All-Stars vs. Contemp

[laureng]

We are planning our first WDW trip for Thanksgiving Week 2003. It will be 2 adults, 3 children (3, 6, and 9), and would like to hear some thoughts. I am debating whether to stay in 2 rooms at the All-Stars or one room at possibly the CR.

Here are my thoughts...The AS will give us 2 rooms, the food court may be better to feed 3 kids, I'm sure the kids will love the theming, will be cheaper than CR (even though that is not the most important consideration, unless the difference is really significant).

My concern is that since we will be there through the TGiving holiday, we will probably stay away from the parks on Thurs - Sat and I would love to do some resort hopping which I'm thinking may be easier from the CR. And with small children, I'm sure we'll be spending more time at MK which would be more accessible from CR.

I'm saying CR because of the bigger rooms and looking at the discounts that were offered for this year, I think we could swing the cost of a room here. Hoping they will offer discounts next year, too!

Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Kallison]

I don't think there is any comparison, pick the Contemporary!! The rooms are plenty big enough, we had 5 and our kids were then 11, 9 & 7. You cannot beat the location, you will save so much time not traveling by bus. Just roll out of bed, go to Chef Mickey's then walk to the gates of MK in less than 10 min. You can get back to the room so quick and easy. Take the monorail to Epcot and the boat from there to MGM. On our trip we only used the bus once to get back from MGM one night. IMO you would be NUTS not to pick the Contemporary. Have a great trip whatever you decide!

 

[weloveminnie]

Just pick Contemporary!!!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

My personal suggestion would be for the All-Stars... (or possibly Pop Century, since it will be open then)

Kids seem to love the atmosphere and theming of the All-Stars, and they have really nice food courts there. If you can get All-Star Movies, they have some really nice theming that I'm sure your kids would love. (the Fantasia & Toy Story buildings being my favorite)

As much as I love the Contemporary... I think the All-Stars are better for kids. I personally think that the Contemporary is overpriced... and that if you can't get a Tower room, that it's better to find another resort.

As for transportation, the All-Stars have the best bus transportation out there. The Contemporary obviously has the Monorail... which is great... but, even if you're at the All-Stars, you can still joy ride around on the Monorail. (BTW: Bus ride from All-Stars to MK is approx 13 mins... Monorail ride from Contemporary to MK is also approx 13 mins)

 

[mickeyfan1]

Unless you can get a tower room, I think the All Stars are a better choice. You can probably get 2 rooms for less than the price of one at the Contemp, and that means....TWO BATHROOMS!!!! Which can be a life saver. The youngest can escape into your room if his siblings are bugging him, 2 tvs for different show tastes, and the All Stars are really fun resorts, the theming is cool, all of it is larger than life. I loved my MK View in the CR Tower, but I wasn't paying for it, I was on business. As an adult (not a grown up yet), it was very nice to be in the "Deluxe" area of WDW, but for the amount of time I spend in the room, I would rather have the amount of money to spend on fun!

Now about that Monorail, I thought it is an attraction ride, you mean it actually has a purpose?? It takes people places? I always get on it at Epcot and ride all the way to MK, then change cars at the station and ride back. One time tho I remember a detour into lots of beautiful hotels..... OK, this time I will have to see if it's a ride or "just" transportation. There must be a ride report on this board somewhere that can clue me in.......JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!

 

[cinmell]

I love the Contemporary. The location is wonderful, you can walk to MK if you want to and you can monorail over to the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. You can also take the boat over to Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge if you want to check them out. There's a large game room and pools along with a playground. I really think you'll enjoy the Contemporary!

 

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by Chip 'n Dale Express
I personally think that the Contemporary is overpriced... and that if you can't get a Tower room, that it's better to find another resort.

Actually I stayed in a 3rd floor North wing room at the Contemporary in 2000 and it was wonderful. We had a shorter walk to the bus stop and it was faster gettting to the Magic Kingdom. We could walk out the door and were on our way. Much more convenient than being in a tower room.

The Contemp has the Food N' Fun Center where burgers, fries, etc...can be purchased. You also have Chef Mickey's for buffet fare along with the Concourse Steakhouse for Cafe type meals and the California Grill for Gourmet Dining.

Being able to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom is wonderful after a parade. You don't have to crowd onto a monorail if you don't want to. You can also get the boat to Fort Wilderness or the Wilderness Lodge from the Contemporary.

I'd say unless you absolutely need two bathrooms then go for the Contemporary.

