8 Nights at the Contemporary with Memere

[ksinniger]

Well, I’ve had so much fun reading SO MANY of the trip reports here on the DIS, I decided to pay it forward and give someone else just the distraction they need to keep them from getting work/chores/sleep in. Hope you decide to join in and follow along with the trip that ended up spawning 3 trips in 2014!

The background (sorry for the scarcity of photos – they will pop up eventually!)



This is me – Kathy (with my youngest and a couple of Corona’s finest). As a kid, my parents took me and my sisters to Disney World twice. I remember one VERY long drive with nothing but my Disney books on tape and a pillow to entertain me, a stay at the Polynesian (back when the slide was actually carved stone and would leave your legs and bathing suit all scratched up), waiting in line for space mountain back before the days of FP, and a few other bits and pieces. But I never considered myself a Disney addict.



This is my DH – Dave. He also remembers going to Disney World a couple times as a kid, but like me, never considered it as a vacation option once we hit adulthood. By the time we were married, his older sister (SIL) and her family were starting to become frequent travelers to WDW – they would drive to Disney on a moment’s notice when they got word of a great deal. We thought they were nuts.

Fast forward a decade or so, and we found ourselves parents of 3 lovely girls – Rachel, Sara & Josie.



As Rachel’s friends all visited WDW and came back talking about how great it was, and she saw all the photos of her cousins at WDW when visiting their home, she started asking when WE would go to WDW. In the summer 2012, we finally took the bait of a great rate on a 2-BR villa at Saratoga Springs and decided to pack up the van for a 4 night vacation. SIL, her husband and their youngest met us there and we had an amazing time, even in the heat and crowds of early July. Here’s our niece Katie with our 3 girls from the day we arrived at WDW – Mary Poppins greeted us as we entered with no line!


Anyway, before we even hit the highway for the drive back from that trip, I was thinking about the next one. We decided to shoot for the first week of November in 2014 – all 3 girls would be in school, but their school has a fall break so they’d only miss 3 days of school, at the beginning of a new quarter. The timing would mean a lot less heat, and hopefully much smaller crowds. We were also hoping that my sisters and their families would join us, but that never came through. But, we managed to convince my mom (Memere or Mem) to come along. We splurged on a room at the contemporary, and got a studio for my mom in Bay Lake Tower, which she shared with Rachel so we’d have more room in our Contemporary room.

I was planning this trip FOREVER. We booked our room as soon as the 2014 rates came out, and I dutifully followed along with crowd calendars and touring plan sites (which is where I discovered we’d be there during the dreaded “Jersey Week”). I watched as magic bands, FP+ and MDE were rolled out, and as New Fantasyland opened. I was online at 6 am making ADRs, and booked plane tickets the day JetBlue opened flights for November. I spent so much time planning, that I just couldn’t wait – and we ended up surprising the girls with a 4 night trip in January 2014,



And then again in August for the Frozen Summer Fun celebration.




And then, FINALLY, it was time for the trip we’d all REALLY been waiting for: Disney With Memere!

 

[ksinniger]

Day One – Arrival and Magic Kingdom

The day had finally arrived – Saturday, November 1. Originally, we had been hoping that there would be a MNSSHP on this night, but alas it was not to be. We didn’t let that stop us, though! After an uneventful flight into MCO, we were meeting Memere in the food court, to pick up a quick lunch for eating on the ME bus ride. Instead, it all got eaten while we stood in line for our ME bus. It seemed the Jersey week crowd had in fact all arrived before us. But we knew we had solid plans, and I hadn’t scheduled our first FP+ until after 4, so we had plenty of time.

Somehow, despite reading plenty of trip reports and seeing photos from travel days, I didn’t take out the camera until after we checked in at the Contemporary. DH took Sara & Josie up to our room to drop off bags and use the potty, while I got Memere all checked in. The CM gave us an extra room key for Rachel to use to get into Memere’s room, since she was technically on our reservation, which was great. And we had so many extra magic bands at that point, we gave one of ours to Memere so she could always get into our room.

After heading up to our room and getting our 2 park bags squared away, we walked Memere over to her room so she could do the same.


