Try, Try Again - A May 2016 Trip Report (7/25/16 Update)

[cheshirecollector]

Hi, I'm cheshirecollector, so named because I collect cheshire cats, both the Disney version:

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and non-Disney versions:

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This is my first trip report, but it's the story of my 11th trip. I've been going to WDW since 1985, both solo and with friends/family. I've been in value, moderate and deluxe resorts. Most of my trips were five night solo trips, and this one is no exception.

This was sort of a do-over for my 2015 trip. Just before the end of my trip, I fell and ended up spending my last day getting an x-ray of my ankle. I was okay, but I spent a day and a half limping and not going to the parks.

I don't often get to go two years in a row, but I really felt like trying again this year to make up for the time I missed, so I saved up the money. I decided to stay in a garden wing room at the Contemporary Resort, the only deluxe room I've ever stayed in, for my first stay there since 1993:

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I got tired of waiting in the hot sun for buses at the Magic Kingdom during the last trip, so I figured that I would enjoy walking there and back this time. The monorail to Epcot was also a perk.

I usually don't plan that much at all, but I decided to change my routine this time and do a little of it. I made one ADR for breakfast at the Wave, and bought a ticket for the Mother's Day version of Disney After Hours. I reserved four days worth of FP+, for rides that I probably didn't need them for, since my health problems stop me from going on roller coasters and such. Other than that, and a basic plan of where I would be each day, I was going to wing it.

Up next: Did I just get an upgrade?

 

[cheshirecollector]

Table of Contents

Day 1

Part 1: Did I just get an upgrade?

Part 2: Getting used to the noise

Day 2

Part 3: The good and the bad

Part 4: I should have eaten sooner

Day 3

Part 5: How do you say "no longer available" in French?

Part 6: I finally got it

Day 4

Part 7: The waiting is the hardest part

Part 8: Following the parade

Day 5

Part 9: One last try

Day 6

Part 10: Departure and bonus photos

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 1: Did I just get an upgrade?

Day 1: Arrival (5/5)

My trip from Chicago to Orlando was pretty uneventful. I even got the same town car driver I got last year picking me up at the airport. Uneventful, that is, until I was heading back to the town car after my free grocery stop. We were talking about how I had arrived before the usual check-in time, and I said that I probably wouldn't get the text about my room being ready. My driver was convinced that I would get it before we got to the Contemporary. Once I got back in the car, I checked my phone and, sure enough, I got the text.

Now, I'm sure we've all headed to the hotel at the beginning of our trip, fantasizing that maybe this time, we'll get an upgrade. I thought about it this time, since I was in a deluxe hotel: getting the text, checking the room number on the map, and finding out that I'd been upgraded from the garden wing room I reserved, to a nicer room I couldn't afford.

Well, I got a big surprise in that text. Not only did it mention my room number, but I also saw the words "11th floor tower" next to it. I was in shock for the rest of the drive, and made a stop at the front desk to make sure it wasn't a mistake. It wasn't.

The garden wing rooms look like the tower rooms:

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But this time, I got to experience walking to my window and seeing this:

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After admiring the view, I did a bedbug check, picked up the package I had shipped to the resort (my sound machine), and called bell services for my luggage. I took a really good look at the view this time, and noticed Epcot to the right out in the distance:

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I also noticed the noise from the lobby could be heard near my room door. I'm sensitive to noise, so I wasn't sure how it would affect me. It's one reason I wouldn't consider paying for a tower room if I could afford it. I was concerned that I would get a lower floor in the tower, and hear all that Chef Mickey noise that guests complain about. Luckily, my room was so high up, and wasn't near Chef Mickey's.

Speaking of the door to my room, if I stood outside my door and looked to the right, I could see this:

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A potential place to watch the fireworks at night.

Once my luggage came, I went to Contempo Café and bought a really good-looking brownie:

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Then I decided to head to the Magic Kingdom, my favorite park.

Up next: Getting used to the noise

 

[ariane37]

Joining Those are some nice views from your room and from right outside your door! The Contemporary is one of the deluxes we haven't stayed at yet. I haven't really felt much of an interest to try it but boy, those view pictures are definitely a way to sell it!
Look forward to reading more.

 

[dcsetman]

Joining - can't wait to hear more about the Contemporary. I've only stayed at one Deluxe as we usually bring "several" grandkids along, so opt for Moderate. We stayed at the Boardwalk, and I did like the proximity to my favorite park: Epcot.

