The ALL NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Tower FAQ with PICs! (July 2011)

[WDWKOOK]

Merry Christmas!

 

[wdwnut61]

Just wanted to post a quick review of our stay at CR. We were in WDW 11/18 - 11/28. The first 8 days we were at POFQ before switching over to CR 11/25-11/28 for a surprise for DD's birthday.

We booked a garden wing garden view room and were so excited to stay at CR. One of the reasons we booked CR was for the amazing location. We left POFQ and arrived by cab at 8:00 am. The bellmen were prompt and collected our luggage while we went inside to check in.

There was little wait for check in and I asked what time our room might be ready because we were attending the 4:00 HDDR and were hoping to freshen up and change before going. I also informed the CM checking us in we would take any location in the wings if a room would be available sooner.

She said we'll you've already been upgraded to the TOWER Baylake view

I didn't think I heard her right and just kinda stared for a moment. She went on to say she would keep checking and as rooms became available would text me as soon as our room was ready. I found myself getting teary eyed and kept thanking her over and over. DD had been sitting and didn't hear the wonderful surprise. I couldn't wait to see her face when we did check in.

We then hopped on the monorail for breakfast at Ohanas and I couldn't stop smiling. Breakfast was delicious as usual and after some shopping at the Poly we headed back to the monorail to visit the beautiful holiday decorations at the GF. On our way back to the CR I got the text our room was ready. I couldn't believe it was only 12:30 and I could tell by the room # we were on the 7th floor.

DD was beyond excited when she realized we were staying in the tower. The room was beautiful and the beds were so comfortable. The best part of the room was the amazing view. The last time we stayed at CR was in 2002 and we had a MK view which was so magical but I actually preferred the Bay Lake view. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We enjoyed the nightime electric parade, sunrise over the water and watching the boats.

The location is the best we just walked out of our hotel and down the boat ramp and took a short but enjoyable boat ride to FW and were steps away from Pioneer Hall. After HDDR we took the boat from FW to MK. Each night we found ourselves in MK because it was so convienent. Some nights we took the monorail and some we walked if the line was too long.

We enjoyed several meals at Contempo Cafe DD especially enjoyed the flatbreads. We loved our stay at CR so much and are hoping to return again some day.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

wdwnut61,
Thanks for posting that detailed trip report and congratulations on the upgrade.

 

[Turk February]

Hi, everyone! We just got back from our 8-night stay at the Contemporary! This was our first stay there, and I read this thread for an entire year before our trip, and especially loved reading other DISer reviews. It’s only fair that I post my thoughts on the Contemporary for other people to read and hopefully help them make the important decision about where to stay at WDW. People love long, detailed reviews, right?!

We stayed at CR from 12/20 – 12/28 in a Tower room with Theme Park View. We made 3 requests – high floor, odd room number, and a room on the opposite side of Chef Mickey’s. We were granted an odd numbered room, on the 8th floor, on the Chef Mickey’s side. Our room was ready at noon when we arrived on the Magical Express.

Please remember that the following opinions are mine and mine alone. I’m well aware that there are some who will disagree with what I have to say, and I totally respect that.

First and foremost, I personally would not call CR a Disney ‘resort’ by any means. This is without a doubt more of a hotel than a resort. After visiting all the deluxe resorts during our stay, this was probably my biggest disappointment with our choice. I really do like feeling like I’m transported somewhere else on vacation. I felt that when we stayed at POFQ, and even during a short stay at CSR. I really just felt like I was staying at a hotel when I was at CR. I don’t really think there is a ‘theme’ to CR, even though some people would disagree and I’ve heard their arguments before. I respect everyone’s opinion, I just never felt what they were feeling while I was there.

The View
AMAZING. There is nothing better than the view you get with a Theme Park View room. Nothing. The room and resort are worth every penny just for this view, and you should do it at least once if you can. You will catch yourself drifting over to the window for no reason other than to just stare at the Magic Kingdom. It really is the greatest.

