Trip Report: Nighttime Resort Hopping (December 2019)

If you missed the last update, you can read it here.

After dinner, we planning on hitting up the Magic Kingdom resorts. the plan was to do Wilderness Lodge first, but after a long wait for a boat we went on a Contemporary boat.

When we got to the Contemporary, we couldn't dock so we headed to the Wilderness Lodge. I guess it worked out for us.

I wanted to see the gingerbread house. This was the first year they had one. I wanted to buy the pin for the house, but they only sell them when the house is "open" so I was out of luck. The gingerbread display is on the smaller side, but still cute.

After buying some stuff at the gift shop, we walked around a little more. Dad said we should check out Roaring Forks to see if they had the Christmas refillable mugs.

Guess what?

They did!!!

It's a Christmas miracle.

You can use them at any of the hotels, so it doesn't matter where you buy/activate them.

We watched the Electrical Water Pageant form the dock. It's one of my dad's favorite things in Disney and I enjoy it.

Then, we decided to head back to our hotel instead of doing more resort hopping. It was about 10 and we didn't want to push ourselves to far.

We took a boat to Magic Kingdom and then a bus to French Quarter. You do have to go through security when you get off the boat, but that's fine. There was a couple who had to get escorted to the bus, because they had a bottle of wine. that makes sense, because you can't bring it in the park. Just be aware in case you're shopping at the resorts. 

The fireworks were happening while we waited for the bus, so we got to see some of that.

At the hotel, I stopped by the front desk to waive housekeeping. They'll give you a $10 gift card for every day you waive. We ended up with $50. It's great, especially if housekeeping isn't really important to you like us.

I also bought a bow and two pins from the gift shop. we used our new mugs to get drinks. The French Quarter has Coke Freestyle machines which is nice.

In the room, I took some notes on the trip and put the plushes I bought in our window. I rolled out my feet with my lacrosse ball, soaked them in some cold water, and went to bed.

Steps walked: 15, 912

Up Next: Epcot is Full of Construction

Trip Report: More Resort Touring

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

After breakfast Dad and I checked out some more decorations at the Contemporary. Mainly, we were looking at stuff outside. The big Christmas tree for the Contemporary is outside. It's actually near where cars drive so it's hard to get good pictures of.

We also had dinner in one of the ballrooms later so we checked that out. My dad and I are both real weird and like to know where we're going. 

Then, we hopped on a boat and went to the Wilderness Lodge. The boats-especially in the Magic Kingdom resort area-are so relaxing and have some great views. 

The Wilderness Lodge is not my favorite hotel-it's just not my aesthetic, but it's very beautiful at Christmas. I do really like a rustic or woodland Christmas look.

I bought a few things at the gift shop. Merry Christmas to me!

I also checked out the cabins-at least the outside. It wasn't the most excited walk, but it is very quiet.

We relaxed a little bit and took in the atmosphere. Then, we got on another boat and were headed back to the Contemporary. Our boat captain entertained us with some Christmas carols.

Up next: Special DVC Dinner

Trip Report: Wrapping Up the Night

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

From Hollywood Studios, we caught a bus to Wilderness Lodge. Our plan was to eat dinner there. It took quite awhile to get a bus and I don't complain about Disney transportation easily-see earlier rant. There were 5 Saratoga Springs busses that left empty before we got our bus.

There was a duck waiting in line with us which was cute.

This is a good time for another PSA: don't feed the animals.

But we did eventually get a bus and were off to the resort. My parents talked to a nice couple with 3 kids. Their kids were beautiful and the youngest was performing Disney songs for us.

Once at the hotel, we headed straight to Geyser Point and grabbed a table. I ordered a water (gotta stay hydrated) and the smoked turkey sandwich. It tasted OK, but I was starting to crash again. Plus, I was still a little full from my milkshake.

The restaurant/bar is a nice place to hang out. There was a nice breeze off the water.

Then, we went to the boat dock. The plan was to catch the electrical water pageant which is a favorite of my dad's. I was too tired and needed to get back to my room.

While we waited four our boats (Contemporary for them and Magic Kingdom for me) we were swarmed by bugs. A boat captain told us they're called midges. They don't bite, but are very annoying.

My parents left first. My boat stopped at Fort Wilderness before heading to Magic Kingdom.

There was a Halloween Party scheduled for that night. There was a family of five behind me dressed like Star Wars characters. The parents were Han and Leia while the kids were Luke, Chewie, and Darth Vader. They were very cute. It was nice to see some of the party lighting and stuff from outside the park.

I did have to go through security to get to the bus stop. It was painless and after a 5-10 minute wait I caught a bus. 

At the hotel, I stopped at the gift shop to pick up packages I sent back to the hotel. In the room, I prepped a little for the next day and then went to bed. My plan was to sleep in the next day.

Up next: The Saddest Sight You'll Ever See

Trip Report: DVC & Free FastPasses (10/18)

If you missed the last update, you can check it out here.

Today we had a DVC meeting and tour over at Cooper Creek. A driver was picking me up at my hotel at 10:10 AM. So, I was up a little after 8 and took a shower.

I was a little numerous because interacting with strangers stresses me out.

I got around slowly, ate a bagel, and was off to my pick-up location. I was about 20 minutes early, but that's fine.

The gentleman picked me up a little after 10 and then we were off to pick up my parents at Bay Lake Tower. Then, he took us to Wilderness Lodge.

While we waited for the town to start, I found some great pins and put two.

Our guide was named Niko and he was from Greece. He was a fast talker like me. He was also very helpful. He showed us a Cooper Creek studio and one-bedroom. He also kept calling things bananas which was funny.

The rooms were nice and had a good amount of storage, but they aren't really my style. It was nice to check them out especially since we got three free FastPasses each out of the tour.

When we were done, Disney had a driver take us to Epcot. We rode with another couple who were also already DVC owners looking to expand. I think DVC may be an addiction. So, are annual passes.

Up next: A Breezy Lunch