Contemporary Views

Everywhere you turn at Disney's Contemporary Resort, you find another dramatic view to photograph. I found so many, in fact, I couldn't share them all in this week's articles, so here they are now (with a touch of commentary). Enjoy!

Tucked away by the fourth floor elevators is this little piece of Hidden Disney. It's the original model created by Imagineer Rolly Crump of the Tower of the Four Winds, which stood outside the "It's a Small World" pavilion at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.

Views of the Magic Kingdom Park from Disney's Contemporary Resort are breathtaking at any time of the day or night. My favorite, though, is early in the morning when everything is calm and quiet, and you can just hear the chirping birds and the chug-chug-chug of the steam train as it makes its pre-opening test run around the park.

Of course, there's also nothing like returning home to Disney's Contemporary Resort at the end of a long day to a private viewing of fireworks from your hotel room balcony. On our visit in August 2010, we were treated to the awe-inspiring panorama of the Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular.

Be Our Guest

Between the main building, south garden wing and Bay Lake Tower, Disney's Contemporary Resort features 950 guest rooms and suites. A complete renovation of these accommodations was completed in 2009, making these among the most modern and comfortable rooms on Walt Disney World property. Since the Contemporary Resort was one of the first Disney hotels in Florida and built in a different era from most of the others, the rooms here also happen to be among the largest (rivaled only by those at Disney's Polynesian Resort).

The look here is sleek and stylish, with clean and simple lines and Asian-inspired design. The rooms are done primarily in warm earth tones with the occasional pop of color from a pillow, chair, vase or tile.

Of course, as beautiful as the interior of each room may be, upon entering guests are immediately drawn to the view outside. Roughly half the rooms at the resort offer serene views across Bay Lake and a swath of still-pristine Florida wilderness. Perhaps the most coveted view, however, faces the opposite direction.

Typical hotels might put a premium on views of water and nature, while discounting those rooms which front a parking lot. Here, though, it's easy to forget the parking lot is even there, as you take in a spectacular view of the Magic Kingdom that can't be had anywhere else.

Hints of Fantasia

As part of its renovation in the 1990s, Disney's Contemporary Resort shifted thematically from a look reminiscent of the American Southwest to a style inspired by modern art. At the time, there was also a desire to bring more of a "Disney" feel to the resort, so designers turned to the studio's most artistic endeavor, Fantasia. Elements from Fantasia were introduced throughout the property, many of which (such as the Sorcerer Mickey topiary above) are still around today.

The influence began as soon as guests entered the resort, where they were greeted by this bronze statue of Mickey Mouse shaking hands with Conductor Leopold Stokowski. Inspired by the scene at the conclusion of "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" sequence in the film, the statue stood inside the lobby of the Contemporary Resort for more than a decade. When the resort was next renovated in 2005, the statue moved for a time to the exhibit gallery at The Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios (where the photo below was taken).

Disney's Contemporary Resort has always been a convention hotel for Walt Disney World. The original meeting and event facilities on the second floor still bear names from the resort's earlier era: Ballroom of the Americas, Grand Republic Ballroom, Atlantic and Pacific. The convention center expansion of 1991, however, brought a new series of room names: Fantasia, Nutcracker and Pastoral.

Fantasia and Disney's Contemporary Resort continue to fit well with one another, and the influence of the film has extended even to recent projects like the Fantasia Shop on the Grand Canyon Concourse.

Built into the previously unused space between the existing series of stores (one of which was converted into a new arcade), the Fantasia Shop incorporates fun details which pay homage to Disney's classic film, from the whimsical sorcerer's hat portals to marching brooms and dancing thistles.

A Story of Change and Tradition

Disney's Contemporary Resort is stunning from every angle and is just as impressive on the inside. The cavernous, 10-story high atrium at the center of the A-frame structure is something to behold, with massive glass walls at either end, skylights built into the ceiling and Monorail trains passing straight through the space.

For as much as the key architectural elements of the resort have retained their modern feel, though, the interior spaces have not always fared as well. Here, the Contemporary Resort has always faced the same challenge as nearby Tomorrowland. "Contemporary" taste in fashion and interior design tend to change faster than the resort can keep up.

