Contemporary?

[KAT1811]

Can anyone give me some pros and cons in regards to the Contemporary Resort? We have never stayed there and are thinking about trying it next April. Any input at all is greatly appreciated.

[BrerGnat]

I just responded to your other post, but I wanted to mention that, honestly, I don't have any "Cons" in regards to this hotel outside of the price tag. I've stayed there several times and would not hesitate to stay there again (and again). I've done both the garden wings and the tower, and if pressed, I'd say the one "con" I can think of is that the Garden Wing rooms are located a bit too far away from the main building for my personal preference.

You're going to get all kinds of responses here, and most of the cons you will hear will be related to the "lack of theme". In my opinion, this hotel is so iconically "Disney" in every way that I can't understand these types of comments at all when I hear them. Like the Poly, it is one of the original WDW resorts, and the only one in the world that has a monorail travelling through it. The main Concourse level has "Disney" themeing through and through.

I like the CS here most out of all the Deluxes. The food is good, the atmosphere is fun, and they provide coloring pages and crayons for the kids, which I found to be just awesome.

Love the pool, slide, splash area, hottub. Love the beach. Love the monorail and walkway to MK. Love the rooms, the staff. It's all good, as far as I'm concerned.

[spinnerf]

I love the resort, the theming, the restaurants, the views! But in can give you a con.. The elevators in the contemporary are painfully outdated and inefficient. At peak time it can be very frustrating and most times I just opted for the stairs.

[MizMissy]

I'm with Natalie ... we loved the Contemporary. The rooms were very nice and felt more spacious than other WDW hotels. I liked that there was a wall desk with a chair instead of a too small table with chairs that takes up too much room.

We stayed in a Garden Wing Room and I actually think I was happier than I would have been in the main building. The main building is very busy with people in the concourse and the monorail running through it and Chef Mickey's being open. However, the Garden Wing rooms are close to the pool and only a short walk to the main building (all covered walk ways). If you decide on a garden wing room, I would suggest requesting a first floor room. They do not have real balconys in the Garden Wing rooms and if we had been on the upper floor, it may have felt a bit too closed off. Instead, we had a sliding door and little bistro set on the "patio" area and a very nice view of open green area (opposite side from the pool) and the water watching boats going to/from MK and the marina and WL. Very peaceful.

Of course, my absolute hands down favorite thing about the Contemporary is the ability to walk to/from the MK. I am not a fan of WDW transport ... riding on packed buses makes be and packed monorails that could break down makes me very claustrophobic. And, my DH has no patience for WDW transport. So, we generally drive to all the parks. However, because the MK is the only park where you have to use some sort of transport to arrive ... the Contemporary is the way to go for us.

[MargaretMessler]

I stayed there once during the Land portion of DCL Land & Sea. LOVED that I could watch the MK fireworks from my balcony in the tower. We were on a fairly high floor, but I did not notice at all any noise from people or monorails. Overall, pretty cool, definitely glad I did it. The price, that makes it a one and done kind of trip. I generally stay in values to save on cost, and visit some of the other resorts either for dining or just exploring.

[faline]

We only stayed at the Contemporary once and that was quite a while ago but I still think of that trip with great fondness. We were fortunate enough to stay in a Magic Kingdom view room (They had scheduled us for a lake view room but changed it upon my request at check-in - this was in the days when the view didn't include pricing differences).

Things we liked:
- We were in the Magic Kingdom loop and could easily move from the Contemporary to the Poly; Grand Floridian; and even to Wilderness Lodge for dining etc.
- As others have noted, it's so easy to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom
- LOVED watching the fireworks from our balcony; seeing the Castle from our bed; and watching the monorails being "put to bed"

Things we didn't like:
- The Magic Kingdom side of the Contemporary overlooks the road to the Magic Kingdom. It can be quite noisy while sitting on your balcony (though you didn't get that noise when you were inside)
- Because of the way the building was shaped, we would find cigarette butts on our balcony which were discarded from balconies above us (I don't remember if all rooms were non-smoking or not when we stayed there)

Things we liked and didn't like:
- The monorail running through the resort. It would make the whole building rumble (in a low frequency kind of way), I both liked this sensation and disliked this sensation.

It's a great place to stay! Enjoy!!

[BrerGnat]

Things we liked and didn't like:
- The monorail running through the resort. It would make the whole building rumble (in a low frequency kind of way), I both liked this sensation and disliked this sensation.

I loved this sensation! It reminded me of being on a cruise ship.

FWIW, I stayed on the 10th floor, MK side in the tower and once we shut the room door, we heard NOTHING from the concourse level below. Our room was dead center on the 10th floor. If you stay in the tower, ask for a room as high up as possible, and away from Chef Mickey's side.

[Mickey'sGirl]

The Contemporary is something else ... but it's hard to get over the sticker shock.


