You had quite the trip, didn't you? June 2019 Completed 12/4! New TR Link 1/19!

[Jenny Sanders]

What a great way to relax! I love the idea of eating on the balcony!!!

Love the Purple Passion spirit jersey, and so cute that you match Joy!

 

[ariane37]

Um is that prosciutto on your plates from the lounge??? Because I'm not in a rush to stay at the CR again but if they have prosciutto in the lounge I may have changed my mind lol!

So much chocolate The plate that was delivered is just about the same as the one that was waiting in our CR room but that box is just adorable.

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I had forgotten about that huge rain storm that day until your post lol!

The chocolates are a nice touch and awesome that they came with another chocolate plate too!

 

[buzzrelly]

We were even gifted with an adorable box of chocolates that had one with a picture of the Contemporary on it and three smaller chocolates.




It was SUCH a nice surprise to find in our room and really made us feel welcome.

That's adorable

Even though we were just sitting on our balcony, this dinner was one of my favorites. It was so relaxing and you definitely can’t beat that view of Bay Lake! I know the Theme Park View is technically more money but I think the Bay Lake View is definitely my preferred view, too much parking lot and concrete the other direction!

We stayed in the tower a few times with a TPV and I barely notice the parking lot. It's just so nice sitting there watching the MK open in the morning and closing at night. But I also love the Bay Lake view and that's mostly what we get at BLT to save on points. You really can't go wrong with either view there

The last thing we looked at were the full size bottles of the room shampoo and body wash since Dan loves them so much. We didn't get them this night but we did end up getting them later in the trip!

I may have to do this with the lotion since I hear they are not providing it in the room anymore. I hope it's not true, but if it is I will definitely be buying some because I love that stuff!

 

[LeiaIsAPrincess2]

Caught up! Somehow I completely missed your TR, but I love the room tour. 10 days until I'll be at CR

 

[ThePin Princess]

Just joined in and caught up! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[Steppesister]

That looked like an amazing spread for dinner! And WOW what a view! I can't believe that they brought even more chocolate out for you!

 

[VAtink]

The food offerings at the club level in the Contemporary look awesome! That sounds like such a perfect dinner out on your balcony, and what a view!

So weird they didn't have any Contemporary pins, sorry you missed out on getting one.

Btw, those chocolates you got as a welcome gift look amazing, what a special surprise!

 

[amazingact21]

Wow, CL at the Contemporary sounds amazing! Alex loved our stay at CR, but it's my least favorite deluxe so we've only done it the one time. But I promised him next kids-free trip I'd let us stay there again. Andddd now I'm like, well we're doing club level. All the food you were able to grab and take back to your balcony looked great and the idea of sitting and relaxing with the view while you eat sounds amazing.

 

[Cloe Colton]

That bag is super cute! And yay for 1/2 off!

Right??? I was so excited when I saw it on sale! I was slightly worried too because I hadn't seen it on our trip in August anywhere and I would have been majorly bummed if I wasn't able to get it at all!

 

[Cloe Colton]

What a great way to relax! I love the idea of eating on the balcony!!!

Love the Purple Passion spirit jersey, and so cute that you match Joy!

It was a perfect dinner!

I wasn't completely in love with it when it first came out (just because I usually lean towards pink things!) but once I got Joy her's I HAD to match!

Um is that prosciutto on your plates from the lounge??? Because I'm not in a rush to stay at the CR again but if they have prosciutto in the lounge I may have changed my mind lol!

Yes!! I think the prosciutto is honestly my favorite part of any of the lounges haha that and the cheese! I could fill up just on those!!

So much chocolate The plate that was delivered is just about the same as the one that was waiting in our CR room but that box is just adorable.

I saw that!! I mean if they are giving that to everyone at CR that stays there that is crazy! (or maybe we just go so often they like to treat us! )

I had forgotten about that huge rain storm that day until your post lol!

Hahaha its funny how we can block out those stormy times!!

The chocolates are a nice touch and awesome that they came with another chocolate plate too!

Definitely!! We didn't get anything for staying at GF CL so in my opinion CR one in treating us nicely!

That's adorable

It was definitely a nice touch!!

