Contemporary

[mcst1010]

Getting ready to book trip for November, and I am thinking about the Contemporary. I like the idea of being able to walk to Magic Kingdom. Last time I went, we stayed at Boardwalk. I loved it there, but the buses were BRUTAL. More than once we had to wait over 45 minutes for a bus and they were always full, but we could walk to EPCOT. Also, I am trying to stay away from there due to the 1/2 marathon and wine fest going on. I am just curious if anyone could tell me anything about Contemporary. If I stay in the tower, is the noise from the lobby real noticable in the room? Is there any real draw backs to staying there? So far I am definitely leaning in the direction of the Contemporary, but any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[captainkidd]

From everything I've read, rooms in the Tower are pretty quiet, with the exception of the lower floors where noise can be heard from Chef Mickey's.

I don't see any "drawbacks" to staying there, as long as you're OK with the theme, or lack thereof. Many people find it sterile and cold (myself included). The amount of conventions there gives it a very business like feel, which is the exact opposite of what some people are looking for when on vacation.

 

[bamillerpa]

I remember it being pretty quiet as long as you booked a room in one of the higher floors. The theme really isn't great but the rooms are absolutely beautiful. The ability to walk to the MK is awesome, especially at the end of the night when the monorail or ferry gets crowded. If it's affordable I would book a tower MK view. Nothing beats sitting out on the balcony watching the fireworks over the park. I just love the view and being that close to the park. While the Poly is still my favorite resort the Contemporary is still a great choice.

 

[hurricanepat]

Stayed there back in 08. Loved the rooms and our view of the Magic Kingdom. Yes while it may not be as thematic as say the Poly, the convenience and modern theme of the hotel make it feel like a hustling bustling area....also watching the monorail glide through the hotel was also neat. The California Grill is top notch and offers so amazing views especially while eating dinner, definitely worth a try.

 

[Tiggerfanatic]

I love, love, love the Contemporary. Stayed there twice, both times in the Tower with a MK view. As a previous poster said, there's nothing like sitting on your balconey at the end of th day watching Wishes with a cold beer in your hand. I didn't think the noise was at all noticeable, even the rumble of the monorail after the first couple of times through. The rooms are beautiful - the only drawback as far as I was concerned were the bathroom sinks don't really drain the toothpaste and spit without a little help!
As far as theming goes, it is what it is - contemporary, fairly sleek and modern. And what makes it really cool - the monorail runs right through the middle! If you plan on spending the majority of your time in the MK & Epcot, I would highly recommend staying here. I feel like I would like to stay at one of the Epcot resorts someday, but it would take a lot to get me to switch from the Contemporary.

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

Getting ready to book trip for November, and I am thinking about the Contemporary. I like the idea of being able to walk to Magic Kingdom. Last time I went, we stayed at Boardwalk. I loved it there, but the buses were BRUTAL. More than once we had to wait over 45 minutes for a bus and they were always full, but we could walk to EPCOT. Also, I am trying to stay away from there due to the 1/2 marathon and wine fest going on. I am just curious if anyone could tell me anything about Contemporary. If I stay in the tower, is the noise from the lobby real noticable in the room? Is there any real draw backs to staying there? So far I am definitely leaning in the direction of the Contemporary, but any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

We considered seriously staying at the CR this year so we asked during our last stay at the reception if a CM could show us an empty room in the A-frame (Tower rooms) and they did. We really liked the room and the view (Bay Lake) and we didn't hear the monorail in the few minutes we were there but we were quite high up in the tower (9th floor), I heard that you definitely hear the monorail in the lower levels. We definitely did not hear any noise from the lobby but it was daytime when we were in the room. We however decided against the CR because the prices became borderline insane with the last raise, even with AP-holder discount and the main pool is the most boring and unthemed in WDW.
We will however go there one day when money is not an issue as it is now.

 

[captainkidd]

We considered seriously staying at the CR this year so we asked during our last stay at the reception if a CM could show us an empty room in the A-frame (Tower rooms) and they did. We really liked the room and the view (Bay Lake) and we didn't hear the monorail in the few minutes we were there but we were quite high up in the tower (9th floor), I heard that you definitely hear the monorail in the lower levels. We definitely did not hear any noise from the lobby but it was daytime when we were in the room. We however decided against the CR because the prices became borderline insane with the last raise, even with AP-holder discount and the main pool is the most boring and unthemed in WDW.
We will however go there one day when money is not an issue as it is now.

I got to see a room on my last trip as well. Though the balcony itself was boring, the view was indeed stunning!!!

I found the rest of the room to be very odd though:

-Never seen a hotel room with less drawer space.
-No ceiling fans.
-TV directly in front of bed closest to door, but at terrible angle from 2nd bed.
-Gigantic desk taking up a bunch of living space.
-Bathroom looked like something you'd expect to find on the Starship Enterprise.

 

[Innkeeper's Club]

If noise is a concern no matter what floor you happen to stay on I would highly recommend requesting a room away from Chef Mickey's, because of that "Celebrate with Mickey Mouse" song they play every half hour when they are open. The couple times I stayed in one of their Club Level rooms on the 12th floor and had a room on that side I still heard the song from way up there.

However I remember another stay I had there in the early 2000's and I was staying on the 6th floor right above the Monorail station. This may surprise you but while I was inside the room there never an issue with any noise coming from there, because people think it's a problem and it's not.

Finally one of the great things about staying in a Tower room is that all those rooms come with a guaranteed full size balcony.

 

[jmargarone27]

I am biased to the Grand Floridian, so I would scrap the Contemporary and spend the few extra dollars for the GF... garden view is fine, don't listen to people who say there is no other way to go besides MK view or concierge level. The whole place is nice.

