Our August 2006 TRIP REPORT (with lots of Pictures) ***COMPLETE***

[Ms. Heimlich]

I have never written a trip report before so if you like what I write, let me know, if not... well... then, stop reading!!!

Here goes Nothing!


Here is where the story is:

page 1 post 2 - Pre trip (Very long)
page 1 post 5 - Arriving and pre-Disney
page 1 post 12 - Arriving at the Contemporary and day 1 at MK
page 2 post 17 - Check in/ our rooms and the 50's PT cafe
page 2 post 23 - more 50's PT and MGM
page 2 post 31 - more about our rooms at the Contemporary
page 3 post 42 - First night at the contemporary
page 4 post 55 - Day 2 at the MK
page 5 post 67 - Day 2 con't at the MK
page 5 post 75 - Epcot and Day 3
page 6 post 85 - Day 3 con't - Le Cellier
page 7 post 94 - Day 4 - the Backstage Magic Tour
page 7 post 104 - Day 4 - Whispering Canyon Cafe
page 7 post 105 - Day 5 - Animal Kingdom w/o an Extraction Mission
page 8 post 114 - Day 5 - Blizzard Beach
page 8 post 115 - Day 5 - MK EMH & Spectromagic
page 8 post 116 - Day 6 - Our last full day - Chef Mickey's & Downtown Disney
page 8 post 118 - Day 6 - California Grill and Wishes
page 9 post 121 - Day 7 - Our last few hours at Epcot
page 9 post 122 - Day 7 - Going home

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

CAST
Me: 31, bug girl extraordinaire, uuber planner, loves to travel
DH – 35, not crazy about going to WDW, would rather be in Vegas. Can Disney and I convert him?
DD – 13, AKA Crash (she is a little accident prone), Pokey, etc. Likes to talk. A LOT. Can’t decide whether or not to be a teenager or a kid…
DB – my brother,36, Disney Junkie, honeymooned at the world, also an uuber planner
DSIL – sister in law,32, also honeymooned at WDW (duh), probably the sweetest person I know. Deathly afraid of roller coasters.
DN – nephew,12. AKA Diablo. Need I say more?

Almost a year before what would become our TRIP TO DISNEY, my brother and I were casually having dinner with my folks, our respective spouses and offspring. The conversation eventually found its way to travel. WE are a traveling family. The eight of us have been to Colorado to ski, Disney World (TWICE), Las Vegas, as well as a number of family weekends at my parent’s lake house. This is all in the last 5 years… Travel planning (okay… travel dreaming) is nothing new to us.

We joked that it would be fun to take the kids on one last Disney vacation (they are getting to the age, 13 and 12, where it isn’t cool to hang out with your parents, especially at a place for kids – like Disney). Funny how the joke ends up on them…

We started looking into what it costs to stay on property. The last several trips we have taken to Disney, we have stayed “off property” for the simple reason of logistics. Eight people in any kind of hotel setting is TOUGH, not to mention budget draining.

This time there were only 6 of us, our two families of 3. This made the possibility of staying on property a little easier to consider. We looked at POR, AKL, the Polynesian, the Wilderness Lodge, and the Contemporary Resort. As DB and I had been to Disney several times as children, we had (limited) knowledge of the benefits of staying on property. We knew it would make things easier on the kids coming and going. We also heard about Extra Magic Hours. The decision was made. On property it is.

After much arguing.... Finally, one day my DH, DD, and I were visiting my DB, DSIL, and DN (nephew). My DB and I were, of course, discussing Disney. I told him to think of this #1 choice and I would do the same. I asked him to name his choice. He said, somewhat sheepishly, it was the Contemporary Resort. I laughed. Out loud. The Contemporary resort was my first choice, too. Later, we discovered that our choices were based on the same reason…

***WARNING*** This section contains a tangent!!!***
When we were children, in 1982, our parents took us on our first “BIG” trip to Disney. We still talk about this trip when our family is all together. Our families were FAR from wealthy and this trip could have easily been a “Once in a lifetime” opportunity.

