The Contemporary...I get it now. Though I still LOVE Disney!!!!

[ScottieDog]

Hi All…..hope you find this trip report helpful. I’ve taken care to keep it brief and to the point.

Ok, so, we were there from June 25th until the 30th. Our group consisted of my Mother in law and her new husband, her three adult children, their spouses (thats where I come in) and five grandchildren. It was a truly multigenerational gathering, with ages ranging from late 70s to 4 years old!!! (Oh yes, I'll be posting about that too!!! )

My wife and I are Disney regulars….we LOVE the place and really feel like we know the do’s and don’t of Disney World. To date we’ve stayed at Port Orleans, Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs. However for this trip we were treated to the Contemporary Resort.

Re. The Contemporary. “sigh” Just not that magical.
Really,I think it’s a mistake to categorize the Contemporary as a Deluxe Resort and certainly a mistake to charge what they do per night.

Pros:
We were lucky enough to get a refurbished room, very nice styling and quite large.
Being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom is GREAT!
The kids enjoyed the water slide and the lifeguards were really on the ball/top-notch/A+
The monorail through the tower is just fun!
The electrical water parade was great fun!


Cons:
It wasn’t nearly as fun or welcoming as any of the moderates we’d stayed at.
The “contemporary” bathrooms are very nice to look at, but fail ergonomically….the towel rack is on the opposite wall as the shower and the sinks are soooo deep a child can’t access them. Also, because they’re so large you’re left with only 10” of counter space.
Three out of the four rooms we occupied had minor problems. Maintenance had to visit our room twice to fix the toilet that wouldn’t flush. One room had no TV remote., and in the other the bathroom was quite dirty (to their credit house keeping came right up and fixed it!)
The cafeteria was really small and really worn.
The pool, when compared to the moderates, was lack luster to say the least
Even the grounds were disappointing! Where were all the amazing hibiscus and gardenias I had told my nieces to expect?!?!
Oh, and the weirdest thing….there was no info packet about the hotel in the room, i.e. a list of services, dining options or even a room service menu. We called and they informed us that they don’t do that any more.

Re. The Parks

Hmmmmmm….I love the parks!!!

The Magic Kingdom was, um….Magical!

The little ones LOVED Pooh’s Playful Spot and Toon Town. Whoever it was who wrote to get right to Dumbo’s ride knew what they were talking about!
The crowds were manageable (though my wife and I remain off-season devotees). Cinderellabration was a big hit, as was the spectromagic parade. Pirates was closed, but they had a GREAT Jack Sparow-esk fellow out front putting on a fantastic show.

MGM was great fun.

All ages loved the Sci-Fi Dine In as well as the 50’s Prime Time Café.

EPCOT….with 13 people and only 5 days we opted to skip this favorite of mine.

Animal Kingdom…..grrrrrrrrrrrrrr, disaster!

May I suggest that the good people running Animal Kingdom re-examine what they consider Maximum Capacity to be. What a cluster!!!! Animal Kingdom was a nightmare, due in large part to Expedition Everest, which we never got to ride, because it kept breaking down. Arrrggggggg!!!

In conclusion….I still LOVE Disney, I still Love off season and I swear by the moderate resorts.

Cathryn~

 

[DeterminedOne]

Sorry you didn't get to ride EE or visit Epcot. All you can do is start planning your next trip.

 

[disneycutie84]

Thanks for the info on Contemporary.
After hearing this, I think I'd rather stay at POP or some other value resort...just for the magic and cute little touches.
Still sounds like you had a great trip!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I think it's a bit un fair to say the things you did about the Contemporary after just 1 stay there. No WDW Resort will ever be perefct because you can't please everybody. However my family & I love the Contemporary, it's our favorite Resort in all of WDW & I am sure you guessed that based on my name. With that being said we have never had a bad vacation at the Contemporary & the some of the stuff you mentioned like the Food 'N Fun Center being small does not bother us & we once had a minor problem with our toilet & our door did not close all the way because the lock was broken, however we don't let that stuff get to us because we are on vacation. Lastly the Contemporary deserves to be called a Deluxe Resort based on the location, number of rooms, services they offer & a lot more.

 

[Backstage_Gal]

I think it's a bit un fair to say the things you did about the Contemporary after just 1 stay there. No WDW Resort will ever be perefct because you can't please everybody. However my family & I love the Contemporary, it's our favorite Resort in all of WDW & I am sure you guessed that based on my name. With that being said we have never had a bad vacation at the Contemporary & the some of the stuff you mentioned like the Food 'N Fun Center being small does not bother us & we once had a minor problem with our toilet & our door did not close all the way because the lock was broken, however we don't let that stuff get to us because we are on vacation. Lastly the Contemporary deserves to be called a Deluxe Resort based on the location, number of rooms, services they offer & a lot more.

