Disney's Contemporary Resort

The Contemporary resort was a decent hotel, however there were some problems that made it a less than decent experience for me and my family.

The Contemporary recently renovated all their Tower rooms, however their Garden rooms are still the same, so thankfully my family and I requested and received a Tower room. On first glance, the room seemed incredible and classy...2 sinks that are huge, a nice flat screen tv, big enough beds for a family of 4...but at second glance, there were some obvious problems.

1) There is very limited drawer space. The drawers are small and can hold very little and the closets only provide you with a couple hangers. We asked for more hangers and received them, so that helped a little.

2) Housekeeping was horrible...They cleaned minimially throughout our stay...We complained after our first night there and nothing improved...When we first entered our room there was dust in obvious places and coffee stains on the tables...When we left they were still there....The beds were comfortable on top, however I would not get under the covers because there were yellow stains on the sheets, leaving one to only guess what the cause of those stains were

3) The carpet was clean, however I would not walk into the bathroom barefooted because of dirt and grim on the tile

When we were not in our hotel room, however, the Contemporary was a very nice, enjoyable hotel. The monorail was convenient and easily accesible, and there is a walking path from the resort straight to the Magic Kingdom, and we took advantage of that on several occassions. We had to wait a while for buses to take us to MGM and Animal Kingdom, which was kind of frustrating. The dining at the Contemporary is nice...I really liked Chef Mickey's character breakfast and the Concourse Steakhouse had really delicious steak and a marvelous chocolate cake for desert.

Our 8 day anticipated stay at the Contemporary was average...Not something I would have expected, however, from a Disney resort...And definintly not worth the $300+ a night rate. However, my family and I were stuck at Disney for 2 extra nights because of the Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ernesto that hit Florida, and some adjusting had to be done. The Contemporary would not let us keep our Tower room...instead they downgraded us to a Garden room, but wanted the same amount of money...so my family and I went to the Wilderness lodge instead...

We had stayed at the Wilderness the previous year, and it was a very nice hotel. The rooms are clean and housekeeping was awesome last year...this year they were not as great, but still did a good job. The only complaint with the Wildnerness Lodge was the noise. You could hear the room next to us when they flushed their toilet; it was noisy. However I would definintly stay at the Wildnerness Lodge again. The Contemporary is a nice hotel to visit, however I would not stay there again. Dining is great, but the rooms and guest services were not up to Disney expectations.

We have stayed at all other monorail resorts except the Contemporary so we decidided to give it a try. I'm so glad we did! We loved it! The rooms are beautifully decorated and very clean. They are bigger than most resorts. Transporatation to the parks was a breeze as the monorail goes right through the hotel and the bus stop is close to walk to. It was even a quick walk to the Magic Kingdom by the special walk way. We stayed in the tower with a Bay Lake view on the 12th floor. Dont hesitate to get a Bay Lake view. it truly is a beautiful and relaxing view!! The arcade is one of the best on property and you can even win tickets to trade in for prizes! The shopping is also great-the Contemporary has 2 of the best resort shops. This resort made our stay so easy and fun. We thought ithad the Disney "feel" tht some people say the Contemporary doesn't have. I do not have one bad thing to say about our stay here. Give it a try!

We stayed at the Contemporary Hotel from June 3-14, 2009. My husband and I and our three teenagers age 13, 15, 15. We were on the 12th floor and were thrilled by all the special attention. The entire staff was fantastic helping us on dinner reservations, or even answering numerous questions. They also had a gift that my husband wanted to surprise me with ordered and sent to our room since he was unable to go back to the store for it with me around! The snacks that were set out all times of the day and evening were all fresh and varied day to day. The room was very clean and bright. We were always greeted by the staff and asked how our day was on our return. This is our third stay at this hotel over the years and we will always go back here. The monorail system is fantastic and runs through this hotel. The only difficultly that I had was the bathroom is dim as far as the lighting.. There is a make up mirror, but it is not lit. I do wear contacts but it just was not enough light for me to apply make up very well. I would suggest if you have some vision problems to bring your own make up mirror that has a light source.

I just returned from a 7 night stay at this resort and it was WONDERFUL! I've been to Disney many times and stayed at moderate, value and other deluxe resorts but this is my favorite!

First of all, location and convenience cannot be beat. You are only steps away from the monorail and bus lines (which by the way are non existent here!). We were 8th floor on gift shop side and never heard any noise, we were about 5 doors down from elevator and the elevator takes you directly to 4th floor which has: 3 gift shops, monorail, two restaurants AND the food court. We've stayed at many other resorts as mentioned before but you always have a two mile hike to breakfast in the food court--lets just say my family was thrilled to have the food court literally steps away!

The room was very clean, extremely large (we had family meet us at our room who were at other resorts and they were amazed by room size) and we had a Bay Lake View which was awesome--we watched the electrical water pageant several times during our stay, in our pj's from our balcony! Sinks are large and not much room for storage but look below--large shelf right underneath giving plenty of storage. Beds were queen size w/a sleeper sofa/futon of sorts--all very comfortable. Beds most comfortable of any Disney Resort we've stayed at.

Pool area was under construction but pools were very nice, very large and not crowded at all. The construction, other than being a little noisy, did not bother us at all. EAch afternoon was a pool party with music and games for the kids. A snack bar near pool made it convenient to get a quick lunch without having to go into resort.

Room cleaning was complete every day by the time we returned from parks which was usually about 2:00 pm--unlike our stay last year at a moderate--1/2 of the time the room was not cleaned until after 3:00. I really liked that aspect of coming back to a clean/comfortable room each day.

Food court was convenient and food was good. Stanley was teriffic and remembered our family each time we went down, even if we went down separately.

To sum up, don't worry about all of these reviews, you will have a GREAT time at the Contemporary and you will find it much more relaxing than other resorts simply due to location and convenience of having everything under one roof. My one complaint, if I had to choose something, is that only laundry room is in the South Wing so I had to lug my laundry back and forth from main building to south wing, 2nd floor, other than that NO COMPLAINTS

We stayed at the Contemporary in Feb. and it was our second visit to this hotel. We have previously stayed at AKL and WildLodge. The Contemporary is first rate (given you stay in the Tower). The rooms are swanky. The views are the best. The trip to the MK and Epcot are just an elevator and monorail ride away. The food is great and again just an elevator ride and a few steps away. I read the review from someone in Sweden that said you can't get a good meal in Disney. Well, he must have terrible taste, because part of the fun at Disney is eating at one of the Signature restaurants every night we are there. These restaurants are among the best in the world (Jiko, Artist Point, California Grill). I highly recommend this hotel. Of course, I very much recommend the other two deluxe hotels I've stayed at.

I stayed here a few months ago with a convention and was pleasantly surprised. I have stayed at 7 of the Walt Disney resorts (some for business and some with my family) and this is so far my favorite of them all. Let me just say that I typically stay at the moderate resorts so I cannot compare my hotel experiences with what it would be like to stay in the more upscale ones, but I plan to stay here when I come back to WDW with my family. The resort lives up to its name. The decor is very modern. All of the Disney rooms I had stayed in up to this time had basically all been the same - teeny but clean cookie-cutter rooms - the only variation being the decor/theme. This one was so different. At this hotel, the rooms are spacious and well equipped. There's room to spread out inclding a little couch area and large desk area. (I go to Las Vegas a lot and so I'm a little spoiled by those hotels, but I do not really expect Disney hotels to be as luxurious. This one reminds me of the Mandalay Bay but better.) They have great toiletries. The beds and bedding are awesome and I think they are bigger than the ones at the other resorts, or at least it feels that way. Our room was on the water side and had a great view. This hotel is right across the street from the Magic Kingdom so you can just walk there. A very cool feature is that the monorail comes right inside the hotel so you can take that to get to other resorts or to the transportation hub. There is a small food court, a bar and a full service restaurant here, but it's just as easy to hop on the monorail and explore the adjacent hotels and their dining options. I have no complaints about this hotel at all (well, Disney food is a rip-off, but it's like that at all their hotels), though it helped that I wasn't the one paying. Still, I would totally stay here again even if it means paying a little more - I think it's worth it. Do note however, that this hotel has facilities to accomodate conventions so if conventioneers bother you, keep that in mind. Also - watch out for the Disney Magical Express if you are with a large group. Despite all the conventions they book at WDW, the Magical Express operators cannot seem to get it together to book individual rides back to the airport when rooms are secured by one company representative. It's nice that it's free, but what a pain.

