Disney's Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower (Disney Deluxe Resort & Disney Vacation Club) Reviews and Ratings About This Page:

[mama2disneyfan]

We just returned from our first stay at the CR. I have mixed feelings. I thought the CM's were great, the Monorail was awesome and the room {MK View} was great. Mousekeeping was awful - they didn't leave new coffee mugs, coffee, wash cloths, towels, conditioner, etc. They didn't wipe down the counter where the coffee maker is and I doubt they vacuumed once. Our beds looked like my 7 yo made them and they never put the day bed back up. It would have been nice to have a place to sit during the day other than on a bed.

We may or may not stay there again but we will try out the other deluxe resorts first.

[disneygramma]

WE LOVE CONTEMPORARY!!!!!
What a great place to stay, modern, clean, location,location,location.
Amenities that are good. We think of this place as THE place to stay to have the best of everythin. And don't forget the views from the Kingdom View Tower rooms! GLORIOUS waking up to the sun beaming off the castle and breathtaking to watch the colors change on the castle at night (hmmm what a night light). Then there is the fireworks! Yep it is grrrrrreat!

We were there June 21-28 and had the best mousekeepers. Our room was always cleaned very thoroughly, glasses and more replaced daily, and plenty of toiletries. We stayed there in 2006 and found the same to be true.

[NicNoc12]

Originally Posted by mama2disneyfan

We just returned from our first stay at the CR. I have mixed feelings. I thought the CM's were great, the Monorail was awesome and the room {MK View} was great. Mousekeeping was awful - they didn't leave new coffee mugs, coffee, wash cloths, towels, conditioner, etc. They didn't wipe down the counter where the coffee maker is and I doubt they vacuumed once. Our beds looked like my 7 yo made them and they never put the day bed back up. It would have been nice to have a place to sit during the day other than on a bed.

We may or may not stay there again but we will try out the other deluxe resorts first.

We had the same problems as you in April. The CM's were awesome but the mousekeeping was horrid! Very un-Disney!! We too will try the Poly or WL before we go back to the Contemporary!

[JEANYLASER]

I love the Contemporary resort! It's my favorite hotel since I were a little girl and the shops and dining is cool! For my 38th Birthday I really wanted to stay in CR for my birthday in January 14, 2010! It's looks awesome! I can't wait! and see the new shops in the Contemporary! I love it and adore it!

[TotalDisneyFan]

I know my family LOVES the contemporary, it's just an amazing hotel. I also love the fact that the monorail goes through the hotel.

[mariajean]

We stayed at the Contemporary from 12/24/09-1/02/10. It was a very nice hotel. It doesn't have the theming of the other deluxe resorts. Traveling to the MK was a snap (we walked most of the time) also getting to EP was easy, sometimes had to wait for a bus to the DS or AK. We liked it well enough, but we didn't love it like we loved the Poly.

[Winston]

I'm pretty much going to copy and paste this review from the epilogue of my most recent trip report. I think it pretty well sums up how I feel about the CR.

If ever a WDW hotel could be called controversial, even decades after its construction, this is the one. Despite its superb location, deluxe amenities, and status as a classic WDW property, it’s still on the receiving end of some harsh criticism. Case in point: we were getting off the monorail in the Grand Canyon Concourse one day, and I heard a woman behind me talking to someone about how she would never stay at the CR. She found it too cold, too large, and too impersonal for her tastes. I’ve heard similar comments from others, including my own parents. They thought the hotel was interesting, and we all had fond memories of the original Top of the World Restaurant and some of the shopping that was once available, but they never felt it held a candle to the Grand Floridian and especially to the Polynesian. My one and only stay (prior to this trip) was during my junior high years. My dad and I had the presidential suite on the top floor overlooking the MK, so it didn’t really matter where we were! Now, having returned as an adult in a standard size room (though still in the tower), I can understand some of the criticism. The hotel does lack the whimsy and theming of the other deluxe resorts: you won’t find Mickey or Donald on the bedspreads or in the bathroom! It’s undeniably modern and somewhat industrial, even though it’s nearly 40 years old. However, it can be argued that the theming is modernity, industry, and a vision of the future, albeit an older one. There are plenty of people (myself included) who embrace that theme, and so the CR doesn’t seem cold or forbidding at all to me. I live in a very modern high-rise condo in midtown Atlanta - a tower of steel, glass, and concrete. Our hallways, front desk, and public areas are a not-so-distant echo of the style, architecture, and construction of the CR. You also have to take into consideration the perks and amenities of the hotel: its proximity to the MK and TTC, its indoor (and thus temperature controlled) monorail station, the amazing views of MK and Bay Lake that can be had from the tower. The rooms are, by most standards, quite large, making them an ideal choice for families. The elevators are fast, the staff is attentive and well-trained, and the dining options are plentiful. While I will say that I love the theming at the Poly and GF, I’ll also say that I’d certainly stay at the CR again. IMHO, its pluses far outweigh any perceived minuses.

