Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[jods]

We will be staying at the CR next month and I didn't realize that it has just one big bus station versus individual park bus lines. The last time my husband and I went we stayed at All Stars and before that it had been years since I stayed onsite with my own family growing up. So that's just how I thought all the bus lines were, but guess not! We have a 2 year old so we wanted to stay at CR for walking distance to MK.

Question with all the emphasis to arrive at the bus station 90 minutes prior to a park opening if it's just a free for all station, where should we be standing to ensure late arrivals aren't just waltzing up to the bus right as it pulls up when we've been standing there for 30 minutes? Thanks!

I stayed at the CR last month. When I was there they had a person working the bus lines in the morning. They had different lines for the different parks during busy times. It was well organized and monitored. They had movable signs for bus line for each park.

 

[trishadono]

What type of coffee creamer does the market have? I need coffee mate french vanilla (liquid) and was wondering if I should buy some before staying here or can I buy it at the market.

They had the little containers of the french vanilla and regular in the Contempo. The condiments are on the backside of the coolers. It may be worth it to make a mobile order and grab what you need.

 

[nicket]

I stayed at the CR last month. When I was there they had a person working the bus lines in the morning. They had different lines for the different parks during busy times. It was well organized and monitored. They had movable signs for bus line for each park.

Great, thanks so much for the info. Glad to hear they have someone helping organize the morning rush for the bus line!

 

[slp9999]

You didn't say what view you have. Theme park view is on the outside of the 'C'. Lake view has most on the inner 'C', but some on the outside as well. The standard view is around the bottom on both areas. The pictures a few posts ago show the setup on the outside of the 'C'. It is a little tighter in the living room on the inside. There is no overhang on the island with chairs. The living room is a little more narrow.

Thank you! We have a lake view.

 

[tcrandal]

I'm noticing most of early December is sold out for DVC. Is this 50th anniversary traffic and revenge travel at work, or do they have some retail hold backs that get released as the date approaches?

 

[yaksack]

Are boats available to rent?

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'm noticing most of early December is sold out for DVC. Is this 50th anniversary traffic and revenge travel at work, or do they have some retail hold backs that get released as the date approaches?

Early Dec is always booked for DVC resorts close to 11 months out.

 

[firefly1010]

Hi all!

Next week, I'm going to be fulfilling a bucket list item by checking into the Contemporary with my 17 yr old DS to celebrate my 50th birthday! We are booked for the Garden Wing. I was thinking about going to the front desk to check in personally, and hoping I get hit with some pixie dust and get an upgrade? But, do I even want an upgrade, due to the construction right now? Any suggestions on how to increase my odds of getting an upgrade?? My TA was told to put BIRTHDAY all over the reservation!
As far as meals, are you able to do mobile order for the coffee shop? How is the breakfast from the Cafe?
How long does it take to get to HS or AK via the buses? I was thinking of just using Uber/Lyft to attempt to get to the parks for rope drop (we are not early risers by nature!), unless you all think the buses would get us there almost as fast?
Do the rooms have Keurigs? We're not coffee drinkers, but do like hot chocolate and could bring our own pods.
Any other tips or words of wisdom?

TIA!

 

[Dug720]

Hi all!

Next week, I'm going to be fulfilling a bucket list item by checking into the Contemporary with my 17 yr old DS to celebrate my 50th birthday! We are booked for the Garden Wing. I was thinking about going to the front desk to check in personally, and hoping I get hit with some pixie dust and get an upgrade? But, do I even want an upgrade, due to the construction right now? Any suggestions on how to increase my odds of getting an upgrade?? My TA was told to put BIRTHDAY all over the reservation!
As far as meals, are you able to do mobile order for the coffee shop? How is the breakfast from the Cafe?
How long does it take to get to HS or AK via the buses? I was thinking of just using Uber/Lyft to attempt to get to the parks for rope drop (we are not early risers by nature!), unless you all think the buses would get us there almost as fast?
Do the rooms have Keurigs? We're not coffee drinkers, but do like hot chocolate and could bring our own pods.
Any other tips or words of wisdom?

TIA!

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but...

If you're not going to be happy in a Garden Wing room, change your room type at the Contemporary or change to another resort (I personally wouldn't want to be in the tower with all the renos going on). The general rule of thumb is if you ask for the upgrade, expect to pay for it.

Pretty much everyone is celebrating something at Disney every day and they cannot upgrade everyone. Yes you hear on here and other places online about all these upgrades, but what you don't hear about are the thousands of people who get exactly what they paid for.

 

[olive]

Hi all!

