Who/When/Where:
Who: Sue (55), DVC Member
SB (56), my husband
Chris (27), my son
Amanda (25), future daughter-in-law
Dates: May 23 - 26, 2014
Resort: Disneys Bay Lake Tower Resort
Experience: Very Experienced 8th stay at this resort
INTRODUCTION:
There was really only 1 reason for this trip its a holiday weekend, so might as well take advantage of the extra day off from work. Late May is actually too hot & humid for me to enjoy spending time in the parks, so I booked Bay Lake Tower figuring Id enjoy the beach behind the Contemporary in the morning, the cool resort in the afternoon, then possibly venture into a park some evening. I also booked a studio for Chris & Amanda, and gave them that plus a Disney gift card as one of their Christmas gifts.
As the trip got closer I realized we were in for extremely high temperatures 97 on Friday, 98 on Saturday! When its that hot Id rather not even be there. However, within 31 days of arrival the points would not be restored to my account so it was a damned if I do, damned if I dont scenario. Usually its not as hot as it will be this year. Also, SB had been mumbling about missing going to WDW (his last trip was just last month but early in the month so it was almost 2 months ago). His department is short on staff right now but he was able to change his days off so he could join us after work on Friday and stay until sometime late Sunday afternoon. His pass expires around May 25th, so he can renew that in person while were here.
Disney later announced they are doing another 24-hour day in the Magic Kingdom, and its the day of our arrival. Frankly that event and the hordes of crowds it attracted last year has pretty much zero appeal to me, and its something I would never normally try to attend. However, since staying at BLT lets me walk over to the park, curiosity will get the better of me and I knew Chris & Amanda would want to check it out as well. If its horribly crowded, itll be easy to get out of there and walk back to the resort, so its a no-risk situation for me. I heard transportation last year was a nightmare, so I wouldnt even attempt it if I was staying anywhere else. Chris, Amanda & I made our fastpass reservations a while ago, and I should have just booked them for all 4 of us at the time. When SB decided to come it was too late to copy the fastpasses to him nothing was available. I may inquire at the park to see if they can work magic once were there, but honestly with it being such a ridiculous day Im not holding my breath. Its possible we wont even get into the park!
One thing I booked this trip, after a long hiatus, is a meal at LeCellier. I still do NOT like how they changed the menu and eliminated so many popular items (like the steak burger SB loves), and Im not impressed that a bowl of the soup is $10 and probably a half-glass of wine costs the same, lol but in a moment of insanity I booked a solo lunch there for Monday. As I said in April, now that I bought Tables in Wonderland again I need to purposely overspend on some meals to get my moneys worth <g>. I also booked lunch for the 4 of us at Grand Floridian Caf on Sunday before our fastpasses start at Hollywood Studios that day. Its possible well do lunch Saturday at the Wave or Wave Lounge if someone SB knows from his baseball days comes over to see him.
With it forecast to be so hot (and humid), part of me is regretting booking our fastpasses for late afternoon. Down here late afternoon is the hottest time of the day this time of year. I plan to spend some time on the beach behind the Contemporary in the morning, although if its unbearably hot by 10 or 11 that will drive me inside to the air conditioning. SB has been working extra hours and it pretty worn out hell probably enjoy laying around the studio watching tv while Im outside. Chris & Amanda have the option of going to park, the pool or perhaps a water park early in the day. I do plan to watch the Electrical Water Pageant each evening, as thats a nostalgic favorite that I only take time for when I stay along Bay Lake. I may spend an evening at Top of the World, because thats also something only worth bothering with when staying at Bay Lake Tower in my opinion (convenience).
The plans so far are:
Friday 5/23: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom
Saturday 5/24: Beach/Pool, Epcot
Sunday 5/25: Beach/Pool, Grand Floridian Caf lunch, Hollywood Studios
Monday 5/26: Beach/Pool, LeCellier
Tuesday 5/27: Drive to work in Gainesville
DAY 1 Friday 5/23/14
Who: Sue (55), DVC Member
SB (56), my husband
Chris (27), my son
Amanda (25), future daughter-in-law
Plan: Drive to WDW, Magic Kingdom
Actual: I left work at noon and was on the road before 12:10. All I had to do was change from capri to shorts, remove the shirt I wore over my top, and throw a few things in the little cooler. The drive was uneventful, other than having to go to a 2nd gas station because the first on was both very busy and had several pumps closed. It was around 2:15 or so by the time I pulled into Bay Lake Tower. Id been afraid traffic would be really congested close to the Magic Kingdom but it wasnt bad at all. There was a long delay getting into the parking lot, but that can happen when a few people are ahead of you to check in.
I parked the car and was met outside the front door by a cast member who took me inside and started the check-in process (I had done online check in). At first I learned my room was not ready yet, which was very disappointing since on my online check in Id said Id arrive an hour ago. But, the cast member took it upon herself to offer to find a ready room that met my preferences, and she asked if I wanted Chris & Amanda to be near my room.
They were already booked into a room at the north end and I prefer south end, so we left them alone. The cast member said they had a very nice view from that room. She found me a room facing the Contemporary and marina, which is my top preference. Im on the 8th floor first room from the elevator, so SB will be pleased. I can sit on the balcony and watch the monorails entering and exiting the Contemporary, which I always enjoy. I turned on the rest of General Hospital and partly paid attention while I unpacked and got settled.
Shortly after 3 I saw on facebook that Amanda had said they were almost here so I texted her and learned they were just pulling off the highway. We agreed Id wait for them to arrive before getting something to eat, since they were so close. Id brought some stuff for them so once they got their room number they texted me and I met them at their room. They have a standard view room on the 3rd floor first room away from the other set of elevators. From their balcony theyll have a perfect view of the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.
We walked over to Contempo Caf and ordered lunch/dinner I had the steakhouse salad and got a red velvet cupcake for back in the room. Chris also got the steakhouse salad, with a beer. Amanda had the mahi sandwich. It was all good not spectacular, but good. We sat around a bit then went downstairs to see the menu at Wave. Theyll probably join SB & I there for lunch tomorrow. After that we made a stop in my room to put my leftover salad and the cupcake in my fridge. SB got on the road just before 4, so he should be arriving around 6.