There were 9 of us in ONE station wagon all the way from Houston, Texas to Orlando. NINE OF US!! It was the Grapes of Wrath. It was horrible (I was the only female with 4 boys). It was smelly. It was loud. It was crude. Fart jokes were rampant. We ate, slept, and played in that station wagon. It was an absolute BLAST!!

Anyway, our original reservations had been at the Contemporary Resort. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and almost turning around and going home… we ended up at the Tree House Villas. Now, I am not sure that is exactly what they were called, but they were so fun! The kids (us) could be as loud and obnoxious as we wanted to be with out disturbing our neighbors, there was a kitchen for the adults to cook and hang out, there was a spiral staircase (hours of fun for the kids), and most of all, we rented a golf cart. Dangerous, but fun!!! I have found out since that the Tree House Villas are not available to rent anymore. Too bad. They were perfect for our motley crew!! This is by far my favorite vacation… ever. To anywhere. (Except maybe my wedding in Las Vegas).

Anyway, back to the story. ***TANGENT OVER***

We had chosen the Contemporary because it was supposed to have been the resort we stayed in on our FIRST BIG TRIP. It was nostalgic. It was classic Disney. It was on the monorail. It was REALLY EXPENSIVE.

We downgraded to the garden buildings.

At first, I was sad. I wanted to stay in the A-Frame. For Pete’s sake--- The MONORAIL runs thru it!! Where else can you watch a train go THROUGH a building??!! Granted, I understand that the CR is not excessively themed, somewhat understated, and does not some of the features that other resorts have, but we were, it seemed, determined to fulfill a childhood wish. DB called his travel agent. We booked a seven night stay with Disney Dining (NOT FREE) for 6 in two rooms at the CR from August 7 – 14. This was October 2005. We missed free dining by 1 week, but alas, the kids had to start school, so no free dining for us…

I had read on the internet about the Disney Visa. I wasn’t sure if it was a GREAT deal, but I went ahead and applied. When it came, I put both of our vacations on it (as to earn the Disney Reward Dollars) and get the 6 months no interest on the whole amount. It turned out to be a good thing to have on a couple of occasions…

We began to plan the other “stuff.” Shortly after booking, I found out that ADR’s were available 180 days in advance. This was new. Thank God for allearsnet.com, the disboards, and mousesavers.com… They keep me up to date! We began to plot!

We had eaten at Chef Mickey’s on our previous two trips. We discussed eating somewhere different for our character breakfast/meal. Nope. Not happening. I booked Chef Mickey’s for the morning of our last full day.

We chose the 50’s Primetime, Goofy’s Liberty Tree Tavern, Le Cellier, Whispering Canyon Cafe, and the California Grill.

SO... I called Disney EXACTLY 180 days out from our arrival date and set up our ADR’s. All went well. I even got a reservation at California Grill (7:40 pm) that I hoped would allow us to see the fireworks from the 14th floor of the CR. Cool.

Well, we were set. Now…. We just have to wait …. For 6 months. Ugh. Waiting sucks.

Airfare first: I waited. I searched. I used every travel website available. I wanted cheap. Not even Southwest will do. I want CHEAP. Due to rising fuel costs, airfares in general seem to be going up. I was disappointed. UNTIL… ***trumpets blaring*** We found $189 round trip tickets from my home town to Orlando! On American!!! NO SOUTHWEST CATTLE CALLS!! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Southwest. It is almost the ONLY airline I fly, but this is our DISNEY TRIP! I want only the best!!!

So we went ahead and booked our flights. Now… the downside. On our travel agents advice, we started looking for fares that leave on Saturday. She said it is usually a good day to fly. Especially if you are staying for a full week like we were planning. So now we had a problem. We don’t check into the CR until Monday and we are arriving on Saturday afternoon. Will we be homeless for 2 days??

