Disney's Contemporary Resort

Disney's Contemporary Resort is one of the Deluxe Resorts on Walt Disney World Resort property. The resort originally opened as a modern hotel with the rest of the resort in 1971.

Design
The most prominent of the hotel's four stand-alone buildings is the Contemporary Tower, built as an A-frame with outer walls which slope inwards around an inner atrium. This design was a collaboration by Disney, the United States Steel Corporation, and Los Angeles, California architect Welton Becket. To construct it, steel frames were erected on site and modular pre-constructed rooms were lifted into place by crane (machine). Approximately 500 guest rooms line the outer walls of this building. Room renovation should have been a simple matter of replacing modules when refurbishment was needed; however, it was found that the modules settled and became stuck in place, rendering them irremovable. Most of Disney's Polynesian Resort was built this way also. Another resort in Orlando that was built by US Steel was the Court of Flags Resort. Court of Flags Resort also known as Delta Orlando Resort in 1972. They also had the slide-in modular units.

The Contemporary Tower houses most of the resort's key facilities, including resort registration and guest services (concierge). The main hall, named the Grand Canyon Concourse, is also located in the main Tower, and houses two restaurants and a variety of shops. The Walt Disney World Monorail runs through the inside of this building, providing a monorail station here for resort guests. Also adorning the concourse walls is an enormous mosaic designed by Mary Blair.

One three-story wing flanks the south side of the Tower, and offer an additional 250 rooms. A convention center was added to the resort and opened on November 11, 1991, with more than 90,000 square feet (more than 8,300 square meters) of convention space.

Kingdom Tower
In November, 2006, Disney filed plans for a project on the site of the Contemporary Resort's North Garden Wing, and a construction fence was erected, encompassing the wing and part of its parking lot. On the North Wing site, Disney's Racquet Club was demolished by January 30, 2007. The North Wing itself was demolished between January 31, 2007 and April 6, 2007. Construction on the new building continued through 2007, with Disney never making an official announcement as to what was actually being built.

In February 2008, Disney won approval from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation to begin selling Disney Vacation Club units at a property called "Kingdom Tower at Disney's Contemporary Resort." Approval was granted for an initial sale of 75 units, with the Kingdom Tower ultimately containing 281 time-share units. The approval does not, however, state when Disney Vacation Club will actually begin selling units; it says only that they can do so. In preparation for the future sale, Disney incorporated a condominium association for the property on January 9, 2008 that will manage the units.

The tower will have a pedestrian bridge connecting to the original A-frame tower, and will include numerous amenities of its own, such as a swimming pool with water slide, tennis and shuffleboard courts and a cookout pavilion.

Guest rooms
While rooms vary slightly, standard guest rooms contain two queen beds (or one king bed), a bed/couch, a sitting table, a credenza with a TV and a coffee maker, a small refrigerator, and a fairly large closet. Bathrooms for standard rooms at the Contemporary usually have dual sinks and vanity, a standard western toilet and a bathtub. The Guest Rooms make use of muted Browns, Reds, Purples and Greens as a part of their theming, partially inspired from current Asian interior design trends. Rooms previously made use of vivid primary colors red, yellow and blue, to match the theming of the hotel, which was said to be influenced by contemporary art from the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the original resorts on property, the Contemporary Resort sports some of the largest rooms on Disney property, matched only by Disney's Polynesian Resort which also opened in 1971.

The Contemporary Resort also offers a variety of suites, as well as two levels of concierge (sometimes referred to as "club") service on the 12th and 14th floors.

Restaurants
There are several restaurants in the Contemporary Resort's main building.

The California Grill
The California Grill provides a high-class and critically acclaimed dining experience featuring exotic dishes and attentive service. Located at the top (15th floor) of the Contemporary Resort's tower, the California Grill offers sweeping views of the Magic Kingdom, the Seven Seas Lagoon, Bay Lake, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort, and Disney's Polynesian Resort. In addition, it offers a magnificent view of the Magic Kingdom's fireworks shows.

