8 Nights at the Contemporary with Memere

[ksinniger]

Loving your TR!! So many fun meals and so much park time...I stayed in the CR ages ago...would love to do it again...such convenience. Looks like you had a great time at Hoop De Doo....we did that recently. Also, you made me think some more about DHS...we have avoided it with our kids the past couple trips but maybe next time we will go...the animation class looks fun and especially now that our kids are a bit older too. The 3 bonus FP+ are a pretty good deal for doing the DVC presentation...especially since you had already decided to buy anyway!

Thanks! It's been fun reliving the trip, especially now since I can't do much more for the next trip (August) until we get to the 60 day mark. I definitely think we'll get good use of our CR points -- it'll be perfect if we decide to just visit for a Halloween or Christmas party! We really discovered DHS last summer, when we went for the Frozen Summer Fun Event. We spent a lot of time in the park, and while it is a shell in many ways, there are still a lot of fun things to do. And the FP+ were a nice surprise, but I definitely think we paid for them eventually.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

What a fun report! It looks like you and your family had such a good time!

Hooray for DVC ownership!

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo! Despite the fact that I've been to Disney World six times, I've yet to see Hoop Dee Doo! It was the first ADR I made for my upcoming May trip and I'm really looking forward to it!

 

[kaetra]

Thank you so much for sharing your lovely story. You have a beautiful family.

Those are some fantastic pictures, and the pearls you got are absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations on becoming a DVC owner!

 

[ksinniger]

What a fun report! It looks like you and your family had such a good time!

Hooray for DVC ownership!

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo! Despite the fact that I've been to Disney World six times, I've yet to see Hoop Dee Doo! It was the first ADR I made for my upcoming May trip and I'm really looking forward to it!

Thanks - I'm glad folks are finding it! You will love Hoop Dee Doo -- the food is really good just to start with, and the performers do a great job of playing off the audience. We were there during Jersey Week, so there were a lot of ad libbed Jersey jokes thrown in!

Thank you so much for sharing your lovely story. You have a beautiful family.

Those are some fantastic pictures, and the pearls you got are absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations on becoming a DVC owner!

Aww, thanks so much! I'd pass the compliment along, but they all already think they're princesses (including DH!).

 

[ksinniger]

Day seven – Cinderella’s Roya Table, Magic Kingdom, & MVMCP!

We were up bright and early this morning, with BIG plans. We had snagged one of those coveted 8:05 am reservations at CRT, and we had big plans to finagle this into the shortest possible wait for Elsa & Anna. When we visited the previous January, the girls were still meeting in Epcot, with 4+ hour waits. We told the girls during that trip that we would not be meeting them, because it would waste all our time in Epcot. In August, we told them we’d check on the wait, as they were then in Princess Fairytale Hall, but it was in the triple digits the one day we spent in the MK, plus we were at least able to see them at DHS during the Frozen Event. For this trip, I had promised that we would meet them, no matter what we had to do. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get FP+, so I determined our best bet was to try and get to them on this day. Were we successful? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.

So, back to Friday morning. We walked over to the MK, stopping to get some monorail photos as they sped by.



When we arrived at the tapstiles, we got into the early entry line, which wasn’t being let in yet.


Just before they dropped the rope, one of the CM announced that they were filming for a commercial, and so we would need to stay on the sidewalk on the left side of the street. Now, I understand that people want their “empty” photos on main street, but you would have thought the CM announced that the park wouldn’t be open at all the way some people reacted. We saw an awful lot of people run into the street to take a photo, only to be shooed away by a CM.

We also saw the princess float from the Festival of Fantasy parade sitting in the hub, and the dancers that precede the float mingling in the street. Those who weren’t trying to take photos were stopping to watch the taping, which meant that we were able to walk back to the rope for CRT guests and be first in line!




Soon, we were greeted by some lovely CM who walked us over to the check in desk. And after that, we were meeting our hostess in her beautifully decorated parlor.



I think we were the second family to get seated, and our table was right at the start of the Princess’s circuit. When our waitress came over, I told her she was being drafted into our special operation (Operation See Elsa and Anna with as little wait as possible). She laughed and promised to do all she could to get us out well before the internal rope dropped. Did she keep her promise? We’ll see! The girls colored their menus while waiting, and soon the princesses were announced one by one. First up was Snow White.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

Nothing special from this meet, but sweet enough. As we were waiting for Aurora, I was watching her at the table before ours. She signed an autograph book, looked at it, then showed it to her handler, who took the book and Aurora to the back. They were gone for just a couple of minutes before coming back out and handing the autograph book back to the girls at the table. I remember wondering if she had signed the wrong name (either her own or another princess), or just didn’t feel like she did a good job on Aurora’s signature. Either way, I’m guessing they removed the “bad” signature in the back and had her sign it anew before she came back.

