Our Favorite Hotel for Disney World Trips as Parents with a Toddler
Hotels are usually the second biggest expense of a Walt Disney World vacation after park tickets. Because of this, we often favor Value Resorts to get more bang for our buck and stretch our travel dollars further. Just as often, we splurge on Deluxe Resorts that are “worth it,” especially if there are good discounts on our favorites.
If you browse our Rankings of ALL Walt Disney World Hotels from Worst to Best, you might be surprised at how “eclectic” that list is, for lack of a better term. There are Value Resorts that rank higher than Deluxe Resorts, and some of our favorite hotels are actually motels. The list eschews some of the top-tier properties in favor of the bargain basement options.
We’d like to think there’s a method to our madness. That we are frugal as opposed to cheap–and there is a very big difference! We are willing to pay premium prices when the value given matches the cost. That’s how you end up with “weird” results, like our constant rants about Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Animal Kingdom being a waste of money (despite costing the least of any park), while we’re willing to splurge on pricier resort stays.
One recent post covered My Favorite Hotel for Cheap Walt Disney World Weekend Getaways, which sang the praises of All Star Sports for offering superlative bang for buck if all you need is a place to crash. Strong emphasis there on the very first word of the title–All Star Sports is my favorite hotel, specifically when I’m doing solo research trips.
This is a “companion” piece of that, covering our favorite hotel as a family for quick trips with Baby Bricker (Megatron). For these stays, the Garden Wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort has emerged as our clear favorite. For Walt Disney World fans, the biggest difference probably jumps out immediately: this is a Deluxe Resort that is not “cheap” by any objective metric. But when we’re traveling as a family, it should also be a given that our preferences, priorities, and needs are different.
With that in mind, here’s a rundown of why we love the Garden Wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for doing quick getaways to Walt Disney World where efficiency, comfort and, yes, even cost, are key…
Cost – It may not be coincidental that my two favorite Deluxe Resorts–Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge–are usually the two cheapest at Walt Disney World. The only real exception to that is if there are deep discounts at the Deluxe Villas, and there happens to be studio inventory at Old Key West or Saratoga Springs.
It probably shouldn’t be surprising that we’ve come to appreciate the Garden Wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for the exact same reason. In browsing upcoming deals, Save Up to $250 Per Night in Winter to Summer 2026 and Save Up to 25% Off WDW Resorts from January to Spring Break 2026, we’re seeing some excellent prices; the Garden Wing can be as inexpensive as ~$400 per night.
Contrast this with rates at the Grand Floridian or Polynesian Village Resorts, both of which are routinely over $600 (and $574 for the same dates). While we prefer both of those hotels on balance, not enough to justify the extra ~$175 per night. And honestly, I’m not sure I’d always take those over the Contemporary even if cost were no issue.
One thing to double-check when searching for rooms at the Contemporary is that you’re seeing prices on the Garden Wing. There have been times when Walt Disney World shows a “featured room” that is much more expensive. Walt Disney World has recommended the ‘Theme Park View – Atrium Club Level’ for us on occasion, which is discounted down to $875 per night. That’s actually not terrible by theme park view or Club Level rooms, but at nearly triple the cost of the Garden View, it was not contest. The $500+ nightly difference could buy far more corn dog nuggets than we could ever eat.
While there are other considerations and reasons we’ve become fans of the Garden Wing, this is really the core of the apple. Simply put, this is the cheapest option for being within walking distance of any theme park. And it really helps that these rooms are among the closest to Magic Kingdom, the park where we spend the most time.
This is also where the “quick stays” part comes into play–for longer trips, we’re staying elsewhere due to total cost and having more time to take in Walt Disney World. For shorter stays, not only is the Garden Wing doable, but we feel like an advantageous location is almost necessary in order to get more done. A better location can mean a shorter stay, which ends up making this Deluxe Resort slightly more budget-friendly. Speaking of location…
Location – This is where the Garden Wing has a real and underrated advantage. It’s easier to walk between the Garden Wing and Magic Kingdom than it is to take the monorail, because it’s a straight shot–you walk out of your room (assuming you’re staying on the ground floor, which is our strong preference) and then walk to the park.
