Castle View rooms at Contemporary and some other questions

[Juggalotus]

Hello all, I've got a couple questions regarding a trip we are taking with some friends next year.

There will be 6 of us going (4 adults, and 2 children, 4 and 1 at the time of the trip). Our plan is to get two rooms, and since our friends have a friend who works at Disney, our plan is to get everything through them since my understanding is that the discount is pretty good (I've heard anyway).
So that sets up question number 1: What is the approximate discount on accommodations and tickets? I want to start getting an approximate price so we know how much it will cost.

Question number 2: How good is the view in the Castle View rooms at Contemporary? Do they directly face the castle or is it just the rooms along that end of the building?

I think that is it for now. I really want to stay in one of the monorail resorts for this trip and I want either the contemporary with a castle view (Elli, the 4 y.o. will love it) or probably Poly with a lagoon view so we can see the fireworks and EWP.

Thanks for the help.

[BrerGnat]

Well, first of all, I can't really comment for sure on the CM discount on the rooms except to say that I've read that they are very limited, and for certain room categories only. Since the Tower in the Contemporary, particularly the MK side, is VERY popular, I doubt you would be able to get a CM discount on one of those rooms, nevermind two.

Second, again, I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe in order to get a CM discount, the CM has to actually be staying in the room (or at least have the reservation under his/her name and be present at check in) to get the discount.

Getting a discount from a "friend of a friend" very rarely ends up being easy. I would suggest instead trying to get a discount on your own, either through AAA, Annual Pass, or waiting for a general public package to come out.

As for the room views at Contemporary, in the tower, there are two options: Tower-MK View or Tower-Bay Lake View. There are no "castle view" rooms, but you can see the castle (from a sideways vantage point) from any of the MK View rooms in the Tower. The MK view rooms cost more than the lake view rooms, due to popularity.

If you opt for the Polynesian, they offer Lagoon view and ALSO Magic Kingdom View. Most lagoon view rooms do not face the MK directly, and you may or may not be able to see the castle. More likely, you will have an obstructed castle view (there are a couple islands in the middle of the lagoon with trees on them...these obstruct the frontal view of the MK from many of the lagoon rooms at the Poly). The only way to guarantee an unobstructed view of the castle at the Poly is to book a MK View room (the most expensive category).

Depending on what time of year you go, you will pay around $400 for a MK view room at either the Contemp or the Poly. It's a personal decision to make whether the view is that important to you, because there are MANY rooms to be had at the MK resorts that cost FAR LESS and are just as good.

[Juggalotus]

Well, that intermediary friend is the other couple (Dave and Amy) that we are going with (and their kids). But I see what you are saying about limits on where and when.

I will have to get Amy to call her friend and see what details she has.

[Lynn J Mc]

We just got back from the Contemporary with a castle view on the 10th floor. You can't beat the view for the fireworks and then you don't have to fight the crowd leaving the park afterwards. One disappointment was that they don't play the Wishes music on the TV anymore so you only get the fireworks, not the total effect. The view of the castle is very good. You can also see the Electrical Water Parade from a distance. I wasn't expecting to see it as it passes by the Contemporary on the Bay Lake side. But we could see it performing for the Grand Fl. The view of that resort is very good. I've stayed on both sides of the tower and this side was the best. Have a great time!

[BrerGnat]

Well, I would think that if you just opened the door to the balcony, you'd be able to hear enough of the music, right?

We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, on the 6th floor, and we watched the fireworks from the Pirates & Princess party twice and we opened the balcony door and could hear the music all the way over there!

[Lynn J Mc]

We could not hear the music on the 10th floor. The nights that we watched the fireworks in the park it didn't seem to be as loud as it was on previous trips.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) CM Discounts
. . . 25% if they are not staying in THAT room
. . . 40% if staying in THAT room
. . . limited quantity of rooms available for CM discount, especially peak times
. . . only a few bucks discount on tickets
. . . sometimes other deals beat the CM discount rate
. . . if not staying in room, CM can fax their ID as proof for the discount
. . . if staying in the room, they must appear in person

2) Castle View
. . . this is a paid category
. . . it is not a request
. . . you must pay for the view
. . . the rooms face MK on a manageable angle

[scootch713]

We got a free upgrade to a MK view last year(my dear niece was with us who had cancer :( ) Watching the fireworks from your room is AMAZING!! We could hear them fine. When we got home, my dd told daddy, "mommy knows which room to buy next time!" Only wish Mommy and daddy could afford it this year.

[Niecyboo]

On our last trip, we got a free upgrade to a MK suite as well. We were on the 7th floor, and the first thing you'd notice was Space Mountain. That seems to be right outside the window. The castle was beyond that, but still beautiful, and the fireworks were wonderful.

Maybe I'm odd, but what I found most exciting and beautiful wasn't exactly outside. As I walked into the room, I would look in the mirror over the daybed and see the Castle's reflection. It took my breath away every time. Due to the light shining in, it had this magical glowed, but would not turn out in a picture.

[mrsgaribaldi]

We stayed at the Contemporary with a tower MK view in Nov and then we stayed at the Polynesian with just a regular room in January. The MK view room was really nice but we both liked the Polynesian 10 times better than the Contemporary. We were hardly ever in the room to see the fireworks at the CR. The room at the Poly had just a regular view but you can always walk to the beach to see the fireworks. And even the regular view was beautiful. It was our first time at both resorts but we fell in love with the Poly and not so much with the Contemporary. :blush: