Which one: CR or WL

[LisaDougKaylee]

We are planning trip!!!!!!!! I haven't been to disney since epcot first opened many moons ago. We have narrowed our choices of resorts to CR and WL. We are traveling with a 7 yr old and we're not sure which resort would be better for us. I've heard the standard rooms at CR are a bit larger than WL, which has us interested. Can anyone give me the pros and cons of each resort? Any help would be greatly appreciated. (It took us forever to narrow it down this far!!!!!!!!!) Thanks

 

[Kallison]

Well for us ease of transportation is very important. The WL may be nicely themed but taking that boat would drive DH crazy. We did enjoy the nice large CR rooms, they are bigger. It's really nice to hop the monorail and be quickly back for a break. We loved rolling out of bed and into Chef Mickey's too. I hear a lot of complaints about the CR not being themed but we enjoyed the monorail running through it. Have fun deciding, or maybe you could split your stay between the two (although my DH refuses to do that).

 

[pointandshoot]

We have stayed at both in the past few months.
Here are a few thoughts from our trips.

CR+

Convenience to MK (walk)
Room size, closet and drawer space
monorail (favorite ride for my DD)
toilet in separate room from bathroom
Easy to get to an early breakfast PS in MK
Large gift shops
MK fireworks viewing from 4th floor

CR -

No balcony for wing rooms, patio for ground floor wing rooms
Older style resort (in great shape, though)

WL+

Landscaping (can open balcony door and listen to waterfalls)
Pool
Beautiful resort

WL -

Boat only to MK

The boat ride to MK is a nice ride. If you stay at the CR, you might want to take the ferry to WL for a visit, then take the boat to MK. Makes for a relaxing morning to the park. On the other hand, I also do not like to wait for a boat when I am tired and its late and prefer just to walk to CR after the park closes.

 

[FINFAN]

I asked my DS who is 8, we stayed in the N.wing at CR in July '01(when he was 6 1/2) His response was..."the monorail was the coolest thing ever! Especially how we got to ride it over and over and even in the front a lot of times!! If we get to go back can we stay there again? PLEASE?!?!?!?!" and that is a direct quote. The theming is fun...some think a little "cold" because the tower is enclosed and the food court/game room area does not have windows..but the rooms are very bright and cheery, you can walk to MK easily if for some reason you don't want to ride one of the many different colored monorail trains we, of course, had to make sure we rode them all! We would ride it at night just for the ride! You can take the boat over to WL for dinner, just to enjoy the atmosphere...of course you can do that the other way around as well!The room size at CR is SO nice...seperate toilet area..jsut be careful of the marble floors...DS dropped a glass and boy did it shatter!We had a standard room, and actually requested the parking lot view beacause we could see the fireworks every night at 10p.m. and the castle,,,as the monorail drove by. There were very tame ducks waiting at our patio doors each a.m. to be hand fed...kids LOVED that as well. Another favorite of our kids was the slurpee machine in the food court...thank heaven for refillable mugs! Check in was extremely smooth for us and mousekeeping did a great job. The arcade was a life saver one afternoon of monsoon rain and again, the convenience of the monorail was the best. We enjoyed a spl;it stay that trip, beginning w/3 nights at ASMU which was also exceptional in theming and service...we liked the tropical feel to ASMU and did miss having palm trees on the grounds of CR, but that is the ONLY small thing I can think of. Let me tell you, the monorail had DS on cloud 9 the entire trip...and since he was happy, WE were happy!
By the way...welcome to the DIS and happy planning...you will have a great trip!

 

[wdwnut]

hi: we've stayed at both over the years (with kids from age 5-16) at the times for those resorts. they loved the monorail at the contemporary, the arcade, and chef mickey's. it was real easy to walk to the mk from there as well. the theming at the wl is awesome and they loved it as well. both snack bars carried approximately the same items too. they enjoyed the pool at the wl a lot more than the contemporary (but i think they've updated the pool at the cr since we last stayed there). the wl is a bit more relaxing in my opinion-you don't even feel like you're in florida because the theming makes us feel like we're in the northwest. they each have pluses and minuses as previously posted.

 

[eeyore0062]

We have stayed at both, and for my money, the Contemporary beats the WL hands down. The rooms are HUGE, the bathroom layout is phenomenal, and the ease of transporation is a huge factor. The staff was very friendly and accomodating. The pools were nice, even though it was too cold to swim, they looked great-- not really themed, though. And it was a fantastic bonus to be able to walk to the MK! We think of the Contemporary as "Mickey's resort" because everywhere you look there are images of Mickey. We liked the energy and the urban feel. The shops were great, the restaurants were great, and the kids love the huge game room. To us, the Contemporary is a walk back in time when WDW only consisted of the MK and the Poly and the Contemporary, and to think that Walt oversaw the plans and construction make it more special!

The WL was beautiful in a masculine sort of way... very dark. The rooms were tiny and made to feel more tiny by the oversized furniture in them. The pool was fantastic, as were the guysers. The transporation left alot to be desired. The staff was nice and accomodating.

 

[cinmell]

The Contemporary!!!!
The location is unbeatable, you can walk to the MK, there are 2 pools, a huge arcade, the rooms are bright and a bit larger than rooms at other resorts, the monorail and great restaurants!

 

[MELSMICE]

I have never stayed at WL but I have seen the rooms & they are fairly small in my opinion for a deluxe resort. The CR rooms are very large. I love WL theming - it is so picturesque. CR has a "louder" theme, but a fun one.

I think the pool at WL is better themed, but my kids love the slide at the CR. The CR has a great game room.

For ease of convenience I would say CR is the way to go, but if you don't care, then you may want to consider a split stay. This way if you get to go again you can decide which you preferred!

 

[Terk-1]

I stayed there a few years ago and it was wonderful!!! The room was great, and so was the pool, hottub & lobby. I think you would be very happy here. There is a shuttle boat to both the CR & the MK.