Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[GADisneyDad14]

Hi there...so excited for our first ever Disney trip this February!! We are currently booked in a 1 br at Jambo house at the AKL, but after watching some videos of the monorail, I am wondering about a switch to the Contemporary.

My 5 year old son loves loves loves trains, & when I showed him the video, he absolutely lit up! So my question to all you veteran Contemporary people is this...are there any rooms that he can watch the monorail from our balcony? I hope it isn't a completely newbie question, & apologize if it is...just trying to plan for the best experience for him

Thank you!
Andrea

Yeah, definitely. All of the TPV rooms (main tower) have a view of several parts of the monorail line. If you look left or right you can kind of see the monorails as they come/go from the building (the lines curve away from the building on both ends as they come out of the building). For some visual context...this is from the 12th floor about half way down the "north" end of the building. In this case the resort monorail is making its approach to enter the side of the CR.



This photo is more to the left of the one above... you can see the monorail there kind of in the middle.


Generally speaking you can see the monorail for a good chunk (but not all) of the entire loop around 7 Seas Lagoon (both the resort and express loops) from the TPV rooms. The higher floor the better.

Frankly it's one of my favorite parts of CR... nice big balcony, great view of the MK, 7 Seas Lagoon, and the monorails. Nothing makes you feel more at Disney than this view... and it's fun to watch the monorails wiz around all day - for adults and kids.

 

[NelsonFamily]

Awesome...thank you so much for those pictures, that is just what I was wondering!! Just switched our reservation to a theme park view there, I think we will all love it...and we can visit AKL one of our days there

Andrea

 

[disny_luvr]

Hi! This is my first time posting on this thread.

My family and I are taking a Disney Dream cruise in October and DH and I are thinking about adding two days at Disney after the cruise. My boys' dream resort is the Contemporary and we are thinking about surprising them with a stay there. Actually, I'm looking into renting points to stay at BLT but I may be too late to do that as we are now past the 11-month window. Anywho, my questions:
1. What are the quick service options at the Contemporary?
2. If we do rent points, can we use the pool by BLT since we are not DVC members?
3. We'd probably book a studio if we go the way of renting. Are there laundry facilities we can use in BLT?
4. If we stay at the Contemporary, it would be in one of the wing rooms. Do you feel far removed out there? Are there rooms/views to try to avoid?

Thanks for any and all help. I'm excited just thinking about the possibility of surprising my boys.

 

[Gina Starr]

Are there any must do's for a one night stay? My husband and I recently became annual pass holders and had our reseveration booked for our 10 night stay at French quarter which we both love. I was just randomly checking the annual pass discounts and found a great deal for the contemporary for one night after our fq stay. We have never so much as stepped foot in a deluxe resort and neither of us ever thought we could afford to stay at one. Is there anything we must do during our one night stay? It's probably a little late for dining reservations and we will probably be in MK for a good portion of our day. We are about 10 days away from FQ and about 20 days from contemporary. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Are there any must do's for a one night stay? My husband and I recently became annual pass holders and had our reseveration booked for our 10 night stay at French quarter which we both love. I was just randomly checking the annual pass discounts and found a great deal for the contemporary for one night after our fq stay. We have never so much as stepped foot in a deluxe resort and neither of us ever thought we could afford to stay at one. Is there anything we must do during our one night stay? It's probably a little late for dining reservations and we will probably be in MK for a good portion of our day. We are about 10 days away from FQ and about 20 days from contemporary. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

My first reaction was that you shouldn't worry about doing the "must dos" since with a new AP, you'll definitely be back! That's the way I approach most trips now no matter where I stay... each one is a little piece of the overall journey.

But to actually answer your question....a couple of options...

- Monorail tour of each resort... stop at each one and get a drink. If you've never been in any of the deluxes it might be a perfect time to go check out several just for kicks.
- The Wave has fantastic food IMHO, a dinner ADR is likely possible if you're flexible with times.
- I've never been, but I've always wanted to go to California Grill on the top floor for dinner or drinks. If you have an early reseravation, you can go back up for fireworks I think? This can be a tough reservation to get but I'm always amazed at what opens up a day or two before.
- Electrical Water Pageant. Classic Disney.

