Day 733: Saratoga Springs

Originally when we planned this trip, we started out staying where we usually start out staying: Old Key West. Since we've been DVC members since 1996, and our home resort is OKW, it's just where we always begin. Occasionally we'll stay at another DVC resort, often times Bay Lake Tower, which is the only location other than Old Key West that I believe we've stayed with our points more than once, and I'm pretty sure we'll be back there in the future. January 2015, at that point, actually was planned for a different resort: Wilderness Lodge. I've never stayed there, and was pretty excited about the prospect of staying at a new resort. Wilderness Lodge has been on my list for a while, and that made it all the better. 

And then Megan and Ashley both decided to tag along, so the plans changed yet again. At that point, there were very few options on where to stay, but Saratoga Springs was one of them. Since it's right next door to Old Key West, I have to say that I felt like I should stay there sometime as well. Plus, staying at Saratoga with my friends meant that we, for the first time, would have a two bedroom unit. This, of course, is huge for us since we generally only have the one bedroom or a studio. 

It's sort of funny actually, that we've never stayed there before. My parents were actually at the grand opening of the resort years ago, but we never got around to actually staying there. So of course, this seemed like the perfect chance, and we weren't let down. 

While I definitely still prefer Old Key West and Bay Lake Tower, Saratoga Springs is a wonderful resort. It's closeness to Downtown Disney is a huge plus, as we actually walked back from the shopping district twice during the trip (much to the dismay of our hurting feet). It reminded me a bit of BLT in that respect, as I love walking from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom and it's actually one of the main reasons I love staying there. That convenience factor has become more important to me over the years, especially as I love staying out until 1 or 4 in the morning in the Disney Parks more and more. Being the last guests in Magic Kingdom in July of 2013 was really magical, and I can't wait to do the same thing again the next time I stay at Bay Lake Tower. 

But Saratoga also offered a little bit of my home resort feel. The reason I love OKW so much, aside from the fact that it's my home resort and I've stayed there more often than all the other places combined, is the quiet, home like feel of the entire resort. It's very laid back there. You can walk all over the resort, you can play in the sand at the playground (like we did...pictures are below), you can play ping pong at 10 at night with absolutely no one around you. While we didn't spend a lot of time at Saratoga, I definitely feel like that side was there too, and maybe that's to be expected with it's closeness to OKW and setup. 

In case you were wondering, "The Kid" is my brother, "Lizzard" is me, "Frank" is my friend Ashley and "Shovell" is Megan. We have weird nicknames, and don't even get me started on Daviiiid. 

Overall, Saratoga Springs is a lovely resort. I would probably stay there again...if there weren't a multitude of other resorts I'd like to stay at. I think that's the problem with Disney World (one of the few). There are so many great places to stay that it's incredibly difficult to decide where to stay. You have to choose between your favorites, in my case BLT and OWK, and new resorts such as Wilderness Lodge or, as my brother wishes, The Polynesian. Granted, I've checked quite a few resorts off my personal list, but there's still plenty to go! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on January 11 due to the Disney Trip!)

Day 531: BLT

I've spent a good portion of my day trying to figure out how I ended up with 34 blog posts in August, 32 in July and only 29 in June, only to find that not only did I have extra days, but I also incorrectly labeled several numbers AND missed this one day in June. But no fear, I'm here to make it up and complete this thing once and for all (who am I kidding? I'll probably be behind again by next week!)

Regardless, as I was ironing out the last of these odd mistakes, I was eating my lunch. A large portion of the time we grab lunch in the caf here at SNC, but from time to time (and more often now than ever before I believe), I head to Phils to grab a BLT. It was during the process of eating my delicious Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on toasted sourdough bread that I was attempting to come up with a topic to cover this long lost blog post. And then it hit me. Or rather, it was staring me right in the face. BLT.

I know I talked about this once, quite some time ago, but it was only briefly and in reference to something I believe I saw on Pinterest. Disnerds, if that's what you're calling them specifically (I change every so often...but that's a blog post for another day), have their own kind of language. We speak in Abbreviations and odd words that absolutely no one else can ever understand without further explanation. Lucky for me, Megan has finally tapped into this language and is slowly catching on to whatever it is I'm making a reference to, helping me to explain it to the rest of the world, most notably my roommates.

If we're talking about BLT, for instance, in Disney talk, we certainly aren't talking about Lettuce and Bacon, but rather Disney's Bay Lake Tower at the Contemporary Resort. It happens to be one of my favorite places to stay on property, and I can't help but think of it just a little bit every time I order a sandwich at Phils.

There's a whole list of Abbreviations we use though, some of which make more sense in daily life than others. Once and a while we'll completely confuse someone by taking a term (like BLT) and using it in a completely different way. After all, saying "I'm going to stay at BLT" doesn't make a lot of sense if you don't understand the fact that we're talking about a hotel and not a sandwich. As much as I love bacon, even I have to admit that such a thing would be pretty gross.

