Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

It is tight but might be doable if everyone pairs down what they need to leave out on the counter. Thanks again.

Since the airline toiletry rule came into being, we always put our liquid toiletries in quart sized Ziploc bags. The rest of our system is to put non-liquid/gel items in a gallon sized ziplock bag.

Instead of doing a quart bag per person, we now organize them roughly by priority:
1. What did we use today/often? (toothpaste, shampoo)
2. What will we likely use by mid-week (2nd bottle of sunscreen)-goes under sink
3. What items do we want to have on hand, but probably won't need (mostly over-the counter meds)-goes under sink

Mostly, we only actually unpack the 1st ziplock, and put those items between the two sinks. The rest goes underneath when we aren't using it, or else we leave it in the dry sink.

The other beauty of Ziploc bags is that you can write on them with a sharpie. Not just labels, but reminder notes too!
 
Thanks everyone! That helps! I've never been to WDW (only Disneyland CA) but have been researching the resorts at WDW for a "someday" trip in the next few years. The Contemporary, Poly and GF are my top 3 choices since they are on the monorail. Being used to Disneyland CA; I love what everyone says about the walkability to the MK from the Contemporary, but the smaller counter space had me concerned. GADisneyDad, that picture is more up close and has a better angle (than others I have seen online) and it gives me a better idea of how much space is really between the sinks. It is tight but might be doable if everyone pairs down what they need to leave out on the counter. Thanks again.
Out of those 3 resort choices I like CR the best for bathroom/

Why?

At gf the sink is exterior. That's good for privacy but with no door for the sink area it can be loud if someone up before or after others asleep.

Poly every thing all in one room so good for noise but then only 1 person can use at a time (well Dd and I don't mind sharing sometimes but still not easy)

CR all in one room so quiet but the commode room is nice for privacy and so roomy makes a great place for someone to get dressed privately.

All 3 have a good option for balconies. GF wins for that with all but only a few deluxe rooms without.

Transportation CR walk to MK but poly you can walk to ttc which is easier for Epcot. As they say , gf only 1 stop away from the MK. Also 1st stop on boat leaving MK.

I have been to all 3 many times and still don't have a favorite.

For a 1st trip CR probably the best since you'll be at parks more. GF is good for people that really like to stay at resort but want a relaxed atmosphere.

Poly is the most fun. Tiki lights, leis, dole whip, FUN FUN FUN.

I Tried DLH AND GCH . Loved them both .
 
We recently got back from a 12 night stay at WDW, with the last 4 nights (June 18-22) at the CR SV Atrium CL. I already posted my reviews of the YC and BC, so now I'll finish off with my review of the CR. For some background (for those who haven't read it 4 times between the YC/BC thread and the CL thread), we are a family of 6. It is me, my DH, DS8, DS5, and twin DSs 16 months. We stayed at the CR once before, for 6 nights over Christmas 2016, and had an amazing stay. This trip we tried something new and did a 3 way split stay (we had never even split 2 ways before), and initially I had wanted to stay at the GF RPC for our MK portion but my DS8 loved the CR and we thought the ability to walk to the MK was great (and in addition I never saw RPC at a price we would have been willing to pay anyway!) I am one of those people who always liked the CR for it's history and thought it was very neat that the monorail went through it, but didn't like the kind of generic theme (or no theme) and didn't really have a desire to stay here over the other disney resorts. However, after eatig at CMs my oldest DS loved the resort, so when we came over Christmas we thought it would be a great time to try it since the ability to walk to the MK would be huge during the busiest week of the year. So we stayed in a SV atrium club level room that time, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Sure, there is less of a resort feel that the other MK resorts, and I still think the overall theme is "hotel", but the monorail, the view, the walk to the MK, these all overcome that and now I really like it. It also helps that our Christmas trip was really magical and those memories really elevate this resort as well.

