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
It doesn't really help now since you're back home, but we have learned not to take the resort loop when heading to the Contemporary from Epcot. When we transfer, we take the express loop to MK & then walk back from there. The resort loop monorail tends to come less frequently, then it takes forever because the Contemporary is the last stop. And especially at the end of the night, there aren't tons of people riding the express to MK.
There was one day that I suggested this and we decided against it, then ended up waiting FOREVER for the resort one. I think if we ever stay there again (low chance), we'd do it that way. The walk is really so short, it makes sense.
 

jlag1006

Well-Known Member
There was one day that I suggested this and we decided against it, then ended up waiting FOREVER for the resort one. I think if we ever stay there again (low chance), we'd do it that way. The walk is really so short, it makes sense.
That's exactly why we started doing it! We waited FOREVER and saw 3-4 express monorails zoom by while we were waiting. My parents' home DVC resort is BLT, so we stay fairly frequently.
 

Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
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!
I think you're totally wrong, that Lenny's sub looks delicious, I definitely saw the egg too, I'm happy that Epcot Forever didn't seem that great....Spoiler, I really wanted to see it our night at Epcot but it didn't happen.
 

PacNWTigger

Well-Known Member
tenor.gif

Count me in too!
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, Oct 20

My main goal for this day was to sleep in, but unfortunately our neighbors joined forces with Chef Mickey's to make sure that didn't happen. Maybe since I'm so used to getting up with the baby, my body just couldn't keep sleeping anyway, so I gave up around 7:15 and just made myself some coffee.



Enjoyed our beautiful view this morning! After reading for a bit, I placed an Amazon Prime order for water, Coke Zero, pop tarts and K-cups (in case we didn't have our room serviced). I order more than I really need because I feel weird JUST ordering a thing of water. We took home most of the pop tarts and kcups.

After a while R got up and moving. Unfortunately he slept funny and his neck was super stiff. He was in a lot of pain, but we figured it would work itself out. Thank goodness I brought tylenol! Since we were up anyway, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom for a bit. Main reason I love being this close to a park! Super easy to just pop over.



The open atrium is cool, but being on the Chef Mickey's end was annoying. It was loud in our room :cry: @Doc Disney assures me they've never had that issue, so I'm guessing it's only bad in a few rooms.

First order of business for me was getting a bit of food.



I stopped in the Confectionary and just asked for the first rice krispie that I saw. I mean they all taste the same. Jack was tasty! I would have loved a waffle, but I didn't want to fill up too much since we had brunch plans. I only ate about 3/4 of Jack. R refused to try it because he wanted to save all his stomach room for brunch :hilarious: If I don't eat something when I'm hungry, my stomach gets all out of whack for the rest of the day.

I was wearing my Country Bears shirt and ears so we headed to Frontierland to get a picture in front of the Jamboree and watch it. As luck would have it, we ran into Wendell and Shaker! When they noticed my ears they gave me a LOT of attention. I got kind of embarrassed that they spent so much time with me. I know there were probably some people judging me as a "childless millennial." Despite my constant awareness that there were other people wanting to chat with the bears, I did enjoy their antics!!





Shaker proposed and Wendell busied himself trying to get my ring off. I assured him it wasn't going anywhere since the Florida heat makes my hands swell :hilarious:



As you can see R was a good little Instagram husband and took lots of photos.



I missed the memo about the sassy pose. These guys were a HOOT if you can't tell. They were seriously so entertaining.




I hustled off so they could talk to some other people. They were just so fun, it really made my morning!



Closer look at my ears from Etsy and my shirt, one of my own designs. I wish I'd met Big Al too since he's featured on the ears. I think the face looks like Shaker too though.

We got in line for Splash Mountain. I should have taken notes, but I think the wait was around 30 minutes, and it took less than 20.



Several cast members commented on my ears (before I took them off for the ride). They were a hit in Frontierland!





After Splash, we had to go back and do the Country Bear Jamboree. Can't skip it when I'm wearing my gear! I wanted to do Big Thunder first, but the wait had been steadily climbing.




Up next: more MK
 

sheriffwoody

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 2, Oct 20 continued

We had planned to leave around 11:30 and it was about 11, so we figured we'd just head out. We happened upon my FAVORITE thing in Magic Kingdom on the way out!








