Michael & Kelli’s Sept 2012 trip at Bay Lake Towers for the Night of Joy

[bochnikm]

Travel dates: Sept 6 - 9, 2012
Travel method: Air - Jet Blue, DME
Resort: Bay Lake Towers (BLT)
Accommodations: Studio, Lake View
Ages Represented in Group: early 50s
Disney Resort Experience Represented in Group: ~14 trips to WDW
Comments: This short trip is for my wife to experience the Night of Joy a hard ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom featuring Christian music bands
Cast of characters: Me Michael, & my wife Kelli

Pretrip:

We planned a trip for the Food and Wine Festival later this year and in working the DVC (Disney Vacation Club) points figured we could do a weekend elsewhere. I considered September since the crowds can be nearly non-existent and I figured we might be able to get into Bay Lake Towers; then noticed this thing called The Night of Joy (NoJ) Its a hard ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom featuring Christian music on three different stages. The Magic Kingdom will close at 7 PM to regular guests, but will let the NoJ ticket holders in starting at 4PM.

Im not into Christian music (Im a classic rock kind of guy or rock from any decade that the Rolling Stones have played in ). I asked my wife about it and she actually knew of some of the bands - ???? (the things I dont know about her!). So I figured Id plan this trip for her. Im sure some of the rock nature of some of the bands will appeal to me.

I did a lot of research on this thanks to MousePad and other boards and figured out Bay Lake Towers would be the perfect resort for this. You can walk to the Magic Kingdom from here and wed be able to avoid the hoards of church groups streaming to the area from 4-7 PM.

I do know what to expect at NoJ and Ill see if my research is right:
- The park will be empty early that day until 4PM when the NoJ people start streaming in.
- The roads, ferry and monorails will be swamped heading in from 4-7 PM hence the reason its great to be staying at BLT.
- The Magic Kingdom will be packed from 4- 7 PM with long rides for the attractions
- We will be the oldest people there that night!
- There are no Fireworks or nighttime parade just the bands and a few rides open.
- the crowd its interesting to see the VERY different views on how well behaved or NOT the crowd is. Im a New Yorker wont bother me either way. But Ill give you my honest opinion afterwards.
- it will be like any other non-assigned seating concert (except that you stand) if you want to be close to the stage and be elbow to elbow with other people (mainly smelly teenagers ), get to the stage early and wait. My wife wants to be able to see the stage but not squeezed like sardines up close.

Besides the NoJ we are looking forward to staying at Bay Lake Towers, we hope for a high floor to enjoy the balcony, from relaxing breakfasts and nightcaps - to observing cool thunderstorms passing by (we hope). We also hope to hit the Top of the World lounge as well.

We will avoid the MK from 4-7 and have dinner early evening at the California Grill and The Wave (new restaurant for us). We also have Boma scheduled for the day we arrive.

Since this is a short trip we look forward to doing traveling with only carry-ons and using DME. We only expect to hit a park or two ( OK or three), and mainly Kellis favorite attractions.

[Barberella]

I enjoy your trip reports and this one promises to be quite a unique trip - I'm looking forward to it.

PS: Your plan to stay at Bay Lake Towers is brilliant.

[TinaMouse]

I'm so jealous. I've always wanted to go to NoJ. It will be so uplifting!!!

[bochnikm]

Kelli and I are getting to see one of the headliners scheduled for the Night of Joy this Friday. MercyMe is playing after the NY Mets game - so we got tickets. We are Met fans and live only 20 minutes away from Citi Field. It will be good for me to be a bit more familiar with some of these bands.

Barberella - it will definitely be a unique trip! I hope my trip report can be useful to others wanting to try Night of Joy in the future.

Im really looking forward to staying at Bay Lake Towers. We last stayed at the Beach Club and the convenience to EPCOT was awesome. The walking distance to the Magic Kingdom should be nearly as good.

[TinaMouse]

OOH--Mercy ME!!!!! YES!