Chris had mentioned River Country so we decided to take a ride on the small boats that travel between Contemporary, Ft Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. On the way past the marina we ran into Bill, who works as a boat captain doing fireworks cruises. We chatted with him for a bit it had been a while since Id seen him. We went out to the dock and both boats arrived at the same time (they each travel in the opposite direction but make the same 3 stops). One captain was singing at the top of his lungs, so I gave Chris the option of riding with the happy captain or the quiet one and he chose quiet <g>.
Our boat went to Ft Wilderness first, and then we cruised past River Country on our way to Wilderness Lodge. It was very pleasant out there on the boat the nice breeze compensated for the hot temperature. When the boat returned to the Contemporary we disembarked and went inside, heading upstairs to the monorail station. As expected, it was pretty busy up there and we had to wait for the third monorail. There was an extended family in our car and we were surprised/gaping at a little boy drinking from baby bottle. My personal opinion is if the kid is old enough to walk hes old enough to drink from a cup. This kid looked old enough to be in an early grade in elementary school. Heck, his shoes were almost as big as mine, lol! He acted, spoke, and looked like a perfectly normal/healthy 5-7 year old boy, so the bottle was definitely strange!
Once we were on the monorail we realized we didnt have time to get off at Polynesian to look at the construction, and with the big crowds we might have had to wait for several monorails there too. We stayed on board until we got to the Magic Kingdom, then rushed a bit to beat the mob. Surprisingly bag check was hardly busy at all, and all lanes were open. We got through that very quickly. At the entrance Amandas magic band wouldnt work and neither would her annual pass.
They were afraid this would happen, as their stuff has been completely messed up despite Disneys repeated attempts to get it fixed. The latest fiasco is both her pass and Chris were coded onto his magic band, so when she tried to use her pass (when her magic band wouldnt work) the machine indicated it had just been used by someone. The cast member there had to call someone over, who tried but wasnt able to fix the problem. We were dying in the heat, too. She took us over towards Guest Services to a guy next to the wheelchair rental and he tried many things and issued Amanda a new pass a couple times, and finally said we should be ok. At this point our Big Thunder fastpass window and grace period had ended, so he worked some magic to let us all do that attraction any time between 7pm and 11:30pm. That was cool!
It was 6:45 and our Mermaid window was open so we headed down Main Street. Other than the hub being mobbed due to a show in front of the castle it didnt feel that busy at all. The Seven Dwarves Mine Train ride was operating and only had a 60-minute wait posted. The line was out in the sun though, and looked miserable. We got to see the attraction running, but none of us was willing to do that line. We walked over to the Mermaid attraction and Amandas magic band didnt work at the fastpass machine. The cast member manually overrode it, so we werent really delayed. The standby wait was only 20 minutes, which isnt bad.
We were on the attraction in no time at all, with Amanda & I sharing a clam and Chris riding by himself. This is a cute ride very colorful. After this we walked over to Big Thunder to use that fastpass. We saw a lot of people in the park who dressed as either villains or nice characters. Some of the costumes were really elaborate, and frankly must have been horrifically uncomfortable in this heat! Some were more simple but very creative it was fun seeing them. At Big Thunder all of our magic bands worked. The standby queue was really long and slow-moving, and it was miserably hot in there once we started down the ramp to the loading area. We were in the back of the train, and once again I rode with Amanda and Chris rode alone in front of us. With Amanda & I the lap bar can come all the way down to the lowest position. Riding with Chris the bar would have been a lot higher just like when I ride with SB.
SB had arrived when we first entered the park but he decided to hang out at the resort rather than come over to the park. He had no fastpasses, as they were all gone once we determined he was joining us. After Big Thunder I headed back, walking back to the resort. Chris & Amanda went to use their Buzz Lightyear fastpass but unfortunately it had broken down (along with People Mover). People were being evacuated from both attractions.
I joined SB in the studio and spent about 15 minutes on the trip report before we went to the lobby and gained access to the Top of the World Lounge on the top floor. Tonight Wishes is at 9 instead of 10, so this was the best night to view them from up there. I was surprised the lounge wasnt very busy at all, and never filled up. We had our pick of a couple of the high-top tables by the window and ordered drinks pinot grigio for me and their pina colada for him. The pina colada was delicious! Chris & Amanda came up and joined us, with Chris also getting a pina colada and Amanda getting the fried chicken sliders. Service was good and we had a nice time up there.
At 9 Wishes started, and they dimmed the lights and played the soundtrack in the lounge so we didnt have to leave our air conditioned seats! This is definitely a great way to enjoy the fireworks. After they ended we walked over to the Contemporary they went to the marketplace to get some crackers & cheese for Amanda while SB & I went to Contempo Caf. He got the half rack of ribs dinner to go and we brought it back to the room. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity of ribs, and they were very tender and meaty. This meal was a great value, too. I left him with his ribs and went down to a chaise lounge on the beach to watch the Electric Water Pageant, getting back to the room around 10:25. I shared an elevator with Deb Wills wife Linda, meeting her for the first time. Deb was over at the Magic Kingdom!
SB turned in by 11 but has a baseball game playing on the computer. That is NOT going to work for long hes practically snoring now. Im meeting Chris & Amanda at 3am for another trip to the Magic Kingdom. If the mine train attraction is still running well do that standby if its less than an hour, since itll be cooler. We also received an email saying we could use our unused Buzz Lightyear fastpass at a list of attractions during normal hours which I assume means until 6am. Its not valid during extra magic hours, but theyre not doing those today.
Once I get this posted Ill be shutting off SBs laptop and setting my phone alarm for 2:30. Itll be a grungy kind of trip to Magic Kingdom in the wee hours of the morning <g>. Later in the day were doing lunch at the Wave, then going to Epcot for early evening fastpasses.
DAY 2 Saturday 5/24/14
Who: Sue (55), DVC Member
SB (56), my husband
Chris (27), my son
Amanda (25), future daughter-in-law
Plan: Beach/Pool, Epcot
Actual: Last night SB woke up and turned off his laptop before I finished posting the report. It was a game on the west coast, and after working extra hours and making the drive I knew there was no way hed make it through the game. I turned in about 11-11:30, and didnt sleep very well because I knew I had to get up at 2:30am. The bed & the room are very comfortable, though.
