familygoboston
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
Bid AWL may be right...4 is further, 10 is middle 12 is closer by one balconyI don't have the best spatial relations!!
Why look who made the trip! Welcome everyone!
(collected by the 18yo over many many years of WDW trips
)
I need to digress here and share a story about whether a Disney trip is "worth it" (both in cost and in hassle) when your kids are little.
On our first night we decided to take the monorails all around the "world" to see some of the places we had stayed on earlier trips. DH and I honeymooned at the Polynesian 25 years ago and it was fun to go back and see what had changed! (and to also compare it to the "real" French Polynesia where we spent our 25th anniversary in October.) We changed at TTC and took the bus over to the Boardwalk for dinner and decided to stop in the Boardwalk lobby since we had stayed in the villas there when our eldest DD was 2, then when the girls were 2 and 4, and 3 and 5. We traveled with the Grandparents all 3 times.
When DD1 walked into the lobby of BW, she burst into tears; she had very vivid memories of playing with her "Papa", who we had just lost in December. You have to know that my FIL was a little like Grumpy until I gave him his first grandchild, then his whole personality did a 180 and was a lot like Dopey!. Everything she did delighted him and he was never happier then when we all went to Disney together and he would just delight in the sheer joy the little ones took in being part of the "magic". He's gone now and as we sat sobbing in the lobby (I'm sure they were getting ready to call the white coats
) there was no doubt in my mind that taking young ones (especially with their grandparents) is "worth it". We will always have those memories and I know it brought him joy!
Ok...hankies down...time to carry on!
Views Around the BLT
The lobby area at the bridge...the bridge is on level 5 between the south and center towers and goes to the Comtemporary on it's level 4. This puts the shops where you can stock up on groceries (at a premium price!) right at the end of the walkway. You go up the escalator one level to the monorail...it's all extremely convenient and "close" in a Disney sense that given how HUGE the whole place is, this is fairly compact.
Here we are on the bridge...there are some terrific views form the bridge and its a nice place to get a distant view of the Electric water pageant or MK castle fireworks if you don't have a view room.
View from the bridge of the Electric water pageant:
The mural in the Contemporary:
The monorail:
Just because it's great...DH's telephoto shot of the castle from our room:
I should have mentioned earlier...all of the good photos are DH's; he's an amazing photographer because he gets these shots while never holding up my military campaign to conquer the parks
If you happen upon a crappy photo, it's one of mine, probably taken with my iphone...this was my first trip with an iphone and I was a maniac! I think I facebooked everything! 
Ok so good pics...DH, bad pics...me...got it??
He's even good at night!
Ok as promised a review of what we thought about BLT- even at top dollar (rack rate Presidents week...I rest my case!)
We LOVED this resort! The villa is HUGE. Much bigger than the others where weve stayed (Saratoga Springs, YCV, BCV, and the aforementioned BWV) We loved the extra bath and this became even more critical when DD1 got the norvirus on our 3rd night
. This gave us an opportunity to really see the advantages of the comfort of this room.
First, having the second bath was great, DD was up every 20 minutes and I really was not able to "decontaminate" between each visit. We quarantined her to this bath and her bed and the rest of the family used the other one...none of us has been sick since, so it worked. But we could not have done that had we had only one bath...we'd likely all have been sick!
Second, the whole unit is very well soundproofed. You certainly can't hear outside stuff (even fireworks sound like a distant pop, and the music from the Electrical Water pageant sounds like distant tinkling of music) but even inside, with the door to the master closed you could not hear,(and sadly it was loud)
what was happening in the main bath. Finally around 5 AM I remembered my DH had some Meclazine in his kit and I gave her one feeling like there was nothing left to "get rid of" and I just wanted her to be able to rest for a little while. Luckily, it worked, but when i woke DH to get it, he had not heard a thing, thinking we had all slept all night!
The third thing, I spent that night on the foot of DD1s bed. Heres the thing...I have 2 kids, DD2 gets sick for anything, she is anxious with a week tummy and we tease that she has tossed her cookies in all the best places (Above Times Square, in Botswana etc etc) Unfortunately DD1 has only 1 phobia...and that would be throwing up. It makes for some really memorable family trips; DD2 throws (and is totally nonplussed by it) while DD1 completely freaks out while we are trying to minimize, clean, explain to horrified others that "really, it's not infectious".
SO you can imagine how freaked out DD1 was when she was actually the one getting sick. She may be a big girl, but she needed her mommy! I slept sideways on the end of the sleeper couch so I was near her without being (I hoped) within "infectious" range. Now, I've disgusted you all to tell you this...those couches are very comfortable! There was really no drop off from the king bed (except for the getting up every 1/2 hour to hold hair). The sleepers were both roomy enough for adult sized people and both my girls agreed the most comfortable they have ever used. SO here with is a photo of beds out, so you can see what they look like...and know that my 5 foot 10 daughter fit just fine on that chair no problem!
