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Disney's Contemporary Resort

Resort Type: Deluxe Disney Resorts

Rooms: 1041 Part of DVC: No
Avg. Room Size: 436 Sq Ft.
Max. Guests /Room: 5 (plus a child under 3 in a crib)
Address:

4600 North World Drive
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Disney's Contemporary Resort is one of the park's flagship hotels, boasting excellent views of the Magic Kingdom over Bay Lake. As one of the original opening resorts, the Contemporary Resort is connected to the Magic Kingdom, the Ticket & Transportation Center and other resorts around Bay Lake via the Resort Monorail Line. This is what makes this a fantastic resort. You can hop on the monorail line and be at the Magic Kingdom in under 5 minutes.

Another benefit is that you can also get the Monorail to Epcot by switching at the Ticket & Transportation Center. Take a look at our transportation information to see all about how you can get around via the Monorail, Boats and Busses.

The resort's theme, as you would expect is a contemporary feel. The resort from the outside does now look a bit dated, however inside it has maintained a retro-future theme. There are a number of open areas due to the building size. A 90-foot high Mary Blair mural is located on the wall, and you cant miss it when you walk around the resort!

If you wanted to watch Wishes from the resort, it provides an excellent view. If you dine in the award winning California Grill located on the top floor of the building, they have an observation deck and the music from the show is piped in so you can experience Wishes right from the restaurant. 

You also get an excellent view of the Electric Water Pageant, which glides over Bay Lake every night. It can be viewed from the resort beach.

The resort is a popular choice for conventions and business meetings as it boasts a 90,000 square foot meeting space, with a 42,300 square foot ballroom.

The Contemporary Resort provides you with pretty much everything Disney offer; Magic, Fast access to the parks, excellent accommodation, delicious food and one of the best views around!

Disney's Contemporary Resort Amenities

  • Babysitting and Childcare Services
  • Coin-based Laundry facilities
  • Concierge Services
  • High Speed Internet Access (daily fee)
  • Valet Service Cleaning
  • Express Check-out
  • Luggage Service (hourly)
  • Poolside bar
  • Voice Mail
  • Maid Service (Daily)
  • ATM Machine
  • Refillable Mugs
  • The Fantasia Shop
  • Clothing Shops (The Contemporary Man and The Contemporary Woman)
  • Kingdom Jewels
  • Concourse Sundries and Spirits
  • Bell Service
  • Arcade

Disney's Contemporary Resort Rooms

A little known fact about the rooms at the contemporary resort is that they were pre-fabricated a few miles down the road, and then when the building was ready, the rooms were slotted into the building like drawers before being fixed in place. This allowed Disney to build the resort in rapid time.

The resort offers both standard and suite rooms. The rooms are approximately 422 square foot each and are some of the largest offered on Disney property.

Standard guest rooms feature two queen-sized beds, or one king-sized bed. 

Standard room amenities include:

  • Satellite/Cable HD Television
  • Jacuzzi Bath Tub (complete with its own TV)
  • Refrigerator
  • Wet Bar
  • Table with two chairs
  • Telephone
  • Closet
  • Vanity Area
  • Hairdryer
  • Coffeemaker
  • Iron/Ironing Board
  • Wall Safe
  • Balcony/Patio (Note first-floor Garden wing balconies are shared)
  • Ceiling Fan
  • Newspaper Delivery
  • High Speed Internet Access (daily fee)

The resort does offer a roll-away bed on request should siblings not wish to share a bed. A charge of $15 per night is applied for this.

There are 25 suites. These have a view of either the Park or the lake. There are one and two bedroom suites, with queen-sized beds and a sofa-bed. Each suite has an additional phone in the bathroom, speakerphones, a hair dryer, bathrobes and a turndown service.

Disney's Contemporary Resort Recreation

The resort has two pools. The larger pool has a 17-foot water slide. The smaller pool is a simple round, quiet pool with a shallow edge. Both pools have two hot tubs next to them. There is also a small shallow pool for young children.

Other recreational activities at the resort include:

Watercraft Rentals - You can rent Sea Raycers, kayaks, pontoon boats, canoes, sailboats and pedal boats and take them out onto the lake.

Wake-boarding - Snowboarding…on water! Guests are trained how to wakeboard and then taken out with a driver. Equipment is provided.

Waterskiing - World-class instructors teach you how to water Ski, then you take to the lake with a driver and equipment.

Tubing - A great water activity for the whole family. Hang on to this giant inflatable tube as a ski boat tows you along the shores of Bay Lake.

Parasailing - Get a fantastic birds eye view of Walt Disney World as you take off behind a stare-of-the-art boat. You wont even get wet!

Volleyball - The resort has its own volleyball court on the beach. Equipment provided.