At 2:30 I got up and quietly made my way into the bathroom where Id placed everything Id need. There was no point in showering now, so I wore yesterdays clothes again (Amanda did the same) and just washed up in the sink. I was out the door just before 3am, dropped the trash from the ribs in a trash can and found Chris & Amanda waiting for me in the lobby. Chris was very tired and had decided he wanted to just stay asleep, but it was important to Amanda so he got himself up.
Walking over to the Magic Kingdom there were far more people walking in the other direction, which we took as a good sign. The bus stops were busy with departing guests as well. We could hear the noise (music) from inside the park pretty far away not inside our rooms but definitely outside the resort. There was no wait at bag check, and they had just one side open. At the entry Amandas magic band worked. I was behind a couple of cast members trying to get in, but theyre blocked out from this day. It sounded like they came last year, and didnt bother to check to learn that they wouldnt be admitted this year. They have a phone # they can call to get the current restrictions, so Im not sure why they didnt find this out before coming over here.
Inside the park it didnt feel that crowded, other than long lines for any character/villain greets and of course the mine train attraction. The bake shop was pretty mobbed too people probably needed that Starbucks caffeine! Once again we saw lots of cute/clever costumes, along with a few that frankly should have been left home in the closet. We were happy to finally get off Main Street and away from the castle because the noise/music was ridiculously loud. You couldnt hear each other speak they dont need the volume that high!
We went to Tomorrowland first and decided theyd use their fastpass for Buzz Lightyear and Id use mine for Space Mountain. I went with them to Buzz figuring if it didnt work Id save myself the walk to Space Mountain. The standby line was only about 20 minutes, which isnt bad for Buzz. Their magic bands worked perfectly, and the cast member saw me standing outside the queue and offered to let me ride with them but we said no thanks. I walked over to Space Mountain and learned it was down technical difficulties. There has been an awful lot of that all over the Magic Kingdom during this event, including people having to be evacuated off attractions. I walked back over to Buzz Lightyear and waited for them at the exit.
When we first came over the People Mover had stopped, but it was running again so we decided to do that. However, it stopped again so we didnt wait. We kept checking the mine train wait time on our phones and it wasnt changing much once it got down to 65 minutes but that was brief. The line looked ridiculous I cant believe they dont have a bigger queue area for this attraction.
As we started past the Speedway we noticed the People Mover was moving again so we backtracked and joined the line for that. They were letting only so many people go up at a time, which makes sense. This way it doesnt get jammed up and create a dangerous situation where people coming up the moving walkway have nowhere to go. Soon we were on the People Mover and we saw them letting people into Space Mountain. When we got off the attraction the line for Astro Orbiter was very short, so I think Chris & Amanda did that while I went over to Space Mountain and used my fastpass. The standby queue was backed up about halfway out of the building, so it was nice to just bypass all those people!
I ended up in the front seat, and enjoyed the ride. I did notice some of the lights were on, so it wasnt dark like it normally is. In several portions I could see the track clearly. Chris & Amanda were waiting for me outside and they said it had just gone down again. I guess I was lucky I was able to ride!
We walked back towards Fantasyland and again saw the huge line at the mine train. Chris absolutely didnt want to spend an hour or more in line, so well save this for a future trip when we can book a fastpass for a specific time and not deal with this craziness. Id kind of like my first ride to be during daylight when I can actually what there is to see anyway.
Haunted Mansion had a 20-minute wait posted so we entered the queue and except for a brief wait for the doors to open we walked right into the preshow. A couple of girls were wearing Disney headbands with something that lit up or glowed and they were told to turn them off when boarding the doom buggies. Once again the ride stopped for a little bit, as we were in front of the grandfather clock watching the hands spin around. No emergency message came on, so it might have been someone who really struggled getting on or off the vehicles.
Chris was interested in Peter Pan and Amanda had never done that before (always got here too late, when the line was crazy), so we did that next. The posted wait time was 15 minutes but I dont think it took that long. Overall most lines seemed to have the time overstated, and the waits werent long at all except for mine train <g>. After Peter Pan Chris was really tired and wanted to look for a shirt for Amanda and then go back. I really thought I raised him to be tougher than that, lol but I think part of the problem was he was out late drinking the night before the trip.
We were able to walk through the castle, where another loud show was going on out front. We found the shirts from the event in one of the shops and Amanda was thrilled to find a size XS so it would actually fit her. She bought the shirt, then we headed out of the park about 5am and walked back to Bay Lake Tower. They were headed to bed figuring theyd sleep til noon, have lunch with us, hit the pool, then clean up for Epcot. I went up to the studio and found SB asleep, so I quietly made hot water for cappuccino (putting the coffee maker in the bathroom so I could close the door). He woke up anyway, and moved his laptop up onto the bed but then fell back asleep before he turned it on, lol! I made him his tea, which at home he drinks cold (made the night before & put in the fridge) so the fact that its sitting cooling off on the nightstand is fine.
I made my cappuccino and had a couple cookies from the box SB bought before coming down yesterday. I took the laptop and cappuccino out to the balcony and watched the day begin it was beautiful out there! I could hear the music/noise from the Magic Kingdom until that all ended at 6am, and then it was just peaceful other than boat whistles from the MK ferries. I could see the MK bus stop area and it was pretty busy. Both monorails were running, too.
At 8 I made our breakfast microwave egg and slice of bacon for me, hardboiled egg and 2 sausage patties for SB. I also booked a weekend at Boardwalk Villas since today my 11-month window opened. Just after 8:30 we went out to the beach & pool at the Contemporary (the one here at Bay Lake Tower is pretty small/pitiful). Once we were out there I realized the main pool didnt open until 9am. They had chains up to deter people from entering the area, but I knew the non-main pool would be open. Everyone knows people only drown in main pools <g>. Sure enough, the other pools hours were posted as 7am to midnight.
