Disney's Contemporary is one of our favorite resorts because of the convenient location. When staying at the Contemporary Resort, we can easily walk to Magic Kingdom, or take the monorail or boat to several other resorts thus opening up a variety of other dining and entertainment options!
The Contemporary Resort is a deluxe resort, therefore it is priced at the higher end of the scale. There are essentially three sections of this resort. There is the Main building which houses the check in desk, restaurants, gift shops, arcade, conference rooms, and ballrooms. Pretty much anything you are coming to the Contemporary resort for will be in this building. There are guest rooms in the main building as well as the monorail station. The higher priced rooms will be in the main building.
The Garden Wing is attached to the main building by an outdoor walkway. This is a three story building that houses only guest rooms. The design and decor of the rooms are the same as in the main building. Standard rooms here are usually a fraction of the cost of a standard room in the main building. We recently stayed in one of these rooms, and spoiler alert, we loved it! You can check out our review and loads of pictures HERE.
The third part of the Contemporary resort is Bay Lake Tower. This is the DVC ( Disney Vacation Club) part of the resort. We have yet to stay here so I do not have much to say about this section.
The Contemporary Resort is a lovely resort but I'm going to guess most people stay here because of it's convenient location, so let's start with that!
Transportation
The monorail runs right through the lobby of the Contemporary.
Not only Can you take a monorail to Magic Kingdom, but you can easily walk there. Taking the walking path is actually quicker than taking the monorail.
You can also take the monorail to the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian Resorts to check out the happenings there. Some people forget you can also take a boat to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. During our most recent stay we took a boat to Fort Wilderness so we could attend the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. You can read about that HERE.
Bus Transportation is also offered. There is only one bus stop located in the front of the main building ( off to the side of the lobby). It is a little bit of a walk if you are in the Garden Wing ( because the bus stop is on the opposite side of the main building), but it's an easy walk.
So let's say you don't even want to leave the resort, there is plenty to do right here. Let's check out all the dining options.
Dining
If you are wanting a "pick me up" as soon as you enter the Contemporary, you can stop by Contemporary Grounds coffee bar right in the lobby.
They serve Joffrey's coffee, as well smoothies and pastries.
You can see the most up to date menu for Contemporary Grounds HERE.
Also on the ground floor is Steak House 71.
This is a casual, family friendly steak house that is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Reservations are accepted here. We had a tasty meal here for lunch.
If you go, ask for the 5 legged llama! You can read all about our Steak House 71 experience HERE.
You can find the most up to date menu for Steak House 71 HERE.
If you go up the escalator, you will find more dinning options.
Contempo Cafe is a quick service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We really enjoy Contempo Cafe for lunch and dinner and have come to eat here several times even when we were not staying here! They usually have a variety of hot sandwiches and entrees. This is where you would pick up the refillable mugs. They usually have a variety of unique desserts here as well.
Check out this Dole Whip cupcake!
You can see the most up to date menu for Contempo Cafe HERE.
Behind the Contempo Cafe is Chef Mickey's. This is the resorts Character dining experience.
Chef Mickey's is an all you care to enjoy buffet that serves breakfast from 7:30 am -12:30 pm and then serves dinner from 5:00 pm -9:30 pm. There is no lunch service here. This is one of the pricier buffets on Disney property. I can not attest to the quality of the food because we have not eaten here since we were little kids. I do know you can expect to see Mickey and his pals, including Goofy, Donald, Pluto, etc. This is one of the few restaurants we have not written a review on because it's been years, I mean decades, since we've tried the food. It's been on our list of restaurants to go to again some day but unfortunately it keeps getting pushed down the list for some ( in our opinion) better restaurants. Reservations for Chef Mickey's are highly suggested and in most cases necessary.
You can check out the most up to date menu and pricing for Chef Mickey's HERE.
Located to the side of Chef Mickey's is the Outer Rim lounge. This lounge only offers beverages. It has a stunning view of Bay Lake. I've never ordered a beverage from here but I have sat here to have a dessert I've purchased from the nearby Contempo Cafe.
You can check the drink menu from the Outer Rim HERE.
On the top floor of the Contemporary is the resort's signature restaurant called California Grill.
