Incredibles Injection Coming to Contemporary Resort at Disney World
Walt Disney World has shared a sneak peek at the newly reimagined guest rooms at Contemporary Resort and other changes coming to the hotel. This post features photos of the “Incredibles Injection,” first impressions on how these compare to other refurbished rooms in WDW hotels, and more. (Updated August 20, 2021.)
Let’s start by quickly recapping what’s happening with Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This was actually the first Deluxe Resort (non-DVC) to reopen at Walt Disney World last summer, with many guests being relocated to it since their chosen hotels were closed. We did a stay around then, and shared thoughts in Contemporary Resort Report: Good Garden, Terrible Tower?
As other Deluxe Resorts came back online, Walt Disney World flipped the script and quietly began moving guests from the Contemporary to other resorts for stays early this year through Fall 2021. Then came the official announcement from Walt Disney World that the A-Frame Tower of Disney’s Contemporary Resort would take its guest rooms out of commission in phases for room overhauls. Now, we have official details about what’s being done, plus confirmation that it’s the long-rumored Incredibles Injection. Here’s the update from Walt Disney World…
Per Disney, “Imagineering is continuing to build on the optimistic spirit of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, enhancing the retro-modern aesthetic evoking Tomorrowland…with a dash of something Incredible.”
With Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary is only months away in October, all nine floors of guest rooms in the Contemporary’s tower are being completely refurbished. Here’s a first look at the new décor debuting this fall.
These guest rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will feature a Monorail motif and characters from Pixar’s Incredibles films, including Jack-Jack, Frozone, and Edna Mode.
New artwork in guest rooms and along guest corridors will be incorporate the aforementioned characters in modern designs, putting the Supers’ powers on display.
In the lobby, you’ll soon see a collection of modern art pieces as well as historical, behind-the-scenes photographs of Disney’s Contemporary Resort in development and under construction.
Editorializing a bit, our hope is that Imagineering leans heavily into the history of the Vacation Kingdom of the World. Send a team to Disneyland Hotel to see how it’s done there, as that resort’s use of nostalgia is pitch-perfect and could be replicated to great success at the Contemporary.
Additionally, the Wave of American Flavors is making way for a reimagined dining experience in time for the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration. While the Wave is underrated from a culinary perspective, it’s design is dull and the restaurant is unpopular, so we’re on board with whatever is being done to refresh that dining option.
Given that this is in the lobby, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this draw on Walt Disney World history, a la Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland Hotel. (Eh, it’ll probably be Incredibles-inspired, but we can dream!)
AUGUST 20, 2021 UPDATE: Walt Disney World just announced the following and released the above graphic: “We’re cooking up new experiences at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration!” Steakhouse 71 will be a casual dining concept that gets its name from the resort’s opening year, plus, a new dining experience is coming to California Grill.”
Once the A-Frame tower guest rooms are complete, work will begin on the rooms inside the Garden Wing out on the shore of Bay Lake.
Those are the only details shared thus far, but Walt Disney World indicates that they’ll have more to share on this project in the months to come while getting ready for “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” beginning October 1, 2021.
Now let’s offer some commentary. For those who are new to the blog, Imagineering’s spotty track record with room redesigns has been an area of acute interest for us. We do dozens of Disney hotel stays every year, and have previously reviewed and scored all of the past room redesigns. Notable posts on the subject include the following:
- All Star Movies (B)
- Animal Kingdom Lodge (A-)
- Beach Club (D)
- Old Key West (C)
- Pop Century (B)
- Riviera Resort (A)
- Saratoga Springs Resort (A-)
- Wilderness Lodge (B)
- Yacht Club (B+)
(For other resorts, see our regularly-updated Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page.)
We’ll withhold final judgment until completing an actual stay, but our first impression of the new Incredibles-inspired rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is relatively positive. Honestly, they aren’t my favorite rooms ever, but they feel like a Disney-meets-contemporary room design, which was undoubtedly the goal.
These new rooms are bright and airy, and balance an array of colors without looking overly busy. The swooping lines and stylization are clean and evoke a mid-century modern aesthetic. The integration of characters is a bit more than I’d like to see, but it’s fairly tasteful and at least some of those details are “hidden.”