We sat on a couple chaise lounges at the quiet pool until just after 9, then I moved to a chaise lounge at the edge of the lake (on the beach) and SB moved to a chaise lounge by the main pool. We found him a spot that would fall into the shade once the sun got a bit higher. I napped for about an hour, then did some reading. SB alternated time spent in the pool and time spent dozing on his chair. He came out to the beach to check on me at one point, seeing if I needed anything. I left the beach at 11:30 it had been nice out there but it was getting way too hot. He was asleep on his chaise lounge, so I sat on the chair next to him. He didnt wake up and I didnt really want to wake him up, so I left him there and went up to the studio.
I went out to the shady balcony and a few minutes later SB was in the studio. He must have woken up not too long after I went up there. We took our showers and hung out online until it was time to go to the Wave for lunch. Id made a reservation for 1:30 for a party of 3 when a friend of his was going to be joining us. Since a table for 3 will have 4 chairs it wont be a problem adding Chris & Amanda.
SB & I stopped at the front desk concierge at the Contemporary to see if we could renew his pass there, but were told only the parks and Downtown Disney do the annual passes. The cast member also told me our FL Resident Seasonal Passes were blocked out today & tomorrow, which I knew was not true. He insisted, and as proof showed me a paper that indicated our passes do have block out dates but what Mr. Dim Bulb didnt seem to know is our block out dates do not include today or tomorrow. Yikes this guy is working in a job specifically dealing with passes??? We thanked him for the misinformation and sat on a big sofa in the lobby to wait for Chris & Amanda. We missed seeing them arrive and go into the Wave looking for us, but eventually found each other just before 1:30.
We were seated right away, and had a nice lunch. I got the seasonal Florida strawberry salad which came with goat cheese and a delicious cheese biscuit thing. I also tried a pinot grigio from Willamette Valley (Oregon) called Duck Pond or something like that it was good. Amanda had the fish taco and a side of potato wedges. Chris had the build your own burger and SB had the soup and half sandwich (chicken corn chowder and roasted turkey with cranberry). Everything was very good, and our service was great as well. Amanda took the check to thank us for this trip, but we did get the Tables in Wonderland applied.
After lunch we went upstairs to the 4th floor to agree on when/where to meet later. We agreed on 5pm by the sky bridge. Chris & Amanda got a worms & dirt dessert at Contempo Caf and then planned to go to the pool for a couple hours. SB & I went back to the studio. Hed mentioned riding a boat around the lake, but it was so oppressively hot we didnt feel like standing out on the hot dock. I cut a small piece of the red velvet cupcake for dessert, and spent time on the shady balcony listening to the music from the pool party and watching the monorails go by. SB watched tv inside the air conditioning!
Around 3:30 I rode the monorail over to the Polynesian to see the construction. The center portion of the Great Ceremonial House is completely blocked off by boring beige walls its really hideous right now. Once theyre done it should look nice. This resort is so dated and unattractive to me, so Im glad theyre changing things here. I walked out to the dvc construction area and could see the individual units being built over the water. There are so few of them I know theyll be highly popular. It was really hot out there, so I didnt stay any longer than necessary. Lots of people were at the tiny feature pool thats another thing that needs to go away & get completely overhauled.
I hopped back on the monorail and was back in the studio by 4:15, feeling exhausted by now. I tried laying down, but I cant rest with the tv on. This is why a 1br villa works better for us I dont have any noise from any other person. So, I brought the computer back to the bed and hung out online until it was time to meet Chris & Amanda. We walked over the sky bridge just before 5 and they followed a minute or 2 later. We went up to the monorail station and rode over to the Ticket & Transportation Center.
Once there we had to find the group of open ticket windows at the end of a long row of ticket booths that are no longer needed. We had no wait to renew SBs pass, and we found out it expired tomorrow. She canceled his current pass and issued the new one, which was immediately updated on his magic band. The whole process went very smoothly, and then we walked up the ramp and had a short wait for the monorail to Epcot.
As usual, the whole front entrance to Epcot is a pain in the butt. The ramp off the monorail takes forever, and the bag check area was congested. I really dislike entering the park this way, but coming from BLT theres not much we could do. Our fastpass window for Spaceship Earth had opened so we did that first. I had SB answer the questions and got some I hadnt seen before including it giving him the option to say he preferred to watch tv. It must be psychic, lol!
It was really hot in Epcot even though it was after 6pm by now. We stopped in Club Cool for soda for Chris & Amanda and air conditioning for us! We had some time to kill so we decided to ride the Imagination ride, disbelieving the apps reporting of a 20-minute wait there. It was actually posted at the attraction as a 15-minute wait and the line was backed up to the entrance! It was air conditioned and everything else had longer waits so we stood in the line. SB said none of it looked familiar to him turns out hed never done this before. Finally we were seated (probably took the whole 15 minutes) and were on our way through this lackluster attraction (I miss the first version). SB could have done without he stinky part but I think overall he thought it was ok.
We walked back over to Test Track, arriving at 6:44 for our 6:45 fastpass window. There was a big crowd at the fastpass entrance and I couldnt figure it out since they werent moving into the queue. I thought maybe they were waiting for their time to arrive (and were rudely standing in the way) so some of us bypassed them & they started using their magic bands to enter the queue. Very strange. We designed our cars, with the one SB & I did looking rather stupid thanks to these awful huge tires we put on it! At the seatbelt check area we were delayed when the single rider next to Amanda didnt have his seatbelt on and didnt understand any English. The cast member kept trying to tell him what to do, and finally Amanda just tried to help do it for him. The ride was fun, and in the end our ugly car beat Chris total score by a few points!
At this point it was 7:15 and the next fastpass wasnt until 7:45 at Nemo. I was tired of the heat, and probably just tired in general, lol! SB & I left them in the park, taking the monorail back to the Ticket & Transportation Center and then waiting for the resort monorail there. It was pretty crowded and we had this really LOUD family behind us youve probably encountered those people who talk too loudly and have voices that just grate on your nerves from the second they open their mouth! SB suggested getting drinks and something to eat at Tambu Lounge and hang out with Clinta (bartender there) so we left the monorail at the Polynesian. Turns out Clinta wasnt there, so we went back to the monorail station to wait for the next monorail. It was SO hot up on that platform I dont know how the cast members can stand it! Finally the monorail arrived and we rode back to the Contemporary.