Similarly, it’s faster to walk from Garden Wing than it is from the A-frame once you account for having to hassle with the elevator and everything else. Being inside the main building does make using the monorail much easier, whether you’re going to Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. In fact, if you’re going to be heading to EPCOT with regularity, the A-frame is better. The Polynesian is better still.
We’ve found this is really crucial for nap-time or midday meltdowns. Having to hassle with the monorail, boats, or worse yet, buses, just adds unnecessary layers of friction that complicates and prolongs the whole process. This might seem like an insignificant little thing–and I thought it was before we became parents–but it can be huge. Especially if you’re in the eye of the storm, so to speak, and are just looking to get back to the room while encountering as few people as possible.
From this perspective, the only resort that beats the Garden Wing is Bay Lake Tower. Honestly, depending upon the outcome of the current room reimagining, we might buy more DVC points there. Alternatively, the Polynesian Villas/Island Tower are similarly compelling for being within walking distance of the TTCÂ and Magic Kingdom.
Dining – This isn’t really unique to the Garden Wing, but Contemporary Resort has a strong culinary lineup with California Grill, Steakhouse 71, Chef Mickey’s, and Contempo Cafe. The main stand-out for some (no longer us) is California Grill, which features a 3-course prix fixe dinner menu. But with a baby and on short trips, we realistically aren’t eating there.
We also are huge fans of Steakhouse 71, which is the resort’s mid-tier lobby restaurant that serves great options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s solid and fairly priced. This is one of the restaurants at which we dine most–I especially love the lounge for solo meals, and it’s very easy to leave Magic Kingdom (a food desert) and do a quick meal here.
Then there’s Chef Mickey’s and Contempo Cafe. Both are historically hit & miss, but we’ve had some great meals lately at counter service Contempo Cafe, which is seeing a bit of a renaissance. A concise verdict on Chef Mickey’s is impossible. It’s a complicated character meal; suffice to say, there’s a reason Chef Mickey’s is a rite-of-passage meal for generations of Walt Disney World fans. All of this completes a very well-rounded culinary lineup at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Room Size – During our first visit to Walt Disney World with Megatron, we did a split stay in the Royal Rooms at Port Orleans Riverside and the Garden Wing. Our thinking was that the Royal Rooms are a lot of fun–but more importantly, it was the weekend and the Contemporary was pricey.
Regardless of reason, going directly from one to the other threw the size disparity into stark relief. Standard rooms at Moderate Resorts are approximately 314 square feet in size, whereas standard rooms at the Contemporary are 420 to 437 square feet. (See Hotel Room Sizes at Walt Disney World for more.) Room sizes can be inconsistent and vary based on floor, accessibility, etc–especially in the older hotels, but the point stands. It was a spread of at least 100 square feet–and we felt it!
Thankfully, we went from the smaller room to the larger one, rather than the other direction. So what we “felt” was a sense of spaciousness and luxuriousness as we had more breathing room. Pre-baby, this didn’t really matter to us. Just like anyone else, we preferred larger rooms, but were perfectly fine with Values or Moderates and didn’t “need” a larger room, more luggage/storage space, etc.
Having a baby is a gamechanger in this regard. As it turns out, adding one baby that’s less than 10% of the size of an adult human does not increase what you need to pack by 10%. Standard logic would dictate that, since baby clothes are quite small, that would roughly be the case. It is very much not the case. Megatron is not a light packer, and this one baby doesn’t just need as much stuff as one adult, but in fact, more than both of us combined.
In the past, we’ve also been pretty well organized (typically not even needing Mousekeeping!). Not this time. As oft-overwhelmed new parents, it looked like a hurricane made landfall in our room roughly 7 minutes after our arrival, and it never really got any better. The above photo is not representative of how our room actually looked during the trip. It is a carefully-crafted illusion.
Suffice to say, I now completely understand why storage space and square footage are such big deals for families. Contemporary offered us breathing room and a bit of a buffer, and that was very much welcome (and necessary).
Room Quality – Walt Disney World’s new rooms have balanced the tastes of modern guests with thematic and functional considerations. While sometimes skewing too sterile, the results are generally good. Better than what they replaced and certainly superior to the bland and generic redos done during the last cycle.