My DB found rooms at the Holiday Inn Main Gate West. IT is reported to be less than 2 miles from the entrance… We’ll see…. Hmmmm. He got a good deal, but prepaid for them. We were stuck and couldn’t move to Pop when a good deal opened up. Oh well. WE’RE GOING TO DISNEY!!

So… Rooms? Check. Food? Check. Airfare? Check. So? Do we rent a car?

The argument to not rent a car ended when we decided to come in on Saturday and not check in to Disney until Monday. We had 2 days before we could utilize Disney transportation full-time. We enjoy having a vehicle. Its easier to get to and from parks, you feel you have more freedom, and if you want a pack of gum, by God, you can go get one!! I found a minivan (YUCK) on Alamo.com for $400.00 total for the whole 8 days, including taxes and fees. I prepaid for it, too, so once we get to Orlando, everything is paid for!!! I hate minivans--- but 6 people and their luggage in any other car just won’t do.

Rental Car? Check.

Now we wait.

In the mean time, DB and I discussed “extra curricular activities” while in Disney World. DSIL and I wanted to see Cirque du Solieil. DB protested. DB says “I don’t want to waste $100 on Circle the Toilay.” We all laughed. Outloud. Of course, being women, DSIL and I convinced him and we purchased our tickets. I really think he will like it anyway.

Next? DB wanted to do a tour. We looked at the variety of tours available at Disney and settled on the Backstage Magic Tour. It is $200 per person (there is a discount if you have a Disney Visa -- Woooohooo!! ) so we booked and paid for it. $200 seems a lot to follow a tour guide around for a few hours and eat lunch, but DB had agreed to “Circle the Toilay,” the least I could do is fork out the money for a tour.

Well, as far as I could tell, we were ready for our trip. We still had over 3 months to wait. And Wait. And Wait. And Wait.

UGH.

Did I mention that I HATE waiting???

Luckily, there was a lot going on during the waiting time.

DH, DD and I lived thru a house being remodeled, moving and unpacking. DB umpired 100+ baseball games. We helped while our parents prepared their house for sale. DD played summer softball for her All-Star team. Two emergency room visits were thrown in for good measure, and work was CRAZY. It really did make the time go by fast.

One month (to the day) from our departure, a large monkey wrench was thrown into the mix. My DD plays on her league softball all star team. Her team qualified for regionals this year, so we went with high hopes of doing well. We knew going in that the top 3 teams would advance to nationals, but we weren’t sure of our odds. We were eliminated in the 4th place position. When the game was over, her coach announced the tournament directors were taking the top 4 from our area. Our daughters had qualified for a place at nationals. No other team from her league had EVER done that before. Now, the bad news. The final games of the tournament will be played the day we leave…

I spoke with the folks at American Airlines. Talk about a group of unhappy people. One lady I spoke to was so rude to me I was almost in tears. She basically insinuated that I was stupid for not understanding why my DD couldn’t use only the 2nd half of her plane tickets to come home. So, if you are reading this, beware… If you book thru American and plans change, the ticket cannot be used in any way other then how it was originally purchased. So… What to do?? To change the ticket so she left on Sunday and still returned with us would cost me almost $400 additional to what I had already paid. Oh. My. God.

 

[bdg100]

I like what you wrote.

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

One of the things I continue to notice about my family, Disney World, and vacations in general is the increase in quality conversations and family time. One night about 2 weeks before we left, my DB, Mom, and I were on my parents back patio talking about past trips. My mom had brought pictures of previous trips from home for us to look at. We laughed at fashion choices, remembered the magic, and just talked. The magic of Disney World extends far beyond the confines of the property. It extends beyond time. It spreads beyond feuds, fights, and not so great memories. It consistently brings you back to the place you need to be. A place with family, laughter, and magic.

********************************************************

The airfare problem was resolved in two phone calls. I changed the flight to a one way flight from Orlando back home and booked my DD a one way flight from home to Orlando on Sunday. All was well.