Dinner was a bacon cheeseburger from Contempo Caf for SB. I had a bite of a burger and a few fries, but really wasnt in the mood for anything else. They got really busy after wed ordered and it was a zoo for a while! We took the food back to the villa and he ate while watching the start of a basketball game. I worked on the trip report.
Chris & Amanda called to say theyre leaving Epcot, so they plan to get food at Contempo Caf and come to the Top of the World Lounge before the fireworks. Im not sure theyre going to make it in time! I told them Id go up there and get us seats though. After the fireworks the 3 of us will watch the Electric Water Pageant from the beach and then Ill be going to bed!
Today was a really nice day, except for the weather. The heat & humidity are a HUGE negative factor, and its a shame for it to be so hot this early. I enjoyed going over to the Magic Kingdom in the middle of the night, as thats not something that can be done very often.
Tomorrow itll be beach & pool for us in the morning, and Chris/Amanda may rent the little boats. We have lunch just before 2pm at the Grand Floridian Caf, then head to Hollywood Studios for Toy Story and a couple other fastpasses. SB plans to head home after Toy Story, since he has to work tomorrow.
DAY 3 Sunday 5/25/14
Who: Sue (55), DVC Member
SB (56), my husband
Chris (27), my son
Amanda (25), future daughter-in-law
Plan: Beach/Pool, Grand Floridian Caf lunch, Hollywood Studios
Actual: Last night I went up to Top of the World Lounge around 9:15 and found it much busier than the night before. Most of the seating was taken, except for a couple tiny high-top tables with uncushioned chairs. I first started to settle there, but then saw a nice comfortable chair at the end of the sofa facing the tv and asked the couple on the sofa if that seat was available. They were very welcoming and we chatted a bit. They ordered the house made potato chips, and they looked more like nachos because of all the stuff on them. They looked great wish wed tried that the night before!
Chris & Amanda texted their progress, and asked if they could bring food from Contempo Caf up there. I wasnt sure, so I asked and was told absolutely. When the table next to the one we had last night (by the window) opened up I moved over there. Contempo Caf was a madhouse again and Chris & Amanda made it up to the lounge just a minute or 2 before Wishes started. I had already settled the check for my glass of wine but we were able to order a $9 beer in a to go cup for Chris. They ate during wishes and we took all of the trash from that meal with us & put it in a trash can on our way downstairs. Even though the server had said bringing the food was fine and I tipped her extra, it didnt seem right to leave the trash for her to clean up.
We raced downstairs in the first elevator and could hear the Electric Water Pageant starting as we came outside. We hurried through the BLT courtyard to get to the Contemporary side where we were able to watch the rest of it from the beach. Afterwards I went back up to the room, where SB had basketball on tv and baseball on the computer. I was less than thrilled although he had the audio off the light (and especially the changing light levels) of the screen is enough to bother me when Im trying to sleep. I read my kindle for a while, & he grumbled but finally turned off the last device in the 5th or 6th inning around 11:30. With a 1-bedroom villa he could have watched to his hearts content in the living room, although most likely he would have fallen asleep and missed most of the game anyway.
I slept well, having put in earplugs as a precautionary measure just in case he snored at all. Since its only for 1 night it wasnt worth risking that he would and then Id have to put them in midway through the night. I got up shortly after 6 and took the computer and my cappuccino out to the very humid balcony. I saw SB was up and on his computer so I came back inside. He was still sort of grumpy and announced he was going home this morning. I thought that was a bit much, but could see where just going now could make more sense than just killing time here since our first real thing to do was lunch at 1:50.
While SB was in the shower Chris & Amanda contacted me to say they were going over to Magic Kingdom to try to get on the mine train attraction and wanted to know if we wanted to come. They were basically ready to go now (8am) even though the park didnt open until 9. The figured getting there early would put us close to the front of the pack once the park did open. I threw on some clothes and went down to meet them at the front door of the lobby. SB left for home at the same time. We walked over to MK and waited by the right side entrance under the train station. It got pretty busy, and they started the opening show stuff at 8:45.
Once inside cast members kept the mob walking slowly. That was good, but didnt keep some of the stroller pushers from running up my heels (3 times different people). Chris told one guy he was going to throw his stroller over the wall (going up to the castle) if he didnt back off. Finally we approached the attraction and cast members were busy telling everyone it was NOT open, didnt officially open til May 28th, might be open later, IF it opens later no time is known at this time, etc. We were already here and had already invested an hour of our time so we got in line (outside the queue area). We were back across from the Pooh attraction and within a couple minutes the line was back to the Tea Cups and soon all the way back to Dumbo. It was unreal! At least we were in a shady spot, but some people further up were baking in the sun.
As people ahead of us would give up we got to move forward, but it was a long wait. At 9:30 Chris & I walked over to Gastons Tavern and brought back a big cinnamon roll for us to share. It was nice & sweet, but I wasnt that impressed. I was starving though, so it was better than nothing. Amanda didnt really care for it Chris was hungry enough that I dont think he cared one way or the other.
At 9:45 Chris had grown tired of waiting and decided to go ride People Mover and maybe Astro Orbiter so his trip to the MK wouldnt have been a total waste. Amanda stayed in line for Mine Train and I decided to stick around a bit longer with her. Soon we could see them start to run cars, but it was 10:10 before they finally opened the queue. Amanda called Chris but he was on the PeopleMover so we went without him.
The queue area didnt seem that long, and its not a very fast loading attraction (similar to Big Thunder). We both thought the seats were small, too. You sit 2 people to a row, but instead of it being a flat bench there are 2 indentations for 2 rear ends. We both fit the seats just fine no real room to spare. Just looking around at the size of most people in line we couldnt imagine how they managed to ride without being uncomfortable.
The ride itself is cute, very smooth, and very short. Its more of a kiddie ride than an adult ride, and even though it swings it is so mild you might not even notice it. Hmm, perhaps the small seats are because young kids ride this. One nice thing is both people have their own individual lap bar, so if youre riding with someone bigger than you that doesnt leave you riding with a bar several inches above your legs!