We stayed in the tower a few times with a TPV and I barely notice the parking lot. It's just so nice sitting there watching the MK open in the morning and closing at night. But I also love the Bay Lake view and that's mostly what we get at BLT to save on points. You really can't go wrong with either view there

Yeah, I would definitely save those points! Especially since you can get into Top of the World Lounge if you really wanted to watch the fireworks or see the Magic Kingdom!

I may have to do this with the lotion since I hear they are not providing it in the room anymore. I hope it's not true, but if it is I will definitely be buying some because I love that stuff!

We didn't have any lotion in our room at Coronado it was really disappointing!! Annoying that I have to remember to pack my own now lol but the actual bottle is nice to get! I think we figured out it was close to 7 of the little bottles which is a decent amount!

Caught up! Somehow I completely missed your TR, but I love the room tour. 10 days until I'll be at CR

I hate when that happens!! And that's so awesome, enjoy your stay! Dan and I really loved staying there. I hope we can again someday!

Just joined in and caught up! Can't wait to hear more!

thanks for joining in!

That looked like an amazing spread for dinner! And WOW what a view! I can't believe that they brought even more chocolate out for you!

It was a perfect dinner! And the food was all really good!

I know haha we were SO surprised when they gave us more chocolate! GF didn't give us anything so between the two CR CL definitely had the leg up on making us feel welcome!

The food offerings at the club level in the Contemporary look awesome! That sounds like such a perfect dinner out on your balcony, and what a view!

It was such a nice dinner. One that I didn't really plan on since we expected to have a later dinner at Columbia Harbor House before Villains AHs but I'm so glad we did!

So weird they didn't have any Contemporary pins, sorry you missed out on getting one.

I think they were sold out of them unfortunately! And the last time they were revamping them to the Mary Blair themed ones haha eventually I will get that pin!

Btw, those chocolates you got as a welcome gift look amazing, what a special surprise!

It was such an awesome surprise!! Disney sure knows how to make guests feel special!

Wow, CL at the Contemporary sounds amazing! Alex loved our stay at CR, but it's my least favorite deluxe so we've only done it the one time. But I promised him next kids-free trip I'd let us stay there again. Andddd now I'm like, well we're doing club level. All the food you were able to grab and take back to your balcony looked great and the idea of sitting and relaxing with the view while you eat sounds amazing.

Honestly, I feel like its bumped up to one of my faves just for the sole reason of being able to walk to MK!! I hate trying to get to and from the Magic Kingdom so to get to walk was so awesome haha but I hear ya, it usually falls low on my list if I have the choice of alll of them!

If you do stay though definitely check out CL! It was honestly the best experience and the food they had out for all of the meals and snacks were so good!

 

[Newsies]

That's such a nice evening at the Contemporary! Those meals where you're just relaxing on the room balcony with some good food always seem to be the nicest!

Love the pins and spirit jersey you picked out!

Can't wait to hear about VAH!

 

[Cloe Colton]

That's such a nice evening at the Contemporary! Those meals where you're just relaxing on the room balcony with some good food always seem to be the nicest!

Definitely!!

Love the pins and spirit jersey you picked out!

I'm such a sucker for merch!! lol especially spirit jerseys...and I really don't need anymore but I so want them!

Can't wait to hear about VAH!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a fun time enjoying the resort! Your room looked great!

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 1 Part 5 Thursday June 13th

After our super relaxing afternoon, we were ready to head back to the Magic Kingdom around 8 and we were both super excited since we love the After Hours events!



I was also excited for my cute backpack I got off of Poshmark! (if you didn't know you can find some real hidden gems there for Disney merch! Especially since a lot of people only use stuff once or twice!)



The rain had finally let up and actually made the air less heavy. It was looking like it was going to be a perfect night weather-wise!



Again it took us about ten minutes from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom including security. We LOVED the walkway security; it was seriously so amazing to not have to worry about a long trek to the Magic Kingdom!

Unlike our Christmas party experience, the line and wait to go in the Event entrance for After Hours had no wait at all.



I was a bit disappointed that we only got wristbands for the event when all of the bloggers/vloggers from the previous week had received lanyards but I quickly got over that.



