briarwolf
Straight on till dawn
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2005
- Messages
- 152
8 May 2010- Arrival day:
We did a stay and fly at Springhill Suites in Linthicum, MD just two miles from Baltimore, MD Airport (BWI). Once we arrived at MCO we proceeded to ME (Magical Express). Things had changed since our February 2009 trip. The last time we used ME, I had to entertain our DD (7) while DW waited in line to get up to the counter and get our paperwork confirmed. This year you just waited in line for someone to tell you which resort line you needed to break into. This was a great change, as the overall process was much quicker than last year.
We arrived early at The Contemporary Resort (CR), and DD and I scouted the area while DW waited in line to see if a room was ready. She had already received a call from Garden Grocer letting us know our food was at CR bell services, so once she got our room assingment (7536), she also got our groceries and called us on the cell to come help carry them up to the room. In retrospect, I think we will explore alternatives to using the grocery service.
Our order came to $84 (my 12 pack of Yuengling was $24!! 
) and we really did not get that much.
Being our first stay as DVC members
we were overjoyed with the rooms. We paid for a lake view and although you had to look left to see Bay Lake, you could see it. I think the unit was in fine condition (except some artistic touches in pen a previous mouseling had decided to add to the wall in the dining area
). I had read some reports that the people felt the furniture was already looking worn, I did not feel this way at all. We found everything to be comfortable and in good condition. Maybe we just dont have as critical of an eye or perhaps our eyes are still blinded by the new owner stars of happiness 
. Either way we loved the room and everything in it. I also noted in other posts that the bathroom doors neither locked nor closed completely. This is true; however, we did not find it to be a major issue. The slight crack of an opening that was left after the door was slid closed was minimal and someone would have to stand right by the door to see in. I would be concerned if this was a public bathroom, but not here in our room. Of course my family tends to be a less concerned with privacy than others, so it all comes down to personal opinion.
Once we were settled in we walked over to Magic Kingdom (MK) to get our park tickets. We were getting the military special so we could not order them with our package. The walk over was not long, but it was hot so we took the monorail back after purchasing the tickets. Going from MK to CR on the monorail is fast since CR is the first stop. Going from CR to MK takes a while since MK is the last stop before coming back to CR. If you are heading over for park opening in the cool hours of the morning and are up for it, I would recommend walking.
The in-laws came over that afternoon (they have a timeshare off site), to see our place and go out for dinner.
We decided to eat at the Big River Grill & Brew Works at the Boardwalk. The host (who I think looked a little like Hurley from Lost), said the wait would be 50 minutes. We actually only had to wait about 20 minutes which was great! When we ordered, my DD got a chicken sandwich kids meal and DW and I decided to split a dinner salad and a Hickory Bacon Burger. The in-laws got a greenhouse salad and a Big Brew Cheeseburger to split. The server (Michaela) asked and we responded that we both wanted the salads prior to the main meal. It took a while to get our food and the burgers and chicken sandwich came about 30 seconds after the salads we were not happy. The food was great and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. We think Michaela realized she had goofed with the salads, but instead of apologizing and trying to overcome the issue she started ignoring our table as if she were afraid we would yell at her. Being that my wife spent quite a few years as a server; the whole situation irked her very much.
14 May 2010
I had all the best intentions of doing a daily account of our trip, but I just could not keep up. My DW had planned a pretty aggressive schedule for us so by the time we got bake to BLT each night it was a beer or two and off to bed. So instead of an in depth review I am going to give some of the highs and lows. 
Lows:
Not real wild about the bus transportation at CR. Last year we came down and stayed at Pop and the DW and I both felt the bus service there was timelier. That being said, despite sharing most buses with at least one other MK resort, we only had two rides that were standing room only. The monorail was very convenient, but there were a couple days that they had some issues maintaining their interval so the train we were on would slow down. As I said before, if it is not too hot and you can stand the walk to MK from CR or vice verse, that is the way to go.
If you are a light sleeper and like to go to bed early (9pm) you may want to stay somewhere other than BLT or CR. Every night you will hear Wishes fireworks and the music from the electric light pageant.
This is our first May trip and the closest we have ever come to summer at WDW. Last year we came in February and usually we come in early December. We are going back to the winter months. Just too hot for us Yankees! LOL.