On the way out people were complaining and getting a paper fastpass for any other attraction of their choice because they were unable to fit in the mine train. She was quite wide/obese and was griping about her husband not being able to ride because he was too tall. Honestly I couldnt see either one of them fitting and certainly not together in the same row.
Chris was waiting for us when we got off, and we left the park. We just missed the resort monorail but waited for the next one since by now it was almost 11am and it was too hot to walk. Every monorail that arrived was packed full, and the number of people coming down the ramp to enter the park was insane. Welcome to the Magic Kingdom late arrivers everything has long waits now but have a nice day <g>. We rode back to the Contemporary and they decided to see if Contempo Caf still served any sort of real breakfast food at this hour. I headed up to the studio and took my shower. Amanda later texted a picture of Chris grinning while holding a bottle of chocolate milk, so I guess he was happy with that, lol!
After my shower I had a text from Chris asking when Id gotten the license plate frame. Included was a picture of my license plate with a cool dvc member frame surrounding it. I could tell it was my car from the Saturn emblem on the trunk dont see many Saturns any more, lol! I replied back probably in the last hour and thanked them. It looks great and was a nice surprise!
SB called saying he wished he hadnt left, and was sorry for being such a grump. He was looking forward to our lunch together today. I told him he had just enough time to come back, but that would have been crazy at this point. I can always book GF Caf for the 2 of us next trip if hes going to be able to join me for any of that one.
Tomorrow I have a late lunch reservation at LeCellier so I checked online and was able to book Spaceship Earth for right before and then Soarin and Living with the Land for right after lunch. I did check Magic Kingdom first, thinking if the mine train was in there I could have booked that but as expected it was not listed since its still before the May 28th opening date.
We were due to meet around 1:15 but at 1 Amanda texted to say Chris was just getting into the shower. She fell asleep & he ended up playing on his cell phone the whole time. I let them know when I headed over and they met me by the entrance to the monorail escalator about 1:30. We rode over to Grand Floridian and arrived at the Grand Floridian Caf on time for our 1:50 dining reservation. There was a line of people checking in, and they gave us a beeper when it was our turn! I was surprised to see it still so busy. As we were seated we passed a table with a man, woman and child and the man was eating a birthday CAKE (not a piece of cake the whole 8 round 2-layer birthday cake. He was sitting with his fork, eating like it was an individual portion or something so weird.
We were seated in the back, at a table by the window. I had the Florida seasonal salad (with similar ingredients to yesterdays salad but much tastier), Chris had the cobb salad and Amanda got the pasta without the peas, tomatoes or other ingredient (basically pasta with the asiago cheese sauce. The pasta was very good, and we all ate some of that. Theyd gotten breakfast when we returned from Magic Kingdom 3 hours ago so Amanda wasnt very hungry. They have small desserts here so Chris got the key lime pie and I had the solid dark chocolate Mickey Mouse ($4.99 for him). That was more of a novelty than anything else, but it was good. It just didnt feel right biting off his ears, cutting off his feet with a knife, and stabbing off his head with a fork in the neck. Poor Mickey. He tasted good, but I doubt Ill do that again.
After lunch we walked out to the bus stop and could see on the monitor that our bus was due at 3:06. It actually arrived at 3:05 and we were on our way to Hollywood Studios. I remembered it was Star Wars Weekend so I was very pleasantly surprised to find no line at the bag check area and no wait at the entry. Once inside the park though, it was VERY crowded! Chris & Amanda like the Star Wars stuff somewhat I could care less.
We were inside our Toy Story fastpass window so we went there first. Chris wanted to ride alone to beat us both (having all the targets to himself) and thats what happened. I tried to focus on just the higher scoring targets and as a result lost accuracy and scored badly. I was in last place, with around 127,000. We had time to kill before our next fastpass and we saw a sign related to Star Wars at one of the soundstage buildings down the road from Toy Story. We had to wait in line to get inside, and when we did the entire building was one long snaking queue of people waiting for the opportunity to buy memorabilia! The only good thing was the air conditioning, so we exited before the first switchback.
It was very warm in this park, with the heat radiating up from the pavement. We got to Star Tours a couple minutes before our fastpasses were good, so we waited off to the side. It was mobbed here Id never seen anything like it. The standby line said 50 minutes but it sure looked longer to that! Thankfully with the fastpasses we were on in no time at all, and had a sequence I hadnt seen before. We looked in the very crowded shop after the ride Chris was mainly interested in t-shirts but never found any he wanted.
Now we had almost an hour to kill so we stopped at the Malificent preview, which is held in the building that used to house the Drew Carey sound effect attraction. Its not my kind of movie, but now at least I have an idea who Malificent is. We spent more time browsing the air conditioned shops until it was time for Amanda to ride Tower of Terror (Chris & I waited in the exit area), then we headed out of the park. I was the only one who bought anything a cute eyeglass holder thats a black strap with sparkly Mickey heads glued on. Im not sure how much Ill use it, but it was only $10.
Contemporary, Polynesian & Grand Floridian share a bus here, so it was nice being the first stop. They went up to Contempo Caf for a snack and I went to the studio to update the report and catch some local news/weather. At 6:30 I looked outside and it was pouring! There was also thunder & lightning. Not long ago Id said it looked like it wanted to rain and Chris checked his phone and said there was no rain in the area. I texted Amanda now to say its a good thing theres no rain in the area, lol!
I was going to go up to the Top of the World and read my kindle, but I thought you have to walk outside to get from the elevators to the lounge. I checked downstairs, and then remembered there is a covered walkway. The cast member remembered me from last night so I didnt have to scan my magic band and enter my pin to gain access. She put me in the elevator to the 16th floor, and soon I was there. Only one other party was up there, and since I wasnt sure if Chris & Amanda were coming and I was pretty sure I would not be there for fireworks I took a comfortable seat rather than a chair at a high-top table.