The kids loved the art at Bay Lake Tower – I’m surprised they didn’t think to stop at every floor to take photos with each one.



After everyone got their own photo shoot with the Pluto artwork, we jumped on the monorail, headed right next door (by way of the TTC, Poly, and GF, of course).




Once off the monorail, we passed under the arches and were happily surprised to find all the fall decorations still in place! We stopped several times along main street (a fact which amazed Memere, who finally asked “How many castle pictures do you really need?”) – I had purchased the MM, and I was determined to get my money’s worth!




Always love getting the “behind the scenes” shots of the magic shots.

 

[ksinniger]

Day One - continued

Once we made it to the hub, some silliness took over.



Until we came to our first ride of the trip – the Carousel? Well, we needed to burn a few minutes before our FP+ opened, and there was only a 5 minute wait. Memere declined to climb aboard a horse, while the rest of us chose steeds around her. I think she was already wondering what exactly she'd gotten herself into.



Once that was done, our FP+ window was open, so we crossed right next door to see Cinderella and Rapunzel. We had our Disney Jr. encyclopedia with us for signatures, plus I wanted my mom to see the character interactions.

First up was Rapunzel – she was so good with the girls! You’ll note that we’re all dressed in warm clothes – this happened to be a fairly cool day and night for Orlando. As you’ll see later, it got down right chilly this night. Of course, it was a good 30 degrees warmer than the weather we left in Virginia (and even more than that for Memere who traveled from Rhode Island), so we were ready.





Next up was Cinderella. Another lovely interaction – Cindy was showing off her shoe to Josie when she asked her if they were comfortable.



Once we left PFH, we all realized that our little lunch had been hours ago, and we were ready to eat. Memere’s package came with the dining plan, and we paid for it out of pocket, and we were determined to not leave ANY meals on the table. We also wanted to try as many new restaurants as possible (well, they were all new to Memere), as well as a couple old favorites. First dining stop? Pinnochiohaus.

A little side note – during our trip in January, we discovered that Josie is a real life example of a Snickers commercial. You know the ones – where some famous actor or actress is being crabby until someone tells them to eat a Snickers, then they turn back to a normal non-celebrity? Well, Josie is a like that – we always know when she needs food because she turns into a crab. We were trying very hard to make note of the first sign of crabbiness so we could ward off the worst of it with food. We did pretty well, but this was one of those times when I worried the crabbiness would take over.

This is also where I have to admit that there will be very few food shots in this trip report. Because I was generally trying to get all 3 girls situated with their food and still eat mine while fresh, plates were pretty much empty by the time I thought about taking a photo. Oh well – something to aim for next time!

So, where were we? Oh yes – waiting for DH to bring our food to the table. We managed to snag one of the tables overseeing this joyful ride, which distracted Sara and Josie while we waited.

I don’t remember what everyone had – I think flatbreads for DH, Memere and I, kids pizzas for Sara & Josie, and a Caesar salad for Rachel, with a variety of desserts and sides.

 

[ksinniger]

Day One - continued.

After filling our bellies and defeating Josie’s grouch, we crossed over for our next FP+ at


Where, despite buying a new camera that included good performance in low light as part of its features, I was unable to get any usable shots. Guess I should have practiced a bit more before we left. Anyway, after returning from our flight over London, we decided to set sail on the happiest cruise on earth. These 2 rides definitely brought back memories for Memere!




When we emerged from Small World, the sun had set and the chill was definitely starting to set in. We knew we wanted to get good spots for the electrical parade, which was set at an earlier time due to the early, November sunset. So we wandered over towards Frontierland, stopping first in Liberty Square to check in on a Presidential roll call (which also served to keep us warm).


Once that was done, we stopped at Sleepy Hollow for some funnel cakes and hot chocolate (and night-time shots of the castle), then wandered over to pick our spot for the parade. We had about 30 minutes to wait, so the kids munched their snacks and checked out pins in the trading post across the street. Memere treated them all to a pin, and jumped at the “purchase with purchase” offer of a fleece blanket, which she immediately wrapped around herself.