The fourth thing that I deeply appreciated in this unit because of this awful situation was the washer and dryer. We had planned to carry on and pack only 4 days of clothing knowing we could do laundry both at moms and at BLT, but having the W/D in the unit was great when DD was sick; I could make sure everything was washed and "sanitized" rather than carrying germy clothing home!
The fifth thing was that when DD1 was feeling up to eating again, the Fantasia market and Contemporary cafe were very close by for bananas and gingerale.
The sixth convenience was that because we were so close to the major transportation hubs at the BLT; DH was able to go off with DD2 to EPCOT, return and then I was able to go out with her later. had we been off property or at an outlying resort; we could not have switched off. More on transportation later!
Sometimes it takes a bad time to realize all the good, and while it's never fun to have a sick kid, having one at BLT made it much more comfortable!
Transportation:
One of the things about the Contemporary is that it is convenient to and has so many options to the parks...I have a couple of tips though for finding the best route-
MK- Going to MK it is better to walk; there is a pathway that is maybe 1/4 long to the MK entrance. The monorail goes the long route, stopping at Polynesian, TTC, GF before arriving at the MK. Walking is quicker if you are able.
Returning from MK Your dogs are barkin', you are tired, you may be carrying souvenirs, or a sleeping toddler...take the Monorail...one stop and you are home...YEAH!
Pic of DD2 on the path to MK from CR and BLT:
EPCOT Going to EPCOT It is draw to walk to MK and take the monorail from there, which avoids at least one other stop. Or take the monorail from CR to the TTC. Then take the monorail from TTC to EPCOT.
Returning from EPCOT, especially at closing or leaving world showcase. Rather than walk all the way to the front of the park and then lining up for the monorail to TTC, it is quicker to walk to the International Gateway and get the bus at the Beach Club- it's still a long walk, but there will be almost no one going to the MK at that time of night from BC, so you can hop on the bus easily, and then walk home from MK.
For Boardwalk or other non monorail resorts: Rather than make a monorail or bus connection we found it easier to go to MK and take the bus to the resort nearest to our "final destination"...for instance to get to the BW, walk to MK, bus to BW (you can get off at the Swan, and walk it's no further and saves you a couple of bus stops)
I can't give the best advice about the other parks, we didn't visit this trip, likely the direct bus is best, and really only choice. The shared bus stop is right out the front door of the BLT, next to the Contemporary.
Upcoming; Probably tomorrow folks, I have to grocery shop...scans of the map and the Feb activities, and little review of the few activities we were able to do around the resort (we had a very short visit
)
Why look who made the trip! Welcome everyone!
(collected by the 18yo over many many years of WDW trips
)I need to digress here and share a story about whether a Disney trip is "worth it" (both in cost and in hassle) when your kids are little.
On our first night we decided to take the monorails all around the "world" to see some of the places we had stayed on earlier trips. DH and I honeymooned at the Polynesian 25 years ago and it was fun to go back and see what had changed! (and to also compare it to the "real" French Polynesia where we spent our 25th anniversary in October.) We changed at TTC and took the bus over to the Boardwalk for dinner and decided to stop in the Boardwalk lobby since we had stayed in the villas there when our eldest DD was 2, then when the girls were 2 and 4, and 3 and 5. We traveled with the Grandparents all 3 times.
When DD1 walked into the lobby of BW, she burst into tears; she had very vivid memories of playing with her "Papa", who we had just lost in December. You have to know that my FIL was a little like Grumpy until I gave him his first grandchild, then his whole personality did a 180 and was a lot like Dopey!. Everything she did delighted him and he was never happier then when we all went to Disney together and he would just delight in the sheer joy the little ones took in being part of the "magic". He's gone now and as we sat sobbing in the lobby (I'm sure they were getting ready to call the white coats
) there was no doubt in my mind that taking young ones (especially with their grandparents) is "worth it". We will always have those memories and I know it brought him joy!Ok...hankies down...time to carry on!
Views Around the BLT
The lobby area at the bridge...the bridge is on level 5 between the south and center towers and goes to the Comtemporary on it's level 4. This puts the shops where you can stock up on groceries (at a premium price!) right at the end of the walkway. You go up the escalator one level to the monorail...it's all extremely convenient and "close" in a Disney sense that given how HUGE the whole place is, this is fairly compact.
Here we are on the bridge...there are some terrific views form the bridge and its a nice place to get a distant view of the Electric water pageant or MK castle fireworks if you don't have a view room.
View from the bridge of the Electric water pageant:
The mural in the Contemporary:
The monorail:
Just because it's great...DH's telephoto shot of the castle from our room:
I should have mentioned earlier...all of the good photos are DH's; he's an amazing photographer because he gets these shots while never holding up my military campaign to conquer the parks
If you happen upon a crappy photo, it's one of mine, probably taken with my iphone...this was my first trip with an iphone and I was a maniac! I think I facebooked everything! Ok so good pics...DH, bad pics...me...got it??
He's even good at night!
Ok as promised a review of what we thought about BLT- even at top dollar (rack rate Presidents week...I rest my case!)
