Disneyworld Monorail Resorts

There are three resorts on the monorail loop including Contemporary, Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian. The most enticing thing about this of course is location, location, and location. All three are incredible in their own way and the views of the Magic Kingdom at night especially is breathtaking. Since each of these resorts has so much to offer I think the best approach is to break it down into three separate posts. This first post is going to be the Contemporary because we had the privilege of staying here for ten days on a business/pleasure trip a few years back.


The Contemporary Resort is one of the two original Disneyworld hotels. It is located between Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon on the monorail loop that services the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is only a short monorail ride (or walk) away and getting to Epcot simply requires transferring from one monorail to another one. Getting to Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, or Downtown Disney is a short bus ride away and there is only one bus stop at the Contemporary Resort.

The resort itself consists of an A frame building which is the main building and the monorail drives straight through. It also contains a garden wing off to the opposites side of the Magic Kingdom. The rooms at the Contemporary Resort are among the largest at Disneyworld. The standard rooms have two queen beds and a day bed which can accommodate up to 5 people plus a child in a crib. There are also suites of all shapes and sixes available but are extremely expensive and hard to come by. The main building or tower is 14 stories tall and has approximately 500 guest rooms. The Tower rooms have 2 views, Bay Lake or Magic Kingdom/Parking Lot. The Garden Wing has approximately 250 rooms. The Garden rooms have either a water, garden or parking lot view. The rooms in the tower are more expensive than the wings and of course Magic Kingdom rooms are more expensive as well. For example a garden wing in value season rates at $280 and as high as $455 during holiday season. In contrast. the tower standard rooms during value season rate at $390 up to $575 during holiday season. OUCH! Of course these are rack room rates and do not include promotions or package deals.

The recreation activities available at the Contemporary are vast to say the least. There are two pools and one large pool is a free form pool complete with a 17-foot high curving slide. There is also a round, quiet pool which is shallow around the edges and deeper in the center. Two whirlpools have also been added, one of which is located on a peninsula which juts out into the free form pool area. Although there is no swimming in Bay Lake there are many other activities available including Sea Racers, pontoon boats, and bass fishing excursions. You can also contact Sammy Duval Water Sports Center and schedule things such as parasailing, water skiing, and even tubing. The Contemporary resort also boats The Olympiad fitness center on the third floor in the tower and a large arcade as well. There is also available basketball courts and beach volleyball for the active minded individual. There is also fantastic shopping on the concourse level.

Over the course of the last couple of years The Contemporary has undergone many renovations including the demolition of it's North Wing to construct Bay Lake Towers. Also a major renovation which involved closing an old table service restaurant, enlarging Chef Mickey's, and adding a new table service restaurant called the Wave. Chef Mickey's is a very popular buffet inside the Contemporary that has the characters such as Mickey and Minnie coming to visit you at your table. We have eaten here many times and the children love it, especially breakfast. The food is pretty good for a buffet, the place is non-stop chaos (which is part of the charm), and the characters are great. The Wave which is the newest restaurant in the Contemporary is pretty decent and interesting to say the least. The food was OK and the atmosphere was very futuristic. It felt very much like and upscale meal and we all enjoyed our meal here. It wasn't a must do for every trip but it was fun. The California Grill is the premier restaurant of the Contemporary Resort and is located on the 15th floor of the Tower building. This was one of the best meals we have ever had and the views of the Magic Kingdom fireworks are amazing from here! You will definitely need reservation for the California Grill and probably Chef Mickey's if you go during the busy season.

The Disneyworld monorail resorts offer luxurious accomodations and amazing location. My Disneyworld family vacation tip for this topic if you can swing the money these facilities are second to none. They make a magical trip even more magical.