At the risk of starting a debate
, one of the low points for me was when a gentleman in an electric scooter could not get past two people who were looking at items on a wall display in one of the MK Main street shops. There just was not enough room between them and the floor display behind them for the scooter to get through. Their backs were to him so they did not realize he needed through, but instead of saying excuse me in order to get through, he pushed the scooter into the floor display (apparently they are on wheels) shoving it out of the way, and went merrily on his way with no concern for what he had done. This all took place in less than 60 seconds and I could tell from his expression that it was not an accident. As he continued on his merry way I watched baffled thinking, what if my daughter had been on the other side of that display stand and he had shoved it into her? If you use an electric scooter, I get it that it can get frustrating because isles are too narrow, or the CM doesnt bring the ramp over to let you off the monorail, but please stop and think about how dangerous that vehicle can be to the kids around you before using it as a battering ram.
Highs:
Breakfast at Tusker House was good, but what was great was finishing breakfast in time to be on the first truck for the Kilimanjaro Safari!
The Skillet at Whispering Canyon Café was excellent!
We had a great lunch at Biergarten. I know some people dont like the family dining set up, but I love meeting new people. This time it turned out that one of our table mates was a fellow Dis Board member (hedgehog2owl) and she recognized my wifes id (princesspiglet). Her DD and ours enjoyed the dancing more than the food I think.
The cast members at The Fantasia Market at CR were fun and energetic!
On one of our MK days we got pulled into a dance in frontier land with Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear.
Lines were very manageable and waits were very short or nonexistent. Our first day in MK we walked onto BTMR and Splash Mountain. Our last day at MK we had a 10 minute wait for Space mountain, and we were not going commando at rope drop for any of our days. Our final day (Saturday) in Epcot was quite a bit busier. We did a fast pass for Soarin but did not ride Test Track since DD did not want to wait a whole 20 minutes, lol! We rode it earlier in the week and she was more concerned about doing some things in Inoventions that we had not gotten to yet.
Although it is hard to believe, we always meet a grump or two on every trip, but for every grump, we meet dozens of wonderful, friendly people. To every CM and fellow guest that laughed, joked and chatted with us on the monorail, on the bus or in line for a ride, I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you! It is the other kids at heart that help make our trips magical and keep us coming back for more!
We did a stay and fly at Springhill Suites in Linthicum, MD just two miles from Baltimore, MD Airport (BWI). Once we arrived at MCO we proceeded to ME (Magical Express). Things had changed since our February 2009 trip. The last time we used ME, I had to entertain our DD (7) while DW waited in line to get up to the counter and get our paperwork confirmed. This year you just waited in line for someone to tell you which resort line you needed to break into. This was a great change, as the overall process was much quicker than last year.
We arrived early at The Contemporary Resort (CR), and DD and I scouted the area while DW waited in line to see if a room was ready. She had already received a call from Garden Grocer letting us know our food was at CR bell services, so once she got our room assingment (7536), she also got our groceries and called us on the cell to come help carry them up to the room. In retrospect, I think we will explore alternatives to using the grocery service.
Our order came to $84 (my 12 pack of Yuengling was $24!! ) and we really did not get that much. Being our first stay as DVC members
we were overjoyed with the rooms. We paid for a lake view and although you had to look left to see Bay Lake, you could see it. I think the unit was in fine condition (except some artistic touches in pen a previous mouseling had decided to add to the wall in the dining area). I had read some reports that the people felt the furniture was already looking worn, I did not feel this way at all. We found everything to be comfortable and in good condition. Maybe we just dont have as critical of an eye or perhaps our eyes are still blinded by the new owner stars of happiness . Either way we loved the room and everything in it. I also noted in other posts that the bathroom doors neither locked nor closed completely. This is true; however, we did not find it to be a major issue. The slight crack of an opening that was left after the door was slid closed was minimal and someone would have to stand right by the door to see in. I would be concerned if this was a public bathroom, but not here in our room. Of course my family tends to be a less concerned with privacy than others, so it all comes down to personal opinion.Once we were settled in we walked over to Magic Kingdom (MK) to get our park tickets. We were getting the military special so we could not order them with our package. The walk over was not long, but it was hot so we took the monorail back after purchasing the tickets. Going from MK to CR on the monorail is fast since CR is the first stop. Going from CR to MK takes a while since MK is the last stop before coming back to CR. If you are heading over for park opening in the cool hours of the morning and are up for it, I would recommend walking.