[bochnikm]

Day 1, Thursday September 6, 2012

We had a mid morning flight on JetBlue out of JFK airport. Kellis sisters brother-in-law Tony was kind enough to drive us to the airport. Traffic was light and we made such good time that we shopped in the JetBlue Terminal. Kelli had fun shopping in the Ron Jon Surf Shop. We havent left NY and we already have a few souvenirs to bring back!

Security was a breeze (unlike the trip back - stay tuned) and the flight down was uneventful. We had a bit of a wait for DME. The bus first stopped at Old Key West Resort before reaching the Contemporary. As we stepped inside the lobby a CM stepped up to helped us. She was able to find our folder at the front desk so check-in was quick. Best of all the room was ready!

We were in a studio, room 8240 on the 12th floor. Our balcony overlooked Bay Lake and the marina/pool area of the Contemporary. We could just make out in the far distance Spaceship Earth at Epcot, the Swan & Dolphin Resorts, the Sorcerers Hat and the Earful Tower in the Studios and Everest at Animal Kingdom.

View from our balcony


Kelli wanted to rest after traveling, this turned out to be the right move because heavy rain moved in shortly afterwards. I went for provisions and lunch and brought back a Marinated Chicken Flatbread - with oven roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions, arugula, and goat cheese, from the Contempo Caf. We shared it and it was delicious!

I also brought back provisions from the Concourse Sundries & Spirits. At first I looked at Contempos single serving cereals but they were over $2.00 a piece. I could buy a small box here for less than $5, so I skipped the eggs and Ill eat raisin bran with Kelli each morning. We still bought bacon got to have bacon. I also grabbed English Muffins, milk and water.

We relaxed on the balcony and soon dark clouds and heavy rain moved in. We could watch this wicked weather safely and dry from here. The rain cooled the days temperature and it soon cleared.

We then walked over to the Magic Kingdom bus loops and took the bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for our 5:15PM ADR at Boma- Flavors of Africa. We had a long wait for the bus and were running 15 minutes late. We met a family of three who were heading to the same restaurant so we showed them the way once we arrived.

For drinks, Kelli ordered the Godiva Chocolate Martini (Stoli Vanil vodka, Godiva Chocolate liqueur, white creme de cacao and Frangelico) and I had the Pina CoLAVA (Bacardi RAZZ rum blended with pina colada mix and raspberry puree.)

We were delighted to see the Peanut Soup and Watermelon Rind Salad back in the buffet. Our waitress recommended a lamb dish and the roasted loin. I found a hot pepper chutney that went great with the beef. As always everything we sampled was great. After dinner I suggested to Kelli that we check out the animals in the savannah out back of the lodge. Pink-backed Pelicans, Zebras and others posed for some great pictures. Then we happened across people roasting marshmallows at the camp fire. We felt like kids again roasting a couple and enjoyed eating them as well.

(By the way do not misinterpret the last sentence. We roasted a couple of marshmallows, not a couple, we are not cannibals!)






We took the bus to the Magic Kingdom. Because of the two Night of Joy concerts on Friday and Saturday this will be our only opportunity to see the Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes. Many other people had the same idea and we ran into moderate crowds. In the town square I noticed that the Goofy statue was back on the bench. We made our way to Tomorrowland and rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority then found a place near the hub to watch the Electrical Parade, then stayed put for Wishes.

We enjoyed the easy walk back to Bay Lake Tower watching all the people and buses scrambling to get back to their resorts.

Once back in our room I convinced Kelli to visit the Top of the World Lounge. We had to double back down to the first floor lobby to let the Cast Member lead us to the lounge elevator. The place had emptied out after Wishes, no one was on the outside viewing area so we had a little romantic time watching the castle and Space Mountain glowing in the dark. We headed in and there were 3 people plus the bartender there. Kelli was done for the night but I really needed a nightcap to take the edge off all the traveling and excitement of the day. I ordered a shot of Jameson and received a tall shot glass. Not bad for about $8.50. With the Tables in Wonderland card discount of 20%, plus the 18% tip automatically added it came to a little over $8. We left a $10 bill on the bar and called it a night. (Always take care of your bartenders)

[bochnikm]

Day 2, Friday September 7, 2012

We slept in a bit to be well rested for the evening. We made breakfast in our kitchenette and discovered that the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) did cheap out on the toasters. It was plastic with very thin heating elements and weighed only about half a pound. It took three cycles on high to toast one English muffin. But so far this is the only real minor complaint I have about DVC.