 

[ksinniger]

Day One - continued.

I was really worried about Memere, but she said she was OK, so she powered through. The wait was worth it – she had never seen this parade, and she couldn’t get over how many lights and performers there were.




From there, it was over to our last FP+ for the night. BTMRR. Memere decided to sit this one out, as she would for most of the thrill rides this week.



After that, we were all pretty much done. It had been a long day starting with early flights, and it was getting downright cold. We made our way out of the park, stopping to say hi to Roy & Minnie. No photos from back in the room, though – Sara & Josie crashed almost immediately, and it was way too cold to sit on the balcony. Maybe later in the week.

 

[accountingbabe08]

great day1.looking forward to more

 

[ksinniger]

great day1.looking forward to more

Thanks -- should be able to get more added this weekend! Here's a start to day two.

 

[ksinniger]

Well, that was more time than I meant to be away from this! Luckily, I have a bunch of updates ready to go, so stand by for bombarding.


Day Two – More Magic Kingdom

When planning this vacation, I wanted to make sure there were plenty of days where we woke up without alarms and took it easy, to balance the days we were up for rope drop and going commando. Of course, even our down days had some scheduling to them! DH & I knew we wanted to get in a DVC presentation, and that we’d likely be making a purchase so that we’d be able to get the owner “discount” when the Poly DVC came online. This morning was originally scheduled as our day to see a presentation, but they couldn’t fit us in, so it meant we had an easy morning. We ate breakfast in the room from our garden grocer order, and I went over to Memere’s room and caught this amazing shot.

While it was warmer than the day before, it was still a little cool on this day. But we’re hardy mid-Atlantic (and New England) souls, so we knew we’d be OK. And everyone was itching to get to the parks again. So, we met up at the monorail station, and after spotting the 5-legged goat, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for another day of fun.

Breakfast had been long enough ago that a stop in the Confectionary was in order. Note that no Josie in the shots means she was REALLY in need of food.



Love how that last one captured the inside plus the reflection. As we munched on our treats and wandered down to the hub, we stopped to watch the end of Dream Along with Mickey. We've never seen this completely -- we always catch the end or leave before the end to get to our next stop. Maybe one day!


After that, we meandered on back to New Fantasyland, checking in with Ariel. Memere recognized the character attendant as being from PFH the day before, and they started up a nice conversation. Memere was almost convinced to move down to Orlando and take on a part-time job at Disney – wouldn’t that be awesome!

 

[ksinniger]

Day Two - cont.

After meeting Ariel, we walked right on to her ride.


Oh – looks like I got the camera to take some decent shots here!

 

[ksinniger]

Day two - cont.




It was probably about 10:30 or 11 at this point - my memory is a little fuzzy, but I know we thought we had time to grab a snack and meet Gaston before our lunch. So, we walked up to Belle’s village and stopped in Gaston’s Tavern. We took turns sitting in the manliest chair around and tried a LeFou's Brew.




We jumped in line to meet with the Man himself. Alas, we were too far back to stand and wait for our turn, especially after Gaston decided to grab one of the lovely single ladies from the line and head into his tavern. As much as we wanted to wait, we had a lunch reservation to get to – Be Our Guest!


We weren’t able to get a reservation for dinner, since our MK days were front-loaded in our week. So, when the FP+ invite came, I jumped on it. After some technical difficulties, I was able to snag a lunch time that fit into our plans. Woo-hoo!

We had pre-ordered, but decided to go through and make a couple changes. We only waited about 5 minutes for a kiosk, and then we were on our way to find a table. We found one in the West Wing, but Sara decided it was too scary, so she, DH, and Josie moved to a table in the ballroom. We had a little bit of lots of different things – French Onion Soup, Roast Beef sandwich, tuna salad. And we sampled several cupcakes; including the Master’s cupcake with the gray stuff (it really is delicious). After taking a few more photos and a potty break, we were refreshed and ready for the second half of our day.

 

[ksinniger]

Day two - cont.

Hey look – its food photos! I guess I managed to snap them while others went in search of drinks.

