Trip Report No Baby, Still No Sleep, but LOTS of Food - Oct Trip to the Contemporary

Hello friends and happy Halloween eve!

Here is a link to my pre-trip

Several things changed between that pre-trip report and the actual trip, mostly reservations. Let's get into it!

Who: Me and R, celebrating 7 yEARS!
You may be wondering where the tiny person that accompanied us in the spring is. She stayed home with her doting grandparents and didn't even miss us! My mom kept her at our house all but one night, so she was happy in her normal routine.
When: Oct 19-24
Where: The Contemporary



Our trip started on a Saturday, which was a first for us. My mom arrived at the house around eleven and we finished up packing. I made sure she knew where everything was and we got on the road around noon. I got emotional in the car, but after that I was ok! I'm not a super emotional person, so while I missed my girl and felt weird without her, I wasn't like crying the whole time.

Our drive to the airport went smoothly and we stopped for some Lenny's once we got through security (only takes like 5 seconds in Memphis)



Not the most appetizing photo, but I love subs.



Some cute Southwest decor.

Flight took off on time and landed early. Score! We'd used ME tags so we didn't have to pick up luggage. We waited a little bit to get on a bus, then we were the last of 4 stops. The most expensive resort takes the longest to get to :rolleyes: Go figure. I think it was around 1.5 hours between the bus leaving and finally getting there because there was some traffic backed up near the Poly. I feel like maybe that's what they tell you to expect, but it almost never takes that long once you're going.

We'd originally planned to eat at Wine Bar George that night, but cancelled it a while back. I figured I'd rather try to get to Epcot that night and if we couldn't, we'd just eat at the Contemporary. With the long ME ride, I was worried, but it worked out. Also I was STARVING.



Perhaps my extreme hunger made me see these as fried eggs. I couldn't unsee it for the rest of the trip.



A quick nighttime shot in the room. I didn't do room photos since we were in a hurry to get to Epcot.



The Contemporary welcomed us with some much-needed chocolates that I scarfed down. It didn't do much to satiate me, but it was mostly tasty! Some of the truffles(?) were better than others.

I think we were on the monorail by 8:30 or a little after.





Hello, beautiful!

We made a beeline for some food.



Active Eats
  1. Loaded Macaroni & Cheese with Nueske's® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar and Leeks
  2. M.I.A. Beer Company HRD WTR Key Lime Hard Sparkling Water, Doral, FL (basically, lime White Claw)
The mac and cheese was good as usual and we basically inhaled it.



The Cheese Studio
  1. Braised Beef “Stroganoff” with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushrooms and Boursin® Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce
  2. Black Pepper Boursin® Soufflé with Fig Marmalade
We've gotten the stroganoff before and always enjoy it. I let R eat most of it because the soufflé was mostly for me. I don't think he even tried it! I liked it. I'm not really familiar with soufflé or what the texture should be like, but based on what I've read it seems like they did a good job. I loved the fig marmalade too!



Inside the souffle

I had gotten us a FP+ for Epcot Forever, so we didn't venture far. We decided to check out the place that's in the old O Canada space.





Appleseed Orchard
  1. M.I.A. Beer Company Apple Trappe Belgian-Style Tripel Ale, Doral, FL
  2. Playalinda Brewing Co. Apple Pie Beer, Titusville, FL
  3. Sea Dog Brewing Co. Green Apple Ale, Clearwater, FL
  4. Ciderboys Lemon Cello Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI
  5. Collective Arts Brewing Cherry Apple Hard Cider, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
  6. Woodchuck Hard Cider Spiced Apple, Middlebury, VT
All of this was in flight form as you can see in the photo. None of them really wowed us, but it was all refreshing.

At this point it was about 15 minutes until Epcot Forever (it was at 10pm this night), so we headed to the FP area and found us a spot to sit. Everyone stood when the show started, which I was fine with.





I didn't hate it, but I thought it was a little boring. I don't have nostalgic ties to Epcot, and I think that's who this is for. Also the wind was blowing toward us, so it was really smoky and we got stuff in our eyes a few times. I guess it's a good thing I didn't LOVE this show, since it's temporary. I'm interested to see the one they're working on!

We exited with the rest of humanity after I made a stop at the pin station and bought some pins. There were a couple of limited edition ones I wanted and some mystery boxes that had just come out. R almost choked when he heard the total :hilarious: It's not a cheap hobby!

If I remember right, we didn't have issues getting on the monorail. It does take some time to get all the way around from the TTC to the Contemporary, but we survived.

When we got back, we decided to grab a drink at the Wave lounge because most lounges closed at 10 and the Wave was open til 1, I believe. We got a couple of drinks and some waffle fries (YUM!) and for some reason I took no pictures. Three girls in the college program sat next to us and we chatted with them a little because one of them was from Tennessee as well ,and the Vols game was on. One of them was a character attendant and actually knew a friend of Anna/Rapunzel who goes to the school where I work. Small world!