It has been a long time since i had visited the hotel. But still i would say that the hotel is magnificent. I have never experienced such a great hotel before. It was so lovely that it was hard to drag ourselves away from the hotel to go to the theme parks at all.

The pool is lovely, and luxurious. It was very enjoyable. The pool attendants were wonderful.

In the room there were 2 double beds and a small bed and since we were 5 so we were able to sleep very comfortably.

Overall it was the best experience i had ever had. It was comfortable, luxurious. After all it was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Contemporary was fabulous!!! From the moment we entered, we were noticed & treated with respect. My friend and I were celebrating receiving our doctorates and 'What will you celebrate?' theme took us through our entire vacation. We loved talking with Judy at check-in--she remembered us throughout our trip and when we walked through the lobby, she would ask us how our stay was going. The rooms were absolutely perfect...we wanted to take the comfy beds home with us! Chef Mickey's never bothered us as we rose early to get to the rope drops at the parks! Location was superb--within walking distance of Magic Kingdom (especially nice at the end of the night after Wishes at MK when everyone is trying to get on the monorail--we just walked 'home'), one monorail stop to the Epcot monorail at the Transportation Center, and just a twenty minute bus ride to Hollywood Studios. We also dined at the California Grill on the 15th floor....it was the BEST meal ever!!!!! I would go back to the Contemporary in a minute!!

I have stayed at the Boardwalk, Swan & Dolphin, All-Star Sports, and the Contemporary. The Contemporary was by far the best. It was great to be able to catch the monorail directly from the building. Travel times to the resorts were fast. The rooms were nice, clean, and modern. We had a computer in the room to use during our stay. When I go back to Disney, I will definitely stay at the Contemporary. The only negative point is that in the mornings it was noisy. We could hear singing and yelling from the breakfast area.

I traveled to The Contemporary Resort three times thus far. My first experience was just after it opened and I was only 14 years old, needless to say that was a long time ago. I can remember it just having a single in-ground pool and old fashioned decor. I'm now 31, and just returned last month from taking my 9 year old son on yet another vacation filled with dreams!

I'll start by saying the resort, as stated by most is supremely located. You can take the monorail, the sidewalk, the bus, or even boat to most of your daily happenings. It's a nice break from the norm to walk 5 minutes through garden scenery to the Magic Kingdom, worth a try! You can be anywhere in five minutes from the Contemporary, what else do you need.

The rooms: They're nicely renovated as of a few years ago. If you ask me, they're perfect. I consider myself somewhat difficult to please and pretty picky, I like to feel at home when I'm away so it's important to be in a nice resort. The Contemporary rooms had the feel of luxury yet the comfort of my own bed! The only downside of the rooms is that unlike last year (Where they had computers with internet in each room) they now require you bring your own laptop, connect via ethernet, and pay $9.95/day for access. Not exactly a fan of that.

The restaurants were much better than last year. The Wave has been entirely rebuilt and is now a very large cafe that serves most meals, drinks, etc. just like going to a local Sheetz or service station. You punch in what you want on the computer, receive a pager, and get the rest of your drinks while waiting. The California Grill, that needs no comment! It was perfect, gave us the dinner that we will never forget, especially celebrating like we did!

The pool area in the last week of March 2009 was under construction. The pool was accessible but the hot tob and half of the surrounding sidewalk area was not. I'm sure it will look great regardless, and we never heard a sound from it. The lifeguards are spectacular if you have children. They took my son around the hotel while I relaxed poolside for a tour and scavenger hunt. They played crab soccer on the beach, had games and contests, etc. I've never seen staff go so far out of there way for families. The drinks poolside are good also, better get yourself an Orange Dream!

I plan on taking the entire family next season. The price was very fair for the amenities you receive, treatment out of this world, and everytime we leave I dream about coming back. It's the only vacation that I truly miss on a daily basis. You will never go wrong with The Contemporary, where everyone knows your name!

Love the contemporary style & enjoyed our 1 week stay here. Using the monorail on the 4th floor was a wonderful convenience over the buses. Our room did not have MK castle view for fireworks, so we stood out on one of the 11th floor fire escape landings and watched it in the peace & quiet of only ourselves and 2 other people. It was great. The pool and waterslide was nice. Our 5 year old found this to be the best part of the rip! Really. There were 2 parts of the pool area under renovation, but it did not interfere with the main pool area. Renovation noise was not an issue either. Would think seriously about staying here again when we return. The Contempo Cafe (Quick Meal) Restaurant wasn't the greatest, however due to convenience we ate there several times.

We just returned from our first trip to Disney with our two girls- ages 2.9 and 6mo. The reviews I had read about Disney's Contemporary resort made me a bit nervous, I wasn't sure what to expect. Upon our arrival, however, the hotel is stunning! The lobby has kept enough of the classic '80's feel for those of us who are nostalgic, but has been updated to have the feeling of a truly luxurious hotel. The room (in the South Garden Wing) was HUGE with brand new decor and a lovely huge marble bathroom. The room itself was much bigger than a standard hotel room, had a futon and a flat screen TV with all of our daughter's favorite classic Mickey and Minnie Cartoons. We ordered dinner from room service once, and though $$ it was very good and the staff (cast members as they say) were more than helpful. The pool could have been better- it was more geared to older kids- a lagoon pool would have been perfect- but all in all a very nice, super clean place to stay. Also--shockingly quiet!

We spent a week and the Contemporary and it was wonderful. It was great to be able to take a 10 min walk to MK everyday and it was simple to get back for an afternoon nap and swim. Rooms were big and nice and the view of the castle was awesome with fireworks every night. Transportation to the other parks was good with not much waiting. We were on the 9th floor above Chef Mickeys and we didn't hear much even though we could hear it if our fan was on lo. Otherwise, no big deal...

We are planning to go back next year and are seriously looking at shelling out the money to stay there again. Price would be the only factor holding us back but the convenience is worth it!

Had a great stay at the Contemporary. Was there for a conference and so got a good deal on the room. If I hadn't I think the price would have been a bit steep. The room was very nice, modern, spacious. PC with internet in room. Great bathroom. Plasma TV. The resort is on the monorail to Disney and Epcot. Nice restaurants but like most Disney restaurants it was super efficient so they can move as many people as possible through so dont try and relax too much and enjoy your meal.

Over all a great stay and would stay again if I could.

This is one of my favorite Disney Resorts. I have visited the Walt Disney World Resort 13 times in the last 5 years, and have stayed at many other properties. Some of which rank higher on this site. This is my favorite property, and I love the location of the resort. There seems to be something magical about staying in a room with a view of the magic kingdom; however, you do pay more for this benefit. You also pay for the benefit of being close to the Magic Kingdom. The hotel has the monorail directly inside which makes it easy to get to Epcot and to the Magic Kingdom. There is also a nice walkway to the Magic Kingdom Park (it is a long walk for small children). I did not deal with the Disney Transportation. I rented a car so I can not saying anything positive or negative about the Disney Transportation to other parks. In the past I have never had any issues with Disney Buses, but you can occasionally wait for awhile for one to arrive.

I booked a Magic Kingdom View Room on a high floor. Disney put us up in a nice room that was near the elevators, but not close to Chef Mickeys, which can be loud at peak times. The rooms are some of the largest on Disney Property, and offer very comfortable beds with down comforters, and what appeared to be higher thread count sheets. Our room also featured a computer in which you could order room service, and make dining reservations and a few other options. Our computer did not work, and I didn't think it was worth my time to deal with the hotel to get it repaired. The bathrooms are also a nice size, but the sinks are very modern, and are shallow. There is storage space below the sinks. The toilet has a separate area , and separate door located inside the bathroom. Overall I was impressed by the room, and its neutral colors. The maid did an excellent job, and kept our room very clean. We had twice daily service. At night they came in and turned down our beds, put chocolate on our pillows, closed the blinds, and dimmed the rooms lighting. It was nice to come back to after a long day in the parks.