Next week, I'm going to be fulfilling a bucket list item by checking into the Contemporary with my 17 yr old DS to celebrate my 50th birthday! We are booked for the Garden Wing. I was thinking about going to the front desk to check in personally, and hoping I get hit with some pixie dust and get an upgrade? But, do I even want an upgrade, due to the construction right now? Any suggestions on how to increase my odds of getting an upgrade?? My TA was told to put BIRTHDAY all over the reservation!
As far as meals, are you able to do mobile order for the coffee shop? How is the breakfast from the Cafe?
How long does it take to get to HS or AK via the buses? I was thinking of just using Uber/Lyft to attempt to get to the parks for rope drop (we are not early risers by nature!), unless you all think the buses would get us there almost as fast?
Do the rooms have Keurigs? We're not coffee drinkers, but do like hot chocolate and could bring our own pods.
Any other tips or words of wisdom?

TIA!

Have a wonderful 50th!

It certainly can't hurt to ask about an upgrade! Although the only times I got an upgrade, I didn't request it. I have read that not making any specific room requests can help (I think because the room requests could limit which available rooms fit your requests), but not sure if that is true.

I haven't seen the coffee shop/Contemporary Grounds on mobile order yet, but maybe I missed it?

I believe the coffee makers all take pods, but not 100% if the brand is Keurig or Cuisinart.

Walking to MK is of course a wonderful perk from CR! And the water pageant is cute, too. I also like grabbing a dole whip at the Poly - quick hop on the monorail.

 

[Dug720]

It certainly can't hurt to ask about an upgrade! Although the only times I got an upgrade, I didn't request it. I have read that not making any specific room requests can help (I think because the room requests could limit which available rooms fit your requests), but not sure if that is true.

Probably depends on how specific the requests are. If they are general (like "Third Floor" - talking Poly here - then there is more flexibility.

But again, if you ASK for an upgrade, be prepared to pay for it. (I've heard people say they have led with "How much would it cost to upgrade to X?" and been pixie dusted with the upgrade without being charged, but not in all cases. Pretty much all cases where someone just asks "Is there anything better available?" they are quoted the price to change to something better. Always outliers - or those who admit to pimping out their kids with having them look adorable and ask some kind of "Can we see the castle from our room Daddy?" of course.) So basically a) book the type room you will be happy with and b) if you're going to ask, ask how much it would be and don't assume you'll get pixie dusted. Be prepared to pay.

Edit: And yes. I'm practicing what I'm preaching. I'm booked at the Poly for my 50th in July - checking in opening day. I was in a Standard View, but decided I'd rather pay more for a Pool/Marina View. Would I love a TPV? Sure, and if they pixie dust me with one, I'm not going to go and ask to be downgraded. BUT I'm happy with a Pool/Marina View and will not go and ask for something better because I'm celebrating. I trust that my TA has it noted, and I'll let magic happen where it will.

 

[firefly1010]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but...

If you're not going to be happy in a Garden Wing room, change your room type at the Contemporary or change to another resort (I personally wouldn't want to be in the tower with all the renos going on). The general rule of thumb is if you ask for the upgrade, expect to pay for it.

Pretty much everyone is celebrating something at Disney every day and they cannot upgrade everyone. Yes you hear on here and other places online about all these upgrades, but what you don't hear about are the thousands of people who get exactly what they paid for.

Oh, its not bad news. I'm sure the GW will be wonderful. If I get upgraded, great, if not, I'm sure we will have a great time either way!

 

[accm]

Does anyone know if BLT has cribs available? When I stayed at BWV I was able to get a real crib, which was way better than the pack and play that they have in all the DVC rooms.

 

[aboveH20]

Is the silver thing the thing that pulls out into a line to hang towels???

That's what I thought at first, too, but there is no receptacle on the opposite wall.

If you mean the white thing with the little dome on it, it’s a motion activated night light. It shines green light just bright enough for you to see your way in the bathroom at night.

You're right. Not especially bright, but that's what it is, thanks.

That thing in the ceiling detects motion to turn the bathroom vent fan on.

The silver thing looks like a towel hook.

You win

I finally tried to turn the silver thing and it didn't budget, so fortunately I wasn't pulverized. One measly little towel, robe, clothing hook. I suspect the bathroom "storage" has been discussed on this board previously, but I was traveling solo and wasn't sure where to put stuff. I finally used the second sink (which had a slight drip) for counter space. Not sure where families put clothing when they're showering or set their toiletries.

Bottom line, I LOVED the resort.

 

[Dave006]

I suspect the bathroom "storage" has been discussed on this board previously, but I was traveling solo and wasn't sure where to put stuff. I finally used the second sink (which had a slight drip) for counter space. Not sure where families put clothing when they're showering or set their toiletries.

We are all hoping for improvements in the bathroom area. We have also dedicated one sink with a towel as the general bathroom storage area for more than 20 years.

We should have a clue soon as the Atrium TPV rooms are actively being remodeled now and the LV and Garden wings are in the queue.