We watched the MK fireworks only once from our balcony, and it was a real treat to be in our room with the Wishes music coming through the TV. Being so close to MK, you find yourself drifting over there far more than normal, and we ended up seeing the fireworks from inside the park about 4 times. You should definitely make it a priority to check out the fireworks from your room at least once. You get a different perspective than when you're in the park. We walked back from MK once while they were still going on, and saw tons of people on the staircases watching.

It was also great to catch the electric parade! You really aren't expecting it, since it's not promoted, but I'm so glad Disney continues to do this. Our daughter loved it, and so did I.

I would definitely request an odd numbered room so your beds are facing the castle. It’s great to lie in bed and just stare at all the wonderfulness at is MK. There’s also nothing better than your daughter excitedly running up to you all week saying “Daddy! Come see my castle!” There will be some negatives in this review, but all of them are overshadowed by this view and experience.

Transportation
First there’s the view, and then there’s the ease of walking to MK. It truly is fantastic. 10 minutes from resort to the front gates. We always walked back home, and never took the Monorail to MK. It was just nicer to walk there. As a family with a toddler and a stroller, this perk was invaluable.

And I’ve gotta say, we had no problems at all with the buses. Never a long wait for a bus to DTD or DHS. We didn’t go to AK, so I can’t comment on that. I liked that we were first to board before Poly for any trip, and the first stop from DTD and DHS on the way back. Buses at CR get an A in my book.

We also never had any monorail issues. Never had any breakdowns, or overcrowding. Good job, Monorail! I also don’t understand why some people post that the monorail is confusing to get to. Elevator to the 4th floor, escalator to the monorail. There’s signs. It’s really not tough to figure out. FYI – a single, compact stroller will fit on the escalator. Anything larger and you’ll have to take the monorail elevator, which does let you out in an odd spot and if the line for the monorail is long, you might have to wait to get in line.

Noise from Chef Mickey’s
I know that this is an ongoing debate. Is it bad? Will it affect your sleep? Do you want to rip your ears off after a week of hearing the song they sing? We were 4 floors above Chef Mickey’s and I would consider myself an average sleeper (not too light, not too heavy). The noise and singing never woke me up, but the song definitely got on my nerves in the afternoon/evening. I definitely don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it out to be, but it’s definitely there, and it’s audible from an 8th floor room. That being said, we ate breakfast there once and it was really good. Our daughter loved meeting all the characters and it’s great that it’s all the main Disney ones.

Wifi!
This is more a general review on wifi, it's not Contemporary-specific. Disney has been testing free wifi in their resorts for a few months now. It’s extremely easy to sign on, and it is not password protected. We were able to sign on from our iPhones at every resort we dined at or visited, and that’s a good thing because AT&T’s 3G was horrendous this trip. The wifi, overall, is good. The most annoying thing is that when you leave and come back, you’ll have to reconnect and agree to their terms again. Sure, we’re only talking an extra 30 seconds, but in this digital age, every second counts, right?!

The other really annoying thing is that they block any site that could potentially be offensive, and a lot of it doesn’t make any sense. Many incredibly safe and clean YouTube videos were blocked, and websites that might have NSFW banner ads are blocked as well. Not sure what the criteria is for all this, but I’m pretty sure my stupid videos of my dog are “Disney safe”. Aside from that, I had no issues on my iPhone or iPad for the week we were there.

Mousekeeping
Mousekeeping has noticeably gone downhill. I’m not a very picky person when it comes to hotel room cleanliness, but when staying at a deluxe Disney resort and paying late December rates, I really am expecting a level of quality that they actively pitch to customers.

That being said, I was a little annoyed when we walked in upon arrival and saw a giant amount of finger prints on our windows, which I think definitely should have been cleaned. It wasn’t one or two, it was a lot. There was also a basketball-sized piece of paint missing from the wall of the balcony and the paint was continuing to peel. Finally, the comforter on one of the beds had 2 large ink stains on it. Our second day, I saw that instead of putting a new role of toilet paper in the empty spot (there’s 2 rolls in the bathrooms), whoever cleaned our room decided to just put the role holder on the floor. Seriously?