 

[buteraa]

following along!

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 2: Getting used to the noise

I used the Walkway to the Magic Kingdom to get to my first park of the trip:

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By the time I got there, it was the middle of the day. Luckily I hadn't planned on it being quiet, because it was quite crowded. I headed for the railroad first, but there was actually a crowd waiting for it. I decided to go get some lunch at Cosmic Ray's instead. I ate a Greek salad with chicken which wasn't that great (I ate a little before taking the picture):

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I then got on the People Mover, one of my favorite rides. Here are a few photos of the on-ride view:

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I followed that with a FP+ for Monsters Inc. The show was a funny one, featuring "The Safety Lady", a woman whose purse strap looked like a safety belt.

I then walked through a very hot Tomorrowland and Fantasyland to get to the Liberty Belle Riverboat, which I rode at 6:30 PM:

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Next was dinner at Columbia Harbor House (again, I started eating before taking the picture):

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Then came my FP+ for the Haunted Mansion. After that, my Jungle Cruise FP+ wasn't for a while, but the line was short so I went on it anyway:

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I had wanted to ride it in the dark, but I didn't feel like waiting. A very enthusiastic Skipper Lindsay took us on this ride.

Side note: While walking to the Jungle Cruise, I took this photo:

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A sign that Disney isn't paying enough attention to detail anymore - you can see a little of the Contemporary from Liberty Square. I think it was supposed to be visible from Tomorrowland only.

While I didn't get on the Jungle Cruise at night, I did get my very first train ride in the dark:

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Lots of mosquitos biting at night, something I didn't notice while the sun was out.

I walked back to the Contemporary, and picked up some snacks at Contempo Café, including another brownie. When I was back in my room, I noticed some damage on the shelf in the bathtub. It looked like their sea salt soap was eating into the marble in there. Not a good combination, salt and marble.

I heard the fireworks pretty clearly from my room, but I didn't step outside to watch them. A few minutes after they ended, I heard some very loud music and started to get annoyed. I thought my neighbors were playing something really loud, or maybe it was Chef Mickey's open late. When I heard patriotic music, I realized it was the Electrical Water Pageant. I went to my window and caught the end of it.

I noticed another noise in my room, too. The vent in my bathroom was making some sort of banging noise, on and off, like drums. I could hear it over my sound machine, but luckily it didn't last long, and I fell asleep.

Up next: The good and the bad

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 2: (5/6)

Part 3: The good and the bad

I started my first full day at Walt Disney World with an ADR for breakfast at the Wave. Unfortunately, it was disappointing. I'd heard good reviews, but maybe I ended up there on a bad day. Here's what I ate:

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Plate 1: sausage, scrambled eggs, pineapple and grapes, hash browns. The hash browns were too wet, but the rest was typical buffet food.

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Plate 2: multi-grain Mickey waffle, fresh hash browns, sticky cinnamon bun, egg/cheese/bacon frittata. The waffle and sticky bun were bland, the new batch of potatoes was also wet, and the frittata was dry, with no discernable cheese and just bits of bacon on the bottom.

After breakfast, I went to wait for a bus to Animal Kingdom. It looked like a big crowd waiting for that bus, and it was going to be another 10 or 15 minutes. I have chronic pain that makes it uncomfortable for me to stand and hold on while riding the bus. So, rather than have to skip that bus and wait for the next one, I decided to walk to the Magic Kingdom and get a bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge from there. I had planned on going to Animal Kingdom Lodge as well that day.

When I got to the Magic Kingdom bus area, I remembered that they also had Animal Kingdom buses, so I took the next one.

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Well, even though I got to Animal Kingdom fairly early (my Wave ADR had been for 8:55 AM), Animal Kingdom was a little too crowded already. I tried the gorilla trail, and it was so busy that there was a line for part of it. I gave up and walked to Asia.

I passed by Yak & Yeti Restaurant, and got inspired to ask for a walk-in. They were taking walk-ins. A lot of them, it seemed. It sounded like every other party that walked in there didn't have a reservation.

The food was fantastic. I had Thai Chili Chicken Wings:

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and Korean Beef:

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Unfortunately, the service wasn't that great, for three reasons:

1) My server acknowledged a delay in delivering my appetizer, but there was no apology for the wait.

