3 Generations! 2 Resorts! 10 Days! DxDp! 3000 Pictures! - Saying Good-Bye!

[hstrickland]

Your pictures of the pool area and etc look amazing. Also one thing I like about their pool is that it's shapped like Mickey Mouse ears and I say you can't get more Disney then that. So even though it's not a heavily themed like Stormalong Bay I am sure the people who truly enjoy it like fact and how many of their other onsite resort pools are designed like that?

You're right...pretty cool that the pool is a Mickey! The splash area was super cool and fit in with the Contemporary theme. I thought the cabanas added a nice appeal to the pool area, too...gave it a little more of a resort feel and not just a hotel. One day I'll get to try them

Heather

 

[DisneyDoc5]

We had a similar experience at the CR. We had the entire pool to ourselves for several hours - during spring break! We really liked our room there as well. And I think that is THE MOST comfy bed at Disney I have slept in! I would also have to say I prefer the bathrooms at CR vs. Poly - but it's not a big deal overall. LOL on the 'fast' searaycers!!!

 

[02AggieGirl]

I love the way you took time at your resorts to rest and enjoy them! That is our plan for our Oct trip and I'm very excited to have down time! And again great pics!!!

 

[RGirl]

Great update!!!! The CR pool area looks amazing. Those cabanas are calling my name. Looks like you guys had such a fun day!!!

You aren't highjacking RGirl ...that's what TRs are for...information, questions and answers! Trish(cdolta) is a wealth of knowledge!.....Trish, I haven't decided, yet,...who loves Disney more?? me? or you??

Not sure what time your ressies would be for Chef Mickey's, but there are a couple of options for transportation....take the bus to the TTC and ride monorail to CR. Or, you can take the bus to MK and ride monorail or walk over to CR. If buses aren't running yet, guess the resort could call a cab for you. Does anyone else have suggestions??? And I'm assuming this is correct...I've never stayed at BWVs.

By the way...the meet n greet for Mickey and Minnie at MK was great. In fact, we ate at Tony's Town square for lunch and decided we would stand in line for it since there was only a 10 minute wait!!!! I think it's kinda hidden in the corner (by Tony's), so people don't really know it's there. There was a line for princesses, too....just didn't have time for that...we were ready to get back to the CR!!!

Thanks so much for the help! I was thinking that we can walk from the MK, but I wasn't sure. I am still toying with the idea of changing our ADR, but my DD said today that she would be okay with keeping Cape May - she wants to see Minnie in her beach attire. That is so cool about the MK meet-and-greet - I think we will definitely try to do that. Is there somewhere where we are likely to find Pluto? Both DD and I are HUGE Pluto fans after our first trip - he was so funny!

 

[WDWKOOK]

You've just got to love an empty pool on Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, one of the reasons we love the CR is that the pool never really feels crowded. We always seem to be able to find a chair AND in a shady spot, a must for DH. In contrast, I'll bet the Volcano pool was packed, chairs hard to come by and the cabanas rented. And, SAB? Oh my...

I was disappointed, too that I couldn't take photos while on the Sea Raycer, but you can film while being up in the air in those parasail things.

River Country and Discover Island haunt me, too! I really miss DI, but have never been to RC. I periodically look-up YouTube videos that people have "secretly" shot of DI and RC and it's just a swampy mess. This year, I noticed a permit filing for a purported DVC (of course) addition to the current RC site. These things can take a while to get going and the permit doesn't necessarily mean they'll ever build there, but they are at least considering it.

Your photos capture the essence of the splash area so well. Your older DS (and Dad) must have been jealous of Faith and Jesse when he saw the photos of their fun afternoon. You made me feel better when you mentioned the time-out. I was beginning to wonder why my DD frequently had them at WDW when she was little and your kids just seem perfect! Mine would get tired and then have little meltdowns. It's so hard to get them "unexcited" and calm - they're at WDW! So I completley understand not wanting to wait in line - he was too excited (or his feet were burning).

We're booked our first night at the CA Grill so I'll be eager to read if the food/selection is still good. The service there can be hit or miss - sometimes it's amazing and sometimes, not so much, but that view

I hope you at least got an AP discount on the SPF lotion

 

[2xcited2sleep]

You captured some great shots of Faith and Jesse. Looks like everyone had a blast!! Those cabanas are intriguing. I will have to investigate to find out what the rate is. It is sounding delightful to luxuriate in a setting like that and have drinks brought to you (even for additional$). Wish they had these at BC but think SAB is just too crowded.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the afternoon and CG!

