wars fans

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I have some pictures to upload later.

Sounds like you had a great trip! I do have one question - were there any after Christmas dates (2010) included in the bounceback offer? Thanks

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

This was posted today to a thread about Resort merchandise being phased-out:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37010031#post37010031

Just got back yesterday from the Contemporary, they have NO resort merchandise. The Polynesian however had lots. They had several styles of t-shirts, a beach towel and other home type merchandise. The Grand Floridian also had resort merchandise. The cast member at the Polynesian had no idea that other resorts were discontinuing their merchandise. Other recent trips to Pop Century and the Yacht Club have also resulted in no resort merchandise.
It is quite sad.

Honestly I am not surprised that they didn't see any Contemporary merchandise because based on what I remember from my previous stays there, they basically had nothing or very few smaller items with it's logo or picture of the Contemporary itself. While it's disappointing I am still happy with the Contemporary merchandise I purchased in the past like my Contemporary jacket that I bought at the Bay View Gifts store a few years ago, so it's still not the end of the world.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Cinderumbrella,
Thanks for posting that amazing review and it's great you had a wonderfull time. I also wanted to say that the cabana located by the main pool is the 1st time I have heard of that, so thanks for that information and I also didn't notice the Monorail being more crowded since Bay Lake Tower had opened. Anyway I can not wait to see your pictures and my question is did you get to watch game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals when Patrick Kane scored the Cup winning goal in overtime and what was your reaction, because I didn't think the puck went in at 1st.

I did see the 3rd period of game 6. I was half asleep when I saw Kaner starting to celebrate and I sat straight up in bed to look at DS and see if he saw. DS was out cold!! But I grabbed my camera and starting taking pics of the celebration on the TV screen! (Yes, I am a dork! ) I was BAWLING!! It was so exciting!!!! I called DH, but he was here at a local pub watching and it was SO LOUD he couldn't hear me at all.

We both wore our Blackhawks stuff the next day and we saw TONS of other fellow fans doing the same

This was posted today to a thread about Resort merchandise being phased-out:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=37010031#post37010031

Just got back yesterday from the Contemporary, they have NO resort merchandise. The Polynesian however had lots. They had several styles of t-shirts, a beach towel and other home type merchandise. The Grand Floridian also had resort merchandise. The cast member at the Polynesian had no idea that other resorts were discontinuing their merchandise. Other recent trips to Pop Century and the Yacht Club have also resulted in no resort merchandise.
It is quite sad.

Yup, the CR had NOTHING!!! But AKL had tons

Sounds like you had a great trip! I do have one question - were there any after Christmas dates (2010) included in the bounceback offer? Thanks

Nope, the bounceback offer ended right before Christmas (sorry, I don't have the exact date). There were no 2011 dates either.

 

[CaptainNemo]

I just got back from my first stay at the Contemporary Resort and loved it. It is one of the finest Disney hotels. I will definitely try to stay there again. But let me talk about some minor flaws I encountered which in no way will stop me from staying there again.

Some background: I stayed in the Atrium Club room 4805 with my sister and niece. My niece had just graduated as the salutatorian of her high school so I wanted to do something special for her. I emailed my request to the planning office and got no response. It was not until a week later that I re-emailed them that they sent back a message saying they got the original. I called a week before my arrival to ask if something special could be done for my niece. The man on the phone gave me the number of the cake department so I could arrange it myself (isn't that their job?). We settled on some balloons and an autographed picture of Belle.

When we arrived at 7:00 pm we were not taken up to our rooms and had to check in downstairs.
I had to remind the concierge about the autographed picture because they had no record of the request.
Our room was above Chef Mickey's and I was awakened every morning by singing. This did not bother me much and will just attribute it to the charm of the resort. The room was incredibly quiet otherwise compared to Pop Century.

After each meal service at the lounge, they would come and take the food away. Why not leave it out and wait for it to all be eaten? It's not like they are going to use it again the next day.

There were no Crispy Kreme Donuts or flatbreads in the lounge. The lounge has no fridge so the sodas are warm and need to be cooled down with ice. The lounges at the Polynesian, AKL and Yacht Club all had refridgerators which were allways stocked with sodas and beer. I only saw beers put out twice at the Contemporary. The lounge did have Sprite Zero that a previous poster had asked about.

I believe these are all minor complaints and do realize I am nit picking. I really did love the place and hope I can return.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I just got back from my first stay at the Contemporary Resort and loved it. It is one of the finest Disney hotels. I will definitely try to stay there again. But let me talk about some minor flaws I encountered which in no way will stop me from staying there again.

Some background: I stayed in the Atrium Club room 4805 with my sister and niece. My niece had just graduated as the salutatorian of her high school so I wanted to do something special for her. I emailed my request to the planning office and got no response. It was not until a week later that I re-emailed them that they sent back a message saying they got the original. I called a week before my arrival to ask if something special could be done for my niece. The man on the phone gave me the number of the cake department so I could arrange it myself (isn't that their job?). We settled on some balloons and an autographed picture of Belle.

When we arrived at 7:00 pm we were not taken up to our rooms and had to check in downstairs.
I had to remind the concierge about the autographed picture because they had no record of the request.
Our room was above Chef Mickey's and I was awakened every morning by singing. This did not bother me much and will just attribute it to the charm of the resort. The room was incredibly quiet otherwise compared to Pop Century.