Chef Mickey's
Chef Mickey's, on the Grand Canyon Concourse, is a buffet which features appearances from Disney characters. Open for breakfast and dinner. Chef Mickey's offers a view of the monorail entering the resort and constant character appearances. There are children's items including Goofy's pizza, Mickeyroni and cheese, and other novelties. There is also an adult buffet which includes pot roast, steak, potatoes etc. Dessert bars are available to all. The characters may vary, but include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip 'n Dale.

The Concourse Steakhouse
The Concourse Steakhouse, also on the Grand Canyon Concourse, is a casual sit-down restaurant. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This restaurant is officially closing on 05/10/2008.

The Food and Fun Center
The Food and Fun Center, in the main lobby area, is a counter-service eatery serving light fare and snacks. Previously joined next to a large video game arcade that has since been moved to the Grand Canyon Concourse. It is open 24 hours a day at peak times of the year. The Food and Fun Center and arcade will be moved during the current renovations, and it's previous location will be replaced with a new Table Service restaurant. The Food and Fun Center is currently closed - another counter service is available on the Grand Canyon Concourse near the entrance to the Concourse Steakhouse and before the entrance to Chef Mickey's called the Tempo Grab & Go.

The Sand Bar
The Sand Bar, located just alongside the main pool, offers a variety of outdoor treats from burgers to ice cream sandwiches. There is also a cocktail bar that serves a vast array of alcoholic beverages. The food menu at the Sand Bar's grill is similar in scope and price to the Food & Fun Center inside.

Entertainment and activities
The Contemporary Resort offers two pools and a private beach on Bay Lake. A marina offers several water activities, such as boat rentals, personal watercraft rides, fishing tours and rentals.

The Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks show "Wishes" is visible from the Contemporary Resort, with the show's soundtrack played over speakers in various locations from which the fireworks can be seen. The Electrical Water Pageant also passes the Contemporary Resort nightly at around 10:05 p.m., pending any inclement weather or other technical conditions.

Long-term refurbishments
During 2005-06, Disney completed a renovation of all guest rooms and many public areas throughout the resort. The decor has changed little through the resort's history and has been replaced with more modern decor and furnishings.

New guest rooms
Using muted colors, updated furnishings and linens, guest rooms of the resort received a more modern appearance consistent with the resort's theme. New beds were installed with white duvets and sheets, and a suede headboard that runs the height of the room. A clear glass desk workspace was added to rooms, along with a light-green futon-style day bed. Carpet and wall colors now incorporate a soft "chocolate" brown color, while the new entertainment is framed by dark wood. This entertainment center includes a 32" HDTV LCD, however the rooms still receive analog video signals, so HD video is unavailable to these televisions. Bathrooms have new Kohler "flat sinks", new mirrors and new wallpaper, and white and brown marble tile floors. A computer with unlimited Internet access is located on the glass desk.  All rooms have mini-refrigerators, and they are stocked daily for suites & rooms on the 14th floor (concierge level with mostly suites and four regular size rooms).

Restaurants renewed
Restaurants have also been subject to speculation on pending renovations, with the Orlando Sentinel reporting that all of the restaurants at the resort will be entirely reworked. California Grill and Chef Mickey's are both rumored to receive design updates to compliment the rest of the resort refurbishment, while the Concourse Steakhouse and Food & Fun Center will be completely demolished and will move locations, putting the steakhouse on the lobby level, and have a new name. Food & Fun Center and arcade will be on the Grand Canyon Concourse fourth floor. A new restaurant, called "The Wave", will replace the Concourse Steakhouse, and has been confirmed to open in June 2008 on the lobby level. It will feature an "aquatic entrance," a walkway leading to the front of the house podium. The menu will be a fusion of Southeast Asian, Mediterranean, North American, and Western European cuisine.

New Grand Canyon Concourse Gift Shop
The open space between the shopping areas of the Grand Canyon Concourse now has a new gift shop which opened on November 21, 2007. The carpet and tile on the Concourse level have also been replaced.

New lobby
In the lobby of the Contemporary Resort, the front desk has been upgraded, and lobby area updated to complement the new guest rooms.