Finally, the DAY had arrived. We had somehow managed to pack for 3 people for 10 days. My DH and I would have to take all the luggage so DD would be able to travel light, ie. No checked bags. In between finishing a HUGE project for work, 5 softball games, and daily life, getting everything packed was a pain. Eventually, my motto was… “if I forget anything, there is always Wal-Mart.” My poor DH did not have a clue what he would be wearing the next 10 days…

Saturday morning my DH and I woke up earlier than we needed to, showered, dressed and double checked the luggage. DH went to get sausage and cheese kolaches while I was showering so we actually ate breakfast. We peeked in on a sleeping DD (said goodbye) and headed to my folks house and then onto DB house to carpool to the airport. My parents had agreed to drop off/pick us up from the airport so we could save the parking fees.

DB had been up, dressed and on a McDonalds run already. Good, no stops to eat!!

We arrived at the airport, checked our bags and got to the gate with 1 ½ hours to spare. WE WERE FINALLY GOING TO DISNEY!!!

The plane rides were uneventful. We got to watch Ice Age the Meltdown on the way. It was cute. DB pulled out his laptop and watched his own movie. Damn… I wish I’d have thought of that…

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Admittedly we were uptight about DD flying by herself. She is a smart kid who is capable, but a little on the naïve side. Again… She can’t decide to be a kid or a teenager.

When we landed, most of our party went to baggage claim. I went to the SWA ticket counter to get a gate pass so I could meet her at the gate and walk her out. With the exception of a HUGE line, and a plane that was 15 minutes late, it went off without a hitch.

So all 6 of our Party had arrived at MCO. We dragged our luggage to the rental car pickup looking for a van. We picked the one with the most cargo room… We had a LOT of bags.

We were prepaid at the Holiday Inn Main Gate and headed there. We stopped and ate a burger at a restaurant we had tried on our last trip to the world. Great burgers.

We checked in and sent the kids off to swim. We were officially on vacation, although we hadn’t QUITE made it to WDW yet…

Sunday morning we got up at a decent hour, drove across the street to eat breakfast at probably the BUSIEST McDonalds I have ever been to and then to the junk … er ah I mean souvenir shop next door. DD needed a pair of sunglasses. We browsed for a while, looked at the tacky shirts that said things like “Farting Machine” and other potty humor. It was right up our alley!

Then it was off to the outlet mall. Funny thing I learned that day about outlet malls. First I think the “OUT” part of outlet means they will be OUT of what ever it is you need. Secondly, the prices were not ANY lower than the malls/stores at home. DSIL and I did buy a purse each at the Coach outlet and DB and DN bought a pair of shoes each.

After the shopping excursion we went to Wal-Mart for the supplies we thought we needed for the week. DD needed a swimsuit, we needed rechargeable batteries, sunscreen, personal care items, and we bought snacks and breakfast food as well as water and laundry detergent. The total was over $325. OMG! Stay tuned to WHY this was a GIGANTIC waste of MONEY!

After the shopping we headed back to the hotel to get the cold stuff on ice. Then it was off to my 2nd favorite meal of the whole trip. We went to a place called Lee & Ricks Oyster bar. It is NOT your typical tourist trap. This is a REAL oyster bar. You belly up to the bar and there is a trough at the back of the bar full of discarded oyster shells. DB and DH ordered the bucket of raw oysters. For under $20 total (not including beer) they ate the whole bucket of oysters. The “waitress” shucks them right there in front of you and they slurped them down as she got them ready.

This picture is of our waitress and the trough!

This is my DB eating an oyster.

It was an experience. I ordered the crab cakes and peel and eat shrimp. DSIL and DN got the fried shrimp platter. DD, the kid after my own heart, ordered the crab legs and she ate them with enthusiasm. (I can only blame myself!!) This place is awesome. There was plenty of food and the atmosphere is VERY local. Really really good food. I highly recommend it.

