DISNEYWORLD FIRST TRIP OF 2026!
TRAVEL DAY
Hello all!
It's time to start a TR on the first trip of 2026 (hopefully not the last) that occured in the very brisk month of January.
But,I lie, it was really chilly! Though a cold day at Disney is better than... fill in the blank.
The particulars-
Who-Seth and me.
When-January 13-17th.
Where-Bay Lake. As a DVC member I had originally booked Saratoga as that was all that was available but then wait listed Bay Lake and it came through! It was funny because I got an email from Disney but ignored it as it was right before Christmas and when I logged on to the site for something at the beginning of Jan. it said welcome to Bay Lake, that was a very fun surprise!
Let's get started. I have been avoiding Southwest for a variety of reasons but found they started a direct flight from Sacramento to Orlando once a day, so that was a no brainer. 5-ish hours vs 8 or 9.
Aleisha told me she would take me to the airport, and anyone that read my report from last years March trip and the crazy that occured the morning of that flight, would know I didn't hold out much hope. With that in mind I told her I needed to be picked up earlier than I really needed and jokes on me, she was early and I ended up at the airport with way more time than necessary.
I checked my bag at the curb and breezed through TSA. I went to a restaurant and had a nice breakfast/early lunch as I figured the bag of 6 pretzels we were going to get on board weren't going to tide me over with a 5 hour flight.
I bought a mini package of cheese/pepperoni snacks before boarding and ended up eating that about halfway across the US.
I left Sacramento at 11:50am pacific time and landed in Orlando 7:50pm east coast time after an uneventful flight.
My Uber (Seth) picked me up at the airport and we stopped at a Publix for a few groceries for the room.
Then we were travelling under this wonderful sign, my time stamp says 9:30.
We were pulling into Bay Lake shortly after.
This photo is from a different day, but this the entrance.
My only request for rooms was a high floor and it was so nice we did get that. We were on the 7th floor and interestingly we think it was the same room (but a slightly lower floor) than the one that we stayed in for Gary and my 30th anniversary.
This was the view from this years room and the following photo was from our stay in 2013.
I really like the rooms on this side. You get to watch the marina, and the comings and goings at the Contemporary.
That bridge connects Bay Lake to the Contemporary and is a very nice feature. It ends up on the main floor at the Contemporary where the stores, Contempo Cafe and Chef Mickey's are.
Daytime view.
And a fan favorite, the nightly Electrical Water Pageant!
We have a family joke about this parade that began back in 2013 when every single night, like it or not, the parade hits this part of the lake pretty late, maybe around 10 pm and doors don't matter, you can hear it inside!
Aleisha had headed back to her home a day or two before Seth, Gary and I that trip and we made a short recording of it and sent it to her and her response was from the Jim Carrey Grinch movie, "suffering snorkelblatz, they're relentless!"
So everytime we have an opportunity to send her a clip of the parade, that is her response and tonight was no different!
On the next post I will show some room photos as the resort has been renovated and it is quite nice.
TRAVEL DAY
Hello all!
It's time to start a TR on the first trip of 2026 (hopefully not the last) that occured in the very brisk month of January.
But,I lie, it was really chilly! Though a cold day at Disney is better than... fill in the blank.
The particulars-
Who-Seth and me.
When-January 13-17th.
Where-Bay Lake. As a DVC member I had originally booked Saratoga as that was all that was available but then wait listed Bay Lake and it came through! It was funny because I got an email from Disney but ignored it as it was right before Christmas and when I logged on to the site for something at the beginning of Jan. it said welcome to Bay Lake, that was a very fun surprise!
Let's get started. I have been avoiding Southwest for a variety of reasons but found they started a direct flight from Sacramento to Orlando once a day, so that was a no brainer. 5-ish hours vs 8 or 9.
Aleisha told me she would take me to the airport, and anyone that read my report from last years March trip and the crazy that occured the morning of that flight, would know I didn't hold out much hope. With that in mind I told her I needed to be picked up earlier than I really needed and jokes on me, she was early and I ended up at the airport with way more time than necessary.
I checked my bag at the curb and breezed through TSA. I went to a restaurant and had a nice breakfast/early lunch as I figured the bag of 6 pretzels we were going to get on board weren't going to tide me over with a 5 hour flight.
I bought a mini package of cheese/pepperoni snacks before boarding and ended up eating that about halfway across the US.
I left Sacramento at 11:50am pacific time and landed in Orlando 7:50pm east coast time after an uneventful flight.
My Uber (Seth) picked me up at the airport and we stopped at a Publix for a few groceries for the room.
Then we were travelling under this wonderful sign, my time stamp says 9:30.
We were pulling into Bay Lake shortly after.
This photo is from a different day, but this the entrance.
My only request for rooms was a high floor and it was so nice we did get that. We were on the 7th floor and interestingly we think it was the same room (but a slightly lower floor) than the one that we stayed in for Gary and my 30th anniversary.
This was the view from this years room and the following photo was from our stay in 2013.
I really like the rooms on this side. You get to watch the marina, and the comings and goings at the Contemporary.
That bridge connects Bay Lake to the Contemporary and is a very nice feature. It ends up on the main floor at the Contemporary where the stores, Contempo Cafe and Chef Mickey's are.
Daytime view.
And a fan favorite, the nightly Electrical Water Pageant!
We have a family joke about this parade that began back in 2013 when every single night, like it or not, the parade hits this part of the lake pretty late, maybe around 10 pm and doors don't matter, you can hear it inside!
Aleisha had headed back to her home a day or two before Seth, Gary and I that trip and we made a short recording of it and sent it to her and her response was from the Jim Carrey Grinch movie, "suffering snorkelblatz, they're relentless!"
So everytime we have an opportunity to send her a clip of the parade, that is her response and tonight was no different!
On the next post I will show some room photos as the resort has been renovated and it is quite nice.
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