How Many Days In A Row Will We Wear Tie Dye (or Disney 2009 review): Part 5featured

Same deal with this one as last one: too many pictures of Bay Lake Towers, so that’ll be in a separate post. And please don’t lift my pics off my site :o) This installment is REALLY long. If it’s too long, let me know and I’ll start splitting these up into smaller installments. And it’s kind of picture dry until the middle. Sorry!

The wake-up call came early today, around 7:15 am. It was something we had to get used to but something I didn’t want to. I’m a night person and Disney was reworking my sleep schedule. My body didn’t like it and I had a whopper of a headache.

But my desire for sleep would have to wait until we got home- Disney was waiting and we had a brand new hotel to check out.

Most people would wonder why we were waking up so early to check into a hotel a few miles away when check-in wasn’t until 3:00 pm. A few reasons. We didn’t know how the lines would be for check-in. We had to run to Wal-Mart to do some grocery shopping (even though we were on the deluxe dining plan…I’ll explain later). We had a dining reservation for 2:00 pm and wanted to be all settled in. And most of all, even though Stephanie did the planning with me, it slipped her mind that this was one of our two full days in Magic Kingdom. She spent weeks complaining that it simply wasn’t enough (we had hoppers and Magic Hours so it wasn’t just two days in Magic Kingdom). And it wasn’t. I would have picked Animal Kingdom for a half-day exploration for that day, but the Crowd Calendar (http://www.touringplans.com) said to avoid it and so we did.

So we planned to leave the Gaylord Palms around 10:00 am, check into the Bay Lake Towers, unpack and check out the hotel and then head over to Magic Kingdom for a few hours with grandma, take her back for her nap and head back for lunch, go to Wal-Mart, go back to the parks with grandma and then head to ‘Ohana for dinner. This was assuming an easy check-in. What happened was far from easy.

But I digress.

So we were up at 7:15 and we had a quiet breakfast in the room of cereal and milk, yogurt and muffins that we bought on the night we came in at Goodings and got everything together. We decided it would be fun to match on our first day so we all wore a Mickey head tie-dye.

We packed up the car, did a clean sweep of the room to make sure we didn’t forget anything and we were on our way to our new hotel by 9:45 am. There was a surprisingly low level of traffic going into the Magic Kingdom gates for that time of morning and I was hopeful that the crowds would be manageable, like the Crowd Calendar predicted. We were quickly at the Contemporary Resort (where check-in for the BLT is, as they have no check-in facilities and a very small lobby at the BLT).

Since we have a handicap placard for grandma, we were going to valet the car (Disney offers free valet at the deluxe resorts for those with handicap placards) but the valet told us there was ample parking closer to the BLT and it might be easier for us with her, so we had them hold the car while we checked in. We thought it would be a quick and easy process because it always is. It wasn’t.

It started easy enough. A greeter came up to us and welcomed us, asked us which resort we were staying in (Contemporary or BLT) and told us we’d LOVE the new BLT. He took us over to an empty check-in desk where Helaine would check us in.

Check in started before 10:00 am. It didn’t finish until well past 11:00 am and as Stephanie prophesied, a large chunk of our Magic Kingdom day was eliminated as a result. But back to the check-in. I opted not to check us in online because some people believe it gives less of a chance of an upgrade. We didn’t need an upgrade and we booked exactly what we wanted, but it would be a welcome surprise (we were upgraded from a Bay Lake view to a Magic Kingdom view at the Contemporary last year and it was quite lovely). Nevertheless, if it happened, it happened, but we wouldn’t ask for it and would be quite fine if it didn’t.

So we didn’t check in online.

The check-in was going fine and well for the first five minutes (which is really all it should have taken). Helaine was telling us all about the Bay Lake Towers and the Contemporary and she was a really great cast member. None of what happened next was of any fault of hers.

She went to pull up our room number and told us we’d be on the third floor. I asked if anything higher was available because I had heard that the lower floors were generally standard views and we booked a Bay Lake view with hopes of getting a nice view of Epcot. Well, according to our reservation, we had booked a standard view.

Umm what? No we didn’t. I booked it. Bay Lake view. It even says so on our invoice, both from booking and from when we paid off the balance.

