End of Summer Blast at BLT

[quirty30]

Sorry I didn't write yesterday. We finally managed to get up early today and make it to a park before noon - so I turned in early last night.

Just to recap, we are in the midst of a split stay and moved to BLT yesterday after 4 nights at BCV. As I mentioned in my BCV report, our move was a breeze. To anyone wary of a split stay, it was not a big deal. In fact, if you want to make it really easy on yourself, budget $20 for tips ($10 each "way") and call Bell Services when you are ready to check out of resort #1 and let them come up and get your bags. We took ours down to the bell desk ourselves, but in hindsight, it would have been much easier to just call them. We took the bus to Downtown Disney, did a little shopping and had an excellent counter service lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express (to those who have never tried this place, please do. What a great value for CS. Loved that they bring the food out to you and get your drink refiills, etc. Well worth the $5 I tipped. It did not feel or taste like CS food.) So then we hopped on the CR bus, arrived right around 4PM, and checked in. Walked over to Bell Services and gave them my claim check and they brought the bags up lightning fast (we barely beat them to the room.)

As for the room, we booked a 1BR LV. Requested high floor, even number. Got even number on 7th floor. We look out almost right over Space Mountain, just on the edge of the lake. We also have a partial dumpster view - LOL. We are about to watch Wishes from our balcony. I'm fine with what we got. Room itself has some minor issues. The balcony door handle in the bedroom was almost falling out. We called maintenance right away and they fixed it. There was also a bottle of cleaning fluid left on one of the balcony chairs. They removed that as well. As for room wear & tear, it's minor. There is a spot on the dining table where it just kind of bubbled up and cracked, maybe from a hot plate or pan placed directly on the table? Not a big deal. The sofa looks a bit dingy and there is a rip under one of the cushions. And a few minor scuffs here and there. Overall, I am pleased - it's not nearly as bad as others have reported (and certainly no better or worse than renovated rooms we've had at other resorts.)

Ok, time to watch Wishes and I will report back about last night and our first full day today. Feel free to ask any questions and I will be happy to answer.

 

[quirty30]

Wow - perfect view for Wishes from our balcony. I'm thrilled. We went up to TotWL last night but we were just wiped out from spending the day at AK today. Kind of wanted to head back to Wolfgang Puck Express again, but we just didn't feel like getting back on the bus. We had also considered going back to HS for Fantasmic, but just couldn't fathom traveling there when Wishes was literally right outside our door. One of these trips we'll make it to Fantasmic (we've yet to see it.)

We got up early (7:30AM) today and took the Monorail over to the Poly for 8:30AM breakfast at Kona Cafe. DS tried Tonga Toast, I had the Macadamia Pineapple Pancakes & DD had kids breakfast with eggs, sausage & cinnamon toast. All were yummy. DS didn't even use syrup or compote on the Tonga Toast - said it was plenty sweet. Had to run back to BLT as DS forgot his hat. The AK bus was just pulling up as we got to the stop and we arrived just after 10:30AM. Over the next several hours we accumulated Fastpasses for EE, Kali River & Kilimanjaro Safari. Walked over to Dinoland and rode Primeval Whirl for the first time and saw Finding Nemo, the Musical. Loved both!!! Then saw Flights of Wonder - enjoyed it as well. Used our EE Fastpasses first and then the kids got in the single rider line and rode again while I tried to regroup. (I try to be a sport & go on the more thrilling rides once with the kids, then they are on their own. This includes EE, Mission Space & ToT.) We had lunch at Yak & Yeti TS, and it was very good. Our server was Amanda. DS had Beef & Broccoli, DD ordered ribs & I ordered the steak & shrimp. DD and I shared our meals. We asked Amanda if Matt the manager was working & he was. We were supposed to have lunch at Yak & Yeti in May for DD's birthday, however, DS got dreadfully ill right in the lobby of the restaurant and Matt came to the rescue, got us a wheelchair & food to go, among other things....let's just say he went above & beyond and I remember things like that. I wanted to thank him. Matt came by and said "hi." He recognized us and told DS he looked better with a little color in his face. After lunch we did Kali River Rapids. DS got the worst of the water except for this one guy across from me...I told him he won the wet t-shirt contest hands down and I don't think he appreciated my sense of humor. Ok, after that we trekked over to the Safaris and we got to see a lot of animals. Some white rhinos nearly walked up to the bus - very cool. Then we did some shopping and watched "It's Tough to be a Bug." Very cute. And I looked at my watch and it was nearly 6PM. What a great day. We have really learned how to intersperse shopping, dining, and shows with rides to circumvent the heat. I thought it would be tough at AK, but we did just fine.

Took the bus back to BLT and went for about an hour swim before they closed the pool due to lightning activity. Got dressed and got dinner to go from the Contempo. It was bustling down at the 4th floor of the CR and we were happy to bring food back to our room to enjoy quietly in our villa. It was no WPE but it hit the spot. As I mentioned, we watched Wishes from our balcony and it was a great vantage point. After this year, I am resigning myself to booking standard view to conserve points, so I'm going to enjoy fireworks from my balcony when I can.

