<p>Having stayed at most Magic Kingdom resorts, we now stay at Yacht Club,the access to Epcot,where we now spend much of our time as kids are not kids anymore,is second to none…the ability to dine at very good places at Epcot, and the nightlife of the Boardwalk can’t be replicated at the Magic Kingdom resorts…staying at MK resorts is a pain to return to at night after spending time in the Boardwalk area…And the Contemporary is no longer ‘contemporary’. ;)</p>
<p>They remodeled the Comtemporary in maybe 2007, so it looks pretty “contemporary.”</p>
<p>Contemporary in a 70’s type way. ;)</p>
<p>Seriously, for acces to MK,it is second to none…as far as access to Epcot or Boardwalk, it is not the choice…also,unless you have younger children,a middle aged people like myself shouldn’t stay there…</p>
<p>I was on a band trip with high schoolers in 2005. Seems to me they were at least starting the remodeling of the Contemporary then. I’ve always thought it would be a fun place to stay. Does the monorail still go right through the hotel? I remember looking down and watching folks eating breakfast! If that is your 30th anniversary dream…go for it.</p>
<p>We have found that the key at Disney, as far as we are concerned, is getting to the park early and hitting the “big” rides right away (unless you are going during one of the slow times of the year, then it won’t really matter).</p>
<p>Saves a lot of hours and we can then relax and take it easy in the afternoon.</p>
<p>I don’t know how it is now, but in the past the biggest benefit was going early to whatever park had early admission for people staying in Disney properties.</p>
<p>They were remodeling the Contemporary when I was there about 1.5 years ago. I am not sure of the extent of the work but riding the monorail through it, they had extensive scalffolding up and down the balcony inside the building. I never stayed in it, but I definitely still remember the feeling that I had 30 years ago as I rode through that this was the coolest hotel ever.</p>
<p>*I would just add one thing–for a visit to Disney World, obsessive advance planning can really pay off in terms of avoiding lines and crowds, getting reservations to the restaurants and shows you want, etc. *</p>
<p>yes…planning is key for a successful WDW trip. If you try to “wing it” you’ll miss a lot!</p>
<p>Even with a “park hopper” pass, sometimes it’s just easier to do one park per day unless you have a special reason for hopping. A lot of time and walking is saved by sticking to one park at a time.</p>
<p>Pay attention to which parks have “early entrance” for those who are staying at property hotels. Each park will often have a couple of EE days per week. Take advantage of those EE days and go early to head towards the most popular attractions first. </p>
<p>Get yourself one of those WDW travel books that outlines a blow by blow itinerary based on your interests. Some even note where the bathrooms are. 
Go to the bookstore, look thru a few to find one that would be the most helpful. Sometimes the ones for WDW with Kids are the most helpful, even tho you’re not going with kids.</p>
<p>I know you said that you want to be spontaneous for eating, but if you have a day by day plan, it’s a good idea to plan some dinners and use the meal plan. Not all places require reservations (or preferred seating or whatever they call it). </p>
<p>Typical advice is to eat at “off times” so the wait is not too long. </p>
<p>To get pricing ideas, just go to the website and put in your info and an estimate will pop out. Usually, the all in one (hotel, tix, meal plan) is the way to go for best prices. </p>
<p>The WDW site also has a planning tool option that lets you put in what you like and it makes suggestions. </p>
<p>If you can, request a room that is NOT close to the monorail. People complain that those rooms are too noisy in the evenings and the monorail sometimes runs til about 2am.</p>
<p>Have fun!</p>
<p>Just my opinion, but I have always thought of the Contemporary as giving off a cold feeling. </p>
<p>I would much prefer the Polynesian, and if budget allowed, definitely the Grand Floridian if I wanted to be along the monorail. </p>
<p>If I could stay anywhere at Disney and did not want to stay at a hotel along the monorail (or did not care), I think the Yacht Club or the Animal Kingdom Lodge would be really nice places to stay!</p>
<p>If all of the above are too pricey, the Coronado Springs is just lovely too!</p>
<p>I camped in a tent in Disney’s rustic Camp Wilderness once…I know it’s not for everyone! What was weird about the WDW campground is that there were no raccoons at all in sight anywhere in the campground, but the place was alive with rabbits. Usually camping out, raccoons are all over the place getting into your cooler and other stuff, but not at Disney’s place. I swear, Disney must have raccoon wranglers catching the raccoons in their park and turning them into Davy Crockett hats to sell in the park to tourists.</p>
<p>^^^Lizard, you crack me up!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for the early admission for park stayers. I will definitely pay attention to that.</p>
<p>I am obsessive about vacation planning, as many of you on CC probably know by now, and my son says I missed my calling as a travel agent.</p>
