Trip Report **COMPLETED** The 4 M's Go to Disney: a 4th of July Extravaganza

Hello everyone! We are back from the World so I figured I should start my Trip Report

Who?
My Mom (Mary) and I (Megan)

ANDDDD (you are not just stuck with the 2 of us)
My sister Elizabeth (we call her Betta) and my nephew Max

Where?
The Contemporary This was Betta and Max's first stay at the Contemporary - Max's first Deluxe stay

When?
July 4-7, 2019

Why?
We all have off on Fridays so with the 4th being on a Thursday it was a free 4 day weekend!

The title?
Max liked to say that the 4 M's were going to Disney: Max, Mommy (Betta obviously), Megan, Mary My Mom pointed out the 4 M's and he loved it!

T-1 Day July 3, 2019
After work we headed to meet Betta and Max at the hotel we were staying at across the street from the airport. My sister and Max live about an hour away from us so it is much easier for them to stay at a hotel before a trip - especially one where we have to get up pretty early.
We had an incident bringing our suitcases up to the room and my Mom accidentally tripped on this sign so we felt the need to document it

After we got Betta and Max settled into their room we headed to Cracker Barrel to get some dinner with my Dad before he dropped us off for the night.
We could see the airport from our room

July 4, 2019 Day 1
We slept decently well and woke up at 4 am - this particular hotel we stayed in was much better than the usual one we stay in across from the airport so that was nice.

My sister drove us over to the Airport so we did not have to take the hotel shuttle. She parked in a lot I was very unfamiliar with and we ended up having to take a shuttle from there to the airport which took more time than I anticipated. Naturally I was stressed out. This parking lot is cheaper which makes sense but I am spoiled by where we usually park when we are with my Dad
Thankfully check-in and security were fast and we made our way to grab some food for breakfast.

My Mom and I had bagels

Max had some mini donuts and my sister had a breakfast sandwich

Next up: more traveling

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 1 continued
I distinctly remember this being the exact time that we all felt the heat was beyond overwhelming. Usually we are used to some degree of heat but here at home it has been pretty cold so this was a shock to our systems. We had one more FP and a dining reservation 2 hours from this point and we knew we would never make the reservation. It was for Liberty Tree Tavern - which seemed cool for the 4th of July - but the heat just got to us. So, we decided to do our last FP and head back to the hotel since our room was ready.
I did have to bribe Max with a new toy car that I had in my backpack to get him on 7DMT
He picked me as his ride partner though so it really worked!
A blurry light photo for you ... I was really lax on the light photos this trip

We all loved it ! Despite Max's face looking scared Max had the funniest screams on the rides this trip
Anyway, we decided to head out after this. We stopped for a PP along the way that I thought was going to be cool but it turned out super weird.
Oh but first, Max decided to be a model

I don't know - its just kind of dumb. I have a cute picture with that same sign from 2 years prior but this is blurry and far away and poorly positioned.

Next up: some randomness

 

[Doc Disney]

I think that's actually Prince John...

OMG you are right! So weird though because everyone was calling him King Richard and the CMs did not correct anyone! I changed it!! Thanks for pointing it out. Truthfully I have never actually seen the movie so I was just going off what everyone else said

 

[Tuvalu]

Your “faraway” picture is actually a limited time magic shot.

New Disney PhotoPass Experiences at Walt Disney World Resort

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disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[Swissmiss]

Adorable pictures of Max with Mickey and Minnie

 

[Doc Disney]

Your “faraway” picture is actually a limited time magic shot.

New Disney PhotoPass Experiences at Walt Disney World Resort

Disney PhotoPass Service is constantly exploring new ways to capture your picture-perfect vacation memories at Walt Disney World Resort. The team has recently introduced several new offerings, so today I’m excited to share my favorites.

disneyparks.disney.go.com

Can't say I love it

Adorable pictures of Max with Mickey and Minnie

Aww thanks!

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 1 continued

We walked back to the Contemporary, quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed down towards the pool.

My Mom and I stopped at Joffrey's in the lobby and got these delicious iced teas. I got a peach one and she got a regular one. They were so delicious and huge! They lasted us several days

I actually never made it into the pool before it got closed for lightning
It never really rained but lightening was in the area for awhile. We wanted to find a place to eat dinner that would kill some lightening time so we hopped on the monorail.
We got to ride on the Toy Story Monorail!