We enjoyed our lunch -- the food was very good, and the theming was incredible. We weren't in a huge hurry to leave, but eventually, we determined that we shouldn't hog the tables any more, as it was fairly crowded. After a stop in the ladies room, and one more photo, we were on our way.

We crossed the bridge and checked in for our first FP+ of the day – Enchanted Tales with Belle. The girls had done this before, and I wasn’t sure if Rachel would want to participate. But they all grabbed a part and joined in the fun – Josie was Maurice, and Rachel & Sara were plates.





After storytelling with Belle, we headed to our next FP+ spot. First, though, we stopped at the prettiest restrooms in all the land. I let Rachel go crazy with the camera, which meant lots of detail photos. I’ll save you from most of them, though. Here are a couple of my favorites.

 

[ksinniger]

Day two - cont.

Hey look – we found a Pascal! This may have been the only one we found, though.

We still had some time to kill, so we stopped in to see the Country Bears, which was just as corny and enjoyable as always.



After that, it was time for our next FP+ -- Splash Mountain! Probably not the smartest move given the chilly weather, but the girls LOVE this ride. And even Memere was game, so on we went.

We were able to spot our home for the week from the ride!


And the verdict after the drop? Two finger guns from Sara!

 

[nco91590]

My kids have a Memere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adorable.

 

[ksinniger]

Day two- cont.

Before the trip, I had hoped that this FP+ would be timed right for us to be able to come right off and find a spot for the parade. Well, it must have been the Jersey week crowds, because despite the fact that there were still a good 20 minutes to go, spots were few. We managed to grab one right at the starting gate, and tried to position ourselves in the weak sunshine so we’d dry off. Soon, we saw the band and Grand Marshall roll by, and it was our first time seeing Festival of Fantasy. Prepare for parade porn.

 

[ksinniger]

Day two - cont. (more Festival of Fantasy)



We loved this parade! Memere was amazed at the size and scope of the floats, the kids loved being right up front and having the characters wave to them, and I was glued to the camera. I could probably photograph that parade a million times and get new shots and angles each time. I had wanted to capture the girls’ reactions, but they were much closer to the front than I was, with a bunch of other kids, so I was content focusing just on the parade. Maybe next time.

Even though our spot wasn’t exactly where I had hoped it would be, it worked perfectly – we were able to run back to Adventureland as soon as the last float passed us by and before the CMs allowed people to start crossing.

 

[ksinniger]

Day two - cont.

So what's the first thing we did in Adventureland? We jumped onto the flying carpets with no wait.

We knew we wanted to ride jungle cruise, so we visited a FP+ kiosk and grabbed one not too far in the future. To pass the time, Memere, Rachel, Josie and I got in line for Pirates – it was posted as a 25 minute wait, and it ended up being just about that, if not longer. While we rode, Sara & DH walked through the Swiss Family Treehouse.


After our trip through one WDW classic, it was time for another – Enchanted Tiki Room. Now, I know it’s a classic, and that there are those who love it. I don’t know what we were expecting, but after about 5 minutes, I looked at DH and Memere, and we all just busted out laughing. Then the couple behind us did the same, as did Rachel. Sara & Josie wanted to know what was so funny, but we just couldn’t explain it. So, despite the fact that’s we’re not likely to visit it again, I guess we did enjoy it a little bit. But we didn’t take any photos.

Once we got out of the torture – I mean Tiki room – we decided it was time to eat again. We headed into Pecos Bills, which was a favorite the last time we visited thanks to the toppings bar. Memere, Rachel & I all got taco salads, DH got a burger, and Sara & Josie had kids meals. Once done, it was time to head out on a cruise through the jungle. Our captain was as humorous as ever.

Back on land, we hit the kiosks again to see if we could get a FP+ for Mickey or Tinkerbelle. We were able to snag Tinkerbelle, but for a bit later than we were hoping for. The kids were close to done, but we walked over to main street to see if there was enough to keep us busy before that Tinkerbelle FP+ came up. There was a 30 minute wait for Mickey, and the kids were up for waiting, so we jumped in line. This was probably a bit longer of a wait than posted, but we had phones to keep the kids entertained, and we were at least inside. Finally, we made it into the last room, and then into the room with the Man himself. And when he turned and said hello? Well, I think our faces said it all!



