Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[randal106]

Is the monorail running to Epcot? / and to the other monorail resorts? AKA we have a dinner at Grand Floridian planned, and an Epcot day....

 

[Llama mama]

I am here right now. Pool is not full in the evenings. We haven't been at the resort in the afternoons yet to see what it looks like during the day.
The walkway to MK is empty if you don't try to "rope drop." Show up an hour later and you won't have to deal with lines. Most rides are walk on, especially later in the day.
In one hour (4-5) we did five attractions, including 7DMT which was only a 15 minute wait. Everything else was walk on.
Plan on long bus waits. We waited 40 minutes to get on an AK bus yesterday morning and another hour to get home. We are headed to EPCOT today so I can report on those bus wait times, too.
The elevators are a big issue in the evenings. Plan on waiting 15+ minutes just to get on an elevator anytime you need to use one due to the distancing measures being taken place. It's frustrating we don't have stair access for the higher floors when going up, since the doors are locked from the outside.
We were originally booked in the garden wing and when we got here were upgraded to a lake view room in the main tower so that was a nice surprise.
An added note for APs - starting yesterday our merchandise discount has increased to 30% for the next 30 days. That was also a nice surprise.
Unfortunately, they are not selling new TIW memberships and they don't know when/if they will be available again. That was a not-so-fun surprise.
If anyone else has any other questions specific operational updates at the resort, please feel free to ask.

Thank you !
Great trip report. Has the coffee shop opened yet?

 

[trishadono]

I am here right now. Pool is not full in the evenings. We haven't been at the resort in the afternoons yet to see what it looks like during the day.
The walkway to MK is empty if you don't try to "rope drop." Show up an hour later and you won't have to deal with lines. Most rides are walk on, especially later in the day.
In one hour (4-5) we did five attractions, including 7DMT which was only a 15 minute wait. Everything else was walk on.
Plan on long bus waits. We waited 40 minutes to get on an AK bus yesterday morning and another hour to get home. We are headed to EPCOT today so I can report on those bus wait times, too.
The elevators are a big issue in the evenings. Plan on waiting 15+ minutes just to get on an elevator anytime you need to use one due to the distancing measures being taken place. It's frustrating we don't have stair access for the higher floors when going up, since the doors are locked from the outside.
We were originally booked in the garden wing and when we got here were upgraded to a lake view room in the main tower so that was a nice surprise.
An added note for APs - starting yesterday our merchandise discount has increased to 30% for the next 30 days. That was also a nice surprise.
Unfortunately, they are not selling new TIW memberships and they don't know when/if they will be available again. That was a not-so-fun surprise.
If anyone else has any other questions specific operational updates at the resort, please feel free to ask.

Is the coffee pot in your room? Coffee provided?

Is the coffee shop in lobby open?

Last resort I have to go to comtempo cafe?

Blt people you have a pot , this question about coffee for the Resort side.

I can’t see in the morning without my ️

 

[trishadono]

Thank you !
Great trip report. Has the coffee shop opened yet?

Great minds think alike️

 

[Yooperroo]

Is the coffee pot in your room? Coffee provided?

Is the coffee shop in lobby open?

Last resort I have to go to comtempo cafe?

Blt people you have a pot , this question about coffee for the Resort side.

I can’t see in the morning without my ️

Yes Keurig is in the room with coffee cream and sugar. I didn't notice if the coffee shop in the lobby is open.

 

[Yooperroo]

Great minds think alike️

Coffee in the room but I didn't notice if the shop is open. I'll check it out and let you know.

Edit sorry I meant to reply on this one to @Llama mama

 

[Yooperroo]

Is the monorail running to Epcot? / and to the other monorail resorts? AKA we have a dinner at Grand Floridian planned, and an Epcot day....

The monorail is not running to Epcot but is running to other resorts. (Example: you can get on the monorail at the contemporary to get to the grand floridian)

 

[Llama mama]

The monorail is not running to Epcot but is running to other resorts. (Example: you can get on the monorail at the contemporary to get to the grand floridian)

Thank you so much for the updates!!
Have a great trip and stay safe

 

[Artax]

I am here right now. Pool is not full in the evenings. We haven't been at the resort in the afternoons yet to see what it looks like during the day.
The walkway to MK is empty if you don't try to "rope drop." Show up an hour later and you won't have to deal with lines. Most rides are walk on, especially later in the day.
In one hour (4-5) we did five attractions, including 7DMT which was only a 15 minute wait. Everything else was walk on.
Plan on long bus waits. We waited 40 minutes to get on an AK bus yesterday morning and another hour to get home. We are headed to EPCOT today so I can report on those bus wait times, too.
The elevators are a big issue in the evenings. Plan on waiting 15+ minutes just to get on an elevator anytime you need to use one due to the distancing measures being taken place. It's frustrating we don't have stair access for the higher floors when going up, since the doors are locked from the outside.
We were originally booked in the garden wing and when we got here were upgraded to a lake view room in the main tower so that was a nice surprise.
An added note for APs - starting yesterday our merchandise discount has increased to 30% for the next 30 days. That was also a nice surprise.
Unfortunately, they are not selling new TIW memberships and they don't know when/if they will be available again. That was a not-so-fun surprise.
If anyone else has any other questions specific operational updates at the resort, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for the info on the pools and bus situation. Appreciate you taking time out of your day.

