Just returned last night from our 5 night stay at the CR!
We checked in on Wed, Oct 8th and were told our room on the Bay Lake side would be on the 6th floor. I asked if there was a higher floor available so we were moved to the 9th floor. Our room was the last room (4524) closest to the new Bay Lake Tower and far away from CM. We only had one room next to us and the other side was the fire exit. We LOVED this location it was very quiet and we had no foot traffic going past our room at all. Our view of the lake was beautiful. We LOVED it. It was very relaxing and loved to people watch and watch the boats and water parade go by. In the distance we could see Epcot and could also see their fire works when the time was different from Wishes. When we opened our room door, we faced the castle and could see it perfectly through the tall windows. To us it was like 2 views in 1. Every night we took our balcony chairs and sat on the large balcony fire exit to watch wishes. We were permitted to do this since it was a way to walk down to the 1st or 4th floor but we had to put a tray in the door to keep it ajar because there was no return access.
We heard no noise at all from CM and hardly any noise from the BLT construction except occasional beeping when a truck would back up (I actually thought it was someone's alarm clock going off) Most of the new Contempo Cafe is done and we saw no activitiy there but we did hear some jackhammering were the old bar used to be during our 9:30 breakfast at CM on our checkout day but you really don't notice after a while because CM is very loud.
PROS
Having everything in one building was very convenient. It was nice to get off the monorail and your room was only a quick elevator ride away. It was also nice to be able to run down to refill our mugs or get a bite to eat without going to far.
Buses were great
CM's were very nice and knowledgeable.
Views were BEAUTIFUL! Especially at night with everything lit up.
Loved the free internet
There was plenty of storage space to be able to unpack and keep everything organized.
CONS
Someone must have spilt milk by the fridge and onto the rug between the cabinets because when you opened the cabinet door, it had a sour milk smell.
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Housekeeping was not up to par when it came to the bathrooms. We had mold on the grout lines on the back of the sink. Dust in the corners, toothpaste or deoderant splatter on the wall behind the towel rack and dirt and splatters on the wall paper. Only 2 hand towels were provided everyday even though we are a family of 4, I prefer 1 per person like all other hotels provide. Also, only 1 bottle each of shampoo and conditioner was given and they are quite small and not enough for a family of 4 (2 with long hair)to shower everyday with. we had to call down and ask for more. Finally we just left a note but I felt that I did not have to keep asking. Tissue box was not replaced when emptied and thrown away which created a problem since my daughter had a cold.
Bathroom set up is horrible. Why on earth would you put the toilet in the enclosed room? It should be the shower there so someone could shower and someone else could use the toilet or sinks at the same time. All I could think of was how many people must have wiped themselves and then opened the door with the same hand before they could get to the sink to wash their hands
That thought grossed me out and I made sure I Clorox wiped all the door handles and light switches along with a few other things. The big space in the toilet area is a complete waste of space. They should have installed shelves or drawers there instead of leaving a big empty space that only had a hook on it. As much as I loved the look of the sinks, when you washed the refillable mugs, there was water everywhere. (hence the splatters on the wall of hot chocolate left from previous vacationers) Also, when you showered there was no where to lay your clothes or towel. Did they expect us to walk across the bathroom to the towel rack soaking wet or go into the toilet area to get something off the hook or closed toilet? (mind you the bathroom is pretty large and the floor would now be soaked) The whole bathroom was poorly designed.
All in all, we had a GREAT trip. We all agree that we love the convenience of the CR and the views were great and the rooms are nicely decorated and spacious but we also missed the resort feel and cozy feeling that the GF has. We would definitely stay at the CR again. It is not on our never again list like the Poly.
It doesn't take much these days.
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