It's Called Leap Day-Not Sleep Day-OMDD with the TCD Gang!

[shoreline99 137]

Not to threadjack, but for those who haven't seen the mosaic mural it is breathtaking.

Here are a couple of pics from 2010 that I took, trying to get as much of it as I could.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great Contemporary shots!! I too, kinda toured around Contemporary, later in my trip, but I'll get to those pics when the time comes.

Couple comments, see the mini van with the Alabama tags, those folks live in my county!!

Also, on my stroll around the Contemporary, I tried like heck from the 4th floor to get "all" of the Mary Blair mural in one shot. With the new Fantasia store it is impossible. Even from your vantage it is impossible to get that picture without anything else in the shot anymore. What a shame.

Wow, it's a Small World, right? Florida tags used to say what county the tag was issued in, but they don't anymore. I miss that.

I really like that mural. What I find amazing is how it still looks nice and not out of place despite being original to the building. How many things from the 70's can you say that about?

Not to threadjack, but for those who haven't seen the mosaic mural it is breathtaking.

Here are a couple of pics from 2010 that I took, trying to get as much of it as I could.

I don't consider that a threadjack at all.

Those are great photos!

Thanks for sharing them.

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

I love the Contemporary photos!! It was our first WDW hotel and is still KFD's favorite to this day. (We may have photos of him in plaid pants there too.) ;D Good memories...

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Was it noisy in your room at the Contemporary? I always think it's loud when we are there at that resort. I like your view also. I also like your loyalty to the Fort, you have on your FW shirt!

[we3peas 12]

I think the deal with the couple that tried to do DL and WDW in the same day was that they were trying like you to do all the attractions. They started at WDW and were able to do them, then flew to DL but since it's a smaller park they got caught up in traffic and park closings. They made it into the park but were unable to get to all the attractions there. They decided to just enjoy the experience at that point and not worry about doing everything....

FL tags still have counties on them, if you can find one that is not advertising a school or special group. If you have a truck, lease, or bought out of county then they say Sunshine State.

[CKCK 45]

Finally caught back up.

TCD has been killing it since his slow start.

Not to backtrack too much, but I am anti TSI.

There, I said it.

I have a reason though.

We went over there last October.

We took the two CKCK red heads.

It was hot that day.

It was probably about 10 degrees hotter on the island.

It was still, muggy, hot. We were tired. The red heads were living up to their hair color.

The rafts were over loaded...and hot.

It was not a fun time.

However, I am willing to try it again under other circumstances and keep an open mind.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Still loving this TR, even though it makes me sad to realize all the rides/attractions at MK I haven't done yet. It is the only park I have been to, so our next trip (whenever that may be), I have promised the kids we will do Epcot. But no place makes me feel like a little kid again like MK. :)

Looking forward to another update soon!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I love the Contemporary photos!! It was our first WDW hotel and is still KFD's favorite to this day. (We may have photos of him in plaid pants there too.) ;D Good memories...

I can't tell you how much I would love to see a photo of KFD in his plaid pants at the Contemporary!

How about you post one?

Was it noisy in your room at the Contemporary? I always think it's loud when we are there at that resort. I like your view also. I also like your loyalty to the Fort, you have on your FW shirt!

Much to my surprise, our room was very quiet. We did have a lot of noise early in the evening when there were some activities going on down by the marina. I'll be telling about those when we get to that part. But after that, it was nice and quiet. And, since we were on the end of the building, there was no noise in the halls, like you get in a lot of hotels.

And, heck yes I was representing the Fort! I had another reason for wearing the shirt, too. You will soon see that I went out to explore, and the shirt was going to be my excuse in case I got stopped. I planned to just tell the security guards that I was from the Fort and had gotten lost.

I think the deal with the couple that tried to do DL and WDW in the same day was that they were trying like you to do all the attractions. They started at WDW and were able to do them, then flew to DL but since it's a smaller park they got caught up in traffic and park closings. They made it into the park but were unable to get to all the attractions there. They decided to just enjoy the experience at that point and not worry about doing everything....

FL tags still have counties on them, if you can find one that is not advertising a school or special group. If you have a truck, lease, or bought out of county then they say Sunshine State.

Wow- that was ambitious of them! I think that it could have been done. But, from what I'm hearing now, Disneyland was way busier than the MK.

And, in my county we definitely do not have the county names on our tags any more. The twins do not have trucks or leases, and I bought their cars right here in this county, and their plain old Florida tags say Sunshine State. It's been years since I have had any tags issued to me with the county name on them.

I wonder if it's a county decision?

Finally caught back up.

TCD has been killing it since his slow start.

Not to backtrack too much, but I am anti TSI.

There, I said it.

I have a reason though.

We went over there last October.

We took the two CKCK red heads.

It was hot that day.

It was probably about 10 degrees hotter on the island.

It was still, muggy, hot. We were tired. The red heads were living up to their hair color.

The rafts were over loaded...and hot.

It was not a fun time.

However, I am willing to try it again under other circumstances and keep an open mind.

OK- you're right, TSI is no fun when it's hot.