We decided one Gasparilla Grill so we headed there

Max got a kids cheeseburger (I did not take the first 2 food photos )

My sister got the special which was a roast beef sandwich on a pretzel roll with some special cheddar sauce on it

My Mom and I both got the Mac and cheese (although as usual we should have shared - it was too much food)

Next up: some dessert

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 1 continued
After our dinner we headed back on the monorail to the Contemporary
We wanted some dessert so we went down to/up to ? (can't remember if we went from our room or the monorail ) Contempo Cafe
Mine is called the firecracker cupcake which is red velvet with berries inside (the hat part is white chocolate)

My Mom got one we saw on IG earlier in the day called Dulce de Leche. It is chocolate with a caramel center and a caramel truffle on top

My sister had a rice crispy treat which I forgot to photograph and Max picked out this sugar cookie but I think he ended up just eating some of our cupcakes instead.

The cupcakes were both good but a bit too sweet.
Anyway, after our treat we called down to the front desk to see if the pool was open yet (yes...we are that lazy). The CM said all the rest of the monorail resort pools were open but ours was not quite yet. We figured that meant it was going to open soon so we got dressed and headed out. It opened just as we walked up - perfect!
I had a very hard time with my waterproof camera this trip so enjoy these 2 blurry photos

The sky looked super ominous but it never really rained

The pool was so much fun! Barely anyone was in it so we got to go down the slide a bunch which Max loved.
After our pool time we headed upstairs to get ready for bed and the fireworks
Enjoy a ton of pictures from our balcony
The sunset was beautiful!

Next up: more balcony pictures

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 1 continued

I hung some lights up on our balcony

So we were a bit overtired and had a major struggle with the tripod I brought with me Somehow we broke it apart and it took us like 45 minutes to fix it - which really was an easy fix that we could not wrap our heads around I brought the tripod with me so I could film fireworks without actually having to pay attention to my camera Ignore the unpacking mess in the background !

While we were working on the tripod we got a knock on the door. Imagine our surprise when this got delivered!!
So cute!!
We actually got this once before for being repeat guests !

Since we just had treats we put it in the fridge to save for later.

Next up: quick fireworks post

 

[Doc Disney]

Day 1 continued
I don't think I ever mentioned how we came about a theme park view. It was pure luck. We did not decide to go on the 4th of July until fairly recently and when I looked at the website a few days in a row this room popped up! I knew, with Max especially, it would be the easiest way for us to see the fireworks without having to deal with the crowds. Max does not care for fireworks up close but he did tolerate them from the balcony
Oh, also I forgot to say. When we asked Max what his favorite part of the day was he said "oh - just being here with you guys."

So...I fully expected to be able to hear the music like we could on NYE but that was not the case at all. That was a bummer. I would have tried to que up music off Youtube ahead of time had I known. The fireworks were fantastic but if I am being totally honest the NYE ones are much better Still- it was very nice to see them - and better than any fireworks here at home would have been.
It was also very nice to see them from the balcony
After the fireworks it was off to bed!

Next up: Day 2

 

[Mickey Waffles]

Day 1 continued
I don't think I ever mentioned how we came about a theme park view. It was pure luck. We did not decide to go on the 4th of July until fairly recently and when I looked at the website a few days in a row this room popped up! I knew, with Max especially, it would be the easiest way for us to see the fireworks without having to deal with the crowds. Max does not care for fireworks up close but he did tolerate them from the balcony
Oh, also I forgot to say. When we asked Max what his favorite part of the day was he said "oh - just being here with you guys."

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So...I fully expected to be able to hear the music like we could on NYE but that was not the case at all. That was a bummer. I would have tried to que up music off Youtube ahead of time had I known. The fireworks were fantastic but if I am being totally honest the NYE ones are much better Still- it was very nice to see them - and better than any fireworks here at home would have been.
It was also very nice to see them from the balcony
After the fireworks it was off to bed!

Next up: Day 2

First off- I really love reading about your many Disney adventures (especially with your mom) & have been a long time reader!! My family and I spent July 4 at the MK 2 years ago and it was so hot then it felt like your face was melting off!! Lol!! So I can completely relate to leaving early to spend time at the pool. We too also stayed at the Contemporary- we love the short walk back “home” from MK after a long day. No need to fight crowds or wait for transportation. The last time we were there though & had a theme park view, we were able to turn the tv to a special channel during the fireworks show which piped the music into the room for us as we watched from the balcony. I’m not sure if they’ve changed that or not, but next time you stay there I’d ask. It may still be true!! (And was pretty cool!! ) Can’t wait to read more about your trip!! And thanks for sharing!!

 

[krisri18]

OMG you are right! So weird though because everyone was calling him King Richard and the CMs did not correct anyone! I changed it!! Thanks for pointing it out. Truthfully I have never actually seen the movie so I was just going off what everyone else said

What?! Robin Hood family movie night! Right after that Lilo and Stitch one that your family needs, lol

 

[Sillysidewalker]

Then...as we were sitting there .... Friar Tuck and Prince John walked by!