The Incredibles rooms at the Contemporary are the big exception to that. We’re not bothered by the character integration in theory, but the execution is sloppy and doesn’t really excel at either of the things it’s presumably trying to do. As a character-themed room, it feels weak and uninspired. As an upscale hotel room, it’s over the top and unsophisticated. These rooms are neither luxurious nor immersive, and are barely better than recent rooms at Value or Moderate Resorts. Not exactly high praise!
With that said, the Garden Wing has the best versions of the Incredibles-injection rooms. It was the last section of the resort to be redone, occurring after the main A-frame building. That room reimagining was a race against the clock to get finished, and as a result, some of the tower rooms are shoddily done. The Garden Wing version makes little iterative improvements and the rooms are nicer, even if they’re still a mixed bag.
Atmosphere – There’s something special about the A-frame of the Contemporary. It comports with childhood fantasies of staying in the fancy hotel the monorail whizzes through, fulfilling a lifelong dream and was high on novelty value and cool factor. That is, the first time you stay there.
With each subsequent stay in the Contemporary’s Main Tower, we’ve been less impressed–the luster has worn off. This makes sense, as the more you do something, the less special it can become. That’s not entirely it, though. In equally large part, Disney’s Contemporary Resort is starting to feel anything but. Its Grand Canyon Concourse looks tired, dated, and visually chaotic.
The atrium has been a hodgepodge for the last decade, but its style has continued to age and clutter has continually been added. If you compare photos of the Contemporary’s atrium today versus the 1970s or 1980s, it’s a night and day difference. So much less stuff and stylistically superior. More than any other Deluxe Resort, the Contemporary needs an aesthetic overhaul. We’ve been banging this drum for years now, and are incredibly disappointed that the Grand Canyon Concourse hasn’t been redone in the same superlative style as the lobby.
BONUS: Walking Space – This one has not been relevant to us yet, but only because Megatron went from being a cautious walker to a fiercely independent one, refusing of parent hand-holding in literally the last week. While the Grand Canyon Concourse does have carpet, and there are long hallways of oft-unused convention space that are likely good for stretching those baby legs, I’ll still take the grass and outdoors.
Suffice to say, we prefer the Garden Wing atmosphere over that of the atrium. It’s nice being on the ground level, able to leave directly from our room or simply enjoy the fresh air of the patio. The Garden Wing also provides convenient access to the pools, beach, and running path at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. It’s consistently less busy, whereas the Grand Canyon Concourse can be chaotic and not conducive to walking.
Until the Grand Canyon Concourse is redone, we’ll take the natural serenity and peacefulness of the Garden Wing over the Main Tower. I also love the morning or late night walks along the shore of Bay Lake–perfect for dealing with a jetlagged Megatron (or me).
Ultimately, we’ve enjoyed our recent stays at the Garden Wing and have a newfound appreciation for this forgotten side of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The Garden Wing has exceeded our expectations, especially as compared to recent stays in the A-frame. With that said, a very big part of this is driven by cost and convenience–and also the low bar set by the Contemporary, as a whole.
On the other hand, it’s disappointing that the Main Tower has fallen out of our favor. The key takeaway to anyone planning a trip is that the Garden Wing will make things easier without breaking the bank, with very little downside for the “compromise” (aside from maybe the view or novelty).
The Garden Wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort certainly would not be our top pick if we were doing rite of passage trips, first visits, or even longer stays. We’d love if these rooms were more like the redone ones at pretty much any other Deluxe or DVC resort, and would be more inclined to book the A-frame if the reimagining were actually carried through to the Grand Canyon Concourse (or if it cost less). But for our current needs with a toddler and budget on quicker trips, the Garden Wing is a great compromise option. It’s far from perfect, but it’s great for us!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you stayed in the Garden Wing at Disney’s Contemporary Resort with babies, toddlers or kids? What about since the Incredibles room reimagining? Would you recommend the Garden Wing or Main Tower? Experiences with the location, cost, pools, transportation, or dining? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Love these baby/toddler-centric posts! Would love one about how your suggested daily itineraries may be different for a trip with toddlers. Our trips have turned into doing mostly toddler rides with only a few big rides (via rider swap) here or there. Of course we will get genie+, or whatever its called now, at MK, but struggling to decide if we should at Epcot and HS.
