Contemporary Garden Wing Questions

[DisneyPrincess21]

We are considering using our 40% off discount to stay at the Contemporary for our last 2 nights during Night Of Joy. We have never stayed in a deluxe before so this is all very new to us.

What are the perks to staying here?

We will have to choose the cheapest room which would be the Standard Garden Wing Room with Standard Views.

What are the pro's and con's to staying here?

How does the transportation work since we aren't staying in the tower?

How far is it from the garden wing to get to the transportation, gift shop and restaurants in the tower?

It will cost $100 dollars difference over my previous hotel (CBR pirate room) Is it worth the money?

Thanks for the help :wave:

[Morpheous]

Well, We have stayed in the Garden Wing a few times. Its a bit off to the side from the main building on the shore of the Lagoon. Its a short walk from the Garden Wing to the Main Tower. You just walk by the pool and the Hotel Marina up a small series of stairs and then a short escalator ride.

For Gift Shops, dining, and transportation its all right there in the tower!. The Wave is on the same floor as the lobby. One floor up you have the Gift shop, and the counter service dining location as well as Chef Mickeys. This is also the floor that you get on the escalator that leads up to the Monorail. The California Grill is also in the Main Tower, on the top floor. Amazing View btw!

Now on to transportation. You will find the Bus Area for transportation to Downtown Disney, Waterparks, and Themeparks all located a very short walk from the main lobby. You also have the Monorail which will take you to the Transportation and Ticket Center (Where you can then transfer to the Epcot Monorail!), the Polynesian, the Grand Floridian... and of course the Magic Kingdom.

With that said the Contemporary is easily within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom and can be faster than the Monorail. We love riding the monorail and ride it anyway even though we could save time and walk! Of course the Monorail is definitely your best Option to getting to Epcot. The Ticket and Transportation center is 1 stop away from the Contemporary, so its just a short ride then a transfer to the Epcot line.

With staying at a Monorail hotel, you'll have quick easy transportation to the other Monorail Hotels. This is great if you wanna check them out, or make a reservation at one of their restaurants. (I highly recommend Narcoosse's at the Grand Floridian!)

Another great thing about the Contemporary is that even if you don't have a room with a theme park view, You can still find places with a view of Wishes on the property. The Garden Wing is a bit quieter then the Tower/Theme Park view since its not right off the main road. As I said though there is a walk from your room to the main tower but its not too bad.

So, My recommendation is to go for it! I think you'll enjoy it. Hope this helps!

[eandrsmom]

We stayed in the Garden Wing a few years ago, and I have to agree with the previous poster. I think you'll enjoy staying there. I would also add that there is a covered walkway between the Garden Wing and Tower which helps if it's raining. We've stayed at the GF, which was more expensive, and had no covered walkways to the main building.

[KylesMom]

We've stayed in the CR Garden Wing on two separate occasions and thought it was wonderful. Biggest perk? Being so close to MK. You can quite literally walk to the park in ten minutes or less if other transportation is crowded/prohibitive.

The walk from the Garden Wing to the tower is negligible - much shorter than your CBR Pirate Room - and as someone mentioned, if it's raining you can stay under cover the brief time you walk outside to get to the tower/restaurant areas.

The Contempo Cafe has a good selection of food as far as CS is concerned, and Chef Mickey's is right there for a tasty breakfast or dinner. You've also got The Wave and California Grill for nicer TS dining. We love the CR gift shops and still visit them every time we're on vacation, even if we're not staying there.

The only con I can think of is the price. With the discount you'd be receiving, that takes some of the "ouch" out of the sticker price. I'd go for it! :mickey: