Disney’s Contemporary Resort with Kids: Our Honest Review for Families
Finding a hotel that is the right fit for your family is the foundation of a successful Walt Disney World vacation. Having a place that feels more like home than a hotel room, with the right amount of space, sleeping accommodations, amenities, and dining options, can turn a good vacation into a great one.
My husband and I recently stayed at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with our two young children (ages 4 and 1). As one of the original Walt Disney World Deluxe Resorts, it’s best known for its Monorail station located right inside the hotel and its close proximity to Magic Kingdom. For families traveling with young kids, this level of convenience can make a huge difference, especially at the end of a long park day when everyone is tired.
In this post, you’ll find tips for choosing the right Walt Disney World resort for your family, along with what it’s really like to stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with kids—including the room setup, location, and why we’d recommend it for families.
How to Choose the Right Disney World Hotel for Your Family
With so many Disney hotels to choose from, it helps to narrow things down based on what matters most to your family. If it’s spending as much time as possible in the parks, then focus on hotels in close proximity, with a wide variety of transportation options to get you there as quickly as possible. If you have a few non-theme park days planned, then focus on the amenities and have awesome adventures without ever leaving the hotel property.
Below is a list of factors you might consider when selecting a hotel:
Price
Proximity to theme parks
Complimentary transportation options available
Available room types and sizes
Amenities
Dining Options
Theming
Why We Chose Disney’s Contemporary Resort
For this trip, we had tickets to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and were looking for a hotel for a one-night stay. The biggest factor for us was proximity to Magic Kingdom, along with how quickly we could get back to the room with two tired kids at the end of the night.
Since we knew it would be a late night, being able to get to and from Magic Kingdom as efficiently as possible was a top priority. Staying at a Disney resort with Monorail access felt like the best option, since we could travel directly to Magic Kingdom in just a few minutes without driving or needing to take the kids out of their strollers.
There are three Disney resorts on the Monorail line with direct access to Magic Kingdom: Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
We also considered Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, which is another popular Monorail resort for families. While we hadn’t stayed at any of these resorts yet at the time, we did visit the Polynesian on a later trip. If you’re comparing the two, you can read more about that stay here.
Once we narrowed it down to those options, the next factors we considered were price and room size. These are all Disney Deluxe Resorts, so pricing can be higher, but Disney often offers promotions throughout the year. It’s worth checking the “Special Offers” section on the Walt Disney World website to see if any discounts are available for your travel dates.
For our stay, we were able to use an Annual Passholder discount of 35% off select rooms. Even with the discount, the suites and villas were still out of our price range, so we booked a standard room with two queen beds and a balcony. The room had a tub for baths and enough open space for the kids to run around and play.
Disney has also recently updated these rooms with an Incredibles theme, which was a fun detail we were excited to see in person.
#Tot Tip: Disney offers a number of items to make your stay with little ones more comfortable. You can request a crib (either a mini crib or pack ‘n play) and bed rails for older kids.
I recommend calling your hotel ahead of time to confirm the process. For our stay, we were told to contact Housekeeping once we arrived. Within about 10 minutes of calling, they delivered and set up both the crib and bed rails in our room.
Arriving at Disney’s Contemporary Resort: Parking, Check-In, and Layout
Overnight, self-parking is free to guests staying at the Resort. Valet parking is also offered, at a rate of $39 per night (subject to change). The parking lot is a bit tight, but we were able to find a spot fairly close to the building and chose to self-park. If you have a lot of luggage, you can pull up to the front entrance first to unload your bags before parking or using valet.
The Front Desk is just a short walk inside the Lobby. There was no line when we arrived, which is always a plus when traveling with little ones. We had the option to use online check-in and go straight to our room, but since we needed a few items for the kids, I preferred stopping by the front desk first.
Check-in time is 3:00 PM, but it’s always worth asking if your room is ready early. If not, you can leave your bags at the front desk and take some time to explore the resort, grab something to eat, or even head over to Disney Springs.
Navigating the hotel was fairly simple. The restaurants, shops, and Monorail access are all located on the fourth floor, while guest rooms are on the floors above. One of the most unique features of Disney’s Contemporary Resort is that the Monorail travels directly through the Main Tower as it makes its loop between Magic Kingdom and the other Monorail resorts.