Back in the day, the caves there used to have excellent AC, and we would go on hot days specifically just to cool off. For a while now, the AC in the caves isn't so cool. They are muggy and humid. Boo!

But, it's nice to visit TSI when it isn't a hot day.

Still loving this TR, even though it makes me sad to realize all the rides/attractions at MK I haven't done yet. It is the only park I have been to, so our next trip (whenever that may be), I have promised the kids we will do Epcot. But no place makes me feel like a little kid again like MK. :)

Looking forward to another update soon!

Marty- don't fret- you will have a blast in Epcot.

And this was our first and probably only visit to the MK where we set out to do everything. Truth be told, that is not a fun way to visit the MK, or any theme park for that matter. Our normal plan of attack is to pick an attraction or two that will be our "must do's." We then use Fastpasses or go to those first, and then fill in around those must do's. We let things unfold, and let the magic happen. And it always does. That's how we usually roll.

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

I can't tell you how much I would love to see a photo of KFD in his plaid pants at the Contemporary!

How about you post one?

TCD

Your wish is my command... :rofl2:

[Lil Lisa 53]

Your wish is my command... :rofl2:

Awesome! Is it just me, or is anyone else reminded of old Biff from Back to the Future? :rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Your wish is my command... :rofl2:

Wow!

That is awesome.

I love those pants.

And is that you making the sassy diva pose?

That is even more awesome!

If I'm looking at this photo right, it shows the garden wing that was torn down for Bay Lake Tower there in the background.

That is a great photo!

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

Awesome! Is it just me, or is anyone else reminded of old Biff from Back to the Future? :rofl2:

It's been a very long time since i've seen that movie and my memory is fuzzy on old Biff. He sounds like he'd be the arrogant captain of the football team...

If I'm correct.. then.... :bellringer: :rofl2:

Wow!

That is awesome.

I love those pants.

And is that you making the sassy diva pose?

That is even more awesome!

If I'm looking at this photo right, it shows the garden wing that was torn down for Bay Lake Tower there in the background.

That is a great photo!

TCD

Glad you enjoyed the photo... and YES I am the sassy diva. ;D

I believe you're right. That does look like the wing that was torn down. KFD was not a fan of this. He doesn't do well with many WDW changes, especially the original stuff.

Maybe I need to start a thread... The Traveling Plaid Pants of KFD. Not really.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

What amazes me is how active the marina was. All the marinas seem pretty dead nowadays.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

It's been a very long time since i've seen that movie and my memory is fuzzy on old Biff. He sounds like he'd be the arrogant captain of the football team...

If I'm correct.. then.... :bellringer: :rofl2:

Glad you enjoyed the photo... and YES I am the sassy diva. ;D

I believe you're right. That does look like the wing that was torn down. KFD was not a fan of this. He doesn't do well with many WDW changes, especially the original stuff.

Maybe I need to start a thread... The Traveling Plaid Pants of KFD. Not really.

:rofl2:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Let's get this moving along . . .

We hung out in the room a bit. The plan was to try to take a nap, but none of us felt like doing that yet.

So, I decided to go out and have a look around the hotel. There were a couple of things that I hoped to see. One was whether or not I could get up to the roof-top deck. I have been up there before, but that was when we ate in the California Grill a long, long time ago. I didn't know what the deal was about day-time access. The other place I wanted to see was the Concierge floors. The elevators would not stop at the 12th or 14th floors unless you had a KTTW card for a room on these floors. A long, long time ago, we got upgraded to the Concierge level of the Contemporary, so we knew how that worked. But that was a long time ago, and I wanted to see for myself how things looked now.

So, let's get going on our mission. I headed out to the elevators, with the plan being to go as high as I could there, and then use the stairs to try to get to the roof.

Here's a look at the five legged goat from the 8th floor. As you can see, contrary to what Lil'; Lisa thinks, that extra appendage is definitely a leg:

Here's a look at the express monorail heading through the Contemporary, and Chef Mickey's and the Contempo Cafe' there to the left:

I was able to take the elevator up to the 11th floor, and then used the exterior stairs to go up to the roof. No problem there. The view from the roof was pretty neat. Here's a look toward the Fort from the roof. You can see one of the MK boats down there:

And there's Discovery Island- it looks kind of small and lonely from up here:

Here is a view of Epcot from the roof (look for Spaceship Earth) (or the big golf ball if you are uninformed about these things). Also, look to the right of SE- you see that big triangle? That's the Swan/Dolphin hotels:

Here we are looking to the West- that's the Grand Floridian over there across the Seven Seas Lagoon:

Here we are looking at the Wilderness Lodge, you can see Epcot back there behind it:

I think this shot is pretty cool. Here we see the express monorail speeding toward the Contemporary on the highway in the sky:

Now we are looking at the Magic Kingdom:

And Bay Lake Tower:

Here are some more MK and BLT views:

Here is an interesting juxtapositon of two things we saw from the roof.