We enjoyed breakfast on the balcony. We watched monorails enter and leave the Contemporary, and a few people enjoying the grounds. We also notice Black Vulture after Black Vulture leaving the area trees and heading to the roof of the garden wing of the Contemporary. In the end we counted over 60 of these cool birds. Were not sure why they congregate here.



We headed to Animal Kingdom by bus with a short wait, but then the bus stopped at the Wilderness Lodge, the Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian and then Blizzard Beach on the way. We were still in time for the first showing of the Festival of the Lion King. We took new pictures of Daisy Duck hiking with Huey, Dewey and Louie along the stream. A few mallard ducks were sleeping next to Daisy. Then we finally found the fishing hole where Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Pluto are fishing. Weve always missed them since we cross the bridge at the Lion King on the right side going in. They are on the opposite side of the path from Daisy and the three boys.

We tried not to sit in the Warthog section, sorry Pumba; but we were wrong about which section that would be. And of course we took the fist bleachers on the right and were warthogs once again.

The sections going counter-clockwise on the way in are Warthog (first bleachers on the right), Lion, Elephant and Giraffe (with the giraffe section being the first bleachers on the left when going in.

As usual we thoroughly enjoyed the show. We then headed for the secret rest rooms (in Pizzafari). They are secret because they are not on the map. They generally dont have the lines that the ones in Camp Mickey have after the show lets out.

Next was the Flights of Wonder show, which we havent done in a while. The show is always slightly different since not all the birds do each show. We missed the lizard bashing bird, but enjoyed a Toco Toucan, Harpy Eagle, Harris's Hawk, Grey Crowned Crane (named Fraiser of course) and other birds flying over the audience.

After the show we went looking for the corn dog nuggets we had last time. Unfortunately the little concession stand Safari Nuggets is now Safari Wings. So Kelli let me drag her to Yak and Yeti counter service where we split the Mandarin Chicken Salad and the Sweet and Sour Chicken. I enjoyed it; Kelli-not so much - the salad had carrots which can give her a stomach ache.

We decided to see what the wait was for the Kilimanjaro Safari and we ran across DeVine. I was able to pose with her and she tickled my neck with her leaves.



Safari had a 10 minute wait so we headed on in and got the front seat of the truck. It was nice to see a slightly different view, to see whats ahead. Since it wasnt crowded the truck was able to stop momentarily and some animals were very close and we got some good pictures. Since it was also hot, some animals like the lion and the warthogs were just sleeping lumps on the ground.

We did some shopping on the way out. Kelli got a great deal on a wool cap on sale. In the Oasis a cast member pointed to a sleeping Giant Anteater on the ground.



It was getting hot (92 degree with a feel like of 98). Back at our studio I did a 30 minute power nap. After that I let Kelli rest and went out to explore the resort and try to get a picture of the Avengers monorail. The court yard before the pool had both shuffleboard and bocce ball courts. People were playing in each one. The pool looked refreshing so after a successful shot of the monorail from the bridge connecting Bay Lake Tower with the Contemporary, I dropped the camera off at the room and headed down to the pool for a dip. I tried the slide once and then looked for the secluded beach behind the pool. To get to it you have to enter the fenced off pool and then look for a gate behind the stairs to the slide. Looks like a nice place to relax, if the pool activities arent too loud.



I then had trouble getting back into the building. My room key had stopped working. I had to wait ten minutes before someone let me in.

I headed to the new front desk inside the Bay Lake lobby and a friendly cast member helped. They redid my key and followed me back up to the room to make sure it worked. It did not.