 

[hstrickland]

We had a similar experience at the CR. We had the entire pool to ourselves for several hours - during spring break! We really liked our room there as well. And I think that is THE MOST comfy bed at Disney I have slept in! I would also have to say I prefer the bathrooms at CR vs. Poly - but it's not a big deal overall. LOL on the 'fast' searaycers!!!

The beds are the best...by far!!! And the SeaRaycers...DH refuses to ride them He says he can swim faster than those things. But hey...the little ones thought they were great!

I love the way you took time at your resorts to rest and enjoy them! That is our plan for our Oct trip and I'm very excited to have down time! And again great pics!!!

We decided long ago that if we were going to stay deluxe, then we were going to take advantage of the resort and actually have down town in the afternoons. On our short October trip last year, we only did MNSSHP...basically hung out at the pool, went to DTD, ate....it was great!!!

Great update!!!! The CR pool area looks amazing. Those cabanas are calling my name. Looks like you guys had such a fun day!!!

Thanks so much for the help! I was thinking that we can walk from the MK, but I wasn't sure. I am still toying with the idea of changing our ADR, but my DD said today that she would be okay with keeping Cape May - she wants to see Minnie in her beach attire. That is so cool about the MK meet-and-greet - I think we will definitely try to do that. Is there somewhere where we are likely to find Pluto? Both DD and I are HUGE Pluto fans after our first trip - he was so funny!

The walk really isn't bad at all from the MK to CR...in fact, it was kinda nice to be able to chitchat...not many people either.

Hmmmm....as far as Pluto goes...not sure....click on this link, it might help

Finding Characters

I really try and avoid standing in line for characters...we use to do this and thought nothing of it. But, we soon realized that since we do lots of TS meals, this was the easiest way to see the characters. I know that breakfast at Ohana has Pluto as well as Garden Grill at EP and of course Chef Mickey's....have I missed any, yall? I think the Garden Grove over at the Dolphin/Swan has Pluto on certain nights...you might want to check that out since you will be at BWV.

You've just got to love an empty pool on Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, one of the reasons we love the CR is that the pool never really feels crowded. We always seem to be able to find a chair AND in a shady spot, a must for DH. In contrast, I'll bet the Volcano pool was packed, chairs hard to come by and the cabanas rented. And, SAB? Oh my...

I was disappointed, too that I couldn't take photos while on the Sea Raycer, but you can film while being up in the air in those parasail things.

River Country and Discover Island haunt me, too! I really miss DI, but have never been to RC. I periodically look-up YouTube videos that people have "secretly" shot of DI and RC and it's just a swampy mess. This year, I noticed a permit filing for a purported DVC (of course) addition to the current RC site. These things can take a while to get going and the permit doesn't necessarily mean they'll ever build there, but they are at least considering it.

Your photos capture the essence of the splash area so well. Your older DS (and Dad) must have been jealous of Faith and Jesse when he saw the photos of their fun afternoon. You made me feel better when you mentioned the time-out. I was beginning to wonder why my DD frequently had them at WDW when she was little and your kids just seem perfect! Mine would get tired and then have little meltdowns. It's so hard to get them "unexcited" and calm - they're at WDW! So I completley understand not wanting to wait in line - he was too excited (or his feet were burning).

We're booked our first night at the CA Grill so I'll be eager to read if the food/selection is still good. The service there can be hit or miss - sometimes it's amazing and sometimes, not so much, but that view

I hope you at least got an AP discount on the SPF lotion

I would bet my next paycheck that the Volcano Pool was PACKED OUT!!! That was really my only complaint about the Poly...the dang pool! It's really too small for that resort....great theme, great view, great location...just too small. If you can get there early, then it's fine...but forget going at 1pm

And by the way...the 4 year old had a meltdown daily! I'm just choosing NOT to post those pics He's a handful to say the least...and a bit exhausting. I can't wait for DH to read your line about "the perfect kids"! He's going to roll his eyes big time. He usually breaks up at least one fight per evening...and the trend didn't stop for WDW!!!

Going to try and get my Cali Grill post done by tomorrow...and you're right...ya can't beat the view...probably one of the best at WDW!

 

[hstrickland]

You captured some great shots of Faith and Jesse. Looks like everyone had a blast!! Those cabanas are intriguing. I will have to investigate to find out what the rate is. It is sounding delightful to luxuriate in a setting like that and have drinks brought to you (even for additional$). Wish they had these at BC but think SAB is just too crowded.