We checked out of the garden wing on Sunday. We stayed in a deluxe studio at grand Flo for the first two nights of our stay and transferred to the garden wing. Maybe it was because the studio was small or maybe the garden wing was just bigger and better. Loved the details of the room and closeness to MK!
putting this on our next list of places to stay. we are a family of 5 and space is important. our first trip was a riverside room at port Orleans. 2 pack and plays, stroller and everything else was cramped. now we have to travel with a portable tent for my son’s safety and I see many places here i could see it up! we are doing GF our upcoming visit (been saving up for a while for this!) but definitely gonna keep contemporary in mind. is the garden section only vacation club or is it everyone?
CR has been one of my favorite resorts since 1974. It’s iconic, a classic. The new room decor is hideous, however, and my eyes and heart hurt every time I see a picture of one of them.
I have a feeling these “new” rooms won’t last as long as the last generation or even other recently-redone ones at Walt Disney World. Even people who were optimistic about them pre-redo have mixed (at best) feelings about them now. This is not just online sentiment that’s at odds with real guests.
Amen! The current rooms are the most hideous rooms in the history of WDW. I’d like the name of the person who signed off on this to be made public!
Oh I’m so glad you included pics of the room- we stayed here for the 50th and loved it so much. Now that I see the remodel, I really dislike the theming. Loved the mid-century vibe of the previous look, but this looks value resort to me.
We are in the latter stage of life and we now try to stay in the garden wing or at wilderness lodge as it’s now just us two old farts. My goal at 69 is to keep walking and hope to never have to use those electric wheelchairs as I have been run over so many times in our many visits when we were younger lol. We did the all stars back in October for our short stay for the Halloween party but there was so much walking from the bus stop to the gate at magic kingdom that for next year we booked for October at wilderness lodge because the boats dock almost at the gate of magic kingdom. Managed to get a great deal on the bounce back deal for that so being close to magic kingdom is worth it for us.
We have a 3 year old who refuses to take stroller naps and is dependent on us getting back to a room for a siesta. Bay Lake Tower was fantastic for us- most of the rides he could ride were in MK (which was an easy walk to and from). Epcot was also just a monorail transfer away. Our second choice would probably be the Polynesian. Fooling with busses or boats is asking for trouble when your kid is riding the line of over exhaustion.
One of the great things we’ve recently discovered at the Contemporary Resort is the pool cabanas for rent! We are not sunbathers so always require a good shady spot and the cabanas are a huge treat with comfortable chaise loungers, a cooler with drinks (and you can add your own), a fruit plate and great service where food orders can be brought to you. It’s one of those things I love so much that I forget the cost but it’s probably around $250 for the whole day.
I agree 100%! We stayed in a Garden Room on our first trip to Disney when our daughter was two, and it was perfect for all the reasons you mention (plus the water parade). We continued to stay there until naps went away – now she is 11 and outlasts her parents on park days. Our Garden Room experience was a big reason that we wound up joining DVC and becoming Disney fanatics.
Me, my husband and our 16yo daughter stayed in the garden wing for the first time this past July. On a ground floor with a lake view. There were snakes in the hallways. Two snakes slithering up and down. They apparently like to come into the resort from under the window frames by the foliage. We saw them there 3 days in a row. We did tell housekeeping (they were the ones who told us how they enter and we watched them slither under the window frames) and the staff at the front desk, but the snakes are now the reason you will not ever catch me in a garden room at Comtemporary ever again.
I hope they were those harmless “racer” snakes? We get those in the hedges of our Orlando home sometimes. If they were venomous, shame on Disney for not taking action to protect their guests. I’ve taken staycations to Walt Disney World resorts and I’ve seen huge turkeys on the hotel grounds, walking through the parking lots like they own the place, but as a bird lover, I enjoy seeing them. Snakes aren’t as appealing as birds.
>> Simply put, this is the cheapest option for being within walking distance of any theme park. And it really helps that these rooms are among the closest to Magic Kingdom, the park where we spend the most time.
