Mackflava99
07-12-2011, 02:05 PM
Day 1 Bay Lake Towers
We left Savannah, very early and did our best to high-tail it to Orlando. We were too early and stopped by the local Wal-Mart to get a few items ( one of the girls forgot her sunglasses, etc)
Everyone in the car was getting the anxiety that always comes as we approach the WDW location. Passing through the Gates gives some added pep and we just cannot wait to get out of the car and have fun. I had called a few days before and also faxed the hotel to let them know we may arrive early, hoping it would make the experience go smoother. Whenever we did this at Wilderness lodge or beach Club, it worked out great.
We got to the Contemporary Resort around 10:45 am, (for Bay Lake Towers you check in at the Contemporary, because BLT does not have a front desk) . The valet took our luggage, We went to check in and were told “ Your room is not ready, and we doubt it will be ready until 2pm at the earliest but definitely before 4pm. This was fine with us, we went to the contemporary pool and then took the boat and had lunch at Roaring Forks. We got back to the front desk at 2pm to check, and the Cast member told us, “Here are your room keys, we know your room, but it has not been cleaned yet. But if you go to the BLT pool, we will text you when it is ready” (with the room number)
We went over to the BLT pool, and went for a swim. It’s a very nice pool, with a great water slide.
The pool area is very secluded and you cannot get in without a room key. There is an area to get drinks and limited food items, and a refillable mug area.
At 4pm we walked over to the Contemporary because we had yet to get a text. We were told that “ they still have not cleaned your room, so it’s not ready yet. Now we were getting annoyed. We were staying in Villas so we had pre-ordered groceries from We Go Shop ( we use them every year) and they were coming at 5:30pm. Again, the CM informed us that they will take the groceries into their cold storage, so it’s not an issue. 5:30 came and no room was ready, but we got the delivery and it was placed into cold storage. We got some interesting information from the CM who took our groceries. He said “ The BLT is the poor stepchild of the Contemporary. The maids don’t even get over there till 3pm.” I am not sure if he was griping or if it was the truth, but at this point it got us upset.
We approached the front desk, but there was no update on our room.
Finally at 6:25pm we got the text. Our room was finally ready.
It was a gorgeous room, we were very impressed. We had a 2 bedroom suite, The rooms are very large, the design of the rooms is very interesting, and there are 3 full baths. One of the showers had a dual spray with a rain-shower. We had 3 balconies, one had a view of MK, and the others had the lake. Totally awesome….
EXCEPT – the kitchen counter was a mess, it had some type of black syrup all over the counter, and there was a filthy rag in the sink. Also, it was very evident that the main sitting room was not cleaned ( the bedrooms and bathrooms were very clean.) fingerprints were all over the metallic furniture frames and the couch had crumbs on it.
(Please note, my wife is a total germ freak, so she sanitizes the entire room regardless, but the mess made her more germaphobic than usual.)
We called to complain and they sent a Mousekeeper to clean up.
We eventually got our luggage, but they forgot the groceries, eventually, we got all we needed and the room was cleaned.
We had a reservation for Chef Mickey at 7:30, but we got the concierge to change it. We just made it by 8pm. I had only been to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast, and never dinner. I had heard mixed reviews. But I was starving !!!!
All I can say is that we had a tremendous waitress, all the characters came to visit my girls and they spent a lot of time with them, and the food was actually very good. The Waitress brought each of us 2 drinks, because she knew we looked beat. I liked her initiative. The chicken was actually so good I got seconds, and the entire family loved the meal. Prime rib, fish, and excellent desserts. It was more relaxed then breakfast. The CM was so great, she spent a lot of time with us and she made everything fun. We tipped her A LOT. And we will try this again.
It was Late, but we visited the shops, looked for the gym and stopped by the Contemporary Arcade to check it out, The Arcade has some wild games ( you have to try Operation), we played a few , but eventually we went back to the room. We were very tired and the next day we had a big day planned at Disney Studios.(DHS)
When I got to the BLT, I realized that the refillable mug station closed at 7pm? I was pretty shocked, the only one with more reasonable hours was over at the contemporary…
Recap –
a.) We did get to experience 2 different Pools and 2 Different Waterslides
Contemporary and Bay Lake pools-
• Both are very nice and have very unique features (water Spouts, Showers in the pool etc.)
• The Bay lake pool was more secluded, and actually a lot warmer.
• The Contemporary pool was much colder ( more refreshing with the heat)
• Both water slides were nice, but BLT was a lot faster. And the view at the top was pretty cool.
