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| Brian Bennett |
[ Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide - Contents ] [ Return ]
[ Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide - Contents ] [ Return ] |
Contemporary Resort - Photo TourPhotos by Brian Bennett First Impressions | Grand Canyon Concourse | Restaurants | Pool and Recreation | Shopping Disney's Contemporary Resort was built at the very beginning of Walt Disney World's history. It was one of the two original resort hotels (the Polynesian Resort being the other) that were open when the massive complex first opened in 1971. At that time, the ultra-modern, gleaming glass and exposed concrete palace was the state of the art. Now, the resort has a little bit of a dated, antiseptic look to it at times. Nevertheless, this is a premium Disney resort...let there be no mistake about it. The shops, restaurants, rooms and other amenities are top-notch.
There's a neat historical tidbit that I just have to share about this resort. The rooms of the tower building (and at the Polynesian, too), shown in the top-most photograph were actually built off-site at a United States Steel "factory", then were trucked in and placed in their proper locations with cranes. Originally, the idea was to refurbish the rooms by simply sliding the older rooms out, and replacing them with refreshed ones. Unfortunately, the physics of settled concrete permanently locked those modules into place where they remain today. According to Christopher Finch in "The Art of Walt Disney," (pages 440-441 if you doubt my sources), the room modules were 14 1/2 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and 39 feet long. They came to the site fully wired and plumbed (including fire sprinklers) and with built-in furniture and carpeting. The US Steel plant built about a dozen of these rooms a day until over 1,500 units were fabricated.
It is clear from the moment you walk inside that Mickey is the Big Cheese at this resort. One example is this statue of Leopold Stokowski and Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey Mouse, greeting each other during the original Fantasia which was released in 1940. This statue is located just inside the entry doors and across from the check-in desk. Mickey is also prominently displayed in the shops here, as well as at Chef Mickey's, the main character venue/restaurant at this resort.
Even so, the Contemporary works hard to look sleek, modern, and unlike what you normally would associate with anything Disney. The main lobby area is filled with contemporary style furniture (not all that comfortable, but Jane Jetson would be proud to have Rosie the Robot vacuum around it in her living room).
As a premium resort, the Contemporary does a good job of providing quick, responsive service to it's guests. Another good reason for this is that the Contemporary has a large conference center and business guests are used to having things done just so. I didn't take any pictures of the conference center. Suffice to say that this resort boasts the best meeting facilities at Walt Disney World (and that many of Disney's own special events are based here throughout the year). In this view, taken from Bay Lake, shows how close this resort is to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. In the far right of the picture you can see Space Mountain. In the foreground, in front of Space Mountain, you can see the North Garden Wing of the resort. The garden wings (you can see the South Garden Wing in the foreground to the far left) are low-slung three-story buildings that complement the main Tower Building by enclosing the courtyard that contains the pool, playground, and marina.
Back on land, this view of the resort's enclosed courtyard looks from the Tower Building toward the North Garden Wing and Bay Lake beyond.
I snapped this photograph when I was walking back from the North Garden Wing toward the Tower Building.
First Impressions | Grand Canyon Concourse | Restaurants | Pool and Recreation | Shopping Click here to return to the Contemporary Resort "Fast Facts" Page.
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