Disney’s Contemporary Resort is one of Walt Disney World’s most recognizable hotels and one of the few remaining places where guests can experience the bold, optimistic futurism that defined the resort’s earliest years. Located beside Magic Kingdom, the Deluxe Resort is best known for its towering A-frame design and the Walt Disney World Monorail System, which passes directly through the hotel’s open interior concourse. Guests can also walk from the resort to the entrance of Magic Kingdom, making the Contemporary especially popular with families who prioritize convenience.
The resort opened on October 1, 1971, the same day as Walt Disney World and Magic Kingdom. Built in cooperation with U.S. Steel, its main tower was constructed like an enormous egg crate. Guest rooms were largely prefabricated elsewhere, furnished, and then lifted into the framework by cranes. The monorail was designed to glide through the building above the fourth-floor level, where the expansive Grand Canyon Concourse remains the heart of the hotel.
The concourse’s defining artistic feature is a 90-foot-tall mosaic designed by Disney Legend Mary Blair, whose distinctive visual style also shaped it’s a small world. Inspired by the Grand Canyon and the American Southwest, the mural brings warmth and color to the resort’s otherwise clean-lined modern architecture. It also contains a famously unusual detail: a five-legged goat that has become a favorite discovery for longtime Disney fans.
Although the resort’s design is rooted in the early 1970s, the Contemporary has evolved considerably. Its main-tower rooms now incorporate The Incredibles-themed details, while additional accommodations are available in the lower-profile Garden Wing. The adjoining Bay Lake Tower, a Disney Vacation Club property with 295 villas, opened in 2009 and expanded the resort complex along the shoreline of Bay Lake.
Dining has also played a major role in the hotel’s identity. The rooftop California Grill opened in 1995 in the former Top of the World space and remains known for its elevated cuisine and views toward Magic Kingdom. Other current options include Chef Mickey’s character buffet, the nostalgic Steakhouse 71, and Contempo Café, where diners can watch monorails pass overhead.
Today, Disney’s Contemporary Resort is not merely a convenient place to stay. It is a living piece of Walt Disney World history: a hotel where transportation, architecture, dining, and Disney design still intersect in a way that feels distinctly different from any other resort on property.
Contemporary Resort Restaurants:
- California Grill
- Chef Mickey’s
- Contempo Cafe
- Contemporary Grounds
- Cove Bar
- Outer Rim
- Sand Bar
- Steakhouse 71
Closed Contemporary Resort Restaurants:
- Character Café
- Coconino Cove
- Contemporary Cafe
- Grand Canyon Terrace / The Terrace Buffet / The Terrace Buffeteria
- The Concourse Grille / Concourse Steakhouse
- The Gulf Coast Room
- The Pueblo Room
- The Wave
- Top of the World