2) The wings were incredibly messy, so I asked for "a big pile" of napkins when my server came around (halfway through the wings). It took several minutes for the napkins (usually restaurants respond to a napkin request quickly), and he brought my entree with the napkins. Was he waiting for it before he got the napkins?

3) My server spent the entire meal referring to me as "my dear", which was annoying.

I'll definitely be back to Yak & Yeti for the food, but I'll make sure I get a different server next time.

It was too hot to do anything but just take pictures, so I headed out. On the way out, I watched the end of a Viva Gaia performance. I loved it, and I'll have to try to look out for them next time to see the whole thing.

I took the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I started taking pictures:

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but then I felt sick and spent some time in the bathroom there. I waited for the bus back to the Magic Kingdom, and walked home to the Contemporary. I stopped at Contempo Café once again for another brownie, then headed out to my next park.

Next up: I should have eaten sooner

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 4: I should have eaten sooner

My next park was Epcot, the first stop there during this trip. I rode Living with the Land using my FP+:

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and stopped at Sunshine Seasons for a tomato cucumber salad and some shrimp with lo mein:

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It was a little soupy, but good.

I waited a little bit for my Nemo FP+. After that, I decided to just see the next Turtle Talk with Crush show without waiting for my FP+ time. Some new Finding Dory characters appeared in the show.

I stopped at the butterfly tent, but these were the only ones I saw (someone mentioned that a lot of them had escaped):

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I decided to walk all the way around World Showcase, planning on stopping for a snack at some point. It was hot, and my feet had developed blisters by this time, which were hurting. I continued the walk, not feeling hungry enough to stop anywhere. Suddenly, right after I passed the last pavilion (Mexico), I started getting really hungry. It was late, and I didn't feel like walking back into World Showcase, so I ate the only thing I could find in Future World that looked good - a huge doughnut from a Joffrey's cart:

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Back at the Contemporary, I bought a tuna pita and some snacks to eat in my room (please ignore the bite in the sandwich):

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While I was in my room with the fireworks going off, I realized that not only could I stand outside my door and watch them, but so could everyone else. A whole family was standing outside the door next to mine, reacting to the fireworks. I took a photo of the Electrical Water Pageant from my window before I went to bed:

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Up next: How do you say "no longer available" in French?

 

[ariane37]

First, that's a gorgeous picture of the EWP from your window!
I'm sorry your first day wasn't completely magical, and I hope your next day was But other than not feeling well what did you think of AKL? DH and I stayed there for the first time in January on our adults only trip (we'd been there a couple times for meals) and totally fell in love. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I wanted so bad to stay there again this Nov. with our boys but unfortunately we're renting points and nothing there was available by the time we got around to looking.

 

[jhoannam]

Enjoying your TR... We are staying at the contemporary in the fall.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Joining Those are some nice views from your room and from right outside your door! The Contemporary is one of the deluxes we haven't stayed at yet. I haven't really felt much of an interest to try it but boy, those view pictures are definitely a way to sell it!
Look forward to reading more.

First, that's a gorgeous picture of the EWP from your window!
I'm sorry your first day wasn't completely magical, and I hope your next day was But other than not feeling well what did you think of AKL? DH and I stayed there for the first time in January on our adults only trip (we'd been there a couple times for meals) and totally fell in love. It was so peaceful and beautiful, I wanted so bad to stay there again this Nov. with our boys but unfortunately we're renting points and nothing there was available by the time we got around to looking.

Thanks. Unfortunately, I only spent about 10 minutes looking around before I headed for the bathroom, then I left. So I didn't get to form much of an opinion of AKL. What I did see was beautiful, though.

Joining - can't wait to hear more about the Contemporary. I've only stayed at one Deluxe as we usually bring "several" grandkids along, so opt for Moderate. We stayed at the Boardwalk, and I did like the proximity to my favorite park: Epcot.

following along!

Enjoying your TR... We are staying at the contemporary in the fall.

Thanks, all. I notice that I didn't take pictures of the interior of the Contemporary, apart from my room and the Mary Blair mural. However, there are more photos of Contempo Café food, and the 11th floor view, coming up.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 5: How do you say "no longer available" in French?

Day 3: (5/7)

The next morning I had an Italian Frittata at Contempo Café:

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It was good, but very cheesy. Some good sized pieces of sausage were in there. It came with a plain tasting tomato salsa which I used with the eggs. It was supposed to have peppers in it, but I couldn't find any. The whole-grain toast and potatoes were good too.