We ordered breakfast one morning from room service. They were quick and friendly. The food was also good, but it is also hard to screw up pancakes.

The pools at the resort are nice, not too many extra features in them like other Disney properties. We also enjoyed visiting the white sand beaches on Bay Lake. There are also hammocks on the beach which were great for relaxing.

I would recommend this resort to most travelers. Please be aware you are paying a premium price to stay here. For me the convince is worth it, but I do understand that this property is not for everyone.

We just returned from 7 nights at the Contemporary Resort and couldn't have been happier with our hotel choice. We were there between April 4 and April 11, 2009. It was me, husband and our 2 1/2 year old daughter.

Location: The best thing about this hotel is its location. It was so convenient to be able to walk over to Magic Kingdom, especially with a 2 year old. We were able to get from room to Magic Kingdom turnstiles in less than 10 minutes. Travel to Epcot was also very convienent on the monorail. We used our car to drive to other parks without hassel.

Rooms: The complaints I read about the Contemporary were the lack of theme and lack of storage. We didn't take issue with either of these things. We enjoyed the simple elegance of the Contemporary theme (especially after full days of over stimulation at the parks) We also found plenty of storage between 2 large drawers beside 1 bed, 2 more drawers in one of the closets and 2 closets for hanging clothes. The beds were very comfortable. We had driven to Orlando so I packed my own pillows b/c i am very picky about pillows, but I didn't even need them. They had GREAT pillows! They felt like down, but I suspect they were the allergy free down alternative. We were in a garden wing/garden view room on the 1st floor overlooking Bay Lake. I had no problems being in the garden wing. It was a short walk to the lobby of the tower and we had a very quiet room. The bathroom was nicely appointed and although there is limited counter space, there is pleny of space via a long shelf underneath the sinks.

Check-in -- I had used Disney's new on-line check-in before we arrived. We arrived before 9:00 am. and received our Keys to the World along with information about the resort. Our room wasn't ready yet, but I didn't expect it to be at that time of day. We had no wait in the on-line check in station and our room was ready when we finished touring at Magic Kingdom in the early afternoon that day.

Restaurants -- We ate at Chef Mickey's for dinner 2x and had counter service b-fast at Contempo Cafe 2x. We enjoyed both restaurants in the hotel (as well as many other restaurants around WDW).

Pool -- they are still doing some renovations to the pool, but the pool was open for our use and the constuction was unobtrusive. We enjoyed the slide at the pool and our 2 year old went down it without assistance. It's pretty fast for a 2 year old, but if your small child goes to waterparks regularly or is around water a good bit, they'll be okay. We didn't have any trouble getting seats by the pool in the afternons when we went. We didn't spend much time at the quiet pool, but I took a short dip while husband and daughter went back to the room for a nap. It was certainly quieter, but there were children over there. The cabanas were nice, but we didn't end up using them b/c we weren't planning to spend several hours at the pool during this trip. I only saw a couple of people reserving them. You could have walked up and reserved one on the spot without an advanced reservation.

Beach -- the beach area was nice with hammocks and plenty of chairs. You are not supposed to swim in the lake.

Staff -- we didn't encounter any problems with the staff. Everyone was very nice. The only minor issue I had (and I hesitate to even call it an issue) is that we couldn't use a bell cart without a bellman. Because we were in a garden wing room and there was access to the self parking lot via a small lobby 2 doors down from us, we chose to self park. We had lots of items, i.e. those pillows I packed, snacks, portable DVD player, laptop, stroller, etc. and I knew which items I needed to have easy access to for the drive home to entertain our daughter so I thought we would just pack the car ourselves. Unfortunately, we could not have use of a cart without the use of a bellman so we just carried everything out to the car without a cart.

We used the internet service a couple of days as my husband wanted to check-in with work. It was $9.99/day. I think Disney should include this in the price which seems to be the norm at most hotels these days, but this charge isn't specific to just this Disney hotel.

Overall we had a very nice stay and wouldn't hesitate to stay at this hotel again.

my brother and two grandchildren stayed at the CONTEMPORARY TOWERS for a week in march/april of 2009. what a beautiful room and every nite at nine we watched amazing fireworks from our private balconey. love this resort. i am going again in oct and the contemporary it will again for me. we stayed in the main tower and though it cost more it was worth it.

My wife was at a convention so we stayed at the Contemporary. The pool was fun for the kids with the water slide. The marina watercraft rental was fun for the kids. Our room was spacious and cozy. The deck had a beautiful view of the Magic Kingdom. The monerail was great because we could go to Maigc Kingdom & Epcot. The food court was good for when we needed a bite to eat. The Chef Mickey's was a hit with our younger daughter. She loved meeting mickey and friends. The buffet was all you can eat so it was great. We loved the fireworks one night. But my daughter who really wanted to see them fell asleep before them. The German Restaurant at Epcot for some reason gave my daughter a bad stomach ache and had to go bakc to the hotel on the monorail. The gift shop was awesome becuase it had medicine for my daughter. My son and wife stayed to watch the refelctions thing at Epcot. I think it was a great hotel but the German Restaurant at Epcot should really fix their food!

This place is great. It is worth the extra cost for a Magic Kingdom View. You will be glad you did.

Everyone was helpful and friendly that we encountered.

As far as the sinks go, not a big deal in my opinion. Plenty of room underneath the sinks. So what if you might have to bend down. Probably good for your body to use some muscles.

The pools are very nice.

House keeping did a great job,our room was clean and I am picky.

My kids favorite hotel at Disney is the Contemporary. It is a toss up for me, I like the Grand Floridians Lobby and Port Orleans Riverside price tag. (Bang for the buck)

We were on a top floor and didnt hear any hotel noise so I can't comment on that.

We loved our stay here.

This hotel is very nice, modern and in the middle of it all. The reason I'm giving a average overall rating is because for $280/night you would expect a little more. During our stay everyone was "nice" but again for $280/night you would think that people would go out of their way to make it super "MAGICAL" like what's advertised on T.V. and on Disney's web. Rooms were nice, beds were WONDERFUL. Chef Mickey's inside the hotel is very pricey as well as the other Charater Dining experiences so get the Dining Plan to save $$. I would try another resort next time however I would stay there again for it's modern and clean feel.

My husband and I arrived at DisneyWorld to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Originally, we registered to stay at the Carribean Resort, but we were very unhappy with it. It was nice enough for families with children, but not for a romantic anniversary. We visited the Contemporary to see what it was like, because I had seen pictures of it and thought it would be cool to ride the monorail. Well, we were very excited when we stepped in the lobby. It was definately not the same atmosphere as the Carribean Resort. This was more upscale and of course "contemporary". We made arrangements to finish our anniversary at this resort. We stayed a week at this resort and are very happy we did. We ended up paying an extra $500.00 for our vacation, but it was well worth it. We got a room on the 3rd floor, garden wing, with a view of the bay. Well, we didn't expect that, but it was very romantic. We loved the evening shows that we could see from our balcony. The staff brought us champagne and balloons to celebrate our anniversary and that was a surprise. It was just an amazing anniversary and we are definately going back with our children. All of DisneyWorld was spectacular and we were able to see everything (all adult attractions) at all the parks.

My mom booked our Disney stay at the Contemporary for 4 days! And I loved every minute of it even my mom loved it. Checking in was quick and we got a folder with every map for each park including times for all the parades and fireworks. The rooms were very big,there was even a computer in the room. You can order room service and buy park tickets on the computer by using the Disney page. There is a fridge,coffee maker,a second phone in the bathroom area,a safe and if you book a garden/lake view you will have a great view outside your window. In the mornings you can hear the Train horn and you can hear the Ferry boat! The bathroom was big too with a seperate door for using the bathroom. There is 2 sinks,shower and you can take a bath. There was also a Mickey made out of a hand towel it was very cute! On the TV there is 2 sets of all the channels. One set has caption. I was happy that there was a Radio Disney channel! If you get a Garden wing view room you will have to walk outside under a covered area. But it's ok you can see the pool area and the lake! And to get to the 4th floor you don't have to go through the lobby you can use the stairs that's outside. Just go up the escalators and your there! All the gift shops are great. There is stuff for adults,kids and a store that sells food,medicines,baby supplies,luggage and magazines! If you forget stomach medicine or cold medicine don't worry because you can buy it there. There is also a few restaurants including a steak house on the 15th floor. It's perfect to see the fireworks. On the 4th floor there is also a observation deck to see the fireworks and the monorail goes over top of it! Getting to the parks is easy too. You can get the monorail by going on the escalator on the 4th floor. It will take you to the transportation center where you can catch the other monorail to Epcot. And if you want to go to Animal Kingdom and Hollywood studios just go outside the front of the hotel and there is a bus waiting area. In the room under the TV is another light it kind of looks like Pixie dust and it's very relaxing at night when you are beat after a long day at the parks. There is lots of other things to do at the hotel like fishing,speed boats,running trails and bike riding. And there is an arcade game room on the 4th floor.