Can't wait to hear about the rest of the afternoon and CG!

Thanks! You know they added the cabanas at the Poly....and my first thought was "Where?!!"...the pool area is already crowded, but they have them now. So if they can put cabanas at the Poly, then certainly they could at SAB...it's a much bigger area. Who knows?!

 

[hstrickland]

Contemporary Pool - Part 2
Day 4​

The boys finally returned, and the kids were rested and ready to hit the pool for round 2!!! Stephen was especially excited about taking the plunge! While everyone was getting ready AGAIN…dad and I were on the balcony with…you guessed it….the camera! You could see for miles!!! The view was so clear….just awesome!

Dad caught this shot on his way down…tons of people waiting on the monorail. Not sure why, but the monorail is MUCH busier at the CR than at the GF or Poly. Usually, there was a long line….interesting to say the least. I’ve never seen a huge crowd at the other monorail resorts. Someone shed some light on this…I don’t get it.

I sat on the balcony for a bit just looking around….captured some more pictures of the family on their way to the pool!

Noticed that the boat dock was really busy today!

As I mentioned earlier, they have all kinds of activities for the kids…Stephen had a ball with this. One afternoon he spent nearly an hour playing pool volleyball. Looks like they were doing the hula-hoop competition here.

By this time, the pool was much more crowded, but nothing that would keep you away. There were still empty chairs…didn’t seem like people were on top of each other at all.

When I got back down to the pool, the waterslide was pretty crowded…long line. I knew this wasn’t going to be good for Jesse! He hates waiting! However…he surprised us and did fairly well.

And who said waterslides were for kids??!!! Go Pop!!!

We all had a great afternoon at the pool…not much ‘relaxing’ for the adults, but still nice. This isn’t my favorite pool on Disney property, however I still like it...a lot!! The kids continue to say that the Poly pool is their favorite basically because of the slide and beach. I love it, too…just REALLY crowded. Even with the bigger crowd in the afternoon at the CR, it didn’t feel packed which was a huge plus to me!!! Awesome afternoon with the family!

And perhaps one day….I’ll have pictures of me sitting in that cabana RELAXING, sipping a fruity drink and taking it all in.



Up next….California Grill and Wishes from the rooftop!

 

[mommyof2Pirates]

Seems like a wonderful way to spend the day. The pics you got are absolutely amazing. I could just see the fun everyone was having.

 

[WDWKOOK]

How does your mom manage to stay looking so lovely while in the heat and the pool - wow! (It must be that $15 SPF)

My only guess about the monorail is that it could have been clogged at the TTC with them "holding" a monorail there, which delays the release of a resort monorail and ends-up with a long line of angry guests waiting and waiting at the CR. I've seen really long lines at the Poly and TTC, but that's some scary line your dad witnessed at the CR.

The crowd at the marina is also really big, so maybe since the pool was relatively empty in the AM perhaps guests were out at the parks and now in the PM it's filling-up because everyone is returning to the CR for an afternoon swim. With it being Memorial Weekend, maybe the holiday crowds are more evident at the transportation hubs?

Heather, you're going to think I'm nuts, but I've been contemplating switching from the Poly/CL to either YC/CL or WL/CL. But, your pictures make me want to stay the entire 12 nights at the CR. We're booked there the first 5 nights, but after that the resort is full or else I think I'd just stay the entire time there. Your photos are reminding me how much I really love it there and it's going to be hard to leave to go to another resort. I know, I'm crazy

 

[tinkgurl]

This update just made me smile! My little guy LOVED the slide at the pool so much. I think that's all he pretty much did the whole time we were ever at the pool.

I agree, the monorail line does always seem longer at the Contemporary compared to the Poly or GF.

I can't believe all the people waiting at the boat dock!

 

[leshunlenese]

I love all the view pics you got and what a great way to spend the afternoon!

 

[hstrickland]

Seems like a wonderful way to spend the day. The pics you got are absolutely amazing. I could just see the fun everyone was having.

A great time was had by all! Thanks!

This update just made me smile! My little guy LOVED the slide at the pool so much. I think that's all he pretty much did the whole time we were ever at the pool.

I agree, the monorail line does always seem longer at the Contemporary compared to the Poly or GF.

I can't believe all the people waiting at the boat dock!

Guess Memorial Day had something to do with it...the WL gets like that a lot, too.

I love all the view pics you got and what a great way to spend the afternoon!