I decided it would not be a good idea to let on that I’d seen all this when she stopped by our table. Like Snow White, she was sweet, but not memorable.

Next was Ariel. She was much more bubbly than the first two, and she and DH had a cute conversation about daughters being reprimanded by their fathers.


Last was Jasmine, who was absolutely stunning. I can only imagine how many crunches she needs to do every day to wear that costume!

Sara’s birthday was a couple weeks after our trip, but we decided to let her celebrate it while we were in Disney. She was so excited to get a cupcake at breakfast – and even more excited when I told her she could actually eat it!


Soon it was time for the wishing ceremony, which was very cute. Look how serious Josie and Sara are about their wishes!


So, we had finished eating, met the princesses, made our wishes, and our waitress kept her promise and got our bill squared away all by 8:35! We even had time to stop in the bathroom and take a quick photo on our way out to the rope just by the carousel.

There were probably about 20-30 people there already. I knew that they would be walking us around the carousel, so we stayed to the left of the rope. I think I explained to my mom why we were standing so far away from where we were actually going, and someone standing at the rope gave me a snotty “This is the line for Anna & Elsa”, but the CM quickly said the line would form once we got to PFH. Now, I understand the frustration people have about late comers trying to shove their way to the front of lines, but the reality was that most people were huddled toward the right of the right (obviously not knowing that the CMs would lead us around to the left), so we were already going to be one of the first 10 or so people in line. I didn’t appreciate the snark, but decided to let it roll off and not impact me. Of course, this was a lot easier as I was realizing that Operation meet Elsa & Anna with little wait was looking like it would be a success!

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

Soon, we could hear the fireworks from the end of the opening show, and were led around the carousel into the PFH queue. There were about 4 groups in front of us, so we were in the second batch of people taken from the main line. That’s right folks – we waited less than 10 minutes before we were here, making snow with Elsa!




Look at that smile! I think Josie was in heaven. After we said goodbye to Elsa, we headed over to Anna, and the conversation quickly turned to chocolate and sisters.



And we were done! I had budgeted an hour for this, and we were done in 15 minutes. We stopped in Castle Couture to get pixie dusted, then had a little spat about what to do with our extra time – I didn’t want to go over to Frontierland, since the rest of our plans were in Storybook Circus and FantasyLand, But DH wanted to ride BTMRR with no wait. My and Memere’s sore feet won that argument, so we headed back to Storybook circus a little earlier than we had intended.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

More Dumbo pics.




After Dumbo, DH and the girls went on Barnstormer quite a few times. When they finally had their fill, we stopped by the Sideshow to say hi to some old friends.





Sara was telling Goofy her new favorite joke – why don’t you ever give Elsa a balloon? Because she’ll just Let it Go!

Next up was Donald, who loved Rachel’s shirt.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

When we finished with the gents, we went around to the other side to see the ladies, too.

For Daisy, Sara had another joke – what did Daisy say to the salesperson when she wanted to buy a lipstick? Just put it on my bill!




And then last but not least, was Minnie Mouse and her dancing dogs.



From here, we walked over to use our first FP+ for the day, at Winnie the Pooh.


That sad face on Josie is generally what we had to deal with whenever we told her she had to share mommy and ride with someone else.

After we got out of our hunny pot, we grabbed a couple bags of popcorn in the dump shop, and the girls rode the teacups with DH while Memere and I held our place in line to meet with Alice and the White Rabbit.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.


We took Josie to the bathroom to take off her Elsa dress, and we trekked over to Liberty Square for our second FP+ ride – Haunted Mansion. Sara was dead set against this ride, but we convinced her to try it and I let her ride with me. I don’t know that she liked it, but she wasn’t screaming, so I’m calling it a success.







I was pleasantly surprised by how some of these came out, but there are a lot more that are just blurs. I’ll have to do a better job of stabilizing the camera next time.

After leaving the 999 happy haunts, we crossed over to Columbia Harbor House for lunch. We found a table upstairs and enjoyed a lunch of chowder, lobster rolls, fish, and salads. Was it as good as what we get back in Rhode Island? No, but it was very good just the same!

After lunch, we slowly meandered back out of the park. We wanted to take a break before the Christmas party, plus DH and I still needed to get our signatures onto our DVC paperwork. But first, we needed to stop by the Arribas Bros. cart in Adventureland to pick out tiaras for myself and the girls.




When we got back to the CR, I brought the kids over to the Bay Lake Tower pool, where Memere kept an eye on the girls and DH and I FINALLY became DVC members!

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.


With that done, we all went to our rooms and rested for about an hour before getting into our matching gear. I had ordered t-shirts from an Etsy shop several weeks before our trip, thinking we’d be able to use at least ONE of our photos from the Party as our Christmas card. A week before the trip, they still hadn’t arrived. After a couple of inquiries, the seller arranged to have them shipped directly to the R, which meant we had lots of photo ops to take advantage of!