If this were me - and especially since it's the last night of the trip - I'd plan a resort centered evening. Dinner at the Wave, grab a drink at Outer Rim, do some shopping at the gift shops on the concourse level... do a monorail loop and never get off... Wishes at California Grill if you can. I'd really try to catch the water pageant if possible if you've never done it.

Hope you have a great time.

 

[Lyons Family]

Were going to Disney World this year and after staying at Wilderness 4 times and GF 4 times it is time to try the Contemporary. Love new things, and cannot wait.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.

Safe travels.

 

[wdwnut61]

Happy New Year
68 more days​

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hi! This is my first time posting on this thread.

My family and I are taking a Disney Dream cruise in October and DH and I are thinking about adding two days at Disney after the cruise. My boys' dream resort is the Contemporary and we are thinking about surprising them with a stay there. Actually, I'm looking into renting points to stay at BLT but I may be too late to do that as we are now past the 11-month window. Anywho, my questions:
1. What are the quick service options at the Contemporary?
2. If we do rent points, can we use the pool by BLT since we are not DVC members?
3. We'd probably book a studio if we go the way of renting. Are there laundry facilities we can use in BLT?
4. If we stay at the Contemporary, it would be in one of the wing rooms. Do you feel far removed out there? Are there rooms/views to try to avoid?

Thanks for any and all help. I'm excited just thinking about the possibility of surprising my boys.

October is a very popular time for DVC members. Find a BLT owner and get them to book your stay. BUT, you may want to reconsider the studio. They are extremely small and with two boys aged ten you might go crazy. The room will be about the size of your cabin on the ship, but the bed and sleeper sofa will be right next to each other - maybe a foot between them. The sleeper sofa will be right up against the patio door, too. The kitchenette will be nice and the bathroom will be larger than the ship's bathroom. There is a laundry room in BLT that you can use when you stay in a studio there. You'll need your magic band to open the door.

Whenever you purchase a reservation from a DVC member (rent points), you get the use of the amenities of that resort. So, yes, you can use the BLT pool and the CR pools as well.

We stayed in the South Wing when there was still a North Wing (before BLT) and it was so nice. They had just started renovating all the rooms in the South Wing and we never heard a sound. The room was very large and comfortable. And it was a short walk to the main building under a covered walkway. I figure the time we saved waiting for a tower elevator and riding the elevator was would have been greater than the time it took to get to the main building from our room in the Wing. Those rooms are vastly larger than the studios at BLT.

 

[WDWKOOK]

WISHING EVERYONE A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2017!​

Staying at CR May 26-28 after 6 nights at Poly. We were originally going to be here for 7 nights, but won a trip in a raffle that includes a 6 night stay at a deluxe and Poly was what was available so we lengthened our overall stay but shortened up our CR portion. This is our first stay at a deluxe resort at WDW. Excited to explore these two lovely resorts!!

How exciting! Congratulations and I'll add your dates to the Log-o-Rail, @fsupharm77.

After our 9 night stay at the CR from 9/7-9/16, we have decided that we will stay nowhere else on Disney property except the Contemporary ever again. We have been to many other resorts at WDW resort but the CR takes the cake. Our favorite park is the Magic Kingdom, and it is worth every single penny to be able to stroll back to the room at leisure while the teeming masses jockey for room on the buses, boats, and (sometimes functioning) monorail. The pool was hardly ever busy, the food options were great, and we had a great view of Wishes from the bridge between CR and BLT.

The trip started off with a bang as we were magically upgraded from our Garden Wing room to a Bay Lake view room in the tower. We had our Garden Grocer order within 30 minutes of checking in, grabbed a snack at Contempo, and we were off to the MK. I can't again express how nice it was knowing that you didn't have to cut the night short and catch a bus or boat to get back to your room. Our MK nights were so much nicer to enjoy with this fact in the back of our heads. The room was extremely quiet at night, which is something I guess you wouldn't expect with a monorail running below. We were on the 7th floor and never heard a peep until we opened the door.