After each meal service at the lounge, they would come and take the food away. Why not leave it out and wait for it to all be eaten? It's not like they are going to use it again the next day.

There were no Crispy Kreme Donuts or flatbreads in the lounge. The lounge has no fridge so the sodas are warm and need to be cooled down with ice. The lounges at the Polynesian, AKL and Yacht Club all had refridgerators which were allways stocked with sodas and beer. I only saw beers put out twice at the Contemporary. The lounge did have Sprite Zero that a previous poster had asked about.

I believe these are all minor complaints and do realize I am nit picking. I really did love the place and hope I can return.

Thanks for posting your review.

 

[crcurton]

Great review Cinderumbrella! Thanks on the updates!

 

[dellasgirl]

z

 

[micandminforever]

We are staying at Bay Lake Towers? My husband reads several newspapers a day, where can he find newspapers in the morning? Also what time are they delivered? I know at Pop Century he could get a paper at 6:30, but at POFQ it was more like 8:00. He get up at 4:45 even on at Disney. Now you know why I insisted on a one bedroom.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Another question
What are the prices of the 'platters' at the contempo cafe?
I have searched but can't seem to find the cost.
DD#1 is a very big breakfast eater--plus the fact that she is pregnant and without food she is VERY grumpy
Any help will be appreciated

You can only see the prices when ordering on their touch screen machines.

 

[dellasgirl]

z

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thank you--
I guess it is a wait and see for us

You're welcome and have a great time.

 

[WDWKOOK]

We are staying at Bay Lake Towers? My husband reads several newspapers a day, where can he find newspapers in the morning? Also what time are they delivered? I know at Pop Century he could get a paper at 6:30, but at POFQ it was more like 8:00. He get up at 4:45 even on at Disney. Now you know why I insisted on a one bedroom.

They do sell papers on the 4th floor concourse. To better answer your question, you might want to post it to the (DVC) BLT Rooms and Views thread here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2257082

Have a great vacation in your one bedroom villa!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you--
I guess it is a wait and see for us

I'm not positive, but I think the breakfast platters are $6.95-ish. I searched many CC photos/reviews and could only find lunch and dinner prices.

Have a great visit!

 

[WDWKOOK]

I just got back from my first stay at the Contemporary Resort and loved it. It is one of the finest Disney hotels. I will definitely try to stay there again. But let me talk about some minor flaws I encountered which in no way will stop me from staying there again.

Some background: I stayed in the Atrium Club room 4805 with my sister and niece. My niece had just graduated as the salutatorian of her high school so I wanted to do something special for her. I emailed my request to the planning office and got no response. It was not until a week later that I re-emailed them that they sent back a message saying they got the original. I called a week before my arrival to ask if something special could be done for my niece. The man on the phone gave me the number of the cake department so I could arrange it myself (isn't that their job?). We settled on some balloons and an autographed picture of Belle.

When we arrived at 7:00 pm we were not taken up to our rooms and had to check in downstairs.
I had to remind the concierge about the autographed picture because they had no record of the request.
Our room was above Chef Mickey's and I was awakened every morning by singing. This did not bother me much and will just attribute it to the charm of the resort. The room was incredibly quiet otherwise compared to Pop Century.

After each meal service at the lounge, they would come and take the food away. Why not leave it out and wait for it to all be eaten? It's not like they are going to use it again the next day.

There were no Crispy Kreme Donuts or flatbreads in the lounge. The lounge has no fridge so the sodas are warm and need to be cooled down with ice. The lounges at the Polynesian, AKL and Yacht Club all had refridgerators which were allways stocked with sodas and beer. I only saw beers put out twice at the Contemporary. The lounge did have Sprite Zero that a previous poster had asked about.

I believe these are all minor complaints and do realize I am nit picking. I really did love the place and hope I can return.

Thank you for posting your honest review of CR/CL

You mentioned that you'd return. Did you mean to the CR in general or specifically to the CR's Atrium Club?

 

[CaptainNemo]

I would return to CR for sure. I loved the hotel. However, compared to the Yacht Club, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierges, I think the Atrium Club was lacking. They did not even provide complimentary copies of USA Today like the other resorts have. I'm sure it's all due to budget cuts.

 

[rcraw45425]

I would return to CR for sure. I loved the hotel. However, compared to the Yacht Club, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierges, I think the Atrium Club was lacking. They did not even provide complimentary copies of USA Today like the other resorts have. I'm sure it's all due to budget cuts.

That's odd about the USA today. We were there last month (sob) and were bumped to Tower club, each weekday there was a USA today outside the door. I do know that there is no weekend edition though. Maybe you were overlooked or someone filched your paper?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I would return to CR for sure. I loved the hotel. However, compared to the Yacht Club, Polynesian and Animal Kingdom Lodge Concierges, I think the Atrium Club was lacking. They did not even provide complimentary copies of USA Today like the other resorts have. I'm sure it's all due to budget cuts.

That's odd because during each of our stays we always had a USA Today outside our door and by the Cast Members desk where they have all park maps, they also have copies of the New York Times.