The NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort FAQ with PICTURES! (Feb 2008)

[VirginiaMom]

Sorry for the five million questions, but I'm used to staying in value resorts, not deluxe ones so I want to make sure I'm prepared!

With regards to food, we're not fancy people.... we're most likely to do quick service while we're in the restaurant (we have Le Cellier, character breakfasts, etc.. already booked).

What quick service restaurants are at the Contemporary? I saw there was some quick food at the pool 'in season'. Is spring break considered 'in season'?

Thanks!!!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Sorry for the five million questions, but I'm used to staying in value resorts, not deluxe ones so I want to make sure I'm prepared!

With regards to food, we're not fancy people.... we're most likely to do quick service while we're in the restaurant (we have Le Cellier, character breakfasts, etc.. already booked).

What quick service restaurants are at the Contemporary? I saw there was some quick food at the pool 'in season'. Is spring break considered 'in season'?

Thanks!!!!

The main counter service location is the Contempo Cafe which is on the 4th floor where the Concourse Steakhouse use to be and it's open 365 days a year.

The location your thinking about is the Sand Bar which usually opens at 11:00 AM, so they don't serve breakfast items and their closing hour depends on things like the weather and etc.

 

[VirginiaMom]

CR Resort Fan 4 Life- you are a wealth of information!! I can't imagine going on this trip without all the advice you've provided me (and many others). Thanks a million!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

VirginiaMom,
You're welcome and I am always happy to help when I can.

 

[tgmoe99]

CR Resort Fan - thanks for the info. def. loads of help.

 

[ColinCodyMom]

Hi everyone,
My family and I just booked our first stay for CR Tower Bay Lake View for August. I am wondering if there is a noise issue because of the restaurants or monorails??? I have heard that the rooms are pretty quiet and I just want to make sure the boys can sleep. Thanks to all who might reply.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

CR Resort Fan - thanks for the info. def. loads of help.

You're welcome.

Hi everyone,
My family and I just booked our first stay for CR Tower Bay Lake View for August. I am wondering if there is a noise issue because of the restaurants or monorails??? I have heard that the rooms are pretty quiet and I just want to make sure the boys can sleep. Thanks to all who might reply.

There won't be any problems when it comes to hearing the Monorail's, however if you get a room over Chef Mickey's you might hear the song they play. Although my family and I have had our room over it a few times and it was not bad at all. Finally if you think that might be a problem call CRO and request a room on the other side of the Tower over the Fantasia store.

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

Just wondering if anyone knows what's going on at the contemporary Dec.13-20? I went online to look since we got a 40% off code but there is nothing available! A few weeks ago, all room types were open. I don't get it because that is supposed to be a slow week at Disney and it 10 months away!

 

[SydneyFalco]

I was under the impression no week near Christmas was a slow week at Disney.

Only two days til Contemporary. Woo hoo!

 

[gmi3804]

Just wondering if anyone knows what's going on at the contemporary Dec.13-20? I went online to look since we got a 40% off code but there is nothing available! A few weeks ago, all room types were open. I don't get it because that is supposed to be a slow week at Disney and it 10 months away!

It could be that no rooms with the discount are available. Did you try booking without the discount? If there are rooms available, you may want to hold something and keep trying back to apply the code. Disney may not release those rooms with a code this far in advance.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I just tried the WDW website and the Contemporary is sold out from December 13-20 and that was with a room only reservation, so I don't think it has anything to do with the 40% off code.

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

It could be that no rooms with the discount are available. Did you try booking without the discount? If there are rooms available, you may want to hold something and keep trying back to apply the code. Disney may not release those rooms with a code this far in advance.

I was just checking online without the code. You can't actually apply a pin code unless you call and book.

 

[jmlipari]

There is something wrong with the web site. I just put in Aug 29 - sept 3 at the Contemporary and it said there was no availibility. Maybe they are adding Bay lake towers to the reservation system and thats affecting it.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

There is something wrong with the web site. I just put in Aug 29 - sept 3 at the Contemporary and it said there was no availibility. Maybe they are adding Bay lake towers to the reservation system and thats affecting it.