The in-laws came over that afternoon (they have a timeshare off site), to see our place and go out for dinner.
We decided to eat at the Big River Grill & Brew Works at the Boardwalk. The host (who I think looked a little like Hurley from Lost), said the wait would be 50 minutes. We actually only had to wait about 20 minutes which was great! When we ordered, my DD got a chicken sandwich kids meal and DW and I decided to split a dinner salad and a Hickory Bacon Burger. The in-laws got a greenhouse salad and a Big Brew Cheeseburger to split. The server (Michaela) asked and we responded that we both wanted the salads prior to the main meal. It took a while to get our food and the burgers and chicken sandwich came about 30 seconds after the salads we were not happy. The food was great and everyone enjoyed what they ordered. We think Michaela realized she had goofed with the salads, but instead of apologizing and trying to overcome the issue she started ignoring our table as if she were afraid we would yell at her. Being that my wife spent quite a few years as a server; the whole situation irked her very much.
14 May 2010
I had all the best intentions of doing a daily account of our trip, but I just could not keep up.
My DW had planned a pretty aggressive schedule for us so by the time we got bake to BLT each night it was a beer or two and off to bed. So instead of an in depth review I am going to give some of the highs and lows. Lows:
Not real wild about the bus transportation at CR. Last year we came down and stayed at Pop and the DW and I both felt the bus service there was timelier. That being said, despite sharing most buses with at least one other MK resort, we only had two rides that were standing room only. The monorail was very convenient, but there were a couple days that they had some issues maintaining their interval so the train we were on would slow down. As I said before, if it is not too hot and you can stand the walk to MK from CR or vice verse, that is the way to go.
If you are a light sleeper and like to go to bed early (9pm) you may want to stay somewhere other than BLT or CR. Every night you will hear Wishes fireworks and the music from the electric light pageant.
This is our first May trip and the closest we have ever come to summer at WDW. Last year we came in February and usually we come in early December. We are going back to the winter months. Just too hot for us Yankees! LOL.
At the risk of starting a debate
, one of the low points for me was when a gentleman in an electric scooter could not get past two people who were looking at items on a wall display in one of the MK Main street shops. There just was not enough room between them and the floor display behind them for the scooter to get through. Their backs were to him so they did not realize he needed through, but instead of saying excuse me in order to get through, he pushed the scooter into the floor display (apparently they are on wheels) shoving it out of the way, and went merrily on his way with no concern for what he had done. This all took place in less than 60 seconds and I could tell from his expression that it was not an accident. As he continued on his merry way I watched baffled thinking, what if my daughter had been on the other side of that display stand and he had shoved it into her? If you use an electric scooter, I get it that it can get frustrating because isles are too narrow, or the CM doesnt bring the ramp over to let you off the monorail, but please stop and think about how dangerous that vehicle can be to the kids around you before using it as a battering ram. Highs:
Breakfast at Tusker House was good, but what was great was finishing breakfast in time to be on the first truck for the Kilimanjaro Safari!
The Skillet at Whispering Canyon Café was excellent!
We had a great lunch at Biergarten. I know some people dont like the family dining set up, but I love meeting new people. This time it turned out that one of our table mates was a fellow Dis Board member (hedgehog2owl) and she recognized my wifes id (princesspiglet). Her DD and ours enjoyed the dancing more than the food I think.
The cast members at The Fantasia Market at CR were fun and energetic!
On one of our MK days we got pulled into a dance in frontier land with Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear.
Lines were very manageable and waits were very short or nonexistent. Our first day in MK we walked onto BTMR and Splash Mountain. Our last day at MK we had a 10 minute wait for Space mountain, and we were not going commando at rope drop for any of our days. Our final day (Saturday) in Epcot was quite a bit busier. We did a fast pass for Soarin but did not ride Test Track since DD did not want to wait a whole 20 minutes, lol! We rode it earlier in the week and she was more concerned about doing some things in Inoventions that we had not gotten to yet.
Although it is hard to believe, we always meet a grump or two on every trip, but for every grump, we meet dozens of wonderful, friendly people. To every CM and fellow guest that laughed, joked and chatted with us on the monorail, on the bus or in line for a ride, I would like to offer a heartfelt thank you! It is the other kids at heart that help make our trips magical and keep us coming back for more!