Thanks!!!

 

[hstrickland]

How does your mom manage to stay looking so lovely while in the heat and the pool - wow! (It must be that $15 SPF)

That's what you get when you pay big bucks!


My only guess about the monorail is that it could have been clogged at the TTC with them "holding" a monorail there, which delays the release of a resort monorail and ends-up with a long line of angry guests waiting and waiting at the CR. I've seen really long lines at the Poly and TTC, but that's some scary line your dad witnessed at the CR.

And honestly, it was like that the entire time we were there! It was crazy....of course early morning wasn't bad. Luckily we didn't have to worry about going to MK...just a quick walk... which by the way is another reason I like CR...sooooooooooooo convenient

The crowd at the marina is also really big, so maybe since the pool was relatively empty in the AM perhaps guests were out at the parks and now in the PM it's filling-up because everyone is returning to the CR for an afternoon swim. With it being Memorial Weekend, maybe the holiday crowds are more evident at the transportation hubs?

WL and FW are always really crowded, too...and being there on a holiday weekend doesn't help. Coming back from the HDDR(FW to CR) , we waited forever!!!...probably at least 25 minutes.

Heather, you're going to think I'm nuts, but I've been contemplating switching from the Poly/CL to either YC/CL or WL/CL. But, your pictures make me want to stay the entire 12 nights at the CR. We're booked there the first 5 nights, but after that the resort is full or else I think I'd just stay the entire time there. Your photos are reminding me how much I really love it there and it's going to be hard to leave to go to another resort. I know, I'm crazy

Aren't you a "member" of the Resort Changers thread...have you stayed at WL before?? You have, haven't you? I like it, but the rooms are smaller...beds aren't as comfortable as CR either. I prefer the CR rooms by far...but that's just me. DH thinks WL is heaven. Haven't done YC/BC, but it's on my to-do list. DS9 wants to try SAB, as well as me. Okay...I'm very curious...why the switch from Poly to WL? Too bad your favorite resort is booked...it will be hard to leave something you love.Can't wait to see what you decide!...or if you just stay put!

Happy Planning! You don't have long!!!!

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Wow in all of my previous stays at the Contemporary I don't remember the pool ever looking that busy as it did in those pictures and I couldn't believe all those guests waiting for the boats.

 

[amandaw]

Great updates! You got some really great pictures of the kids at the pool & at the splash zone. Those cabanas look wonderful. I'm like you..."One day, one day...". Seems like y'all had a really fun afternoon in the sun!

 

[hstrickland]

Wow in all of my previous stays at the Contemporary I don't remember the pool ever looking that busy as it did in those pictures and I couldn't believe all those guests waiting for the boats.

And even though there were lots of people, it really didn't feel crowded at all. I didn't make any shots of the quiet pool (guess that's what it's called??)but there weren't many people over there at all! My parents went over for a bit...they said it was nice and 'quiet'

Great updates! You got some really great pictures of the kids at the pool & at the splash zone. Those cabanas look wonderful. I'm like you..."One day, one day...". Seems like y'all had a really fun afternoon in the sun!

Thanks....the way we look at it...if you're paying a deluxe price for a resort, ya might as well take advantage of what it offers. So many people think that WDW is just one big theme park, and it's not. The resorts have tons of fun things for families to do.

Can't wait for my next trip!!!

 

[sjs314]

Great pics of your day at the pool. I would love to have a cabana for a day or even a half day if I ever stay at CR. Your kids really enjoyed the CR slide it looks like.
That was some line waiting for the monorail

 

[RGirl]

What a great pool day!!!! I have seen some pics of how crowded the Poly pool gets - your CR experience doesn't look bad at all in comparison.

I really try and avoid standing in line for characters...we use to do this and thought nothing of it. But, we soon realized that since we do lots of TS meals, this was the easiest way to see the characters. I know that breakfast at Ohana has Pluto as well as Garden Grill at EP and of course Chef Mickey's....have I missed any, yall? I think the Garden Grove over at the Dolphin/Swan has Pluto on certain nights...you might want to check that out since you will be at BWV.

Thanks! We did no standing in character lines last year - just character meals. That is mostly what we will do this year too. I will check into those other character meals, not sure why I rejected them before unless it was that Minnie doesn't show up - in this house, she's more important than Mickey. Shhhhh. Who knows if I can even get a new ADR at this point anyway. I think it is me who will miss seeing Pluto, and I guess I will get over it if that happens.