News Contemporary Refurbishment--April to Sept 2021

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

I love it but I also love the Moana rooms coming to Poly.

The good thing is that Disney has plenty of room options to meet everyone's style.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I think it looks great. I grew up with the incredibles as a teen to an adult, and having this little bit of IP in that room actually makes me want to stay there more. I know not everyone shares that opinion, but I like having little splashes of IP in my room, otherwise I feel like you might as well be in a standard hotel. Again, I know most disagree, but I’m very excited to bring my son to stay there in a few years.

Little? If it’s so great why deny it?

 

[Q_Division]

The durable goods are generally inoffensive and theme-appropriate, and the structural changes are good, in my opinion.

You're right. We can only hope that most of the IP can go and we get a nice monorail poster/artwork and a couple of monorail cushions.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

It might be initial reaction but as it stands it certainly pushes the needle between Tower and Garden for example. If they rolled it out to Garden as well, it starts pushing with some force as to whether or not I want to pay the premium for what is now (in my opinion) a cheaper looking room just so I can walk to the Magic Kingdom vs staying at a cheaper hotel and using the extra cash for other things (perhaps breakfast at the Magic Kingdom for example).

Garden rooms are being changed to The Incredible theming after the Tower is done.

 

[ShookieJones]

Everyone loves it until they find out it’s $1000 a night. This is AOA level theming at a 4 seasons price. They could have done much better than this.

I just hope they undo this in 10 years and don’t let it linger and stagnate when even more people care less about the Incredibles.

No doubt, but my question is do you believe someone who is in the position to drop 1k a night is going to change their mind one way or the other based on this change?

I want to point out that, I am also questioning the decision from the executives that gave this remodel a thumbs up.
Do they think that:

1. who has 1k a night to spend on a hotel room is making their "where do I stay?" decision on the IP in the room?
2. someone who would have to sell their car to stay here is going to do so BECAUSE the of the Incredibles?

 

[Mr. Moderate]

At one time, I had reservations for a tower room overlooking MK for my longtime planned, upcoming stay in October to celebrate the 50th. Once I heard about the Incredibles makeover months ago and read some of the discussion here, I thought I'd better start rethinking my decision to stay elsewhere. After seeing these childish looking rooms that look more at place in AOA, I'm so glad I made the switch. IMHO, this rooms are embarrassing and in no way worthy of the steep price tag that Disney is charging. It's obvious to me the current powers that be at Disney are out of touch and in way over their heads. The Contemporary was one of the original resorts that captured people's imagination back in 1971 when WDW opened and it was a wow moment for those who saw the monorail glide through the atrium. I know it did for me as a young kid in the early 70's and it still held that awe when I saw it in person in 1989. This classic WDW deserved better and has now been turned into a sad, cartoonish caricature of itself. As a person who has shaken off the pixie dust many years ago and woke up, I still have a fond spot for the parks and the history of WDW in my heart and I find myself just shaking my head.

Why didn't Disney go with a retro theme celebrating the Contemporary and WDW from back in the day? Give the resort a tribute that it deserves, not a makeover that looks like something Target would have designed for a child's bedroom.

 

[ShookieJones]

I mean, I think it's worth noting that most of the IP is in soft goods and decals. It's easily removed, so even if this is an experiment gone awry, they can quickly adapt. The durable goods are generally inoffensive and theme-appropriate, and the structural changes are good, in my opinion.

Good point and I agree. This is a soft handed (as was the Moana at the Poly) approach at a remodel experiment

 

[Q_Division]

Garden rooms are being changed to The Incredible theming after the Tower is done.

Boo

Thanks for pointing that out though

 

[Communicora]

Yikes. I wasn't thrilled about The Incredibles being shoved into an iconic resort (are those characters really that popular?), but I really don't like the final result. How does this even begin to look like a deluxe room? Looks like a mix of Pop Century and Art of Animation.

Yes. To me, it looks like Pop-level finishes. For some reason, the Moana touches at the Poly look better to me in the photographs.

 

[PascagoulaRun]

Absolutely love this refurb. Great blend of IP, the monorail, and a modern look while keeping the mid-century charm. The little touches like the super suits are great fun.

 

[EpcotCenter82]

At one time, I had reservations for a tower room overlooking MK for my longtime planned, upcoming stay in October to celebrate the 50th. Once I heard about the Incredibles makeover months ago and read some of the discussion here, I thought I'd better start rethinking my decision to stay elsewhere. After seeing these childish looking rooms that look more at place in AOA, I'm so glad I made the switch. IMHO, this rooms are embarrassing and in no way worthy of the steep price tag that Disney is charging. It's obvious to me the current powers that be at Disney are out of touch and in way over their heads. The Contemporary was one of the original resorts that captured people's imagination back in 1971 when WDW opened and it was a wow moment for those who saw the monorail glide through the atrium. I know it did for me as a young kid in the early 70's and it still held that awe when I saw it in person in 1989. This classic WDW deserved better and has now been turned into a sad, cartoonish caricature of itself. As a person who has shaken off the pixie dust many years ago and woke up, I still have a fond spot for the parks and the history of WDW in my heart and I find myself just shaking my head.