I can confuse people with OKW or SSE all the time (Although according to the full list HERE at AllEars, Spaceship Earth is generally just SE. I like SSE more). Still, we probably all look ridiculous walking around saying stuff like "I got a FP for ToT, which I'll use right before the one for ST, although I really wish I could go to EC instead of DHS."

Yeah, go figure that one out for yourself. I can do this all day.

Have a magical day!

(Note; This blog post was written on November 3).

Day 494: Right at Home

Day 13 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture of your favorite "Home" Resort. 

Blast from the Past: 

I often get the following questions/answers...

Other Person: "Wait, how many times have you been to Disneyland?" 
Lizzie: "It's Disney World...and over 20 times."
OP: "20!?!"
L: "Yes."
OP: "Are you rich?"
L: "No."
OP: "Then how do you get to go to Disney so much if you aren't rich?"

It is, honestly, one of my pet peeves when people ask me if I'm rich. I HATE IT. I am not rich. My family owns a business, we take a trip to Disney once a year as a family vacation...as a tradition, and that's it. And my house only looks big because we have a double deck, a sunroom and a "tower" which isn't anything more than where our kitchen table sits. That's it. Sorry for disappointing you. 

Anyway, one of the main reasons I am able to head to Florida with my family is because we are long time Disney Vacation Club Members. My parents joined back right at the beginning in '96, and it's the reason we got to ride in a limo. Anyway, DVC is is kind of like a time-share, but you buy into one of the Disney Resorts, and then are able to use the points you get yearly to help pay for your stay at a Disney resort...and you can pick any resort with the DVC program. When my parents bought into DVC, the only option was Old Key West. So that's our literal "home." The OKW resort has some of the best rooms on property...and it's great for our family. Everything is close, but the one-bedroom includes a Master Bedroom, a bathroom that's more like a double bathroom than anything, including a whirlpool tub, a laundry room, which really helps for packing, and a full kitchen/dining room plus living room...which includes both a pull-out couch and chair (yes...a chair). The theming is awesome, based on classic Key West Style...specifically Conch Flats (also the name of the "town" that Old Key West makes). There's rental stuff, for shuffleboard, ping pong, two tennis courts, a basketball court and plenty of bikes and boats. Plus there's two pools at the resort. 

It's where my family has always stayed, although I've been to plenty of other resorts too, and it's part of the reason we're able to go back. The DVC costs a lot, but when you travel there every year like we do, it pays itself off within about 4 years. It's not the only reason, but it's one of them. 

And my favorite part of Old Key West? No matter if it's 9 in the morning, noon or 2 A.M., when you pass security to get into the resort, you can always expect the security guard to give you a "Welcome Home." And they're right...I am home.

Back to the Future: 

Oh, for sure Old Key West...that's not going to change, at all.

But there's one other resort that's wormed its way into my heart as well, and since I know I talked a bunch about Old Key West already, I'll tell you a little bit more about Bay Lake Tower.

BLT (Yes, B.L.T.), is the DVC portion of Disney's Contemporary Resort, and connects to the main building via a pathway on the fourth floor. I've only had the chance to stay at BLT twice, but the second time especially was well worth it, getting to stay on the top floor and visit the Top of the World whenever I wanted. I think I spent more time up there than I did just about anywhere else on that trip.

The two resorts are vastly different, with the Contemporary being closer to Magic Kingdom (within walking distance), therefore right in the middle of the action, while Old Key West is spread out a bit further, with the closest park being Epcot, although Downtown Disney is just a boat ride away.

Will BLT ever actually overpower my love of OKW? Goodness no, but it does deserve an honorable mention!

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 19).

Day 193: Magic Everywhere

It's funny because as I write this (on July 27), I was just working on the same topic as you'll see in the video...the band trip. Now, I'm still on a mission to convince my band director that we should stay on property, so I was working on some pricing and basic research on the internet today. In the video, I did a bit of onsite research, heading over to Disney's All Star Music Resort to see it with my own two eyes.

And you know what, I'm now more convinced than ever that I need to convince him of staying there. Why? Well because of the simple magic of course.

I may have talked about this a bit previously, but staying on Disney Property is just an entire part of the experience. At Walt Disney World, there truly is magic everywhere, and by staying off property you miss out on a lot of it!

For instance, at the All Star Music Resort, you are surrounded by giant instruments and icons, from Maracas in the Calypso section, giant jazz instruments in the Jazz section, and giant cowboy boots for Country all the way to buildings that are themed as radios. And I do say it in my video below: the buildings are radios people! How cool is that?!? Plus, you have the pools, both themed to instruments, as a guitar and a piano. And you know what? They're HUGE! Much bigger than a pool at any other regular hotel! Plus, every night there's a movie on a giant screen, and there's activities all day long! And fianlly, you're so much closer to all the magic that awaits in the Disney parks!

