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Accommodations >
Magic
Kingdom Area Resorts > Disney's Contemporary Resort
Disney's
Contemporary Resort
The
15-story, A-frame Contemporary Resort is a long-familiar
landmark. What used to be considered modern is now pretty darn
austere with its soaring open interior, sharp edges, and
angles. Love it or hate it, its accessibility to the Magic
Kingdom can’t be beat. And the sight of the monorail silently
gliding through its core is simply magical. The property
consists of a high-rise tower, two 3-story wings, and a
next-door convention center, making this resort a favorite
choice for groups.
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Contemporary
Resort |
The Atrium |
The
Lobby |
Wacky trees cut in futuristic forms line the entrance
leading to the somewhat sterile, marble lobby. Stark but
sleek, its small seating area is adorned with angular
leather sofas and chairs in shades of purple, teal, and
black. To feel the grandeur of the resort you’ll need to
head to its centerpiece, the 4th-floor
Grand Canyon Concourse, whose soaring space boasts 11-story
windows on either end with floors of guestrooms surrounding
the vast atrium on two sides. At its heart stands a charming
90-foot mosaic mural of Native American children surrounded
by shops, restaurants, a monorail station, and a bar with
super views of Bay Lake, all constantly buzzing with
traffic. High above it all sits the 15th-floor
California Grill, one of Disney’s best restaurants, with a
bird’s-eye view of the Magic Kingdom.
1,008 rooms. 4600 North World Drive, Lake
Buena Vista, FL 32830; 407-824-1000; Fax 407-824-3539.
Check-in 3 p.m.,
check-out 11 a.m.
For reservations call 407-WDW-MAGIC or your travel agent.
Accommodations
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Guestrooms
- Blazing colors and zany patterns
reminiscent of a Jetson cartoon have been replaced by an
upscale, elegant decor with
dark, rich wood tone furnishings.
Beds, covered in cream duvets with celery green
accents, come with soft triple sheets, comfy new
mattresses and suede-covered headboards that reach to the
ceiling. A sleek, glass-top desk with an
ergonomic chair,
contemporary lighting, and a soft green armless sofa
sitting under a copper-lined mirror only adds to the
beauty of the room. Carpeting and wall color is a lovely
shade of soft chocolate, and the 32-inch
flat panel TV,
set in a shallow wall unit, is a real bonus. |
Standard Guestroom |
Baths still have the same brown
and cream marble floors, but that is where the
similarity ends – now the sinks are flat, rectangular
wonders set in a stainless steel and frosted glass
vanity. A
bath/shower is next to the two sinks with the commode
in a separate area.
The foyer’s two closets are
designed with frosted glass panels trimmed in rich wood
with a granite vanity that hides a refrigerator and
coffeemaker. Amenities
include an electronic safe, iron and ironing board, and morning
newspaper.
Tower rooms, all with balconies, are the ticket here and
worth the additional cost with knockout views from each
room balcony of either
the Magic Kingdom on one side or Bay Lake on the other.
The higher the floor, the quieter and the better view.
The lower floors can be noisy due to their suspended
position over the Grand Canyon Concourse where the
clamor of Chef Mickey’s character breakfast begins in
the wee hours of the morning.
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Standard Bath |
A new room
category at the Contemporary called "Magic Kingdom View" is
now available at a higher price than regular tower rooms. This
will guarantee that you will be on the side of the resort that
faces the Magic Kingdom.
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Standard Guestoom Entry |
Flat Screen
TVS |
Standard
Guestroom Bath |
Room tip: Although tower rooms on the Magic Kingdom side have
a marvelous view of the park, they also come with a
not-so-marvelous view of the parking lot; however, it’s worth
it for front-row seats of the nighttime fireworks display.