CR haters will constantly site the lack of character as to why they don't like it there. Yes, it's not elaborately themed as some of the other deluxes, but the CR is classic Disney through and through. Who needs foo-fooey upscale snobbery (joking, of course) from the GF or the faux-Fiji style of the Poly? We really liked the GF when we stayed there in 2014, but it just didn't seem like "Disney". The Poly was pretty nice, but the lobby was always a congested mob of people. The CR was bustling but we never felt packed in like sardines.

My only minor complaint - it seemed to take forever to get back home from Epcot. A transfer at the TTC and a long monorail loop made for a couple of long nights (Uber next time). No big deal though.

From here on out - it's the Contemporary or nothing for these mouseketeers!

What an informative post. Thank you and I hope you get to book CR again SOON!

We had a great first stay at CR (Nov. 22-25). Our TPV was worth every penny! Waking up and going to sleep with the view and sounds from MK was an incredible experience! Watching fireworks from our room with the kids already in their pjs was awesome!

A bit disappointed in the monorail issues. One morning we had to take a bus to Epcot and another day when we were trying to make the resort loop it was delayed a while as well.

Loved the size of the room for our family of five. However the room had a funny smell that took a while to get used to, and our floor felt funny. It wasn't level and there were areas that didn't feel "solid" for lack of a better description. We were on the 9th floor above chef mickeys and never heard a thing. Loved having contempo cafe right downstairs, especially for our teen.

Thank you for posting about your stay, @skuttle

Just booked our first stay at BLT October 27-30 2017

YIPPEE! I'll add your dates to the log.

Just paid off our March trip

So excited can't wait to be back at the CR

Congratulations, @wdwnut61. You get the PIF (Paid in Full) Dancing Guy!

Hi everyone! I booked our first stay (and first ever deluxe resort stay!) at BLT for next year, Aug 27-Sept 3.

I know they pipe in the music for Wishes to the observation deck at the CR, but do they also pipe in the Hallowishes music on party nights? Or not, since the special fireworks are part of the party? We went to MNSSHP in 2014 and may do it again if the parties start in early Sept next year, but if we don't it'd be fun to still see the fireworks from the CR.

Congratulations on booking your very first stay, @Ava! I'll log your dates

Hi! This is my first time posting on this thread.

My family and I are taking a Disney Dream cruise in October and DH and I are thinking about adding two days at Disney after the cruise. My boys' dream resort is the Contemporary and we are thinking about surprising them with a stay there. Actually, I'm looking into renting points to stay at BLT but I may be too late to do that as we are now past the 11-month window. Anywho, my questions:
1. What are the quick service options at the Contemporary?
2. If we do rent points, can we use the pool by BLT since we are not DVC members?
3. We'd probably book a studio if we go the way of renting. Are there laundry facilities we can use in BLT?
4. If we stay at the Contemporary, it would be in one of the wing rooms. Do you feel far removed out there? Are there rooms/views to try to avoid?

Thanks for any and all help. I'm excited just thinking about the possibility of surprising my boys.

Welcome to the thread, @disny_luvr.

1. Contempo Cafe (4th floor) and Sand Bar (poolside) are the two QS choices.

4. The Garden Wing is a great alternative, however, if your budget allows, I recommend a Tower room. The higher views are amazing (BLV is my favorite) and all the rooms have a balcony. You are also close to everything in one building, other than the laundry, which is in the GW. If you book a GW room, I recommend a GV room and requesting to face toward Bay Lake or the canal.

There is more in depth information in the first two pages of this thread, hyperlinked in POST 1.

Were going to Disney World this year and after staying at Wilderness 4 times and GF 4 times it is time to try the Contemporary. Love new things, and cannot wait.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all.

Safe travels.

Happy New Year to you as well and congratulations on returning

Happy New Year
68 more days​

WOOHOO!