 

[laureng]

Thanks! This is the kind of ideas I was looking for!

mickeyfan1 - LOL at the monorail being a ride! I'm sure that's exactly what my kids will think!

One more thing...will being there over the holiday sway anyone more strongly one way or the other?

 

[janner]

Hi.
How would your family feel about moving part way through your week? For some families this is relatively easy, and for others it's not. We always stay more than one place, because various hotels have their advantages and proximity to various parks. Plus, we find that moving to a new hotel is kind of liking starting our vacation all over again. Disney is helpful with storing luggage for you, also.
We've stayed several times at each of the places you are considering, and we're keen on each for different reasons. Food court, outdoor play areas, and low rates are the pluses at All Star. Being on the monorail, proximity to MK, and in-house character meals are pluses at Contemporary.
So, add this to your decision-making mix and see where it takes you.
Hope you have a wonderful time!!
Janet

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

Originally posted by epcotfan
Being able to walk to and from the Magic Kingdom is wonderful after a parade. You don't have to crowd onto a monorail if you don't want to.

I've never understood this... Yes, it's great to be within walking distance, but (for me at least) the major draw for the Contemporary is the Monorail going through it. To me at least, it seems to defeat the purpose of staying at a Monorail Resort by walking to and from the MK. *shrug* Just my one and a half cents...

 

[JulesMom]

Contemporary!

We had a great stay here. We stayed in a Garden Wing room and had a blast.

This is DS's fav resort and has been since he was 3 y/o(now 10).

There are 2 queen beds and a daybed(with a real mattress), so there is plenty of room.

I thought the food court was great! We ate there alot.

I think they have the best game room!

 

[Dis-knee]

Hello to you from Slidell!

We always go to WDW the week following Thanksgiving. So much nicer because the holiday season is in full swing at Disney. The crowds are usually light and we get to do Candlelight Processional, Osbourne Family Lights and MVMCP.....and SNOW. Since you live in Houma, you know that seeing "Snow" is next to impossible!!

We will be staying at the Contemporary right after Thanksgiving for 7 nights. This trip we will have only 2 children with us but are staying there with another family with 4 children. Feel free to ask any questions about our stay. I think I would choose the Contemporary because of the convenience to the parks, and they do have a food and fun area for quick eats. You can see the MK fireworks from there and also the Electric Water Parade from the Cont. also. Many perks in my mind!!

What ever you choose......Have a great time!!

 

[laureng]

janner - I will think about splitting the stay between 2 resorts. Need to pass that by dh and see what he thinks.

Hi Dis-knee! I am hoping to at least get to see Osbourne Lights while we are there. I think the week after TGiving would be the ideal week to go, but dh doesn't like the idea of taking the kids out of school, especially since they are out the whole week of TGiving. Can't wait to hear about your stay at the Contemp!

Thanks again for all the replies! Very helpful!

 

[mplsmom1]

We loved the All Stars and our next trip we'll either be there or PopCentury. My kids loved the themes of the hotel, the pools and the food court (and they are picky eaters). I can echo the transportation note too from Chip n' Dale Express - we hardly ever had to wait very long for buses and the only really long trip was to Downtown Disney. Have fun!

 

[sha_lyn]

I've stayed at ASMu 2X and CR NGW 1X. I like AS better for a few reasons, but I don't dislike CR. I would consider splitting the stay too depending on the rates you get. If you don't get a good rate at CR I would just stick with an AS resort.

I've never understood this... Yes, it's great to be within walking distance, but (for me at least) the major draw for the Contemporary is the Monorail going through it. To me at least, it seems to defeat the purpose of staying at a Monorail Resort by walking to and from the MK. *shrug* Just my one and a half cents...

If you're in the NGW the walk to the monorail is about 10 min. the walk to MK is 15. The monorail travels to CR first, them poly then GF before reaching MK. If you walk to MK form NGW you'll beat the monorail riders by a good 10-15 minutes.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

This is very much our debate for our Dec.03 trip. We have stayed at and very much like the ASMo but wanted the CT this trip for it's monorail options. Cost is a factor and as we only need one room at ASMO, it is a major difference. What we are doing is booking ASMo for the entire 8 days right now and then watching for a code for the CT latter. According to what I can get, we will decide how many, if any nights we will move to the CT. We are thinking the last 2 nights of the trip and plan to do MVMCP party on one of these nights. If cost is not a big factor, go CT all the way.


Jordan's mom