Yes the food is pricey so make sure you save plenty of money. For a bottle of water it's $3.99,an apple is $1.99 and so is a banana. And a juice box is $3.99. There is a grab and go place where you can get quick food like sandwiches,chips,soup,cookies,drinks. They also have salads and pasta salad. The people that work at the hotel are very friendly and helpful. When it's time to leave you can check your luggage in at the hotel and not wait until you get to the airport. They will leave a door hanger on your room door knob the night before you leave and it will tell you the time the magical express bus will pick you up. I would say to be in the lobby and have your luggage checked in an hour or 2 hours before the bus arrives.

So basically this hotel is very great and make sure you brings lots of money for food!

Recent stay 4 nts 12/25-12/29/08. Great Welcome, Friendly Staff,

Unexpected Complimentary Upgrade to the Tower. 2 Qns + single daybed. Great Housekeeping. Great Pool, slide, poolside kids activities, games & prizes. Loved the proximity to MK & monorail service. Got 2 ride up front several times. Chef Mickeys is good for characters/ease of mealtimes/food quality average.

Loved the Marina. Walking distance or monorail to Magic Kingdom, parks were packed, glad we used extra magic hours.

Room was clean, updated and comfortable.One of Disney's Best Properties.

We stayed at the Contemporary from 12/13-21/08 on our 2nd visit to WDW. Our previous stay was at the Carribean Beach Resort in 2006. We booked a garden wing standard view and were upgraded upon arrival to a tower room #4423. Our outside balcony overlooked the bay lake with the nightly water parade visible from our room. We also saw the ongoing construction of the new tower, but had no complaints of additional construction noise. Our front door housed a beautiful view of Cinderella's castle and an outdoor balcony steps away to view and hear the music of the nightly fireworks.

Any questions we had for the staff were answered promtly and courteously. My daughter celebrated her birthday and received a complimentary trio of balloons with a card hand signed to her by Snow White. My husband and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and were given a complimentary bottle of Champagne delivered to our room. It wasn't "Disney" themed which was ok with me since your overloaded at the parks. It was nice to come back and unwind a bit to normalcy in the room.

I would stay there again and recomend this location to anyone.

We are "locals" in the Orlando area, so only stayed at the Contemporary for one night to celebrate our four year old's birthday and go to the Magic Kingdom the next day. We had a fabulous one night! We booked a garden view room in the annex building which was the cheapest room available so I wasn't expecting much. However, upon check-in, the agent gave my daughter a big birthday button to wear during her stay and made us feel very welcome. The doorman also spent some time talking to my daughter and acquired some stickers for her and showed her to the lobby TV to watch Disney cartoons while I completed check-in. We made our way to the garden building, which was a little hike, but gave us a great overview of the outdoor areas on our way. The room was clean, very modern and quite large! It had a great bathroom and an in-room computer that you can use to surf the internet for free. We had a view of some trees that blocked the view of the parking lot and had a spectacular view of the monorail's entrance into the main building which was a pleasant surprise for my daughter! The check-in agent also got us breakfast reservations the next AM at Chef Mickey's which I was unable to get by phone the week before as they claimed to be 'booked up.' I don't know how he did it, but I was greatful! My daughter was thrilled to meet all the characters on her birthday morning!

We spent some time at the pool, there are two, in a beautiful lakefront setting. The water slide was fun! The pool was very clean and they give out free life jackets for the little ones that you can hold onto for your entire stay. They also found some toys for her to play with in the pool when she proudly told them that she was there for her birthday. It seemed like everyone went out of their way to make the event extra special.

We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian and had a great dinner there in a cafe'/arcade. It was very convenient to get there and to the Polynesian (as well as the park the next day) with the monorail transportation. We even were invited to sit in the front with the conductor (again due to the birthday button she wore).

Just before bed time, there was a knock on the door and a bellman had a big balloon boquet and a card signed by Mickey and written out specifically to my daughter wishing her a happy birthday. They had asked who was her favorite character when we checked in and I said Mickey, so I guess the card could be from other characters depending on your answer. I didn't ask for the surprise and had no idea that it was coming. It was great (and free!)

After breakfast at Chef Mickey's (a great way to get some character signatures in the autograph book without having to wait on a very long line in the park), we checked out, stored our luggage with the luggage desk and went off to the park. Upon our return, our luggage and car were retrieved in a timely manner and we were on our way home.

I can't say enough about our experience at the Contemporary. No, it's not very high-end luxury (maybe would want to go to the Grand Floridian for that), but it certainly rivals some of the nicer Hiltons and Marriotts that we have stayed at in the past and the customer service was over the top which always makes the stay fantastic! I will return to the Contemporary in the future and recommend it without reservation!

My wife and I always stay at the Contemporary in our annual visit to Disneyworld during the December holidays. We have stayed at the Grand Floridian, and have considered Wilderness Lodge, but always settle on the Contemporary simply because it provides exactly what we seek: convenience (whether walking to the Magic Kingdom, monorailing to Epcot, or cabbing or busing to the Holloywood Studios), familiarity (we have stayed there over ten times), and excellent service and comfort from the moment we arrive to departure. While the Disney parks are the central attractions for us, it's great to have such an exceptional home-base to return to as needed.

Just returned from a 6 day/ 5 night stay at the Contemporary on the 12th floor Atrium Club level with concierge lounge. Had a Magic Kingdom view. There were 5 of us, 3 adults, 15 and 4 year old. We all fit fine in the very spacious room and were very comfortable. Do not think I will ever stay at another resort or floor because this was great. Loved the view of the fireworks from our balcony and were quite pleased with all the rooms ammenities. Plenty of food and different offerings in the lounge. Had a few problems and the concierge took care of all of them immediately. They went out of there way to please us and were greatly appreciated. I totally recommend this hotel and the extra cost for the concierge. It's a vacation and being pampered and taken care of is wonderful and what drems are made of:)

The hotel was everything one could want: the room was newly updated, comfortable and chic; the flat screen TV was huge; the bathroom was like a little spa.

But what made the experience magic was sitting by the pool after dark and watching the adjacent waterway light up with an amazing light show and fireworks. Kids were poking their heads out of the hotel windows, mesmerized by the scene in front of them, gasping with delight. It really was a slice of Disney magic!

The Contemporary's pool and waterslide are the perfect place to unwind after a day walking around the parks, all of which are just minutes away on the monorail that runs directly into the hotel's lobby. It simply can't be beat.

We stayed at the Contemporary for 8 nights with 2 kids. This hotel accomodated us very well having one boy and one girl since the couch converted to a twin bed (which was surprisingly very comfortable). The hotel had its pros and cons. We loved the proximity to the Magic Kingdom and the water show on the lake each night was cute. We also loved the monorail and the easy access to the Polynesian and other resorts. We had breakfast at Chef Mickey's one morning which was worthwhile and the kids loved seeing the monorail go through the hotel. But I wasn't as impressed with the pool and the "Disney magic" there as I've been at other Disney properties. I would recommend the Boardwalk for more of the Disney feel. The contemporary is well how do I put it....very contemporary.....