*We packed our stuff at the BC and called for bell services to take it and move it to the CR around 10:30, then I went to the CL Concierge to check out. While there I asked if she could check us in to the CR as well (I did not do online check in) and she was able to. That was a tidbit I had picked up when we checked into the BC, and I was so glad to have found out we could do that. Our room at the CR was actually ready! However, we had plans for the day so it didn't really matter. If I hadn't planned our switch days our rooms would never have been ready so early, I am confident of that! So I dropped my DH, DS8, and DS5 off at TL and took the babies to DS for the day to shop.
*I picked my family up at TL at 4:00 and we headed to the CR. When we pulled into the self parking lot and were getting out of the car I had such a good feeling, and I realized it was a "it's the start of my disney vacation feeling". It was kind of a let down when I realized we were actually at the tail end of our trip! There is just something about the MK resorts that resonate with me - be it comfort and familiarity since we've stayed there the most, or since the MK seems like the heart of WDW, or what I don't know, but that really hit home on the trip that was split between the Epcot area and the MK area. We had already been there 8 nights, and had had great times at SAB and been the DHS and Epcot multiple times, as well as DAK, but when I first hit the MK area and saw the castle it kind of felt like the trip was finally beginning. I know it doesn't make much sense, and it is difficult to explain, but I'm trying. We definitely loved the other portion of our trip, this obvious ability to contrast both areas just pointed out to me that I do have a preference.
*We went up to the 12th floor, our MB did work for that, and stopped at the concierge desk basically just because I have always checked in in person. The CM didn't really seem to know why we had stopped if we knew our room number, and didn't give us any info at all such as the activity guide, phone numbers to their desk, text number, hours in the lounge, anything. If we hadn't been there before we would have had no idea, but I can't remember for sure, she may have asked if it was our first time.
*we were in room 4803. So again we didn't get my request, but at the CR it isn't a big deal since all of the rooms on one side of the resort have essentially the same view. I had requested a room on the north (MK) end of the resort with secondary requests of closer to the lounge and odd numbered room, simply because I noticed last time you got a wonderful view of Astro orbiter and space mt through the large glass windows at the end of the CR as you walked down the hall to your room on the north end. Last time our room was on the south end, and we had no real view other than the road to the CR and MK walking to the room. Plus we were 3 rooms from the end of the hall. Again, since it's the CR and no rooms are very far away it didn't matter, I was splitting hairs with that request. Then I found out that I had actually screwed up with the odd numbered room request. I could have sworn that I read somewhere on here that in order to face the WL instead of BLT when laying in bed you should request an odd numbered room, and that is what I wanted. Another not huge deal, but I would rather see the sky and trees and the WL from the bed than a big tower. So we did get the odd numbered room, and the bed faced BLT. I guess I should have looked into that a little more before requesting it. That was a long winded way of saying I made 3 requests and one was met, and it turned out that I screwed up and actually wanted the opposite of the request I made that was met o_O
*The room was exactly as I remembered it, but no yellow pillows any more. In my everyday life the CR decor would be too modern and stark for me, but at the actual CR it works wonderfully and I love it! It is noticeably bigger than the YC and BC, but not as much as I had thought it would be. I do like the daybed, even though we don't need it. We also have no need for the large glass desk that takes up the corner of the room between the bed and the bathroom, but we use the counter space and used under it for storage. I like the lit mantle area, it was really nice when we were there at Christmas and we actually hung stockings over it.
*The bathroom setup is different, with the toilet in it's own separate rather large room with a hamper (with a pocket door), and the sinks and tub together with a sliding door to close them off. It works for us as a young family, when the boys are older I think I will prefer the ones that have the sinks outside the shower so I can get ready at the sinks while they shower and vice versa. I do like the toilet separate, I would just have the shower separate from the sinks as well or have the shower with the toilet like a lot of disney resorts do. I agree with everyone else - the sinks are weird and not functional. The entire sink actually doesn't slope down to the drain, so water pools in it instead of draining. I would dump a diet coke and then the sink would be brown if I didn't work to rinse it out. Same with toothpaste spitting! Just odd. We did tend to use one for holding stuff, but not officially, I would just sit things in it as long as the edges were dry. They match the decor of the room well, and look good (not my personal taste at home, but again I like them in this setting), but someone should have tested them out before buying them for the entire resort! I also like the towel rack here, it looks good and holds plenty of towels.
*There were lots of toiletries. A 3 oz bottle of sunscreen, mouthwash, solar gel, foot rub, shower cap, vanity kit, lotion, 2 sizes of bar soap, and 2 bottles each or shampoo and conditioner. There were replenished every day (except for the sunscreen, shower cap, and vanity kit), and when I asked for extra conditioner I got plenty. We do tip $10 a day as we go, I never know if that makes a difference or not.
*we had a welcome plate in our room that had a chocolate covered strawberry, a white chocolate covered strawberry, 2 macarons, 2 decorative chocolates, and welcome spelled in chocolate syrup. It was accompanying the note that welcomed our family to the resort. it didn't say anything about a special celebration, or a return stay, or anything, it seemed to be just because. It was a very nice touch, i was very impressed.