It took over an hour of Helaine and her supervisor (who was coincidentally also named Nicole) calling central reservations, us calling central reservations and more supervisors to find out what happened. It was a long, arduous process and it was frustrating as we saw people coming and going, seamlessly checking in and getting on with their day while Mom and I were standing there for over an hour trying to figure out what was going on and Stephanie trying to keep grandma awake in the lobby (they eventually went up to the Contempo Cafe to get grandma some coffee). Oh, and the valet was holding our car. And the windows were open and the car was on. We had to run out and fix that while playing phone tag with central reservations.

Apparently, when we called to upgrade from the regular to the deluxe dining plan the week before, the woman who did the upgrade rebooked our entire package and booked us in a standard view. She then priced the difference in dining plan based on that new price (which was lower because we had paid in full for a Bay Lake view). This was never mentioned to us. Because we always write down the date, time and name of the person we speak to on the phone when we make or modify reservations, we were able to tell them the time, date and person we spoke to and told them to look up the conversation (they tape them). They decided they wanted to get her on the phone (because she’d remember?) but eventually, they just gave in and gave us the room we booked.

Again, this was of no fault of Helaine or Nicole, who were both quite apologetic and very nice. But how frustrating to spend over an hour checking in and have to rethink plans for the entire day as a result. Helaine gave us a folder filled with maps, park times, Contemporary/Bay Lake Towers activities for the week (let me know if anyone wants this scanned in) and other fact sheets and sent us on our way to our new home for the week: a 1-bedroom villa on the 11th floor of the Bay Lake Towers. And bonus: it was ready so we could head over immediately!

Before we headed upstairs to meet up with Stephanie and grandma, we stopped at Concierge to get a print-out of our dining reservations and upgrade to park hoppers. I wish I remembered the name of the wonderful cast member who assisted us (her name escapes me right now, but she was blonde and from Ohio) but she was fantastic. She even took the time to check the availability for the Wishes dessert party for us (it was still booked solid). When I went to leave, she thanked me for being so nice and smiling. It just makes me sad that I had to be thanked for smiling. I know people pay a hefty sum of money to vacation at Disney and that sometimes makes them grouchy or demanding, but it’s the happiest place on earth- everyone should be happy! Hell, I had to wait over an hour to check into our hotel and I didn’t raise my voice or misdirect my frustration once. I even smiled through most of it. It wasn’t the fault of anyone at the Contemporary.

We finally met up with Stephanie and grandma and headed towards the bridge to the Bay Lake Towers. It had already been a long morning, but we were giddy with excitement to check out our new digs. To get into the bridge, it requires a key card (you need to be staying at the BLT to access the bridge, building or pool) and it was a bit tricky sometimes, but we quickly figured it out and made our way in, stopping to admire our first glimpse of the castle.

You know how when you buy a new car, there’s a distinctive smell? New car smell? When we took our first step into the BLT, new hotel smell invaded our senses. It’s hard to explain, but akin to new car smell. Everything was clean. Pristine and new. The bridge leads to the south elevator banks on the fifth floor. We lucked out in that not only was our room was in the south wing, but it was steps from the elevator so we had quick and easy access to the bridge. The only negative is that in the evening, one of the elevators was dedicated to taking BLT DVC owners to the Top of the World lounge, reducing the number of elevators available to us from three to two. We aren’t owners so we couldn’t access the lounge, but we didn’t care about it so we didn’t even try.

Our room, 8134, was ready and waiting when we stepped off the elevator (I think there was one room and a hidden elevator between our room and the elevator). I’ll post the dozens of pictures I took of the room in the next post. The room was exactly as I pictured it. Even a bit bigger. We had a small entryway, which housed a connecting door to the next room, a few closets, a washer/dryer and the smaller bathroom. The entryway led to the larger room, where the kitchen, dining room and living room/makeshift bedroom were, along with a door to our balcony (which had a GREAT view of Epcot, Downtown Disney, Disney Hollywood Studios and Blizzard Beach). A lot was made about the privacy of the balconies, and I couldn’t see into our neighbor’s balconies without making a great effort.

The view to the right of our balcony

Immediately straight out

A bit to the left (no zoom)

Through the dining room area was the entrance to the master bedroom and large bathroom (with a separate shower with two different shower heads to choose from and a whirlpool tub). The master bedroom had one large king bed and the living room had a pullout couch (which I believe was a full or a queen) and a convertible chair (which pulled out to a twin bed). We weren’t sure how the sleeping arrangements would work out because we didn’t know how hight the bed would be or if we would be able to get grandma’s wheelchair into the main bedroom (we didn’t book a handicapped room because we’ve never had trouble with her wheelchair in any hotel). We could get her wheelchair into the bedroom, but the bed was too high for her so she took the convertible chair (which was at the same level of her chair) and Mom took the pullout sofa. Both said their beds were extremely comfortable, if not a bit firm (but they both seemed to like that). Both room had large flat screen televisions, and the one in the living room also had a DVD player.