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

We will be back at BLT July 2 - July 5th! Two bedroom theme park view. Looking forward to watching the fireworks from our villa! Then we go on the Disney Dream followed by a stay in a Polynesian Bungalow. Should be a fun summer vacation!

Happy New Year to all!

 

[Gina Starr]

My first reaction was that you shouldn't worry about doing the "must dos" since with a new AP, you'll definitely be back! That's the way I approach most trips now no matter where I stay... each one is a little piece of the overall journey.

But to actually answer your question....a couple of options...

- Monorail tour of each resort... stop at each one and get a drink. If you've never been in any of the deluxes it might be a perfect time to go check out several just for kicks.
- The Wave has fantastic food IMHO, a dinner ADR is likely possible if you're flexible with times.
- I've never been, but I've always wanted to go to California Grill on the top floor for dinner or drinks. If you have an early reseravation, you can go back up for fireworks I think? This can be a tough reservation to get but I'm always amazed at what opens up a day or two before.
- Electrical Water Pageant. Classic Disney.

If this were me - and especially since it's the last night of the trip - I'd plan a resort centered evening. Dinner at the Wave, grab a drink at Outer Rim, do some shopping at the gift shops on the concourse level... do a monorail loop and never get off... Wishes at California Grill if you can. I'd really try to catch the water pageant if possible if you've never done it.

Hope you have a great time.

Thanks so much for all the tips!! I'm so excited!

 

[WDWKOOK]

We will be back at BLT July 2 - July 5th! Two bedroom theme park view. Looking forward to watching the fireworks from our villa! Then we go on the Disney Dream followed by a stay in a Polynesian Bungalow. Should be a fun summer vacation!

Happy New Year to all!

What an amazing summer vacation! I'll log your BLT dates

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

What an amazing summer vacation! I'll log your BLT dates

Thank you for everything you do here!
Thank you to all who contribute to this board!
Happy New Year!

 

[iujen94]

Hi! I think I know the answer to this question, but I'm hoping someone who has stayed at BLT recently can confirm - do the 1 bedroom villas still have a washer and dryer? I was looking at the room amenities list on the Disney website and they had the kitchen, microwave, etc. listed but not the washer and dryer, which I thought was odd. We stayed there last February and our room had the washer and dryer, so I'm just hoping they haven't made a change in the meantime. Thanks!

 

[WDWKOOK]

Hi! I think I know the answer to this question, but I'm hoping someone who has stayed at BLT recently can confirm - do the 1 bedroom villas still have a washer and dryer? I was looking at the room amenities list on the Disney website and they had the kitchen, microwave, etc. listed but not the washer and dryer, which I thought was odd. We stayed there last February and our room had the washer and dryer, so I'm just hoping they haven't made a change in the meantime. Thanks!

Nothing has changed, your washer/dryer is still there!

From POST 15 (BLT one bedroom photo chapter):

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you for everything you do here!
Thank you to all who contribute to this board!
Happy New Year!

Aren't you sweet, @BLTtinkerbell - thanks.

 

[iujen94]

Nothing has changed, your washer/dryer is still there!

From POST 15 (BLT one bedroom photo chapter):

Thanks! I just thought that was really weird that they wouldn't list the washer and dryer among the amenities, because it's such a huge one for us!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Thanks! I just thought that was really weird that they wouldn't list the washer and dryer among the amenities, because it's such a huge one for us!

Depending on whether you are inside the C or outside the C, your laundry room configuration will be different. Both have stackables, but outside the C, they will be in a small closet. Inside the C, they will be in a laundry room/closet in your villa. Your kitchens might be slightly different as well.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Depending on whether you are inside the C or outside the C, your laundry room configuration will be different. Both have stackables, but outside the C, they will be in a small closet. Inside the C, they will be in a laundry room/closet in your villa. Your kitchens might be slightly different as well.

 

[Mitre10]

Could you add us to the list: we'll be at the Garden Wing from 3/11-18!

Also, does anyone know what time the outdoor movies are in March, generally?

ETA: also the campfire time in March? Thanks!