This poor girl was sweating buckets and that burnt orange color wasn't very forgiving. I left off the photos where you can see her pit sweat 😬




You can kind of see the sweat here. Oops. Disney performers are such rockstars, I can't imagine dancing around in that heat. It was VERY hot our first few days. I think the "feels like" temp was around 100 this day and the next.











Sorry, not sorry I take WAY too many pictures every single time.

up next: Brunch
 

Oh bother!

Well-Known Member
Those are
Day 2, Oct 20

My main goal for this day was to sleep in, but unfortunately our neighbors joined forces with Chef Mickey's to make sure that didn't happen. Maybe since I'm so used to getting up with the baby, my body just couldn't keep sleeping anyway, so I gave up around 7:15 and just made myself some coffee.



Enjoyed our beautiful view this morning! After reading for a bit, I placed an Amazon Prime order for water, Coke Zero, pop tarts and K-cups (in case we didn't have our room serviced). I order more than I really need because I feel weird JUST ordering a thing of water. We took home most of the pop tarts and kcups.

After a while R got up and moving. Unfortunately he slept funny and his neck was super stiff. He was in a lot of pain, but we figured it would work itself out. Thank goodness I brought tylenol! Since we were up anyway, we decided to go to Magic Kingdom for a bit. Main reason I love being this close to a park! Super easy to just pop over.



The open atrium is cool, but being on the Chef Mickey's end was annoying. It was loud in our room :cry: @Doc Disney assures me they've never had that issue, so I'm guessing it's only bad in a few rooms.

First order of business for me was getting a bit of food.



I stopped in the Confectionary and just asked for the first rice krispie that I saw. I mean they all taste the same. Jack was tasty! I would have loved a waffle, but I didn't want to fill up too much since we had brunch plans. I only ate about 3/4 of Jack. R refused to try it because he wanted to save all his stomach room for brunch :hilarious: If I don't eat something when I'm hungry, my stomach gets all out of whack for the rest of the day.

I was wearing my Country Bears shirt and ears so we headed to Frontierland to get a picture in front of the Jamboree and watch it. As luck would have it, we ran into Wendell and Shaker! When they noticed my ears they gave me a LOT of attention. I got kind of embarrassed that they spent so much time with me. I know there were probably some people judging me as a "childless millennial." Despite my constant awareness that there were other people wanting to chat with the bears, I did enjoy their antics!!





Shaker proposed and Wendell busied himself trying to get my ring off. I assured him it wasn't going anywhere since the Florida heat makes my hands swell :hilarious:



As you can see R was a good little Instagram husband and took lots of photos.



I missed the memo about the sassy pose. These guys were a HOOT if you can't tell. They were seriously so entertaining.




I hustled off so they could talk to some other people. They were just so fun, it really made my morning!



Closer look at my ears from Etsy and my shirt, one of my own designs. I wish I'd met Big Al too since he's featured on the ears. I think the face looks like Shaker too though.

We got in line for Splash Mountain. I should have taken notes, but I think the wait was around 30 minutes, and it took less than 20.



Several cast members commented on my ears (before I took them off for the ride). They were a hit in Frontierland!





After Splash, we had to go back and do the Country Bear Jamboree. Can't skip it when I'm wearing my gear! I wanted to do Big Thunder first, but the wait had been steadily climbing.




Up next: more MK
what fab pics with the bears! Do you ship your T-shirt designs to the U.K.?
 

Sillysidewalker

Well-Known Member
Day 2, Oct 20 continued

We had planned to leave around 11:30 and it was about 11, so we figured we'd just head out. We happened upon my FAVORITE thing in Magic Kingdom on the way out!








This poor girl was sweating buckets and that burnt orange color wasn't very forgiving. I left off the photos where you can see her pit sweat 😬




You can kind of see the sweat here. Oops. Disney performers are such rockstars, I can't imagine dancing around in that heat. It was VERY hot our first few days. I think the "feels like" temp was around 100 this day and the next.











Sorry, not sorry I take WAY too many pictures every single time.

up next: Brunch
I can’t process how the cast members deal with the heat. I would pass out!
 

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