*we also got a welcome box of chocolate, the same as before. A larger piece with a color picture of the CR on it and 3 smaller pieces below it. We didn't get any welcome gifts at the YC or BC.
*The view from the room is amazing. This is the one resort that as long as I am staying CL I prefer the bay lake view. It is so peaceful and beautiful, I can't believe it's the standard view! There is no parking lot and essentially no roads in sight, the pools are pretty, the lake is beautiful, and you can see the water parade at night. I know it isn't exciting, and I'm sure it's just nostalgia, but I love seeing it from our resort and even better from the room. I prefer it from here than even from the poly - the arial view is different and more impressive IMO. Then, since it's CL and a relatively small one at that, you can just watch HEA and see the MK view from the lounge any time you want. If I weren't staying CL I do think I would want a MK view to be able to see HEA from the room, but with it in the lounge to me it's just as good and you get the best of both worlds. In fact I did see a MKV atrium club level come up for our dates with the same discount and wasn't even tempted (I can't remember the price difference).
*I even love the view as you exit the room. There's something special about seeing that classic tiered view of all of the halls opposite you,and the monorail below. I really think i would miss that if we ever stay in the Tower Club. Don't get me wrong, i would be willing to try it and find out, but I would miss that aspect :teeth:.
*we could faintly hear the Chef Mickey song when we were in the hall, and possibly a little from the room if you focused on it and tried, but absolutely nothing that would make me say don't stay on that end of the resort because of it.
*The CL lounge here has a very open feel particularly the initial portion that is beside the food service area. It isn't that large, but despite that we never had any problem finding a table. In fact, I think every time we went to the lounge we were able to get one of the 2 or 3 tables right there, and not have to go around the divider into the other area. It never felt crowded to me.
*the food service area is pretty small compared to all other CLs. One curved counter.
*Breakfast was pretty standard, no extras like crepes, etc. They did have oatmeal, which was the only hot item. Their hard boiled eggs had a little dollup of something on top making them a little like deviled eggs, they were good. The also had the typical pastries, bagels, bread, varied sliced meat, yogurt. I love the chocolate pastries, all 3 CLs had a couple of variations and they were all good. The cheese and fruit filled ones were good also. At home I would never eat 2 pastries plus something else for breakfast every morning, but at Disney I always do. Have to get my money's worth!!:D
*snacks were also pretty basic. I small make your own trail mix type of thing, with little baggies and ties to put it in. They had goldfish, generic M&Ms, gummy bears, pretzels, yogurt covered pretzels, and something I can't remember, Also veggies and dip, bread sticks, and cookies.
*appetizers were good, but not as plentiful as the YC or BC. They had a soup that was off to the left and often seemed overlooked. They had a salad and a hot item and a second hot item that seemed more kid friendly. 2 nights that was mac n cheese, and it was very good! The salad was good also, and they had pork with mushrooms and polenta one night. That night (the pork, a salad with artichokes/tomatoes/olives/cheese/etc, and mac n cheese plus veggies, bread sticks, etc we ended up easily making dinner out of it for all 6 of us. the other 3 nights we had dinner plans, or we actually could have done the same.
*one night I asked about Gluten free options, and the CM immediately went to the back room and a chef came out within a minute or 2. She knew immediately what was GF and what wasn't, and actually everything except the obvious (mac n cheese, crackers, bread sticks) was GF! So that night my DH and 2 sons with a gluten allergy were able to eat essentially what the rest of us did in the lounge without a hassle, long wait, etc. It was nice. That chef was great, she obviously knew what she was serving and what was in all of it. Night and day from the chef at the YC CL when we asked about GF there.
*There were not nearly as many dessert options as at the YC and BC, but they varied nightly which was nice. They would have one dessert that was in a small glass dish, 3 individual desserts, and cookies. I tried most of them, they were good. Not the best ever, but pretty typical for Cl desserts. They did not have anything special, like bread pudding, warm apple pies, cobbler, etc. My kids weren't thrilled with them, the really only liked the cookies and even then they weren't that excited.
*they brought the alcohol out at 5:00, and the first night I happened to be there right at 5:00 and wanted wine for my DH and I before dinner. I stood and waited for the girl to come back and get it for me when she came back with the beer, and when she came out she seemed surprised that I was waiting and got me a sparkling wine and another for my DH. I figured out later that you are to serve yourself at the CR, and I had assumed they had to serve me and I would have gotten "reprimanded" if I had done it myself. She must have thought I wasn't willing to do it myself!
* the drink fridge here was my DSs favorite of all of the Club lounges by far - it was as if it was made for him. The had minute maid lemonade, apple juice boxes, and orange fanta. Compared to the others, where they didn't keep anything in the fridge he would like, here they had 3 of his favorites. They also had Diet Coke, caffeine free diet coke, coke, and BOTTLED WATER. In all of my CL stays this is the first time I have stayed in one at a time they have the elusive bottled water. They might have also had sprite, and possibly more. I didn't take a picture and I just remember what we liked, not everything else.
*The CL CMs were more interactive with us than at the YC and BC. They made a little more small talk, chatted, etc. They weren't overboard with the warm and friendly, but they clearly tried to greet guests, say hello, etc. I kind of liked it. I don't want to feel like someone is monitoring me, or being sugary sweet and not meaning it, but they had just the right level of interaction without being annoying.