Stayed at the Contemp for a conference, so my goal was not to visit any of the parks. If you are a family, great location right next to Magic Kingdom. If you take the free airport transfer, it takes about an hour, since its the last hotel on the route, and when you return to the airport be prepared for another hour, since you're the first to be picked up (doesn't really make any sense! Bring a paper to read) What I didn't like: paying $9.99/day for internet, and no WiFi in the room (the $49/n Best Western has it for Free why not a $190+/n hotel!!!), had to connect the laptop to a cable (I didn't think they made those anymore!?), bad food, pools looked sad, bus ride there and back. What I liked: comfy beds, desk with comfy office type chair, you could see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, monorail is in the hotel (but if you are going to Magic Kingdom it's much faster to walk, since the monorail goes through all the other resorts before it arrives, but in this case you are the first stop when you leave), conference attendee reduced park tickets (after 2pm and after 4pm), fitness center had great running machines and weights (the room itself is very dated).

All and all, a nice comfy resort.

My wife and I took our two daughters (ages 4 1/2 and 2) to Disney for the first time. We chose the Contemporary for its proximity to the Magic Kingdom and for the Chef Mickey's restaurant in the hotel. The stay was as we expected. Disney is certainly overpriced compared to the outside world and the food at the hotel is certainly not worth the price were it served outside the grounds of Walt's world, but if you know that going in and you remember that the vacation is for the kids, it's all worth it.

Our room was adequate. 2 queens on the side facing the Magic Kingdom as requested. A pack and play and refridgerator were present as requested as well. Adequate storage for our 6 day stay including plenty of hanger space. The two sinks were nice as it made getting ready easier in the mornings. Plenty of pillows were available and a pull-out couch was also in the room (we didn't use it). The large flat screen TV offers your expected channels plus a multitude of Disney channels, of course.

We visited each park (Magic Kingdom twice). It was packed (they closed MK on two days as the park had reached capacity), but we weren't riding any roller coasters, so we were able to pick and choose our few rides and make days of character greetings and shows. I was impressed with the number of shows at Hollywood Studios. All appealed to both kiddos, especially the older one. She was in her glory. We had breakfast at Akershurs with the princesses at Epcot and lunch at the Castle another day with the princesses. We also had dinner at Chef Mickey's with the basic characters-the little one loved Minnie and Donald. Again, it's not gourmet food, but you pay to see your little princess live her dream. Make sure you call 3 months in advance to get those reservations!

We had dinner at The Wave in the Contemporary once. Not bad, but no real identity as to what their theme is. The Cafe in the Grand Floridian was much better food-wise for the same prices. I would also recommend getting reservations several days in advance if you are planning sit down type meals for dinner. My favorite dinner was at the Liberty Tree Tavern in the MK. Family style with incredible beef, pork, gravy and a giant apple crisp a la mode to share for dessert. We did do the basic dining plan and only ran short of sit down meals because the lunch with the princesses counts double against your meal plan. Otherwise we came out perfect with snacks and quick meals.

To me, Disney is about the experience. We were there to give our older girl her dream vacation and to get some relaxation. The Disney folks accomplished this and then some. The employees are so pleasant and so eager to make every child smile that you just can't help but appreciate their effort. They made our life easy by taking care of our luggage on the Magical Express so we didn't have to cart it to and from the airport. The transportation system ran like clockwork (except for the afternoon of an auto accident that partially damaged a monorail pylon-so we took a boat!)

We stayed at the Contemporary Resort in November 2008. We had a room on the 7th floor of the main tower above Chef Mickey on the lagoon/pool side. I was concerned about the noise level I'd read about from other reviews but honestly we were never bothered by it, though this wasn't a peak season. Others we traveled with were in a garden wing and the walk to the main hotel area was quite a hike.

The room reviews here were right on. Though themed, the rooms and the hotel itself are not the Disney themes you might have come to appreciate at other Disney resorts. No bright colors, very few Mickey or character references anywhere. If you would like a room with a king bed, put this in your request when you make the reservation. There are not as many of these rooms available. The other guest rooms have two queen beds as only the deluxe level resorts do. The rooms do have a computer in them for checking park hours, finding restuarants, and web surfing. A nice touch considering wi-fi is not free. The bathrooms are a bit disappointing. There is about 8 inches of counter space between two, contemporary styled sinks. The sinks themselves are rather short to the ground as well. There is a small half shelf of storage below the sink area, but I found myself having to layout my make up bag outside the bathroom.

Staff was friendly and helpful except in the quick service area. When I asked for real butter instead of vegtable oil spread they simply shrugged their shoulders. The quick service area, I believe, was only a temporary location as they were just finishing up the new area to open the week after we left. So, while dissapointing, I wouldn't include a review of it here. The Sand Bar, poolside dining, was typical fare except for the Cobb salad which was fresh and enjoyable. (See separate review for Califonia Grill)

The pool areas are nice, but again not as themed as you might find other places. One pool is nearly out in the lagoon where most adults gravitate. If you're looking for an outdoor nap place this isn't it as the boat sounds its horn every time it docks (about every 15 minutes). If you happen to be traveling with kids, they do have afternoon activities poolside at certain time. There are also ping-pong tables to use free of charge.

There is a slide at the main pool which when you get an ariel view is mickey shaped. The pool areas are adjacent to a large sandy beach so bring sand toys if your kids enjoy that kind of thing. You can't swim in the lagoon, but they didn't stop anyone from getting their toes wet. At dusk they set up a large inflatable screen showing Disney films though very few people took advantage of this.

If you are looking for something free and different to do, take the boat from the Contemporary to the Wilderness campground (first stop). Wilderness campground has some fun stuff to do there but if you are just looking for some exercise, take a stroll through the grounds and then pick up the jogging path to the Wilderness resort. I did this one morning, picked up breakfast at the Wilderness resort quick service, took it out to the Wildnerness beach area and enjoyed the change of scenery. Then pick up the boat to go back to the Contemporary.

The north side of the resort is completely under construction for the newest vacation club spot. It didn't seem to affect our stay other than it being somewhat unsightly.

There is a light show that plays out in the lagoon on a nightly basis. It's a bit hokey and out-dated, but if you catch it once you can check that off your Contemporary resort to-do list.

Perhaps the most disappointing part of a stay at the Contemporary is the use of Disney transportation. From just about every where the Contemporary is first to pick up and last to drop off. You can walk to the Magic Kingdom which is what I would recommend. Though the monorail goes right through the center, to go to Epcot you have to go to the transportation center first, change monorails and then pick up the monorail to Epcot. On the return, it stops at all the other magic kingdom area resorts and then to the transportation center where you have to change monorails.

Overall the resort is nice, but don't stay here if you want the full kid-Disney experience - other deluxe resorts are better suited to this.

Ever since I first saw the Contemporary as a 13 year old in 1972, I had always wanted to stay there. My dream hotel! Well my dream came true.I just returned from a weekend stay at the Contemporary Resort. My trip was a combination of business and leisure. The primary purpose of my stay was that I attended a conference being held there. I must admit many of the reviews I had read before my trip say how dirty they found the place when in all actuality it was extremely clean and the grounds were also kept spotless also. This hotel was one of the best places I've stayed over the years and I will definitely stay there again. .

Just got back from the Contemporary with extended family. We booked adjacent rooms that worked out great! I'll list the pros and cons for you to evaluate. We enjoyed our stay, but might not choose Contemporary again because it is so expensive and I'm not sure the benefits are that much greater than at other Disney properties.

Pros:

- Very close to the Magic Kingdom, they have a walking path that is actually faster than taking the monorail.

- Family oriented, several restaurants and snack bars

- Our son loved the game room

- Decor is modern and pleasant

- Chef Mickey's character dining is expensive but worth it because you really get to spend some decent time with the popular disney characters

- Service is quality, what you would expect from Disney

- California Grill is wonderful and the view is amazing, although it was very loud and not romantic as I expected. It was kid friendly which was a little disappointing because my husband and I wanted a quiet night away.

Cons:

- We were notified on our last day that the pool is being closed for the next few months for renovation. You can use the adult pool but it is very small and doesn't have the waterslide. It's a great time to close it though since the weather is cooler. I believe it is reopening in March. The hotel also has construction going on which is loud.

- Bathroom does not contain any countertops, you have to store everything under the sink, we ended up using one sink to store everything. The sinks don't drain well either. In one of our rooms the shower wasn't working properly.