These designs aren’t to my tastes, but I like the idea of bed throw pillows. If Walt Disney World is going to forever do away with bed runners (a hospitality industry trend they should not have followed, in my opinion) these should be the alternative so the rooms look a little less sterile.
Likewise, the patterned carpet directly under the beds is a solid improvement that makes the flooring less boring. We hope to see this style make its way to more resorts, as replacing carpeting with laminate floors has left something to be desired. This would appear to remedy that.
As with new room designs before it, the Incredibles rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort appear to have a number of “quality of stay” improvements.
From added storage space for luggage to lighting and outlets, the features have been plussed in a variety of ways. For anyone valuing function over form (or even in addition to it), these new rooms will be an unequivocal upgrade over the old ones.
@disneyparksWe’re unmasking the new Incredibles themed rooms at Disney’s ##ContemporaryResort ✨ ##Disney ##DisneyParks ##DisneyWorld ##Incredibles ##RoomTour♬ original sound – Disney Parks
Above is video of the new Incredibles-inspired rooms that Disney shared on TikTok.
These seem okay enough, but I cannot say I thought the guest rooms were previously the biggest problem point at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. To the contrary, I actually liked the “old” rooms. More than these, to be honest.
With that said, I can recognize that they were dark, a bit dated, and probably in need of a refresh. This isn’t the direction I would’ve gone, but to each their own.
As discussed at great length in our Contemporary Resort Construction Update, which features extensive photos of what the work-in-progress overhaul looks like, the biggest issue with the hotel is its atrium.
As encapsulated in the photo above, the Grand Canyon Concourse at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is an absolute visual hodgepodge. In this shot, there are 5 different styles of carpet and 4 different types of tiles (that’s not counting the deliberate pattern choices around the buffet at Chef Mickey’s).
These are not part of a coherent aesthetic. They’re the result of Disney’s Contemporary Resort having visual clutter added over the course of several years, with more and more stuff (PG term) added over the years without any cohesive vision. It has been literal decades since the Contemporary has had a top to bottom overhaul. Instead, junk has been added in a piecemeal approach over the years.
If you were to stand in the center of the hallway above Grand Canyon Concourse, you could count even more disparate styles, as the various gift shops on the other side have their own styles, as does the center of the atrium. I’m a big fan of patterns and textures, but not like this.
It all looks garish, dated, and most certainly not Contemporary. More like a dying mall from the late 1990s. If I were paying $700 per night (and up!) to stay at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, I’d be disappointed by this. Heck, I’m disappointed by it even when visiting, as I know this is supposed to be an iconic and historic hotel lobby/atrium. The only thing “incredible” about the Grand Canyon Concourse is how far it has fallen over the years.
Ultimately, my opinion on this project are complicated. It’s nice to see Disney’s Contemporary Resort seeing long overdue love. I’m not bothered by the character integration, which I find mostly tasteful. I don’t love or hate these rooms–I prefer the old ones while being more or less indifferent to the new designs.
With that said, I’m cognizant that these lighter, brighter, and more fun new rooms will appeal to a broader range of guests, so that’s a plus. I’m also heartened by the idea of historic photos in the lobby–we’ve long suggested that Contemporary Resort should take a page out of the Disneyland Hotel playbook and become a “love letter to Walt Disney World.”
However, it appears to me that the priorities of this project are out of whack. The guest rooms could’ve used some upgrades, no doubt. But on a list of things that needed improvement at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, they wouldn’t have cracked my top 10. The far greater problem points were in the lobby, atrium, restaurants, and retail.
At present, it sounds like only some of those issues will be addressed. If Disney’s Contemporary Resort emerges from this reimagining without a decluttered and modernized Grand Canyon Concourse, it’ll be a fail–no matter how good (or bad) the guest rooms.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the new Incredibles-inspired rooms at Disney’s Contemporary Resort? Disappointed that nothing was announced for the Grand Canyon Concourse, or do you think we’re overstating its faults? Think this reimagining will work with the hotel theme, or is it an unnecessary character addition? Have you stayed at the Contemporary in the last few years? Do you think the resort is dated and tired, or still has a contemporary atmosphere? Think the Grand Canyon Concourse, guest rooms, or both need an overhaul? 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!