The CM told me she'd go back and try to get a new key. Minutes later she called the room and said they could not do it from the new lobby desk and that the Contemporary had to rebook our rooms and issues all new keys. After about a half hour of waiting in the room she came back with two new keys that worked for the rest of our stay.

Bay Lake staff - an A plus; Disney IT - an F minus.

Dinner was at the California Grill. We were seated next to the window but away from the Magic Kingdom, but with nice view of the water bridge and Seven Seas Lagoon. For starters we had the Vidalia Onion Tart (red onion marmalade, heirloom tomato ketchup, sweet onion rings) and the Roasted Cauliflower Soup. Both were good though Kelli did comment that the tart was quite salty. I also ordered a Belgium Beer. I liked it so much I ordered a second later.
A huge rain storm moved in with some lightening and put on a show. At one point the water was running down the windows in sheets and nothing was visible.

For our entres Kelli had the Roasted Organic Chicken (sweet corn cake, corn pure, petite carrots, chipotle emulsion and I had the Seared Diver Scallops (southern sweet corn risotto, spiced tomato broth, micro popcorn shoots).

Our waitress asked if we were having dessert but we had not made up our minds on what to have, so she left. We decided but she became so busy with larger tables that she did not come back for a very long time. Although we wanted dessert we felt that if the wait was just as long to get the dessert, then wait for the bill, and wait to pay for the bill that we would run late. So when she eventually came back we just asked for the bill.

We headed back to the room to change into more comfortable clothing along with rain jackets and umbrellas. There was a light sprinkle of rain on the walk over to the Magic Kingdom, but it stopped by the time we reached the front gates. It was near seven so most of the Night of Joy crowd was already in and our wait for security and turnstile was very short. Many of the Halloween decorations were already up. The kingdom closed for regular guests at 7 and many were still making their way out of the park. We had wrist bands indicating we had tickets for the Night of Joy (NofJ) and had to show the cast members them at the top of main street to continue. Kelli bought a NofJ T-shirt and we headed to the hub to wait for the first band to play.

I will say at this point Kelli was absolutely thrilled to be here both evenings and thoroughly enjoyed both. As I have never heard of most of these Christian Rock bands I would say the music was good enough to listen to and was very happy to be enjoying it with Kelli.

Each night there are three main stages with the bigger headliners appearing in front of the castle at the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage. Two other stages were in Tomorrowland: Rockettower Plaza Stage and the Galaxy Stage (this one was set up behind the scenes, you enter by going through a passageway underneath the TTA between the Carousel of Progress and Buzz Light-year, or where the character greet spot normally is.)

Each stage has three acts per night, starting at various times. There is another smaller stage in Adventureland where some more local people perform.

We position ourselves at the outer hub next to the popcorn stand and used the fence to lean against when we needed to rest. We could see the stage and the jumbo video screen but were not close enough for the more pack areas in front of the stage. We didnt want to lose our coveted spot so it was basically 6 hours of standing, either waiting for the next band or listening to them play.

The first band at 7:45 PM was called Needtobreathe and their genre was rock. I would say a mix of rock and rock ballads. The proselytizing was there but I thought it was minimal. If your significant other drags you there no need to worry about it.

A note about the crowd generally well behaved, even when we saw some of the harder rock bands (MUCH better than at a regular hard rock concert). Yes, occasionally there were over zealous, energetic fans but they were few and far between. Most of the crowd liked to sing along with the bands and it made for some nice moments. We did have one elderly group in back of us having a loud conversation during one concert and it took two or three tries to get them to shut up. Some people are just obliviously dumb you know the people, the ones who continually talk in a movie theater.

The next band at 9:50 PM was Chris Tomlin, genre: adult contemporary, which is accurate. A little slow for me but boy was the crowd singing along even the ones walking by to get to another part of the park.