Dave

 

[luckydriver]

How did it go? What was the ME wait like?

sunday arrived MCO 830ish. magic bus line was very long but moved fast (groups take up lotta space). i think we were 10 min in line. once checked in for the bus took me 3 min to get on board. waiting roped areas were empty. i kept checking the app for room being available and they texted me about every 30 min for 2 or 3 times,(its like they knew i was on the bus) then nothing. i kept refreshing the app. got notified at 230 room is ready. i got the high up room i wanted but not the king. we killed time doing lunch and riding the skyliner and one ferry. you need one day just to ride all them!

we never went at opening to any park. instead went a bit later. i think we were in MK 830 or 9. monorail monday and entry to MK was 'dead' so to speak. no crowds at all. matter of fact id say every time we used the monorail it was not that busy. very nice! hotel seemed empty too. i think i waited for an empty elevator 2x in total. and after looking back on things, i see no reason to be at the park at opening. i got to all i wanted. and even test track was under 1 hour (1st ride of that day)

also i hated the sinks (100 sq ft) and the 1 sq ft of counterspace. does anyone enjoy this setup? i cannot imagine if i had 2 kids in there as well. who needs sinks that big? really! 2 points for towel hook near the shower. rare in a lot of hotels. mattress was best out of any i stayed in the past year

as an aside if you fly spirit do NOT get in the international line to go home. thankfully we heard chatter behind us that led us to the END of terminal B for the domestic. the international line was insane! also if you dont have precheck you are crazy. that airport is so darn busy. i got thru instantly but gf doesnt have precheck and it was a long wait for her.

 

[luckydriver]

regarding the construction comments above, i dont get it. what did i miss this week. besides half the hotel being blanketed i noticed nothing bad. i dont get why someone wouldnt want to stay here with half the capacity open. its a dream! not busy at all. pool dead /low usage every time i looked out. (im not a pool person but was tempted).

regarding bfast in contempo my gf brought me up an egg sandwich and i dont like those normally but this was very good. the sausages in her meal were not done as well as i wanted but not too bad. the potatoes were good

 

[Jennyonecoin]

Does anyone know the timeline for when the renovations start in the garden wing? We are booked for end of June... wondering if we will be moved.

 

[jods]

sunday arrived MCO 830ish. magic bus line was very long but moved fast (groups take up lotta space). i think we were 10 min in line. once checked in for the bus took me 3 min to get on board. waiting roped areas were empty. i kept checking the app for room being available and they texted me about every 30 min for 2 or 3 times,(its like they knew i was on the bus) then nothing. i kept refreshing the app. got notified at 230 room is ready. i got the high up room i wanted but not the king. we killed time doing lunch and riding the skyliner and one ferry. you need one day just to ride all them!

we never went at opening to any park. instead went a bit later. i think we were in MK 830 or 9. monorail monday and entry to MK was 'dead' so to speak. no crowds at all. matter of fact id say every time we used the monorail it was not that busy. very nice! hotel seemed empty too. i think i waited for an empty elevator 2x in total. and after looking back on things, i see no reason to be at the park at opening. i got to all i wanted. and even test track was under 1 hour (1st ride of that day)

also i hated the sinks (100 sq ft) and the 1 sq ft of counterspace. does anyone enjoy this setup? i cannot imagine if i had 2 kids in there as well. who needs sinks that big? really! 2 points for towel hook near the shower. rare in a lot of hotels. mattress was best out of any i stayed in the past year

as an aside if you fly spirit do NOT get in the international line to go home. thankfully we heard chatter behind us that led us to the END of terminal B for the domestic. the international line was insane! also if you dont have precheck you are crazy. that airport is so darn busy. i got thru instantly but gf doesnt have precheck and it was a long wait for her.

I stayed in march and couldn't believe how comfortable the mattresses were. I just told my husband (trip was me and kids) we need a new mattress and I didn't realize how uncomfortable ours was until I slept at the Contemporary

 

[hereforthechurros]

Contemporary won us over. For some reason I didn’t have high expectations, but compared to most resorts right now it feels the most normal. I loved the lively atmosphere in the lobby especially near Outer Rim. I enjoyed how the pool is near the lake so the sight line is just sky and trees. And the quiet pool is gorgeous, definitely more luxe than other quiet pools.

California Grill was as busy and beautiful as always, although maybe a little too busy as the service was severely lacking. The Wave to-go was delicious. So nice to have options like crab cakes and salad instead of just burger or chicken strips

We arrived around 11 am and inquired about a room around 2 pm. They front desk let us know they clean from the top down in the GW so they wouldn’t be able to accommodate our lower level request which was fine. We had third floor closer to the main building. The rooms in GW are definitely unique. Interesting to me that higher vacancy isn’t translating to rooms being turned over quicker. We were less than an hour away from the 3 pm check in and none of the 2nd or 1st floor rooms were cleaned yet. Later room availability was a theme of the trip not just at Contemporary.

One huge rookie mistake I made was not knowing there’s no boat service to MK from the Contemporary! Not sure how I missed that in my hours of research but live and learn. Looking forward to staying again on a future trip.