I ordered a glass of pinot grigio, talked to SB and did some reading. I texted Chris & Amanda to let them know I was up there and soon they showed up. Amanda wanted the chicken sliders shed enjoyed the other night, plus we ordered the house made potato chips. Chris went outside and got a picture of lightning striking behind the Magic Kingdom. All of the outside attractions were temporarily closed over there. The chicken sliders were very good, but the potato chips were just ok in my opinion. I wouldnt order them again. They left for Magic Kingdom just before 9 but I decided I didnt really feel like walking over there. Theyd be watching Wishes and the castle pre-show from inside the park and Id rather be here to see Electric Water Pageant and then turn in.
I settled the check and went down to the studio, arriving just as both Illuminations and Fantasmic were starting. I took the laptop out onto the balcony and watched both sets of fireworks while working on the report. Thats another benefit to a room in this location! While I was out there it started raining again, but much lighter this time. Still, I was glad to be here and not out in it. The humidity alone was bad enough I swear you can cut it with a knife!
The rain didnt seem to last long, thank goodness. Later Ill probably go downstairs to the beach for the Electric Water Pageant, then call it a day. Today was a nice day despite the frustration with Disney and the soft opening of the Mine Train attraction. Its cute & fun, but not worth a long wait. Its really more of a kiddie ride than an adult ride. Itll be interesting to see if people have an issue with the small seats. The rest of the day was terrific its just so pleasant being here and hanging out with Chris & Amanda, except for the really hot & humid weather!
Tomorrow we go our separate ways. Theyre doing Animal Kingdom in the morning while I enjoy the beach. Ill be in Epcot for the afternoon, then back to the resort for the final evening of this trip.
DAY 4 Monday 5/26/14
Who: Sue (55), DVC Member
Chris (27), my son
Amanda (25), future daughter-in-law
Plan: Beach/Pool, LeCellier
Actual: Last night I did go downstairs to watch Electric Water Pageant from the beach and figured Id watch the Wishes fireworks from the front of the resort. However, it was raining very slightly just enough that I didnt feel like dealing with it since Id left the umbrella in the room. I went back upstairs and watched Electric Water Pageant from my balcony. My studio is close enough to the Contemporary that I can only see the first half of the pageant floats, but thats ok since Ive seen it so many times before. After that I did some reading and it was lights out just after 11.
I slept really well, waking up around 5 but not getting up until 5:30 or so. I lounged around the studio, having my cappuccino around 6 but my egg and slice of bacon not until closer to 7:30. Chris & Amanda were planning to get up at 7:45 and would head to Animal Kingdom for their fastpasses. It looks like another sunny day, although its supposed to be very hot/humid again, with an afternoon or early evening storm likely. This is how it will be every day now until mid-late October.
Chris & Amanda stopped by to drop off their stuff around 8:30, and shortly after that I headed down to the beach right next to Bay Lake Tower on the Contemporary side. The first hour or so was very comfortable, thanks to lots of clouds and a nice breeze. I dozed a bit, until the guy came by with the loud leaf blower making everything look nice. At that point I spent the rest of the time reading, and came back inside shortly after 11:30. The last 30-60 minutes were getting pretty warm out there.
I had a greek yogurt for lunch on the balcony, then checked to see where Chris & Amanda were. They were at Rainforest Caf at AK having lunch, so I took my shower and got dressed. They texted to say they were getting off the bus here just after 1 so I waited for them before I left to take the monorail to Epcot. We all left about 1:15. The monorail was arriving as I got to the top of the escalator, so the timing couldnt have been better.
At the Ticket & Transportation Center there was a longer wait, but eventually it arrived and I took a seat. We then sat there and sat there and sat there. Everyone once in a while an announcement played saying we were being delayed. In the meantime more guests kept arriving, and a couple gave up on the wait & left. We sat there for a good 20 minutes, not moving. After that it was smooth sailing, other than a truly obnoxious family with a LOUD young boy. From the moment I entered the car this kid was shrieking, like kids do when youre tickling them to death. Its the type of loud, out-of-control laughing that can flip over to crying with barely any noticed, and while enroute thats exactly what happened. Then the kid was screaming an Im not happy sounds constantly. Nothing like getting your kid all wound up and out of control on public transportation! Some parents are just idiots.
The bag check was almost deserted and since I was walking fast to get away from the screeching little boy & his family I beat the monorail crowd. There was also no wait at the entry. Spaceship Earth had a long line outside, but it was just 2pm and I figured I had barely enough time to use my fastpass & still make it to LeCellier at 2:35. I joined the fastpass queue and when I got up to the second magic band reader I realized nobody was entering the building. Ugh the ride had stopped. I gave it a few minutes, and it started up again so I tapped my magic band and started up the ramp. It stopped again for another minute or 2, then finally I got inside and was seated. It stopped again in the cave painting scene, and came to a crawl about 3 more times after that. We also had people in 2 separate cars up ahead taking flash pictures of every single scene.
When I got off the ride I hustled on over to Future World, noticing a storm behind Mexico. Id thought about trying to go bagless today but knew going without an umbrella would be complete stupidity, so I had my small backpack (with the umbrella). I got to LeCellier right at 2:35 and checked in, then was seated a couple minutes later.
Its been quite a while since I was here last. I used to eat here every trip, but then they did away with the lunch menu and there went every item people Id dine with usually got. The soup was still on the menu, but they jacked that up, and then pretty much no glass of wine was under $11 (and it was just the ordinary stuff at that price), so I stopped coming here. I expect to pay a premium at Disney, but theres a line that I wont cross. The dining plan is partly to blame, too. LeCellier is a 2-credit meal, so they jack the prices up really high so people can think theyre getting a deal (or at least breaking even). I did see a great looking ribeye, but it was much bigger than anybody should be eating, and it is $64! Add a side, or an appetizer or dessert & something to drink and you can be at $100/person which is insane. There was also a group of people with a couple little kids, and the girl in a high chair was just tired & miserable and let everyone in the restaurant know about it. Her parents & the other adults with her were waiting for their food, so they just ignored her. Almost everyone else in the restaurant was shooting them dirty looks it was really ridiculous the amount of noise and disruption that poor kid was causing.
