Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Towers
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What does the Contemporary Resort have to offer teen visitors?
The highlights:
✔ Resort Pools
✔ Arcades
✔ Watercraft Rental
✔ Sandy Beach with Beach Volleyball
✔ Parasailing and water sports instruction at Sammy Duvall’s
✔ Outdoor movies under Skyway Bridge
✔ Fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant
✔ Walking path to the Magic Kingdom
✔ Monorail to other Resorts
✔ Boat to Fort Wilderness Campground and Wilderness Lodge
✔ Meals and snacks around the resort
Go for a swim
You have a choice of two heated pools at the Contemporary Resort. There is always something going on at the feature pool, with its 17-foot slide and two hot tubs. You’ll find lifeguards at the pool leading games and activities, like the Jammin’ Pool Party, every day of the week.
The quiet pool is nearby, and it’s surrounded on three sides by Bay Lake. For a splurge, there are four cabanas available for rent. They come with extras like a fruit basket, a refrigerator stocked with complementary drinks, an IPod docking station with speakers and a flat screen TV. You can even eat in style, ordering meals to be delivered to your cabana.
Guests at Bay Lake Towers, the Disney Vacation Club section of the resort, can swim in both Contemporary pools, and can also swim in the Bay Cove Feature Pool. Teen guests may want to leave this DVC pool to the littlest swimmers, though, because of its toddler-friendly features like an interactive play area and zero depth entry.
Hang out in the Arcade
If you’re looking to find other teenagers around the resort, drop into the video arcade. The Contemporary Resort has two of them – a small arcade near the pool, and the larger Food N’ Fun Center on the fourth floor in the tower. The Food N’ Fun Center is considered to be one of the best game rooms on property, with a mix of state-of-the-art games and old classics, including skeeball with tickets that can be redeemed for prizes. The arcade is open 24 hours a day. If you’ve purchased the refillable mug for your stay at the Contemporary, you can get it filled here, and full meals and snacks can be purchased around the clock.
Jump in the lake
Spend some time out on the waters of Bay Lake in a rented Pontoon Boat, Boston Whaler Montauk, or Sea Raycer. The boats on Bay Lake are faster than at the Crescent Lake locations, so you need to beat least 16 years old to drive a Sea Raycer yourself and have a parent’s permission. (Guests 12 – 15, don’t despair – you can drive your own boat in lakes outside the Magic Kingdom Area.)
Waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing and parasailing are available from Sammy Duvall’s at the Contemporary Marina, and so are world-caliber water sport instructors. You can also go on guided catch and release fishing excursions along Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon. Word is, you’ll catch more fish on Bay Lake than any other lake at Walt Disney World.
Spend some time on the Beach
Layout on a sandy beach and enjoy the views of Bay Lake, or play some beach volleyball. The court is always set up, and volleyballs are available for free check out to resort guests.
Catch a movie under the stars
A portable movie screen is set up every evening under the Skyway Bridge between the two towers. There’s a different movie scheduled every day of the week, and the lineup is a mix of the newest Disney movies and old, familiar classics.
Watch the fireworks
The Magic Kingdom has a spectacular fireworks show that runs almost daily throughout the year. The Contemporary Resort has a fourth floor viewing area with a great view of the fireworks, and the accompanying music is broadcast through nearby speakers. It’s a nice way to enjoy the show on a day when you’re not in the Magic Kingdom.
Watch the Electric Water Pageant
The Electric Water Pageant is a long running (but little publicized) daily event at the Magic Kingdom. This aquatic parade of lighted barges sails around Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. The Electric Water Pageant usually passes by the Contemporary around 10:05PM. You can grab a seat on the bench at the Contemporary Marina for a great view.
DVC Community Hall
Guests staying at Bay Lake Towers have access to a Community Room, which has table tennis and air hockey.
Eating around the resort
The Contemporary Resort offers a refillable mug. Once you purchase the mug, you can enjoy unlimited free refills at the pool bar and inside the 24-hour arcade (or at the Cove Bar for Bay Lake Towers guests) for the rest of your stay. Whether you’re on a dining plan, or have a little bit of spending money, there are lots of snacks available around the resort in the $1 – $4 price range. From fruit to french fries, you’ll have a lot of choices at the Contempo Café or the store on the fourth floor. For a low-cost but decadent snack, try a Dulche de Leche or Black Forest Cupcake.
If character meals aren’t your style, you could enjoy a dinner with your family at the upscale California Grill instead. If you time your dinner to coincide with Wishes, you can watch the fireworks from your table. Even if no reservations are available at that time, guests with reservations that day will be allowed up to watch the fireworks with a premium view from the bar area.
Walk on the “Wild” Side
Take the water taxi from the Contemporary to explore the Wilderness Lodge Resort or the Fort Wilderness resort area. Being close to the Fort is an especially great benefit because of the long list of activities available to day guests. Catch the boat back to the Contemporary when you’re done exploring – boats make a circular route between the three resorts on a regular schedule all day. Just be sure to find out when the last boat will sail for the day, or you’ll need to take a much longer bus ride back to your resort, by way of Downtown Disney.
Head to the Park
While the monorail is a fun way to travel, it’s not the fastest or most direct route – it runs in one direction along a circular path. This means you’ll stop at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian Resorts and the Ticket and Transportation center before you arrive at the Magic Kingdom. The fastest and most direct way to get to the Magic Kingdom Park is to walk, and only the Contemporary resort and Bay Lake Towers have a path that will take you there. This option is great at busy times, because you can avoid the crowds and long lines that form at the monorail.
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