<p>Husband and I have decided to start putting the pennies aside now for the Contemporary, and I will start the research now as well. I’ve registered for some of the above mentioned sites, and will look at the new ones mentioned as well.</p>
<p>Please keep the recommendations coming. Husband and I are both enjoying reading your comments.</p>
<p>Montegut, obsessive trip planning pays off big time on a trip to WDW. You can make restaurant reservations a lot earlier now than you used to be able to. I don’t remember how many days/months but look it up if you want to go someplace very popular.</p>
<p>As I was scrolling through this thread, I was going to post the same thought as northeastmom. The location of the contemporary is fantastic but it’s not my favorite Disney hotel. The lobby is a lot of glass and concrete, bland color and the monorail noise and acoustics feels more like an airport than a resort. </p>
<p>We love animal kingdom lodge but it is a long bus ride to go to the parks.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Contemporary for our first trip to WDW. It was very nice, if this is a dream trip I would spring for a room in the main tower. We were in one of the wings which while very nice it could be quite a hike to the main building and monorail.</p>
<p>One thing to do before you go is walk! If you are used to walking distances, WDW will be so much more enjoyable. </p>
<p>My favorite place I’ve stayed is the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was so beautiful and peaceful.</p>
<p>Something you might consider is a split stay, especially if you may not return for a long time. WDW staff is very helpful about transferring guests between properties. You could stay at the Contemporary (tower, theme park view) for half of your visit and then move to the Beach Club for the remainder. From the Beach Club, you can easily stroll along a short walkway to a back gate at EPCOT. </p>
<p>Be sure to read the disboards. I recently saw that WDW has curtailed the monorail’s operating hours and is now shutting down routes an hour after park closing. BTW, it was posted that they mean an hour after regular park closing and not the extended magic hour time, which is one reason we’re reconsidering if/when we will go and whether we will stay on site. Another concern is that several posters mentioned screening draped outside multiple floors on the bay view side. We stayed in a bay view room in the tower a few years ago and loved it, but I’d hate to have to put up with construction/cleaning noise or an obstructed view. You may want to email WDW to inquire about anything that could impact your enjoyment before you make airline reservations. </p>
<p>If you do plan to stay on site, be sure to let them know about any special celebrations such as your wedding anniversary or birthdays. You may be surprised at some of the nice little treats or special attention you receive. We were blown away last year. After >35 yrs. of visiting WDW (at least two dozen stays on site), we were surprised with a huge upgrade upon check-in. </p>
<p>Finally, try to settle on the dates of your visit ASAP so that you can book dining reservations (I think you can make reservations 6 mos. before your trip.) Even if you generally prefer to be spontaneous about dining, if there are any special restaurants you don’t want to miss it would be a good idea to book ADRs so you won’t be disappointed.</p>
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<p>Ah, Silpat, we speak the same language! It’s been very difficult in this thread not to post about the CR and the YC and whether to go for EMH.</p>
<p>Our first big family trip was for 10 days and we did a split stay - 5 days at YC (Yacht Club) and 5 days at the CR (Contemporary). It was great to be able to stay both places, but I wouldn’t do it for a shorter trip.</p>
<p>Also, are you a family that puts a lot of things on a credit card and pays it off each month? If so, get a Disney Visa. It gives you Disney dollars. When we are planning a trip, we put everything we can on the Disney credit card. We have eaten for free for an entire week on our Disney dollars from the Visa card…truly free money. (We were able to do things like put our entire new fence on the credit card.)</p>
<p>*One thing to do before you go is walk! If you are used to walking distances, WDW will be so much more enjoyable. *</p>
<p>This is such good advice! If you and H walk some each evening to build up stamina it will really help.</p>
<p>Also…if ibuprofen or naproxen agree with you, take some each morning of the trip…it will really help with the knees!</p>
<p>And try to break in two pairs of shoes. You never know when there is going to be a big soaking rain…no biggie, unless you have to put damp shoes on the next morning.</p>
<p>Right now, I believe, if you book through Disney, you can get a free meal plan.</p>
<p>I just went a few months ago. If you do not do ADRs (reservations) at sit down places, you’ll have to wait a long, long time to eat. Some places might already be booked up.</p>
<p>If you stay on property, there is a free shuttle from the Orlando airport to the hotel. Your hotel key is also your tickets.</p>
<p>^^^We were talking about rental car necessity yesterday. If we can take a shuttle from the hotel to the airport, no need for a rental car. We plan to eat on site for everything. Is there a shuttle to Downtown Disney and are reservations necessary for the eateries there?</p>