Anyway, we headed back around midnight and crashed. It was a long day, but a great start to the trip!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 1 - Oct 20 (continued)

I waited about 15 minutes for the parade to start, then had to wait for it to get to me. I was right next to a light pole, where I'd watched Festival of Fantasy one time. It's a great spot! I also got to watch the cast members try unsuccessfully to get people to follow directions. So many people just dart into the street despite being told to wait. I know it's a huge deal when the headless horseman is coming and that's when people were the most disorderly. I felt so bad for them!

I think a lot of these crowd control CMs are college program kids, and you can tell they're overwhelmed. The more mature CMs tend to have a lot more authority when it comes to this. And they seem more composed too.






Overheard while CMs let people cross to the exit between floats - "I HATE DISNEY WORLD! UNIVERSAL IS BETTER!" :hilarious: That's fine, sis, head on over there. One less person taking up space at WDW.

Whenever there was a gap between floats they would run the ropes across and let as many people cross as possible, then run them back. They had a good system down!








Not sure about that smolder :hilarious:



Slightly better











Up next: More Boo to You!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 1 - Oct 20 (continued)

Promise I'll get through all these photos eventually...










The Incredibles part was new...and....interesting? I guess people really like Edna, so it went over well.





The aliens float was cute











Ok that's the last of the parade pictures!! I do have one more MNSSHP post though...
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 1 - Oct 20 (continued)

On the way out, I made sure to tell the CMs around me what a great job they did. I'm sure they are pretty exhausted after the parade.



I stopped for a Headless Horseman photo and this lady behind me... :facepalm:




At first I thought she did this on purpose because it looks like she's mimicking me! But now I think it was just a coincidence and she was startled by the flash or something. Still...ugh. Oh well. I guess the CM didn't notice her, cause she didn't take any more.

I walked back to the room and got in bed. R wasn't asleep, but he was in bed, so I tried to be quiet. I think it was around 11/11:30 when I got to bed.

Up next: Day 2 finally
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
I can't remember if I've hear the term backrow Baptist but it makes sense. I'm a last row Lutheran!

Love the Flounder and Sebastian outfits and the pictures of Carlotta were really nice.
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oct 21 - Day 2.

Well I'm sitting here on Thanksgiving with some kind of stomach bug (R took LP to his dad's gathering), so hey...why not cheer myself up with some trip reporting?! For those that remember three years ago, I also lost my dad on Thanksgiving day, so this day just sucks. I haven't said a word to anyone about it today because I repress (anyone else an enneagram 9?), but you guys are my people. And I know some others on here have lost loved ones recently, so we can commiserate.

Aaaaanyway...

We got up nice and early thanks to Chef Mickey's, but I didn't mind today because we had plans to be in Magic Kingdom for the morning.

We took a stroll over to MK, hands-down the BEST part of staying at the Contemporary is the walk to MK.


Time stamp on this is 9:15, so we made decent time.



These seem so dated now that it's Christmas everywhere!



Convinced R to stop for a few photo pass shots. I usually only stop if there's only 1 or 2 groups in line.



We headed to our first FP!




Anyone else giggle constantly on this ride? I just love it.



Took this for my mom and step dad because they called LP nugget while she was in the womb (we didn't have a name yet) and still call her that now.

We headed toward Haunted Mansion next. I wanted pictures in my shirt, and we thought we might could ride early before it got busy.


We got in the queue because it said 10 minutes (I think? It wasn't terrible), but it looked longer and wasn't moving, so we bailed.

Instead we headed over to Pooh. I'd changed our Space Mountain FP to one for Pooh (R's neck was still bothering him).

We walked right up to the second checkpoint and were stopped so the queue could move forward some. It was just us, and eventually another couple came up and just blew right past us. The CM was so confused and asked them go back to the line. Apparently they didn't see us :hilarious:




Love these ground markers for some reason. Sorry, I could have cropped my feet out. ha

We had a bit of time before our 7 Dwarfs FP, so we just wandered. We thought it would be fun to ride the Carousel, but it kept starting and stopping while we were in line and we bailed. We're not very patient :hilarious:



I can't remember if it was still scrimmed when we were there in March, but it's so pretty! I'm glad it isn't covered now.

R is a party pooper and wasn't interested in doing something like Philharmagic. Dummy. So we looked around some shops instead.



We went back to Momento Mori and I bought some ears! My first pair of Disney branded ears. I also bought the fourth volume of the Tales from the Haunted Mansion series.

I was hungry and didn't want to wait until lunch to eat, so I grabbed a cinnamon roll from Gaston's. No seating open, so we sat on the fountain. Confession: I'm always disappointed in this cinnamon roll. Bummer!



Our FP window opened for 7 Dwarfs so we headed over there!





 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oct 21 - Day 2. (continued)

We headed out after this. R had been saving his appetite for some Food & Wine Fest!



