Contemporary Resort 2021 Construction Report
Walt Disney World has started work on a reimagining of the guest rooms at the Contemporary Resort. In this post, we’ll take a look at photos of the construction, which is strongly rumored to be an Incredibles-inspired IP Injection, plus other commentary on the project and other hotel overhauls at Walt Disney World. (Updated May 6, 2021.)
Right now, the only official detail from Walt Disney World is that from April through September 2021, the A-Frame Tower of Disney’s Contemporary Resort will take its guest rooms out of commission in phases for room overhauls. During that time, most dining and shopping options will remain open, which is necessary for the remaining rooms since Bay Lake Tower and the Garden Wing don’t have sufficient standalone options.
This was a relatively last-minute project, with some guests booked at Disney’s Contemporary Resort being notified that they’d be moved earlier this year. In that regard and a couple of others, this reimagining sounds similar to the Moana-Makeover of Guest Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. After first being scheduled to reopen last fall, the Poly had its reopening delayed until late July 2021 to accommodate that room overhaul and other refreshes to the resort…
It’s almost certainly a similar story with Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Prior to the closure of Walt Disney World, Imagineering mocked up Incredibles-inspired mid-century modern test rooms at the Contemporary. The idea behind that was very similar to the Moana-inspired rooms announced for Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.
Rather than being overt “character rooms,” both are expected to draw inspiration from the animated films. In the case of the Poly, there’s a Pacific Ocean-inspired color palette as well as details, patterns and textures from Moana, the Disney animated film that takes place on the Polynesian island of Motunui. No concept art or photos of the new Contemporary rooms have been released, but we’re anticipating mid-century modern designs inspired by the Incredibles, plus character flourishes.
May 6, 2021 Update: Disney has announced that “The Wave… of American Flavors & The Wave Lounge at Disney’s Contemporary Resort will be unavailable this summer as we refurbish this space in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort. Reservations will be available through July 15, 2021.”
Back when rumors of an Incredibles-inspired overhaul to the Contemporary first surfaced, one of the specific rumors was the “Incredibles Steakhouse” replacing the Wave. This doesn’t seem particularly far-fetched to us. Despite being a pretty solid restaurant in our view, the Wave frequently scores low on guest satisfaction surveys, which is likely due to its bland appearance.
In the recent past, Walt Disney World has injected characters into poor performing restaurants, with Artist Point at Wilderness Lodge and Bon Voyage Breakfast at BoardWalk’s Trattoria al Forno being two prime examples. The most significant difference here is that Contemporary Resort already has Chef Mickey’s, but that’s always a hard-to-book ADR, so perhaps the resort could sustain two character meals.
It’s also entirely possible that the overhaul of the Wave won’t involve the Incredibles at all, or it’ll feature a mid-century modern aesthetic inspired by the movies. No matter what the outcome, we’re on board with this project–like so much of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the Wave could use a visual refresh and more interesting style.
As for the Incredibles-inspired room reimagining at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, work quietly started last this month. The entire west side of the A-frame is now behind construction scrims.
This is something we’ve seen recently at Wilderness Lodge, except it would appear Disney is going to take down half of the Contemporary at a time instead of going floor by floor.
The east side currently does not have any closures, and appears to be operating totally as normal. Elevators are still accessible, with cloth walls blocking access to the construction. These just went up, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re replaced with real walls at some point, like what we’ve seen at the Poly and Wilderness Lodge.
While we heard of some guests being relocated to other resorts, it didn’t appear that was a widespread occurrence. More likely, Contemporary’s occupancy numbers are low enough most of the time right now that it can absorb taking roughly half the A-frame guest rooms out of commission at a time. (The same is probably true at Grand Floridian, which has been running aggressive promotions to boost bookings.)
It’s worth pointing out that Walt Disney World has not yet confirmed the Contemporary overhaul is Incredibles-inspired. It’s our strong suspicion that’s the case, which is based upon the aforementioned test rooms, plus persistent rumors, and the fact that Incredibles soft goods have been spotted being added to the rooms this month.