Rooms
We loved our room with one exception - the sinks and bathroom vanity in general! I’m definitely with the majority here and hated the sinks. They’re completely impractical. There’s also just not enough room to put things underneath, especially when you have a 2 ½ year old who likes touching things. We did what a lot of people do and used 1 sink to hold stuff, and the other as a sink. I really just don't get it, and I know I'm not alone.

The toilet is separate from the vanity and shower, which is nice. No complaints with the shower, either. Water pressure is good and the water was hot enough for me.

The beds were fantastic! The mattresses and the pillows were extremely comfortable and we never had a bad night’s sleep on them.

The room itself is huge and awesome. I love the décor and the amount of space we had, especially with a toddler. We had no issues with storage space. There’s 2 closets, a large dresser and 2 other drawers inside one of the closets to put clothes.

Our daughter had all her toys on the couch, and we kept lots of things we needed out of her reach on the high shelves in the entertainment unit. While we never actually sat at the desk, it was great to have.

I also personally loved the lights above the beds that are controlled with dimmers on the headboards. When it was time to put our little one down for a nap or bedtime, and we needed a little extra light, these were very handy.

Overall, we loved the room.

Food
As I said in my Chef Mickey’s paragraph, we ate there and it was good. If you’ve had one character breakfast you’ve had them all in terms of food. How come the puffed french toast and bacon, egg and cheese pizza are kids items?! Those are both delicious and I'm 30!

Contempo Café has some nice selections and we ate about 3 lunches there. They have a nice selection of sandwiches. We had the stacked sandwich twice and it was GREAT. The multigrain turkey BLT is also good and both of these sandwiches are large enough to share. They have hot sandwiches as well, and the AllEars menu is up to date. Their dinner selections looked good, too, but we were never around to try any.

We ate one breakfast there. I had the bounty platter and my wife had the burrito. They were good, but we only ate it because we had an extra QS meal to use. Breakfast is the worst on the DDP because all you get is an entree and drink. No desert substitute. So if you're looking to get the most bang-for-your-buck with the DDP, avoid breakfast and just use a snack credit for a muffin or bagel instead. [/rant]

The self-ordering kiosks are great. Once you order, you get your side and drink (if you’re on DDP) and then you go pay. They’ll give you a pager and once your food is ready you go pick it up.

The biggest drawback to eating at both Chef Mickey’s and the Contempo Café is the birds. There’s a lot of birds inside the Contemporary and I guess there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s been that way for 40 years and I doubt Disney has any plans to change things now. My daughter got a kick out of it. I’m glad I’m not grossed out by birds flying around while I eat. Just pretend you’re having a picnic!

We had lunch at The Wave on the 24th and it was nearly empty at 12:30. I had the Reuben, and it was fantastic. Really, really good. The staff was very friendly and attentive.

Final random thoughts
The pool…it’s a good pool, but that’s all it is. There’s no theme or experience like you’ll find at all the other deluxe resorts, which is a bummer, but I knew this coming in so it’s hard to complain about it. We used it twice, and it was never really crowded, even on the days we had temperatures in the mid-80s.

The CMs we encountered at CR were just ok. Didn’t get a giant warm welcome upon check in. Not even a smile. That being said, we did run into a few who were really friendly and nice to my daughter. No one ever asked how our stay was going or anything. I know this kind of stuff is important to some people. I still think the best CMs are at the theme parks.

The holiday decorations were nice. Just like they look in the pictures. We love the giant holiday wreath! The gingerbread tree was nice, too. They have trees set up in the lobby and on the 4th floor as well. While it’s not the best holiday decorations on property (everyone is right – GF and WL are just amazing), they get the job done.

