{"id":210242,"date":"2026-03-29T03:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T03:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/210242\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T03:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T03:38:11","slug":"what-i-wish-id-known-before-staying-at-disneys-contemporary-resort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/210242\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Wish I’d Known Before Staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since its opening \u2014 along with the Walt Disney World Resort<\/a> \u2014 on October 1st, 1971, the Contemporary Resort<\/a> has been a dream destination for many Disney guests thanks to its proximity to the Magic Kingdom, unique A-frame construction, and the fact that the Disney World Monorail literally passes THROUGH the building.<\/p>\n

\"\"Contemporary Resort monorail<\/p>\n

All that said, if you\u2019re planning to stay at the Contemporary for the first time any time soon, there are some things you NEED to know. Trust me.<\/p>\n

2026\/2027 Construction<\/p>\n

A series of refurbishments began at the resort in 2024 and is expected to last through 2027. Current projects include exterior maintenance on the hotel\u2019s Main Tower, which, according to Disney, may \u201cimpact views from various locations throughout the resort and, at times, require alternate paths of travel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Furthermore, from March 30th through May 1st, the hotel\u2019s Skyway Bridge \u2014 which connects Bay Lake Tower with the Contemporary\u2019s Main Tower \u2014 will be closed from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. The bridge will then reopen daily after 5:00 PM, and remain available evenings and weekends. According to Disney, \u201cguests may need to use alternate paths of travel at times and may see or hear construction activity while work is underway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moving from the Main Tower to the Bay Lake Tower, work and repairs on the exterior elevator landings will last from late March through May 2026. These projects join the work on the Bay Lake Tower\u2019s Bay Cove Pool, Cove Bar, and the water play area and whirlpool spa at Bay Lake Tower, all of which have been closed for maintenance since January 26th. The amenities are scheduled to reopen in early May 2026, and until then, the Main Pool, water play area, and whirlpool spa at Disney\u2019s Contemporary Resort will be available for guests.<\/p>\n

\"\"Disney\u2019s Contemporary Resort
\nThe Rooms are Incredibles-Themed<\/p>\n

On the surface, The Contemporary may not seem like it has a distinct Disney character theme. However, within the resort\u2019s rooms, there are references to the Disney\/Pixar franchise The Incredibles.<\/p>\n

\"\"Inside the Closet<\/p>\n

While some do like these touches, other guests are turned off by them. Some wish there was no Incredibles theme and that the hotel had its \u201cclassic\u201d1970s decor, while others wish Disney had gone further with the characters. Wherever you fall on that, just keep it in mind when booking.<\/p>\n

Disney Adults Can\u2019t Stop Hating the Changes They BEGGED For<\/a>
\nMonorail Roundabout<\/p>\n

While the Monorail is one of the biggest perks available at the Contemporary, there is something that guests should remember.\u00a0 If you board the Monorail to head to the Magic Kingdom, you\u2019ll need to circle the whole route before arriving at the park, stopping at the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Grand Floridian Resort, and the Polynesian Village. Bear in mind that if you\u2019re in a rush to get to the park, you can use the walking path between the hotel and the park.<\/p>\n

\"\"Boarding the Mo
\nBe Wary of the Volume<\/p>\n

The hotel\u2019s central Grand Canyon concourse can be quite loud thanks to its multi-story open-air design and the presence of Chef Mickey\u2019s and several shops.<\/p>\n

As sound travels upwards, the sound can be heard in the main tower\u2019s guest room areas.<\/p>\n

\"\"Monorail at Disney\u2019s Contemporary Resort
\nCalifornia Grill Provides Breathtaking Fireworks Views\u2026 for a Price<\/p>\n

The Contemporary has had some version of a restaurant on the top floor since the beginning. These days, the restaurant is known as the California Grill and offers some of the best views of Walt Disney World, especially the Magic Kingdom\u2019s fireworks.<\/p>\n

However, if you want to see those views, dinner will cost you. Currently, the California Grill offers a prix fix menu that costs $99 per adult, + tax and gratuity.<\/p>\n

\"\"Fireworks from California Grill<\/p>\n

Keep these things in mind if you\u2019re planning on staying at the Contemporary anytime soon. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney World\u2019s hotels.<\/p>\n

THROWBACK PHOTOS: This Will Have You Nostalgic For a Time BEFORE Disney Radically Changed the Polynesian<\/a><\/p>\n

Have you stayed at the Contemporary? Let us know in the comments below.<\/p>\n

Post a Comment <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Since its opening \u2014 along with the Walt Disney World Resort \u2014 on October 1st, 1971, the Contemporary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210243,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-210242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210242\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}