Disney Restricts Access to Hotel’s Observation Area

[mkt]

Disney Restricts Access to Hotel’s Observation Area

(Orlando Sentinel) -- Although attendance is still below normal at Walt Disney World, one spot there is too crowded, officials have decided. The Contemporary Resort has closed its 15th floor observation deck to everyone except customers of the pricey California Grill. The deck had become congested during evenings just before the closing-time fireworks shows at nearby Magic Kingdom. For the non-California Grill masses, the Contemporary has created a new fireworks viewing area — down on the fourth floor. “We are encouraging guests to use this location . . .” said Jacquee Polak, a Disney World spokeswoman. “The Contemporary Resort operations officials said there was too much elevator traffic immediately before the fireworks and not everyone was getting up to the 15th floor. “One way to solve this traffic jam is to direct day guests to the 4th floor and those with reservations at California Grill to the 15th floor.” Polak said the fourth floor has become a popular fireworks viewing area. “There is music at this spot and guests are telling us they like it,” Polak said.

 

[MobileBadBoy]

The observation deck is the only place I like to view them.

 

[Maria]

Well... I agree... sorry...
I worked at the Hyatt in my city which has 18 floors and is the highest building in the city, and everybody wants to go to the top floors -concierge level- to check the view! Some days I had people sitting in the lounge for guests! I don´t really know how it is at the Contemporary, but here, it was annoying -and not very safe- for the hotel guests.

 

[MobileBadBoy]

I've never been up there and it been crowded, never.

Oh well, so much for watching the fireworks.

 

[Lance]

Just use the stairs!

 

[mkt]

this is coming from a friend of mine who works front desk at the Contemporary... any guest there, without business there, will be escorted from the floor

 

[cymbaldiva]

That really is a shame...

 

[mickeyfanatics]

The stair doors are locked at those higher levels unless you have a key. I know, we got locked out of the 14th floor last 4th of July and had to walk down about 5 flights to get back into the building.


<--- Hey, 200 posts, wow????

 

[Cosmo]

So this raises the question of if you're a guest at the Cont., you're still not allowed up there?
Will they be checking PS at the elevators? What if you can't remember your PS number (because you were too lazy to write it down)?

 

[Lilo]

When I stayed at the Contemp in February we had a PS for Cali Grill so we could see the fireworks. The observation deck was packed with others (not diners). We were fortunate we were able to see from our table.

This Thanksgiving it's the Beach Club:sohappy:

 

[WDWspider]

But hey guys, you are still allowed on the fourth floor, isn't the vantage point of fireworks about the same from there as well, or is it something else, like just the fact that you are high from the ground, or can you see all of Main street or something?

 

[Invero]

Not sure if I like the 4th floor observation area very much... last I saw of it, it was a mess, filled with all sorts of construction crap from when they redid the windows. And I know it's used as a smoking area for CMs sometime... ugh...

 

[leeocean]

Thank god this happened. I have had the rudest people come and sit their children down at the empty seats at our table to view the fireworks..without even asking, while we were eating. When you pay to have a nice dinner you shouldn't have to see a mother with 6 children in sweats invading your table. Non-dining guests do not belong, especially when you are paying $150+ for your meal and the ambience.

 

[Cosmo]

Originally posted by leeocean
Thank god this happened. I have had the rudest people come and sit their children down at the empty seats at our table to view the fireworks..without even asking, while we were eating. When you pay to have a nice dinner you shouldn't have to see a mother with 6 children in sweats invading your table. Non-dining guests do not belong, especially when you are paying $150+ for your meal and the ambience.

i couldn't agree more. I really like the Ca. Grille and having that mass of chaos can certainly ruin an otherwise excellent meal...just don't ever get the tilefish:hurl:

 

[Mr. Toad]

Does the California Grill have a lounge/bar/sushi bar. If so this could be a cheaper way to get to the deck instead of a full meal (and the sushi there is really good!).

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Presumably once on the 15th floor you can only access the viewing area through the Cali Grill ?
If thats the case I'm all in favour of Disney restricting it to diners, however, perhaps they should bend the rules a little and allow guests staying at the Contemporary to have restricted access ?

 

[Maria]

Why do we have to question those measurements so much? I wold just see it as a restaurant with a view. You dine there, you get the view, you don´t, you don´t get it. I also escorted people down the top floors of the Hyatt where I worked many times! There was no restaurant on top, just a lounge, but people would still come up for the view at any given time of the day! One or two persons was fine with me, but if I saw a whole family with kids climbing the walls to watch, and loud, I definitely didn´t put my "disney smile", and escorted them down or called security.
Sorry if I upset someone with my opinion, but that´s what it is.... my opinion.
:animwink:

 

[Maria]

I forgot to add...
Someone said going through the stairs could take them there and someone else mentioned that the doors were locked. Just so you know and don´t try to sneak in by any hotel or other buidling´s stairs, those doors should be kept locked from the stairs. Those are emergency stairs and the doors only open from the floor to them. If they weren´t designed like that, fire would get in the stairs too. Please, don´t risk yours or other people´s safety by playing in that area.

Thank you.

 

[cymbaldiva]

Please forgive my terribly warped point of view on this subject, but to me it just feels like one more "Magical" thing that I won't be allowed to do because I can't afford it - in this case , I just really can't afford to dine at the Cal Grille...

Sorry ya'll, I'm a bit down about the whole $$ thing as of late!

 

[MobileBadBoy]

I can afford to dine there, that's not the point.

Seeing them from up there means alot more to me, but can't say I care to waste explaining it here of all places.