Disney's CONTEMPORARY RESORT Information & Questions

[Rhongepooh]

RESORT NEWS... ~CR ACTIVITY CALENDAR ~BLT ACTIVITY CALENDAR 2013 MAJOR RESORT ENHANCEMENTS: Guest elevator improvements. Contemporary Tower and South Garden Wing Guest room soft goods replacement. 14th floor Tower Club Refurbishment of lounge and rooms. 12th floor Atrium Club level concierge lounge and room soft goods rehab. California Grill refurbishment. POST YOUR VACATION DATES AND I'LL PLACE THEM HERE IN THIS NIFTY LOG! http://s621.photobucket.com/user/WD...7-4fb6-b422-be39edd71ec4_zps9fddfcc4.jpg.html Pygmypuff07: 3/15 - 3/21 CR snowwhite84: 3/17 - 3/23 GW MommaBarb: 3/31 - 4/5 CR Brian Noble: 4/5 - 4/12 BLT-Two Bedroom First BLT/CR stay cgh: 4/26 - 5/3 BLT-One Bedroom Gillyrose779: 4/27 - 5/4 BLT One Bedroom skateshome: 5/4 - 5/10 CR Dreamed about it for 35 years! shelleylmu: 5/14 - 5/20 BLT-Studio mpbs: 5/19 - 5/25 Atrium Club witchesbrew: 5/24 - 5/28 CR llouque: 5/25 - 6/1 CR-TPV bc133: 5/25 - 6/1 BLT So excited! goofy4prez: 6/2 - 6/9 CR-Atrium Club Pygmypuff07: 6/5 - 6/8 CR-CL rxtiger: 6/6 - 6/16 Tower Club One Bedroom For DS's graduation! Tinkerbellsmomma: 6/14 - 6/19 BLT Studio Trooper8286: 6/14 - 6/16 BLT One Bedroom Our first stay at BLT! WDWKOOK: 6/22 - 6/25 BWI and 6/25 - 7/3 WL-CL Celebrating our 27th anniversary glvsav37: 7/14 - 7/25 BLT SRUAlmn: 7/17 - 7/24 BLT YCFAN: 7/18 - 7/21 Tower Club OurBigTrip: 7/29 - 8/8 CR-TPV PrincessesX3: 8/20 - 8/27 CR syp4dis: 8/21 - 8/24 Atrium Club m2zjj: 8/23 - 8/30 CR For our 10th anniversary! Missyrose: 8/29 - 8/30 BLT Studio poohgirl6: 8/31 - 9/7 CR Julie521: 9/1 - 9/11 BLT Studio Last trip before getting a house and kids! mickeymouseclubhouse: 9/8 - 9/10 BLT Studio lemondog: 9/10 - 9/14 BLT snausman: 9/12 - 9/21 Atrium Club jkc0325: 9/12 - 9/15 mousekatool: 9/13 - 9/20 Our first stay at CR! Brandigregory: 9/13 - 9/20 BLT One Bedroom This will be our first stay! Gracie09: 9/18 - 9/25 BLT princessap: 9/21 - 9/29 BLT jennab: 9/21 - 9/25 BLT-Studio Gryhndmom: 10/19 - 10/25 BLT One Bedroom jvarne1: 11/1 - 119 BLT One Bedroom mickeyplanner: 11/22 - 11/28 BLT Studio bohemian74: 11/23 - 11/28 BLT Two Bedroom I am ridiculously excited! Pygmypuff07: 12/6 - 12/17 CR

We are going to be clubbing it on the Atrium club level 5/31- 6/4

 

[DLBDS]

Could someone please refresh my memory on the "new" monorail hours/operation schedule? It's been a while since we stayed on the loop. Also, is it something temporary or permanent?

Thanks!

Not permanent! It's only for maintenance but a pain in the butt nonetheless. Hours when it will not be available are 11:30AM-7:00PM. It should be back to it's regular schedule after this month. I'm hearing April 1st. Hoping this is true.... if not sooner. Just realized this is only on weekdays. Assuming the weekends are normal operating schedule. This isn't going to be as bad as I thought it would be. No worries for Sunday. I should be able to take it for our 5:15 ADR. Whew.