Yup. When the kids are little, there is just no substitute for that walking path from Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower to MK. The kids can wake up at a normal hour and you still have a shot at making rope drop, AND it cannot be easier getting back to your room at the end of the day (or even for naps during the day). Contemporary/BLT offers the best value for when the kids are little.
These are exactly the reasons a Boardwalk Villas one-bedroom suite (booked for $$ directly through Disney, not on points) was our go-to for years for our family of four — size and location. As the kid got older (ie past the stroller stage), not spending an extra hour waiting for a bus at the end of the night became critical, as was the extra sleep in the morning. Being able to walk to two parks was well worth the cost.
Now that I’m an empty nester and mostly traveling with my mother and/or college kid, I’m trying to find the new sweet spot between cost and convenience. I scored Coronado Springs for a Jan trip at only slightly higher than All-Star Sports. I’ve never stayed at a moderate but I’m thinking this one will be worth it for the food options if nothing else.
You will LOVE Coronado!! It is our preferred Moderate hotel. The buses there were never crowded and rarely had a wait. We did not get to stay there this summer because we brought our pup and tried out Port Orleans Riverside. Our youngest will graduate high school in the spring, so my hubby and I are already planning an early December trip for 2025!
The garden rooms sound great. I’ll never stay there because I’ll stay at BLT given the chance, but if you’re paying cash, you’re absolutely right about how easy it is to get to 3/4 parks.
I’d definitely stay at the garden rooms long before I stay in the A-frame though! You can get the experience of the monorail going over just by eating at contempo cafe, which is so fun.
I am enjoying your new insights after having megatron. Our biggest thing with getting out the door with a baby was by the time you got the baby ready, and got yourself ready, and remembered all the things you had to grab… a diaper needed changing and you had to start over!
I’m looking forward to you talking about how a DVC 1-bedroom is a game changer… that’s when you need more points though! Not everyone needs the bedroom. But we loved not having to be careful about waking up the baby 😀 we still love it! The single pull down is amazing when you have 2 kids that don’t share well!
Somewhat on topic (naptime talk) but on our trips MK and DL when our now-teenage kids were in the 2-to-5yo zone we used “stroller naps” to maximize our time in the parks — they actually napped better in strollers/cars than they ever did in hotel rooms, so trying to haul them back to a hotel room bed/crib (even somewhere as close as the Contemporary, had we been staying there) would have been counterproductive and energy-sapping for us.
Not all kids will nap in strollers, but even those who do will often have a hard time sleeping amidst the hubbub and stimulation of a Disney Park (though ironically all that Disney energy and adrenaline makes naptime all the more crucial to enjoying a full day in the parks).
I’m looking forward to seeing a DTB blog post on this theme in the next couple years — something like “Best places for stroller naps in the parks”. Personally at MK the only place I could find that was shaded and relatively quiet/non-stimulating was the little back alley to a CM/maintenance doorway across from Rapunzel’s tower. Going indoors was tricky since the stroller was bulky and most restaurants were actually busier/noisier than being outside. And I could have just walked and walked, but I was tired. So once I’d rolled the kids to sleep I just ducked down there and sat on the ground against the wall for my own little rest. (Then swapped places with my wife after a while since the kids were still sleeping.). That was critical because we’d never have made it into the later hours of the evening without that nap!
My kids would sleep anywhere. A train or boat ride was a sure fire way to a nap. We learned quickly that “going back to the room” was totally unnecessary. Kid would nap and the rest of us would get snacks, browse , take turns doing a ride. But I love walking and not having to deal with a stroller on a bus or a packed monorail.
I won’t be shocked if some of the Garden Wing rooms are converted to DVC studios similar to Big Pine Key at the GF. I kind of hope they do it.
This is precisely why we bought into BLT when we bought DVC in 2018! Walkability to MK cannot be overstated! We have sadly since sold our contract, but staying at BLT in a one bedroom with a toddler, on the ground floor, was one of our favorite trips! But I’m very curious how those room redesigns end up as we 100% agree re: the Incredibles integration. Our least favorite rooms possibly on all WDW property. That BLT tower trip my parents joined us and I couldn’t in good conscience recommend they pay that insane price and stay in those ugly rooms. They opted for the Poly instead that trip.