*after we came back from dinner the first night out MBs didn't work on our room. So I tried all of ours, and found out that all of my DS5s MBs worked but no one else's would. Interesting, this was a different son from the son whose MBs were the only ones to work at the BC :confused3. So I went down to the CL concierge, and she actually had trouble getting them set to work on our room and elevator as well. It was decently close to 10:00, and she only got a couple working. She said she couldn't keep them and bring them back to us since it was over a night with a different shift in the AM, and that we should come back in the AM. However, we had plans to be at the MK at opening in the AM, and between getting 4 kids ready and never getting enough sleep, and knowing based on experience how long it would take, there was no way I was doing that at 7:00 AM. We knew that the MBs all worked for admission and charging, just not our room. So we wore the MBs we wanted, making sure we had one that opened the room door, and didn't get them re-programed. We actually never did during our CR stay, we just made sure we always had one that worked on the room and elevator with us. It didn't seem worth wasting ANOTHER 30-60 min getting them all working for the 3rd resort.
*we ate dinner at Chef Mickey's twice. This was definitely not my idea. I made 2 ADRs so we could choose the one that worked best with our schedule closer to the actual day, and my kids wanted to keep both. I reluctantly went along. Chef Mickey's is DS5 and DS8s favorite disney restaurant, and we always eat there, and now apparently we always eat there twice when we stay at the CRo_O. I don't dislike chef Mickey's, but it is way more stressful than any dinner should be. It's nearly impossible to get food for me and all of the kids, keep an eye on the characters and run back any time one gets close, run around taking pictures and getting autographs, and actually get to eat and enjoy anything. SO to get to do that twice and pay something like $60 for an adult was a special treat. The first time actually worked out as good as it ever could. We had no wait, our buzzer went off almost immediately after our picture, and 4 of the characters came before we even had time to get everyone seated at the table. The second time was similar, just not quite as quick with the characters. Both times were much better than previous times, and all 4 kids were relatively well behaved and ate. So it worked out well.
* I really like the Contempo cafe as far as quick service resort restaurants go. I like their choices, and they have really good GF choices. We ate there twice.
*the gift shops at the CR are pretty good, way better than the YC and BC. However, I wish they had CR clothing! I have never seen any. I do like the new Mary Blair style line, but I have no more room for mugs so I got a keychain and shot glass. But why no shirts or sweatshirts or light jackets like everywhere else has? My kids love the shop in the center with Mickey ears as the entrance, I more like Bay View gifts, but they both have good selection and are fun to browse through. I got some Frozen inspired perfume that they also sell in the Norway pavilion and it is from Norway. I would typically make fun of a frozen perfume, but I smelled it and really liked it. My passholder discount got a workout this trip. The little sundries shop in the back corner actually has quite a bit in it as well.
*the elevators weren't as bad this trip as I remembered from our previous stay. Once or twice we had difficulty getting one we could fit in and had to wait through a few (it doesn't help when you have a double stroller), but generally it wasn't a problem at all.
* we swam twice, both for fairly short times. I really feel like they need to do a complete overhaul of the pool area sometime in the near future. it just isn't up to par to the other deluxe resorts. The kids area pales in comparison to even a lot of the moderates, the splash area is pretty pathetic. The pool is just a basic pool, no zero entry, nothing special. It's just concrete everywhere, and the pool bar feels like you stepped back in time. There is a slide, and it's a decent one, and a few fountains spraying water into the pool. There is no lifeguard at the top of the slide, and that is really a drawback to me. I love that the YC/BC have one at the top of their slide, and sometimes a few other resorts do. Kids can get out of control when they aren't with their parents at the top of the slide, and I don't want to have to reprimand other people's kids but with some of the things I've seen over the years I've had to correct a few or at least finally tell them that there is a line, and my kids and I have been patiently waiting in it. This time there was one kid who kept trying to get my son to let him push him down the slide. My son kept saying no thank you. At the Poly there have been a few times over the years that some kids would just skip the entire line every time, pushing in front of everyone repeatedly despite long lines. I know my kids are FAR from perfect, but Disney pool slides have given me lots of opportunities to show them examples of that they should never ever do, and how I expect them to treat other people.
* I actually prefer the bullesye pool. It's calmer, and this time it was probably 5 if not 10 degrees warmer than the main pool. It's peaceful stuck out into Bay lake, with the tower towering over you. Such a classic Disney view.
* We never took the monorail from the CR. The reason we stayed there was for the walking path to the MK, and it's wonderful. It isn't long at all, and going through security part way is so much easier than either at the MK or before the monorail. The only time there was a line at all was one morning when we went at about 8:45, and it wasn't long We actually only rode the monorail once, since we stayed at both Epcot and MK resorts you could walk from. We did ride back once on purpose just to ride it, and actually did an entire loop before getting off. Our kids were kind of disappointed we only rode once. we actually stayed in the park one night to watch Wishes (oops, I mean HEA) from the reserved viewing area with the CL extra FPs, and I was so thankful we could walk back to the resort! It was a madhouse, I did like HEA somewhat better from close up when you could see the projections, but I certainly remember why we haven't stayed for fireworks since we had kids and always watch from the Poly, GF, or CR. Holy cow, it was crazy! I had no idea that many people jammed in to watch them, and then all leave together! We overheard one CM say "it's ok, and then the lights go off and I get scared."