 

[goofy4prez]

We are going to be clubbing it on the Atrium club level 5/31- 6/4

We will also be staying Atrium Club level on a couple of the same days as you are. (6/2-6/9)

 

[Rhongepooh]

We will also be staying Atrium Club level on a couple of the same days as you are. (6/2-6/9)

See y'all there! I'll be the one with the cute 3 year old grandson! LOL

 

[tommylicious]

does anyone have a recent in-room dining menu for CR (other than that one website)? thank you.

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thank you for the informative thread...I have been wavering recently, giving up a great deal at BC CL for the CR CL for our Aug trip. Discounts for CR have been significantly lower this year and the room rates, significantly higher so it's gonig to be a close call...praying for a PIN.

Nonetheless, enough ranting, I have a question about the latest Room refurb at CR. I saw the great photos of the Tower Club King rooms which were POST-Rehab. Were all the rooms rehabbed recently or just the Tower club level rooms?
Thanks.

Major 2013 enhancements include the Contemporary Tower and South Garden Wing Guest room soft goods replacement/rehab. All rooms at CR were rehabbed in 2013.

We are CONFIRMED for October 26th, Club level, Theme Park View!

I've wanted to stay there since I was a kid.

I feel like this right now:

That's a great way to feel and I'll add you to the Log-orail

All CR rooms had the recent rehab!!
Just like Lindsey Lohan!

If only all WDW rooms were rehabbed as much as LL

Excited beyond words to be staying in the Tower (MK view) next week. Checking in Friday morning for a 6 night stay with my DM and DD. Was so disappointed the monorail would not be operating on its regular schedule though... just my luck, eh. Anyway, it looks like we'll only be inconvenienced the day we arrive (we won't be able to hop on after dropping our stuff off in the room) and on Sunday when we have to get to the Poly for a 'Ohana ADR at 5:15. So, what's the quickest way to get to the Poly from the CR when the monorail is out of commission?

Besides a bus, you can also walk to the MK and take the boat to Poly. The monorail was supposed to back to a normal daytime schedule by now. It may be back to normal by the time you arrive.

I'm not as Disney savvy as most of you so I'm not sure if this is the correct location to share some CR experiences from this week....

Just returned from an 11 night visit, garden wing. A few evenings, as we relaxed in the quiet pool, we heard some of the pirate tour groups head down the dock toward the boat and we were in stitches, laughing. It sounds like so much fun! The tour leader was hilarious and it sounded like such a good time, we decided to add it to our Disney Bucket list!

There are a couple different ones, I believe. I'll be researching! One has Captain Hook, himself, on board. The one that we heard departing did not, but the guide had a great time hollering over to him with his best pirate trash talk as they were boarding.

So funny!

I'd also like to add that I think the CR pool staff is absolutely first rate and they do a great job with the afternoon pool deck games for the kids.

Welcome to the thread! Pirates and Pals always looks like lots of fun when I've seen it. Maybe you could do it on your next trip? Do you think you'll stay at CR next time?

We are going to be clubbing it on the Atrium club level 5/31- 6/4

does anyone have a recent in-room dining menu for CR (other than that one website)? thank you.

 

[ixmnrs]

Major 2013 enhancements include the Contemporary Tower and South Garden Wing Guest room soft goods replacement/rehab. All rooms at CR were rehabbed in 2013.

Thanks for your response. I dug up some photos from the old thread. Looks great, I can see the photos with the cheese wheels as Mickey Ears! Too bad they didn't replace those bathroom sinks...those drove me nuts last time!

We're confirmed for Atrium Club - TPV -Aug 24 - 31; kids still think we're going to BC; we'll see how long I can keep the charade up!

 

[skateshome]

Budget minded question.......
Do they have ketchup, mayo, mustard packs available at some of the eateries
for no charge or do I need to order/pack those kind of items as well?

 

[wendow]

We have stayed at BLT twice and LOVE it. We are planning an early Dec 2014 trip and may be staying at CR this time. I am wondering what all you CR experts thoughts are regarding the Tower rooms vs. GW. I know there is a price difference but besides that. The GW rooms seem like a lot of extra walking not just back and forth from the park but to the main bldg. But it seems it would be so nice and quiet. Can anyone share thoughts? Thanks!

