Summary WOW! WOW! and WOW!

Reviewer's Comments

WOW! I just had to say it again. We would stay there in a heartbeat if we could afford it each time. Rooms were very large and easy to get around. You definitely did not feel crowded. Our room was available at 11:00 when we checked in, a big suprise but pleasant one. We had a view of the Magic Kingdom! WOW!

Summary Going Back Again

Reviewer's Comments

We have stayed here in the past then tried the Polynesian and last year the Carribean. After the Carribean I decided if at all possible I am staying on the Monorail which is the #1 feature for me - with two young girls that dominate their Father, you can not beat this convenience. The Poly is more expensive and according to my now 7yr old daughter "The water slide is better" but that is IT.
So if I am going to shell out the $$$ to stay in a Deluxe Class - I am staying at the Contemporary. This place is all about convenience and you just feel like your always in Disney when your there. As far as the rooms - they are just fine especially for all the kid traffic these rooms withstand...

Summary Incredible!

Reviewer's Comments

The contemporary is unsurpassed in its location. While some people think that there is not enough theming, I disagree. I think that the theming of this resort is pure Disney. From Chef Mickey's to the topiaries on the grounds, this resort IS Disney! We have stayed in the tower and wing and we definitely feel the tower is worth the added expense.

Summary highly recommended!

Reviewer's Comments

from the time we pulled into the parking lot we were treated wonderful. The front desk was great. House keeping wonderful. Check 0ut easy.

Thank you soooo much.

Summary Great Choice for MK fans

Reviewer's Comments

We stayed in the south garden wing room 6126 on may 23rd - 30th, 2004.
The room location was great! Close to the pool and bay lake, but a bit of a walk to the tower.
The rooms are HUGE! There were 5 of us , and a full size crib and we were comfortable all week.
I am even glad we didn't stay in the tower. Since we were on the first floor of the wing we had a small patio and it was easy to get everywhere.
My only complaint would be transportation. The only "easy" park to get to was the MK.

Summary Kids Love It!

Reviewer's Comments

We stayed (daughter and I) in June of 2004, this was my first vacation at a "deluxe" resort. We were in one of the less expensive "garden" wings, I recommend the tower if you can afford the extra cost. I'll break down by sections my review:

Check In/Check Out - Checked in around 9:30 p.m., took a few minutes, checked out around 9:30 a.m., that was instant. Service: Excellent

Rooms - Clean, not a lot of theming, a bit "dated" but usual nice amenities and we could see fireworks every night from the window. Kids running down halls made some noise (a few times around 10-11 p.m.) but sleeping was no problem, we could not hear a thing from other rooms. Bathrooms were spacious and wonderful (love the feature of extra room just for toilet). Beds were great, I never slept so well in my life.

Hotel - Could use a little theming but overall was quite nice. Monorail was a fantastic feature and my kid loved it being in the hotel. Shops were good as well as the arcade.

Restaurants - Chef Mickey's: Character dining was fun but the food was quite average (buffet style), but you can make your own custom ice cream sundae. We went on the monorail to the Polynesian for meals more often, my kid also loved the fact we were taking a train there.

Concourse Steakhouse: Excellent food, I recommend reserving a table.

California Grill: Never made it, had a reservation but menu doesn't have kid oriented options. Reserve WELL in advance.

Swimming Pool: Spectacular views of lagoon, you can see fireworks and light displays at night. I thought it was bigger and the slide though nice had no theming. A bit of a disappointment in that respect.

Transportation: First rate. Monorails were fast and wait times for buses very good. You can also walk to the Magic Kingdom. One nice way to spend time after dinner is to go on the Monorail and visit the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian.

Conclusion: If I were travelling with adults only I would probably select another hotel, but for kids I consider this one of the "musts" as a resort. The Contemporary is a fine resort but it is bit modern and lacks theming. After spending some time visiting the Polynesian I decided we would go there next year. It seems quieter, much more relaxed and has wonderful theming (volcano pool, torch lit walkways, vegetation etc.). I also really liked the food there.

Summary Loved it

Reviewer's Comments

Originally I booked our stay 6/28-7/2 with some reservations due to the comments I'd been reading. Ultimately I chose to give the Contemporary a try for a couple of reasons: 1st, Its on the monorail and Its HOT in Florida in June/July...I've done busses before and don't enjoy waiting in the heat, 2nd, I'm on a quest to stay in every one of WDW's resorts at least once, 3rd, I was doing the Hoop De Doo with my 5 & 6 yr olds and having done it via bus 10 yrs ago I didn't want to repeat the transportation nightmare to & from the show...the Contemporary has a boat that drops you off 200 feet from the show;), 4th, its a Deluxe resort so how bad could it be?