This is suppose to be a very fancy restaurant. I had an awful experience at this restaurant many years ago but I ate here again for the second time just recently and it was much better. I can tell you it is a nice restaurant, but I was not super impressed.
There is a pre-fixed menu, meaning you pay one price and then choose your appetizer, entree, and dessert. The view from the top is nice and if you are dining prior to fireworks, they will invite you to return to watch the fireworks from their private balcony.
.jpg "California Grill")
This is a signature restaurant, so that translates to pricey! For us, I'm not sure it was worth the price. You can read our most recent experience with California Grill HERE. California Grill has been known to host private events such as wedding receptions and the exclusive New Years Eve party!
You can check out the most updated menu from California Grill HERE.
The last dining option, and the most chill one, is located outside of the main building.
This is the Sand Bar and it is the only outdoor dining option here. This is located beside the Contemporary pool. This is a great option for those that want a quick lunch on their check- in day. We ate here the day we checked in and it was one of our favorite lunches. There are tables and chairs available here.
I got the Turkey Cuban sandwich with fries for $12.49 and my sister got the grilled chicken pita with Tzatziki sauce and fries for $9.49
Around the corner from the lunch counter is a bar where you can order spirited beverages. Also near this area is a refillable water station. We would stop by here often to fill up our bottles.
You can check out the most up to date menu for the Sand Bar HERE.
Shopping
Recreation
The most popular recreation activity here is of course the amazing pool. The Contemporary resort has two pools on property and then Baylake Tower ( for DVC) has it's own pool.
The main pool is the family pool and it has a great water slide ( yes, we've tried it)!
The second pool is the adult pool.
The adult pool isn't really anything special, but the view is. It over looks Bay Lake.
Speaking of Bay Lake, there is also a marina here at the Contemporary Resort.
This is where you would catch a boat to go to Fort Wilderness or Wilderness Lodge. This is also where you would rent a boat, go fishing, or take a fireworks cruise.
Also on Bay Lake you will be able to watch the Electrical Water Pageant the runs nightly.
There is a jogging trail that loops from the Garden Wing to Baylake Tower.
Tennis is available as well as beach volley ball. There is also a fitness center that we regret not checking out.
There are nightly campfires with marshmallow roasting as well as movies under the stars.
The best thing to do here at night is to watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks!
Disney Tip: Behind the Fantasia store, there is a door that goes out to a balcony. You can sit here or stand and watch the nightly fireworks. It's a great view.
Other Activities
Be sure to check out the Contemporary during the holidays.
At Christmas time they have a gingerbread display and they sell holiday treats.
At Easter, they have giant Easter eggs on display.
Rooms
As I mentioned above, your room at the Contemporary resort will either be in the main building or the garden wing. DVC rooms will be in Baylake Tower.
All rooms at the Contemporary are decorated in an Incredibles theme.
Check out our cool room HERE.
Whether you are in the main building or the garden wing in a standard room, you have your choice of resort view, water view, or theme park view. Although the main building houses club level rooms and suites, the garden wing has some pretty fancy rooms as well. In addition to standard rooms, the garden wing also has deluxe rooms and hospitality suites.
Cool picture spots
Every Disney resort has it's "not to be missed" picture spot. The Contemporary is no different. Here are a few of our favorite.
This Mickey sculpture is behind the Contemporary, sort of caddy corner from the Sand Bar quick service.
This cool backdrop is outside of Bayview Gifts.
The Contemporary building itself can be hard to photograph. If you go out to the marina, you get the best vantage point.
Although I like this resort all on it's own, the major appeal here is definitely the location and how easy it is to get to the two parks and all the other resorts. This is a great resort choice for when you have a those late nights at Magic Kingdom.
Keep following our blog for more Disney Resort and Restaurant reviews!
Till next time ~ M and L
You may also like these blog posts:
Our guide to Disney's Wilderness Lodge
Our guide to Disney's Old Key West Resort
No comments:
Post a Comment
Fairytales and Fitness is a personal blog authored and edited by us, Meranda and Lacey. The thoughts expressed here represent only our own and are not meant to be taken as professional advice. Please note that our thoughts and opinions change from time to time. We consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind in an ever changing society. Any thoughts and opinions expressed within our out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those we may express today. Some links may contain affiliate links. Some links are just to pages we'd like to share.