Yup, that ground floor is perfect. Having a room that leads to a grassy space was a joyous lifesaver for us when our oldest was barely 2. The ultimate spot for wiggles.
We seldom make room requests anymore (never if it’s just me traveling solo) because it’s nice to get a sampling of locations for research, but we ALWAYS request ground floor in the Garden Wing. It’s a game-changer. Only potential downside is if a herd of elephants books the room above you, but we’ve only had that problem once.
Seven children later we often stayed at Key West or Saratoga. They have all been park goers since pre toddler.
Our reason of course was space and room to romp. We even did Grand Floridian 3 bed as it was a great view of the lake.
Since they are grown they all take the family in the same way.,
My point is that location was not a game changer. We adapted to stroller and backpack naps while wearing out the older kids. Yes it was a challenge. No it was never a problem.
Now at Christmas we continue to hear stories, mostly good, of the perspective of our kids. They look at Disney with fond memories.
Their favorite park ? Animal kingdom, even prior to Avatar. They literally one night wore dinosaur out.
We both love Saratoga and I love Old Key West, but it wouldn’t be a good fit–at least not for us–on a quick long weekend trip.
To each their own, but I think SSR and OKW are best for long trips, especially ones where you’ll have a car. For the quick ones, we want to be near EPCOT (Crescent Lake or Skyliner) or Magic Kingdom.
I’m surprised, you and I generally have different hotel preferences/priorities — But here, we are in 100% agreement.
Our first family trip to WDW with young children was the Contemporary Garden building.
Three biggest selling points for family with youngsters:
1. Closeness to Magic Kingdom. When children get tired and need a nap, you want to get back to the hotel with as little hassle as possible, as fast as possible. So being a short walk or monorail away is ideal.
2. Really spacious rooms — especially if you’re adding a crib.
3. It is generally the cheapest room you’ll find on the monorail.
Beach Club and Boardwalk have similar selling points for families, but Magic Kingdom is THE park for younger children. Once you get to teens/tweens — They love Stormalong Bay, walking around the Boardwalk area on their own, and still the ease of going to/from Epcot and DHS.
“I’m surprised, you and I generally have different hotel preferences/priorities”
I don’t know whether I’d go that far…I just think that we were previously at different stages in our lives as fans. Going forward, it’ll be interesting to see where I come around to your perspective and vice-versa.
Tom, after reading 100’s of your articles over what seems like the past 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you comment on connecting rooms. It looks like you got stuck with one for the trip shown above and I’m curious to know if you feel as negatively as I do about them. They are especially bad at WDW, with the Resort Studios at Grand Floridian having some of the worst noise transference I have ever experienced on property. (Yes, the resort where you would likely least expect it to occur given the cost in points or cash.)
“It looks like you got stuck with one for the trip shown above…”
More like someone got stuck next to us for the trip shown above, if we’re being honest.
I would prefer not to have connecting rooms, but it’s not something I think about all that much. There have been a few times we’ve had noisy neighbors, but a couple towels or pillows along the floor typically does the trick. Perhaps we’ve just been lucky? Only a few times over the course of hundreds of stays is not that often.
If we did have neighbors during this particular trip (I sure hope not for their sake), I wonder how they’d review the noise transference of the room.
I didn’t even realize you could get connecting rooms at Disney. Since each room has to be booked on a different reservation how good are they about ensuring connecting rooms if a large family books 2?
Also Tom you may feel differently about plunking down some bigger change for a 1 br villa as the baby grows since it is absolute heaven to have access to a washer and dryer in the room as the little ones get their clothes dirty for oh so many reasons. You can save packing space and pack waaayy fewer outfits for the whole group. Mych easier/more relaxing to do laundry in the actual hotel space.
For getting connecting rooms the one time we tried it did not work. We made sure our two reservations were linked and everything, yet they still could not get two rooms side by side. We had to walk from one floor to the other. It was also not even peak season, so I would not count on it, but we only tried once as it was extremely inconvenient. Other people may have had much better luck and we just got unlucky.