A little resort comparison now....we enjoyed BCV, but BLT really does suit us more. It's one of our home resorts and I love the modern decor and clean lines. That being said, I love BCV and BWV for visiting Epcot & HS. I would absolutely do a split stay like this again and split up our park visits accordingly, taking full advantage of resort location. We've only used buses for AK and Downtown Disney....we've visited parks at our leisure and really enjoyed the ease of getting there.

Tomorrow we will hit the pool in the AM. We're going to the DVC presentation here at 1PM, then heading to MK for evening EMH (open til 3AM - finally some EMH my night owl kids and I can take advantage of!) Have ADR's for dinner at Kona Cafe - will be a nice break before the long night at MK. Our trip is winding down but we are having a great time.

 

[JESW]

Nice report! We also love the CR and will be there TOMORROW for 2 nights before moving over to the Wilderness Lodge Villas. We are only in a regular room not BLT but still love the location. Sunday night is emh at the MK and it will be so nice to just walk back to the room and not fight the crowds at the buses and monorail.

Enjoy the rest of your stay!

Jill

 

[londonderrydisneyfan]

Thanks for the report, sounds like you're having a great time. We did the opposite this year, went from BLT to BCV and the kids loved both places.

 

[bobbiwoz]

It sounds like a wonderful trip! I would love to stay at BLT again.

 

[Sandisw]

It sounds like you are continuing to have a great time. We felt the same way about BLT after leaving BCV.

We loved that resort but BLT is still number one. I don't have any issues with the split stay but DH is not that thrilled with it. I like the DTD idea so maybe next summer, I can convince him that that would help take up the time.

We had a room similar to yours when we were just there and will be doing SV as well from now on. I added on another 30 points so I can do my entire 6 nights in a 1 bedroom!!

Hope you have a great time at the EMH at MK tonight. It will be so nice not having to get on a bus at 3:00 am to head back to the resort--just a quick walk or monorail ride!!!

 

[quirty30]

We just finished up the event at TotWL. LOL - I have the worst luck ever and didn't win anything. (I once won a game of reverse bingo - I was the only person left who hadn't filled in even one number.) But it was cool & comfortable and I resisted the hard sell....we have 460 points and it's more than enough for the 3 of us to enjoy 1 BR units. And prices are much higher than when we bought in last summer. In that sense I am quite lucky...we paid $91 for BLT and $93 for AKV. Anyway, the kids got pins and lanyards and we got our Fastpasses. And the cheesecake lollipops were great! I think we are all just a bit tired of the heat and not eager to visit a park in the hot sun. We have 7:30PM ADR's at Kona and we are going to hop on the monorail and check out the Poly pool; head back and try the CR pool, then get ready for dinner and head to MK around 9PM for EMH. Don't know if we'll last til 3AM but we'll try! Love that we won't have to take a bus back! And we have 2 more days before we leave late on Sunday. It's really been an enjoyable and relaxing trip. I love that we don't have to "go commando" when we visit (DVC allows us to take our time and see things at a leisurely pace.)

 

[Sammie]

There is a spot on the dining table where it just kind of bubbled up and cracked, maybe from a hot plate or pan placed directly on the table? Not a big deal. The sofa looks a bit dingy and there is a rip under one of the cushions. And a few minor scuffs here and there.

I am glad you are having a great time, but I find these conditions upsetting in such a new resort. Maybe one that has been open for several years.

I can only imagine what it will look like this time next year.

Totally agree about Wolfgang Puck Express, another reason we love SSR, so close to good food.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

So glad to see you guys are still having a great trip! Enjoy the pool today

 

[quirty30]

We enjoyed 4 pools and 4 slides today (took full advantage of DVC pool hopping privileges.) Started at our own Bay Cove pool; hopped on the monorail to the Poly (added bonus; Dole Whips!) Then onto the GF (best slide, IMO.) Ended back at the CR and much to my surprise, this was my favorite. pool area. Poly was least favorite - too much sand and SO crowded. We will definitely be walking over to the CR when we stay at BLT. Went back to our room and changed for dinner and hopped back on the monorail to the Poly for Kona Cafe (great dinner - yummy shrimp & scallops. I always see the huge waits at Ohana but we love Kona and usually eat there at least once a trip.) Then onto to EMH at MK. OMG what a madhouse when we arrived - the 9PM Electrical Parade was going and it was almost impossible to get in. We headed for Tomorrowland and spent most of the evening there and did all the major attractions. Finally made it out of there around 1:30AM and rode Haunted Mansion, saw Philharmagic, and rode Dumbo and the Carousel before giving in. Stopped at Main Street Bakery and used snack credits for cinnamon rolls to go so we don't have to get up early and get breakfast. Needless to say, it's been a long day and I'm calling it a night! Not sure what we will do tomorrow. We'll figure it out when we wake up!

