Split stays: Thoughts? / Contemporary Reviews Needed

[Bec]

Hi guys,
Well you know over on my CBR Vs CS thread I have been really undecided about where to stay next year. We have a villa but will be spending 5 nights on site. So, because Im so undecided about the mods, what do you think about me going back to my original plan of Pop and adding on a deluxe as a split stay. Ive been looking at 3nights Pop and 2nights Contemporary.

Please give me your thoughts on split stays. Is it worth it? What's the contemporary like? I thought if we stayed in MK area for the deluxe I could do my MK area ADR's for these two nights and the others when we are in Pop (we want to do California Grill and 1900 Park fayre in MK area)

Do you think there is a better choice of deluxe I could make?:blush:
I'd love to know your thoughts and ideas.

I promise I'll stop nagging you and book soon.:rolleyes:

[wdwgrandma]

We've done the "split stay" thing a couple of times and found it to be hassle free! Other than having to pack up all your stuff in the middle of your stay, everything else is taken care of for you! Disney moves your luggage. All you have to do is go to the next resort and check in!

Contemporary? Not my favorite as far as rooms go - a little too "wild" for me. But it is nicely convenient to MK and the monorail.

[joanne]

Split stays don't bother me at all. I've done it on every recent visit. Next year we're staying at 4 different resorts :lol:
Worse thing is having to unpack and pack again :shrug:
We figure we'll just live out of suitcases next year :hehe:

I wouldn't choose the Cont, not the best of the deluxes, IMHO.
AKL, Poly and YBC are MUCH better :yes:

[Vikki]

Next year we're staying at 4 different resorts :lol:

Good grief! Just as a matter of interest, which four?

[Vikki]

Ahhhh, of course, don't blame you :)

[Bec]

WOW! Jo, that's a lot of resorts. :eek: Good for you.

Good to hear that split stay is not a problem for anyone though.Can you explain how Disney deals with the luggage?

As for contemporary we've always really fancied it - it's more reasonably priced than the Poly or the GF and as we staying at Hard Rock at Christmas and Sandals Royal Caribbean at Easter, I thought I was being rather over indulgent!!!:whistle:

Wilderness is reasonable - what do you think of that compared to the other deluxes?

[joanne]

You just call for the bellman to come to your room, as if you were leaving to go home. Tell him you're transferring to X resort. He'll give you a ticket. Once you're checked in at X resort, call bell services and request your luggage :thumbs:
Apparently they just transfer it by van during the day.

Wilderness was the first Disney resort I stayed at & I loved it.
Then I stayed at other deluxes, went back to WL and didn't love it so much. Found it to be too dark, rooms not as roomy, had noisy people in connecting room next door. But I'd been spoiled by other deluxes.
It is a lovely resort & if you've never stayed at other deluxes I'm sure you'll love it. I know there are others that have stayed at other deluxes and still go back to and love WL. It's probably just me :blush:
Only transport to MK is by boat, no buses or monorail.

[Bec]

Transfer of luggage sounds great!
Which of the other deluxes have you stayed at Jo?
Which kind of room did you stay in the contemporary?

[joanne]

Never stayed at the Contemporary. Reading other people's reports put me off :sorry:

Stayed at Polynesian (3 times)(my fave!), Animal Kingdom Lodge (twice)(2nd fave), Yacht Club (once) & WL (twice) :bounce:

[joanne]

The only downsides to swapping are checking in (but if you go in the morning once you've checked out of your old resort there shouldn't be a queue) and having to keep tipping the bellman :lol:

[Bec]

The only downsides to swapping are checking in (but if you go in the morning once you've checked out of your old resort there shouldn't be a queue) and having to keep tipping the bellman :lol:

So can you check yourself in early at the second resort, but not go to your room - unless it's ready?

The reason Im looking at Contemporary is because of the monorail. We want to eat at GF and we want to eat at California Grill, CR. So it just seemed convenient . I don't want to stay in GF unless I can afford the main building (a few more years teaching and I'll get there.:lol: ) We loved that darn place when we had the wedding reception there. I could live there!!!!:rotfl:

I like the look of WL - but no monorail.
AKL - too far out if we want to do most things in MK area. And Im scared of animals:afraid:

Poly is a close competitor I suppose. We've been to the luau and are going again so I've been inside the resort, I did like it. oohhhh I don't know:wacko: :wacko: :unsure: Decisions, decisions.

