Why do YOU love the Contemporary?

[WDWRNTLK]

Forgive me if this is a duplicate thread, I only scrolled down a little to look.
I was almost in tears watching the video about the Contemporary as it brought back all my memories of going to the park as a small child. Let's give our reasons for loving that resort!

I fell in love with the contemporary the same way everyone else does, riding the monorail through it on the way in to magic kingdom. Every year my grandma and I would go, just the two of us, for a day during the week between Christmas and New Years. This was in the 1980's, when it wasn't so crazy busy.
We always compromised on transportation. I picked the monorail on the way in and she chose the boat to watch the fireworks on the way back at night. Every year I would ask if we could stay at the monorail hotel next time, and every time she would tell me that we might be able to next year. (She lived about 90 minutes away so we never stayed overnight.)
Fast forward - I had told my husband these stories and he surprised me for our 5th anniversary with a stay at the Contemporary and we bought BLT points on that trip! I cried when we entered our MK view room for the first time!
My grandma passed away this year at the age of 96. Those trips are memories that I will always treasure.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

We stayed at the Contemporary our last trip and I'll always remember how my son had fallen asleep during the drive there and he woke up right as we pulled into the parking lot and his eyes just got huge as he said "we are staying here?!?!?!"

There really is nothing like opening the drapes in the morning and seeing the Magic Kingdom come to life and then go outside your room and look down and see the Characters walking around Chef Mickey's and then to get on the monorail without leaving the resort is just amazing

I'll be honest, I didn't love everything about it (I thought the rooms could use a bit more "Disney" and the pool area wasn't the best) but the location just can't be beat and the rooms are huge too (our family of 5 fit no problem). Plus the history of it being an original resort and the Mary Blair mural are just amazing!

 

[jeffbear]

Yeah. There's certainly a truckload of the "we get to stay HERE?" reaction, even from adults on their first stays. That's the power of the monorail resorts in general. But to me there's something special about the Contemporary. The VERY specific to the late 60s design esthetic, the mind blowing MK view balconies, Cali Grille, the Monorail swooping through the Canyon, the Mary Blair mural, the weirdly spaceship-esque front desk ... yeah. It's special, it's unique and it's comforting for some reason despite being so not at all in keeping with the look and feel of other Disney resort hotels.

Maybe that's the REAL magic of the Contemporary. That it manages to be fully Disney in nature despite being nothing at all Disney in nature. I mean, you can magic up a bus terminal with Disney touches if you want. It's still a bus terminal. And the Contemporary, despite the retail outlets, Chef Mickey's et al, is stubbornly at its core a monument to a certain time and place in architectural history that has VERY little to do with the Disney esthetic. Yet, could you imagine it anywhere else? I can't.

 

[huntconn]

I had the exact same experience last year that Kevin described so perfectly in the recent Dis video. It had been many years since I had stayed at the CR (we are usually Poly people), but have been trying other resorts during the recent Poly refurb. When I was driving my family up the road that leads to the resort and the CR just materialized majestically in front of us I was just overwhelmed with emotion. I had to try to hide it from my family. Lol. Such a wonderful resort for so many reasons. It represents the history of WDW better than any other resort IMO, while keeping one foot firmly planted in Today. It is, for me, quite literally a bridge back to my childhood in the 1970's. Simply a magical place.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

The Contemporary is my favorite resort. I know some people see it as cold and sterile and that the rooms could use more Disney touches, but I have theories on all of these things that just add to the magic for me.

People always talk about how the other deluxes and mods transport you to someplace, but the Contemporary doesn't need to do that. The Contemporary is unique to WDW and ultimately, a resort icon. So, instead of feeling like you're staying in Hawaii or the African savanna, you know you're at WDW when you're there. And there's nothing like a towering Mary Blair mural to scream you're at someplace Disney. Yes, the room decor doesn't really have any real Disney touches, but I think it's because you're staying inside said icon...almost like it would be redundant. While only one side of the tower faces MK, it's like all of the Disney scenery outside of your room is your Disney room decor. You don't need a Mickey lamp when you can see Cinderella Castle from your balcony or even see the monorail from your garden wing room patio. The rooms are also huge and incredibly comfortable.

And if you want to get to the 7am at Chef Mickey's or go to a late seating at California Grill, staying at the Contemporary makes that a whole lot easier. Of course, walking to MK is a huge perk.

The only negative I have with the resort is the pool. It's not bad, but it's blah. With all of the pool makeovers going on out there, I have my fingers crossed that the Contemporary will be next as they could do some really incredible things with lighting and falling water.

 

[disneysteve]

I actually used to like the Contemporary better years ago. I'm sure there's some selective memory and some nostalgia involved but the place has definitely changed.

1. The construction of Bay Lake Tower took away from the visual impact of the Contemporary.
2. The Contemporary had an awesome arcade. No matter where we were staying, we always went there to play. Plus they had a little theater at the back where they showed Disney movies all day.
3. I'm not a fan of the big gift shop they plopped right in the middle of the concourse.
4. Everyone used to be able to go up to the observation decks to watch fireworks or just enjoy the view.

We still go there every trip but it's just not the same as it used to be.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Forgive me if this is a duplicate thread, I only scrolled down a little to look.
I was almost in tears watching the video about the Contemporary as it brought back all my memories of going to the park as a small child. Let's give our reasons for loving that resort!

I fell in love with the contemporary the same way everyone else does, riding the monorail through it on the way in to magic kingdom. Every year my grandma and I would go, just the two of us, for a day during the week between Christmas and New Years. This was in the 1980's, when it wasn't so crazy busy.
We always compromised on transportation. I picked the monorail on the way in and she chose the boat to watch the fireworks on the way back at night. Every year I would ask if we could stay at the monorail hotel next time, and every time she would tell me that we might be able to next year. (She lived about 90 minutes away so we never stayed overnight.)
Fast forward - I had told my husband these stories and he surprised me for our 5th anniversary with a stay at the Contemporary and we bought BLT points on that trip! I cried when we entered our MK view room for the first time!
My grandma passed away this year at the age of 96. Those trips are memories that I will always treasure.

Sorry about the loss of your grandma, but it's through sharing wonderful memories like you did, and thinking about her when you're at the Contemporary, that she truly lives on. Thank you for sharing her with us, and congrats on being BLT owners!!

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Awwww everybody with your great memories, and being able to verbalize them excellently.....just awwwww.......

 

[NuttyDisneyDad]

Chef Mickeys!!