 

[MommaBarb]

I saw on another site that the monorail maintenance is expected to go another 2-3 weeks, so right while we're there. Anyone heard anything different?

Also, in the transportation post on this thread, it says the Epcot beam starts working at 8am. Is this different for AM EMH mornings? Otherwise, how should we plan to get there?? We won't have a car.

 

[MeanestMomEver]

Budget minded question....... Do they have ketchup, mayo, mustard packs available at some of the eateries for no charge or do I need to order/pack those kind of items as well?

At contempo cafe- yes, they have them.

 

[brockash]

We have stayed at BLT twice and LOVE it. We are planning an early Dec 2014 trip and may be staying at CR this time. I am wondering what all you CR experts thoughts are regarding the Tower rooms vs. GW. I know there is a price difference but besides that. The GW rooms seem like a lot of extra walking not just back and forth from the park but to the main bldg. But it seems it would be so nice and quiet. Can anyone share thoughts? Thanks!

We stayed in the GW a couple years ago and yes, we thought it was kinda a hassle and a longish walk from the main building/4th floor etc. Part of this depends on where exactly your room is, our was further back and on the 2nd floor. We had a baby with us, so we almost always had the stroller and had to use the elevator (very small and seemed very slow). While it was still nice to be "at the CR," you def. are not staying in the CR and there's a big difference...at least to us. We've stayed at BLT the last couple years and that didn't seem as bad to us and this year we'll be staying in the tower.

 

[wendow]

We stayed in the GW a couple years ago and yes, we thought it was kinda a hassle and a longish walk from the main building/4th floor etc. Part of this depends on where exactly your room is, our was further back and on the 2nd floor. We had a baby with us, so we almost always had the stroller and had to use the elevator (very small and seemed very slow). While it was still nice to be "at the CR," you def. are not staying in the CR and there's a big difference...at least to us. We've stayed at BLT the last couple years and that didn't seem as bad to us and this year we'll be staying in the tower.

That is exactly my concern. We will still be using two strollers so if we don't get a ground floor room, that will be such a pain. And I can't imagine no balcony. Dh & I like to sit out there once the kids go to sleep.

We are trying to rent points for BLT but the time period we are going is a popular time for DVC and it's not looking too good for being able to get a room.

 

[Gryhndmom]

That is exactly my concern. We will still be using two strollers so if we don't get a ground floor room, that will be such a pain. And I can't imagine no balcony. Dh & I like to sit out there once the kids go to sleep.

We are trying to rent points for BLT but the time period we are going is a popular time for DVC and it's not looking too good for being able to get a room.

Best of luck trying to rent points ! DH and I bit the bullet and bought DVC at BLT since wine and food has become soooo popular. Love being able to book so far out (think it is 10 or 11 months).

 

[brockash]

That is exactly my concern. We will still be using two strollers so if we don't get a ground floor room, that will be such a pain. And I can't imagine no balcony. Dh & I like to sit out there once the kids go to sleep.

We are trying to rent points for BLT but the time period we are going is a popular time for DVC and it's not looking too good for being able to get a room.

Double

 

[brockash]

That is exactly my concern. We will still be using two strollers so if we don't get a ground floor room, that will be such a pain. And I can't imagine no balcony. Dh & I like to sit out there once the kids go to sleep.

We are trying to rent points for BLT but the time period we are going is a popular time for DVC and it's not looking too good for being able to get a room.

Yes, I forgot about the balcony, but my mom was really disappointed to not have a balcony. We had asked for ground level as close to the main bldg as possible but didn't get it. We had never stayed there before, so at checkin I just took what they gave us, but if we had to do it over again, I would have requested it again at checkin and offered to wait for what we wanted etc. Good luck!

 

[wendow]

Best of luck trying to rent points ! DH and I bit the bullet and bought DVC at BLT since wine and food has become soooo popular. Love being able to book so far out (think it is 10 or 11 months).