There was a lithograph in the room on a table- a gift to us for staying at BLT during opening week. We knew it was unlikely to be put in a brand-new, never stayed in room, but I think we might have been. There was no evidence anything had ever been used or moved. If we weren’t, Mousekeeping did a hell of a job making it look that way.

Grandma was ready for a nap and she’d need it since we had a really late dinner booked at one of her favorite restaurants (‘Ohana). We really wanted to take her to the parks and get her back to the hotel before lunch, but we didn’t have time so we stayed in the hotel and got settled for a bit.

Upon first impression, I was really impressed with the size and functionality of our room at the Bay Lake Towers. This impression grew more valid throughout the week. I really can’t imagine staying anywhere else. The room was huge and was the perfect amount of room for the four of us for the week. It was SO nice having two bathrooms (both having showers and bathtubs), our own washer and dryer (which we made good use of) and although we thought we wouldn’t need a kitchen, grandma made great use of it during the week. If I priced it correctly, it’s less than $200 more over the course of a week to stay at the BLT over staying at the Grand Floridian and while I prefer the theming of the Grand Floridian, I like the facilities of the BLT so much more, both room and pool (which is much better themed than the pools at the Grand Floridian). And it’s not like the rooms are barren walls- I actually really, really liked the artwork in the rooms. It was as cool and contemporary as the art at the Grand Floridian is whimsy and classical.

I tore myself away from exploring every inch of the room to go with Stephanie over to the Contemporary to get some lunch for grandma and grab the refillable mugs that were included on our dining plan.

It was a quick walk over to the Contempo Cafe, which is on the fourth floor of the Contemporary. From our room to the Contempo, it couldn’t have taken more than five minutes. The Contempo Cafe is still relatively new. The last time we were here, it was just being converted from the Concourse Steakhouse and was just a temporary, small counter area. It’s actually quite nice now, with lots of seating and an airy, open space. During the morning and evening, it gets a lot of noise from Chef Mickey’s, which is immediately next to it.

There are three or four machines to place your order on. They’re easy to use and give plenty of options to modify your order. The machine prints off a slip and you pay the cashier, who gives you a beeper that will go off when your food is ready. The process can be quick and painless unless it’s a “meal time,” when the lack of available machines will be glaringly apparent.

We got grandma a kids turkey sandwich meal with a cookie and french fries (the ones on the regular menu were too made up for her tastes) and a chopped chicken salad to split with Stephanie (who was famished). The turkey sandwich was small but perfectly plain and we “dressed it up” for her at the veggie bar (where you can top your sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and lettuce). We paid out of pocket for her lunch (I don’t remember how much it was because that receipt is missing from my Passporter) and grabbed the refillable mugs ($52 OOP or four mug credits on the deluxe dining plan).

The refillable mugs are good for unlimited refills of fountain drinks, coffee and iced tea throughout your stay. They’re around $13 each out of pocket, but are included on the quick-service and deluxe dining plans. We admittedly don’t make good use of them because we usually bring what we need, but they’re included so we use them. I was disappointed that the Contemporary didn’t have Hi-C Fruit Punch on tap like the Grand Floridian does, but it did have Powerade, which would be useful in the hot weather.

Grandma enjoyed her lunch at the dining room table (which we were able to wheel her up to…it really was perfect for us). The turkey sandwich was delicious and she really liked the salad. Stephanie had a few bites and didn’t care for it because it had too much dressing and not enough crunch.

Kids Turkey Sandwich meal

Chicken Chop Salad

After grandma had her lunch, we got her settled for her nap and got ready to go to Magic Kingdom. We had the choice between walking to the Magic Kingdom or taking the monorail, and we opted for the monorail because it was super hot out. We made the quick walk over to the monorail and were quickly whisked away on an empty monorail.

I was expecting crowds everywhere, but it was mid-day and hot so I assume most of the crowds went back to the resorts to rest and go swimming. Or the crowd calendar was right and Magic Kingdom was just not as busy as we expected. Either way, we enjoyed our first walk down Main Street and the relatively empty space.

I really wished we had time to do a few rides (or at least Haunted Mansion) before lunch, but we had a 2:15 pm lunch reservation at Liberty Tree Tavern and it was nearly 1:45 pm and we were hungry.