We stopped by the room first, I think to drop off my bag from Momento Mori. I changed too, so I could get photos in a different shirt :hilarious:



Our room, in case you're curious.



Towel art!!! We NEVER get this, so I was really excited. I took the opportunity to take some photos in the room since I didn't on our arrival night.



(pardon our junk everywhere)



R has jumped on the short shorts trend :hilarious: He says it's so much more comfortable not having them hit his knees. They really look fine when he's standing, they just ride up a bit when he's sitting.



Not gonna lie, I think this tile is ugly. It looks like a crime scene.



Used these toothbrush holders the rest of the trip. Thanks, mousekeeping!

Up next: Heading to Epcot
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Oct 21, Day 2, continued

We headed down to the monorail. Even though our room was at the end of the building, it didn't seem that far from the elevator.




I don't remember having any transportation issues, and soon we were walking in Epcot. We headed straight for the booth we were most looking forward to: Flavors from Fire!



  • Smoked Corned Beef with Crispy Potatoes, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions and Beer-Cheese Fondue

I had an embarrassing moment here. I tried holding up the burger for a picture and it topped off the plate :hilarious: R was pretty mad, but I just hopped back in line. I didn't want to walk all the way around the shrubs, so I tried to step over the ropes, which I tripped on. :facepalm: There was a CM walking by, one of those that kind of walks around from booth to booth so some kind of manager, and she asked if I was ok. I said something like "Oh sorry I'm fine! I just dropped my burger and have it all over my hands." Not sure what that has to do with me tripping, but oh well.

Anyway while I was standing in line, that CM came out with a burger for me to replace the one I dropped. So nice! I guess she didn't see how I dropped it :angelic: Instagram almost cost me $5.25!

Here's what else we got:
  • The Steakhouse Blended Burger: Blended Beef and Mushroom Slider with Brie Cheese Fondue, Arugula, and a Truffle and Blue Cheese Potato Chip on a Brioche Bun
  • Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli
  • Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Paprika and Mango-Lime Compote
I was really excited about the corned beef, but ended up liking that skirt steak dish best! It was all good though. The burger wasn't as good as I remember from last year.

R was ready for one of his festival favs from Canada
  • Canadian Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Soup served with a Pretzel Roll
I didn't even have any, because I got a rather large serving of the special poutine from Refreshment Port




Duck Confit Poutine with Fig Demi Sauce and Brie Cheese Fondue

I don't think I'd get this again, but it was good. It was just too much food, and I didn't love it enough to finish it.

While we were standing there enjoying our snacks, I hear a lady ask a question. It took me a second to realize she was talking to me, but she was asking me about a pin I had. It ended up being one in a series that her daughter had been looking for. It wasn't one I wanted to keep, so I offered it to her. I would have been fine just giving it to her, but she asked if I wanted to trade. She had a Donald Duck pin I liked, so we traded. It was so nice! That was my first pin trade with a guest. Hopefully her daughter was excited, I gave her another princess pin I had just for fun. She was off getting a treat with another family member, so I didn't get to meet her.

With that nice story, I think I'm going to quit and sleep...at 8pm :grumpy: Tomorrow is another day! Hope you've all had a great Thanksgiving!

Up next: More Epcot
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great Boo to You pics! The lady in the background of your PhotoPass pics is cracking me up!
Hands down, best Boo to You pix I've seen! And that's a great spot/angle you had for taking them. 👏
Love the parade photos, and the PhotoPass photo bomb is hilarious!
I loved your Flounder and Sébastien costumes. And I agree - Scuttle would have rounded it out nicely 😀
I can't remember if I've hear the term backrow Baptist but it makes sense. I'm a last row Lutheran!

Love the Flounder and Sebastian outfits and the pictures of Carlotta were really nice.
Absolutely blown away by your outstanding photos! These have got to be the best I've ever seen of the parade, and I've been looking at pictures on this forum for a number of years. :)
I wasn't going to comment since everyone else has already said was I was going to but I just looked at them again and decided I would anyway. Your parade pictures are beautiful!!
Not to pile on here, but I legitimately felt like I was the one watching the parade - wow! 👀
Party outfit are great, as are your pictures and report.
Great Halloween pix! Your costumes were cute!
Thank you all so much! That's so kind of you guys. I'm really critical of myself, so I see a lot of stuff I wish I had done differently, but they turned out pretty well!

Your MNSSHP Costumes were great!! Awesome Boo-to-You Photos!! What is the camera you use? :)
It's a Sony A7III. I LOVE it. I am a wedding photographer and the focus abilities are just top notch for fast moving, hectic wedding days. It's good for Disney too :)

Sorry about your illness! I’m sure the holidays must be tough time for you. This is the first thanksgiving we’ve had without A’s dad here,and it’s been tough. Hope you feel better soon!
Thank you! Hopefully some sleep tonight will help. And yeah, holidays are just always hard after losing a parent. Hope A is coping ok!
 

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