We LOVED this resort! The villa is HUGE. Much bigger than the others where weve stayed (Saratoga Springs, YCV, BCV, and the aforementioned BWV) We loved the extra bath and this became even more critical when DD1 got the norvirus on our 3rd night
. This gave us an opportunity to really see the advantages of the comfort of this room. First, having the second bath was great, DD was up every 20 minutes and I really was not able to "decontaminate" between each visit. We quarantined her to this bath and her bed and the rest of the family used the other one...none of us has been sick since, so it worked. But we could not have done that had we had only one bath...we'd likely all have been sick!
Second, the whole unit is very well soundproofed. You certainly can't hear outside stuff (even fireworks sound like a distant pop, and the music from the Electrical Water pageant sounds like distant tinkling of music) but even inside, with the door to the master closed you could not hear,(and sadly it was loud)
what was happening in the main bath. Finally around 5 AM I remembered my DH had some Meclazine in his kit and I gave her one feeling like there was nothing left to "get rid of" and I just wanted her to be able to rest for a little while. Luckily, it worked, but when i woke DH to get it, he had not heard a thing, thinking we had all slept all night!
The third thing, I spent that night on the foot of DD1s bed. Heres the thing...I have 2 kids, DD2 gets sick for anything, she is anxious with a week tummy and we tease that she has tossed her cookies in all the best places (Above Times Square, in Botswana etc etc) Unfortunately DD1 has only 1 phobia...and that would be throwing up. It makes for some really memorable
family trips; DD2 throws (and is totally nonplussed by it) while DD1 completely freaks out while we are trying to minimize, clean, explain to horrified others that "really, it's not infectious". SO you can imagine how freaked out DD1 was when she was actually the one getting sick. She may be a big girl, but she needed her mommy! I slept sideways on the end of the sleeper couch so I was near her without being (I hoped) within "infectious" range. Now, I've disgusted you all to tell you this...those couches are very comfortable! There was really no drop off from the king bed (except for the getting up every 1/2 hour to hold hair
). The sleepers were both roomy enough for adult sized people and both my girls agreed the most comfortable they have ever used. SO here with is a photo of beds out, so you can see what they look like...and know that my 5 foot 10 daughter fit just fine on that chair no problem!
The fourth thing that I deeply appreciated in this unit because of this awful situation was the washer and dryer. We had planned to carry on and pack only 4 days of clothing knowing we could do laundry both at moms and at BLT, but having the W/D in the unit was great when DD was sick; I could make sure everything was washed and "sanitized" rather than carrying germy clothing home!
The fifth thing was that when DD1 was feeling up to eating again, the Fantasia market and Contemporary cafe were very close by for bananas and gingerale.
The sixth convenience was that because we were so close to the major transportation hubs at the BLT; DH was able to go off with DD2 to EPCOT, return and then I was able to go out with her later. had we been off property or at an outlying resort; we could not have switched off. More on transportation later!
Sometimes it takes a bad time to realize all the good, and while it's never fun to have a sick kid, having one at BLT made it much more comfortable!
Transportation:
One of the things about the Contemporary is that it is convenient to and has so many options to the parks...I have a couple of tips though for finding the best route-
MK- Going to MK it is better to walk; there is a pathway that is maybe 1/4 long to the MK entrance. The monorail goes the long route, stopping at Polynesian, TTC, GF before arriving at the MK. Walking is quicker if you are able.
Returning from MK Your dogs are barkin', you are tired, you may be carrying souvenirs, or a sleeping toddler...take the Monorail...one stop and you are home...YEAH!
Pic of DD2 on the path to MK from CR and BLT:
EPCOT Going to EPCOT It is draw to walk to MK and take the monorail from there, which avoids at least one other stop. Or take the monorail from CR to the TTC. Then take the monorail from TTC to EPCOT.
Returning from EPCOT, especially at closing or leaving world showcase. Rather than walk all the way to the front of the park and then lining up for the monorail to TTC, it is quicker to walk to the International Gateway and get the bus at the Beach Club- it's still a long walk, but there will be almost no one going to the MK at that time of night from BC, so you can hop on the bus easily, and then walk home from MK.
For Boardwalk or other non monorail resorts: Rather than make a monorail or bus connection we found it easier to go to MK and take the bus to the resort nearest to our "final destination"...for instance to get to the BW, walk to MK, bus to BW (you can get off at the Swan, and walk it's no further and saves you a couple of bus stops)
I can't give the best advice about the other parks, we didn't visit this trip, likely the direct bus is best, and really only choice. The shared bus stop is right out the front door of the BLT, next to the Contemporary.
Upcoming; Probably tomorrow folks, I have to grocery shop...scans of the map and the Feb activities, and little review of the few activities we were able to do around the resort (we had a very short visit
)
. So did you book a BB?
Best. pixie-dustin'. ever. 
So glad you got a magical upgrade!
And twelve years now for us. 
Guess what Resort has been deemed anniversary-worthy for 2014? Yep, FTW Cabins!!!! We've toyed with it for about 8 years now and we're running out of "new" Resorts to try. 