We made our way over to Frontierland and checked into Liberty Tree Tavern. We ate here last year and it was difficult to get grandma into the restaurant (we had to go through side entrances and the crowded dining room because there’s steps to the dining areas), and she didn’t think the food was anything special anyways so she decided to not come with. Mom and Stephanie LOVE it here. I really, really hated it the first time we ate here. I had the most disgusting, vile pasta dish I’ve ever had (it’s no longer on the menu) and the only reason we came back was because Mom and Stephanie really love it. It was the most uncrowded I’ve ever seen it. We even found seats in the waiting room, but even though we were nearly a half-hour early, we were seated within five minutes.

As much as I had bad memories of last years food, I still liked the theming of the restaurant. I’ll talk about theming zillions of times before this review is over, but one area where Disney constantly excels is the theming, particularly in the dining venues.

Our server came over and quickly took our drink order. I think we went through two drinks before we even ordered. It was THAT hot outside. I had a light lemonade and Mom and Stephanie had iced teas.

Mom started with the Declaration Salad (field greens and vegetables tossed with tavern strawberry vinaigrette or roasted garlic buttermilk dressing) with the strawberry vinaigrette and loved it. The greens were crispy and the dressing was a nice balance of sweet and tangy. She had the New England Pot Roast, which is the specialty of the house, for her entree (braised beef in a cabernet wine and mushroom sauce, served with mashed potatoes and garden vegetables) and thought it was amazing, especially since it reminds her of grandma’s pot roast. The beef was soft and flavorful, not chewy or stringy and there was ample chunks of vegetables. For dessert, she had the Carmel Apple Tart (shortbread crust, sugared apples and cinnamon ice cream) and didn’t care for it.

Declaration Salad

New England Pot Roast

Carmel Apple Tart

Stephanie also started with the salad, and then had the Pilgrim’s Feast for her entree (traditional roast turkey with herb bread dressing, mashed potatoes and green beans) and she loved it. The turkey was mostly white meat (which she prefers) and soft and the sides were excellent. For dessert, she had the Strawberry Shortcake (pound cake with vanilla bean ice cream, berries, and whipped cream) and thought it was a nice, light way to end the meal.

Pilgrim’s Feast

Strawberry Shortcake

I started with the Tavern Fried Cheese (served with marinara sauce). It was a one-person appetizer, then a two-person and now, it’s a one-person appetizer again. The size was just as ample as always, with large portions of mozzarella sticks and cheese curds. Two sticks fell off the plate as a food runner had too many plates in her hands when she was bringing our food over. She offered to bring me more, but the portion was more than ample and Mom and Stephanie shared this with me. They liked the sticks better, I liked the curds better. Both were soft and warm on the inside and perfectly crunchy on the outside. I didn’t care for the marinara, though, as it was too herby for my tastes. For my entree, I had the William Penn Chicken Pasta (applewood smoked bacon, mushrooms, marinated chicken and basil with a creamy marinara), but without the chicken and bacon (I don’t like chicken in my pasta and I didn’t know how the bacon would work with the sauce and mushrooms). I hate basil and didn’t want to be a pest, so I left it on and luckily for me, it was in large leaf form and I was able to pick it out. The pasta was amazing. There were a lot of large mushroom slices and the sauce was smooth and tasted almost like a vodka sauce…sweeter than a normal marinara and not quite as herby. Liberty Tree Tavern had redeemed itself to me! For dessert, I also had the Strawberry Shortcake and loved it. The cake was infused with strawberry syrup (I think), which gave it flavor but allowed it to retain its light texture. The berries were fresh (I left the blueberries because I’m not a fan of them) and the soft whipped cream on top brought everything together.

Tavern Fried Cheese

William Penn Chicken Pasta

The check, pre-gratuity, totaled $90.51 and we redeemed three meal credits from the dining plan.

When we were leaving lunch, a parade was just about to start and we crossed through it just before it started. We made our way over to Haunted Mansion and even though the park seemed pretty uncrowded, there was a lengthy line. The good thing about the line for Haunted Mansion, though, is that there’s always something to look at and the line moves pretty quickly.

Stephanie rode with Mom and I rode alone (well, alone until a hitchhiker decided to join me…). We split up after the ride, with Mom going back to the hotel to settle in a bit more and Stephanie and I spending a bit more time in the park before heading back so we could go grocery shopping.

The skies were looking pretty ominous and I didn’t have my poncho with me so we headed over to It’s A Small World.