Ok, so the wrap up. Of the YC and BC, the YC was by far my favorite. If you care to read a novel about that, it's over on the YC/Bc thread:-). So now as far as the YC and CR go - The YC has an AMAZING pool, SAB is every bit as good as you read that it is. Sitting in the pool at the CR looking up at the CR tower is amazing, but I'm not sure if it can beat sitting chest deep in water in a sand bottom pool with a lazy river and an amazing slide, having a banana cabana delivered to you just before that, and seeing crescent lake from the slide steps is still a pretty good view. Walking to Epcot AND DHS is pretty darn convenient, and after GE and TSL open it will be even more convenient and worth it. Walking to the MK is just as convenient, but it's only one park. However, we have 4 small kids and it's also my favorite park (I think, i do love them all) so that kind of balances out the 2 vs 1 park you can walk to. So based on that it's almost a tie, with possibly the YC taking a slight edge with the pool. But despite all that, my heart is with the MK resorts! I just can't forget how good it felt to pull into the parking lot and see space mt, and see that tower, and then the castle. Don't get me wrong, I do like the Epcot resort area and would stay there again for F&W, if we were focusing on the new lands at DHS, if the price was right, or it someone else really wanted to. But when we were there, and fresh from the YC/BC, I gave it a lot of thought and decided that even with the pool drawback is is still a large refreshing pool, and I preferred the CR. Interestingly enough, the CR is also my least favorite monorail resort. This sounds worse than it is, because it's definitely a case of the worse of the best, but I prefer the Poly and GF feel to the CR. However, I do love walking from the CR and as good as the MK view is from the Poly rooms it's better, even with the parking lot and road, from the CR. I even prefer the resort feel of the WL to the CR, but being on the monorail plus walkability easily puts the CR over the WL in general for me.
 