Even though it’s not officially confirmed, we’re about 95% certain Disney’s Contemporary Resort is getting an Incredibles IP injection. A last minute change of plans is conceivable, as is Imagineering utilizing a variety of styles beyond just the Incredibles, but we’re doubtful that either are the case.
Speaking of the Incredibles test rooms, above is a look at their exterior and hallway where they’re located.
There used to be some graphic character art between the two, but that has been removed.
Contrast that to the regular rooms right next door.
There’s a noticeable difference in the carpeting, tile, wood, and accents around the door.
Speaking of carpet, no photo better encapsulates the visual hodgepodge of the Contemporary better than the above photo.
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). All presumably installed during different projects 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.
Add those to the different varieties in the hallways around the guest rooms, and you have about a dozen carpet patterns. I’m a big fan of patterns and textures, but not like this.
These are not part of a coherent aesthetic. They’re the result of Disney’s Contemporary Resort having visual clutter added over the decades, with more and more stuff (PG term) added over the years without any overarching vision. It’s actually a bit ironic that it’s called the Grand Canyon Concourse, because the layers of clutter are very much like the sedimentary rock layers in the Grand Canyon. Except ugly instead of awe-inspiring. Minor detail.
I think a lot of Walt Disney World fans view the Contemporary through the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. I’ll admit that I did for the longest time. However, I cannot imagine being a first-timer with little knowledge of or history with this resort, booking it based on the “Contemporary” name and paying $700+ per night to stay in the A-frame. To say I’d be probably be disappointed would be a colossal understatement.
While we’re not thrilled by the idea of an Incredibles IP-injection, as stated in our most recent Contemporary Resort Report, the hotel desperately needs something. Our hope was that it would follow the Disneyland Hotel formula, but we’ll take pretty much anything at this point.
The Grand Canyon Concourse looks tired, dated, and visually chaotic. It’s an ugly patchwork of eras, with its style continuing to age and clutter continually added. Ironically, it’s probably the least contemporary resort at Walt Disney World, with very little modernity in its style.
In addition to Incredibles stylization, here’s hoping this refurbishment also includes a decluttering and cleaner design for the common areas. Honestly, I think Disney’s Contemporary Resort needs an overhaul to the Grand Canyon Concourse and lobby much more than it needs a room refresh. The guest rooms aren’t great, but they’re hardly the weak point of the hotel (they’re certainly better than Grand Floridian’s rooms).
Suffering from its own version of the “Tomorrowland Problem,” this would be a good opportunity for Imagineering to overhaul the Grand Canyon Concourse in a sleek, timeless, and clean mid-century modern style. It could be punctuated by decor and art inspired by the history of Walt Disney World, and even have dining concepts fitting within a unifying aesthetic. Just imagine a character breakfast with chic styles–a contemporary twist on Breakfast Á la Art with Mickey & Friends at Topolino’s Terrace!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited for an Incredibles IP injection at Disney’s Contemporary Resorts? Think this reimagining could 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!
Also forgot to say that a total gut of the room plumbing could be problematic because of the way the room modules were constructed in a factory several miles away and then slid into place. Or hammered into place as many were in reality due to settling and foundation issues. There is no excuse for bad shower pressure though!
@NYChris, I agree with a lot of your points. Former DCP here too but I was in 92. RIP 20K! Back then we had Michael Eisner, who many revile as a terrible CEO even though he did save the company, twice. Ironically, he loved Imagineering and spent much time there with the fine people. He brought us the most beautiful park in Paris. I hope Chapek comes around and we see great things after the coviphobia finally goes away. Not positive about many recent changes, but the company has no choice in some of this to get employees back. I just fear that the atmosphere will never be the same again, with more ‘modern’ employees being disinterested in any job. We were docked for showing up late, but now people think that’s somehow a racial bias? But like I said, I wish Bob Jr the best and hope the magic fully returns.