I love IASW, but I rarely ride it without grandma. It’s her favorite ride and seeing her enjoy it kind of makes it that much more special for me. Because she’s in a wheelchair, we use the handicap line and wait for the modified boat. I think this was the first time we waited in the regular line in years and it was so slow (mostly because of parents taking pictures of their kids and not following the line), despite the fact the ride is constantly loading.

We walked around Fantasyland for a little while before it started drizzling and we took shelter in some of the stores.

The worst of the rain passed pretty quickly (maybe 15 minutes), but it was drizzling and I didn’t want to go out with my camera in the light rain and we wasted another half hour in the shops. When the rain had dissipated, we had to start heading back to the hotel. We took our time, though, exploring on our walk back to the front of the park.

We found Cinderella’s Fountain on the path from Fantasyland to Main Street USA. Stephanie threw in a coin but was disappointed when she looked down and the fountain was only a foot or so deep.

As we were walking towards the exit, we saw cast members getting ready for a “special arrival” (I believe it was Goofy). As the rain had passed and the temperature dropped considerably, it was getting more crowded. We timed our exit perfectly.

We decided to walk back to the hotel using the walkway to the Contemporary and it was a quick walk (10 minutes or so) from the park exit. My feet were starting to kill me and even though I broke in my shoes before we left, I had some nasty water blisters on my heels and my feet were inflamed. This didn’t bode well for the rest of the trip if I had foot pain on our first day! The shoes (Crocs gym shoes) were also quite a bit less supportive than I thought they were and I had a bit of shin pain (old injury that hadn’t bothered me for years or ever at Disney). We entered (via key card) through the lobby of the BLT and it was as small as I thought, but very nice, with a vaulted ceiling and a nice, airy feel to the small space.

Grandma was still napping and we didn’t know if she’d do well with such a late dinner (9:30 pm) so we called concierge to see if they had an earlier time available (they didn’t). We also got some directions to the nearest Wal-Mart so we could go do some grocery shopping and pick up some last-minute supplies. Mom wanted to buy me a swimsuit since it was so much hotter than we anticipated, but I declined since I didn’t see where we’d have time to do much swimming, anyways.

The Wal-Mart was off of 535 (I think), about 15-20 minutes away. With the heat, we realized grandma wouldn’t last in the parks as much as she’d usually last and would be missing more meals than we anticipated. But, we had a full kitchen so we bought some snacks and a lot of drinks (milk, juices, Vitamin Water’s and a case of water bottles), but also some meal fixings in case grandma missed a meal or two (she wasn’t too high on the menu at the Contempo Cafe and really prefers regular food over some of the fancier food at some of the Disney restaurants). Someone on the DisBoards suggested buying roasted chicken at Publix and I hear a lot of people do it, so we got a roasted chicken (I think it was less than $5, too) and it was great for snacks, sandwiches and grandma had it for dinner once or twice, I think. We also bought a lot of Molefoam (which Stephanie brought with to prevent and protect blisters) since we were obviously going to quickly go through the one pack she brought with.

It was around 6:00 pm when we got back from shopping and we considered going back to the parks, but we ultimately decided to rest and relax in the room until it was time for dinner. Stephanie took a shower and LOVED the rainfall shower head. When I went to get ready, I went into my suitcase and realized the bag of clothes I had for our nicer meals was missing. If you’ve read my cruise reviews, you’ll know that I like my options, and I’ll dress up for a meal that doesn’t require dressing up for the fun of it. I had a bag full of new clothes that I was really excited to wear and it was missing! I thought maybe I left it in Atlanta or at the Gaylord Palms, but I realized that I just entirely forgot to pack it. I had enough nice outfits with me for our signature dining meals later in the week, but I was bummed that I forgot my cute new outfits.

We headed out for ‘Ohana around 8:30 pm, almost an hour early, even though it was only two monorail stops away because we wanted to check in early in case we could get seated early and so we could look around. We love the Great Ceremonial House at the Polynesian because it’s (I’ll say it again!) so gorgeously themed and we could look around the shops while we waited.

We checked in and were seated about a half-hour early of our reservation time. We’re always seated in the same section of the restaurant (not far from the podium), and we were again this time, but they took us on a walk around the restaurant to see the pit before seating us, which I thought was a nice touch.