We headed back to the hotel, sent the kids for a swim and packed the van back up. Including all the crap we had gotten at Wal-Mart. We had a date with a mouse.

 

[princesslibby]

More please.

 

[bdg100]

I still like what you wrote.

 

[Scot-n-Michelle]

I like it but I need more!!!

 

[MissMichelle]

Why. Did. I . Start? I always seem to do that----tell myself that I won't start a trip report that has only done less then 1 page....that I will be begging the OP to finish and checking back constantly...

I'll be waiting Great start so far!

 

[BeautyNBeast]

Great Start! I want more please!

 

[BlakeNJ]

great TR! Subscribing

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Monday morning we got up, grabbed a Pop-Tart or a granola bar and headed over to the Contemporary resort to check in.

We saw this. I nearly peed in my pants I was so excited...

Francine checked us in. She found us adjoining rooms (which the travel agent had neglected to request) in the North Wing on the 3rd floor. She was great. When she checked us in our rooms weren't ready yet, so she gave us the first 3 numbers to our rooms. We had to call back to get the last number after a while.

This is Francine. And my DB.

We handed our luggage over to bell services and headed to the parks.

She gave us our Keys to the Kingdom. This was a scary piece of plastic. My room key, my park tickets, my meal plan, AND charging privileges all on one little card. OMG, PLEASE don’t lose this card! I threatened DD with her life… DO NOT LOSE THIS LITTLE PIECE OF PLASTIC!!

Magic Kingdom was our first stop. Now I know what everyone is thinking…. WHY would you go there first??? Our kids are older (12, 13) and this is park is not the pinnacle of Disney to them. They like it all. We went there because it was close and a great way to start the trip. We took the walkway from the Contemporary to the MK. We made it in time to see the park opening show and participate in the rope drop.

Look!! There is the big Cheese!!

We headed directly for Space Mountain. We went through the line in under 10 minutes and prepared for the space launch. It was great. This is how to start a Disney vacation. We rode it again.

This is DB and DNephew at Space Mountain.

We did everything in Tomorrowland with the exception of Astro Orbiter. We even did the Carosel of Progress. Man I love that experience. (It’s a great big beautiful tomorrow…)! Another personal favorite of mine is the People Mover. (Call it whatever you want, but it will ALWAYS be the People Mover to me).

This is DD on the People Mover... Paging Mr. Morrow. Mr. Tom Morrow...

We headed over to Adventurland to ride Pirates. We passed Aloha Isle. Dole whips… I have heard all about them on the disboards… We didn’t stop this time. Pirates was awesome. I liked the changes. Jack Sparrow, Barbosa, and Davy Jones are a great addition to update this classic ride!!

We ate lunch at El Pirata y el Perico. My DH, DB, and I had the taco salad while DSIL, DD, and DN had the tacos. Surprisingly they weren’t bad. For those who don’t know, when you order tacos or a taco salad, it comes out with only meat in a shell. Being able to add the lettuce, cheese and salsa at the toppings bar helps finicky eaters. I went back for more lettuce once. DB and I had the churro and everyone else got ice cream bars.

Here is a taco salad (after adding the lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes). It also came with a little packet of sour cream if you like that sort of thing.

This was our first taste of the DDP. We began to understand the sheer amount of food they try to feed you. We decided this was a good counter service place. A lot like Taco Bell but Disney style.

 

[c4alymom]

I am so excited to see a TR from someone at the Contemporary. Please tell me about the room. We will be there in two weeks and I can't wait. We also had to get a Garden Wing Room instead of tower....What was it like? Keep it coming!

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

I am so excited to see a TR from someone at the Contemporary. Please tell me about the room. We will be there in two weeks and I can't wait. We also had to get a Garden Wing Room instead of tower....What was it like? Keep it coming!

Thanks for reading...

The next installment has pics of our room and the view from our room onto the property. I am glad I took all of these pictures for some reason other than to amuse myself!!