I'm sooooo happy we took the chance. We got a great deal at $149 night and it was worth every penny. It wasn't a big deal staying in the garden wings for the cheaper rates because the walk to & from the pool, monorail ect. didn't seem all that bad. In fact, I suspect that the tower rooms would be unbearably loud since I found my few nights at Chef Mickey's for dinner deafening. The north wing, in contrast, was peaceful.

On a personal note, I wouldn't recommend walking to the MK as some have suggested. I tried it and was absolutely pooped and DRIPPING by the time I got into the park, ick. I'm sure the walk would be nice on a cool day or if one wasn't rushing to get into the park for opening but since I was under both stresses I wouldn't suggest it. The monorail is air conditioned and restful, what was I thinking?

Again regarding comments I had read, the resort IS themed and newly refurbished but the look itself is dated...a hommage to the 60's. It reminded me of the old Jetsons cartoon which highlighted what folks in the 50's & 60's thought the future would look like. The colors were very 60's, bright with bold streaks of color and I got a kick of the flying saucer shaped lampshade on the dresser. Alas, the Contemporary is anything but so if you want to FEEL like your in a new place this probably isn't for you.

The staff was, as always, charming. The pool was a real treat sitting like a well placed oasis. We LOVED the fountains that created an arch of water along the top. I kept forgetting how close we were to the bustling monorail and boat dock. This struck me as strange because when I was using the boat to get to the monorail from the Wilderness Lodge the pool appeared to be in the middle of everything and exposed but it really wasn't. Another treat was the beach, when we were resting from the water my daughter and I took a stroll along the beach at the waters edge and collected shells while my son and husband played volleyball with another family they met. Very peaceful

The arcade next to the food court was great. My daughter loved the giant pretend bowling game and my son loved the 3 Star Wars games. I liked having a place to cool down for an hour after lunch and before the pool.

I do agree with the others who commented on the cleanliness of the food court which ALWAYS appeared to be messy. The food was fine but the teens working there did not seem to care about loose papers or untidiness.

OVERALL WE LOVED IT AND WOULD DO IT AGAIN

Summary A Walk Away From The MK

Reviewer's Comments

We chose to stay at the Contemporary for location and room size. This hotel has the biggest rooms in the "deluxe" category - which is over 400 sq. ft.

We were in a north wing room which is closest to the playground and the walkway. We had requested a first floor. The room was clean and HUGE. We easily arranged the furniture (the bellman's great advice) to make the best use of space. The sliding door being on the ground was a nice touch. We just stepped outside our room and watched the fireworks right there. The theming was contemporary all over the place. I do not particulary like it, but it was there. We liked the view of the monorail, but not so much the dirty laundry and trash recepticles. The hallway was noisy after the paks closed. Housekeeping was a lot better here than I have had at other resorts.

I was disappointed about the pools the most. I specifically called the CRO and asked if there was a kid pool. They stated that there was. When we arrived they handed us a map at check-in. On the map it showed a toddler pool located next to the playground. We ventured out to find it and it wasn't there! We thought we had the map turned upside down or something. I finally went back to the front desk and inquired about the toddler pool. They said, "We do not have a toddler pool, but we used to." I showed them the map they JUST handed me 10 minutes ago, and they apologized. The CM told me it wa an old map and they no longer have one! She continued to inform me that there was another small pool. (which is fine, but it is still not practical for toddlers!) We also were not pleased that we actually had to rent out the lifejackets for the kids. We stood in line a good 15-20 minutes just to get a lifevest. We had to fill out a renter agreement form and give them a time we planned to return it. All this to swim? At AKL the lifevests are right there in a big bin by the pool. No forms, no line.

The best feature of this resort is the location. We loved the fact that we could just walk over to the Magic Kingdom in 7 minutes. Most of the time this was faster than the monorail! We also loved the easy access to the monorail. It would have been even easier if we stayed in the Tower Rooms. We never took bus transportation, but I heard no complaints at the bus stop. We took the ferry to Fort Wilderness which was a nice break from driving. I have to say that the transportation here has a lot to offer in way of choices.

We ate at the Food and Fun Center and Concourse Steakhouse. The food was okay at the Food Center. The Fun Center was a lot of fun! It was one of the biggest arcades we have seen at a Disney resort. The Concourse Steakhouse was very good. We wound up eating there the rest of our trip! The Sticky Mickey was sooo good. The California Grill seemed a little too posh for a toddler and 6 year old. Chef Mickey's looked like a good time. It was always busy.

The location, room size, and transportation options set this resort apart from the others. I gave it an above average rating based on these. However, the pool is important to us. Based on that, we will probably not stay there again until our kids are older.