We checked out the arcade on our last day to use our 100 point credit that Disney so generously grants you. Our daughter liked the games and she played skee-ball for the first time. She was thrilled to get 74 tickets and exchange them for small prizes she has already forgotten about. They’ve got these ticket counting machines that Dave and Busters should really have!

BVG and Fantasia shops were fun to walk around in. Oh, here’s a huge issue I have with the Contemporary! Why is CR the only deluxe resort with no resort-themed merchandise?! We went to GF, Poly, BW, BC, YC, WL, AKL…they ALL had resort-themed merch! Holy crap was that annoying! Come on, Disney!

Conclusion
I would give this resort 8 out of 10 stars. The view, the walk to MK, monorail access to other resorts and Epcot, and the room size/comfort far outweigh the negatives of lackluster Mousekeeping, weak ‘resort’ feel, and noise from Chef Mickey’s. If I can ever afford this again, I will definitely come back (we had a 40% off room code for 5 of our 8 days). Thanks for reading, and I hope this review helps at least 1 person with their decision.

Attached are a few photos I thought I’d share.

The view when we first got there. It NEVER gets old.

Our view from bed

Fireworks!

Taking a peek while my daughter takes a nap...

 

[gometros]

Great review, thanks. A question occurred to me while reading it. I've been following this thread for a while, since we have reservations for May in a TPV room in BLT. With all the discussion about room location relative to Chef Mickeys, does this apply only to the Contemporary and not the BLT?

 

[Turk February]

Great review, thanks. A question occurred to me while reading it. I've been following this thread for a while, since we have reservations for May in a TPV room in BLT. With all the discussion about room location relative to Chef Mickeys, does this apply only to the Contemporary and not the BLT?

Yes. Chef Mickey's is inside the tower of CR, not BLT. The noise does not apply to you.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Turk February,
Thank you for posting that wonderful and detailed review, plus those picutres you posted look amazing.

 

[psac]

Hi, everyone! We just got back from our 8-night stay at the Contemporary! This was our first stay there, and I read this thread for an entire year before our trip, and especially loved reading other DISer reviews. It’s only fair that I post my thoughts on the Contemporary for other people to read and hopefully help them make the important decision about where to stay at WDW. People love long, detailed reviews, right?!

Great review, great pics, thanks for posting.

Totally agree with most of your points. The sinks in the CR are possibly the worse I've ever encountered, even compared to some small cruise bathrooms. The noise from Chef Mickey's was maybe even more annoying to us than to you, partly because we attempted a "sleep late" vacation, and the noise didn't let us do that. The "resort" feel at the Boardwalk (our DVC Home) is so much more relaxing than the CR.

However, as you said, the theme park view is something that everyone should be able to try once in their lives. No view we've had anywhere is as magical. The location is fantastic, and the food options are very good.

Put it all together, and we're trying BLT in April. Different sinks, no Chef Mickey's, basically same location and restaurants. We're hoping it's the best of both worlds.

 

[Turk February]

Thanks, guys! I'd also like to mention one more thing about the view...

I've read complaints that you get just as much parking lot view as you do theme park view. While technically this is true (the parking lot IS there), your eyes are immediately drawn to the castle and Space Mountain. I only found myself looking down at the parking lot when I actually wanted to. Instinct will keep your eyes on that beautiful view.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Thanks, guys! I'd also like to mention one more thing about the view...

I've read complaints that you get just as much parking lot view as you do theme park view. While technically this is true (the parking lot IS there), your eyes are immediately drawn to the castle and Space Mountain. I only found myself looking down at the parking lot when I actually wanted to. Instinct will keep your eyes on that beautiful view.

I have said the exact same thing about how everyone will only be focused on the Magic Kingdom and not the parking lot.

Personally I always thought those who mentioned the Contemporary parking lot being in the way were looking for another reason to bash the Contemporary based on it's theme, so they use that as another excuse.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Just wanted to post a quick review of our stay at CR. We were in WDW 11/18 - 11/28. The first 8 days we were at POFQ before switching over to CR 11/25-11/28 for a surprise for DD's birthday.