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Atrium Club |
Concierge
rooms - The Contemporary Resort
has two different concierge levels: the 12th floor Atrium Club
which now has full concierge service and the 14th
Floor concierge. Both are a a
dream with wonderful new furnishings, a
lengthy balcony, and unbeatable views of the Magic Kingdom
and Seven Seas Lagoon. Breakfast is the usual suspects of
fruit, juice, pastries, cereal, and bagels, and afternoon
snacks are cookies, brownies, pretzels, fruit, coffee, sodas
etc. Evening offerings includes two hot items like mini
quiches, salmon skewers with dill sauce, beef tips, fried
ravioli, ribs, chicken wings, conch fritters, crab cakes,
egg rolls, pot stickers, and cold items such as cheese,
crudités with dip, hummus, and PB&J sandwiches.
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Rock Rabbit Syrah, Sterling
Merlot, MacRostie Chardonnay, and Beringer Rose are the
wines of choice. The desserts are a lackluster assortment of
ho-hum mini- tarts along with cordials. Food here is overall
unimaginative, something I find to be true at many of the
Disney resorts that have convention services, sort of
standard cocktail fare. In contrast places like the
Wilderness and Animal Kingdom Lodge receive their food from
the on-property restaurants and the difference is evident.
Also included is express check-in/check-out, robes, and
nightly turndown service.
Fourteenth floor rooms have been renovated, but many of the
furnishings and countertops from the old decor have remained
- a mistake in my opinion. Regular guestrooms here are
larger that the rest of the tower’s with deep balconies,
larger baths, and spectacular views.
Suites - All of the following suites are located on
the 14th floor:
The two-bedroom- three-bath Presidential Suite sports 2,061
square feet with two deep balconies spanning the length of
the suite and spectacular Magic Kingdom views. A spacious
living room comes with a wet bar and microwave, sleeper
sofa, desk, and 6-person dining table. Guests love the huge
king-bedded master with its large sitting area, armoire with
TV, and desk, as well as a whirlpool bathtub, separate
marble shower with wall jets, double sinks, two closets, and
vanity desk. The second bedroom comes with 2 queen beds, a
2-person dining table, and full bath.
A two-bedroom-three bath Vice-Presidential Suite at 1985
square feet has a single-sink full bath just off the large
foyer, a roomy living area with a 6-person dining table, wet
bar and microwave, two easy chairs, sleeper sofa, desk,
armoire with TV, and two balconies spanning the length of
the suite with views of Bay Lake and Epcot’s Spaceship
Earth. There’s two queens in the sizeable master bedroom,
and a king in the second bedroom. The master bath does not
have a whirlpool tub.
Two-bedroom/three bath suites
have a single-sink full bath just off the large foyer,
living area with a 6-person dining table, wet bar with
microwave and under-counter refrigerator, two easy chairs,
sofa, desk with computer, entertainment center with plasma
TV, DVD player, and stereo. Three deep balconies span the
length of the suite with views Bay Lake and Epcot’s
Spaceship Earth; an identical suite on the other side of the
resort has views of the Magic Kingdom at a higher price.
There are two queens in one slightly-larger-than-standard
bedroom and bath, and a king in the second bedroom which is
the same size, each on either side of the living area. This
is a perfect suite for two couples. One-bedroom Suites are
very similar to the two-bedroom with two queen beds.
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Two-Bedroom Suite Living Area |
Two-Bedroom Suite Bedroom |
One-bedroom-1½ bath Hospitality Suites feature either a lake
or Magic Kingdom view with a full-size bath off the foyer,
kitchen minus a stove, 6-person dining table, spacious
living area with a sleeper sofa, and a very deep balcony
running the length of the suite. The giant-size master
bedroom has two queen beds, a large bureau, desk, armoire
with TV, bath with vanity table, commode and bidet, and
marble shower. With the addition of a king-bedded standard
guestroom on the opposite side of the living area it can
become a 2-bedroom suite.
You'll find complete information on dining, recreation,
services, and transportation at Disney's Contemporary Resort
in The Luxury Guide to Walt Disney
World Resort.
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