The ALL NEW Disney's Contemporary Resort FAQ with PICTURES! (APR 2009)

[kaceyisme]

One think that I have been dreading since they announced the BLT has been the shared bus stop. I always find the bus stop to be crowded, and the addition of another tower full of people is NOT going to be good! We are arriving on August 19th so the BLT will already be open. Hopefully it will not be as bad as I expect, but I am by nature a pessimist

I also wonder how busy the other public areas will be, i.e. the restaurants and shops.

Time will tell!

[djp0630]

Originally Posted by ddleffers

I am actually pretty upset to see the note about the lounge. It was advertised as one of the amenities when I made my booking and was one of the things that convinced me to go with BLT. The CM that I spoke to at booking said that it would available to everyone, but possibly only once or twice per booking due to expected demand.

Me too! I am staying at the BLT in Sept & we are paying quite a bit too for our 2 bedroom villa to not being able to at least go see the lounge. There must be a better way than to limit it to only DVC members.

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Originally Posted by kaceyisme

One think that I have been dreading since they announced the BLT has been the shared bus stop. I always find the bus stop to be crowded, and the addition of another tower full of people is NOT going to be good! We are arriving on August 19th so the BLT will already be open. Hopefully it will not be as bad as I expect, but I am by nature a pessimist

I also wonder how busy the other public areas will be, i.e. the restaurants and shops.

Time will tell!

I am not sure if this will happen but maybe after Bay Lake Tower opens they will only have buses just for Contemporary and Bay Lake Tower guests, so there won't be any sharing with the Polynesian, Grand Floridian or Wilderness Lodge. Also let's not forget chances are the Resort Monorail will be a lot more busy, however during my families past few stays at the Contemporary a few times we had to wait for another Monorail to arrive because the one which was there was full.

As for the 4th floor being more busy let's not forget all the non Contemporary guests who always go there for the California Grill, Chef Mickey's, The Wave and maybe the Contempo Cafe, would also look around the various stores. So I don't think you will see much of a difference.

[Cmbar]

Originally Posted by djp0630

Me too! I am staying at the BLT in Sept & we are paying quite a bit too for our 2 bedroom villa to not being able to at least go see the lounge. There must be a better way than to limit it to only DVC members.

Who gave you information otherwise?? Was it really advertised on the Disney Website?? I am sorry that happened. I know that for the DVC members we were told that this was only for owners and their guest but even we don't have a guarantee because it may be some type of lottery. I don't think it will be open long. I am sure people will complain and they will just shut it down. In our documents it makes it very clear that DVC doesn't guarantee that it will remain open to members.

Looks like something people will get upset about and looks like a problem waiting to happen.

[ddleffers]

Back when we booked (in March for August), there was a thing on the BLT page of the WDW website which advertised the Top of the World Lounge for fireworks viewing. It did say that there would be limited access so that is why I spoke directly to the CM I was booking with. She assured me that they would have some availability for those with cash reservations but that there would be a lottery of sorts so you would not be able to go up every night. I just checked the site again and they have removed the part about the Top of the World Lounge from the site, making it seem more likely that it will be restricted to DVC members. I understand why that would be and if it had been explained as such at the beginning, I wouldn't really care. It is just that it was one of the perks that I was excited about as I have two little ones and staying for the fireworks in the crowds just wasn't appealing so the thought of just taking an elevator up one night, watching in their PJs and then heading back to bed was quite appealing and as I said previously, was one of the reasons I changed my booking to BLT. I have recently learned from this site I should have done screen caps of the pages on the dates that I actually booked things to prove that things were advertised a certain way at time of booking.

[Cinderumbrella]

Hi all!!!!

11 days to go!

Room service question I am thinking about ordering for breakfast one morning. Do they have the tags to hang on the door the night before or do I need to call the order in that morning?? If I am calling, any guesses as to how long it takes to show up?

TIA!

[Cmbar]

Originally Posted by ddleffers

Back when we booked (in March for August), there was a thing on the BLT page of the WDW website which advertised the Top of the World Lounge for fireworks viewing. It did say that there would be limited access so that is why I spoke directly to the CM I was booking with. She assured me that they would have some availability for those with cash reservations but that there would be a lottery of sorts so you would not be able to go up every night. I just checked the site again and they have removed the part about the Top of the World Lounge from the site, making it seem more likely that it will be restricted to DVC members. I understand why that would be and if it had been explained as such at the beginning, I wouldn't really care. It is just that it was one of the perks that I was excited about as I have two little ones and staying for the fireworks in the crowds just wasn't appealing so the thought of just taking an elevator up one night, watching in their PJs and then heading back to bed was quite appealing and as I said previously, was one of the reasons I changed my booking to BLT. I have recently learned from this site I should have done screen caps of the pages on the dates that I actually booked things to prove that things were advertised a certain way at time of booking.

That really stinks! I would be upset too and I hope they change this policy and allow it to all booked guest for that day. I don't know how they will do it, but I think it should be figured out. After all if you are paying to stay at the resort I would hope you would be entitled to the amenities. On the other hand, as an owner I would hate to see it go away because we did pay premium to own here and use premium amounts of points so I can think of it kinda like club level for other resorts. We will have to see what happens.

Hope you enjoy your trip anyways!

[Craig-TMIP]

Originally Posted by Cinderumbrella

Hi all!!!!

11 days to go!

Room service question I am thinking about ordering for breakfast one morning. Do they have the tags to hang on the door the night before or do I need to call the order in that morning?? If I am calling, any guesses as to how long it takes to show up?