The meal is served family style, all you can eat. The hostess served us bread as we were seated and our “cousins” quickly came over to introduce themselves and take our drink orders (iced tea for me, Sprite for grandma and diet Coke for Mom and Stephanie). I felt like the meal was rushed. It was the end of the night and we were in the last seating (I assume), and I felt like our servers wanted to expedite the experience. With our drinks came the dipping sauces (sweet and sour, peanut and a hot sauce) and salad. Before the salad was plated, the potstickers, vegetables, noodles and chicken wings were brought over and within five minutes, the meats were coming around. I like my meals slow and leisurely and the pace wasn’t working for me. We were eating slowly and I think our servers got the hint and slowed it down.

Welcome Bread

Trio of Sauces

Mixed Greens with Honey-Lime Dressing

Pork Potstickers with Sweet and Sour Sauce

Honey-Coriander Chicken Wings

Lo Mein Noodles

Stir-Fried Broccoli and Pea Pods

I wasn’t a big fan of ‘Ohana because of the limited menu and my own pickiness. When they switched the menu last year, they took off the wonton chips, potatoes and sausage (three items I loved) and when we dined here last, the steak was fatty, the potstickers seemed freezer burned, the noodles were oily and the vegetables were soggy. It wasn’t a good meal.

This time, I was pleased to find the food was of much better quality. The bread, though starting to stale a bit, was soft and tasty in the middle. I took to dunking it in the hot sauce and the sweetness of the bread and the tang of the hot sauce was fantastic. The salad was crisp and I love the dressing at ‘Ohana, sweet with a big bite cutting through with the vinegar. The potstickers weren’t the best I’ve ever had, but Stephanie loved them and we had seconds. The veggies were still limp, but I’ll eat broccoli anyway, anywhere. I don’t eat meat with bones in it, but Stephanie, Mom and grandma can’t say enough to express how delicious they thought the chicken wings were. The noodles were alright. They’re not much better than mall chinese lo mein.

The meats are served off skewers off a fire pit. Mom requested some well-done steak and they made some just for her. Our server discovered how much Mom likes shrimp and put an entire skewer in a bowl for her. Grandma particularly enjoyed the turkey (especially with the sweet and sour sauce). I thought the steak was still a bit fatty, but enjoyable for the most part this visit and tried the pork for the first time and thought it was the winner of the meats. Stephanie agreed.

Asian BBQ Pork Loin

Marinated Sirloin Steak

Spicy Grilled Peel-‘n-Eat Shrimp

We enjoyed watching the little parade and coconut races. ‘Ohana is a family-friendly restaurant and is loud and busy no matter what time it is, and was as busy at 9:45 pm as it was at 6:30ish on our previous visits. I think the games and music are cute.

After we ate, our server brought over some warm, moist towels. I think this is new (we’ve certainly never been brought them before) and I think it’s a very nice touch. The chicken wings were a bit messy and Mom, Stephanie and grandma appreciated its usefulness.

Right before dessert, they lowered the lights and announced Wishes would be beginning. They also piped in the music, which I didn’t know they did. We had quite an obstructed view, but we could see enough to enjoy it.

Dessert was ‘Ohana’s bread pudding with bananas foster sauce. It was delicious, but entirely too heavy after our meal. Grandma, however, loved it so much that our server brought us seconds.

‘Ohana Bread Pudding a la Mode

I skipped out of dinner a few minutes early while Mom handled the bill ($123.50 pre-gratuity, four meal credits) to head down to Captain Cooks, the Polynesian’s quick-service area. It was closing soon and I wanted to grab an order of Polynesian chips to snack on later. Polynesian chips are a delicious mix of wonton chips, potato chips and sweet potato chips, all made fresh in the kitchen. They’re my favorite snack in Disney World and they’re cheap, to boot. I got two orders (they’re small orders) and paid out-of-pocket, $3 and change.

It was past 11:30 pm when we got back to the hotel. Magic Kingdom was closed, but it was still lit up and we had a lovely view passing it on the bridge.

Mom and grandma went straight to bed and Stephanie hooked up her portable DVD player to our TV and watched Monsters, Inc. I took a quick shower and then took advantage of our large whirlpool tub and took a bath and oh my gosh, it was AMAZING. The warm water and the jets slowly worked the soreness out of my muscles. I brought with a bunch of Lush bath bombs and threw one in and soaked for a good hour.

Stephanie and I watched the movie and I wrote in my Passporter for awhile before we fell asleep. We were still in the habit of staying up late, but we had an early breakfast in the morning. Thankfully, coffee would be involved.

Up next: A photo tour of Bay Lake Towers