I don’t think the rooms should be updated like this. Bathrooms need a redesign, the shallow sinks and poor pressure in showers need to be addressed. BLT doesn’t seem to have problems with water pressure in showers or tubs. However the test rooms tucked away in the south east corner of the 8th floor did get fully gutted. After 50 years probably not a bad idea to fully gut and restore rooms. Not to intrigued about incredibles for this resort. Unfortunately Disney fell into skeptical hands with new ceo. I think DHS is too overkill with Star Wars and now the new resort being built adjacent to park. It’s not original Disney. Toy story land did make sense that theme was born Disney. Hopefully rooms will look contemporary theme and not an all star resort room with a balcony at a cost of $700 and higher a night. As a former college cast member who worked at the concourse steak house in 2000 and it was a disappointment they closed it and moved it down to the food and fun center space. The airy and grand view of the concourse, pools, bay lake and the express monorail gliding right above you was an experience you can’t duplicate. Yes the new, probably top counter service food place in wdw looks nice, but when your paying for a nice meal the view should come with it. Just like the California Grill 11 floors above. Because of the move down to the first floor in 2008. The fun center moved to the GCC and opened as game station in 2007. It is a fraction of what the fiesta / fun center was on floor 1. This caused Fantasia to have to be built and take up a large section of the north side concourse. Where once was a glooming nice open area with large amounts of seating. Sadly there a few seats at the extreme north end of floor 4. As well as some outside to watch fireworks. Someone mentioned possible new tower. Rumors have been spread that the south wings and or convention center could go. We had a resort meeting back in 2000 when all contemporary cast regarding location but not all at once have meetings well they talk you listen. They mentioned possibly replacing wings remember BLT didn’t exist yet with mini towers like 7-8 floors flanking tower like wing but the would connect to the 4th floor. It has been heavily criticized the size of BLT compared to the main tower and BLT is behind the tower on world drive approach. The road and approach was designed purposely at an approximate 45 degree angle to overwhelm guests as they finally saw the contemporary for first time coming onto property and the monorail entering or exiting hotel. High doubt they would ever change that view with some else being built even remotely as tall on the south side of tower. Sadly who knows what they will do with the new ceo. I will say I don’t care for him he isn’t about guest satisfaction. How they already cancelled Extra evening magic hours and for people who rely on the magical express. Families pay a lot to come here. 20 years back they told us the average family needs to save 4/5 years for a week trip. Fortunately some of us are DVC and Annual pass that allow us to go frequently and save a lot. But I don’t think he thinks about the average guest and pulling back on things. Even before pandemic it seems they were quietly reducing park hours.
I think the most atrocious part of the Contemporary is that horrible metal queue on the monorail platform. I cannot believe Imagineering hasn’t come up with something better. Here’s to hoping that area gets a makeover too!
But I do think an Incredibles theme will work nicely there. I am all for re-theming or refreshing the Wave but I hope the menu stays. We enjoy lunching there on MK days.
We’ve always enjoyed the food and service at The Wave, but especially it’s become a quiet spacious spot to wind down in the MK area with a cocktail or two after a day of hectic park activity. We think it’s fine as is.
never eaten at the wave. but i can say if in fact it does get an incredibles overlay or some kind and/or an incredibles character meal, it will shoot up my to-do list. we are not fans of chef mickeys whatsoever, but i’d sign up for this.
We ate at The Wave for lunch recently. It was our first time, and we were huge fans. It was a nice way to break up the long day at MK without having to go back to our hotel. There was a decent-sized but calm crowd. Our waiter was excellent, and our food was even better. The portion for the kids’ meal was gigantic. I felt like it was the most reasonably priced meal we had all week by a longshot. I’ll be sad if it’s changed too drastically.
The Wave is a wonderful restaurant, and it is a must-do any time we visit (3-4 times per year). The food is great, and the wait-staff is friendlier than any other place at WDW (and that says a great deal, as we have always found the staff at all our regular hangouts to be wonderful!). There really is nothing here that needs fixing, so I hope changes are kept to a minimum. If not, I guess we will probably start frequenting our favorite off-property haunts with greater frequency.