Late to the report but following along. I LOVE Robin Hood. It’s in my top 3 of Disney movies. I have never seen these characters in the park. So fun!

 

[BrerWayne]

Sorry I don't know how I managed to trail off trip reporting .....

Day 1 continued
After our nice PP picture ( ) we split up. My Mom and I were starving so we headed to grab some food. Betta and Max had some snacks on the DME so they were not as hungry as us.
We debated a bit about what to eat but eventually landed on Cosmic Rays so we could have some plastic cheese
We stopped for a picture along the way...
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At Cosmic Rays we shared chicken nuggets, fries and plastic cheese! Yum!!
You may be able to see in the photo that I brought reusable/silicone straws with us this trip. They were MUCH better than the paper straws and easy to clean. Plus we had 4 different colors so we knew who's was who's
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Meanwhile Max had a Mickey bar
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We met back up outside of the Tomorrowland Speedway. Since it was back open Max asked to ride so we hopped in line!
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I should mention that we were already very hot at this point
The wait time was listed as 45 minutes but we only waited about 15! Woohoo!
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After our ride we headed towards our first wsFP: Buzz!
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Next up: more Buzz

We invested in reusable straws also. The paper straws leave a lot to be desired.

 

[sheriffwoody]

OMG you are right! So weird though because everyone was calling him King Richard and the CMs did not correct anyone! I changed it!! Thanks for pointing it out. Truthfully I have never actually seen the movie so I was just going off what everyone else said

YOU HAVE GOT TO REMEDY THIS NOW! It's one of my favorites. I haven't watched it much in adulthood, though, so shame on me

Also, I think the zoomed out, faraway whatever the heck you want to call it, picture is weird too.

 

[LadyBelle]

You may be able to see in the photo that I brought reusable/silicone straws with us this trip. They were MUCH better than the paper straws and easy to clean.

Exactly the same reason I went and purchased some silicone straws myself. I just hope that I don't accidentally toss them in the trash!

 

[Doc Disney]

First off- I really love reading about your many Disney adventures (especially with your mom) & have been a long time reader!! My family and I spent July 4 at the MK 2 years ago and it was so hot then it felt like your face was melting off!! Lol!! So I can completely relate to leaving early to spend time at the pool. We too also stayed at the Contemporary- we love the short walk back “home” from MK after a long day. No need to fight crowds or wait for transportation. The last time we were there though & had a theme park view, we were able to turn the tv to a special channel during the fireworks show which piped the music into the room for us as we watched from the balcony. I’m not sure if they’ve changed that or not, but next time you stay there I’d ask. It may still be true!! (And was pretty cool!! ) Can’t wait to read more about your trip!! And thanks for sharing!!

Oh my gosh seriously ?! they probably still have that on TV I have heard people at BLT say that too haha oh well live and learn! Thanks for reading !

What?! Robin Hood family movie night! Right after that Lilo and Stitch one that your family needs, lol

hahah true! I'm hoping Disney Plus will remedy a lot of these movies we haven't seen

 

[Doc Disney]

Late to the report but following along. I LOVE Robin Hood. It’s in my top 3 of Disney movies. I have never seen these characters in the park. So fun!

I have never seen the movie Its now on my list!

We invested in reusable straws also. The paper straws leave a lot to be desired.

Agreed! It was worth carrying them around

 

[DryerLintFan]

Oh my gosh seriously ?! they probably still have that on TV I have heard people at BLT say that too haha oh well live and learn! Thanks for reading !



hahah true! I'm hoping Disney Plus will remedy a lot of these movies we haven't seen

I haven't bought a single Disney movie since the announcement came out. I sure hope they include everything like they said they would!!

 

[Rista1313]

I have never seen the movie Its now on my list!



Agreed! It was worth carrying them around

I bought some silicone ones but I can't get the chemical type smell off them.. washing, and airing out hasn't helped. I finally bought some other ones from Disney, but they are not foldable or compact.

 

[Doc Disney]

YOU HAVE GOT TO REMEDY THIS NOW! It's one of my favorites. I haven't watched it much in adulthood, though, so shame on me

Also, I think the zoomed out, faraway whatever the heck you want to call it, picture is weird too.

I know! I just need to be able to find it somewhere - it may have to wait until Disney Plus
That picture is super weird thanks for agreeing with me

Exactly the same reason I went and purchased some silicone straws myself. I just hope that I don't accidentally toss them in the trash!

LOL that was something I really had to be aware of because I could totally see myself throwing them out