PROS

• I think the rooms are beautifully decorated
• Walking to the MK is awesome
• Seeing the Electrical Parade in the water from your balcony is very cool
• Hearing the soundtrack to Wishes while watching the display from the comfort of your hotel is terrific
• The Monorail to the Poly and Grand Floridian is very convenient

CONS

• The cost of two nights in a tower room was the same as 5 nights at the AKL
• Fast food choices -- We really didn't like the food choices from the Contempo Cafe

Would I pay to stay there again? In a heartbeat!

[Mickey'sGirl]

FWIW, I stayed on the 10th floor, MK side in the tower and once we shut the room door, we heard NOTHING from the concourse level below. Our room was dead center on the 10th floor. If you stay in the tower, ask for a room as high up as possible, and away from Chef Mickey's side.

We were on the 10th floor of the Tower as well, and did not hear any hotel noise at all.

[ANG]

While I've never said at the Contemporary but we've done Bay Lake.

Pros:
I loved having the monorail, not only to MK and the other resorts but to the TTC which is a quick trip to Epcot.

Chef Mickey's!

Decor

Cons:
I Also agree the elevators take a very long time.

Didn't care for The Wave

[DonaldDuckUSA]

Pros:

Being near MK!
Monorail!

For me, the best thing was the energy and excitment of being right in the hub of acitivity. I was THERE!

Growing up in Florida, we never stayed at expensive resorts. I never even stayed on site until I was in college, and then we stayed at value resorts.

With the monorail coming through and being able to see the fireworks at night, I felt like I wasn't just in Disney, but I was IN DISNEY! I was a part of the action. It was special. We didn't even go to the parks during our stay (DBF had a convention) and it was just as magical as many of my park visits.

Cons:
I second the food. CS leaves something to be desired. I usually don't mind CS, but I wasn't impressed with my quick meals.

Also, the check in area doesn't seem wide enough. All of the other resorts seem to have a wide area for long check in lines to form. I felt really cramped when checking in, or when traveling through the lobby during those times.

Staying there was a fantastic experience.

[joonyer]

Biggest Pro: 5 minute walk (or less) to MK, and back to your room at night.

Biggest Con: the CO$$$$$$T.

Most other things are pro's, if you can swing the CO$$$$$$T.

If money was no object for us, we'd stay there on every trip.

[jennsky]

I'm enjoying reading this thread because we will be staying there for our first time in October for ICOT 15! So glad you guys are saying great things about it. Can't wait!

[Bethanymouse]

We really enjoy the Contemporary. Some of my favorite parts about the resort:

Updated Pool
Monorail attached to MK and TTC
Walkway to MK
Great places to eat- CA grill! Chef Mickeys!
Magic of going to lobby and seeing monorail
Great Great Great shop!
Jet Ski rental
Large, recently renovated rooms

[CleveRocks]

I've always LOVED the Poly and was actually afraid to stay at Contemporary because of everything I'd read about its lack of Disney theming.

Now, I love Contemporary so much that I don't know if I can ever return to Poly.

I stayed in a tower - Bay Lake view room, not on the same side of the building as Chef Mickey's (we were on the end nearest Magic Kingdom). We loved the view, both of the lake from the balcony/window AND of the atrium from the hallway outside our room.

Aside from the refined and upscale feel of the lobby and the rest of the resort, I can't tell you how very very wonderful it was to walk to and from Magic Kingdom. At the end of the night, it was wonderful to just be able to leisurely walk home rather than be like everyone else and have to wait for some sort of transportation. Not that waiting for transportation is bad ... you have to do it at all the other parks ... but it was just so SPECIAL to have the freedom to come and go to/from Magic Kingdom as we pleased.

[Keneva]

We went with kids and stayed in the tower. The only thing that I didn't care for was having to take the elevator to and from the pool. Everything else was very memorable.

[whitney37354]

Pros: walking to/from MK, monorail to GF, Poly, TTC, watching fireworks from MK view room (request odd # room to view castle from your bed), good gift shops

Cons: taking elevator to get drinks for mugs

[Priority Four]

Pros - Always being able to say you stayed there. We are a "Disney" family. We would love to add a stay at the contemporary to our list. It is such an icon. We would definitely have to stay in the main hotel.

Con - There is only one I can see and we all know what it is.

[RBrooksC]

The only real Con I can give is the cost. I think it is WAY over-priced. We stayed there last year. We loved it. My two young children loved it.

We were on floor 11 and had a GREAT view of the MK and Seven Seas Lagoon. I loved hearing the horns from the boats as they traversed.

Due to the size of the resort, getting to the pool was a chore but not too bad. The Grand Canyon Concourse, as always, is wonderful.

The room size was huge and it fit our family, including my mom for a few days, comfortably.

I would love to stay there again but I cannot justify the cost.

We would prefer to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and visit the CR.

[MizMissy]

The only real Con I can give is the cost. I think it is WAY over-priced.
I would love to stay there again but I cannot justify the cost.

We would prefer to stay at the Wilderness Lodge and visit the CR.

If cost is your concern, you should look at the CR Garden Wing rooms. They are not that much more than WL or AKL rooms and they are so much bigger. Also, we loved the Garden Wing because it was close to the pool and you did not have to deal with the elevators in the Tower.