We even got Memere to join in on the photo!



After meeting with the mouse, we had a few minutes to kill, then it was time to shrink ourselves down to pixie size and meet the sassiest fairy around. This is one of the meets that DH likes to get in on – which is only fair, since I’d ditch him later in the week for my own favorite.



After that, we were all ready to call it a night. We left the Magic Kingdom and after a quick monorail ride, were back to the Contemporary and in our beds. DH and I played around on our phones until even we passed out.

 

[ksinniger]

Day 3 – DVC tour and DHS

We woke up this morning ready to bite the bullet and lay down a hunk of cash to join the DVC family. Of course, we didn’t let our salesman know that right away – we had to make him sweat a little. It worked out great – we had an early morning appointment, so we told Memere to sleep in and relax until about 10, when we planned on heading over to DHS. Rachel came and meet us in the lobby of Bay Lake Tower, and the salesman gave the girls iPads to play on while he walked us through the DVC spiel. After about an hour, he walked us around a couple of the Bay Lake Tower rooms, and then we called Memere down, and she joined us in a private van for a tour of the rooms at the Villas at the Grand Floridian. The kids loved the fountain, and Memere LOVED this resort.




We did too, especially all the little touches (Julie Andrews is one of my favorite actresses, so the Mary Poppins artwork was heartwarming), but we ultimately decided to go with the Contemporary. We really liked the convenience of being able to walk to the Magic Kingdom, plus the maintenance fees were just a little less. Plus, we were only making a minimal purchase; we still plan on buying into the Poly for a larger chunk of points.

But we couldn’t get the paperwork done that morning. Instead, we were chauffeured over to DHS, where we had to run around a bit to make our plans. Memere and Dave headed off to ride The Great Movie Ride with FP+, while the girls and I headed to Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. Yes, they take after me.

After rocking out with Aerosmith, we met up with DH and Memere, and Memere took Sara to hang out for a few minutes while DH and I took Rachel and Josie on the Tower of Terror. Josie loves the actual drop, but I have to cover her ears while she covers her eyes while in the room with the video. She also closes her eyes through the halls – she really hates the ghosts! Guess I shouldn’t show her this photo.


After a truly amazing ride sequence, we found Memere and Sara in the dump shop, and headed over to the Animation building. Rachel & I wanted to draw, and the other two wanted to visit with Minnie in her secret room. You know, the one no one else ever seems to find.

 

[ksinniger]

Day three -- cont.


I think they went through the line 2 or 3 times while we were waiting for the class, and then they played on the various computers, figuring out which character and villain they were most like.


Meanwhile, Rachel and I barely made it into the class – we sat in the back using the lap desks and ended up drawing Pluto. While neither of us are artists, we both did fairly well (sorry, no photos of our art).


After our class, we met up with them at the computers and Rachel took a turn.

After that we were all ready to head out – we had spent over an hour in the animation building! We had FP+ for a show we saw on our previous trip, and we knew we needed to see it again.

 

[ksinniger]

Day three - cont.

We’re BIG Frozen fans here – I know lots of people have burned out on it, but as a mom of 3 girls, the message of sisterly love and loyalty will never grow old on me! We had a ton of fun singing along – we even caught Memere singing away!

Right about here was where I discovered how much I LOVE our new camera.


I GOT A SHOT OF THE DIMPLE!


And the biceps.


Yea, that storyteller and I are totally on the same wavelength.

 

[ksinniger]

Day three - cont. (Frozen sing along)

Oh, yeah, this lady was here, too.

After the snoap stopped falling we made our way out to Wandering Oakens. Memere wanted to pick up some souvenirs, and we wanted to say hello to a few cousins.

We didn’t bother to go into the playground since we spent lots of time there in August.

We walked back to the Streets of America, on our way to a late lunch reservation. We stopped at the Singing in the Rain umbrella. The Osborne Lights were set to start later that week, so you can see them on the buildings in the background.