About half way through their set I went off to explore. Disciple was playing at the Rockettower Plaza Stage more of a head banging rock band. They sounded good. You could get fairly close and you could easily sit a little farther away in and around the Lunching Pad (not open) area. There was some DJ/ radio station inside Cosmic Rays Starlight Caf but the food lines here were long, 20 people each line! I was glad to have a big meal before getting here.



The wait time for Buzz Light-year Space Ranger Spin said 30 minutes and the line was out the door (more on this tomorrow night when we do Buzz 5 times in one day).
I checked my Verizon app, and it said there was a 40 minute wait for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and 20 minutes for the Haunted Mansion. Not too bad waits but we knew all of them would be nearly walk-ons the next day. Early September has some of the lightest crowds for the year.

After a rest room break I met up with Kelli. Chris Tomlin had just finished an encore. I told her the rest rooms near the Tomorrowland Terrace were not busy so I held our spot so she could stretch her legs (and sit down for a while).

When she got back and since we missed dessert; we shared a Mickey Ice cream sandwich while waiting for the last act.

Casting Crowns came on at 11:55 PM, another adult contemporary group. They sounded good, lots of crowd participation and singing along. They ended around 1 AM. We were extremely tired. We walked back to Bay Lake Towers and were so glad when we walked passed the bus station that knew we would be in our room within minutes. We didnt have to stand & wait for the bus and stand some more on the bus. Bay Lake Towers is the place to stay to do Night of Joy

[bochnikm]

Day 3 Saturday September 8, 2012

We did not set a wake up alarm but I woke up at 6:50 AM and decided to make it to Disney Hollywood Studios for the extra magic hour at 8 AM. Kelli stayed back and slept. The bus took longer than expected due to loading a motorized chair which the guy did not know how to drive. We just made it there by 8.

With light crowds everything was nearly a walk-on. I did the Tower of Terror and Rock-n Roller Coaster in quick succession then powered walked to Toy Story Mania. The wait was only ten minutes and I rode alone. That left me with more high targets to shoot so I did fairly well.

I quickly circled over to the Muppet store to find the Statler and Waldorf T-shirt that our friend Bill wanted then quickly walked to Star Tours. I had the probe droid, pod races and Yoda in this version of the ride. I then headed to the front of the park. I had done four rides and one purchase in an hour and 20 minutes.

The sun was beating down at me at the bus stop. It was going to be very hot today. After I got back Kelli and I walked over to the Magic Kingdom and headed for Tomorrowland. The crowds were very light. Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin said it was a five minute wait. That was inaccurate by a long shot! I timed it and it took 30 seconds from the entrance to our XP-37 Space Cruiser.

After beating Emperor Zurg in the Gamma Quadrant we decided to ride again. I did better this time but just missed 600,000. Im tall so it takes a few moments to figure out where my laser blaster is pointing. I wanted to max out my score so we went on a third time, again walking right onto the ride. My aim was lousy this time so I let Kelli steer after the first room. It was a wild ride. If you want more of a challenge on this ride, let your wife drive. It actually made the ride a lot more fun!

Next was Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. This is always something new and different. You never know what to expect with the audience participation. In Buddy Boils mind reading segment where he tries to the guess the number the lady chosen blurted out her number right away. Buddy handled it great, at first saying this is going to be easy then stretching it out till the whole audience was laughing hysterically.

We then ran into PUSH, the talking and traveling trash can. I can watch him sneak up to unsuspecting tourists all day. I think more adults are freaked out by him rather than children. You never know how people will react.

We strolled over to Fantasyland and decided to check out the new Dumbo queue. There was no wait so we took a spin.

Walls are still up on the expansion. But Kelli did find the Beasts footprints on the ground and I posed with Ariel (the things youll do in public for a good picture).





Lunch was at the Columbia Harbour House. I had the Fried Shrimp Basket and Kelli did the kids meal PB&J, which was probably a lot healthier than my meal.