One small correction to this: Number of rooms has nothing to do with classification as a Delux, it's based on amenities offered.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

One small correction to this: Number of rooms has nothing to do with classification as a Delux, it's based on amenities offered.

Backstage_Gal your right about that so my mistake for saying the number of rooms had to with the Contemporary being a Deluxe Resort. If WDW did go by room numbers, then you can say All Star Resorts are a Deluxe hotel. Well the truth is they have very little amenities that the Contemporary offers, so they can never be a Deluxe Resort.

 

[UtahMama]

Ohhh! Sorry you had to miss EPCOT! I'll go twice just for you...it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make! Hey, you totally satisfied our curiosity about the Contemporary...me thinks we'll pass on it and choose wisely. Thanks!
Utahmama

 

[littleelvis]

I agree with CR Resort Fan. We stayed at the CR in Feb 06 and had an absolute great time. We booked our stay at the CR again in Feb. 07. What other hotel can you walk to the Magic Kingdom? Watch Wishes from your balcony and hear the music. That was one of our highlights last year. When I stay in any hotel I never wonder or care if the bathrooms are ergonomic. I guess that bothers some people. Of course we were only in our room to sleep so we don't pay attention to the little stuff. I am sure I or anyone else who has stayed at any disney resort could find something they didn't care for.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

If someone wants to say that they did not like a perticular Resort in WDW that's fine because that is what freedom of speech is. However it bothers me when people find every single fault of the Resort they stay at, there for causing other people to re-think staying at the Contemporary & the OP has already done that because 2 people who responded said now they don't wish to stay at the Contemporary. Well this bugs me because I have read comments from people on these boards that love the Contemporary, however for the people who always put it down fail to realize that the Contemporary is going threw a major renovation, so WDW is trying to make it better which they have. I don't know if the OP had a old room or a renovated room, but chances are he had an old room based on what he said. With that being said don't worry about every single fault, enjoy your vacation your at Walt Disney World the happiest place on earth. But try to be a little fair when you review the Contemporary because they have more pros then you have mentioned.

 

[tmt martins]

I am sure I or anyone else who has stayed at any disney resort could find something they didn't care for.

And thats why WE LOVE DISNEY RESORTS.


Because they all have such a hugh difference in things they offer.Be it price,theaming,location you can get something to fit your needs.

This was just the OP's opinion on their trip report.

I still have to many resort to still try before I make my decision on what one Fits us the best ( so far SSR has it ) . We have done all values and most of the mods and visited almost all the resorts at one time or another.

I agree with the OP walking to MK is not that big of an appeal to us and we are hardly ever in our rooms to watch the fireworks and to us it just seems like a cold non-disney place when we visit , but thats us.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

In defense of the OP, she did mention both pro's and con's, so I don't think she was being at all one sided or unfair. Everyone has a right to his or her own opinion, and no one should be so defensive of their favorite resort that they make someone feel bad for giving their opinion of it.

 

[LoriZH]

I'm a HUGE Contemporary fan and was looking forward to the new rooms, however, I think that they look a little Hiltonesh??? maybe???

Anyway, thanks for the report, must say I'm a little disappointed hearing about Everest that is the main reason we are going in August (off all times). Glad you had a good time otherwise!

 

[nicolemarie]

If someone wants to say that they did not like a perticular Resort in WDW that's fine because that is what freedom of speech is. However it bothers me when people find every single fault of the Resort they stay at, there for causing other people to re-think staying at the Contemporary & the OP has already done that because 2 people who responded said now they don't wish to stay at the Contemporary. Well this bugs me because I have read comments from people on these boards that love the Contemporary, however for the people who always put it down fail to realize that the Contemporary is going threw a major renovation, so WDW is trying to make it better which they have. I don't know if the OP had a old room or a renovated room, but chances are he had an old room based on what he said. With that being said don't worry about every single fault, enjoy your vacation your at Walt Disney World the happiest place on earth. But try to be a little fair when you review the Contemporary because they have more pros then you have mentioned.

It's her trip report. She can say what she wants.

Also, she clearly stated that she stayed in a renovated room. It was the first "pro" she listed.