We booked a garden wing garden view room and were so excited to stay at CR. One of the reasons we booked CR was for the amazing location. We left POFQ and arrived by cab at 8:00 am. The bellmen were prompt and collected our luggage while we went inside to check in.

There was little wait for check in and I asked what time our room might be ready because we were attending the 4:00 HDDR and were hoping to freshen up and change before going. I also informed the CM checking us in we would take any location in the wings if a room would be available sooner.

She said we'll you've already been upgraded to the TOWER Baylake view

I didn't think I heard her right and just kinda stared for a moment. She went on to say she would keep checking and as rooms became available would text me as soon as our room was ready. I found myself getting teary eyed and kept thanking her over and over. DD had been sitting and didn't hear the wonderful surprise. I couldn't wait to see her face when we did check in.

We then hopped on the monorail for breakfast at Ohanas and I couldn't stop smiling. Breakfast was delicious as usual and after some shopping at the Poly we headed back to the monorail to visit the beautiful holiday decorations at the GF. On our way back to the CR I got the text our room was ready. I couldn't believe it was only 12:30 and I could tell by the room # we were on the 7th floor.

DD was beyond excited when she realized we were staying in the tower. The room was beautiful and the beds were so comfortable. The best part of the room was the amazing view. The last time we stayed at CR was in 2002 and we had a MK view which was so magical but I actually preferred the Bay Lake view. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We enjoyed the nightime electric parade, sunrise over the water and watching the boats.

The location is the best we just walked out of our hotel and down the boat ramp and took a short but enjoyable boat ride to FW and were steps away from Pioneer Hall. After HDDR we took the boat from FW to MK. Each night we found ourselves in MK because it was so convienent. Some nights we took the monorail and some we walked if the line was too long.

We enjoyed several meals at Contempo Cafe DD especially enjoyed the flatbreads. We loved our stay at CR so much and are hoping to return again some day.

What a wonderful trip you had and thank you for telling us about it. What a very special stay for DD and her family. I hope you get to return again and SOON!

Hi, everyone! We just got back from our 8-night stay at the Contemporary! This was our first stay there, and I read this thread for an entire year before our trip, and especially loved reading other DISer reviews. It’s only fair that I post my thoughts on the Contemporary for other people to read and hopefully help them make the important decision about where to stay at WDW. People love long, detailed reviews, right?!

We stayed at CR from 12/20 – 12/28 in a Tower room with Theme Park View. We made 3 requests – high floor, odd room number, and a room on the opposite side of Chef Mickey’s. We were granted an odd numbered room, on the 8th floor, on the Chef Mickey’s side. Our room was ready at noon when we arrived on the Magical Express.

Please remember that the following opinions are mine and mine alone. I’m well aware that there are some who will disagree with what I have to say, and I totally respect that.

First and foremost, I personally would not call CR a Disney ‘resort’ by any means. This is without a doubt more of a hotel than a resort. After visiting all the deluxe resorts during our stay, this was probably my biggest disappointment with our choice. I really do like feeling like I’m transported somewhere else on vacation. I felt that when we stayed at POFQ, and even during a short stay at CSR. I really just felt like I was staying at a hotel when I was at CR. I don’t really think there is a ‘theme’ to CR, even though some people would disagree and I’ve heard their arguments before. I respect everyone’s opinion, I just never felt what they were feeling while I was there.

The View
AMAZING. There is nothing better than the view you get with a Theme Park View room. Nothing. The room and resort are worth every penny just for this view, and you should do it at least once if you can. You will catch yourself drifting over to the window for no reason other than to just stare at the Magic Kingdom. It really is the greatest.

We watched the MK fireworks only once from our balcony, and it was a real treat to be in our room with the Wishes music coming through the TV. Being so close to MK, you find yourself drifting over there far more than normal, and we ended up seeing the fireworks from inside the park about 4 times. You should definitely make it a priority to check out the fireworks from your room at least once. You get a different perspective than when you're in the park. We walked back from MK once while they were still going on, and saw tons of people on the staircases watching.