Woah. The problem with integrating cartoons is that it feels like it belongs in the Value resorts. Not one of the most expensive resorts on property.
The (even) greater problem is that the rooms are incongruous with the external design of the building. The exterior does not have curved lines like this, is not space age, and is not white. (I’d say it isn’t full of cartoons, but I’m sure they’ll “fix” that one 😉 ). Any one of those design choices is fine, but all three looks like these rooms were designed by someone who had never seen the building.
But we won’t keep coming regardless…
Maybe new guests won’t realize what they are missing, but for us, the strong appeal to make repeated trips has significantly waned. Sadly.
The ONLY thing anybody could possible be offended about when it comes to the Contemporary is the price. It’s obscene.
Train wreck. Looks like stickers tacked on. Haven’t been to the contemporary since I was 10 years old and this is part of the reason. It should be the flag ship hotel like it used to be. Oh and I and my kids love the Incredibles but been there done that. The cartoons get outdated quickly.
The redesigned rooms remind of hospital rooms. Bright, white and antiseptic. The luxury is gone and comfort is gone. I’m devastated at the destruction. Awful!!
THAT’S where it’s from! When I first saw the Grand Canyon Concourse in your pics, the words “It’s one of those newfangled shopping malls!” went through my head, but I couldn’t remember what movie it was from, or which mall in particular, newfangled or otherwise, it was describing. And now I’ve finally placed it: the Monroeville Mall from George A. Romero’s Dawn of the Dead! This piece clicked it home for some reason. Man, that would make for some cool Halloween decorations if Disney had the rights. I also think they should use their Space 220 technology or whatever to make the monorail rooms look like you actually ARE on a speeding monorail, nonstop 24/7. That would be funny.
My family liked that they added some “Disney theme” to the rooms. We really disliked the generic room refurbs that they were doing the last few years at the other resorts CSR… That’s what we liked about the Disney resorts in the past, and if we wanted rooms that looked like a four seasons then we would go there.
Even though we liked it, we still will not be staying there, because we do not think the deluxes are worth the $$ they are asking now.
I was certain they would use the Villas at the BLT as a basis for these rooms, with added character touches. While I really enjoy the white-on-white DL New Tomorrowland/WDW original Tomorrowland look, the character bits may actually be useful in keeping others from being disturbed from staying in 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Not a problem here! In particular, the rounded arch above the balcony is AWESOME and evocative of that type of late 60s/early 70s science fiction.) While I’m harder on the Wilderness Lodge (B-/C+), this room should easily be a B+, if you ignore the elephant outside the room…
$600 a night to sleep in a Pottery Barn Kids display.
I was quite fond of the soon-to-be previous design. We stayed in them only once, last month, but they were the rare room at Disney World that felt actually deserving of the “deluxe” label. I realize times are changing but this kind of aggressive IPification feels out of place to me at a room that goes for this rate (it also suggests to me that they’re saying good riddance to conventions.) The Moana rooms seem subtle compared to these Incredibles rooms.
“it also suggests to me that they’re saying good riddance to conventions.”
I suspect they’re fine with Contemporary not doing much convention business–they built Gran Destino to shift those events there. (Although Crescent Lake will likely remain popular for events.)
I may be in the minority, but I actually really like the rooms from what I can see in the provided pictures. It looks fresh and the random “Incredibles” touches are fun. I totally agree with those who don’t get the clear glass shower.
My ONLY request for The Wave refurb is that they keep the gnocchi!!! It’s one of my favorite dishes in WDW and I will be devastated if it doesn’t make it on the new menu.
I’m glad to see the update to the rooms, I recognize that I may be in the minority and I respect everyone’s opinions, but I find them much visually sharper and the Incredibles integration well-done.
