After officially closing its doors on March 20, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney’s Contemporary Resort has partially reopened. This Monday, it started welcoming DVC Members and their guests back “home.” The adjacent Bay Lake Tower has reopened to house guests, and while rooms at the iconic A-frame Contemporary tower (and Garden Wing) are not currently available for occupancy, most of the shopping and dining amenities are available to guests.

Upon arrival in the lobby, signs of the changed times are immediately visible. Signs showing a COVID-19 Warning and “Health and Safety Reminders” are the first things to greet you, along with a hand sanitizer station.

At the check-in counter for the hotel, social distancing markers have been installed, but little else has changed.

Going up the escalator one floor, the Convention Center is closed, as large gatherings are still not advised.

With California Grill closed, the check-in desk sits quiet, with a new social distancing sign waiting for guests.

All around the lobby, the seating seems to have been left in its original position, leaving it up to guests to maintain social distancing on their own, at least for now. A sign on the table in each grouping of chairs and couches reminds guests to follow guidelines.

The digital displays that usually show park hours and other events now cycle through the Contemporary Resort welcome slide and the “Health & Safety Reminders” slide.

Up another escalator and we’ve come to where the majority of the action is taking place currently at the Contemporary Resort. Bayview Gifts, like all Disney shops with more than one door, has an “entrance only“ door and an “exit only” door set up. Outside of the entrance is a socially-distanced queue for guests waiting to enter the store once it reaches capacity.

Outside of the entrance is another “Health and Safety Reminders” sign and a hand sanitizer station.

Both checkout counters at Bayview Gifts have been equipped with social distancing markers in the queue and plexiglass at the register to separate the guest and Cast Member.

With the reopening of the DVC resorts, the Marketplace Co-Op is no longer the only place on Disney property where you can purchase the popular Disney character face masks. It seems these masks will be available at resorts as well. We found them at Bayview Gifts, and while they didn’t have every print available, they had a good selection and an impressive size range.

Next door at Fantasia, we found a socially-distanced queue and hand sanitizer station at the door as well.

They also had the now-familiar social distancing markers for the checkout queue and the plexiglass barrier at the register.

While all future Limited Edition pin and merchandise releases are now solely sold on shopDisney, Fantasia does still have a selection of the Limited Edition pins that came out in the parks back in March before the closure.

Like other shops, Fantasia has an “exit only” door at the rear of the store.

The Fantasia Market, only having one door, is not marked for entrance and exit only, but it does remind guests to maintain distance at the door.

A queue along with a hand sanitizer station is set up to the left of the door along the wall, so traffic throughout the rest of the hotel will not be blocked.

Inside, the major change is the usual checkout additions of queue markers and plexiglass.

Next door, The Game Station has social distancing reminders posted, but it remains closed. Given the high touch point games inside, we wonder if and when this amenity will become available to guests once again.

Mobile Ordering has come to Contempo Cafe, and is in fact the only way in which you can order and purchase food here now. With both a printed and digital sign at the entrance with a scannable QR code, guests can simply scan the code and order from the menu on their phone. Once their order is ready, they are directed inside the checkout area of the Cafe.

Right away, social distancing markers are visible, and barriers to keep guests away from the counter.

Orders are placed on these numbered tables, and guests will be notified through the app which table to go to.

Since their order was paid for through the mobile order, guests can proceed directly to the beverage station and the seating area.

There are numbered tables next to the beverage station as well, allowing guests to pick up their beverage of choice. All beverages are filled by Cast Members, guests are asked to remain in the seating area.

To maintain social distancing, every other table in the seating area is currently unavailable.

Signs on these tables inform guests of their availability.

Should you wish to purchase grab-and-go snacks from the Contempo Cafe, there are still limited options to do so. A few treats could be seen in the cold case, most notably among them the Cinderella Anniversary cupcake.

The checkout area has been equipped with social distancing markers and signs to accommodate guests making snack-sized purchases.

At the time of this article, Chef Mickey’s is closed. Through information about Cast Members being recalled to work, we have learned that Chef Mickey’s may become a family style eatery, where a variety of options are brought to the guests’ table, similar to ’Ohana in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. For more information, see our article here.

The Outer Rim Bar is also closed, but the seating has been rearranged to accommodate social distancing.

While the parks are still closed, bus service is available from the Contemporary Resort to Disney Springs. Signage outside at the bus waiting area reminds guests of the dangers of COVID-19.

One of the longest marked lines we’ve seen yet can be found at the bus stop here, although there are still benches for guests wishing to sit rather than stand.

While Disney’s Contemporary Resort doesn’t officially open to guests (with confirmed prior reservations) until July 10, it was nice to come visit and see the enhanced safety measures that have been put in place. Will you be staying here soon? Let us know in the comments!

Noelle Burk