 

[dreynolds1982]

I am here right now. Pool is not full in the evenings. We haven't been at the resort in the afternoons yet to see what it looks like during the day.
The walkway to MK is empty if you don't try to "rope drop." Show up an hour later and you won't have to deal with lines. Most rides are walk on, especially later in the day.
In one hour (4-5) we did five attractions, including 7DMT which was only a 15 minute wait. Everything else was walk on.
Plan on long bus waits. We waited 40 minutes to get on an AK bus yesterday morning and another hour to get home. We are headed to EPCOT today so I can report on those bus wait times, too.
The elevators are a big issue in the evenings. Plan on waiting 15+ minutes just to get on an elevator anytime you need to use one due to the distancing measures being taken place. It's frustrating we don't have stair access for the higher floors when going up, since the doors are locked from the outside.
We were originally booked in the garden wing and when we got here were upgraded to a lake view room in the main tower so that was a nice surprise.
An added note for APs - starting yesterday our merchandise discount has increased to 30% for the next 30 days. That was also a nice surprise.
Unfortunately, they are not selling new TIW memberships and they don't know when/if they will be available again. That was a not-so-fun surprise.
If anyone else has any other questions specific operational updates at the resort, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for the updates. That's good to know about the pools. We're doing a resort-only day so plan on spending some time by the pools. We have a garden wing/garden view room and actually hope they don't try to upgrade us to the main tower based on what I'm hearing about the elevators ha. Looking forward to the peace and quiet over in the GW.

 

[Llama mama]

Anyone currently onsite having any issues with their dining reservations at The Wave or Chef Mickey? Someone on another thread said they waited 50 minutes after their reservation time to get seated at Kona at Poly. Just wondering how CR is doing with their restaurants? Thanks

 

[Yooperroo]

The bus situation was much improved today now that all 4 parks are open. Although lines are still long due to how few can get on each bus, they came with much more frequency.

And a coffee update, the coffee shop in the main lobby is not open.

 

[TreyQ3]

The bus situation was much improved today now that all 4 parks are open. Although lines are still long due to how few can get on each bus, they came with much more frequency.

This morning the bus service to DHS was great. The cast member at the bus stop said that they weren’t supposed to dispatch buses to DHS until 9:00. The first DHS bus left CR/BLT at 8:50. The second bus showed up at 8:55 and the third was pulling in as we were leaving on the second bus.

Now coming back is a different story. Nothing has changed from our prior visits. We had to wait 15+ min for a bus.

For those asking about Magical Express - the order of stops for our bus was Saratoga Springs, BLT and GrandFlo. In the past we were grouped with Wilderness Lodge. Also, they assign seats for your party to force social distance.

 

[Yooperroo]

We spent most of the afternoon today at the pool. I'm happy to report there was plenty of room to distance while in the pool, and plenty of distanced pool chairs and loungers. The kids and I had a lot of fun playing the pool games and trivia.

 

[TreyQ3]

Sorry for the stream of consciousness: this is a timetable for us yesterday. Hope it helps to frame your expectations.

11:00 - Flight arrived at the gate (we landed at 10:45 and were early but had to wait 10 min for a gate to open up)
11:30 - Got to DME area after claiming our luggage. There was literally no one else in the que area
11:35 - Bus left airport (we got really lucky) - probably ~15 on the bus
12:10 - Arrived at CR/BLT
12:45 - Arrived at MK after going to our room
1:00 - Stopped at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe and mobile ordered. You have to mobile order
1:06 - Food ready
1:30-4:00 - Rode in order Buzz, 7DMT, Peter Pan, IASM, HM, Splash, BTMRR, PotC. All were walk-on
4:00-5:00 - Shopped
5:00 - Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern - always a great meal. Hardly anyone there and they have marked off tables to enforce social distancing.

My youngest son failed the initial temp check going to MK. Then they waited a minute and tested him again aiming for behind the ear instead of his forehead. He passed the second check. We have been kidding him that he has ‘Rona for 2 days now.

So far the bag check at security has been wildly inconsistent. Sometimes they are content to look in my wife’s purse but not really examining it. Other times they insist that she goes through the metal detector with the purse. Sometimes they ask my son to remove metal items (cell phone & charger) from his backpack and then others get angry when he starts to do this. It’s really hard to figure out what we need to do.

We are really impressed with the safety measures put in place. Hand sanitizer is everywhere. Markers on the floor where to wait to ensure 6 ft distance. Plexiglass where needed. 100% face mask usage for both cast members and guests. It is safer here than shopping anywhere back at home.

 

[jlnten17]

Has anyone been there this month that can share a copy of the activity/resort guide? We are wondering if they are showing movies under the stars, I saw a post on The Polynesian that indicated they were being shown at that resort at least.

 

[mrhat]

Just curious if anyone has had luck with floor requests at BLT since it re-opened. Given the elevator delays was thinking of trying to request a 1st or 5th floor room to open up some options....only our 2nd time at BLT (yes I'm a lowly resale DVC contract) and the first time last year admittedly didn't care about anything but getting a TP view.... now tho, ease of access, in/out options seems like the better route. Is ~5 days prior to arrival still a good time to call on something like that?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Has anyone been there this month that can share a copy of the activity/resort guide? We are wondering if they are showing movies under the stars, I saw a post on The Polynesian that indicated they were being shown at that resort at least.

May change eventually, but as of last week there wasn’t a printed activity guide like usual.

 

[Llama mama]

How is the current bus situation running in the morning? Is it getting better daily? How early are guests lining up?

 

[trishadono]

May change eventually, but as of last week there wasn’t a printed activity guide like usual.

So anything you liked of BLT? Edited :just read you moved to poly. I know you love it there.!

I’m disappointed I had to lose my blt but I switched from GV to Deluxe room this Morning,

Here it is for those wondering.