A Nice History of the Contemporary Hotel

sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Thank you soooo much for posting this article. I loved the history and insight into my favorite Disney home. I, too, have many fond memories of this resort from throughout my life. When I was little and we'd whoosh thru on the monorail I would gaze down at the guests in the concourse and think, "Wow! I wish I was them". To me, being able to have the money to stay there was the equivalent of being royalty. Lol! My grandparents were able to see one of their favorite bands at the Top of the World and meet the gracious band leader they so loved. They even played their song for them: Always. I love hearing my Gramma talk about her memories there. My own little family has stayed in the Contemporary twice. It feels the most at home to us. The rooms are so big (my favorite feature of both the CR & the Poly) and the bathrooms so spacious. The beds are super comfy. I love love love modern or contemporary design even if it's retro-modern. But my favorite thing about staying there by far is the location. In the early morning when the sun is coming up and we're just waking up I will push the curtains back, open the patio door, and soak in the sights, sounds, and smells of a fresh new day on the horizon. Sometimes those earliest of breezes will bring the faint howls of coyotes. The colors and tones of the sun coming up over the lagoon, the other resorts, and the castle are incredible. Then the 'World' starts to come alive with the toots from the ferries & boats, the whooshes of the monorail, the faint cheerful songs from Chef Mickeys, and then the whistle blows from the steam trains. Watching the sun set on the 'World' is every bit as magical. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I'm homesick. There's nothing like the Contemporary for me. Nothing.
 
007mickey

007mickey

Well-Known Member
sweetpee_1993 said:
Thank you soooo much for posting this article. I loved the history and insight into my favorite Disney home. I, too, have many fond memories of this resort from throughout my life. When I was little and we'd whoosh thru on the monorail I would gaze down at the guests in the concourse and think, "Wow! I wish I was them". To me, being able to have the money to stay there was the equivalent of being royalty. Lol! My grandparents were able to see one of their favorite bands at the Top of the World and meet the gracious band leader they so loved. They even played their song for them: Always. I love hearing my Gramma talk about her memories there. My own little family has stayed in the Contemporary twice. It feels the most at home to us. The rooms are so big (my favorite feature of both the CR & the Poly) and the bathrooms so spacious. The beds are super comfy. I love love love modern or contemporary design even if it's retro-modern. But my favorite thing about staying there by far is the location. In the early morning when the sun is coming up and we're just waking up I will push the curtains back, open the patio door, and soak in the sights, sounds, and smells of a fresh new day on the horizon. Sometimes those earliest of breezes will bring the faint howls of coyotes. The colors and tones of the sun coming up over the lagoon, the other resorts, and the castle are incredible. Then the 'World' starts to come alive with the toots from the ferries & boats, the whooshes of the monorail, the faint cheerful songs from Chef Mickeys, and then the whistle blows from the steam trains. Watching the sun set on the 'World' is every bit as magical. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I'm homesick. There's nothing like the Contemporary for me. Nothing.
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sweetpee, you should do a commercial. We are staying at the Contemporary for the first time this May and can't wait. My wife has always wanted to stay there and I'm pretty excited about it myself. That "I wish I was them" feeling...I remember feeling that way as a child too.

Side note: How would you like to get your hands on one of these mentioned in the article..."large maps of the Magic Kingdom hung in each room".
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
^^^

I was totally thinking that about the old maps when I read the article. And the original room accessories (towels, etc) that featured the classic Walt Disney World logo...yeah....need some of those, too. Lol!

Have fun on your trip in May. Make it a point to throw that door open early and soak it in. I swear, the Contemporary is the only resort we've stayed in that we would rush to get away from a park to get back to. We just love it there. :)
 
Crazy4WDW1

Crazy4WDW1

Active Member
Does anyone remember the ladies clothing store located where the market is now? I remember them having these very cruise like swimwear. I bought a Walt Disney World 14k charm in the old Contemporary Jewelers many years back. I still have it and wear it often.
 
R

Ralphlaw

Well-Known Member
xtina72 said:
Contemporary is my least favorite hotel, its very cold to me.
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I tend to agree that certain areas do not appear to be the friendliest, although the service by the cast members is fine. For example, the check-in area and main entrance are very concrete and corporate, it seems. Compare them to the reception areas at the Polynesion, Grand Floridian, Yacht/Beach clubs, Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom. There's no comparison. You especially notice this if you have kids who are waiting around for the check-in. Other than a TV with cartoons, there's almost no distraction. And that coffee bar is, forgive me, out place, it seems.

Even the other concourse areas are a little cold compared to most other resorts. What would be fun, for example, is construction photos of the hotel and Magic Kingdom, or moonshots, or space photos, or something to infect the sterility. Making it interesting in this way would certainly make the stay there a bit more fun, especially for younger guests.
 
wolf359

wolf359

Well-Known Member
I disagree that the Contemporary seems cold. I'll agree if one's idea of "theming" is a bunch of colorful $%!T nailed to the walls the Contemporary falls short, but not every resort needs to have a theme of FUN! FUN! FUN! LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! all of the time just because it's Disney.
 
Victor

Victor

Active Member
I love it. It's like the 70's version of an Aztec temple. A relic of classic WDW. And I mean that in the best way possible.

How can it feel cold? It's right next to MK, and the freakin' monorail runs RIGHT through it. That's some Disney magic for ya. Maybe I'm biased because it was the very first WDW resort I stayed at back when I was a wee lad, but it always was, and always will be a special part of WDW.
 
Crazy4WDW1

Crazy4WDW1

Active Member
With the convention center there I would assume that the resort is themed more toward the business group. The revamped rooms confirm that. :shrug:
 
R

Ralphlaw

Well-Known Member
wolf359 said:
I disagree that the Contemporary seems cold. I'll agree if one's idea of "theming" is a bunch of colorful $%!T nailed to the walls the Contemporary falls short, but not every resort needs to have a theme of FUN! FUN! FUN! LOUD! LOUD! LOUD! all of the time just because it's Disney.
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It should be interesting, not filled with pictures of Goofy or anything so out of character. If you stay at the Polynesian, there are things to look at while waiting around. There are comfortable, well themed, pieces of furniture. Animal Kingdom's lobby, and those at the Epcot resorts, are wonderul, and not overdone. While checking-in, waiting for a taxi or a seat at a restaurant, all of these other resorts give the remainder of your party something to do other than stair at sterile walls.

The Contemporary is an architectural landmark, and the subtle futuristic theme is conducive to putting things of interest in the areas where you are waiting. I wish the Contemporary had something appropriate like the other deluxe resorts have. That's all. And that's my impression that apparently others here seem to agree with, rightly or wrongly. This seems most pronounced in the chick-in area--there simply is not much anticipation and excitement here, especially compared to Animal Kingdom and Poplynesian.
 

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