It was also great to catch the electric parade! You really aren't expecting it, since it's not promoted, but I'm so glad Disney continues to do this. Our daughter loved it, and so did I.

I would definitely request an odd numbered room so your beds are facing the castle. It’s great to lie in bed and just stare at all the wonderfulness at is MK. There’s also nothing better than your daughter excitedly running up to you all week saying “Daddy! Come see my castle!” There will be some negatives in this review, but all of them are overshadowed by this view and experience.

Transportation
First there’s the view, and then there’s the ease of walking to MK. It truly is fantastic. 10 minutes from resort to the front gates. We always walked back home, and never took the Monorail to MK. It was just nicer to walk there. As a family with a toddler and a stroller, this perk was invaluable.

And I’ve gotta say, we had no problems at all with the buses. Never a long wait for a bus to DTD or DHS. We didn’t go to AK, so I can’t comment on that. I liked that we were first to board before Poly for any trip, and the first stop from DTD and DHS on the way back. Buses at CR get an A in my book.

We also never had any monorail issues. Never had any breakdowns, or overcrowding. Good job, Monorail! I also don’t understand why some people post that the monorail is confusing to get to. Elevator to the 4th floor, escalator to the monorail. There’s signs. It’s really not tough to figure out. FYI – a single, compact stroller will fit on the escalator. Anything larger and you’ll have to take the monorail elevator, which does let you out in an odd spot and if the line for the monorail is long, you might have to wait to get in line.

Noise from Chef Mickey’s
I know that this is an ongoing debate. Is it bad? Will it affect your sleep? Do you want to rip your ears off after a week of hearing the song they sing? We were 4 floors above Chef Mickey’s and I would consider myself an average sleeper (not too light, not too heavy). The noise and singing never woke me up, but the song definitely got on my nerves in the afternoon/evening. I definitely don’t think it’s as bad as some people make it out to be, but it’s definitely there, and it’s audible from an 8th floor room. That being said, we ate breakfast there once and it was really good. Our daughter loved meeting all the characters and it’s great that it’s all the main Disney ones.

Wifi!
This is more a general review on wifi, it's not Contemporary-specific. Disney has been testing free wifi in their resorts for a few months now. It’s extremely easy to sign on, and it is not password protected. We were able to sign on from our iPhones at every resort we dined at or visited, and that’s a good thing because AT&T’s 3G was horrendous this trip. The wifi, overall, is good. The most annoying thing is that when you leave and come back, you’ll have to reconnect and agree to their terms again. Sure, we’re only talking an extra 30 seconds, but in this digital age, every second counts, right?!

The other really annoying thing is that they block any site that could potentially be offensive, and a lot of it doesn’t make any sense. Many incredibly safe and clean YouTube videos were blocked, and websites that might have NSFW banner ads are blocked as well. Not sure what the criteria is for all this, but I’m pretty sure my stupid videos of my dog are “Disney safe”. Aside from that, I had no issues on my iPhone or iPad for the week we were there.

Mousekeeping
Mousekeeping has noticeably gone downhill. I’m not a very picky person when it comes to hotel room cleanliness, but when staying at a deluxe Disney resort and paying late December rates, I really am expecting a level of quality that they actively pitch to customers.

That being said, I was a little annoyed when we walked in upon arrival and saw a giant amount of finger prints on our windows, which I think definitely should have been cleaned. It wasn’t one or two, it was a lot. There was also a basketball-sized piece of paint missing from the wall of the balcony and the paint was continuing to peel. Finally, the comforter on one of the beds had 2 large ink stains on it. Our second day, I saw that instead of putting a new role of toilet paper in the empty spot (there’s 2 rolls in the bathrooms), whoever cleaned our room decided to just put the role holder on the floor. Seriously?