While I *prefer* the film Moana itself and the updates to the Polynesian rooms more, but these rooms at the Contemporary were hideously dated – current maybe as of a 2005 aesthetic.
Tom, I hear you and agree the lobby is in dire need of an overhaul with a more cohesive theme. But I spend less time in the lobby of resorts that I do in the rooms, and I’d have gone the same route as the Disney in terms of prioritization here. And, there’s a part of me that’s absolutely terrified (about the hopefully off chance) that they would ever touch the Mary Blair mural, so I feel spared for now.
I wish they’d bring back the lobby from the 70s. I saw photos of it online somewhere but can’t remember what website it was. Anyways, it was great and would look great…and even somewhat “contemporary” in 2021. It also works with The Incredibles’ style.
I don’t particularly dislike the new rooms, but my biggest problem with the Contemporary came from a recent stay where I was stuck deep in the garden wing. The farther I walked, the more I felt like I was in a cheap motel and couldn’t begin to fathom paying $600-$800 a night. Fortunately I was in the hotel for a conference and my job was footing the bill.
What’s with Disney’s ongoing internal struggle with the theming of the Contemporary? The theming is right there in from of them, and has aged well, with a good message and fantastic updated design potential. This hotel is a purely American treasure. I think these resorts would do well with a mix of character rooms and refreshed non-character rooms. I don’t always need a big-eyed face around every corner.
As for these Incredibles themed rooms, I do like the brightness of them, and would consider staying there if the Concourse was appropriately decluttered and updated/refurbished, and didn’t have the smell of food. Until then, it’ll be a brief stop to get my fill of the Blair mural juxtaposed with the original architecture and monorail.
I like the look of the rooms but agree that it is a problrm having a clear door for getting ready if the shower isn’t separated from the vanity. I’m not a fan of contemporary and have always felt this way. So these rooms don’t have enough to change that view.
Having avoided staying there because of the cost, we took advantage of the 40% discount offered after the reopening and stayed in a theme park view room in August. We liked the resort a lot, including how everything was inside one building and how close it is to Magic Kingdom. But we did think the rooms needed refreshed. I think the new design looks good and am glad to see those odd sinks being replaced.
I totally agree with your assessments Tom! The public spaces, and especially the Grand Canyon Concourse, really need an overhaul. The rooms are nice enough, and I like the subtle nod to the building shape in the archway surrounding the window. I’m glad to see some Mid Century Modern style choices in the room, because I’m hoping that style does spill out into the resort as a whole. The Contemporary has always been my nostalgic favorite, but I have had a lot of mixed feelings about it when I visit. I certainly hope the room refresh eventually turns into a resort refresh. The Contemporary should/could be the flagship resort at Walt Disney World, because it is certainly the most iconic. Disney should treat it that way.
You’ve got a much better eye for design than I do, but those rooms look decidedly “meh” to me. I think my sentiment will only grow when comparing the aesthetic to the rack rate. It looks more like Incredibles decorating vs. theming to this admittedly amateurish eye.
“Meh” is more or less where I am on these rooms personally (I would’ve been fine with a few functional improvements to the old rooms), but given guest preferences and where Disney is heading with resort rooms, I’m relatively satisfied with these.
The bigger thing for me is what is not being done–or at least hasn’t been announced yet. If you gave me $50 million to spend on an overhaul of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, I would’ve allocated exactly $0 to guest rooms. There are far more pressing problems.
I really hate the cartooning of the deluxe resorts. A tiny bit of theming based on a cartoon is okay, but making it the total theme of the room just isn’t deluxe. And I agree with the frenetic look in the lobby/atrium area.
As much as I’d love traditional themed design, I don’t see the “cartoonification” changing anytime soon. That’s definitely what first-time and casual guests want, and I suspect Disney believes the long-time/old school fans will keep coming regardless.
I really like the little “surprise” details in the closet and side table. What I don’t like is the clear shower door. What are they doing this in all the refurbs lately? It makes it hard for families to get ready in the morning. Just frost the glass to a respectable height so someone can sneak in and brush their teeth while another family member is showering. It’s perplexing…
But all in all, I think these rooms look pretty great.