- The hotel is very loud, we have a toddler and he would wake up from the morning breakfast show that starts at 7am

- Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are a bus ride away, we found that the wait was long, perhaps because it is off season. Also, going to the Magic Kingdom you have to take a long route, but on the way home the Contemporary is the first stop which is nice.

We stayed at the Contemporary from December 11-15 and had a wonderful time. The room was spacious and we booked a 11th floor room with a view of the Magic Kindgom - to see the fireworks at night over the castle was wonderful. The fact that the monorail ran through the hotel was wonderful and it was a beautiful hotel, very convenient. There were only a few bumps during our stay - the room was nice and there were fresh sheets on the bed (the beds are heavenly, very comfortable and mounds of pillows) but the room was not as clean as I would expect from a hotel charging those prices. The room has not been dusted in quite a while and and the floors had obviously not been vacuumed before we came. But I put in a request using their online concierge and it was done the next day. And the room service we ordered for breakfast one morning was not good - the food was overpriced and cold when it arrived. Other than the so-so housekeeping our stay was wonderful, would highly recommend the Contemporary but we are planning on staying at the Grand Floridian our next trip to Disney.

Just returned from a five night, 6 day trip to Disneyworld.

we stayed in a lake facing room on the 9th floor.

we used a pack and play for our youngest,

The room is nice and modern, but very little drawer space.

Great TV, clear picture.

There is a free computer with internet access in the room

but there is a charge of $10 a day for seperate connection to a laptop, or wifi access.

Really the free computer is amazing to have and a real nice plus.

There is a fridge in the room.

The bathroom is modern, but the sinks are really awkward, and not practical, but hey nothing you can do about that.

The construction on the new disney vacation building starts at 7am, but didn't really bother us, as after that we were gone from the room at 8 am.

The hotel is well situated on the monorail, but please note there is no service route direct to the Magic Kingdom, it runs the opposite way and makes multiple stops before stoppping at MK.

It's easier to walk to MK, about 10 minutes flat walk.

There is a great coffee/espresso bar on the 1st floor that I used almost daily.

Also, we brought cereal boxes from home at sat in the tables on the 4th floor, where there is deli service, breakfast, lunch etc, milk, coffee drinks etc. microwave, toaster.

Very convenient for families, alsonice to avoid the huge breakfast buffets.

Chef Mickeys was fun for the kids, the food is OK, but character greetings was nice.

There is also ongoing construction next to Chef Mickeys that is noisy.

I would reccommend this hotel to families.

Stayed at the Contemporary for a business meeting so did not choose the venue and was not interested in any of the Disney's attraction (should my kids have been around, it would have been quite different!). Getting there was easy but sooooo long. Disney knows how to make us queuing. A cab would have costed USD 80+ so I waited for the free shuttle for about 45 minutes all together after having waited 45 minutes for my luggage in one of the worse airports in the USA. The trip lasted about another 45 minutes with a driver using the word "magic" every second word and he was talking a lot!

Check in was all right but I got a room on the other side of the hotel (10 minutes walking). By insisting a bit, I was moved on the second day to the main building, which made my life much easier. Rooms are all right with regular amenities one can expect in the US.

Now the worse part. I don't know why it is almost impossible to find decent food at Disney's. Even burgers are awful! Well it minimises the excesses but still, quite frustrating. Only the Grill (top floor) in the evening was good (and the view on the fireworks, nice). And you are lost in the middle of nowhere! Impossible to find a regular shop or a non Disney bar around...

Internet is available but at a cost.

A couple of good points however: The hotel is on the monorail line (very useful to move to the parks and between the hotels) and there is a large outdoor swimming pool (although while I was there, some work was in progress in the garden).

In short, if you have to go to Disneyworld and want to stay in one of their hotels, you might want to choose the Contemporary or the much nicer Grand Floridian. But a far less expensive hotel outside of Disney is commendable IMHO.

Returned from our first visit to the Contemporary yesterday. We stayed in the Garden Wing room 6128, which is first floor pretty near the beach/pool. Had a good trip, great weather. Miss it already.

Have done Polynesian for our past trips. There were pros and cons of the CR compared to Poly for us.

Of course the biggest pro is the monorail running through. My kids enjoyed the pool. They are 9, 6 and 4. We were able to get a life vest for the 4 yr old. He doesn't like going under so he stuck to the steps mainly but he had fun. The older 2 swam all over and really enjoyed the slide. We've only been to the Poly in January so it's hard to compare the pools since we didn't use the Poly one much. I do like how the Poly has the zero entry. My 4 yr old would have preferred that to the steps. They did have movies on the beach several nights but we only watched a bit one evening.

We ate breakfast at Chef Mickeys, ate dinner a couple times at Contempo Cafe, and one lunch at the Sand Bar. Food was good at all. Sand Bar worker was a bit rude.

I liked being close to the pool but I do wish we were in the tower. I felt a bit detached from everything.

As for the room. I know it is said that they are bigger than Poly but it seemed smaller to me. It may just be the layout. I HATED the sinks at the CR and the lack of counter space. Didn't care for the doors on the bathrooms either, not very private. Overall the rooms at the Poly are much better in my opinion. I didn't care for the CR theming in the rooms compared to Poly.

Overall I prefer the Poly theming to the CR but it wasn't bad at the CR. The long walk from the room to the tower was so drab compared to the Poly but there was a huge construction fence up around the pool area so that is what we would walk by every day so not much of a view. It may be different when the fencing is not there.

We used the Magic Express and we were in our room all checked in within 90 minutes of landing in the plane. CR was the last bus stop too. We used the bus to go to the Hollywood Studios, and Winter Summerland golf and it was quick and painless. Used the walkway to Magic Kingdom once, seemed a bit long. Used the monorail for everything else.

Staff was friendly. Housekeeping was very poor. Our room was a bit dirty when we arrived. The wall of the shower was literally coated with chunks of long brown hair that I had to wash down the drain before I could use it. It did blend a bit with the marble so maybe housekeeping didn't see it? Even though we'd put the towels on the floor every night we'd never get all of them replaced. One night we were only left with 2 large towels. Several nights no hand towels and several nights no washcloths. We got by okay though. The worst thing was we found a bed bug on a pillow. Now it was about half way through the stay and I went to get in bed and moved a pillow. There was the bug on the pillow underneath. It was brown and about the size of an apple seed. I put it in a ziploc and searched for evidence of more bugs. I didn't see anything. I've never seen a bed bug and I thought they were much smaller. This looked to me like a tick but different than the ticks in Nebraska. Since I saw no evidence of any other bugs and none of us were itching we didn't complain. When I got home I googled bed bugs and there is no question that is what it is. I still have my ziploc and it's still alive after 7 days and has laid some eggs! Wish I would have complained now. I have all my laundry and luggage in the garage so hopefully we avoided bringing anything home. I have composed a letter to Disney with pictures about the matter so they can at least fumigate that room. I doubt nor do I expect that they'll do anything for me.

Overall if you want a deluxe hotel on the monorail line go for the Poly over the CR. I would only return if the deal was good enough but I'd choose a tower room next time.

First let me begin by saying that I am a frequent Disney traveler. My family and I go to Disney at least once a month and usually stay on property. We stayed at the contemporary resort because we'd only missed two Disney resorts in our lifetime and the Contemporary was one of them. When we arrived we pulled up to the front of the hotel to unload our bags...we were told by the valet that there were too many people unloading now and we'd either have to valet park or move the car and bring the bags from the parking lot...what a start to a "Magical Gathering". I got out of the car to check in and my husband took the kids and the bags to the parking lot at the valet's request. Check in was pleasant enough. We were given our keys and we were given a room in the Tower as requested (and paid for) on the 6th floor (just above the monorail).

The Room: The first thing we noticed upon entering the room was the view...definately a PLUS!!! We could see the Magic Kingdom from our balcony and were able to watch the fireworks and water pageant from our balcony. The beds were very comfortable but when we got in them to go to bed at night we noticed the pillows were down(my husband is allergic) and we called Housekeeping to have the pillows switched out...this took almost 45 minutes(a long time when u are already in bed for the night and have 3 small kids). The bathroom was another problem. There are double sinks in the bathroom and they are extremely shallow. There is no shelf between them (just under them) which makes it very difficult when showering. You have no where to put your clean clothes or towels. The pull out bed seemed to have dirty sheets on it and we replaced it with linen in the closet.