Yeah, Josie hadn’t quite woken up yet. Plus, she was annoyed that I didn’t bring her tiara (despite her saying no when I asked back in the room, of course). So we were all decked out, with random people calling out our names when they read our shirts. We stopped at the firehouse to pick up our special Elsa SOTMK cards, then headed to our last FP+ for the day. I thought it would be neat to save the mine train for tonight, since we planned on meeting the dwarves. So we trekked back to the ride, and FINALLY got to experience it.




Very cute ride and it was great that even Memere rode. Not something I’d wait in the super long line for, but definitely worth the FP+.

By this time it was probably a little after 5:30. I sent DH, Memere and the girls to grab dinner at Pinnochiohaus while I stood in line for the dwarves, but Josie decided she was going to stay with me. Which ended up being fine – we made friends with the families around us, most of whom were doing the same as us (holding place for a larger family), Josie played games on my phone or watched the boy behind us play on his tablet, and we just had fun being silly. At around 6:30, DH came and joined me with Rachel & Sara, bringing food for me and Josie.



It wasn’t long before a big cheer went up as the seven famous friends made their way to their photo op, and then the line started moving fairly swiftly (for a meet and greet line). And while I waited in line for close to 90 minutes, I was happy it happened before the party started, because by 7:15, we were through the line and had this cute shot to prove it:


I had discussed with DH whether he wanted to stick together or split up, and we decided to leave it to the girls – whoever wanted to focus on meeting characters would come with me & Memere, while those who wanted to try and get as many rides in as possible would go with DH. We agreed to try and meet up for the second castle lighting, but definitely meet up for the fireworks, and then find a spot for the second parade. Josie ended up with me, while Rachel and Sara went with DH.

Now, I had done a LOT of research before this trip, so I knew which places to avoid and what waits to expect. DH did not; before he headed off, I tried to give him a few pointers (best places to watch the lighting from, where the parade would run, etc.), but he brushed me off with a little attitude about treating him like an imbecile. So I handed him a map and said “have fun” and went off with Josie & Memere. I felt bad, especially after Rachel told me (later that night, after we all reconnected) that they didn’t really get to do much, but I also felt vindicated when DH said he should have listened to my advice.

Anyway, Josie wanted to meet Merida and Tiana, so we headed over to Liberty Square, but Tiana’s line had already been cut off. The nice CM told us when she’d been back, so we made a note and stopped into Columbia Harbor House for hot chocolate and cookies. Then, we headed to MY must do activity for the night – meeting Flynn Rider and Price Charming. We got into line at PFH, and probably waited around 30 minutes, but it was definitely worth it! I think it must be easier on the characters to have another character meeting with them – that way they can play off of each other as well as the people visiting them. Each of these interactions were fantastic – I don’t even have any idea what Josie spoke with Rapunzel about, since Flynn and I were discussing the scent of ruffians and thugs.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

More from my meet with Flynn (yeah, sure, Josie was there too).



After meeting the darling couple from Corona, we moved over to the original and only Price Charming. To quote Memere (who refused to get in the photos), “he’s so handsome!”



This was another great meet, with Prince Charming dominating the conversation, but it couldn’t come close to the meeting with Flynn, who will forever be my favorite.

We finished up and exited with just a few minutes to go for the castle lighting. The hub was packed, but I knew I only needed a spot along the edge, as I planned on putting Josie up on my shoulders (and didn’t want to wedge myself in front of someone else before doing that). We found a spot off to the tomorrowland side, close to the lighting booth. I handed the camera to Josie (since my view wasn’t very good), hoisted her up, and enjoyed listening to hear squeal in delight as she got a first glimpse of Olaf. Unfortunately, she wasn’t very good at focusing. Here are the shots she got – the ones that aren’t too bad for a 6 year old!




From here we went back to the bridge to Tomorrowland, to try and find Memere (she didn’t want to fight the crowd in the hub). We checked on the wait for Merida, but it was still really long, and the CM didn’t think we’d get in to see her before they had to close the path off for fireworks. So we caught this shot of her as we walked by, and Josie dealt really well with the reality that we probably wouldn’t be able to meet her.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

So, we had a little time before Tiana would be out, and nothing definite planned. We walked by Winnie the Pooh and saw there were just a few people in line, though no characters. The CM said the 100 Acre Woods gang would be out in 5 minutes, so we jumped in line. This was such a great, unplanned meet! Josie loved snuggling with each of these characters, and I had fun with Piglet. Again, Memere stayed out of the photos, but she was laughing as she watched.