TIA!

they do have the door tags for breakfast room service. But I have never used them. When we order breakfast we have had it show up anywhere from 20 mins-45 mins. It's always hot and the service is always friendly.

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Originally Posted by Cinderumbrella

Hi all!!!!

11 days to go!

Room service question I am thinking about ordering for breakfast one morning. Do they have the tags to hang on the door the night before or do I need to call the order in that morning?? If I am calling, any guesses as to how long it takes to show up?

TIA!

Yes they have them and you need to check off your order before 2:00 AM which is when the Cast Members look at each of the rooms to see which guests put the ordering tags outside on their doors. Also on the tags you check off what time you want your breakfast to be delivered to your room, so that should be the time it arrives at.

[BetsyRNBSN]

As a cash paying guest (in December at BLT), I am not sure how I feel about not have access to certain aspects of my resort. I can honestly see both sides of this issue. My question for you folks is: What has been done at other DVC resorts? Are there amenities at those other places that the non-DVC members do not have access to?

If that is the case, I can see the rationale for making it DVC only... otherwise I am not so sure. (no offense meant to DVC members)

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Cinderumbrella,
I just wanted to say had you not asked that question about ordering breakfast on those door tags, I would never have thought about posting it as tip #8 in the accomodations section on the 1st page.

[WDWKOOK]

Originally Posted by ddleffers

Back when we booked (in March for August), there was a thing on the BLT page of the WDW website which advertised the Top of the World Lounge for fireworks viewing. It did say that there would be limited access so that is why I spoke directly to the CM I was booking with. She assured me that they would have some availability for those with cash reservations but that there would be a lottery of sorts so you would not be able to go up every night. I just checked the site again and they have removed the part about the Top of the World Lounge from the site, making it seem more likely that it will be restricted to DVC members. I understand why that would be and if it had been explained as such at the beginning, I wouldn't really care. It is just that it was one of the perks that I was excited about as I have two little ones and staying for the fireworks in the crowds just wasn't appealing so the thought of just taking an elevator up one night, watching in their PJs and then heading back to bed was quite appealing and as I said previously, was one of the reasons I changed my booking to BLT. I have recently learned from this site I should have done screen caps of the pages on the dates that I actually booked things to prove that things were advertised a certain way at time of booking.

May I suggest that cash-paying BLT guests who were told otherwise, call WDW (either guest relations or CRO/WDTC) and let them know of your disappointment with the current lounge-use restriction. Since you were told that this amenity would be available to you at some point during your stay, and as of right now (this could change according to Jack Spence) it is not, if enough cash-paying complaints are lodged, perhaps WDW will lift the restriction.

There seems to be some discrepancy between what DVC members were told, and what cash-paying guests were told. This should be clarified by WDW, and you should get what you thought you paid for when you booked. *BetsyRNBSN* raises a very good question: What happens at other DVC resorts? Of course, this is niether the BLT thread nor the DVC forum, so perhaps that question could be asked there if we don't get an answer here.

[pixie921]

Originally Posted by BetsyRNBSN

As a cash paying guest (in December at BLT), I am not sure how I feel about not have access to certain aspects of my resort. I can honestly see both sides of this issue. My question for you folks is: What has been done at other DVC resorts? Are there amenities at those other places that the non-DVC members do not have access to?

If that is the case, I can see the rationale for making it DVC only... otherwise I am not so sure. (no offense meant to DVC members)

Please don't take this the wrong way, but please try to remember that "your" resort" is also "their" resort. BLT is a part of the Contemporary, as I pointed out earlier in this thread, just as VWL, BCV, BWV and AKV are part of their respective resorts. The only difference here is that the pool (which is indeed pretty small) might be restricted to BLT guests (DVC members and paying guests) and the lounge might be restricted to members -- people who have paid tens of thousands of dollars to own there. Putting it that way, does it really sound that unfair? Owners pay almost $20K for the smallest contract available (160 points) and then dues every year (dues which go to the upkeep of that building and grounds, among other things); is it so bad that one tiny part of the resort might possibly be reserved for them?

It was also pointed out by others earlier in this thread during the sky bridge discussion that if people don't pay extra for a concierge room, they don't get to use the concierge amenities. I don't think that restricting the lounge to paying owners is that different.

And the fact is, owners may never set foot in that lounge. When BWV was being built, "The Attic" lounge was advertised as part of the package. But when it opened, the powers that be changed their minds and it became available only to private parties/weddings/receptions, etc. Not even DVC members (who had been promised it) had access.

So right now, everything is speculation 'til BLT actually opens. Any CM giving out different information is misinformed and doing guests a disservice.

[ddleffers]

So I just talked to a lovely CM at Disney (was calling anyway to make a payment on the holiday). According to what he has (which he tells me is sort of a binder of info on each resort) there is not much information about the lounge. The only thing that he could say for sure was that the lounge was only open to BLT guests - what he had in front of him did not specify whether cash or DVC. It also said that the use would be restricted but did not clarify in which way. That is all the "official" info that has been given. The CM said that the latest that he had heard through the grapevine was that the lounge was considered a restaurant (although not serving full meals) and that there would likely be an ADR scenario for access. Not sure if that helps any but thought I would let you know what they told me.

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Originally Posted by WDWKOOK

What happens at other DVC resorts? Of course, this is niether the BLT thread nor the DVC forum, so perhaps that question could be asked there if we don't get an answer here.

I agree that these questions are best to be asked on the DVC fourms or the Bay Lake Tower FAQ thread and for anyone who is intrested, here is a link to the Bay Lake Tower FAQ thread.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2097600