Let’s pretend for a minute that you’ve decided that for your next (or first) Walt Disney World vacation, you want to stay in the Magic Kingdom resort area.  Let’s go a step further and say you want to stay at a monorail resort.  First of all, go YOU!  These are our family’s favorite resorts!  Tough choice though.  All are expensive, all have their pros and cons.  Today, I’m going to try to explain the draw of Disney’s Contemporary Resort.  In future posts, I’ll do the same for the Polynesian Village Resort and the Grand Floridian too, so I’ll be sharing everything I know and have personally experienced.  All three have a lot to offer!

Who Would Love Disney’s Contemporary Resort?

You want to be smack dab in the middle of the Disney action – When you can see Magic Kingdom from your resort, all day and all evening, it feels especially Disney-ish.  You also have (my favorite!) the Electrical Water Pageant cruising by your resort in the evening.  Between the boats, busses and monorail, it feels like every park is just a short ride away.  Resort hopping by boat to Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness is super easy (and relaxing) as is access via monorail to the other Magic Kingdom resorts.

Your family adores Magic Kingdom – From the Contemporary, it’s just a short walk away!  Slightly more than 1/2 mile from door to Park entrance, the Contemporary is the ONLY resort from which you can walk to and from Magic Kingdom.  As an added convenience, the security bag-check/metal detector is right on the walkway, giving your family a straight shot to the entrance!  If you’ve got an early morning ADR (advance dining reservation) in Magic Kingdom, this perk is a plus!

Resort Loop Pub Crawl – Sure, this is a benefit of staying at any of the monorail resorts, but if you’re out for date night or have a party of adults only, this is a fun way to spend an evening.  We love to start at the Contemporary’s Outer Rim and move on to the Poly’s Tambu Lounge (or Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto) and Mizner’s Lounge in the Grand Floridian.  Grab a cocktail and snacks at each stop and make an evening of it.

Amazing Dining Options – Character dining? Check!  Meet the Fab Five at Chef Mickey’s for breakfast or dinner.  Need a quick meal?  Try the Contempo Café (Buffalo Chicken Flatbread is great!).  Fresh, sustainable, and delicious fare is available at The Wave, and if you want one of the best dinners at Walt Disney World, you can’t go wrong with the food, service, and view at the California Grill.

Nostalgia – It’s modern and retro at the same time!  As one of the original Walt Disney World resorts, the Contemporary has maintained that opening-day vibe while boasting updated rooms with a current, modern feel.  The Mary Blair mural (look for the five-legged goat!) and the open atrium where the monorail pulls right on in to the heart of the resort are all classic Walt Disney for geeks like us!  If you love Disney like we do, standing on that monorail platform, watching our ride pull into the station…there’s no feeling in the World exactly like it and fans have been experience that particular thrill since 1971.