After saying goodbye to our furry friends, we headed over to Liberty Square and ended up third in line, waiting for Tiana. It was definitely starting to feel cold again, but Josie was really being a trooper! And it paid off – when she went up to meet Tiana and Naveen, Naveen asked where she was from. She said Virginia, and Naveen instantly said “Oh, Tiana and I have a good friend from there – do you know Pocahontas?” Somehow, this segued into New Orleans and Tiana’s gumbo. They were really good – again, I think the 2 characters meeting together just makes it that much better!



Once we were done, we knew we should head to main street so we could see the castle show and fireworks. We found a really nice spot right on the crest of the hill between Casey’s and The Plaza, and even managed to flag down DH, Rachel and Sara. It was obvious that they had not had nearly as much success in the 2 hours we’d been apart as we had, but I wasn’t going to let them kill my Christmas Party high!

This was the only fireworks show we managed to catch at all this week, and I must say it was amazing. The girls loved it, even though I knew they were feeling cold and tired. There might have even been a tear or two.





Such a great show!

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

When the fireworks ended, we went over to the emporium to see if we could buy some pants for Josie and Sara. But after I had paid for them and they got them on, Sara decided she didn’t like the way they felt on the inside (she is super sensitive about how her cloths feel), so she changed back into her shorts. Of course, this involved many trips back and forth to the bathroom, with DH wandering off while I dealt with the girls. Arghh! But while DH and I were marching the girls back and forth across the square, Memere managed to snag a rocking chair outside the theater, and quickly claimed it for the rest of the night. I found a good parade spot on the curb right at the corner, and sent the girls to the Confectionary with strict directions to buy whatever they wanted that would help keep them awake for another hour. I think we ended up with a pound of fudge. When they came back, they noticed Mary Poppins, Bert, and a couple penguins meeting in the corner, so they all got in one more meet for the night.



After that meet, the girls came to sit with me, munch on their snacks, and wait for the parade. There were some CMs that came through before the parade started with these big glowing balls, but none of the girls would join in.

We had a really great view of the parade, though I had trouble getting the camera to take good photos, so here are the few that came out.

 

[ksinniger]

Day six - cont.

More Christmas parade shots







The parade was so great – and being able to sit with room to move was definitely worth waiting for the second parade time. But there was still one more item on our to do list – we needed that Christmas Card shot! So into the theater we went – I think it turned out pretty good.



We were officially done. All of us. We thought about walking back, but the crowds on the monorail platform weren’t too bad, plus we knew we only needed to go one stop, so that’s what we did. I think it goes without saying, but we all crashed hard this night!

 

[KathyM2]

Wow!! What an amazing day!! I'm exhausted just reading about it though!! Your kids are real troopers!!! Way to go on getting to meet the Frozen girls so quickly - that sure took a whole lot of strategizing!!! I'm so glad it worked out so perfectly for you!! It is amazing how much planning can go into each little thing at Disney...it's a good thing most of it is fun!!

 

[NJlauren]

Loving your report! Seems like you had a blast and have the Disney ropes down, 3 trips in 2014!!!

Can't wait to hear more! The Christmas party looks like so much fun!

 

[ksinniger]

Wow!! What an amazing day!! I'm exhausted just reading about it though!! Your kids are real troopers!!! Way to go on getting to meet the Frozen girls so quickly - that sure took a whole lot of strategizing!!! I'm so glad it worked out so perfectly for you!! It is amazing how much planning can go into each little thing at Disney...it's a good thing most of it is fun!!

It was amazing. The kids battled through, though they really could have used another hour of nap bfore the party. The touring plan definitely took its toll the next day -- you'll see when I can get that update posted, hopefully this weekend.

I'm still in awe over how fast we met the Frozen sisters, and if I weren't already addicted to the DIS, the success we had there, which definitely came from reading reports and posts here, I would be now!

Loving your report! Seems like you had a blast and have the Disney ropes down, 3 trips in 2014!!!

Can't wait to hear more! The Christmas party looks like so much fun!

Thanks. Even I can't believe we made 3 trips last year - but once you have an AP, they really do burn a hole in your pocket!

And I LOVED the christmas party -- but there was so much more we could have done, I know we'll needto go back again someday!

 

[KathyM2]

and if I weren't already addicted to the DIS, the success we had there, which definitely came from reading reports and posts here, I would be now!

OMG I couldn't agree more! I learned so much from the DIS while planning our trip that I wouldn't have had a clue about without it. I always wonder though when walking around Disney how many of the people you see in real life you may have chatted with or followed on the DIS...I must seem kinda creepy the way I look at people lol.

 

[Victoriasmom98]

OMG Kathy!!! Yours is the first trip report I've ever read where you call your Mom Memere......We do, too!!! I come from a French-Canadian family and I love seeing the word Memere........ok, enough with that. You have the cutest family!! You guys seem to tour like we do as you've done a lot of the same things we do when we go. I'll be following!!!