Why didn't Disney go with a retro theme celebrating the Contemporary and WDW from back in the day? Give the resort a tribute that it deserves, not a makeover that looks like something Target would have designed for a child's bedroom.

Wish I had followed your lead! I have reservations for the 50th weekend (9/30 - 10/4) which I made back in May 2020, at almost $900 a night (Tower - Theme Park View). These rooms are nowhere near worth that price. Maybe they will look somewhat better in person. So, I guess I'm really stuck with the reservation with only a few more months to go. Or decide not to go at all which as a WDW fanatic, I will not do!

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

In thinking about this more: Is the IP in the rooms a thing that's pushing the needle one way or the other for people?
I pose this same question to the geniuses who decide to incorporate the Incredibles into the rooms, are they seriously thinking that some family was sitting there on the fence between staying at Pop and the Contemporary and was like
"DANG!! they got the Incredibles! Honey we're selling the car! Let's do whatever it takes to be able to stay in these rooms!!"

I preach the vote with your wallet approach, and I am thinking to myself will the breaking point where I vote to STAY OR NOT stay at the Contemporary be: there's Incredibles IP in the room?

Obviously for most of us that get fired up and disappointed about these crazy (and I think inexplicable) changes it's more about the accumulation of things, room, and ticket pricing, food quality, lack of entertainment, spinner rides galore, etc. etc.

I am asking everyone, is there a scenario that the IP in deluxe level rooms is the breaking point?

For me, it's less the IP and more that the design of these rooms doesn't look anything close to "deluxe." And I actually like The Incredibles and had decent hopes for this refurb since the films being set in very much a mid-century modern aesthetic was perfect for the Contemporary Resort. A new room design that was all in on the mid-century modern look with some (subtle) IP splashes would have been perfect.

Basically, distill this across the entire resort. That's what this refurb should have been.

 

[ShookieJones]

It might be initial reaction but as it stands it certainly pushes the needle between Tower and Garden for example. If they rolled it out to Garden as well, it starts pushing with some force as to whether or not I want to pay the premium for what is now (in my opinion) a cheaper looking room just so I can walk to the Magic Kingdom vs staying at a cheaper hotel and using the extra cash for other things (perhaps breakfast at the Magic Kingdom for example).

That makes sense. Our last stay we were thinking about staying in the Garden wing, because it was a 'decent' price. It would have been more cramped then where we ended up staying (WL BR Villas) but it was in the discussion BECAUSE of it's proximity to the MK.

That's kind of what I am getting at here, this incorporating the IP thing to me wouldn't be a deal breaker in any scenario. It's about the value of what I am getting. There are so many things that I base my room choice on when staying at WDW and the actual aesthetic\theming of the room is so far down the list that it doesn't push the needle at all unless everything else is like for like:

Price
Distance to the Parks
Restaurant offerings
Distance to the Parks
Square footage of the room,
Distance to the Parks
How many Bathrooms
Distance to the Parks
Pool

If the list above is comparable between two hotels I am thinking about staying at, THEN I might go
"ehhh I am not crazy about the Incredibles, but I be loving me some Moana!!"

 

[senor_jorge]

I like the bathroom redesign and that the flat sinks are gone. .....and that is about it!

Hmm...I don't know how I feel about this, but I will try to work it out:

• I knew it was coming. - There is nothing I can do about it.
• I did like the previous theming - but it's not the sort of theming that I am going to long to see again. Especially those splashy a$$ sinks.
• I don't know if I can afford staying at the Contemporary anytime soon - But If I can and the rooms still look like this at the time, I will most likely be too hyped that I am in WDW and walking distance from MK to care one way or the other.
• It's not the worst thing that could have happened to the Contemporary and the splashy a$$ sinks are gone.........therefore.......

.....I approve.

+1 on the new sinks, and a bonus like for @ShookieJones for naming the old ones. I’d go a step further and call them splashy a$$ non-draining sinks however.

Everyone loves it until they find out it’s $1000 a night. This is AOA level theming at a 4 seasons price. They could have done much better than this.

I just hope they undo this in 10 years and don’t let it linger and stagnate when even more people care less about the Incredibles.

We haven’t staid on property for our last few visits. We actually found deals for Four Seasons, got a luxury rental and still spent less than we would have at The Contemporary. From what I can tell the bathroom is an improvement for us. The rest of the room, not so much. I’m assuming a safe will be in the room, but didn’t see one. The same applies to the fridge. The couch may be a plus for some but doesn’t add anything for us. At some point my wife and I usually end up having to do some work and it appears that the desk is now gone. We’ll see how that works out with conference and convention guests. Finally, some of the drawers seem to be missing. We filled them during 10 day trips in early December when weather could change frequently.