During my stay in February 2010, there were some areas of the hotel that needed attention. For example, carpet needs replacing here and there, the upholstery on the elevator walls needs some cleaning /and or recovering, etc. Nothing major, but if the CR is going to be a "Deluxe" resort then it needs to be deluxe. Still, its location, history, powerful presence, large rooms, and extensive amenities make it a great place for WDW guests of all ages. If you don't agree, just try watching the MK fireworks from the tower one night, and you'll be hooked!

[Teresa]

My older DD and her DH bought into DVC last summer. As a result, DD took myself, my other 2 DDs and my mother to Bay Lake Towers in August. I didn't think we'd like it. We've always heard horrid things about CR, mostly based on the age (obviously not a concern with a new build).
The resort was very nice. The rooms were gorgeous, the staff was friendly, the transportation to the other parks was easy and quick.
This resort gets a 10 in my book for one thing - Universal Design. Most people don't notice it, but we do. The rooms in BLT are designed to be handicapped and wheelchair accessible without being obvious. That means, that unless you or a family member is handicapped, you will not notice the extra things done to make it accessible!
It gets an 8 over-all though because you have to slide your card to get into the resort, either from it's own entrance on the ground floor or through the lobby of the CR. This is difficult to do for people with limited mobility (like DD), making it hard to get into the resort without an "able-bodied" person accompanying them.
The private pool was wonderful and delightfully themed. The "private beach" was never found, although we looked for it, asked 3 CMs, and followed signs, we never found it. The door separating CR and BLT and the gate separating the two on the beach walk were often left standing open, eliminating that feeling of added security.

[jimmymac]

Not a fan of this resort at all

[mfirst]

We stayed here from July 18-24 of 2010 and loved every minute. Our original reservations were for the Carribean Beach Resort, but we switched after discovering I had a PIN attached to my name worth a 40% discount. We reserved a garden wing room, standard view and requested that it be adjoining with my parent's room. There were seven total in our party - myself, my husband, our three boys (5,2, and 9 months) and my parents.

I was SHOCKED at check-in to learn that we had been upgraded to a Tower Room on the 11th floor, with a spectacular view of Bay Lake. We took the upgrade and my parents were given an upgrade as well - we no longer had connecting rooms, but felt that it was worth it!

The CM's went above and beyond for us during our visit. My 2 year old dropped his sippy cup of rice milk as he got off the elevator. Understandably, he was hysterical. A CM came over, talked quietly with him for a few minutes while we waited for someone to come and clean up the spill. She then took us over to Chef Mickey's and gave him a new cup of Rice Milk (at no charge).

We did have one small problem with a bathtub that was very slow to drain. As we headed out to the parks on Tuesday, my husband casually stopped by the front desk to mention this. Upon our return, we found that the drain had been repaired and a gift back with a Mickey, Minnie and Flash drive had been left.

Our son had an accident - he ran into one of the spray guns at the water play area, and gave himself a huge goose egg. Once again, the CM's went over the top - they escorted us up to our room, and stood by while we waited for the 911 emergency crew to arrive. During the small (less than five minute) wait, they entertained my son with stories of their favorite characters doing silly things.

That evening, the manager called our room personally to check on our son, and to reiterate that they were available for any help we needed. Our meals at the hotel the next day were also comped.

As our first family trip, we found the room decor very soothing after fun-filled pool and park days. The room was very spacious, and we never heard any noise from neighbors around or above us. This was my first time staying at the Contemporary, and we can't wait to return!

[julieb]

I was really disappointed by CR when we stayed there a few weeks ago. Not only was the room not very clean, but service was spotty, too, with lots of little concierge mishaps. This was the only really not so great experience we've ever had at WDW, and we won't be back at CR any time soon.

[DisneyOrBustColorado]

December 2010 was our second stay in the Contemporary Resort. We first stayed there for our honeymoon in 1998. The fact that the monorail runs right through the resort can't be beat. At night when the MK closed and the line was long for the monorail, we just walked the short distance to the hotel. The convience factor of this hotel can't be beat. It was easy to get food and bring it back to our tower room to watch the fireworks at night.