I went back to Epcot on this morning, and took a lot of flower and garden photos:

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At times it was hard to tell which flowers were always there, and which were just there for the festival, since my last trip to Epcot at a different time of the year was seven years ago.

I was determined to walk around World Showcase again, even though my blisters hurt, and actually try some new food this time. I started by getting in line for the French bakery, but they didn't have the coconut pastry that sounded good to me in menus I read. I'm very picky about pastries, and nothing else looked good, so I moved on to the ice cream shop in France. The ice cream shop wasn't open until 12, which wouldn't be for a while, so I headed to Morocco. I got a walk-in for Spice Road Table, but it seemed to be taking a while to get waited on, so I decided to leave.

I was in a "not willing to wait for food" mood, but I was having trouble finding a short line. In Japan, I waited in line at Katsura Grill, which looked to have just opened for the day. The line was taking about 5 minutes per person, with a good wait in front of me. Again, I left.

I went back to Morocco, and found a short line. I picked up some baklava at Tangierine Cafe - walnut, pistachio, and cashew:

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I tried all three and they were absolutely fantastic. I was expecting a not-so-great honey taste that I'd experienced in the baklava I'd had elsewhere, but this was more like a sugary syrup. I saved the rest of the three pieces for later, and headed back to the ice cream shop in France, as it was almost 12. When it opened, I looked at the sign and noticed that the flavor I wanted to try was no longer available. None of the rest looked good, so I moved on.

In China, I stopped at the Joy of Tea stand to try two things: curry chicken pockets and caramel ginger ice cream. These were two things I'd read about, and couldn't wait to try. Thankfully, they were still there, and I wasn't disappointed:

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They were so good that I made a plan to stop here near the end of my trip to eat them again.

I finished up World Showcase, happy with my food purchases. I then headed home to do laundry, and - surprise, surprise - eat another brownie.

Next up: I finally got it

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 6: I finally got it

After I finished the laundry and brownie, I looked around the stores at the Contemporary. I also bought some healthier snacks and ate them in my room:

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My original plan was to go to Hollywood Studios this evening, but I decided to go back to the Magic Kingdom since it was open until midnight.

I went on the People Mover, then got kind of hungry circling the park. I couldn't find a short line for food, or even food that I wanted to eat. I finally stopped at Columbia Harbor House before I got too hungry:

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I then went on the Jungle Cruise with skipper Megan this time, and a strange thing happened. You know that joke that all the skippers tell about Inspiration Falls," it inspires us to go . . . deeper and deeper into the jungle"? Well, for the first time in 30+ rides, and just as many years, I finally got that joke.

I decided to leave the park early instead of staying until close. Before I left, I checked the Emporium for the new Disney Lego minifigs, since they had a cheshire cat one. I found them, but they were too difficult to identify by feeling them through the packaging. As I left the park, I saw the Electrical Water Pageant heading to its next stop:

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I decided to walk home even though my feet were hurting, since the monorail line was going to be pretty long.

I got home before 10 PM, so I decided to take pictures of the fireworks from the hallway:

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A father and son came to watch, and the father held the exit door at the end of the hall open so he and his son could stand outside and watch. He offered to do the same for me, but I declined. There was also another guest there watching with us. Back in my room, I ate a sugar cookie that I bought at Contempo Café, took another Electrical Water Pageant photo (zoomed in):

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and eventually ended up going to bed at 1 AM.

Next up: The waiting is the hardest part

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 4: (5/8)

Part 7: The waiting is the hardest part

This night was going to be my Disney After Hours event, so I let myself sleep in for a while. I eventually woke up at 9:30 AM with my legs aching. I finished off the rest of the baklava for breakfast. By the time I got down to Contempo Café, they were serving lunch. I had some grilled salmon and apple slices:

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The salmon took a while to be delivered (they bring it to your table for you), and the server not only called me "Miss" or "Ma'am", but he apologized for the wait. Much better than the Yak & Yeti service I had earlier in the trip.

While waiting for my room to be cleaned, I took a ride on the blue flag boat that stops at Fort Wilderness and the Wilderness Lodge. I took a few pictures:

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Still waiting for my room to be cleaned, I headed out to Disney Springs for a while, and actually felt like shopping. Some pictures:

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That photo above is a Cheshire Cat candy apple from Goofy's Candy Co. Adorable!