Right Bec, definately decided on split stay, I think Pop 3nights (Jo, can you let me know what you think of it after Nov?) and 2nights MK area Deluxe. Okay I've narrowed it down that far.:yawn: Sorry - Im boring you.:lol:

[joanne]

So can you check yourself in early at the second resort, but not go to your room - unless it's ready?


Yes, you can check in any time that day. But you probably won't get your room until after 3pm. But I reckon it's better to do it as early as possible before the line gets long, and my theory is you've a better chance of getting the room you want :unsure:

Poly, Poly, Poly!!!!! :excited: :nutty:
I'll be posting some pics Alec & Paula have sent of the new rooms in the update tomorrow or Weds, and it's lurverly!!! :banana:

[joanne]

And, yes will let you know what we think of Pop :yes:

And you're not boring me! :D

[Vikki]

Wilderness was the first Disney resort I stayed at & I loved it.
Then I stayed at other deluxes, went back to WL and didn't love it so much. Found it to be too dark, rooms not as roomy, had noisy people in connecting room next door. But I'd been spoiled by other deluxes.
It is a lovely resort & if you've never stayed at other deluxes I'm sure you'll love it. I know there are others that have stayed at other deluxes and still go back to and love WL. It's probably just me :blush:
Only transport to MK is by boat, no buses or monorail.

Oh heck, I hope we like it, we're just staying for one night for our anniversary, so it's kinda a big deal :whistle:

[Bec]

Fantastic - thanks Joanne You're a sweetheart. Look forward to seeing those. DH still fancies CR though - how can I convince him?

[Bec]

Oh and Im glad Im not boring you. :)

You're all soooo patient, with an indecisive so and so like me.

My Mother says Im always afraid of what Im missing out on elsewhere:lol:

I just want to see it all:hehe:

[Vikki]

I just want to see it all:hehe:

Why do you think Joanne is going to 4 :D

And anyway, you can go to the one you don't decide on next time :)

[Bec]

Why do you think Joanne is going to 4 :D

And anyway, you can go to the one you don't decide on next time :)

You're right Vik. Im working my way up to the GF:wink:

[Vikki]

You're right Vik. Im working my way up to the GF:wink:

You and me both!

[wdwgrandma]

The first time we split our stay it was between the Contemporary and Yacht Club. The second time was between the Wilderness Lodge and Polynesian. Other than having to repack and unpack, it was SO easy! And it's fun, too! You get to try new places, or position yourself closer to park where you may be attending special events.

[joanne]

Oh heck, I hope we like it, we're just staying for one night for our anniversary, so it's kinda a big deal :whistle:

Sorry, didn't mean to worry you about it :sorry:
I guess it was mainly the noisy people next door that spolt it for me and made me cranky and put me off :sigh:
They were up and bouncing around, TV on full blast before 6am every morning. I ended up hammering on the connecting door on my last morning :hissy:
Just ask for a non-connecting room :wink:

It really is a beautiful resort, the lobby is stunning when you first walk in.

[Vikki]

Sorry, didn't mean to worry you about it :sorry:

Oh, don't worry, you haven't :) Keith has told me so many wonderful things about it that we woulnd't change our mind :)

I'm just looking forward to saying 'I stayed in a deluxe'. Even if it is only for one night :blush:

[AlecK]

DH still fancies CR though - how can I convince him?

Tell him it's so good that after we stayed here once we booked another 3 trips back :)

I'm in one of the new rooms right now with a view over the marina and it's fantastic. I honestly can't think of anything wrong with this place ! I really like being on the monorail and it's brill being able to walk to the TTC and go to Epcot without changing trains.

[Bec]

Sounds fab. How do you go about getting the *new* rooms?

[AlecK]

Sounds fab. How do you go about getting the *new* rooms?


Asking nicely at checkin worked for us :thumbs:

[Bec]

UPDATE: After spending most of the night online looking at reviews and discussing pros and cons. We are swaying towards contemporary. :blush:

:sorry: Sorry Joanne and AlecK I know the Poly is beautiful we love it too. But we really want to stay somewhere we haven't been before. I am of the thinking that if we don't like it we don't have to go again! We are returning to the Poly later on in the holiday for the Spirit of aloha dinner show - maybe we could stay the night then - ooohhh Im full of good ideas "honey, I have a great idea!!":wink:

Thanks though guys really appreciate all the advice, would love some more people who have stayed in the contemporary to pm me or continue on this thread.:)

[joanne]

I'll change the thread title for you, see if we can drum up some reviews :wink:

[Bec]

I'll change the thread title for you, see if we can drum up some reviews :wink:

You are a sweetheart thank you.:)

[Bec]

I've been researching the CR like mad over the last week and have found lots of news on the rehabs, Ive found pictures of the new rooms. I don't know if I can post them or not because they've come from elsewhere.

