Disney’s Contemporary Resort Review- Check Out These Incredibles Themed Rooms!

Disney’s Contemporary Resort is a modern hotel that is within walking distance or a quick monorail ride to Magic Kingdom. One of the original hotels at Disney World, the resort is built in a modern style with a huge lobby that takes up most of the main building of the hotel. The Disney World monorail actually glides through the lobby with a stop.

This hotel is pretty much the closest of any hotel within walking distance to one of the Walt Disney World theme parks. Let’s dive into my review of the resort and what you need to know when considering booking a stay at the property.

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Disney’s Contemporary Resort Review

While Disney’s Contemporary Resort isn’t our favorite of the monorail loop hotels – that honor goes to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort – the hotel does benefit from the proximity to Magic Kingdom and the monorail to EPCOT. This hotel is the closest hotel in walking distance to Magic Kingdom which is a major perk for those looking to be in control of your own timing destiny.

Designers leaned into the hotel’s mid-century modern roots with new design touches meant to keep the fresh. The nature of the modern design and hard lines makes it feel a bit more corporate than other deluxe properties. That’s fitting since this hotel is home to one of the largest convention center spaces on property.

Some of that corporate feel is trounced by the fact that the monorail literally glides through the hotel’s fourth-floor lobby. You can hop on board right then.

At one point the monorail was the best transportation at Walt Disney World, but now I actually prefer Disney’s Skyliner which is one reason that we love Disney’s BoardWalk Resort so much.

Let’s turn to the Contemporary Resort rooms which have recently been updated to an Incredibles theme.

Contemporary Resort Incredibles Room Review

Disney’s Contemporary Resort hotel rooms were redone about a year ago to introduce The Incredibles as the center of the design feature. The theme doesn’t immerse you in the Incredibles world but instead is more of a quiet homage to the films that align in style with the hotel overall.

Before I saw the theme in person my expectations were pretty low. I had heard that the rooms didn’t stack up to the Grand Floridian Mary Poppins rooms and that they felt more like value resort rooms than deluxe rooms.

While it is true that the Mary Poppins rooms reign supreme, these rooms are far better in person than what I had heard. The pops of color are grabbing, but they don’t dominate. The finishes in the rooms and style still make it clear that this is a high-end resort room.

Rooms for the resort are located in the main Contemporary Resort building with views out across Bay Lake towards Magic Kingdom and in the Garden Wing room which is a low-rise extension that juts off along the backside of the resort. I stayed in these rooms.

Here’s a closer look at The Incredibles touches in the closet which is a fun element.

Contemporary Resort View

The highlight of the rooms in the tower of the Contemporary Resort is the view. This is the tallest hotel tower on the resort right now and it offers incredible views. If you end up with a view towards Bay Lake and the Magic Kingdom you’ll be treated to a stunning nighttime fireworks view and in general a perfect place to watch the world go by.

Also adjacent to the hotel is the Bay Lake Tower which is home to Disney Vacation Club rooms.

Dining at Contemporary Resort

For those who don’t end up with the incredible view at the resort, head up to California Grill. This view is nothing short of magical. During previous meals, I have enjoyed a seating time an hour and a half before the fireworks.

We watched the sunset and then went out to an adjacent outdoor viewing for the restaurant to take in the fireworks. This is truly one of those WOW moments. The soundtrack is piped into the restaurant and on the adjacent balcony which may be open depending on weather.

Also at the resort, you’ll find a number of different dining options including a mid-level sit-down restaurant, cafeteria in the lobby, character dining, and a great poolside snack shack.

Steakhouse 71 is a nice sit-down restaurant for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The highlight of this menu is the smash burger which it seems like over 80% of the tables order. For a quick meal, sitting at the bar here is very easy.

The lobby Contempo Cafe is a fine option that you can mobile order a variety of quick service food from throughout the day. You can also walk up to this cafeteria-style offering. However, for any lunch or dinner, I would suggest you skip this for the next option.

The poolside restaurant is a hidden gem among these options. For under $10, I had a great chicken pita sandwich with fries that I enjoyed multiple times during my stay. The menu also has great prices on classic fare like chicken tenders, burgers, and a salad. I befriended the cook who pulled together my order the second time I ate there. Say hello to Ruthie if you see her and please tell her that Gavin is still thinking about her cooking.

Transportation to the Theme Parks

For Magic Kingdom, Contemporary Resort guests can walk about 10 minutes from the hotel to be at the main gate for the Magic Kingdom or get on the monorail. Be warned that the resort monorail line goes in a clockwise direction so you will have to make three other stops before being dropped off at Magic Kingdom.

I would recommend the walk to Magic Kingdom. You walk along a protected path and the only interruption is one stoplight that can be a little bit long.

For EPCOT you can take the monorail one stop to the Transportation and Ticket Center before getting on the EPCOT monorail there.

For Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can take buses from the resort pickup area.

Contemporary Resort Pool Area & Other Fun

The hotel has a pool area located behind the main tower which has a couple of nice water features for kids to enjoy.

Located around the pool are also a number of outdoor games setup like a ping pong table and oversized chess. The lifeguards were also leading trivia games in the pool. It was fun to listen in.

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Don’t miss the Electrical Water Pageant that floats by nightly. Depending on where your room is, you might have a view of it. The pageant is a string of barges with Christmas lights strung up that are synchronized to perform different mini shows on the water to music. The show dates back to 1971. It is not at all high-tech, but the calmness of this fun show makes for a special moment.

Overall, the Contemporary Resort offers many modern features along with the perk of its proximity to Magic Kingdom!

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