Games Arcade - An arcade with state of the art video games and is located on the fourth floor of the Contemporary Resort. It is open from 7am to 1am and uses a token system to use the arcade attractions. Guests can purchase tokens in the arcade. Some arcade games provide rewards in the form of tickets which can be redeemed for prizes.

Olympiad Fitness Center - A high-tech gym and spa, open from 6:30 AM - 7:00 PM daily. A personal trainer is also available by appointment.

Movies Under the Stars - Disney movies are player outside on a big-screen projector near the pools or on the beach.

Disney's Contemporary Resort Transport

Transport from the contemporary couldn't be easier. You've got a choice of Boat, Bus or Monorail. The Disney Bus Service will take you to any Disney location on-site and depart regularly.

The boat service goes around each resort (The Contemporary, Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian and Grand Floridian) and then on to the Magic Kingdom. This is a nice boat trip, but depending on which way it's running can take a while if it stops at all resort. During peak periods additional boat services run and usually take you directly to the Magic Kingdom.

The monorail is the other option. It goes in a clockwise direction. This means before getting to the Magic Kingdom, it'll stop at the Ticket & Transportation Center, Polynesian Resort and the Grand Floridian before going on to the Magic Kingdom. It's a nice scenic ride, but can take a while during peak times. 

Take a look below for our guide on the quickest way to get to each park:

Magic Kingdom - Take the monorail and it'll be about 15-20 minutes. You can also walk, which will only take 5-10 minutes. The boat is another option but that can be really slow and they only come every 20 or so minutes.

Epcot - Take the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center then transfer to the Epcot monorail line. An alternative option is the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Hollywood Studios - Use the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Animal Kingdom - Use the Disney Bus Service.

Disney's Typhoon Lagoon - Use the Disney Bus Service. Before 4pm you'll need to get the monorail to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then a bus from there.

Disney's Blizzard Beach - Use the Disney Bus Service, the bus will be marked 'Animal Kingdom Theme Park / Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park'.

Downtown Disney - Use the Disney Bus Service. Before 4pm you must take a bus from the Ticket & Transportation Center. After 4pm a bus goes directly from the resort.

You will be provided with a complete transportation map when you check in  which gives you instructions on how to get to all the different areas on Disney property. To get to the different areas you'll just need to make sure you board the right bus. They display their destination clearly on top, however if you are unsure you can always ask the driver or a cast member. 

The Disney bus transportation system is one of the easiest ways of getting around. Busses depart from the resort to all the parks regularly and are completely free to use at any time. The bus services generally stop running once the parks close, and tend to run for an hour either side of the park hours. During extra magic hours they will run slightly longer.

Disney's Contemporary Resort Dining

The Contemporary Resort features nine dining locations. These are:

  • The Wave - Located just off the main lobby area, and offers locally grown American cuisine. The restaurant focuses on organic and sustainable foods and puts great emphasis on serving great tasting food and drink. This is a table-service restaurant, and uses 1 disney dining plan table-service credit. Menu items include Asian Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Tuna Salad and Classic Reuben Sandwich.
  • Chef Mickey's - This is one of the best places to go for a character meal with the Kids. A breakfast buffet runs daily from 7am - 11:30 am with Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale and Minnie. The breakfast buffet features bagels, Mickey shaped pancakes, and a full English offering. The restaurant is also open from 5:00pm - 9:30 pm for a dinner buffet, and offers a selection of dishes such as prime-rib, parmesan mashed potatoes, pastas, salads, peal-and-eat shrimp and more. Chef Mickey's is a table-service location that uses 1 dining plan table-service credit.
  • California Grill - This is the resorts signature restaurant (two table service credits) located on the top floor of the main hotel building. Guests overlook the shimmering Seven Seas Lagoon with the Magic Kingdom in the background. A balcony is provided to let guests watch the Wishes firework show at the Magic Kingdom, and the music is piped in. Menu items include Yuzu-marinated Sashimi, Oak-fired Fillet of Beef, Cast Iron-seared Biston, Hawaiian Monchong and Hearts of Romaine.
  • Contemporary Grounds - A coffee bar offering gourmet coffee drinks, smoothies, beers, wines and speciality liquors.
  • Contemp Cafe - A quick-service location serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. It offers a range of items such as the Angus Cheeseburger, Smoked Turkey BLT, Toasted Turkey Sandwich, Caesar Salad and the Stacked Ham Sandwich.
  • California Grill Lounge - This is located adjacent to the California Grill restaurant, and offers an assortment of cocktails, appetizers and deserts.
  • Cove Bar - A pool-side bar located near the Bay Cove Pool and offers light snacks and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
  • The Sand Bar - Located next to the pool, this is a counter-service eatery and pool bar that offers a range of snacks, meals and beverages.
  • Outer Rim - A full-service cocktail bar overlooking Bay Lake.

To view full menus and extended details on any of the 4 restaurant(s) at Disney's Contemporary Resort, please select an individual restaurant from below.

Disney's Contemporary Resort News

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