Just a sidenote – while I enjoy watching Disney vloggers and all that they put into it (they deserve to get something for what they do) I do feel like Disney is promoting false advertising by inviting them all to events but then giving them special treatment, viewing areas, fastpass lines to rides. Not only does it hinder the event for those who paid to be there and aren’t getting special treatment, but it also just doesn’t portray what the night is actually like. They could easily comp their tickets and give them giftcards to try food without creating this unrealistic VIP experience for them. Most of the events and things that Disney puts on can speak for themselves, and if they don’t, well then people deserve to know what it would really be like if they are paying $150 to go. Like I said, I love watching Disney vlogs and you know when they get invited they all will be swayed somewhat but I just don’t get the whole VIP thing when that’s not actually how the night would be for a normal person. Okay, I’m off my soapbox! Lol

We stopped to get some pictures with the awesome Villains pamphlets that they put out for the event. They were way nicer than the normal park ones, almost a thin cardboard? They were definitely cool!





Dan had purchased the GoPro Hero 7 black right before our trip to get some cool hyperlapses of us walking through the park. (The stabilization on these cameras is AMAZING and the videos come out super cool!) Since we didn’t have plans to stop for any photopasses along Main Street, Dan set up the camera to record our walk to Tomorrowland. Well, on our way up Main Street, I felt someone grabbing my backpack up and off of my back. I turned around and this woman was still holding my bag saying how she loves it. And I get it, it was villain themed and it was the night of Villains after hours but there are ways to tell someone you love something they have or are wearing. Grabbing them is not one of them. (I was complimented by a very lovely woman the next night about my outfit who from about ten feet away was able to convey the same message, without touching me!)

Now at the same time, Dan’s ahead of me not really paying too much attention because he’s doing the time lapse. I slowed a bit to politely smile at this woman and tell her the name of the brand and where I got it from while she was STILL fondling my bag. I eventually said thanks and tried to keep walking to catch up to him. At that time, she found more of her friends to show my bag. I continued walking because I just had a REALLY weird vibe about the whole thing and still annoyed that she actually grabbed my bag that I kept walking only to hear them bashing me for being “rude” as I walked away. I’m a pretty friendly person and for the situation I offered up multiple friendly gestures before walking away and just didn’t appreciate her grabbing my bag from behind without warning me she was going to do so. Now I’m sure she was just being overly friendly and didn’t really understand personal space and was probably just excited to see Evil Queen merch but once we were away I noticed that the front pocket of my bag was unzipped and it hadn’t been before so who knows what her intentions were. Either way I didn’t enjoy it! And I love talking to people about what I’m wearing or my accessories!

Anyway, I brushed the whole thing off pretty quickly but was just a weird way to start our night!

Since we had missed our Buzz Lightyear fastpass earlier in the day I had adjusted it to later at night so we could do it before the party started, so that’s where we were headed!



Neither of us were able to get galactic hero but we had fun!



There was an awesome sunset that night, definitely nice to see after such a rainy afternoon!



Dan LOVES the people mover so we made that our next stop, in hopes to catch some good views of the sunset!



The queen obviously got her own seat!



Once we got off of the people mover it was nearing Happily Ever After time. In planning, I had hoped we would find a spot to watch HEA from Main Street but Dan doesn’t love waiting for fireworks or parades so instead we decided to just get some ice cream from The Plaza Parlor and see where we could find a spot then!

Surprisingly, we got in line for ice cream around 9PM and we could have easily grabbed a Main Street spot parallel to Caseys at that time! Definitely a lower crowd night!





For ice cream, we both used a snack credit and got the Plaza Sundaes. Yum!



The line didn’t take too long and by 9:10PM we were back outside looking for a spot to enjoy our ice cream. All of the tables in front of the Plaza were obviously taken by that point and we really wanted a place to sit. Thankfully, the ledge in front of The Plaza windows had a couple of spots open so we checked with the people around to make sure they weren’t saving them and sat down.



Now, if you were watching HEA for the very first time or only wanted to see the projections, then this spot was not for you! lol But for us, who really just wanted to enjoy our ice cream, hear the music, see the fireworks it was perfect! We could see a lot of the projections through the tables and umbrellas and could easily see the fireworks above! There was a bit of a strange kerfuffle with people next to us that slightly added to the entertainment. From what I could tell, a couple walked up and stood in front of a family and got kicked out of the area because they were blocking the walkway and then proceeded to immediately come back with the girl on the guys shoulders to block the family’s view even more. For not a super great viewing spot, I was surprised to see that happening but we were away from it so it didn’t bother us!