Used to love Concourse Steakhouse. Great steak and the Monorail. What’s better than that. Be nice to potentially get another steakhouse at the Contemporary.
We ate at The Wave and while it was admittedly some time back, the food and service were excellent. Prices were reasonable, unlike anything else at the Contemporary.
As for style, I wouldn’t exactly describe anything “mid-century modern” as timeless. Art Deco and Arts & Crafts are timeless and awesome. Just look at Wilderness Lodge and Grand Californian, for instance. The Contemporary was well, contemporary, for the late 1960s and 1970s. Even without wood paneling and shag carpet.
Interesting comment about razing the garden rooms area for another tower. I’m glad they canceled Reflections, as the style was terrible and not at all in theme with nature or the Fort Wilderness look. Frankly, it looked like a boring apartment complex.
I agree completely with all your thoughts on the Contemporary common areas.
As a long-time Disney World fanatic, I’ve generally overlooked the flaws due to the resort’s history and my nostalgia for it.
But that’s gotten harder to do through the years.
The Wave has been an enigma for me since opening. I’ve always enjoyed the food and the fantastic atmosphere in the bar/lounge area, but the restaurant itself is one of the blandest environments in all of WDW. I hope this refurb addresses this issue while maintaining the positive aspects of The Wave (with or without an Incredibles overlay).
I have not stayed at the Grand Floridian for years but I have visited it within the last year and a half. The Contemporary Hotel too when we ate at California Grill. I though the CH looked rather “tired” and definitely in need of a makeover so I’m very glad to see the updates. The Incredibles hallway looked so much lighter and brighter than the old one in comparison.
I wonder when those garden rooms are going to be leveled and a second DVC tower put there in its place. Other than reflections site, this is the next logical place to expand DVC
I really wish the Coronado Resort wasn’t so close to the Contemporary’s original American Southwest thematic elements; not only would it be easier to reemphasize those with the Blair mural, it might add an element of a Western-themed region stretching from there through the Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness.
If the BLT room décor is used as the basis for the reimagining rather than the current Contemporary rooms, the Googie design of The Incredibles can fit it with little problem. (I’m biased in favor of the current BLT rooms over the current Contemporary rooms, though.)
I am very surprised that the Garden Wing isn’t getting this first. Weren’t the rooms with the Pirates at the Caribbean Beach Resort placed in the then most distant section?
Agreed. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if they had chosen, instead, to theme rooms around classic Magic Kingdom attractions? Imagine the demand for rooms themed Space Mountain, small world, Haunted Mansion, 20k Leagues Under the Sea, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Cinderella Castle, heck, even the People Mover could rock it’s own room etc. (Although come to think of it, Haunted Mansion Rooms in the Grand Floridian would be a better fit AND I WOULD WANT TO BE THERE). Hell, even monorail-theme rooms would be fun! Imagine monorail-window shaped murals on the walls, and alarm clock that says “The monorail is approaching the station,” and the classic lines of 1950s-era space race design.
Either would be a great fit with the Contemporary being right next to Magic Kingdom, and being one of the first WDW hotels to open .
The Contemporary – and I’ll argue the (not at all luxurious) Grand Floridian rooms – are in desperate need of help. If they can pull off the Incredibles theme even half as well as they are pulling off the Moana-inspired Polynesian rooms (which look awesome to me), I’m all about this. The Contemporary and (non-villa) GF should be points of embarrassment to the folks of WDW Theme Parks.
While I agree that the resort as a whole needs a whole lot of something, I am so disappointed that they are going the Incredibles route (if that is indeed what they are doing). The Moana integration at the Poly makes sense and I think fits in with the resort well. But putting the Incredibles at the Contemporary feels so out of place. I wish they would have found a way to brighten the rooms with pops of Mary Blair inspired art, colors, fabrics, etc if they felt so compelled to update the rooms. It just doesn’t flow to me.