Anyway, they look fab and if I could get a 'new' style room this would sway me to CR.:)

How do you go about making room requests?

[Sierra]

We have stayed in the Contemporary (garden wing rooms) a couple of times. The rooms are nice enough, larger than Wilderness Lodge or Animal Kingdom lodge. The theming puts some people off--doesn't bother me. The parking can be pretty far from the room if you are in the garden wings--depends where your room is. The first time we stayed we were way on the end; it was a long walk--but we could see the Electric Light Parade from our room.

Contemporary is great for location--being able to walk to MK is a plus. However, we hate the food court. If you are doing sit-down dining, that won't be an issue, though.

We loved Wilderness Lodge. The rooms are smaller than the other deluxes (except AKL) but the resort is very nice.

We split stays last year between French Quarter and the Poly. Sorry, folks, but we were not impressed with the Poly. Location is good, but our experience was not. There were all of two families in line ahead of us to check in but it took about half an hour or more to get checked in. Then they put us in a smoking room--not acceptable as I get sick and we had a child with us. (Yes, I understand room requests aren't guaranteed, but smoking preference ought to be!). In fairness, they did change the room. Maybe we were in one of the older buildings (I know they are being refurbished), but the hallways smelled, the corridors were very run down and tatty looking, and the room just wasn't that great.

Some of this impression probably looms large just because we were checking in toward the end of the day, after we had already put in a full day at the parks. We were tired and trying to get to our dinner reservation, and that frustration colored our experience some. Just something to be aware of when switching between resorts.

[Bec]

Thanks for this Sierra. It's great to get a good review for CR. To be honest the distance from the room to the monorial, lobby etc, really doesn' t bother us. We're both fit and enjoy walking so it's really not an issue. As for the theming, again we're not too bothered, we will try to get a 'new' room though. It's the location thats tempting us more than anything! Im really greatful for your post. Thanks.

Oh and as for the Poly, it's strange to hear a not so good report but I suppose it goes to show people have different experiences everywhere.

Thanks again.

[dcfromva]

Bec,
We haven't stayed in the CR is over a year, but it will always be one of my favorites. It was the first place we ever stayed at WDW. Perhaps there is a little sentimentality--but I remember what an awesome feeling it was to drive up the first time and check in. DS was just over 2 years old at the time. Every night prior to going to sleep, he had to watch the electric water parade (at 10:05pm! :eek: ) We have such fond family memories of our visits at the CR as DS was growing up (he's 17 now).

We have stayed in the tower 3X's and the wings --probably 6 times over the years. The rooms are big. I like the bathroom configuration which is also nice and spacious.

I prefer the tower rooms. It is great to catch the elevator to go to the restaurants.

The game room is enormous. They have a small snack bar right next to the game room. You can get fast food there. (We prefer the sit down restaurant choices as the choices are limited at the snack bar).

There is a marina where you can parasail or rent a water mouse. You can catch a boat launch over to Ft Wilderness--which is especially convenient if you are going to see the Hoop Dee Do Revue.

Being on the monorail is nice because it makes all the other restaurants at the Polynesian (Kona Cafe!) and Grand Floridian convenient to visit.

The thing I most enjoy about the CR is that it is the only resort from which you can comfortably walk over to the MK in just 5 or 10 mins.

We always have a car and find it convenient parking (compared to say the Polynesian or the Boardwalk)

Some of the wing rooms (in the north wing) have views of the fireworks which is a really nice bonus.

There are some things that are not stellar about the CR--the pool is kind of ho-hum. The last time we stayed in the wings, we thought the room was okay, but it was definately ready for a refurbishment. The decor is mind boggling :D , but they are re-doing it again. When we first stayed there, it was rather bland and went to really wild and not very harmonious. The new decor looks pretty nice. (I'm not sure how many of the rooms are done at this point).

-DC :ears:

[Bec]

dcfromva,

Thanks so much for this review, this is the most info Ive found anywhere!

Yes, the new rooms look lovely! Fingers crossed we can get one of those!