We even had a great view of Tink flying!

It was a perfect HEA experience and I definitely cried! As much as I wasn’t a fan in the beginning of HEA I definitely love it now! I always cry when I hear it and see it in person!

Once the fireworks were over, we waited a few minutes and then made our way over to the Main Street Emporium to hopefully find where the merch was for the party.



In the shop that I would say is the center of the Emporium, they had the villains merchandise in the back of the room in a roped off area. You just had to show your wristband to get it in and grab what you wanted. Prior to the event, I hadn’t planned on buying anything but a couple of nights before the trip I had DH try on the shirt I bought him from Amazon. Well, it must have been made wrong because the arms were cutting him weird and it just didn’t fit right. We even amazon primed a size larger that came in before we left and that still didn’t fit right. So, we decided just to get him one of the event exclusive t-shirts. Souvenir and solution all in one! Lol (Did I mention I asked DH to try on the original shirt when I ordered it nearly 2 months ago? And it had since passed its return window so we are stuck with that shirt lol)

We made our purchase and then found a bathroom by Crystal Palace for Dan to change his shirt. At the last After Hours we went to, we started in Tomorrowland and worked our way around the park counterclockwise. This time, I decided to start us in Adventureland (in part because the week prior Space Mountain went down for a bit at the start of the party and then took some time to switch over to the overlay but mostly just to switch things up!)




We were in Adventureland a bit early (around 9:53) so we decided to take a spin on Aladdin’s Magic Carpets to start our party night! Not something I would normally waste party time on but since the party hadn’t officially started until 10 and Jungle Cruise takes too long that’s what we went with! Dan had never ridden them before either so that was fun! Dan sat in the back and tilted us while I rode up front!

​

 

[Cloe Colton]

Day 1 Part 6 Thursday June 13th (6 parts!? Holy Moly this was a long day! )


After we were off the carpets, we stopped at a snack stand to grab some drinks. Thankfully, it moved pretty fast. Tey didn’t use the method that DHS AHs had used but rather had three CMs working the booth - one handled drinks, one handled popcorn and one handled ice cream. It seemed to work pretty well!

While we waited, I noted how low the waits were looking and I was very happy about that!



I was ready to partyyyy!




Finally, it was time for the attraction that we were starting in Adventureland for - Pirates of the Caribbean!



I knew the overlay at MNSSHP didn’t get the best reviews with the live actors but we really enjoyed it! They really added to the line experience and I think even added something to the ride itself! I didn’t tell DH people’s impressions prior to riding and he thought it was really cool so I think sometimes its best to throw what you’ve read out the window and just enjoy the show!




I promise I was enjoying the ride more than my RBF shows! I definitely thought being in the back we would get cut out of the frame! Lol

After Pirates of the Caribbean, we made our way towards Splash Mountain next. But lucky for us, our timing was IMPECCABLE and literally as we were walking up the Malificent’s dragon “parade” was beginning and we were able to see it coming out. We walked right up and had a great spot. I had completely forgotten about the dragon so I was happy that we were able to see it when we did! Dan was very impressed with the little parade and so was I. I’m not a big parade person (except for the Christmas parade) but the dragon is my favorite part of Festival of Fantasy so it was cool to see at night!



Once the parade passed, (it was quick!) we made our way over to Splash Mountain, which was a five-minute wait or in other words, a walk on!

The CM was having a hard time getting people to take the front row of the boats so we took one for the team and offered to sit there lol here’s a before picture!



And we got soaked!



A white t-shirt was not a bright idea! Lol



After Splash, we decided to dry ourselves off by riding Big Thunder Mountain. The quoted wait time was 15-minutes but it was literally a walk on (I took a picture at the entrance at 11:10 and we were walking down the ramp at 11:11 lol) so that was a nice change of pace from the 20 minute wait we had at MVMCP!



Anyone else wish there was a ride photo for BTMRR?? I feel like they would be such great pictures!

As we made the walk from Frontierland to Liberty Square, we ended up catching the fireworks from the Villain show from an awesome spot. The fireworks were actually really cool and I’m glad we were able to see them! Especially unexpectedly!




It was such a nice night and all of the lights in the park made everything look awesome!



