Why the lack of love for the CR?

[Tink_Or_Belle]

We loved it. There are 5 of us and the rooms seem bigger (maybe they are not but we felt like we had more room) We were in the main building and it wasn't loud the elevators seemed to run just fine and our room was clean. Maybe we are easy to please. just hope we love it as much when we go back next month.

 

[nansmama]

I remember when I was a teenager in the 80s thinking it was SO AWESOME that the monorail went right through the CR. I always thought if I went back to WDW, that's where I'd stay, but as a grownup I lost interest for whatever reason. We visited the CR on our last trip and my kids were thoroughly unimpressed. They said it looked like an airport hotel! I pointed out that the monorail went right through the hotel and they were like "So???" They much preferred the themed values and mods and the deluxe villas. Guess it takes more to impress kids these days.

 

[Mamato3Princes]

That's where we are going to stay on our upcoming trip. We booked a theme park view, so I'm excited that we will be able to see the fireworks from our room!
J have also read a lot of differing reviews and have a few concerns.
I am a little concerned about the quick service options with two picky kids.
Are the elevators that bad of a wait?

We NEVER had to wait for the elevator so we don't have any complaints about that. We did not like the Contempo Cafe tho. But loved Chef Mickey's bc of the characters.

OP, We LOVE CR!! I have memories of rolling through it on the monorail as a youth. I always wanted to stay there. When we finally stayed there in February in an MK view room, we enjoyed it very much! My boys also love their "monorail hotel" and are constantly asking to stay there again.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[tinkermommyof3]

Not our favorite but not our least favorite. Staying in October because of convenience for our scheduled plans. We are doing MNSSHP (MK) and F&W (Epcot). We probably won't be swimming like we do in the Summer. We need hot, hot weather to swim. We choose to stay at other resorts based on pool and other amenities in the Summer. We like the CR's very large rooms for our family and like the Contempo Cafe QS. Looking forward to staying in the Tower this trip. The only other time we stayed here was Garden Wing.

 

[POOHsie]

The Contemporary may get less love on the DisBoards, but looking at the rack rates, I believe it is hugely popular.

What I don't like about CR is, it started as a Southwest USA theme and decor, which always confused me because Florida is so wet from daily showers, and lush with flora and fauna. Central Florida is not a place for a Southwest theme. Maybe the Disney design team was all from the West and didn't have a sense of what Florida represented? Anyway, the beautiful Mary Blair Southwest tile mosaic up the elevator shaft is gorgeous, but totally out of place. I heard talk of removing it, but it's priceless Disney art that should remain, however awkward. I don't like the changes that served to maximize the resort's income, including shopping, which roofs you look at from above (Ugh!) and Chef Mickey's, which smells of cheap and fried food, and has attracted birds into the lobby. CR is more like a circus midway than an elegant flagship resort. Or is that honor reserved for the Grand Floridian these days?

 

[raven69david]

I wanted to say something nice about CR so here it goes: 1st stop on resort monorail line. Done.

That being said, we've stayed here 3 times and we're done with it. It's about as fun as staying at SoG - dull and nearly no themeing to make you feel like you're at WDW. I had a better time staying at the All-Stars, Pop or AoA than when we stayed at CR.

 

[pixie08]

It is the original resort, so if you are a Disney geek there is that. You can walk to MK. We stayed there once, it was ok. Toured BLT, though about buying because of monorail access, now with the GFV coming glad we waited lol.

I think for the $$ I would rather stay at the GF for a little more- that is my favorite monorail/deluxe/non-dvc (for now)resort. I may get flamed but the Poly doesn't do it for me either, I think it is too crowded, although it is nice staying there when you do not have to enter the lobby! We love the EPCOT resorts, and AKL but we like things a little more quiet and don't mind a little off the path.

 

[Tinkmom]

The elevator complaint I have never understand. We've been to the CR (not stayed there) many times for meals and have never experienced an overly long wait for the elevator....

I totally agree!!! Is this some new urban legend?? I've never experienced any significant delay in getting an elevator at the Contemporary.

 

[drquest]

We've stayed at the CR nearly every trip the past 10 years. We've stayed at all of the other monorail resorts and Wilderness as well, but nothing beats a Magic Kingdom view room at the CR.

The kids always love opening the door to the sounds of Chef Mickey's below and the Monorail gliding past. Walking to MK is always a nice option too.

 

[drquest]

I totally agree!!! Is this some new urban legend?? I've never experienced any significant delay in getting an elevator at the Contemporary.

No there's plenty of elevators and there's always another one on the way up or down.

I do miss the character voices in the elevator telling you which floor you're on, I don't know why they stopped doing that.

 

[nemofans]

We definitely had elevator issues mainly b/c we had a stroller & a large convention kept the elevators full. The worst times were in the morning when leaving & around dinner time. We weren't able to get onto an elevator til all the convention people were done going down to the convention level (or going up to their rooms later in day), finally freeing up the elevators. We were not the only family waiting as well.
Anyway, we will never stay at CR again & this is just one of many reasons why.

 

[shalom]

What are some of the reasons you LOVE CR?

We haven't stayed there, but I will say the walk over to the MK in the morning at Rope Drop is magical, at least when we did it in May one year. It's cool and shady (once you cross the street) and the monorail is going overhead and it's just lovely.

For me the Contemporary has always been "THE" WDW hotel; I was surprised as an adult to discover that the Poly and the Contemporary opened at that same time. Now that I think about it, I knew as a kid that the monorail went to at least one other hotel, but they were just totally off my radar. Because the monorail didn't go through the others, that's why.

