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View Full Version : The Contemporary - Need advice



MaryM
10-25-2005, 02:52 PM
Staying 5 nights at The Contemporary while husband is at a conference. Bringing grandparents to help me with our 2 toddlers, and we're all staying in ONE room. We're hoping we can use our room for 2 out of 3 meals per day (since eating at restaurants daily with our 2 and 3 year olds last trip was just a nightmare!! They didn't hold up). Has anyone else travelled to this, or similar property with toddlers where you did most meals/snacks in your room, or at least portable so that you're not in restaurants multiple times a day? Any advice on how to pack for that, or what grocery type stores are nearby since we won't have a rental car, etc. or perhaps what the hotel already provides that may make this easier to plan?

If you just feel like giving ANY advice/tips on doing the Contemporary and WDW with 2 toddlers, I'm "all EARS!" Keeping them busy, getting them to nap, and getting them to eat healthy enough for us to all enjoy those days is my goal! We're also thinking they'd hold up better to stick to ONE park (Magic Kingdom) for the duration, rather than park hopping. (I've been humbled by a recent 2 hour trip to our local pumpkin patch --- that's all they needed to have fun, and any more was just overload) All ideas welcome, as I love learning from other's experiences.

Coolamber
10-29-2005, 02:44 AM
Are you going to Disneyland or Disneyworld?
At Disneyland we would go first thing in the morning and stay till about lunch. We would go back to the hotel to eat and take a nap. Then return to the park in the late after noon and stay until the kids got tired. We repeated this on day two, and it worked out well. We got to see everything and the kids did not get over stressed.

momtoB
10-30-2005, 10:16 AM
I've been to WDW many times but have never stayed at the Contemporary (we are Disney Vacation Club members so usually are on site but at a DVC resort). The Contemporary is a terrific place to stay if you plan on spending most of your park time at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot since you can just hop on the Monorail to get to those parks. So doing what the pp suggested - spending the morning at the park and then going back to the resort for lunch is very doable. If you go to MGM studios and Animal Kingdom then you will either have to get there by Disney bus transport or car (if you'll have one) and you might want to consider doing lunch at the park those days, although some people really like having a mid-day break. We found that our ds would NOT nap in the room and we actually did better just staying in the parks and doing ride swaps on the "big kid" rides while he napped in his stroller. With two under three I don't know if that will work for you though...but that is what we did. :)

As far as eating out goes - obviously almost everyone in the parks have kids, even many of the nicer sit down restaurants are pretty casual and pretty noisy and the more casual counter-service places are very noisy so if your children will not be out of place at all if they're not sitting quiety in their seats the whole meal. Trust me you won't be out of place at all! So if you do find yourself eating out more than you planned it shouldn't be a problem.

Here's a link to a great site with lots of information about the Contemporary (and WDW in general if you want to look around): http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_con.htm

at the top of the page click on "photo gallery" and it will show you pictures of the rooms and resort. I just thought you might be interested in seeing what the resort looks like.

Since the nearest grocery store is miles away you will either want to stop on the way to the resort to stock up at the beginning of the trip or have them delivered. This page has a list of the area stores (we usually shop at Publix) http://www.allearsnet.com/btp/grocery.htm

Some people will just pack everything in a cooler. I'm not sure if the rooms have refrigerators but even if they do they're bound to be very small.

Btw, every resort has a small grocery store with basic items but the selection is limited and you'll pay a premium.

You might also consider ordering online from http://www.wegoshop.com. I've seen that one recommended a lot on The Dis (www.disboards.com)

hth & hope you have a magical trip!

Cheryl

ETA: I personally consider "park hopping" as switching parks in the same day. I think if you want to spend time in more than one park there are plenty of things in all the parks to entertain your kids. Doing one park a day is a good idea and you can also save money on your passes since you won't be buying the "park hopper" feature. :-)

Allearsnet.com has a plethora of planning info. Here's a link to their "Tips for Taking your Preschooler to WDW" page: http://www.allearsnet.com/pl/kids.htm

hth.

Momof3Labs
10-31-2005, 01:36 PM
We did WDW with DS when he was 2.25 years old, and again for his third birthday. The Contemporary has a great location, though you will be VERY tight with 6 people in the room! WDW rooms are not known for being generously sized.

You will have a tiny dorm-sized fridge with no freezer compartment. A gallon of milk does not fit, but a half gallon does. We always rent a car, so grab some groceries at the beginning of the trip and, if needed, run back to the store during the week. If you are feeding 6 people 2 meals per day for 5 days (so, 60 meals) out of the room, you may want to have groceries brought when you arrive and again halfway through your trip. For meals, you can do cereal in the morning and sandwiches (e.g. PB&J) for lunch, and that won't take up much of your refrigerator space. But it gets boring!! And with such a tiny room, you'll want to spend LESS time in there rather than MORE.

WDW has tons of food options that don't involve sitting in a restaurant. They have plenty of counter services places (think eating McD's style, but better food for more money) so that the kids don't have to sit for long. And consider doing a character meal - the characters are a great distraction so that you can sit for a little longer than usual! We didn't think that DS would do so well eating out so much (we did one sit down and one counter service meal per day) but we ate early (less crowded) and picked carefully so that all of our needs were met. He did VERY well, much better than we expected!!

I would suggest that you do at least 1-2 other parks while you are there. MK is great, but no way could I do it for 5 days (it's not *that* big). We don't try to do everything at each park we visit, but pick a handful of things to "target" and go at DS's pace. On our first trip, we got sidelined at the jumping fountains at the Imagination pavillion (Epcot) and had a wonderful, relaxed hour there!

Go to www.disboards.com and zero in on the Family Board. You'll find some great suggestions for entertaining your kids - and managing your expectations! Have fun!

Edensmum
11-23-2005, 12:45 AM
I think you will have a great time. You should have a fridge in the room, ask ahead to make sure. Then on your way in stop and get groceries and pack a cooler. You can have stuff for break fast and snacks and other foods kids enjoy that don't involve cooking in the room. I would bring cereal,milk, and the makings for sandwhiches. Besides, fresh fruit etc..
I am sure they do room service too.
Also bring any water you want to drink with you. The water on Disney property is aweful. Very sulfury and chlorinated. You may also consider bringing some wine or beer, as it is very expensive to drink there. You can have them bring glasses to your room if you want to drink.
Don't underestimate the power of a day at the resort. Stay in and take advantage of what the hotel has to offer. Pools, boats etc
Or pop over to another resort and do the same. Fort Wilderness has a lot to offer. You could do the campfire sing alongs or just ride the trams.

Eden 9/04