Rooms
We loved our room with one exception - the sinks and bathroom vanity in general! I’m definitely with the majority here and hated the sinks. They’re completely impractical. There’s also just not enough room to put things underneath, especially when you have a 2 ½ year old who likes touching things. We did what a lot of people do and used 1 sink to hold stuff, and the other as a sink. I really just don't get it, and I know I'm not alone.

The toilet is separate from the vanity and shower, which is nice. No complaints with the shower, either. Water pressure is good and the water was hot enough for me.

The beds were fantastic! The mattresses and the pillows were extremely comfortable and we never had a bad night’s sleep on them.

The room itself is huge and awesome. I love the décor and the amount of space we had, especially with a toddler. We had no issues with storage space. There’s 2 closets, a large dresser and 2 other drawers inside one of the closets to put clothes.

Our daughter had all her toys on the couch, and we kept lots of things we needed out of her reach on the high shelves in the entertainment unit. While we never actually sat at the desk, it was great to have.

I also personally loved the lights above the beds that are controlled with dimmers on the headboards. When it was time to put our little one down for a nap or bedtime, and we needed a little extra light, these were very handy.

Overall, we loved the room.

Food
As I said in my Chef Mickey’s paragraph, we ate there and it was good. If you’ve had one character breakfast you’ve had them all in terms of food. How come the puffed french toast and bacon, egg and cheese pizza are kids items?! Those are both delicious and I'm 30!

Contempo Café has some nice selections and we ate about 3 lunches there. They have a nice selection of sandwiches. We had the stacked sandwich twice and it was GREAT. The multigrain turkey BLT is also good and both of these sandwiches are large enough to share. They have hot sandwiches as well, and the AllEars menu is up to date. Their dinner selections looked good, too, but we were never around to try any.

We ate one breakfast there. I had the bounty platter and my wife had the burrito. They were good, but we only ate it because we had an extra QS meal to use. Breakfast is the worst on the DDP because all you get is an entree and drink. No desert substitute. So if you're looking to get the most bang-for-your-buck with the DDP, avoid breakfast and just use a snack credit for a muffin or bagel instead. [/rant]

The self-ordering kiosks are great. Once you order, you get your side and drink (if you’re on DDP) and then you go pay. They’ll give you a pager and once your food is ready you go pick it up.

The biggest drawback to eating at both Chef Mickey’s and the Contempo Café is the birds. There’s a lot of birds inside the Contemporary and I guess there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s been that way for 40 years and I doubt Disney has any plans to change things now. My daughter got a kick out of it. I’m glad I’m not grossed out by birds flying around while I eat. Just pretend you’re having a picnic!

We had lunch at The Wave on the 24th and it was nearly empty at 12:30. I had the Reuben, and it was fantastic. Really, really good. The staff was very friendly and attentive.

Final random thoughts
The pool…it’s a good pool, but that’s all it is. There’s no theme or experience like you’ll find at all the other deluxe resorts, which is a bummer, but I knew this coming in so it’s hard to complain about it. We used it twice, and it was never really crowded, even on the days we had temperatures in the mid-80s.

The CMs we encountered at CR were just ok. Didn’t get a giant warm welcome upon check in. Not even a smile. That being said, we did run into a few who were really friendly and nice to my daughter. No one ever asked how our stay was going or anything. I know this kind of stuff is important to some people. I still think the best CMs are at the theme parks.

The holiday decorations were nice. Just like they look in the pictures. We love the giant holiday wreath! The gingerbread tree was nice, too. They have trees set up in the lobby and on the 4th floor as well. While it’s not the best holiday decorations on property (everyone is right – GF and WL are just amazing), they get the job done.

We checked out the arcade on our last day to use our 100 point credit that Disney so generously grants you. Our daughter liked the games and she played skee-ball for the first time. She was thrilled to get 74 tickets and exchange them for small prizes she has already forgotten about. They’ve got these ticket counting machines that Dave and Busters should really have!