Next was the Haunted Mansion. We bypassed the new interactive queue and had a short wait to get into the stretching room. It always amazes me how so many people do not notice Madam Leotas headstone while waiting there. Although - this was the first time that I noticed the moving shadow on the ground in front of the empty piano/organ. It just goes to show you, youll have more fun if you just take the time to notice your surroundings on and off the rides.

It was really hot now and we wanted to rest up for the final Night of Joy so after shopping on Main Street - being mindful we brought only carry-ons we headed back for another afternoon power nap.

We also had to pack since we didnt have time tonight or tomorrow morning. We were also watching the reports of severe weather back in New York on the Weather Channel. Two tornados actually touched down in Brooklyn and there was film of one of them. Fortunately they were weak and very small and we found out later no one was hurt.

Dinner was at The Wave...of American Flavors restaurant in the Contemporary. They have a unique deep dark blue waiting area but we were only there for a minute. We sat at a nice table for two and had excellent service. Kelli was concerned about what was in the multigrain bread and the chef came out to tell her in did have sunflower in it. She is intolerant of sunflower and the chef brought out some white bread for her. She really wanted to try the butter with Hawaiian sea salt.

At first the menu seemed blah, but our waiter pointed out the beef and pork tenderloins as being excellent. Kelli ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Shallot Butter, Potato Gateau, and Spring Ratatouille and I the Locally-sourced Thompson Farms Pork Tenderloin in a Charred Herb marinade with Bread Salad and Bourbon-grilled Florida Peaches along with a Side of Potato Gateau with Goat Cheese.

We were very pleased with our meal; it outshined the California Grill both in meal and service.

I also enjoyed their Organic Beer Flight (six ounces each of blonde, pale and brown ale). Kelli had the Black Cherry Twist Red Stag Black Cherry Bourbon, Cranberry Juice, Sweet-and-sour, and Sprite. I tasted it as well and we agreed it was the best drink of the trip.

We were too full to have dessert, maybe next time; Id like to try this one again. We went back to room to change. Tonight we had clear skies, no threat of rain so we were smart and traveled light (meaning no cameras and other gear).

We headed in a little after 7 PM and headed straight for the Galaxy Stage where Kutless a rock band was playing. The stage is back stage of Tomorrowland; behind the TTA between carousel of Progress and Buzz Lightyear. The area was full but we could see the band through the entrance way. As people left we were allowed forward by security. I will say the Disney security and crowd control was excellent.



After they finished we had an hour before having to get back to the Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage for Third Day; another rock band. So we did two more trips on Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. The line moved very fast and we were on in 5 minutes. It seemed to us wait times were shorter on Saturday than Friday.

We were able to get much closer to the castle stage, just right of some small trees near the partners stature. Third Day put on a good show but they did proselytize more and also tried real hard to sell their new album which seemed like a strange mix to me.

After their performance we took a walk and rested on a rock wall outside the Ye Olde Christmas Tree Shop. The last show off the night was MercyMe at midnight; we had recently seen them at Citifield after a Mets game. About two songs in, the band was interrupted by shouts for 911. It seemed a girl had passed out near the stage. The lead singer did a good job dealing with this scary situation. The crowd was concerned, quiet, and very cooperative. We have yet to find out if she was alright. The rest of the set was a bit more subdued due to the situation and I think the entire crowd appreciated it

It ended at 1 AM and we were in bed around 1:40 AM

Day 4 Sunday September 8, 2012

Woke up at 6:30 AM after less than 5 hours of sleep. We finished what food was left in the studio for breakfast and enjoyed the balcony one last time. We needed to catch our Disney Magical Express bus service to the airport at 7:50 AM.

The bus also picked up at Wilderness Lodge, Polynesian, and the Grand Floridian. This killed our plans to shop at the airport.

There were short lines for security, but we chose the wrong line. They had just switched the person reading the X-ray images. The lady was pulling every other bag for a hand search; one person in front of me, then my laptop bag, Kellis purse, then two more after her.

OK - I had a screwdriver in there. BUT this is the picture of it come-on!



If you cant see the picture its a sub-mini screwdriver about an inch and a half long!