In an effort to keep the resort looking modern and relevant, several major refurbishment projects have been undertaken over the years. The most recent of these (2005-06) converted the interiors and furnishings from the bold shapes and colors they had sported since the mid-90s to a more muted, Asian-influenced design.

The resort's public spaces now showcase earth tones throughout, with the use of woods, marble, high-tech lighting designs and simple but luxurious furnishings.

Dining at the resort has also changed with the times. Gone are the Fiesta Fun Center, an '80s-era arcade and snack bar on the lower level of the hotel, and the Top of the World Lounge, a spot on the 15th floor where a dinner show was presented in the 1970s. Today, guests may choose from character dining at Chef Mickey's, grabbing a quick bite from the Contempo Cafe, healthful and fresh selections at The Wave...of American Flavors or fine dining up top at California Grill.

With all the change that has come to the interior of Disney's Contemporary Resort, there is one element which has remained exactly the same for nearly 40 years: The 90-foot-high tile mural at the Grand Canyon Concourse. Designed by Disney artist Mary Blair, the mural was intended to complement the American Southwest-inspired decor with which the resort debuted in 1971 (there was a lot of orange, red, yellow and brown back then).

While the appearance of the fourth-floor concourse and its facilities have shifted over the years, the mural has stood the test of time. Its panels cover all four sides of the central elevator shaft, presenting a rich, artistic panorama of the Grand Canyon, its people and indigenous wildlife. There's so much to see, you can sit and stare at the piece for an hour and still not take in every detail.

What's often surprising to guests who have only seen the murals in photographs is the amount of detailed work evident in the design. These aren't merely painted tiles forming a larger image. Each individual tile is hand-crafted and textured, creating an amazing tactile tapestry.

A favorite detail of the Grand Canyon Concourse mural is on the panel facing the Monorail platform. There, you'll find this pair of mountain goats, one of which has five legs. It's a curious error, which some claim was the artist's way of saying nothing made by human hands is quite as perfect as that formed by nature.

Forever Contemporary

One of two original resorts to debut with Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971 (Disney's Polynesian Resort was the other; Fort Wilderness opened that November), Disney's Contemporary Resort was built to stand as a futuristic beacon on the edge of Tomorrowland. Nearly four decades later, the structure still manages to look both "contemporary" and timeless.

Originally referred to as the Contemporary Resort Hotel, the resort's unique A-frame structure was designed by Welton Becket and Associates with Walt Disney Imagineering and built in cooperation with U.S. Steel. The framework of the hotel went up first, and then rooms constructed off-site were trucked to the property and lifted into slots in the structure using enormous cranes (contrary to popular rumor, they can't just slide out again).

While the design of the Contemporary Resort has retained its appeal over the years, the sheer popularity of the hotel can be attributed to three things: location, location, location. Rooms are literally within walking distance of the Magic Kingdom. Of course, another key element of the Contemporary Resort came with the design decision to have the Monorail run straight through the atrium of the hotel. To this day, heads turn in fascination as the sleek trains glide silently through the Grand Canyon Concourse.

For as much as Disney's Contemporary Resort is the same as it was in 1971, significant changes have come to the property's guest facilities and interior (we'll take a look inside tomorrow). The pool has evolved from a simple rectangular offering to the sophisticated multi-pool space we see today, complete with fountains, a water slide and a quiet adult area. Look closely enough, though, and you'll still find the occasional outdated design, like the Sand Bar and Marina building that hangs on to its last makeover from the early-90s. It can be tough to remain contemporary, as styles sometimes change faster than renovations can keep up.

Disney's Contemporary Resort has kept up with the times in other ways, though, by expanding its facilities to the north and west. The Contemporary Resort Convention Center, opened in 1991, added 90,000 square feet of meeting space to the hotel. Designed by Gwathmey Siegel and Associates of New York, the convention center features clean lines and shapes, meant to echo the look of the nearby A-frame tower.

The latest addition to Disney's Contemporary Resort is the Disney Vacation Club property, Bay Lake Tower. Opened in 2009, it added 295 villa-style rooms to the hotel on the site of one of the original garden wings. Just as with the convention center expansion, the design of Bay Lake Tower was done to complement the resort's main tower building.