BVG and Fantasia shops were fun to walk around in. Oh, here’s a huge issue I have with the Contemporary! Why is CR the only deluxe resort with no resort-themed merchandise?! We went to GF, Poly, BW, BC, YC, WL, AKL…they ALL had resort-themed merch! Holy crap was that annoying! Come on, Disney!

Conclusion
I would give this resort 8 out of 10 stars. The view, the walk to MK, monorail access to other resorts and Epcot, and the room size/comfort far outweigh the negatives of lackluster Mousekeeping, weak ‘resort’ feel, and noise from Chef Mickey’s. If I can ever afford this again, I will definitely come back (we had a 40% off room code for 5 of our 8 days). Thanks for reading, and I hope this review helps at least 1 person with their decision.

Attached are a few photos I thought I’d share.

The view when we first got there. It NEVER gets old.

Our view from bed

Fireworks!

Taking a peek while my daughter takes a nap...

LOVE detailed reviews with photos and yours is just great - thank you! I was hoping with the resurgence of resort merchandise at other resorts that the CR would get their act together, but it looks like they still don't have any. I even talked to a manager about this last summer and last Christmas and they said that they had requested the merchandise, but didn't know if/when they would get any

 

[forever11709]

Oh how I long to see that view when I wake up one day!

 

[MrsBlovesDisney]

Thanks to WDWNUT61 and TURK FEBRUARY for taking the time to post your reviews!!! Glad to hear you enjoyed your vacations!!!

Totally agree with most of your points. The sinks in the CR are possibly the worse I've ever encountered, even compared to some small cruise bathrooms.

Agree 100%!!! What in the world were they thinking?????

Put it all together, and we're trying BLT in April. Different sinks, no Chef Mickey's, basically same location and restaurants. We're hoping it's the best of both worlds.

Fingers crossed you love it as much as we do!!!! We'll be there from April 17-23rd!!!

Thanks, guys! I'd also like to mention one more thing about the view...

I've read complaints that you get just as much parking lot view as you do theme park view. While technically this is true (the parking lot IS there), your eyes are immediately drawn to the castle and Space Mountain. I only found myself looking down at the parking lot when I actually wanted to. Instinct will keep your eyes on that beautiful view.

Parking lot??? What parking lot???

 

[kgreen]

When do you put in your room requests. I booked online, & there was only 1 generic option for room requests, if i remember it was for a pack & play. My family will be staying at the Contemporary for a first trip next october. I am really excited, & enjoy reading trip reports. Thanks!

 

[nklooz]

Love the great reviews! Thanks for the amazing pics! Question: from a TPV room, how loud are the fireworks? I assume you can hear the booms? We have a 2yo that doesn't like loud noises. Thanks!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Love the great reviews! Thanks for the amazing pics! Question: from a TPV room, how loud are the fireworks? I assume you can hear the booms? We have a 2yo that doesn't like loud noises. Thanks!

I would say they make fairly loud noises and yes you can hear the booms, especially towards the end.

 

[psac]

I have said the exact same thing about how everyone will only be focused on the Magic Kingdom and not the parking lot.

Personally I always thought those who mentioned the Contemporary parking lot being in the way were looking for another reason to bash the Contemporary based on it's theme, so they use that as another excuse.

Yeah, I agree. Anyone who thinks that doesn't really belong in Disney. Git out!

 

[jkstewart1800]

Is there anyway to get into the Top of the World Lounge if we are not DVC members?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Is there anyway to get into the Top of the World Lounge if we are not DVC members?

No flames from me, however based on the various threads I read it looks like they always have a Cast Member who checks for the DVC membership cards before going up in the elevator that goes there.

 

[jkstewart1800]

No flames from me, however based on the various threads I read it looks like they always have a Cast Member who checks for the DVC membership cards before going up in the elevator that goes there.

so if i had a friend who was a BLT DVC member and she just happened to loan me her card.... "cough cough"