The Transportation: This was the major problem during our stay. Firstly, the weekend that we chose happened to be the same weekend as thousands upon thousands of marathon runners and their families for the WDW Marathon. This really was a problem for transportation. The monorail(which normally closes between 12a and 7a) ran all night which shook our room every 15 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG!!! When we attempted to get onto the monorail it was always full because runners were transporting here and there utilizing the monorail system. On Sunday we had reservations for breakfast at the Polynesian Resort (2 stops down on the monorail). We'd planned to leave the polynesian and take a bus over to Hollywood Studios from there so we left our car at the Contemporary. We had a stroller and I should mention the elevator to the monorail at the contemporary indicated it was for disabled persons and therefore we had to remove the baby from the stroller, fold it and go up the escalator every time we wanted to get onto the monorail...When we attempted to leave the polynesian we waited for the elevator to get downstairs walked quite a distance to the bus stop only to find a sign indicating that the busses were for marathon persons only. We went back to the polynesian, back up the elevator, to the monorail and waited 30 minutes to take the monorail to the Contemporary. The Contemporary was almost impossible to get out of because of the marathon and all the traffic "cops" were directing us the wrong way...we didn't arrive at the studios for almost 2 hours from when we finished breakfast. The location is one of the top reasons people are willing to pay for this hotel and the transportation is so bad that it makes it more of a nuisance than a benfit.

The Service:Definatley not a 5 star hotel as claimed. I went to the gift shop with my mother in law (she was purchasing a $500 gift card). When we found assistance the girl acted as if we were bothering her and waved us to the back of the store where they were. When we got in that general direction and found what we were looking for we went back to cash out and no one was to be found. We had to walk across the store where 3 employees were chatting and ask to cash out. They were less than friendly. The housekeeping staff also knocked at the door at 8am after we'd been to the parks til almost 1am. I already mentioned the valet staff. I was impressed with the staff at chef mickey's as I always am.

All in all, the Contemporary is definitely not worth the money. You'd be better off to take the extra and spend it on a nice fireworks cruise or a character dinner.

- Facilities nice - Very Clean - Maid service was HORRIBLE - No Free WiFi Internet - Internet didn't even work once I paid for it ! Rooms weren't cleaned until after 3pm everyday until the day of departure - That morning we were awakened at 8 am by the maid pounding on the door. They are very nice as long as they are getting our money but when it' was time for us to leave they were done with us! Stayed 2 nights just 10 miles away at Comfort Suites - Room was only 80 bucks a night and the room & hotel were every bit as nice if not nicer than the Contemporary - Plus had FREE wireless internet and an awesome FREE breakfast buffet!

This was my family of 4 plus grandparents 2nd trip to disney. We used the special stay 4 nights and get 3 nights free. 1st time stayed at Old Key and enjoyed but hated the beds. I have to say it was a little exciting staying so close to Magic Kingdom. We had theme park view rooms. The view was wonderful, but we were actually only in the room one night to see the fireworks.

My 22month son loved the monorail, but it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be for us. We went to the Magic Kingdom twice, and it is 3 stops until you get there. The plus side is after a long day you are the first stop from MK. We must have really bad luck because the monorail broke down after waiting 20minutes for it. We had to hussle back to our rooms to make our dinner reservations. The second time we wanted to leave MK and go to Epcot and they had more problems so we waited a while and missed the illumination at Epcot.

About the rooms at the Contemporary, they are very simple. If you plan on staying longer than 2 days there isn't much storage space. They have two closets the one with a safe and two small drawers. I would suggest carrying more hangers and hang most of your garments. The bathrooms were also akward especially for kids. You have to store all your stuff under the sinks, and we pretty much used one sink for storage. Also, We did not have a computer in our room.

I booked this resort because of the monorail, but I believe the bus systems are just as good. You have to use the bus if you go to HS or AK. I also book this resort to see the fireworks, and that only happended once. I think the villas accommadate my family's long trips better. We overall had a much better trip when we stayed in a 2 br villa and paid less money.

This hotel is all about location, location, location. If you're visiting Disney staying on the property is a key element to the greatest enjoyment, especially when traveling with preschoolers that still need to nap. This hotel is noisy, as one would expect from any Disney property teeming with children. The room was adequate, contemporary furniture gave it a modern look but it looked like some of the renovations were done on a low budget - bathroom floors in our bathroom already cracked in several places, layout of sinks not the best, etc. If this were not so nicely located, the room should be priced under $200 a night.

We are a family of three adults who are all Disney Fanatics! We were there from Dec 22 - Dec 27, 2008. We chose the Contemporary Resort because this was the last of Disney's Deluxe hotels that we had not previously stayed at and wanted to give it a try. Standing in the lobby at check-in, you would have no idea you were on Disney property because there is no "Disney Theme" and you could just as easily be in a modern London or New York or LA hotel lobby. This was not a disappointment to us, but may be to others expecting the whole Disney immersion experience. Compared to other Disney hotels, the Contemporary disappointed us because it is not designed to be "traveler friendly". Particularly of note is the fact that there is very limited drawer space making unpacking impossible. There were two tiny drawers in one closet under the room safe that were suitable in size for socks and two moderate sized drawers next to one bed that was partially blocked by the built in desk and desk chair. The two closets were small with one made almost unusable because of the built in safe and drawers as well as this being the resting place for the ironing board. They apparently tried to make up for this lack of space by putting a higher and lower bar in the other closet, however, the closet was not designed for two bars and the higher bar might only be usable to hang toddler sized clothing on. The closet contained 6 hangers and I requested a dozen more but only 7 came. Without adequate drawer space, we had to hang up our shorts in the closet. The bathroom was modern and elegant but had no counter space. The twin sinks were about 24 inches long by 18 inches wide and a mere 3 inches deep and were very impractical. This left a counter space roughly 6 inches wide by 18 inches long and totally inadequate. The bath towel rack was far away from the tub and shower and there was no robe hook in bathroom. On the plus side, we had a tower room with a view of the lake (not the Magic Kingdom) and it was very pleasant to sit on the balcony and watch the boaters on the lake. I would suggest staying in the tower if at all possible. I had read comments about Chef Mickey's being very noisy and it was. We were on the 11th floor directly above Chef Mickey's but it was noisy only during breakfast and dinner when we were not trying to sleep. The other big plus was having a computer in the room. It made it easy to request items from housekeeping and access the internet without cost (some websites like Facebook are blocked). They have hard wired internet available but this costs $10 per day. The Contemporary is the least expensive of the three Monorail hotels and certainly not one of Disney's best. When we return to Disney World next year, we'll either stay at the Grand Floridian or Yacht Club, both excellent choices.

My family and I stayed in a Magic Kingdom view room 12/16-12/21 on the 9th floor. The view of the park was fantastic. We really enjoyed watching the fireworks each night from our balcony. We also had a nice view of the Grand Floridian and beautiful, huge Christmas tree in front of the resort.

The resort is so convenient to the Magic Kingdom. You can either take a 10 minute walk or ride the monorail. Transportation to Epcot was also a breeze on the monorail. However, the bus to Disney's Hollywood Studios took a whooping 40 minutes one morning. We were told the buses were supposed to come every 20 minutes, so that was a bit of an annoyance. Plus, when the bus did arrive the bus driver was rather rude.

All the cast members at the Contemporary that we encountered were very pleasant. In fact, we left a blanket and some pictures in our hotel room. The staff called us at home to verify our address and mailed the precious items to us. Also, we requested a quiet room away from the elevators prior to booking. They definitely honored this request because our room was at the end of the hall, away from the elevators and Chef Mickey's. I really appreciated this.

The food at the Contempo Cafe was ok. There is a really good coffee bar on the main floor that my husband enjoyed. We were picked to be Family of the Day at Chef Mickey's, so that was a very special experience for my kids. The buffet was average. Our server was especially nice, and the kids loved the character interaction. They actually gave us complementary photos of the kids with Mickey for being picked as Family of the Day.