That said, I was happy to be back after so long, and I was looking forward to the breads and the cheese soup. I decided to take the advice of a dvctalk member and had the Unibroue Ephemere Cherry basically wheat beer infused with cherry. Its a fairly small portion, and tasted somewhat sweet. It was good, but Im not much of a beer drinker and didnt finish it all. About half the glass would have been fine for me. For lunch I got the cheese soup, which is now $10. They used to have a cup and a bowl. Now its just the new bowl, which is quite a bit smaller than the old bowl. Its probably not much more than the old cup, but poured into a wider shallow bowl, and the soup only comes halfway up the mouth part of the spoon when you stand it up in the bowl. That said, the soup is thick & rich so it was plenty. The pretzel breadstick was kind of burnt and hard, and the sourdough roll seemed overcooked too. So, I ate the sunflower seed roll that was excellent. The total check after Tables in Wonderland was just under $20 for soup and a small beer <g>.
When I left it was raining and I had obviously missed the worst of it. Leaves and small tree branches were scattered all over the ground, and tall trees in pots were blown over on their sides. The debris clogged drains and caused lakes to form on the walkways cast members were out with rakes to try to clear them. I walked quickly over to the Land, and it started raining hard again as I got to the restrooms at the bottom of the ramp. The people who didnt think to bring umbrellas or ponchos were soaked many of them huddling under whatever shelter they could find. The Land pavilion was mobbed too, but surprisingly Living with the Land had a 10-minute wait posted and the line looked shorter than that.
I was in my fastpass window for Soarin (3:10) and then Id have one at 4:20 for Living with the Land, but due to the short standby line I did Living with the Land now. There was a couple in front of me with a screaming daughter (maybe 6-8 years old). She didnt want to ride this and was pitching a fit, screaming at the top of her lungs. What is it today with out of control kids??? When we got to the loading area I stood back and let several people go ahead of me, wanting to put distance between that family & me. They ended up leaving their seat and waited for the next boat evidently the little princess wanted to sit in the front seat. Im sure the people seated near them were fine with that <g>. Thankfully this was the last nightmare kid for the day I still cant believe I encountered so many in such a short period of time like that! And yes, I do realize in most cases its not the kid at all its crappy parents who dont teach kids how to act appropriately, who push them beyond their limits on vacation (especially when its so hot & humid), and dont remove them from the situation when theyre disrupting others.
The boat ride was nice, and in the 2nd greenhouse the sun actually shone for a little bit a good sign! I was wearing Croc flip flops and was able to take them off and stand them up on the heel to drain/dry while on the boat it worked pretty well, lol! From there I went straight to Soarin and was happy to bypass the 90-minute standby line. The cast member came down the line looking for a single rider, so I got put right into the preshow. I was in the back row, but that was fine with me.
After soarin I went outside and carried my open umbrella so it would dry off some. I left the park and waited for the monorail, and then at the Ticket & Transportation Center my next monorail arrived as I got near the top of the ramp. I was back at my studio right before 5pm. It was nice & breezy outside, but I do see some dark skies so the rain probably isnt finished. I took a couple things to the car so Id only have 1 load to carry in the morning, then stopped to verify that theyd be emailing my invoice in the morning.
I updated the report and watched the local news, then went out on the balcony and wished I didnt have to leave tomorrow. Trips go by so fast! I talked to SB for a while, then at 6:30 went up to Top of the World Lounge. I took some photos from the observation decks, then sat in a comfortable chair and read my kindle while sipping a glass of pinot grigio. It was kind of funny there was a different server tonight so when she came over and I ordered the wine the bartender immediately poured it & had it ready when she walked back. He remembered me from the previous nights even though I never sat at the bar.
I stayed up there until after 8, then paid for my glass of wine and went down to Contempo Caf. Amanda had gotten the kids pepperoni pizza meal and it looked pretty good so I got the cheese version to go. Its a small thick crust pizza with 2 sides and a small beverage with tax it was $6.38. Thats a great price for a meal a far cry from the $64 ribeye <g>. Granted, this is apples vs oranges, but you dont have to spend big bucks to be satisfied. I brought the food back to the studio and since it was so beautiful out I ate on the balcony. The humidity felt much lower tonight it was actually comfortable out there! Theyd just finished toasting marshmallows by the fire and now I could hear the movie being played outside. If it wasnt for the trees I would have had a clear view of the screen from here too. Instead, I watched and listened to the monorails going in and out of the Contemporary I love that!
I tried to find availability for some Friday & Saturday night for a quick resort getaway here but wasnt successful. I can only book 7 months in advance, since I dont own here. 7 months from now is December, and that has been fully booked up for months already! I could easily spend a weekend here doing nothing but the resort, but Im not sure when Ill get the chance maybe late January or early February once we get within 7 months of that.
Today was a mostly fabulous day other than the many obnoxious kids (parents), the storm, and LeCellier being somewhat disappointing. Im still happy I was here there are far worse places to be! Tomorrow I head out early hopefully by 5am. I want to get home and have time to have breakfast & get dressed for work, and Im sure itll feel like a long day.
Overall this trip has been wonderful! I absolutely LOVE this resort, and rooms in this specific part of the resort. I never tire of seeing the monorail enter and exit the Contemporary and that was always my favorite resort in the old days. Being able to watch both Illuminations and Fantasmic fireworks, plus see most of the Electric Water Pageant thats ideal to me! I dont mind leaving the room to see Wishes at all. I love the Top of the World lounge its just a nice comfortable place. Contempo Caf is probably the best resort counter service place at Walt Disney World (in my opinion). I love that they havent changed the red velvet cupcake, lol in fact I need to finish that tonight! I really love the rooms here too. The studio is perfect for a solo or a couple, which is all Id ever want to put in a studio anyway. Having the separate kitchen room does make the main room a bit smaller, but its got plenty of room for the bed & sleep sofa. There seems to be lots more storage space in this studio compared to most other dvc resorts.
The photos from this trip are on Shutterfly at
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/w...ZNGTdm2bMWjIag
My next DVC trip will be a short 4th of July weekend trip at Villas at Wilderness Lodge. Most likely SB will be with me for the first night, then Ill be solo for 2. We wont have park access and dont want it its just too hot to bother with the parks! Until then have a great June
↧
Sue Holland Rayford, Bay Lake Tower, May 23-26, 2014
↧