I think the OP was very fair in her assessment of the Contemporary. Key words - HER ASSESSMENT. I'm sorry that you take issue, but please don't flame a trip reporter on her own thread.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

1st off all eventhough I said I don't agree with her view of the Contemporary, I did say it's free speech so she can say what she wants. The problem I had is I have heard other people from other sites bash the Contemporary & it bugs me because some people don't see that they are trying to improve the Resort. So my issue is not with the OP, my issue is that she is not the 1st person to rip the Contemporary & influence others not to stay there, because of some minor problems with her room & the fact that the Food 'N Fun Center was to small. However I say again if that's the way she feels I can't change that & this is my opinion. Lastly the rooms were designed to the theme of the Contemporary, so if people want to stay at a better themed Resort WDW has a lot of them. However everytime I am there the Contemporary is always booked because of guests going there for their vacations & convention groups are always there. So there are a lot more people who like the Contemporary.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

ScottieDog, glad you had a nice trip. You're right, they need to upgrade the food court.

CR Resort Fan, you can read reports on every resort and there are going to be things people don't like about each one. I know you like the CR (so do I) but don't let it bother you; less people there means more room for others.

We also love the Dolphin and I'm always reading about how "lacking in magic" it is there. That's fine, because we're happy to get the good rates when they want to fill up the rooms, LOL.

 

[ScottieDog]

I don't know if the OP had a old room or a renovated room, but chances are he had an old room based on what he said. With that being said don't worry about every single fault, enjoy your vacation your at Walt Disney World the happiest place on earth. But try to be a little fair when you review the Contemporary because they have more pros then you have mentioned.

We had one of the newly renovated rooms and it was very nice...nicer than the moderate rooms at the other resorts I mentioned (BB, PO, Coranado). I guess my gripe is more with the "feel" of the grounds and such...it lacked magic, and at $350.00 a night I want magic! Never was I not aware that I was in a conferance hotel.

By the way, which moderates have you stayed at, and what about the CR keeps you so loyal?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

what about the CR keeps you so loyal?

While you're waiting for CR Fan to reply, I'll tell you what I like about it.

The first time I went through the CR on the monorail, I was blown away! I'd never experienced anything quite like it before. Couldn't wait to stay there after that. (In fact, booked a tower room for our next trip - which was a big birthday trip for me - but got a complementary upgrade to the Poly LVC which was also pretty magical).

We absolutely loved sitting in the Quiet Pool and watching the Electric Light Parade go by while we were in there. That was pretty magical.

Regardless of where we stay, we always spend some time on the 4th floor concourse. I love that (albeit fake) chocolate smell! We also usually watch the fireworks from the deck right there, fun watching with the monorails going right over your head.

We get a huge kick out of the men in the booths in their CR "futurewear", LOL. They are always friendly to us and we crack up when they welcome us "home" for the night with that little salute they do. We also enjoy seeing the CR as your coming down the road from the MK tollbooths, it just screams WDW to us!

We get a kick out of knowing the history of the resort itself, too. The rooms in the tower were prefab rooms, they lifted them into place one by one way back in the early 70's when WDW was in its earliest stages. I believe Walt himself had a hand in the original idea for that resort, too, back when they were planning in the first place, which in and of itself is pretty cool to think about (yes, I realize he died in the 60's, but as the first on property resort it was planned years ahead of time, just like EPCOT). I'll see if I can find an article about it and post it later, I know I've read about it before.

ETA: http://www.kingdommagictravel.com/disneyworld/resorts/contemporary.htm

 

[disneymouse]

We had one of the newly renovated rooms and it was very nice...nicer than the moderate rooms at the other resorts I mentioned (BB, PO, Coranado). I guess my gripe is more with the "feel" of the grounds and such...it lacked magic, and at $350.00 a night I want magic! Never was I not aware that I was in a conferance hotel.

By the way, which moderates have you stayed at, and what about the CR keeps you so loyal?

i totally get what your saying. feel the same way..

 

[FutureCinderella88]

ScottieDog, I can totally understand your frustration with CR. But I hope you don't dismiss all the deluxe resorts quite yet! I have never stayed at CR but I have been to the resort several times (for dining and parasailing... SO much fun!) I always wanted to stay there, but once I actually had the chance to see the entire hotel I kind of changed my mind. First of all, a lot of the major business conventions that take place on the grounds often take place at the contemporary, thus a lot of business-types stay there. Which I think makes sense because it seems very business-like, since it kind of lacks a strong theme etc. Don't get me wrong, I have a huge respect for all things disney and the contemporary is a WDW classic, but it's not for everyone. If you ever feel like trying another resort, I would highly recommend the beach club, boardwalk and wilderness lodge! I'm staying at wilderness this month and it seriously reminds me of home, ( I live in CO). I love some of the moderate resorts too, but these deluxe resorts are great, oh and the beach club pool is AWESOME!

 

[Mcbruns]

wow - can't believe you didn't do Epcot with that age range and the monorail convenience.