We have always been able to rent at even 5 or 6 mos out for 7 or 8 nights at BLT BUT that was in September when crowds are low. We are looking at beginning of Dec which seems to be a very popular time for DVC owners. Congrats on being owners at BLT. It's a dream of mine for sure

 

[WDWKOOK]

Thanks for your response. I dug up some photos from the old thread. Looks great, I can see the photos with the cheese wheels as Mickey Ears! Too bad they didn't replace those bathroom sinks...those drove me nuts last time!

We're confirmed for Atrium Club - TPV -Aug 24 - 31; kids still think we're going to BC; we'll see how long I can keep the charade up!

I'll add your dates to the Log, but don't let the kids see

Budget minded question.......
Do they have ketchup, mayo, mustard packs available at some of the eateries
for no charge or do I need to order/pack those kind of items as well?

I only recall seeing the pumps for mustard, mayo and catsup at the Contempo Cafe:

Photo courtesy of Disney Food Blog

We have stayed at BLT twice and LOVE it. We are planning an early Dec 2014 trip and may be staying at CR this time. I am wondering what all you CR experts thoughts are regarding the Tower rooms vs. GW. I know there is a price difference but besides that. The GW rooms seem like a lot of extra walking not just back and forth from the park but to the main bldg. But it seems it would be so nice and quiet. Can anyone share thoughts? Thanks!

If you've stayed at BLT and you're asking the question, then you probably have already thought about the main differences between BLT and the GW: BLT rooms all have balconies and are much higher up and offer more commanding views. BLT and the Tower are very similar in that all the Tower rooms have balconies and commanding views. The Tower rooms are identical to the GW rooms, but the location is magical. Opening your door and looking down at the monorail and 4th floor concourse is amazing. It's open, airy and bright, and you can even see the MK and Castle as you walk out of your room through the north side's windows.

The GW feels darker and more enclosed than the Tower with many hallways. The GW rooms that front Bay Lake have amazing views and are just steps from the beach. But, you can't book those rooms since they are considered Garden View rooms and there isn't a Water View category, you can only request them.

I saw on another site that the monorail maintenance is expected to go another 2-3 weeks, so right while we're there. Anyone heard anything different?

Also, in the transportation post on this thread, it says the Epcot beam starts working at 8am. Is this different for AM EMH mornings? Otherwise, how should we plan to get there?? We won't have a car.

This is what the Disney website is still posting:

As part of our continuing efforts to exceed the expectations of our Guests, Resort Monorail and Express Monorail service will be temporarily unavailable from January 21, 2014 through March 2014. Please check back here for the latest updates and information about when regular service will continue.

For Epcot EMH the monorail begins running about 1 hour prior to park opening.

 

[wendow]

If you've stayed at BLT and you're asking the question, then you probably have already thought about the main differences between BLT and the GW: BLT rooms all have balconies and are much higher up and offer more commanding views. BLT and the Tower are very similar in that all the Tower rooms have balconies and commanding views. The Tower rooms are identical to the GW rooms, but the location is magical. Opening your door and looking down at the monorail and 4th floor concourse is amazing. It's open, airy and bright, and you can even see the MK and Castle as you walk out of your room through the north side's windows.

The GW feels darker and more enclosed than the Tower with many hallways. The GW rooms that front Bay Lake have amazing views and are just steps from the beach. But, you can't book those rooms since they are considered Garden View rooms and there isn't a Water View category, you can only request them.

Thanks! i am thinking that while staying in the GW is quieter, staying in the tower seems completely magical! Especially for two little boys who adore the monorail!

 

[buzzrelly]

Hi all! Thinking about renting DVC points for April 2015 and I have a couple of questions. First, the person I am renting from has about enough points to rent a studio for a week. I think I'm fine with the from being a little smaller and having a pull out sleeper, but I would like to be in an upper floor with a balcony. Is this possible in a studio? We have only ever stayed in the tower with a MKV...definitely don't want to downgrade, but saving some money by renting the points would be nice.

Second, his home resort is AKL so he wouldn't be able to book BLT until September, correct? What are the odds that we'd even get into BLT at that point? My plan B would be BCV, but I'd be sad to give up the CR. Thanks!