• While bay lake did have the limited refillable mug and snack bar, the Contemporary had a better snack bar, but mugs had to be manually filled.BLT wins by a close call. But both were good.
b.) While the check in process was below par (I am being nice because it sucked) the efforts from the CM at Chef Mickey’s made us totally forget the drama. It just shows how some interaction can shape the experience.(and the tip quantity)
Tomorrow - DHS
---------------------------
We left Savannah, very early and did our best to high-tail it to Orlando. We were too early and stopped by the local Wal-Mart to get a few items ( one of the girls forgot her sunglasses, etc)
Everyone in the car was getting the anxiety that always comes as we approach the WDW location. Passing through the Gates gives some added pep and we just cannot wait to get out of the car and have fun. I had called a few days before and also faxed the hotel to let them know we may arrive early, hoping it would make the experience go smoother. Whenever we did this at Wilderness lodge or beach Club, it worked out great.
We got to the Contemporary Resort around 10:45 am, (for Bay Lake Towers you check in at the Contemporary, because BLT does not have a front desk) . The valet took our luggage, We went to check in and were told “ Your room is not ready, and we doubt it will be ready until 2pm at the earliest but definitely before 4pm. This was fine with us, we went to the contemporary pool and then took the boat and had lunch at Roaring Forks. We got back to the front desk at 2pm to check, and the Cast member told us, “Here are your room keys, we know your room, but it has not been cleaned yet. But if you go to the BLT pool, we will text you when it is ready” (with the room number)
We went over to the BLT pool, and went for a swim. It’s a very nice pool, with a great water slide.
The pool area is very secluded and you cannot get in without a room key. There is an area to get drinks and limited food items, and a refillable mug area.
At 4pm we walked over to the Contemporary because we had yet to get a text. We were told that “ they still have not cleaned your room, so it’s not ready yet. Now we were getting annoyed. We were staying in Villas so we had pre-ordered groceries from We Go Shop ( we use them every year) and they were coming at 5:30pm. Again, the CM informed us that they will take the groceries into their cold storage, so it’s not an issue. 5:30 came and no room was ready, but we got the delivery and it was placed into cold storage. We got some interesting information from the CM who took our groceries. He said “ The BLT is the poor stepchild of the Contemporary. The maids don’t even get over there till 3pm.” I am not sure if he was griping or if it was the truth, but at this point it got us upset.
We approached the front desk, but there was no update on our room.
Finally at 6:25pm we got the text. Our room was finally ready.
It was a gorgeous room, we were very impressed. We had a 2 bedroom suite, The rooms are very large, the design of the rooms is very interesting, and there are 3 full baths. One of the showers had a dual spray with a rain-shower. We had 3 balconies, one had a view of MK, and the others had the lake. Totally awesome….
EXCEPT – the kitchen counter was a mess, it had some type of black syrup all over the counter, and there was a filthy rag in the sink. Also, it was very evident that the main sitting room was not cleaned ( the bedrooms and bathrooms were very clean.) fingerprints were all over the metallic furniture frames and the couch had crumbs on it.
(Please note, my wife is a total germ freak, so she sanitizes the entire room regardless, but the mess made her more germaphobic than usual.)
We called to complain and they sent a Mousekeeper to clean up.
We eventually got our luggage, but they forgot the groceries, eventually, we got all we needed and the room was cleaned.
We had a reservation for Chef Mickey at 7:30, but we got the concierge to change it. We just made it by 8pm. I had only been to Chef Mickey’s for breakfast, and never dinner. I had heard mixed reviews. But I was starving !!!!
All I can say is that we had a tremendous waitress, all the characters came to visit my girls and they spent a lot of time with them, and the food was actually very good. The Waitress brought each of us 2 drinks, because she knew we looked beat. I liked her initiative. The chicken was actually so good I got seconds, and the entire family loved the meal. Prime rib, fish, and excellent desserts. It was more relaxed then breakfast. The CM was so great, she spent a lot of time with us and she made everything fun. We tipped her A LOT. And we will try this again.
It was Late, but we visited the shops, looked for the gym and stopped by the Contemporary Arcade to check it out, The Arcade has some wild games ( you have to try Operation), we played a few , but eventually we went back to the room. We were very tired and the next day we had a big day planned at Disney Studios.(DHS)
When I got to the BLT, I realized that the refillable mug station closed at 7pm? I was pretty shocked, the only one with more reasonable hours was over at the contemporary…
Recap –
a.) We did get to experience 2 different Pools and 2 Different Waterslides
Contemporary and Bay Lake pools-
• Both are very nice and have very unique features (water Spouts, Showers in the pool etc.)
• The Bay lake pool was more secluded, and actually a lot warmer.
• The Contemporary pool was much colder ( more refreshing with the heat)
• Both water slides were nice, but BLT was a lot faster. And the view at the top was pretty cool.
• While bay lake did have the limited refillable mug and snack bar, the Contemporary had a better snack bar, but mugs had to be manually filled.BLT wins by a close call. But both were good.
b.) While the check in process was below par (I am being nice because it sucked) the efforts from the CM at Chef Mickey’s made us totally forget the drama. It just shows how some interaction can shape the experience.(and the tip quantity)
Tomorrow - DHS
---------------------------