Next up was Haunted Mansion! The ride didn’t have an overlay but they did have it lit up really cool!



It was also our first experience with the new ride photo!



I swear I warned Dan of the photo! Lol

After Haunted Mansion, I was feeling a bit worried about time since it was just midnight and we only had an hour left and I DEFINITELY wanted to ride Space Mountain in the dark!

But we did spot a special photo op by the castle with the dragon so we did stop to take a photo!




These came out so fun and I'm so glad we made the time to stop!

After our photo stop we decided we would do Seven Dwarfs and Space Mountain and call it a night (we were kinda dragging at this point!)

Even the Dwarfs' house was lit up!



Seven Dwarfs was quoted at a 30 or 40 minute wait but we only waited 15 minutes and was so fun! I definitely prefer SDMT at night!




When we got off of SDMT we caught the fireworks again over Storybook Treats.



Last ride of the night was Space Mountain!

For the party, the ride was in complete darkness and they had villain music/evil laughter playing in the background. It was so much fun! Somehow in the pitch black I was able to look right into the camera lol



This was a great ride to end the night on (even if the ride in the dark made Dan a bit motion sick – but I’m blaming that on exhaustion more than the ride!) and we just had so much fun!

We found a fun AH sign in Tomorrowland so we took some pictures on our way out.





As we were walking out of Tomorrowland we ran into @amazingact21 and her family!! They decided last minute to do the AHs party and I am so happy we ran into them! DH was completely taken off guard that someone in the real world again knew who I was but was happy that we were all able to meet. I totally realized after we walked away that I never properly introduced Dan because I feel like you all probably feel like you already know him! Haha It was so nice to meet you and your family in person, Alicia! And I’m so glad you called my name! (I would have noticed you eventually because I was filming us walking out when we ran into you haha) it was a perfect way to end our night!



BTW, I am a completely oblivious person in the parks and in life in general so please if you see me say Hi! I always tell DH that I’ve probably seen lots of famous or well-known people in Disney but just never pay attention enough! Lol Like even if I'm looking right at you, chances are that I'm not paying attention! lol

After our DISmeet, DH and I stopped for a picture with the castle. I totally regret not stopping for more but I knew DH was pretty much at his limit and the one stop was all I was going to get! Lol




He did however, agree to wait for the Villains to do their goodbye set. We could see some out as we were going down Main Street but once we reached them they had to leave (I think to be in the Villains/Hades show) but they would be out again in 5 minutes. So we waited and it was definitely a great way to end the Villains AHs! I know they didn’t advertise the Villainous Farewell but it was definitely a cherry on top of a great night and super fun! Especially because they were interacting with the crowd and basically telling everyone to LEAVE lol


(Not sure its all that visable but when we left it was Gaston and Cruella!)

Overall, I would DEFINITELY recommend the Villains After Hours. We didn’t do as many rides as we did during our first Magic Kingdom After Hours but if we had been faster moving or that had been our goal for the party we totally could have. This party we focused more on just enjoying the low crowds and having a great time! I think for a few dollars more, the event overlays and villain fun were definitely worth it! While there were no meet and greets (and that included ALL m&gs – no Mickey and Minnie or Princess Hall) I still think that was a good idea on Disney’s part. I think some people would spend that money just to wait to see a Villain for three hours and this way Disney told you to just enjoy the rides and the atmosphere! I definitely agree that it felt like a MNSSHP-lite but I really enjoyed that vibe! We didn’t see the stage show (I’m not one for stage shows) and we didn’t try any of the food (we were stuffed from our dinner earlier!) but we did see the fireworks three different times around the park, the dragon parade, did a photopass (there were a couple around the park, we just did one) and saw the Villainous farewell. It was just so much fun! I hope they continue to offer themed AHs or even just keep the Villain one, it was definitely a good time!




We made the quick walk back to the Contemporary after the party (this was so awesome to be able to just make a ten-minute walk back!)



We fell asleep pretty much as our heads hit the pillow since we had been up for nearly 22 hours haha but it was such a fun day and I’m so glad we were able to extend our trip to go to the party! Although, for how tired we should have been we both felt pretty good! And we still had so much of our trip left!

Phew! Finally done with day one! lol ​

 

[Cloe Colton]

Sounds like a fun time enjoying the resort! Your room looked great!