One thing that we weren’t sure about ahead of time was the noise level inside the resort since the Monorail runs right through the building. But once we were in our room, we couldn’t hear it at all.
It’s definitely something exciting to see, and my toddler absolutely loved watching it pass through the building. Being able to board the Monorail without even stepping outside was a huge convenience and one of the best parts of staying here.
Rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort (What It’s Like With Kids)
If you’re staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with kids, the room layout and overall space can make a big difference in how comfortable your stay feels.
Layout and Storage
Upon entering the room, you walk into a short hallway with two closets along the wall. There’s space for a small suitcase, a place to hang clothes, and several drawers for storage. There’s plenty of space under the beds for suitcases or even a stroller. We found all of the available storage really helpful in keeping everything out of the way during our stay.
Bathroom Setup
The bathroom is next and is much larger than I expected. It includes a shower/tub combo with sliding glass doors, and has a wall-mounted dispenser for shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, plus a small bar of soap.
A long vanity with double sinks provides plenty of counter space, and additional towels, wash cloths, and complimentary toiletries like lotion, a shower cap, and a small vanity kit are also included. Across from the vanity is a separate toilet closet. Overall, the bathroom layout worked really well for our family.
The only downside was the sliding barn-style door leading to the bathroom. My toddler figured that out pretty quickly, and when it was closed with a little extra enthusiasm, it was pretty loud. Thankfully, he was more interested in exploring the rest of the room instead.
Living Space and Sleeping Arrangements
The main living space is quite spacious, which made a big difference with kids. The Incredibles theme is subtle and I enjoyed that aspect. It was fun to look around and spot references to the movie, like the Frozone and Edna Mode pillows on the beds. Other details were a little more hidden, like on the curtains, wallpaper, and even the lampshade.
There’s a long couch that pulls out into an additional bed if needed, along with an oval shaped table that can be moved around the room. This ended up being a really useful place to set down bags and souvenirs, as well as a place to eat.
We had plenty of room to set up the crib we requested, which is closer in size to a mini crib. It comes with sheets, but we usually bring our own as well. We also requested bed rails for our toddler, which worked much better than the inflatable ones that we’ve tried to use in the past. These items are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so I recommend requesting them as early as possible.
Views and In-Room Amenities
Just past the bathroom is a small counter with a coffee maker on top and a beverage cooler underneath. It’s worth noting that this is a beverage cooler, not a traditional mini fridge, and it only cools to around 41 degrees. If you need a colder refrigerator for medical or dietary reasons, I recommend calling ahead to confirm they can accommodate your needs. The coffee station comes stocked with coffee, tea, creamers, sugar, and to-go cups.
Additional amenities include a large TV, phone, hair dryer, and a “Hey Disney” device, which works similarly to an Alexa with Disney-specific features. There’s an informational card with suggested phrases you can ask the device if you are unfamiliar with how they work.
Our view was spectacular and overlooked the water and some of the pools. While we were hoping for a theme park view to see Magic Kingdom fireworks, we didn’t spend much time on the balcony during this stay. All the natural light did however, make the room feel even bigger.
Final Thoughts on Disney’s Contemporary Resort for Families
Even though we didn’t spend a great deal of time in the room on this trip, it worked really well for our family and I would absolutely recommend staying at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with kids. The convenience of having a Monorail station inside the hotel is hard to beat. In just a matter of minutes, you can leave your room and be on your way to Magic Kingdom without ever stepping outside.
The room itself is a great fit for families. The layout maximizes the available space, giving kids more than enough room to move around, while still having enough space to set up a crib. The large bathroom and tub made bath time easy, and the extra seating, table space, and storage helped keep everything organized. Requesting items like a crib or bed rails can make your stay even easier and more comfortable.
For us, the biggest advantage was the proximity to Magic Kingdom. At the end of a long night after Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, when everyone was tired and it was raining, being able to get on the Monorail without taking the kids out of their strollers and arriving right inside the resort a few minutes later is a huge benefit.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with our two young kids. The room layout and available amenities made our trip easier, more comfortable, and much more manageable with young kids.