Just returned on Sat from 6 nights at the CR. It was absolutely fantastic, best trip ever.
As for the CR itself, we just can't say enough good things. My wife is VERY picky and she loved it. If you knew her, I could end this report right there and EVERYONE would immediately book the CR and the other Disney hotels would close down!!!
We had room 4445 on the 8th floor. We were the 4th room from the end on the MK end and had the MK view. It was wonderful, we never got tired of looking out the sliding doors. Speaking of those doors, they were very nice and quiet. I also loved the two latches, one being high and out of reach of small children. Our beds faced the castle and I must say, being able to lie in bed and watch the castle change colors at night was great!
We did online checkin and that worked out really well. Our ME bus was not that crowded and I'm sure regular checkin wouldn't have taken very long, but doing online saved even more time. We were met just inside the doors by Judy and I told her we checked in online. She looked at her clipboard and immediately said our names and walked us over to the checkin counter. We were on our way in about 5 minutes!!!
As to those who think the CR is a sterile, ordinary convention hotel I say check it out for yourself. The set up is so very different than most hotels. In the tower, you have no rooms on the opposite side of your hallway. Being able to look down onto the Grand Canyon Concourse is just the best. All of the activity on the 4th floor is nice and we heard none of that noise in our room. I certainly thought it was Disney-themed enough and to be honest, I liked that it wasn't over-the-top themed after being in the parks all day.
As to the room itself, very large and comfortable with a nice layout. We had a Garden Grocer delivery and had plenty of room for both groceries and clothing, etc. I didn't miss the computer, as it would have taken up counter space and would actually have been in the way. Beds were very comfortable, again my picky wife loved them. She wanted to take those heavy comforters home with her! We all loved the fireplace and my wife commented on how the mantle decorated with pottery was more home-like than hotel-like - VERY NICE JOB DISNEY!!! Sofa came in handy, but we never actually slept on it. The balcony was wonderful, could have been a little bigger but was just fine. My wife and I ate roomservice dinner out there one evening while the kids were at the Neverland Club. Wonderful evening, best view at Disney and the food was great!!!
We called housekeeping just after arrival to request a microwave. They said none were available, but would put our name on the list. They indicated it may be a couple days before one came available. Well then about an hour later, a lady arrived with one and set it up for us!! It came in very handy during the week.
The bathroom was good, loved the sliding doors but wished they could latch. The towel bar was a bit far from the tub/shower and there was a lack of counter space. There is storage underneath the sinks and I used one sink as a counter while shaving, etc. Had minor drainage issues with those sinks, but they certainly are stylish and "contemporary". Loved the lighted mirrors and the shaving/makeup mirror is a nice, luxury touch. The closets were nice and roomy, but need more hangers. The safe was large.
The Contempo is nice, good selection and great food. We ate "take-out" from there twice. We ate breakfast at Chef Mickey's, again my picky wife loved that place and the character interaction. We shopped on our departure morning in the shops and found a good selection.
The pool, beach and movies at night were just great!! My daughter did the slide about 35 times and I even made it down once!! Quite a sight to see...
My son loved the sand and we all watched WALL E and Finding Nemo on two nights. The were lots of people in the pool/beach area but it never felt crowded. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful spot!! My wife loved the beach area in the evening! The construction fence is still up, but I saw nothing going on. Looks as though the splash area and new landscaping are coming. Pools and beach are completely usable as they are now.
Transportation was the only real downer. We went to DHS on the first day and waited 45 minutes for a bus!! 3 for DTD and 2 for AK came while we waited. Return bus was fine. Monorail service was generally very good, even the transfer to EP was nice and short for us each time - must have good timing on that one! Resort monorail was down for about 30 minutes on Wed evening, making us late to the Neverland Club with the kids. No problems with the club by being late, but it did cut into "mommy and daddy" time
(get the picture?!!!)
Overall a fantastic resort!!! We are now spoiled, will be hard to step down to a lesser resort next time! I'm planning an overall TR soon over on that board.
I also liked the sliding doors. Made for more available space in the bathrooms. Just didn't like how the towel bar was so far from the shower. Kind of odd. LOVED the little sensors and glow lights for nighttime! Wish I had those at home so I could use the bathroom at night without having to turn on any lights. Coolest feature in any WDW hotel room ever, hands down!