A giant cloud:

And a little lady bug:

Looking far toward the East, I recoginzed the big tower that they have at Sea World, and we could also see the track for Sea World's big coaster Kraken, and make out the big Renaissance hotel building that is next to Sea World:

Here's one more look at the MK:

The whole time we were up on the roof, nobody came along and told us to scram. There weren't any signs that said we couldn't be up here, so I assume that we weren't breaking any rules. This assumption was further confirmed by these binoculars that were mounted up here:

It was $.50 for a look.

We decided to take a peek at the Fantasyland Expansion project from up here. We could see quite a bit. I've done this trick before, and it worked again. Here are a couple of shots taken through the eye piece (that is part of the new Little Mermaid attraction you see) :

Now we are back looking toward Downtown Disney on the other side of the roof. You can see the big hot air ballon up in the sky just to the right of the center of this photo, above the trees:

Here's that balloon again:

It may be an optical illusion, but to me it looks like that balloon doesn't even go as high as the Contemporary roof. So, if you want to see WDW from up high, it would seem like you would be better off coming up here rather than going up in that balloon.

Here we are looking way to the East again. Sea World is over there, and we could figure out where it was from the observation tower they have. Universal Studios is over there somewhere too, and we should have been able to see parts of it, but I'm not sure where those parts are:

Now, we are back on the other side of the roof, looking toward Bay Lake Tower- there's the BLT tennis courts:

In this photo, you can see that one of the monorails is heading toward the service area:

There must have been a lot of monorail swapping going on today, as they were keeping the monorail service open for more than 24 hours.

So, we have seen Epcot and the MK from up here. We should be able to see Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, too. Right?

Right.

In this photo, you can see the backside of TCD, but more importantly, you can see Expedition Everest there just to the right:

I think that's enough photos from the roof.

I have a lot more, but I think that's enough.

Do you remember the other thing I wanted to see in addition to the roof?

Yes, it was the Concierge Lounge.

But, I didn't have a room on the Concierge Floor.

So, there was no way for me to get there.

Too bad.

Wait a second.

You don't believe that do you?

Of course I got there.

How, I can't tell you.

Trade secret.

And when I got there, I found out something interesting.

Do you remember the secret I told you about how to figure out what floor your room is on at the Contemporary?

You add the first two numbers of your room number and that gives you the floor number.

So, how does this work? :

The last time I checked, four plus nine adds up to thirteen.

But, these rooms were on the 14th floor.

What The Fort?

Well, the Contemporary doesn't have a 13th floor.

Well, actually it does, but they call it the 14th floor.

Why?

Superstition?

Well, if that is the case, then why does the Fort have a 1300 loop?

Things that make you go hmmmm.

So that pretty much covers my Contemporary exploring.

It was time for me to try to get a little sleep.

So, that's what I tried to do next.

And, we also had to have a big pow-wow to decide where we were going to eat dinner.

You may remember I got out-voted at lunch.

I knew where I wanted to go for dinner.

And any of you loyal TCD TR readers probably can guess where that was.

I'll fill you in on how that went in the next update.

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

Way to score the binocular view photos of the expansion! That was 50 cents well spent. Lil H took my last quarter to use the binoculars and I didn't have any spare quarters so I didn't get a sneak peek.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Great update, Andrew! I love the view from the roof. I am definitely plan a trip up there cause there is no way I'm going up in a balloon!!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

1. awesome pictures and view from the roof!

2. many builders will skip the 13 floor because of superstition

3. according to numerology 13 is the number of change

4. it takes 13 knots to make a hangmans noose

5. Oct 13 was the date of the Knights Templar arrest

6. there were 13 people at the Last Supper

7.. I'll stop now. but there is more here.

8. Hope the next update comes before hitch up time (once again, I'll be out of service for over a week)....please!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Cool pics from the roof!!! Haven't been up there in the daytime in years!!!

[lklasing 16]

I know that I am supposed to prefer the MK view rooms, but I really liked being on this side of the tower, and watching all of the boats on Bay Lake:

I've once again been lurking and enjoying your report, but I had to chime in at this comment. I'm very pro-lake view. When we stayed at BLT last spring, we had the chance for a room that would have had a partial view of the MK but I opted for a room that had a great view of the marina. I sat out there many times watching the boats come and go, and loved getting to watch the EWP from our balcony.

Great report!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Love that you made it to the roof - great pics! I've been up there when we've eaten dinner, but have never seen the view in the daylight.

[wak648...Bill 94]

Way to score the binocular view photos of the expansion! That was 50 cents well spent. Lil H took my last quarter to use the binoculars and I didn't have any spare quarters so I didn't get a sneak peek.

I call shenanigans on that comment! That statement is total You were upset you did not have enough quarters for the barrel ride.

[stefa70 205]

It's been a very long time since i've seen that movie and my memory is fuzzy on old Biff. He sounds like he'd be the arrogant captain of the football team...

Absolutely correct Kim. Plaid pants included!

[stefa70 205]

Great idea scoping out Fantasy Land through the binoculars. We should all try to take a visit over there while the work is being done to see all of the changes. I am scared to death of heights, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Enjoyed all of your views...even your backside.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You've just given me another idea for something to do with the kids next time we are at the Fort. To the roof we go!!! Followed up by ice cream at Contempo. Sounds like a good outing to me.