Joshua Wesley
My family decided to close out our summer at the Happiest Place on Earth. My wife has been trying to get me to book this trip for years but I finally was ready to do it given that my youngest daughter who was turning 6 and my mother were celebrating birthdays. This was going to be our first trip and possibly the last for my family in this phase of life. I can’t say enough how truly magical the trip was! We stayed at the contemporary and had a fireworks view from our room which made every night feel special. The cast members at the hotel and parks were amazing. I highly recommend getting the photo pass. There were so many photo opportunities at the park and the cat member photographers were amazing. We also did Mickeys Not so Scary Halloween party and that was awesome as well. Everything was great and magical and my family really enjoyed themselves. If I had to complain about something it would be that it would create a better experience for me and others if there were multiple character meet and greets for popular characters. I waited in line for 2 hours and 20 minutes to meet Jack and Sally. It was worth it but that was a lot of park time burned for only 5 to 10 minutes with them.
brittney tilton
We love love the contemporary we stay 2-3 times a year. This time we were a little disappointed in the California grill upstairs. It is our favorite place to eat and we stay at contemporary because we can just pop in the bar or make reservations for a 3 course meal, but the menus were awful this time. They got rid of the wontons, and changed the menu without much wiggle room for sushi rolls and a lot of seafood in all apps. Those flat breads need to go, this is a high end $300 plus dinner if you’re having drinks and it was a disappointment. Also the onion bread replacing the rolls from previous times was disappointment too. We ended up cancelling all our reservations after the first night and never came back. Soo.. I think in the future we may stay at a different resort and try some new restaurants if they can’t bring back some crowd favorites. The hotel overall is under quite a few renovations and the outside walkway was completely blocked off, so if it was raining there was zero possibility of staying dry on your way to nice dinners that was kinda a bummer. And I’m not one to leave bad reviews or be a complainer. It just seems to be a so so hotel right now, rather than the amazing experience we are used to there. Jodi at steakhouse 71 was incredible to us 3 breakfasts in a row. I will say she kept us coming back. But overall I would give a different resort a try. It’s kinda a bummer. Because it has always been 5 stars for us.
Becky Peplinski
This is an excellent choice due to the convenience of walking to Magic Kingdom. The room decor is Incredibles themed with standard two bed layout. We stayed in garden wing which is a walk to coffee/drink refreshment station. The pools are heated and refreshing after a hot day at the parks. The sunrise and moon views are amazing. The nighttime boat light show is entertaining. The monorail convenience is a great addition. The onsite Disney merchandise shop is well stocked.
Todd McGowan
This was my first visit to Disney World at age 73 and I could not be happier with our family’s choice of the Contemporary Resort. For many years I was fascinated by the videos of the monorail passing through the hotel and I finally got to experience it in person. The pool was beautiful and refreshing, the food at every Contemporary eatery was outstanding and every cast member I encountered was polite and friendly. On one occasion I left my water bottle in the gift shop and quickly returning found that the cast had already found and stored it for me. Staying at the Contemporary Resort greatly enhanced our stay and is well worth the cost.
Richard Grove
Disney’s Contemporary Resort remains hard to beat if your primary goal is sheer convenience to Magic Kingdom. The dedicated walking path gets you to the park gates in about ten minutes, completely bypassing the ferry and monorail lines at rope drop and park close. Having the monorail run directly through the fourth-floor Grand Canyon Concourse is iconic, and the views from the Main Tower rooms facing Seven Seas Lagoon provide an easy vantage point for the nightly fireworks. The dining lineup is also one of the strongest across the deluxe hotels, featuring California Grill at the top, a solid sit-down meal at Steakhouse 71, and Chef Mickey's for character breakfasts.
The main trade-off comes down to atmosphere, noise, and price. Because the concourse is an open-air atrium holding high-volume restaurants, shops, and a transit hub, the central core of the resort stays loud and bustling throughout the day. The mid-century modern aesthetic and subtle Incredibles theming in the rooms look clean, but the overall vibe feels more like a busy convention center hotel than a relaxing, immersive getaway. If you book a Garden Wing room to save on the steep rack rates, you lose the monorail concourse views and add extra walking through exterior hallways. You are paying a premium purely for logistics and location, but for quick park access and simple transportation, it delivers exactly as advertised.
