Favourite Food Friday-The Wave

By Gaylin 

I have been a fan of The Wave restaurant in the Contemporary Resort since the first time I went. I love the way the restaurant is decorated, the great service and how quiet it is. If you are booked there and want a really quiet meal, ask the host when you check in for a table away from everyone else!

My favourite meal there is the filet, I do love steak and this dish is melt-in-your-mouth steak. The parsnip puree that came with is was smooth and creamy and a big helping of freshly picked green beans  was a lovely addition!

My friend Tyler had the lamb chops and I can honestly say that this was her favourite meal of the trip as well. It is a good thing I took this photo before she started eating because that entree disappeared quickly!

Sadly, neither of us enjoyed our dessert. They no longer have the trio desserts to choose from, those trios were a great way for someone like me with food allergies, to get dessert choices. The only thing that was safe for me on the new menu was the Creme Brulee and while I love creme brulee, this version is 'no sugar added', which turned out to mean 'no flavour added'. Yep, totally tasteless. Tyler had the German Chocolate Cake and only ate part of it, she wasn't impressed with its flavour either.

This was also the first time our server was not-so-great. She was wonderful at the start of the meal but by dessert time, it was like she had totally lost interest in coming to our table.

Good thing that our entrees were so amazing!

Disney's Contemporary Resort - Five Great Things!

 

By Lisa Green 

Disney’s Contemporary Resort!  A Magic Kingdom resort on the monorail loop – fans are true blue, loyal to the soul – and The Fam and I are certainly among the Contemporary’s most adoring fans.  Some folks, though, have a difficult time understanding its charm – it is a strange-looking building, with very little theming (relatively speaking) and a pretty steep price tag – so what’s so great about it?  Well, I’m glad you asked!

Five Great Things about Disney’s Contemporary Resort:

1.  It’s Classic and Original – Yes, indeed.  For kickin’ it old school, nothing beats the Contemporary.  This hotel originally opened with Walt Disney World in 1971 and remains an iconic part of the landscape.  From its A-frame-shaped Tower to the Mary Blair mural in the lobby – everything about the Contemporary is unique.  Rooms are available in the main building (tower) or in the one remaining garden wing (the other wing was razed to make room for Bay Lake Tower).  Standard rooms are among the largest on property at 422 square feet (accommodate up to five people) and are decorated in a tasteful, modern style.



2.  Location, Location, Location – You cannot beat the Contemporary for making you feel like you’re right in the middle of all the Disney action.  From the Contemporary you can walk to the Magic Kingdom.  Yes – walk.  In the time it takes to wait for a bus, you can be at Magic Kingdom’s entrance (about 10 minutes).  You can’t do this from any other resort hotel at Disney World.  Located between Bay Lake and The Seven Seas Lagoon – the Contemporary is perfectly situated for enjoying all Walt Disney World has to offer.  Busses leave regularly for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.  Shoot – you can even catch a boat and visit either the Wilderness Lodge ( for some great dining there!) or Fort Wilderness (to catch the Hoop Dee Doo Review!)

 

3.  Character Dining – There are many delicious restaurant choices at the Contemporary.  You can enjoy sushi and innovative entrees (currently featuring delicious items like Oak Fired Filet of Beef, Atlantic Swordfish, and Pork Two Ways) in the newly renovated California Grille at the top of the tower.  Down in the lobby, grab a darned tasty burger at The Wave.  There’s something for everyone to enjoy in the Contemporary’s table and counter service restaurants, buffets, coffee shops and lounges.  By far, though, character dining at Chef Mickey’s is hard to beat for families (breakfast and dinner).  As I mentioned in great detail here, you can meet the Fab Five and enjoy a decent buffet with choice enough to please even the pickiest eaters.  AND – if you need more restaurant variety, many other fantastic dining choices can be found at both the Polynesian or the Grand Floridian – each just a short monorail ride away.

4.  The Views –  If you pay to stay in the tower, you’re going to love the view.  Rooms overlook either Bay Lake or the Seven Seas Lagoon (and the Magic Kingdom!).  We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy both of the tower’s views – the misty morning view of Bay Lake was peaceful and amazing.  Views from the Seven Seas Lagoon side are unbelievable (and the most expensive).  One of the most charming aspects of staying anywhere in the Contemporary’s tower is the Electrical Water Pageant - a really adorable nighttime show on the water (circles Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon) which makes a perfect ending to a day at Disney World – like a bedtime story!

 

5.  The Monorail – Right in the very center of the Contemporary’s tower is a monorail stop.  To me, that is the most unbelievably cool feature of this resort!  Imagine – get up in the morning, have breakfast with Mickey and the gang, then head for the monorail to whisk you off to the Magic Kingdom or the TTC (Ticket and Transportation Center) where a quick monorail change will get you to Epcot!  The monorail is so DISNEY!  It’s such a fun and special way to get around, even if you aren’t staying at a monorail resort, you can take it for a ride around – to explore or experience one of the great restaurants along the way.

This article was originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog

The Christmas Touch at Walt Disney World

By Lisa Green

 

As I’ve mentioned many times, Disney’s all about details.  That’s what makes a Disney vacation so amazing and keeps bringing people (like US!) back time after time.  No matter how often you visit a Disney park or resort, you will always notice new details, big and small.

The Christmas season brings on a whole new level of Disney detail magic.  It gives those Disney magicians the opportunity to go all out and delight you with their imagination, style, humor, and flair for presenting guests with unexpected surprises.   If you’ve never been to the World during the holidays, you’ve been missing out on some wonderful experiences guaranteed to fill you with holiday spirit.

We’ve had the privilege of visiting Disney World twice during the holiday season – and yes, because we went during the school break, the crowds were huge!  Except for trying to get out of Epcot once after dinner on New Year’s Eve, the throngs of visitors did not detract from our enjoyment of all the special Disney touches we found.  I’m sorry we aren’t able to visit this year – I hate to miss out on the Jingle Cruise – a new Disney magical surprise this year at Disney World that gives the Jungle Cruise a holiday overlay and seasonal Skipper dialogue!

I’ve put together a list of five of the special Disney holiday surprises we experienced once upon a time:

Chocolate sculpture at the Contemporary - this was an amazingly extravagant scene from Pinocchio entirely made of chocolate.  I’m sure this was a one-time-only bit of magic and I felt very lucky to have been there to see it!

Main Street USA and the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios all decked out in their holiday best.

Christmas Trees!  Everywhere and each one had its own design and special ornaments; themed for each tree’s particular location.  I was especially taken by the ornaments on the large tree outside the entrance to Animal Kingdom – fantastic!

Santa hats – on everyone!  Even the Spitting Stitch at Downtown Disney and the gigantic Dinosaur at Dinoland in Animal Kingdom.

Best of all – Cinderella Castle.  Pictures (mine, at least) cannot do justice to the beauty that is the castle covered in 200,000 lights.  Some people say it looks dipped in sugar – I think it looks like Elsa from Frozen covered it in ICE!  Stunningly gorgeous and completely breathtaking – for me, this is the very best holiday touch at Disney World.

If you’re been to Disney World at Christmastime, what was your favorite bit of Disney holiday magic?

This article was originally posted on the Living a Disney Life Blog.

A Five Legged Goat at Walt Disney World

by: Barbie

If you look closely at one of the mosaic murals on the fourth-floor lobby of Disney's Contemporary Resort, you can see a five-legged goat facing the monorail track. The artist, Mary Blair threw that in to see who would notice. The mural was completed in 1971, when the Contemporary Resort opened.

Have you ever noticed the five-legged goat?