I got some gifts for my coworkers, and some pins for myself. On the way back, I had to let a crowded bus go so I didn't have to stand and hold on, so I waited for the next one. It was very hot outside at this point.

Back at the Contemporary, my room still hadn't been cleaned yet, so I called housekeeping just to make sure someone hadn't forgotten me. In the meantime, I ate a lobster roll at Contempo Café:

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bought some fudge at Bay View Gifts, and ate the fudge while still waiting for my room to be done. I also took more photos of the view, this time out of the opposite side windows of the Contemporary tower:

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I found the hidden Mickey, above, on top of a building just outside the window.

Once my room was cleaned, I got myself ready to head out to Disney After Hours around 7 PM.

Next up: Following the parade

 

[cheshirecollector]

Part 8: Following the parade

I got to the Magic Kingdom just in time to use my Monsters Inc. FP+. It ran out at 8:05 PM, and I got there a few minutes before that. One of the audience members was a woman named Lolly, who didn't recognize the Schoolhouse Rock jokes that one of the monsters made. I then went on the People Mover, and saw that the lights were on in Space Mountain. I started to pull out my phone to take a picture, then heard an unintelligible announcement and thought they were telling me to put away my phone, so I did.

I stopped at Gaston's Tavern for a cinnamon roll on my way around the park:

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but only ate half of it. I then went on the Haunted Mansion with my next FP+.

In order to get to my third FP+, the Jungle Cruise, I had to wait for the Main Street Electrical Parade to finish passing by in Frontierland. I saw quite a bit of it while waiting:

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I then followed behind the parade with a bunch of other people to get to Adventureland:

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I ended up not bothering with the FP+ line at the Jungle Cruise, since the standby line was pretty much non-existent. We somehow managed to get a full boatload of guests before departing, though. Disney After Hours hadn't started yet, but we had a good, rowdy crowd for this ride with Skipper Logan.

I went to Casey's and ate a hot dog inside the restaurant:

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and watched the crowd file past me through the building after the fireworks. I wasn't paying attention and accidentally threw my tray out in the garbage (I let an employee know it was in there). I looked through the Emporium a little, but it was too crowded with everybody leaving through the store.

Disney After Hours was almost starting, so I sat outside near this fountain:

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and waited for Celebrate the Magic to start, which I'd never seen before. I didn't know that much about it, just that it was projections on the castle. I expected it to be corny or cheesy.

It started out just as I expected, kind of boring and overly sentimental for me, but then suddenly it changed. I saw the castle turn into the Cheshire Cat, which I liked. Then, Animal Kingdom type music started, which turned out to be from the Lion King. I love percussion music, so it got my attention. I watched, mesmerized, for the rest of the show, and actually got a little teary-eyed at one point.

I then went on the People Mover again, but the lights were back off on Space Mountain. When I came out, regular guests were starting to be turned away from Buzz Lightyear. I went on that for one ride, then headed to Fantasyland. Disney After Hours had officially started.

Instead of going to Peter Pan's Flight, I decided to head for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I figured that even though I was a little worried about my back (I can't do roller coasters), I would try it anyway.

Well, I thought it was a mild kid's ride. I was wrong. The whole ride, I was holding on tight and thinking to myself "Aah! My back! My neck! Aah!". When it was done, I realized that despite my panic, I loved it. It was exactly the kind of ride I love to go on, but also exactly the kind of ride I'm not supposed to go on anymore. I felt like I had been tricked into going on it, and I was so glad I was. But I couldn't go on it again, just in case my neck and back started bothering me. They weren't bothering me yet after just one ride, but I wasn't taking any chances.

I went on Peter Pan's Flight, got a bottle of water, and decided not to try Pirates of the Caribbean because of my experience on the Mine Train. (Pirates has been known to irritate my neck.) Instead of circling the park for a third time, I walked through the castle to look at the mosaics:

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Above is a view of Main Street after dark, taken from in front of the castle entrance.

I went on the Haunted Mansion again, where I met two women in line who were scared by one of the Haunted Mansion cast members. They said that they were the only ones out there, just outside the ride, and he was following them. When they saw another one come closer, they grabbed me and tried to hide behind me. The guy they were hiding from was easily the scariest CM I've ever seen working at the Haunted Mansion, so I don't blame them at all.