Ummm, I'll be sure to add this ^ to my summer reading list :rolleyes1

Glad you had a wonderful time, we are super excited about our upcoming stay, (only CR though), but I loved your part about (even though you'd been there 8 days already), pulling up to the CR felt like your vacation was just starting, how awesome!
 


I’m so excited!! I have been to Disney many times and this will be the first at CR, I just booked a room garden view wing (saying that right?) I loved reading this post a lot of my questions answered I am also traveling with a my DD she will be 2 when we go so now I know the stroller won’t be an issue and neither will traveling to and from the monorail and also to and from the pool should be very convenient I learned I should ask for a ground floor thanks everyone!! Now I’m trying to search for pictures of a garden view and views?
 


Just got back from our split stay at the Contemporary! We ended up in room 4708, which I thought was a good location. Even being on the 11th floor we could still hear noise from Chef Mickey's. It wasn't exactly disturbing... but that darn song is so obnoxious! I feel like any lower in the tower Chef Mickey's could be quite disruptive. Here's the view from our room, it was the best part about our stay at the Contemporary!
29231921798_6364eba4cb_z.jpg
 
For the CR pools, there are (I think) four cabanas, two at the main/feature pool and two at the bullseye pool... I circled them in the pic below. There might also be two in the other two corners of the bullseye pool but I'm not sure (just can't quite remember). I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Also FWIW, I am pretty sure you book these by location. I just made a reservation for an upcoming stay and the CM asked which pool I wanted.

@Regan117 knows the CR cabana situation better than me and can help if I've botched any of this info.

Have fun!

View attachment 260084

Hey there @GADisneyDad14, have you taken this trip yet? What did you think of the cabana?
 
Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to get from CR to GF? We have an 8:15am breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.

I've never really paid attention to timing when doing the loop.
 
Can anyone tell me about how long it takes to get from CR to GF? We have an 8:15am breakfast at 1900 Park Fare.

I've never really paid attention to timing when doing the loop.
By monorail, at least 30-45 minutes.
 
SaintsManiac, alternatively you could walk over to MK and then take a small ferry, (the one that goes from MK to GF and Poly), I believe they drop off at GF first, but it might end up being about the same amount of time.
 
Can anyone point me in the direction of a recreation calendar for July? Doing the split stay and coming to Baylake in just a few weeks :-) thank you!
 

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