So this post is both a review of my stay at Contemporary and an open question for other thoughts and insights going forward (I think you will see what I mean if you read to the end).
Stayed at CR this past weekend (three night stay) for the first time since the mid eighties. My partner had stayed there as a child also in the nineties. So we both had some nostalgia for the place and wanted to try it as adults with our young son. The past few years, I have read some reviews that were middling (at best). Still, we wanted to give it a shot. I left disappointed. But let me start with the good.
THE GOOD
*Checkin was fast and smooth. The resort seemed well staffed
*Love the proximity to MK and the ability to use the much less crowded security checkpoints rather than wait til we are at the park gates
*Same for getting to Epcot. Not as easy as staying at the IG entrance, but still relatively easy with the mono transfer
*California Grill was really great. Cannot wait to go there again. Contempo Cafe was also fine for quick serve.
*I like the theming
THE BAD
I will start by saying that nothing was bad enough that it ruined our trip and I still easily prefer this resort over other Disney options (looking at you, CBR!). But for the price we paid, the quality of most everything should have been higher. We stayed in the Garden Wing. I knew it was a bade level room and an outer building. But I am really hoping someone can tell me there are significant differences between that wing and the main building (or BLT for that matter). Here is the list of bad:
*Garden wing was ridiculously cramped! I mean, who designed this thing??? I am a short guy, but I could touch the ceiling of the hallways in that wing without fully extending my arms. And if parties were passing each other in opposite directions of the hallway, it usually required some maneuvering. Getting through the door to our room with a stroller was also challenging at times
*The hallways were hot. It felt like some of the connecting hallways that did not have rooms on either side really were not insulated well.
*The elevators are a joke. Its only three floors, but they took forever. Then, when you get in, they really couldn’t hold more than three or four people at a time.
*The stairwells weren’t a great alternative because they were dingy and not kept up well. More than just dirt and appearances, those stairwells had mismatched floorings, peeling finishes, and just generally did not feel like a top level resort
*No balconies! Obviously, I did not know in advance and its not actually a deal breaker for me, but for what we paid, I just assumed there would be one
*The bathroom was tiny. Other deluxe resorts, my partner and I have no problem stanbding in there at the same time to get ready. This bathroom, we were bumping elbows
*We ended up with a room in the back of the garden wing and it was just ridiculously far form the main building. I don’t mind an outer building. I even prefer it in some places like GF. But those other resorts, the outer buildings feel closer and have nicer views/walks to get to them. CR does not
So like I said, not enough to ruin the trip, but considering the price, I expected more. My delimma now is that we already have a return visit to CR booked for next year staying at the club level. So for the CR experts out there, are the rooms in the main building (which is where I assume the club level rooms are located) significantly better or different than the garden wing? I will never stay in the garden wing again, but I will keep our club level reservation if I think we will have a better experience. Any opinions form anyone that has experienced both types of rooms there?