It was a great time just hanging out at the Contemporary!

 

[Gina Starr]

I have heard of Poshmark but never considered looking for accessories. I will have to check it out!

OMG- I know exactly what you mean about the youtubers. I haven’t been to any special events that a lot of them were at but I can’t imagine how frustrating it would be. They always say they will give you their real opinion but if they did, would they be invited back very often? That’s why I trust the smaller bloggers/vloggers opinion a bit more.

Wowww I would have flipped out on that lady that grabbed your bag! Some people have no sense of personal space/manners. I try not to let other people affect my mood but it’s hard cause I’m easily annoyed!

The waits are pretty low! I’m impressed. I was pretty disappointed with the wait times when we did AH earlier this year.

I tend to have the opposite opinions of most people so I agree- I try to give everything a fair chance.

Yes! Big Thunder needs a ride photo! I can think of so many perfect places to put it.

Cute magic shots! Between me not taking direction well and just being super awkward, mine never come out cute.

Villains After Hours sounds so fun! I think other themed ones would be cool too. What a long day- I got tired just reading about it!

 

[sahu]

I actually have that same backpack! Fortunately I've never had any rude ladies at the park grab it though! That lady sounds like a mess.

I'm glad you had a good time at AH! It seems like a good opportunity to ride a lot of rides with low waits to me.

 

[Newsies]

Just a sidenote – while I enjoy watching Disney vloggers and all that they put into it (they deserve to get something for what they do) I do feel like Disney is promoting false advertising by inviting them all to events but then giving them special treatment, viewing areas, fastpass lines to rides. Not only does it hinder the event for those who paid to be there and aren’t getting special treatment, but it also just doesn’t portray what the night is actually like. They could easily comp their tickets and give them giftcards to try food without creating this unrealistic VIP experience for them. Most of the events and things that Disney puts on can speak for themselves, and if they don’t, well then people deserve to know what it would really be like if they are paying $150 to go. Like I said, I love watching Disney vlogs and you know when they get invited they all will be swayed somewhat but I just don’t get the whole VIP thing when that’s not actually how the night would be for a normal person. Okay, I’m off my soapbox! Lol

YES. I couldn't agree more. This is the exact reason I'm starting to step away from YouTubers I used to really enjoy watching. Disney's "media team" treatment is going to ruin people who were once considered reliable sources of info for the parks.

Dan had purchased the GoPro Hero 7 black right before our trip to get some cool hyperlapses of us walking through the park. (The stabilization on these cameras is AMAZING and the videos come out super cool!) Since we didn’t have plans to stop for any photopasses along Main Street, Dan set up the camera to record our walk to Tomorrowland. Well, on our way up Main Street, I felt someone grabbing my backpack up and off of my back. I turned around and this woman was still holding my bag saying how she loves it. And I get it, it was villain themed and it was the night of Villains after hours but there are ways to tell someone you love something they have or are wearing. Grabbing them is not one of them. (I was complimented by a very lovely woman the next night about my outfit who from about ten feet away was able to convey the same message, without touching me!)

Now at the same time, Dan’s ahead of me not really paying too much attention because he’s doing the time lapse. I slowed a bit to politely smile at this woman and tell her the name of the brand and where I got it from while she was STILL fondling my bag. I eventually said thanks and tried to keep walking to catch up to him. At that time, she found more of her friends to show my bag. I continued walking because I just had a REALLY weird vibe about the whole thing and still annoyed that she actually grabbed my bag that I kept walking only to hear them bashing me for being “rude” as I walked away. I’m a pretty friendly person and for the situation I offered up multiple friendly gestures before walking away and just didn’t appreciate her grabbing my bag from behind without warning me she was going to do so. Now I’m sure she was just being overly friendly and didn’t really understand personal space and was probably just excited to see Evil Queen merch but once we were away I noticed that the front pocket of my bag was unzipped and it hadn’t been before so who knows what her intentions were. Either way I didn’t enjoy it! And I love talking to people about what I’m wearing or my accessories!

... Yeah, this is not okay. I'm really sorry you went through that.

Overall, this sounds like such an amazing event! I love M&Gs, but for VAH, I kind of like that there are no M&Gs, too-- it really allows you to focus on the rides and entertainment!