J

 

[Slsguy]

Great, now I'm hooked on yet another trip report! Looks like I wont be getting much work done before I leave - Keep it comming!

 

[rosiejo]

Keep 'em coming!

You write really well and I can't wait to read more of your adventures

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

We decided to head over to BTMRR and Splash Mountain next. Nature had other plans. While in line for BTMRR it started raining. HARD. We were in the part of the queue with no protection. My DB and DSIL got soaked. DD, DH, and I had ponchos which kept us mostly dry with the exception of our shoes. We squished back to the front of the park, back to the hotel and dried off.

Our rooms were in the North Garden Building on the 3rd floor. We had rooms 7378 and 7379. Room 7379 has a slightly better view than 78 because of a magnolia tree, however, both had good views.

This was our view.... The aforementioned tree was right in the middle blocking most of the castle.

Ok. The day time views were kindof sucky, but at night, I could see "Wishes" almost perfectly.

We called bell services for our luggage and **POOF** there it was…. All 18 pieces of it. That is embarrassing to type. 18 pieces of luggage. OMG. Hi, my name is Ms. Heimlich. I am an overpacker.

We dried off, changed shoes, and got dressed for dinner.

We were scheduled to eat at MGM Studios at the 50’s Prime Time Café. This was our first table service credit to use so we were rookies.

Menu:

We sat down and my DH proceeded to order the most expensive appetizer and the most expensive entrée (shrimp cocktail and top sirloin steak). I looked at him...

Me: "What are you doing?"
Him: "ordering the most expensive things."
Me: "Why?"
Him: "So I get my monies worth..."

By dessert, he was singing a different tune…

I got the herb cheese and pot roast. DD got Ceasar salad and the salmon. DB got the pot roast. DN got the onion rings and fried chicken. DSIL got the soup and fried chicken. Everything was delicious. My fried herb cheese appetizer was FANTASTIC!! The fried chicken was WONDERFUL.

For whatever reason the only food I got a picture of was my pot roast...

The atmosphere at 50’s PT is fun. Our waitress was dull and must have been having a bad day. However, the waitress in the adjacent area was GREAT. At one point I “stole” the View Master off the table next to ours to look at the desserts. (The dessert menu IS the View Master.) Well, the waitress for the adjacent tables saw me take it. From then on we were the cousins that nobody trusted. Then my DB said some sarcastic thing and now he was a back-talker. Before the entrée was brought out, we were already known as the troublemakers. She made the meal for us!

The VIEWMASTER (and my DD)

The Waitress who was really Cool.

Now, for those of you who have participated in the dining plan you know that what I am about to say is the absolute truth. The DDP is WAY more food than one person should consume in one day. By the time dessert was served we were so full we could barely breathe. But we ordered dessert anyway… Hey, its included. I got the super brownie sundae. It has carmel corn on it. And a TON of whipped cream. I barely ate a few bites. It was terrific though.

Remember I said my DH had a diferent tune to sing on dessert, well, he ordered the one he hoped would be the smallest.... Ha. Ha. Ha... See below....

My dessert:

DN's Dessert:

DH's dessert -- The revenge of the DDP!!

 

[ely3857]

Brilliant report!



Jodie

 

[Wideout]

Greetings from one Texan to another. Good job on the report. Great pics.

 

[UtahMama]

You ARE a bee-u-ti-ful Butterfly!!! I am loving the pictures of everyone else but what about you?? Hmmm?

I like the decor of the Contemporary. It is mod!

Oh, I almost forgot....forgive me if this is tender...I simply cant resist...because I LOVED your opinions about...
DID you check your room for buggies when you entered?????



AND! I totally want THAT desert....No, not the one with the caramel-corn on top (that would put me in a diabetic coma) the S'mores one you ridiculed for it's size. That's the one I've been covetting since I've been on this dang-gum diet reading the dining reports....Size isnt everything ( in desserts) ya know