After that I went on the Jungle Cruise again for my last ride that night, with Skipper Lindsay. It was another rowdy crowd, and Lindsay was skipping traditional jokes in order to make her own. Then I ate my very first Mickey bar, which was fantastic, got a hot dog to go at Casey's (well, I really just put it between two cardboard trays and stuffed it in my purse), and walked back to the Contemporary. I was going to take a bus, since my feet hurt, but there seemed to be a little bit of confusion and commotion in trying to get everybody on buses back to their resorts. I regretted that extra foot pain, but the walking got me back to the hotel at about 1:30 AM, after a great night.

Next up: One last try

 

[cheshirecollector]

Sorry to take so long to finish this. I had company over and got busy.

Day 5: (5/9)

Part 9: One last try

On my last full day at WDW, I woke up just before 8:30 AM to the sound of the tribal drumming of my bathroom vent. I fell back asleep, and my travel alarm woke me up at 9 AM, then shut off after beeping three times. It looked like my battery died, so I couldn't reset it and go back to sleep. I missed breakfast once again, so I ate yet another brownie. I decided to go to Epcot first.

I headed for MouseGears, trying to find something to buy for my mother for Mother's Day. I'd been looking all this time, but hadn't found anything yet. Still nothing at MouseGears.

I walked to the China pavilion to get the curry chicken pockets and caramel ginger ice cream again. Then I walked back and around to the boat to Morocco, in order to save walking past all those pavilions to get there. My feet were still hurting a lot because of the blisters. Before the boat got there, I stopped someone from waiting for it when I found out they wanted to go to Norway, which was quicker by walking.

I got two of each baklava in Morocco, then headed to Japan to shop. I changed my mind, and turned around and shopped in France, the UK and Canada. No luck.

I made a stop at the Land for some sweet and sour chicken with rice:

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then headed out. I returned back to the Contemporary to find my room had already been cleaned.

I did one last check for something for my mother at the Emporium at the Magic Kingdom, but again no luck. I went back to the Contemporary again, since I really didn't feel like walking around with my sore feet anymore. I had a Caesar salad with salmon at Contempo Café:

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which was excellent. I bought some candy for my mother as her Mother's Day gift, and some batteries for my travel alarm. Back at the room, I discovered that my alarm battery wasn't dead, but the battery door was just loose.

Before I went to bed, I noticed fireworks out my window above Epcot (no photo, though).

Next up: Departure and bonus photos

 

[ariane37]

We've eaten breakfast at Sunshine Seasons in the Land but never lunch, but so many of the offerings look good. I have to make a point of trying it sometime
Sorry it was so difficult to find something for your mom. I've had that problem when I'm looking for a specific person, unless of course it's a child lol. The last couple trips I've just bought wine for any adults I want gifts for but of course they have to be drinkers, and it is kind of a pain to transport home if you're flying.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Sorry it was so difficult to find something for your mom. I've had that problem when I'm looking for a specific person, unless of course it's a child lol. The last couple trips I've just bought wine for any adults I want gifts for but of course they have to be drinkers, and it is kind of a pain to transport home if you're flying.

My problem was that I had decided to get her a t-shirt, which she asked for, but I couldn't find one that was the right color, design, and size for her. Candy was a perfect second choice - I bought her a variety package of Disney candy bars, and she loved them.

 

[cheshirecollector]

Day 6: (5/10)

Part 10: Departure and bonus photos

I got up early on my departure day, in time for breakfast after missing it for two days. Unfortunately, the bounty platter I bought at Contempo Cafe wasn't very good at all. I packed and left just in time for checkout at 11 AM, even stopping at the convention center to ship a package back home. The flight home was uneventful.

Here are some bonus photos that I couldn't fit into the rest of the trip report:

First, a few close-ups of the Mary Blair mural at the Contemporary:

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A topiary at the China pavilion in Epcot:

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A display at Les Halles in the France pavilion at Epcot:

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The sun setting over Thunder Mountain, seen from the riverboat:

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A great view of Space Mountain from the walkway to the Magic Kingdom:

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Another Flower and Garden photo:

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A few photos of the Wave breakfast buffet (some items I didn't see on the menu online):

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And finally, Asia at Animal Kingdom:

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Thanks for reading my trip report. I hope it was helpful to those of you who mentioned plans to stay at the Contemporary. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

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