What We Like: It’s hard not to love any resort that has it’s own monorail station, no less one where the monorail actually drives thru the fucking lobby!!!  Besides that obvious answer this A-frame has a lot going for it. How’s a 10 minute walk to the Magic Kingdom sound? Good?  Well it gets better now that Disney has added a security checkpoint to the end of that walk-way essentially giving walkers from the Contemporary a private check-point, Hell YES!! Back to the monorail, the first stop once you board from the Contemporary is the Transportation and Ticket Center, giving you quick access to Epcot. So, LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! But there’s more to love, from the watersports like parasailing and boat rental to the dining experiences.  Everyone’s heard about dining at California Grill and taking in the fireworks show from there. The Wave, and even Contempo Cafe are rock solid in their own right. The rooms are clean and modern and if you are lucky enough to stay in the Tower you can step out your door and watch monorail pass by the Mary Blair mural whilst sipping your favorite beverage (thru a Mickey straw of course). 

Dinner and Fireworks at the California Grill. Photo Credit: Disney

What We’d Change: Balconies. At this price point all of the damn rooms better have a balcony. If you’re in the garden wing most don’t and if you’re ground floor on the garden wing you’re lucky enough to get a patio but you’ve gotta share it with your neighbor. Next, the main pool for the Contemporary Resort is lackluster. While nothing is wrong with it per say, it certainly isn’t something worthy of a Deluxe resort. The most imaginative part was the splash pad area for small kids and you’ve probably got one just like it at your neighborhood park. That being said the pool does have a decent slide and the area itself is kept up nicely it’s just underwhelming considering what other Deluxes have to offer in terms of pools.

Overall: There’s a reason this place is number two on the list. It’s been wowing mouse fans since things kicked off in Orlando back in 1971. In fact if was where I first stayed as a kid with my Mom and Dad way back in 1987. It’s also the first Disney hotel my wife and daughter experienced. I may be a bit biased toward it, but I’m also always right so you can take my word for it.