Contemporary Resort: Tower versus Garden

[MrsLightyear]

I have never stayed at the Contemporary but am seriously considering it for later this year. I have been in the public areas of the tower for dining and I've walked the grounds between the tower and the boat launch, but have no experience with the rooms. I'm trying to decide what room category we would most enjoy. I'm hoping that someone who has stayed there can describe the difference between the experience of staying in the Garden area versus staying in the Tower. I'm afraid that staying in a room in the Garden Wing won't really feel like being at the Contemporary. Can anyone tell me if this is so? Did you stay in the Garden Wing and if so were you pleased? or did you feel like you weren't really immersed in the resort theme?

Also: If anyone has stayed on the Atrium Club level or the Tower Club level, I'd appreciate any comments on how these two experiences compare to one another. We don't always stay club level when we visit Disney but we usually price it out and give it consideration.

 

[Disney4family]

I can understand your thinking in that by not staying in the Tower, you won't feel like you're really staying at The Contemporary. I have stayed in the Tower once - regular room with a MK view. It was awesome.
I have never stayed in the Garden Wing, however I now stay at BLT. I can tell you that the magic and excitement of being at The Contemporary Resort is still a part of our time there. I'm sure you will still feel that even if you don't stay in the Tower.
Hopefully someone here will share their experiences with you so you can feel comfortable with your decision.

 

[Disneysea05]

I have only stayed in Bay Lake Tower, so I too would be interested in hearing experiences in the Garden Rooms. When we pass by them on the boat launches, the building seem so ordinary it really doesn't give off the allure of the original Tower or BLT.

Is the room decor/layout at least the same?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We have stayed in the Garden Wing and I think it's a great deal considering the prices are usually on par with the Epcot area resorts which have smaller rooms. I've heard some people claim the walk to the tower is long and were even warned of this, but we found this claim to be grossly exaggerated. Maybe some people make the mistake of walking inside vs. taking the more direct paths outside? We were in the area along the water and it never took more than a few minutes to get to the ground floor of the tower and it's a super easy walk from that point to get over to the bus area.

Beyond that, no you're not going to get the monorail going through the tower feeling and the views aren't as dramatic, but we could see the tower from our doors leading to our patio (we were on the inward facing side of the branch along the water)...so it always screamed Disney World to us when we looked outside. You will want to request a 1st floor room if you want a patio as there are no balconies on the second floors. Some people slam it for this, but how different is this from certain 2nd floor rooms at the Poly with no balcony?

The rooms themselves are identical to the tower, so you get all the same space, decor, etc. as you would in the tower. I also felt like the Garden Wing was a bit more quiet than staying in the tower. Some complain that the lower floors in the tower pick up a lot of noise from monorail and Chef Mickey's. I never noticed this, but there was just a lot more foot traffic coming and going in the tower that makes it a bit less peaceful IMO. Don't get me wrong...I like being in the tower and seeing all of the iconic Contemporary and Disney stuff, but there is something to be said for the peace of the GW.

It's also easier to get to the pool from the Garden Wing as well as the dock should you want to take the boat to WL and FT Wilderness. Oh, and Mousekeeping/service was the same...so no real difference there.

All in all, I'd stay in the Garden Wing again. I prefer the tower, but sometimes a stay in the Garden Wing could allow you to add an extra day or more signature meals, etc.

 

[MrsLightyear]

@HouCuseChickie thank you so much for all of this detailed information. The only times that I've ever seen the Garden Wing were from the boat between WL and MK. Honestly, from there they look unspectacular. Having your perspective gives me much more to go on while deciding.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

@HouCuseChickie thank you so much for all of this detailed information. The only times that I've ever seen the Garden Wing were from the boat between WL and MK. Honestly, from there they look unspectacular. Having your perspective gives me much more to go on while deciding.

My pics of the GW would be from 2011, so there have been a few modifications in decor, but I can post room pics and grounds pics if you want (and if I can find them). Just let me know.

 

[MrsLightyear]

My pics of the GW would be from 2011, so there have been a few modifications in decor, but I can post room pics and grounds pics if you want (and if I can find them). Just let me know.

That would be fabulous. Thank you!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Like I said, this is not the current decor, but the current decor does have some similarities to my pics from 2011. The GW decor will match the Tower decor.

This was in the hallway...

Path along the water with a boat approaching the dock...

Monorail beam visible from far side of the GW...

More inside the room...

Beach area right near our room...

Tower from the parking lot on the GW side...

GW hall...

Outdoor views of our patio...

The walk back to our part of the GW...

Mousekeeping arranging the toys...

Sunrise...

]

Garden view...

It was a major discovery when I found out the tiled area under the tv lights up like a modern hearth/fireplace sort of representation.

The only thing I can't seem to find is a pic I took of DH heading towards the tower to give an idea of how close the tower was to our room. Still, if you consider that the pool area is just behind the beach and the beach was right by our room...you should be able to figure out the overall proximity by looking of pics of the tower in relation to the pool.