 

[captainkidd]

I am biased to the Grand Floridian, so I would scrap the Contemporary and spend the few extra dollars for the GF... garden view is fine, don't listen to people who say there is no other way to go besides MK view or concierge level. The whole place is nice.

I agree.

 

[Innkeeper's Club]

I am biased to the Grand Floridian, so I would scrap the Contemporary and spend the few extra dollars for the GF... garden view is fine, don't listen to people who say there is no other way to go besides MK view or concierge level. The whole place is nice.

While I agree the Grand Floridian does look like a nice place to stay at, if you look at their 2012 rack rates their Garden View is more expensive then either Tower - Magic Kingdom View or Tower - Bay Lake View at the Contemporary. Here are links to their rates from Mousesavers.

http://www.mousesavers.com/contemporary2012.html
http://www.mousesavers.com/grandfloridian2012.html

 

[captainkidd]

While I agree the Grand Floridian does look like a nice place to stay at, if you look at their 2012 rack rates their Garden View is more expensive then either Tower - Magic Kingdom View or Tower - Bay Lake View at the Contemporary. Here are links to their rates from Mousesavers.

http://www.mousesavers.com/contemporary2012.html
http://www.mousesavers.com/grandfloridian2012.html

Which is why the poster said "I would scrap the Contemporary and spend the few extra dollars for the GF."

 

[Spike-in-Berlin]

I got to see a room on my last trip as well. Though the balcony itself was boring, the view was indeed stunning!!!

I found the rest of the room to be very odd though:

-Never seen a hotel room with less drawer space.
-No ceiling fans.
-TV directly in front of bed closest to door, but at terrible angle from 2nd bed.
-Gigantic desk taking up a bunch of living space.
-Bathroom looked like something you'd expect to find on the Starship Enterprise.

I have to admit that I didn't check out the available drawer space, we are more concerned about things like room cleanliness, noise level of the AC etc.
And I never understood why people want ceiling fans when there is an AC. We stayed at WL, Poly etc. we never used the fans even once.
Position of the TV was good enough, in the room we saw, for watching weather channel etc., we don't watch a lot TV at WDW.
And in the CR a bathroom that looks like it came out of a Starship is actually exactly what I expect and want. I think the should turn the CR in a really sci-fi-style resort, make it either a TRON-resort or something like space travel, at the moment the theming is less convincing.

 

[s&k'smom]

My bro and SIL love the Contemporary, there girls are younger so walking to MK and the pool area were huge hits, we were staying at GF and that resort just wasn't them. But it is definately us and I agree if you can spend the few extra bucks. My DH is terrified of heights so staying in the tower will probably never happen for us! I do believe the rooms were renovated just a few years ago and they were lovely.

 

[Goofy6294]

I love, love, love the Contemporary. Stayed there twice, both times in the Tower with a MK view. As a previous poster said, there's nothing like sitting on your balconey at the end of th day watching Wishes with a cold beer in your hand. I didn't think the noise was at all noticeable, even the rumble of the monorail after the first couple of times through. The rooms are beautiful - the only drawback as far as I was concerned were the bathroom sinks don't really drain the toothpaste and spit without a little help!
As far as theming goes, it is what it is - contemporary, fairly sleek and modern. And what makes it really cool - the monorail runs right through the middle! If you plan on spending the majority of your time in the MK & Epcot, I would highly recommend staying here. I feel like I would like to stay at one of the Epcot resorts someday, but it would take a lot to get me to switch from the Contemporary.

Ditto, sans the cold beer. In our two stays, we didn't notice any noise from the monorail or Chef Mickey's. We were MK view on the 9th floor, I believe. The only drawback for me was the lack of locks on the bathroom doors. With three kids, a little privacy is valued! Also, I believe the CR has some of the largest standard rooms on property.

 

[007mickey]

We stayed there in '10 and absolutely loved it. You are spot on with the "I like the idea of being able to walk to Magic Kingdom". Nothing beats that morning stroll to the Kingdom. Hopping on the monorail to the TTC (the first stop) and then heading to EPCOT isn't bad either. The wife and I have always wanted to stay there ever since we were little riding the monorail through the lobby and thinking how awesome it would be to stay there. Throw in The California Grill and we were hooked. Our family has stayed at ASM, AS, POP, POR, POFQ, AKL, WL and CR. We have two boys (14,10) and to date the Contemporary is their favorite as well. Everbody's tastes are different and if the "contemporary" feel/look doesn't suit you, head next door to the Poly or the GF.

 

[mcst1010]

Thanks for all the information! Hope to make the final decision within the next 24 hours or so. Already making dining reservations!!!:sohappy:

 

[coachwnh]

love the contemporary. its our kids favorite resort. noise was never an issue for us, but you will hear chef mickeys in the morning (and we were up top, club level) that said, having that walk to MK beats any noise. you will love it!!!!

 

[Innkeeper's Club]

Here is something else to factor in that in my opinion gives the Contemporary a slight advantage over the Grand Floridian. When taking the Buses to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom/Blizzard Beach and Downtown Disney/Typhoon Lagoon, during the mornings the Contemporary shares with the Polynesian or Wilderness Lodge and in the afternoons/evenings they share with both the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. However no matter what the Contemporary is the 1st stop when being picked up so you have best chance of getting seats and 1st stop when coming back from those destinations.

 

[Freshee61]

I love the contemporary! I love the theme and don't understand why people say lack of theme?! Its a great place better than gaudy gf and dark poly . I've stayed in the wing room and at mk tower room. Both stays great. I visit that resort and hang out there on many of my trips. The walk to mk is probably like ten minutes and not too bad.