They sent my bag through the X-ray again and it was pulled again! Afterwards - looking through the bag the only thing possible that could show up on the X- ray is the AC adaptor on the power cord! (the fat part of the computers electrical cord). Imagine all the business people this TSA employee will delay!

Fortunately, we were at the start of this mess, so the delay was only fifteen minutes. I felt sorry for the people behind us.

Our flight was on time and Tony and Theresa picked us up. I had to fight to stay awake on the ride home.

Our next trip is only a short time away. We will be back for a much longer trip for the Food and Wine Festival in Epcot. This time we will be staying at our home resort Saratoga Springs.

Michael and Kelli



At first both our room keys worked. Then mine stopped working but my wife's was fine. I got stuck in the pool area for a while trying to get back in the building.
I went to the new front desk inside the Bay Lake lobby and a friendly CM helped. They redid my key and followed me back up to the room to make sure it worked. It did not.
The CM told me she'd go back and try to get a new key. Minutes later she said they could not do it from the new lobby desk and that the Contemporary had to rebook our rooms and issues all new keys.
About a half hour of waiting in the room she came back with two new keys that worked for the rest of our stay.


I would like to see better toasters in the DVC studios at Bay Lake Tower, The current ones and pathetic and cheap. It reflects poorly on DVC as being Motel 6 cheap. It took three cycles on high just to toast an English muffin.

[Barberella]

Ok, now that was fun.

I think this is the first trip report that I've read about the Night of Joy and since you consistently write good trip reports, it was definitely a pleasure to read. It even had a bit of a giggle in it (you posing with 'Ariel')

Sometimes the short trips turn out the best. I think that's because it forces you to really prioritize what you want to do in the time you have. Of course, longer, more relaxing trips are pretty nice too!

Thanks for taking the time to write your trip report - I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Silvercat]

What a great trip report, it was lovely with the photos in it (I sometimes can't see photos because my IP blocks them). Oh how I laughed at the picture of you with Ariel - that would be my darling hubby posing like that, given half a chance! I also loved your line about toasting couples rather than marshmallows!

Smashing report, really interesting and fun. Thanks for posting.

[EJ4Disney]

Great trip report. I LOVED your picture with Ariel. And your view is priceless. I love the Contemporary!!

Your report of the Night of Joy was very good. Thanks so much for sharing.

[betsyrina]

It's unanimous - the trip report and picture with Ariel were great! Thanks for posting!

[relaaxedwheniamthere]

I am going to have to give the "wave " a try

[bochnikm]

Thanks everyone for reading and your comments.
Now only if I could pose like that with the real Ariel!

Relaaxedwheniamthere: Both the California Grill and the Wave are now on our "gladly repeat restaurant list", along with Artist Point, Boma and Raglan Road.

On our upcoming Food and Wine Festival trip we are looking forward to trying Kona Caf at the Disney's Polynesian Resort (could not get 'Ohana) and the Turf Club Bar and Grill at Saratoga Springs Resort, which I heard only positives about.

[tinkaparis]

Great Report The Food, Music and the Contemporary sounded amazing!

[bochnikm]

We just got back from our second trip of the year. A ten day trip which included: a stay at our home resort, Saratoga Springs; a self guided tour of the new Art of Animation resort; a DVC preview of the expanded Fantasyland; the Food and Wine Festival, including some culinary demos; Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party AND Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. WHILE missing the chaos in NY/NJ after hurricane Sandy and winter storm Athena of power outages, work closures, downed trees, gas lines with fist fights and 8 inches of snow!

Look for a new trip report when I finish writing it in its entirety, and combing through the 1500 photos we took!

[danyoung]

Excellent trip report. Surprising about the Cali. Grill. Normally their service is impeccable. But nice that you had a great trip anyway!

[naomiatx86]

Yes great trip report and you are an awesome photograher.

The picture with Ariel is priceless!!

Thanks for sharing. Glad you missed the Superstorm and hope you & your family are able to recover quickly if any damaged happened.