Hope this helps.

 

[MrsLightyear]

@HouCuseChickie - this is great. Thank you so much. We like to take a lot of walks around our resort in the early morning before going to the parks and in the late evening after returning, so I really appreciate the views of and from the path. In the picture underneath the ones including your little girl, and above the one with the sinks, what is that area? Are those closets? Also, do you know if the bathroom in a regular room still has two sinks side by side? I have a diagram of a room layout that shows one sink in an area with a tub and then a separate area (the two areas appear to be divided by a door) with another sink and the toilet.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

@HouCuseChickie - this is great. Thank you so much. We like to take a lot of walks around our resort in the early morning before going to the parks and in the late evening after returning, so I really appreciate the views of and from the path. In the picture underneath the ones including your little girl, and above the one with the sinks, what is that area? Are those closets? Also, do you know if the bathroom in a regular room still has two sinks side by side? I have a diagram of a room layout that shows one sink in an area with a tub and then a separate area (the two areas appear to be divided by a door) with another sink and the toilet.

If memory serves correctly, those were closets with the mini fridge in the middle. As for the sinks, I've only seen rooms with the side by side sinks, the tub on the end, and then a door separating the toilet from this area. Touring Plans has a room tour vid that shows current decor (they're in a Tower room, but you can see the similarities with the layout and such in my pics) and the room in their pic has an identical bathroom layout (or so it seems) to what's in mine from the GW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUoZ68KDk9E_3ta0L5O0xIFw&v=DPC188jLU1Y

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Actually, I snipped this image from the Touring Plans vid. Our room in the GW is visible from this balcony view. So, this should show you that it's really not that far.

 

[MrsLightyear]

Wow @HouCuseChickie I'm thrilled that I found someone so helpful on my first day here. Thank you for helping me out. This video shows every part of the room. It's definitely the new decor from the 2013 refurb and the layout is exactly the same as the one in your pictures. It answers a lot of questions for me. I just shared the video with my husband and I think we're going to go ahead and book it for May. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out.

 

[MaryJaneP]

We have stayed in Garden Wing at CR more than 3 times (once in old NW prior to BLT) and all were great. We have also stayed in Tower more than 3 times and we would stay in Garden Wing again if our budget was tight. We think Chickie is hitting the major points (proximity, nice grounds, etc.) but we did want to add pools and boat docks, which are certainly accessible from tower, just closer in GW.

 

[MrsLightyear]

We have stayed in Garden Wing at CR more than 3 times (once in old NW prior to BLT) and all were great. We have also stayed in Tower more than 3 times and we would stay in Garden Wing again if our budget was tight. We think Chickie is hitting the major points (proximity, nice grounds, etc.) but we did want to add pools and boat docks, which are certainly accessible from tower, just closer in GW.

It's pretty cool that you got to stay in the North Garden Wing before it was demolished!

 

[MrsLightyear]

Does anyone know what the Hospitality Suite is? It looks like there's a room category in the Garden Wing that's either called a Hospitality Suite or it has access to a Hospitality suite. I'm mostly just curious about it, not really looking to book it as it's uber $$$ and sleeps 7. We'll be just 2 people for the trip in question.

 

[s&k'smom]

We were in the Garden wing last November and absolutely loved it. No doubt the contemp is a huge resort but once you get your bearings it's not so bad. We arrived very early and were able to get to our room at first we had what seemed like such a long walk down the hallways but man o man when we opened the curtains and saw our view worth every step Bay Lake was right there and we could see the boats going by. We all loved the pool area and in the morning I would get up before everyone else, grab my refillable mug for coffee and go stand out on the balcony between the CR and Bay Lake tower facing the water and would see the sun come up it was AMAZING!

 

[DarthVader]

I did a lot of research on this myself, and come to the following conclusions.
1. The garden wing can be quieter (provided you're not near the pool).
2. Its a longer walk
3. less view then the contemporary
4. It can save you some money.

We opted for the tower, because we wanted to the full experience but more importantly the garden wing was sold out for the time we will be there

 

[MrsLightyear]

The replies to my thread have been really helpful. Thank you! I'm really looking forward to planning our Contemporary stay. I wasn't sure it would ever happen because my husband has long stated that he never wanted to stay at the Contemporary (he's partial to the Epcot area resorts) but all of the positive comments (and pics/ video link) here have changed his mind.

 

[DarthVader]

One thing I love about the Contemporary is the monorail, not just going through the resort which is cool, but using it to get to MK and EP. I also love the idea if we don't want to wait for the monorail we can just walk to MK

 

[MrsLightyear]

One thing I love about the Contemporary is the monorail, not just going through the resort which is cool, but using it to get to MK and EP. I also love the idea if we don't want to wait for the monorail we can just walk to MK

I like the idea of being able to walk too! We're walkers. It's our favorite activity and actually a huge part of why we come back to Disney again and again- endless places to just walk and wander. I'm not a wilderness person. Give me a concrete path and I can walk all day!