The rooms were spacious, although they could use a little maintenance. Our sliding door didn't close all the way so it let in quite a bit of very cold air during the freezing nights that we were there. The other thing was the fact that when we arrived in our room it looked unclean. The beds looked messy and there were diry panties on the floor of the bathroom. We called Mousekeeping and had them remove all of the bedding and replace it with new bedding. even though we complained about the dirty panties, they remained there for 3 days before Mousekeeping finally removed them. That grossed me out just a little and I must admit that our cruise room was sparkling clean in comparison to our resort room. We did have a good stay and the location for the price can't be beat.

[BernadetteJ]

We love the Contemporary Resort....I can't say enough about it. Location, location, location.....Chef Mickey's, The Wave, fireworks from your balcony, Sammy Duvall marina, monorail running thru it, nice modern rooms and we can walk to the Magic Kingdom.....we won't stay anywhere else!
Go look at the Contemporary photos on our profile page to see our photo reasons why we love it!

[Boardwalk Inn Fan 4 Ever]

I have had a lot of stays on their Atrium Club Level 12th floor which were all very positive. Plus it's great that all their rooms in the Tower come with a guaranteed full size balcony. Something else that can't be beat is their walkway to the Magic Kingdom and Resort Monorail access, assuming the Monorail is not down due to issues it seems to keep having. As for their Quick Service location I can't say enough good things about the Contempo Cafe which is one of my favorite places in WDW to eat at.

The only negatives I noticed is the following. Having stayed Club Level there a lot of times I noticed those Cast Members keep changing. There use to be a core group that was always the same and they no longer work Club Level, with the exception of two Cast Members that we always knew who still work up there. So today it's harder to build relationships with the Cast Members who work Club Level if they keep changing.

My final negative is getting a room over Chef Mickey's. While I don't think it's the worst thing, eventually hearing that "Celebrate with Mickey Mouse" song can get annoyning since you could hear it inside your room.

[Canada Amy]

We stayed at the Contemporary only because we had the opportunity for my husband to do a 3-day conference on site and got an incredible conference rate and discounted ticket package. I already knew from 2 previous trips to the world that the hotel was kind of boring for kids, but figured we'd make the most of it and enjoy the convenience factor of being able to walk to MK and to take the monorail.

I can now say that we weren't overly impressed with this resort. We did love the convenience factor. that can't be beat. it was really nice to be able to get to Epcot by monorail as well as MK. We typically walked to MK, as there can often be a long wait for the monorail when they run into maintenance issues. The convenience was by far the best aspect of the resort.

The larger room size compared to moderates was certainly nice, but not nice enough that we'd choose it over POR again. The sinks, as many have commented, are also absolutely ridiculous! they don't drain! and you can't rinse anything! oh, and I really missed having a table and 2 chairs for breakfast!

As for housekeeping, they were terrible for more than half of the nights! as mentioned in my TR, they forgot to clean our room one day. then when they did come to clean after 4pm that day, they left the latch open at the top of the door and our room was left open / unlocked for about 5 hours!!! They also really barely cleaned it and didn't make our daughters' bed. We did complain and got a $100 inconvenience credit. the next day the staff went out of their way to clean it until it sparkled and make a bunch of towel animals, arranged the stuffies cutely, and left balloons.

There is nothing magical about this hotel, at least in the garden wing. Our girls were very disappointed until that one day that they never had their stuffies cutely arranged or any towel animals. There were no more towel animals after that day, but they did at least arrange the stuffies nicely on the bed for the second half of the trip. It wouldn't normally be a big deal, but they so enjoyed coming back to the room on previous trips and seeing all the special touches done by housekeeping in both Pop Century and POR. and yes, we did tip every day.

As for the pool area, it is pretty sad. Pop century is 200% more fun, as is POR. My girls have commented several times since the trip that they missed the great pools at the other resorts. They also missed the royal rooms at POR and definitely noticed there was nothing special for kids at the contemporary.

overall, we got fantastic value for what we paid. however, my husband's conference happens yearly and we'd choose to skip it, I think, if it is held at the contemporary again. or we'd do a split stay and move to a more fun resort when the conference is over. lucky for us, the conference moves to Beach club next year and we are very much looking forward to going there!

I would never, ever pay full price for the contemporary (though I realize Bay lake Tower may be much, much better) and would not choose it for a 35% off deal either. I would much rather go back to a moderate.