10/20/18 - 10/23/18
Contemporary Resort, Rm 4315
Deluxe Dining Plan & 4-Day Hoppers + MNSSHP 10/21
You must forgive me for the novel length trip report, I know it is excessive. But this is as much a travelogue for me to reminisce over as it is a resource for anyone else.
It’s been 18 years since my last trip to Disney. Being very difficult to get away from work, I wanted to see & do as much as humanly possible in this short trip, and I feel we succeeded. My travel partner was my DS16 who has never been to any Disney park and was less than enthusiastic, but he is a great kid & he tried to be patient with my Disney OCD.
I had some last minute FOMO and on my TP room request fax I requested that if they had any club level availability they call me and I would upgrade. No joy: no call. But that was OK, as the room was HUGE and the bathroom well appointed, great towels, comfortable beds, lots of good storage. I’m an admitted hotel snob and like to stay 4-star or boutique whenever possible, and I was very happy with our room, with one small exception: the TOILET PAPER! It is outrageous to pay these prices for accommodations and have third world quality TP. What the hell, Walt?!? Adding that to the must-pack list for the future.
I like the layout of the Contemporary and the ease of Monorail access. The hotel was quiet at night. However, during the day there was a constant hum / drone of noise echoing through the hotel of children either squealing with joy or screaming & crying. I could hear it coming up from the pool and humming in from the hallway & atrium. Very, very annoying if you are a person sensitive to noise. It’s just the acoustics of the place. Door shut + TV on, it was ok. Nevertheless, I would absolutely choose to stay at the Contemporary again.
Day 1: HS to Epcot to MK
We landed in Orlando at 10:50am, took one look at the enormous queue for DME and decided to call an Uber. Uber arrived in about five minutes, then the driver got lost on the way to the Contemporary, making a wrong turn into HS. This was fortuitous because that’s where we were headed anyway. Why did I think I needed to go to the resort first? IDK! Onward! Uber MCO to HS ($35.68 / 32min) arriving 11:55am.
We changed into our shorts from our small carry-on / park go-bag, stored it in a locker and hit the park, starting with Star Wars Launch Bay.
Lunch: 50’s Primetime Cafe: 1pm reservation, seated by 1:10, told CM we would like to eat quickly to head to an upcoming FP. Pot roast was good, chicken pot pie was beautiful but not tasty, way too dry. Done by 1:55pm.
Received email that our room at the Contemporary was ready at 2:34pm.
Muppet Vision 3D: DS16 loved this, which was a surprise.
Gonzo’s Royal Flush: cleanest bathroom in the whole of WDW.
Star Tours: wonderful theming, but made us both nauseated.
Toy Story Mania: DS16 loved this & we had a great time. Skipped SDD as it looked too rough for us. Skipped AlienSS because it looked nauseating.
Beauty & the Beast: great show, DS16 was a fan of Gaston. Skipped ToT & R&RC because we are thrill ride pansies.
Jack Diamond magic show street performer: this guy & his sidekick were AMAZING! DS was mesmerized. We just happened to walk by & catch the performance, it was not on my radar at all during planning. Don’t miss!
Indiana Jones: another fun show, bad guy in the last scene was serious eye candy… Yowza!!! Bought DS16 the leather Indiana Jones hat which he happily wore for the duration of the trip.
Voyage of the Little Mermaid: cute but dated.
Brown Derby dinner 6pm: fantastic service, excellent meal, filet was like butter, champagne, dessert to go. Again, told CM we would like to expedite and he happily accommodated. Snagged a FP for Test Track.
After dinner, we grabbed our bag out of the HS locker and walked to Epcot. I had read this wasn’t a bad walk, but we missed the shortcut through the Boardwalk Resort pool area and it took us 30+ minutes on already tired feet. Arrived at Epcot International Gateway on a Food & Wine Saturday night …OMG! The crowds!!! Threw the backpack in a locker and had to JOG to make our Test Track FP. Queue was fun but the ride was so fast, it was too much for us. DS is not a thrill rider and he was peeved. (This became a common theme! LOL!)
Snagged a FP for Frozen! Rode Seas with Nemo & Turtle Talk with Crush, walk-on zero wait. Breezed past a GIANT line for Frozen, and really really liked it! Very well done ride! We are not super fans of this movie and the ride wasn’t on my must-do list, but it was great.
Raced back out the IG, through Beach Club to the circle drive entrance, and jumped in an Uber to the Contemporary ($13.21 / 11min). We dropped our backpack in the room, verified our checked bags had been delivered, then RAN all the way to Magic Kingdom before it closed at 11pm. I wanted to ride Splash Mountain at closing so we wouldn’t be gross & wet all day. We made it to the standby line about ten minutes before park closing. DS was feeling adventurous and agreed to ride, despite the big fast drop at the end. We enjoyed it, except for that last ten seconds. Walked exhausted back to Contemporary, showered and hit the sack.
11 hours today: 33,043 steps: 3 parks: 13 attractions