Non splashy a$$ sinks just aren’t enough to make this a win for us.

 

[38053WDW]

I think a lot of it is the finishes. The carpet, for example - why is it that pattern? Honestly, I feel it's more Star Wars than anything else. But whatever it is, it doesn't have the luxurious or classy feel I would expect of a deluxe resort.

Ditto the rest of the flooring in the room. It looks like a linoleum or vinyl with concrete effect on it? Not really sure, but again, whatever it is doesn't make the room feel inviting. If anything, it gives a stark and cold vibe.

You already noted the odd balcony framing, but there's other items that contribute to the room feeling un-deluxe. I think the wardrobe and other wood finishes are too light and would look better in something darker like walnut. There's also things like that retro looking lamp in the corner (looks more Jetsons than anything else), the bronze colored table that's just plopped in the middle of the room, and the brown stripe behind the beds. None of those things really fit with or complement each other, so you're left with a room that starts to feel kinda cluttered and, for lack of a better word, weird looking rather than welcoming and cozy.

EDIT - Just saw the TikTok walk through and the bright red doors on the wardrobe are not helping matters.

Belongs at Art of Animation area... or at least do NOT do every darn floor.. Some of us actually like modern furniture looks... As an older adult who stays here I just cannot see me coming back to my room and wanting to stay in there for too long to rest .. IMO

 

[Mr. Moderate]

Absolutely love this refurb. Great blend of IP, the monorail, and a modern look while keeping the mid-century charm. The little touches like the super suits are great fun.

Which belong at AOA or another value resort, not a Deluxe WDW hotel that is steeped in the history of the company. The Contemporary deserved better and so did the guests who will pay a small fortune to stay there. This is a boneheaded, tone deaf move on their part. I have a feeling that some changes will be made sooner than later.

 

[Communicora]

+1 on the new sinks, and a bonus like for @ShookieJones for naming the old ones. I’d go a step further and call them splashy a$$ non-draining sinks however.



We haven’t staid on property for our last few visits. We actually found deals for Four Seasons, got a luxury rental and still spent less than we would have at The Contemporary. From what I can tell the bathroom is an improvement for us. The rest of the room, not so much. I’m assuming a safe will be in the room, but didn’t see one. The same applies to the fridge. The couch may be a plus for some but doesn’t add anything for us. At some point my wife and I usually end up having to do some work and it appears that the desk is now gone. We’ll see how that works out with conference and convention guests. Finally, some of the drawers seem to be missing. We filled them during 10 day trips in early December when weather could change frequently.

Non splashy a$$ sinks just aren’t enough to make this a win for us.

That's a very good point about the convention crowd. It makes me wonder if things are afoot to refocus away from that audience for this hotel.

 

[ShookieJones]

For me, it's less the IP and more that the design of these rooms doesn't look anything close to "deluxe." And I actually like The Incredibles and had decent hopes for this refurb since the films being set in very much a mid-century modern aesthetic was perfect for the Contemporary Resort. A new room design that was all in on the mid-century modern look with some (subtle) IP splashes would have been perfect.

Basically, distill this across the entire resort. That's what this refurb should have been.
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Great example and I do love this vibe/look I think this is like 'modern Scandinavian' or something like that. I think it was super popular and 'mod' in the early 60s. Reminds me a lot of the furniture that was in my parent's house.

This makes perfect sense. If you're looking to stay at deluxe and you're looking for something specific from the deluxe moniker or like you said, from what you were imagining of the specific IP, I can see that as something that would change your mind.

I would guess in that instance you were going to go deluxe or bust anyway, and you're not going to now say "All Star Sports, here we come!"

Oddly enough I think the Cars Suites may be close to this aesthetic in some regards era wise.

 

[PascagoulaRun]

Which belong at AOA or another value resort, not a Deluxe WDW hotel that is steeped in the history of the company. The Contemporary deserved better and so did the guests who will pay a small fortune to stay there. This is a boneheaded, tone deaf move on their part. I have a feeling that some changes will be made sooner than later.

The vast majority of people staying at this hotel aren't coming for, or caring about, the hotel's history. They're coming because it's right next to MK and has good dining and transport options. People who pay $1000 a night still want Disney.

 

[Q_Division]

They're coming because it's right next to MK and has good dining and transport options. People who pay $1000 a night still want Disney.

Whilst I agree, the catch with that is Disney means different things to different people. It doesn't mean IP plastered across the room to everyone. To me give me some light monorail theming and perhaps a picture of Mickey Mouse and that's good for me. I can't help feeling there is just too much in the room as it currently is.