 

[Cyndibear]

Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoying all the positive BLT reviews!!! So, when you went to the TOTW DVC event, you could do an add-on there? Dh is looking to add on additional points at BLT but our guide is not responding, we'll be there in a week and a half so we were thinking of just adding on then if its possible.

Cyndi

 

[Sandisw]

Sounds like you are having a great time. Enjoying all the positive BLT reviews!!! So, when you went to the TOTW DVC event, you could do an add-on there? Dh is looking to add on additional points at BLT but our guide is not responding, we'll be there in a week and a half so we were thinking of just adding on then if its possible.

Cyndi

Yes, they hae guides available to do all the contracts if you want. We signed up at one of the booths in Epcot a few days before we wanted to go. It was nice.

We weren't sure how many points we wanted to add on so we waited until we got home, but you will easily be able to do it while you are there.

 

[quirty30]

Well, our trip has wrapped up and I'm writing from home : (

Needless to say, after staying at MK til 3AM Friday night, yesterday we got up late and enjoyed those cinnamon rolls from Main Street Bakery. They were amazing even though we didn't eat them right out of the oven. We managed to make it back to MK before noon. It was overcast. Ran to Space Mountain and got regular Fastpasses for 1:20PM and our immediate DVC Fastpasses, which we used right away. It poured down rain while we were on the ride....we came out into the store and I did something I've never done before...bought the silly picture of us! My kids facial expressions were priceless...my eyes were closed because that's what I do on roller coasters! It was still raining so we ran over to the Peoplemover. Seemed like a good way to kill 10-15 minutes while the rain tapered off. Got off and headed for Splash Mountain & Thunder Mountain RR. Got our DVC Fastpasses for both & rode them right away. Headed back to Columbia Harbor House for a great quick service lunch. It was still raining on and off. We stopped and rode Winnie the Pooh since the line wasn't long. Headed back to Space Mountain but stopped and got Fastpasses for Buzz Lightyear first. Rode them both and decided we'd gotten to do quite a bit in a short time...those DVC Fastpasses were great. The rain was threatening again and we wanted to swim before dinner and I wanted to get some laundry started. We were wise to leave when we did. Managed to get in that quick swim before they closed the pool due to lightning. And then it just poured - I was so glad our last ADR's were for California Grill and that we only had to head over to the CR on the walkway. Our reservations were for 7:15PM and we got a table right on the window overlooking the castle. It was clearing a little and we really enjoyed watching the sun set and the colors changing on the castle. A great meal as always. Finished up around 9PM and decided to head back to our room to watch Wishes for the last time from our balcony. That way I could start packing as well.

Checking out today was a little chaotic. No boarding passes or folio on our door and it seemed like everyone waited til 11AM to check out. We also had to return some movies to the Community Hall. Decided it was easier to walk over to the CR outside rather than get back on the elevator to use the walkway. Ran back and forth between the valet and airline check-in desks with the help of my kids. A manager at the valet got me a copy of my folio so I didn't have to get in another line. By 11:30, all the lines were gone - next time I'll just sit tight and wait for the lines to dissipate. Anyway, I needed to freshen up after running around - never got a chance to put my makeup on in the room. We headed to the bus stop and a bus for Downtown Disney pulled right up. We were the only riders - I don't think that's ever happened to us before. I really wanted to swim at the CR, but the kids wanted to shop. So that's what we did. We had fun making soy candles at Basin (using our 15% DVC discount.) Got some pins as well and stopped back at Tren-d to have a security tag removed from a dress I had purchased earlier in the week (I noticed the tag was still attached when I was packing this AM.) I resisted the temptation yet again to purchase a Dooney & Burke Disney bag!!!! (They're everywhere now and they taunted me all week!) We went back to Wolfgang Puck Express for lunch and I'm so glad we did...got a good meal before heading home. It was raining hard again & our Magical Express bus was late. We made it to the airport with only an hour and 15 minutes to spare. Not much time to eat after getting through security. Despite the rain, our flight was on time and we made it home safe & sound.

This was our first split stay and also our first lengthy DVC trip (only 3-4 night stays previously.) I would absolutely do a split stay again and highly recommend not trying to do a park on moving day. It was perfect going to Downtown Disney and then hanging out at the new resort. I loved the relaxed pace of this trip - with DVC we know we will be back and we balance park visits with enjoying all the resorts have to offer. We tried a lot of new things this trip - our favorite new things are Wolfgang Puck Express and the cinnamon rolls from Main Street Bakery. Can't wait to try out Saratoga Springs in October for a long weekend. Then no more trips until next summer : (

Time for me to call it a day. Got in at 10PM and I have to work in the morning. I'll try to get back online tomorrow night and post some pictures.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

So glad to hear you made it home safe and sound. Can't wait to see some pictures

 

[El&Asmom]

Thanks for the TR. I enjoyed reading it.