Monorail into Contemporary Hotel
Disney's Contemporary Resort © Walt Disney World

Disney’s Contemporary Resort Hotel Review

Contemporary Hotel

The Contemporary Hotel is a Deluxe Hotel at Walt Disney World!

Location: Magic Kingdom area

Description:

Retreat to this ultra-modern Disney Resort hotel and discover award-winning dining, spectacular views and dazzling pools. Whether you’re staying in the iconic A-frame Contemporary tower or the nearby Garden Wing, you can walk to Magic Kingdom main gate or catch the Resort Monorail as it breezes through the tower. Inside, a 90-foot-tall mural by Disney Legend Mary Blair—responsible for the distinct look and feel of the “it’s a small world” attraction—celebrates the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest.

Our Take

Contemporary Hotel is a fantastic place to stay if you love the Magic Kingdom theme park! Just like the Grand Floridian Hotel it’s as close as you can get to the Magic Kingdom. It also sits on the same monorail track as the other Magic Kingdom area hotels so guests can take a quick ride over to the park. The cool thing about the monorail line here is that it goes right through the center of the hotel! It’s pretty cool!

The Contemporary Hotel offers great views of several lakes surrounding it as well as great views of Magic Kingdom. There are two restaurants here that offer dining and great viewing of the Magic Kingdom fireworks at night.

California Grill is a seafood/sushi restaurant that offers the best views of Magic Kingdom and the fireworks show at night. Their menu in fantastic and can be enjoyed by adults and children. Since the California Grill is located at the top of the Contemporary Hotel the viewing for fireworks is amazing. They have viewing areas from inside the restaurant as well as an observation deck outside. If you were only able to dine before the fireworks show do not fret. Simply take your receipt to the 2nd floor check-in desk and they will let you backup to watch the show!

The 2nd best place to watch the fireworks and enjoy some drinks and a meal is the Top of the World Lounge. It’s located at Bay Lake Tower which is accessible by the sky bridge from Contemporary. It’s mostly for DVC members but it offers viewing of the fireworks from inside and outside as well. Get there early!

Chef Mickey’s is the one restaurant that offers character dining. Enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner with all your favorite pals including chef Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto. You’ll want to book these reservations 180 days in advance as they disappear quickly!

contemporary hotel

You can walk from the Contemporary Hotel to Magic Kingdom theme park if you don’t want to wait for the monorail. Unfortunately the monorail runs opposite to the Magic Kingdom so you have to make several stops before actually getting there. Walking will take you about 15 minutes but you do have a smaller security line to go through.

The Feature Pool at the Contemporary Hotel is probably the warmest pool in all of Disney World. It’s heated year-round like most of the pools but for some reason this one is just a bit warmer and we love it.

Pros:

  • Luxury hotel throughout.
  • Amazing views of the Magic Kingdom area and fireworks.
  • Tons of great restaurants for dining.
  • Lots of water activities available.

Cons:

  • Not close to any of the other parks.
  • Requires a decent amount of busing.
  • Older-ish rooms but nothing to hate.

Discounts and Savings

We recommend Undercover Tourist for the best price on this hotel.

Fun Fact

Disney’s Contemporary Resort was one of the first hotels to open in 1971 at Walt Disney World (along with the Polynesian Resort Hotel).

More Hotels

There are several other hotels located in the Magic Kingdom area including the Polynesian Village Resort, Wilderness Lodge and Grand Floridian Hotel.