That's a very good point.

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

There is something wrong with the web site. I just put in Aug 29 - sept 3 at the Contemporary and it said there was no availibility. Maybe they are adding Bay lake towers to the reservation system and thats affecting it.

That makes me feel a lot better! I was beginning to panic! I hope you're right........

 

[gmi3804]

I'm wondering if low demand for the dates in question are causing the management of the hotels to cut back on staff (overhead) and not sell all the rooms that are available. Disney keeps tabs on park attendance when deciding hours and show schedules, why not resort hotels? If they know they're only likely to sell, say, 60% of their rooms, would they only make 60% of the rooms available to book?

 

[3"Mouse"keteers]

I'm wondering if low demand for the dates in question are causing the management of the hotels to cut back on staff (overhead) and not sell all the rooms that are available. Disney keeps tabs on park attendance when deciding hours and show schedules, why not resort hotels? If they know they're only likely to sell, say, 60% of their rooms, would they only make 60% of the rooms available to book?

That wouldn't make sense since it is showing them booked completely (which I now know may just be due to the fact that they are adding bay towers onto the online system). If they only opened 60% of rooms to booking and they are all booked, then there would obviously be higher demand than 60% and disney would be losing money by turning people away that want to stay there. I don't think disney would do something like deliberately losing money.... I do think the problem is just with them updating the system though because I also checked dates in June and July since they extended the 4/3 promo and none of those dates had any rooms available either.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

That wouldn't make sense since it is showing them booked completely (which I now know may just be due to the fact that they are adding bay towers onto the online system). If they only opened 60% of rooms to booking and they are all booked, then there would obviously be higher demand than 60% and disney would be losing money by turning people away that want to stay there. I don't think disney would do something like deliberately losing money.... I do think the problem is just with them updating the system though because I also checked dates in June and July since they extended the 4/3 promo and none of those dates had any rooms available either.

Plus the fact that when I looked online a few days ago around the same dates you want to go every room category was available and now we are to believe that WDW is only selling 60% of their rooms. So that does not make sense which is why I believe it's because they are adding the Bay Lake Tower rooms on the web site.

 

[brergnat]

There could be a convention in town that week...

That IS a big convention hotel.

And remember, the Contemporary is usually one of the first hotels to "sell out" for any given time period. It doesn't have that many rooms, and it's the cheapest hotel on the monorail line.

I wouldn't give up, though. People cancel every day, especially in this economy.

And, YES, FYI, a LOT of hotels (Disney included) block off a portion of their hotel as "unusable inventory" during a time they predict will be slow, and lower staff levels accordingly and they DO allow rooms to sit empty. It happens in the hotel industry ALL THE TIME. It's a standard practice. It can be 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, whatever of the rooms they choose to make unavailable for booking. IF they do that, and then the REST of the rooms get booked, even if it's not technically 100% of the resort's inventory, it WILL show "no availability", because 100% of the resort's AVAILABLE inventory will have been booked. It's not like airlines...where the plane flies regardless of empty seats, and the plane has the same amount of staff on hand, fuel, etc. A hotel operates most efficiently when the number of rooms that are filled is balanced by the number of staff on hand to service those rooms and the commodities used are balanced as well (water, electricity, etc.). In down times, less room occupancy=less staff, less energy usage, etc=saving $$$. As the date approaches, they may open up more rooms for booking, if they feel that demand indicates it.

I'm not saying this is what's happening now, but it's possible. It's more possible that:

-there's a convention in town
-there's something screwy with the reservation system (again)

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

There could be a convention in town that week...

That IS a big convention hotel.

Normally I would say it's because of a convention, however the last 2 years in the month of December my family and I were at the Contemporary the week before Christmas and there were no major conventions going on, since they don't happen so close towards Christmas.