Overall, we had a great stay and special vacation. The reason I have to give the Contemporary 3 stars is that the room was dirty. There was a disgusting ring around the toilet, stains on the carpet, stains on the sheets, dust that must have been there for weeks, and nasty smudges all over the glass window. I have stayed in much cleaner Motel 8s. Therefore, the room did not feel like I place I wanted to return to and relax in.

Without a doubt it is the best location if you are planning to spend most of your time in Magic Kindgdom and Epcot. The monorail is Great!!! Now the service is real poor and the accomodations mediocre at best. Our room was average size But so dirty, we had to go through the hassle of changing rooms (not an easy task with several small children). The new room had mold all over the tile, holes on our bed sheets and a coat of pollen on the windows. Spoke with management again and they were no help. They replaced the sheets with some with more holes and cleaned the mold ONLY from adult eye level. Totally unsanitary for young children. Management did not have the DISNEY customer service spirit. They didn't even offer to do anything else to improve our experience. VERY DISSAPPOINTING EXPERIENCE. You splurge and pay LUXURY prices and get this type of accomodations and servcie.

Stayed as adult group of 4 people hoping to recapture the past fun we had when the chrildren were small and we last went to Disney - big mistake!

Thought we would treat ourselves to a more upmarket hotel to the ones we had stayed before at Disney so chose the Contemporary Resort as it was always considered as the 'one' to stay at.

As soon as we walked into the reception I knew this was not going to be a good experience. The staff were friendly and helpful (which seems to be the norm in the US) but the decor was straight from the seventies! Really badly laid out with huge open areas painted in a dreary mix of browns!

The rooms which were of a good size were worn out. It appeared that the bathrooms had been upgraded in the recent past with very odd wash basins that were huge and shallow so you could not fill them with enough water even for a shave unless you ran about 3 gallons of water. Perhaps a minor criticism but with everywhere you go asking to save water/environment etc I thought a big design error. Also did not really appreciate the dreaded shower curtain! The rest of the room was very tired with worn carpet etc although the beds were comfy.

Although the weather was cold during our stay it was warm enough to sit in the sun after our Disney exertions The main pool area was a building site with kangos hammering away. There is another small pool which we able to sit round and the hammering sound disappeared as it was drowned out by the very loud music being played all day around the pool area.

The eating experience was even worse. Now I know Disney is supposed to be for children but the parents must have some fun as well. I am afraid that eating a soggy beefburger off a paper plate and plastic knives & forks with a glass of warm white wine is not my idea of 5 star hotel.

We could I suppose have joined the long queue to have a meal with Mickey Mouse in the other restaurant but really did not fancy that at all.

All in all this was an extremely disapointing few days especially as Disney itself has become an over-priced theme park that deperately needs infrastructure investment & development

Just got back from a trip to Disney World and stayed at the Contemporary Resort for five nights. Agree with other reviewers that cleanliness is something that needs improvement. Our bathroom wasn't cleaned properly and the cleaning was mostly for appearance. Our son thought that our granddaughter had lost a sock until they looked in the bed to discover it there stuck in the sheets. The sheets hadn't been changed or the sock would have been discovered sooner.

That leads me to wonder when the sheets are changed! I certainly hope they are changed between "tenants." Don't mind if sheets aren't changed daily, but it would be nice if the resort told you that.

When I brought the cleanliness issue to the attention of the front desk, the reply was, "that's unacceptable." I agree. The fact that anyone would have to point out lack of cleanliness is also unacceptable.

While the specific problem I pointed out was corrected, the overall approach to cleaning the rooms is lacking. We stayed during January. I shudder to think of the conditions at the height of the "busy" season!

On the plus side, everyone was very friendly, pleasant and the food at the Wave restaurant in the hotel and the California Grill was very good.

First, let me state I was at this resort for a business conference. Therefore, my perspective may a bit different than a vacation traveler.

My compaints:

The elevators can be extremely slow when it is busy. They are small and there are only 4 working at one time. If you stay in the towers, be prepared to wait.

The rooms are small. A family of 4 sharing a room may find it to be too cramped. There is not much room for your clothes or luggage.

My room had not been vacumed. I found candy and crackers in various places.

The Positive:

I had a great meal at The California Grille.

The staff was friendly and courteous.

Excellent cocktails at the Wave lounge.

All in all it was not a terrible stay. I do think that there are lower costs alternatives in the park. I just don't happen to think that this property is a great value.

This was our third year in a row at the Contemporary. We felt it was like home, but we had always stayed in the Garden Wing and wanted a really special feel this past year. I take my children and grandchildren and so I booked Magic Kingdom view in the tower. Housekeeping has always been an issue at this hotel and unfortunately it still is.

Our tubs (2 connecting rooms) would not drain. I called maintenance in the AM and was told they would come while we were out for the day. Upon returning at 6:30 pm, nothing had been done. I called again and waited over an hour, called again, and about 30 minutes later around 8:15 pm they came. We had a 5 and a 3 year old waiting for baths till 8:45 pm. I also showed the housekeeper the very black mold in the toilet which I asked her to PLEASE take care of due to health issues. When we came back to our room that evening, it was still there, so I called the front desk this time and still to no avail, it was there when we checked out 2 days later. This is a deluxe resort and the cleaning in the rooms is never up to par.

The other issue was the theft of my son's GPS system during the first night we were there, but this is an ongoing problem (said by their security department) at the Contemporary but mainly in valet parking where his F250 truck was. I waited all week for some type of response from the hotel or management and went to the desk on checkout day and the general manager had no idea what I was talking about even though, my son spent his first and second day dealing with reports (police, insurance, etc) and yet not a word from the hotel. He was polite, but he told me it was subcontracted and he had no control (really!). It is Disney's hotel. We will never, never stay there again and we had begun to feel it was our Disney home.

Next year the Wilderness Lodge or maybe the Boardwalk looks inviting, the Contemporary does not go out of it's way to help with guest problems and employees do not seem to be all that happy to be there in the first place.......

Where to begin. I have stayed at the Contemporary Resort three times. All during the first week of December of 06, 07 and 08. Glorious time staying in the Garden Rooms in the back for 06 & 07. No view but less noise plus Monorail access. The EXACT same room for much less money. For 2008 we chose the tenth floor facing Cinderella's castle.

I decided to valet park my first night at check in. I had bell services remove my luggage. I headed off to my room and went to sleep with my wife and two children ages 3-5.

Please note: Valet parking at the Disney resorts is subcontracted out to a separate entity.

When I retrieved my truck from valet in the morning my GPS unit was missing from my center console. I quickly pulled back in front of valet to notify the attendants. I waited for nearly 45 minutes for the shift manager to get me nothing but a phone number, told me they would handle it and nothing more. I assumed Disney didn't mess around so off to the park I went. When I finally reached the Valet Manager by phone, he said I needed a police report to file with their insurance.

First part of day cut short, and then the second part is cut short to file police reports. Uggghhh. But I do. Police find no forced entry, no marks of any kind. Valet service's insurance denies responsibility. Out GPS unit and half a day of my vacation.

The Hotel Manager did address our concerns to the best of his abilities. His hands were tied by subcontracting and he was extremely polite.

Bathtub required maintenance, mother's adjoining room was being cleaned at nearly 6 p.m. upon returning from the Kingdom. Rooms were not very clean at times and for nearly $500 a night they should be spotless.

Souvenier coin press jammed and took $2.50 in quarters from my 3 year old, only to find out that we would have to go through the Magic Kingdom office since they operate the machines. Seriously, Contemporary, I have to go through the cashier at the cafe, to the front desk, to the Magic Kingdom front office to retrieve my 10 quarters??? Keep 'em.

Overall, if I return to Disney resorts again it would have to be at a different location such as the Polynesian Resort. Staff seemed much more polite than the Contemporary when we did the Ohana Breakfast with Lilo and Stitch. Not sure if I will make my fourth annual Disney Christmas vacation at all. Wife and I will make that call later.

So our room was great.....but the staff was less than helpful. This is supposedly a non smoking hotel but when we were there we were unfortunate enough to have an adjoining room with guests in the other room who were smokers. Out on the balcony they would smoke, in their room they would smoke.....etc. My room smelled of smoke. I complained 4 times to the staff. No one EVER did anything. The staff is less than helpful....and if they are going to have a policy then they should know how to enforce it! Very disappointing