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With a name that befits its architecture, Disney's Contemporary Resort offers Walt Disney World guests the convenience of staying "next door" to Magic Kingdom in the comfort of one of Disney's deluxe resorts
Rising 14 stories from the shores of Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon with its familiar A-frame design, the resort is a 655-room modernistic marvel complete with a 90,000-square-foot convention center, three full-service restaurants, tennis center, marina and three swimming pools. The Walt Disney World monorail makes a stop inside the resort thanks to the monorail beam that extends through the center of the A-frame.
One of two Disney resort hotels that opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971, Disney's Contemporary Resort was built on a 55-acre site adjacent to Magic Kingdom. Living up to its modern style, the hotel was constructed by methods that were ahead of their time.
While the hotel's steel skeleton was being constructed at the site, individual rooms were being built and finished at Walt Disney World on an "assembly line" with workers completing 15 units per day. As each room passed through the specially constructed building, the electrical, mechanical and plumbing facilities were added piece by piece.
Once furnished, the nine-ton guestrooms were trucked to the site, lifted by crane and slid into the steel structure -- much like an oversized set of dresser drawers. The entire structure was then covered by specially designed, sun-resistant glass.
High atop the resort on the 15th floor sits one of the jewels in the Walt Disney World crown -- California Grill. Since opening in 1995, the award-winning restaurant has earned a reputation as one of the best in America with extraordinary cuisine and outstanding wines, and the view is stupendous. It's hard to decide which is more fun: watching the energetic chefs in the open kitchen, or a sunset over Magic Kingdom.
Disney’s Racquet Club offers six lighted clay courts, three practice backboards, automatic ball machine and pro shop with rental equipment. Tennis clinics led by professional instructors and featuring videotape stroke analysis can be arranged for individuals or groups.
The hotel is also known for recreation. Swimming pools, tennis courts, beach volleyball, the fitness center and arcade are popular guest favorites, and the full-service marina offers boat rentals, bass fishing excursions, parasailing, Sea-Doos, wakeboarding and water skiing.
The last time we stayed at the contemporary, we stayed in the main tower facing Bay Lake. This was before Bay Lake Tower was built. We arrived at 1pm and getting checked
in was quick and simple and our room was ready. The rooms were a tad smaller than newer built resorts but the view from the balcony was phenomenal.
You can see Epcot and Disney Hollywood Studios among other highlights.
If you plan on doing alot of watersports, this is the resort for you. Sammy Duvall's Water Sports Centre is located right out back and can provide you with anything
water related from renting jet-skis to para-sailing. This resort has 2 pools, first is circular pool where it appears to float on bay lake and has pool side service with cabana rental.
Second is the main feature pool with large slide and kids water play area.
This resort has one of our family must do dining experience everythime we come...Chef Mickeys. This is a typical disney buffet with carved meats, pasta and unlimited sugar other wise
known as the dessert bar. More importantly is the characters. The fab 5 are all here with no hour long lines to stand in. The California Grill, high atop the comtemporaty's main building,
may be "rated" as one of the premiere dining experiences in walt disney world but not for me. I am not a food critic but there is no way I am willing to pay the exorbitant prices for a meal
that I could get somewhere else and at half the price. Dont even get me started on using 2 table service credits for this. I guess 1 credit is for the food and the other is for the view.
Getting around walt disney world is half fun espically when you are staying in the contemporary. You have monorails to take you to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center as well as the
Polynesian and the Grand Floridian resorts. You can take a boat to the Magic Kingdom for something different. Going to other guest areas will require you to board a bus.
Ever since my first stay here in the mid seventies, the contemporary has always been a favorite of mine. Its nice to see that the resort has changed as much as it has stayed the same.
As a kid, I can't tell how cool it was for me to sit in the restaurant eating and watching the monorails zoom by. Watching the wishes fireworks from atop the comtemporary is always special too.
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