Which is admittedly a whole lot of nostalgia and not a reason to stay there. However, whether you're facing the MK or Bay Lake, the Contemporary has some of the best views of any of the WDW hotels, IMHO, and most of the rooms have a nice one (if you don't mind looking across parking lots in the MK direction, that is). And I love the hot tub with the water fountain thingies all around -- I'm the only one in the family who gets bored in hot tubs almost immediately, and if there's a water feature like that, I last longer.

It is admittedly not themed the same way as the rest. I kind of wish they'd take the southwestern vibe and run with it a bit -- I love the Mary Blair mosaic and, while I'm glad they didn't remove it, I wish they'd let it influence the decor a bit more. Not in the whimsical sense but in the Grand Canyon/Southwest sense. If they can create rocket-shaped rocks for Cars (I guess technically they're supposed to be Cadillac fins, but I always thought they looked like a row of rockets that blasted into the earth ), they could totally do something more interesting with a "Modern/Southwest" theme at the Contemporary. I think they don't bother because the place is always full anyhow.

I doubt I'd ever stay in the Contemporary proper because I am a Timeshare person, but about the time I realized that, they put in Bay Lake Tower! It really is a magical place that scatters pixie dust, at least for those who already love it. It does seem to me most kids prefer the more themed resorts; I'm lucky because the Contemporary is my middle daughter's favorite resort, too.

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

I'm planning to stay at the CR during the "Night of Joy" so I can walk back at night. I want to be free to stay til the end of the concerts and not worry about transportation. I've been looking at pics on allears and I must say I am getting excited to try out this resort! The rooms look very nice and I think the views alone will be wonderful!

 

[DisneyHardin]

I absolutely LOVE the Contemporary - I wish I could afford to stay there every trip.

 

[sjs314]

If there is a lack of love of CR I think it is due to the times we are living in. When the Contemporary was built in 1971 it was a hotel before it's time. There was only one park to visit Magic Kingdom and you could walk there and the Monorail went right thru the hotel, how fantastic was that?

We visited the first time in 1989 and I wanted to stay at CR but there were no rooms to be had, in fact all the of WDW was sold out when I checked.

We ended up staying at one of the Official Hotels of WDW near the Disney Village(DTD) but nothing can ruin a first visit.

Many say CR is dated or not themed, maybe you just have to have been alive back when CR was the Hotel of the Future.....Walts Dream that became your dream too and looking at the CR just takes some of us back to a time before the technological age that we now have become accustomed to in our everyday life.

I still have yet to stay there but I hope to someday and return to the WDW that Walt had the vison to see and build

 

[HKeller]

My family and I (DH, DD8, DS10) have stayed at CR both times we went to WDW and will be staying there a 3rd time in March 2013. We absolutely love it and wouldn't stay anywhere else. It is conveniently located, the rooms are spacious, and we love the view of the lake. We have a park view for our trip in March and I can't wait for that perspective. The elevators can be a pain, but not enough to be a problem. The concierge there is outstanding.

 

[Georgi Zhukov]

Another CR fan here, having stayed there at least 15 times from the late 1970's to 2012. A big part of my affection is no doubt nostalgia - this is where I always stayed as a child and my brother and I absolutely loved the place. My brother is no longer with us so it was very special to return with my own two boys in 2008.

What do I love about it? Location for one. Right on the monorail line of course and being within easy walking distance to the MK is a bonus. Plus, if you have kids they never get over how cool it is for the monorail to go right through the middle of the hotel - I remember standing outside my room as a child watching in awe from above as the monorails passed through and it's a trip watching my kids do the same. For our last four trips we've gotten theme park view rooms and there is nothing like watching Wishes (every night) from your own balcony with a glass of wine at the end of a long day in the parks.

What don't I love? Well, the price obviously. But it's the price combined with the experience of staying in an older hotel that is the frustrating thing. Sure, they've upgraded the rooms and they are nice (with the exception of the bathroom sinks) but the guts of the building are very old and worn. We've had issues the last four times we've stayed there - from the entire hotel having no hot water (for an hour or so) to outlets not working in the room to the sliding door to the balcony not opening due to a busted lock. These things can be a little hard to swallow at $500+ a night.

I do love it though. Every time I get my first glimpse of the old CR when driving up World Drive the day of arrival I get the chills. It is a magnificent hotel.

 

[CanadaDisneyfan]

Stayed there once and loved it and the convenience.
If only it was more affordable

 

[shburks]

That's where we are going to stay on our upcoming trip. We booked a theme park view, so I'm excited that we will be able to see the fireworks from our room!
J have also read a lot of differing reviews and have a few concerns.
I am a little concerned about the quick service options with two picky kids.
Are the elevators that bad of a wait?

We love Contempo Cafe and have made a stop there the past few times we stayed at WL because we find it to be way better than Roaring Forks!

 

[nightshaderose]

I've never stayed in the main hotel, only BLT, but here's why I like the Contemporary:

• Walking to/from MK
• I actually really like the slick, modern room decor
• The Wave, particularly the breakfast buffet
• Monorail access to Epcot
• Monorail access to the Poly & GF, and boat access to WL, for restaurants and bars (It's nice to be able to go over to the Poly for Lapu Lapus and Backscratchers, secure in the knowledge that the monorail will take you right back home again without transfers or other complications)

I know that when VGF eventually opens, many of these same things will be available there, but I strongly suspect that the decor will be a little too floral for my comfort.

And, all that being said, as much as I like to spend a couple of days at BLT every now and then, my heart belongs to Animal Kingdom Lodge.