On this trip, staying at the Contemporary was a great time! I mean, Bay Lake Tower is right there in the middle of everything! Sure, not everyone gets to stay on the 16th floor and casually walk out to the observation deck whenever they want, but it is another magical experience I can add to my book. And there are things available to everyone at the resort too, and those just visiting! Like the Electrical Water Pageant you'll see in one of my later vlogs. There's the fact that the monorail goes right THROUGH the Contemporary, which for those seeing it for the first time, is pretty cool (I've seen it how many times and still think it's cool!). And my favorite from this trip, Disney Trivia! Each and every day there was Disney trivia at the resort, and that certainly added a little extra magic to my trip.

So in the end, I see now for sure that I have to convince him to stay on property. It's going to be a great experience for everyone because staying at Disney is something you may never have the chance to do again in your life! And it's certainly an experience you won't find anywhere else on earth (well...unless you stay at Disneyland!) That alone is why we should stay there! The fact that it's a great experience unlike anything else!

To watch my full adventures from the fourth day of my trip, watch my daily vlog below!

Here's today's Disney History: 1985: Richard Buckminster Fuller - visionary, designer, architect, futurist, and inventor - is born in Milton, Massachusetts. It is widely believed he developed and named the geodesic dome first. More than 500,000 geodesic domes have been built around the world, including the 265-foot wide Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Fuller actually coined the phrase Spaceship Earth to express concern over the use of limited resources available on our planet. 

Have a magical day!

Note: This blog post was written on July 27, after my actual trip, due to editing and time restrictions.

Day 190: Sitting on Top of the World

With our first day of our trip spent at home thanks to weather delays at the airport, we were more than ready to finally get to Disney. Thankfully, we did get there, and dad had a special surprise for us when we finally did.

Generally, as Disney Vacation Club Members, we stay at our home resort, Old Key West, just like we did on our last trip back in November. But sometimes we get a chance to stay at another DVC resort, and this was one of those times. Previously, I've stayed at many of the Disney Resorts, but as far as DVC works, we've been to Bay Lake Tower once, as well as several of the others. We returned this trip to Bay Lake Tower, the perfect mix of convenience, magic, history and, well, Disney.

Although we just had a studio, that doesn't mean our room was bad. In fact it was great. A little small for our family that is used to having the space of a one bedroom at Old Key West, but still great. But that isn't the best part. My brother loves the Contemporary Resort, a lot. I love it myself, but when my dad got in early, we weren't sure what floor we were actually going to get. Jonny (my brother) always likes the highest floor possible, so when my dad did finally get there late the night before we did, he just simply said "The Higher the Better."

Well, I'll tell you something. We couldn't get any higher. We ended up staying on the 16th floor. If you know Disney, and you know Bay Lake Tower, you will know that there aren't many rooms on that floor, nor is it a floor just anyone can get on to. Up on the top floor there's a lounge and observation deck that's popular for watching the Magic Kingdom Fireworks each night. And so, in order to access the "Top of the World," you need to be a DVC member staying at any DVC Resort on DVC Points. We were certainly doing that...and as soon as we got there I was able to see this spectacular view:

I can honestly say I spent a lot of time "on top of the world," and the song playing the entire trip on the Weather Channel fit right along with it. "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. Take a listen below. 

Staying up on the 16th floor was a great experience, similar to the chance I had on our trip to Disneyland to stay on a upper floor of Paradise Pier and being upgraded to a park view room, enabling me to see my absolute favorite attraction there, World of Color, twice a night. 

Now magical experiences like this don't happen to everyone, but I think that the number I've had in my time certainly makes it obvious that it does happen, and often. Disney World is a wonderful place, and you'll see me say it time and time again over the next week of posts. It is unlike anywhere else on this planet. 

For my complete First Day Experience (including the walk from the Contemporary to the Top of the World and the sunset over Magic Kingdom!) watch my vlog below!

Here's today's Disney History: 1956: Actor Tom Hanks, the voice of Sheriff Woody for Disney/Pixar's Toy Story films, is born in Concord, California. In 2013, he portrayed Walt Disney in the film Saving Mr. Banks (more on this next week!)

Have a magical day!

Note: This blog post was written on July 19, after my actual trip was completed, due to obvious reasons.

Day 65: 124 Days

A couple of weeks ago I talked about O.D.D. (Obsessive Disney Disorder), and if I had it then, then I really have it now. It was probably brought on by the park maps I shared yesterday, but now I just have this extreme want to be at Disney.

Granted, it probably wasn't a good idea to look up wait times (of which were very short) and then the weather in Orlando (Perfect for my taste, around the 70s-80s). Why am I stuck here in WISCONSIN!?!

When I do finally head to Florida in July I'll be staying at Bay Lake Tower for the second time, since it's my brother's favorite resort and I'm quite a fan of it myself (although nothing will ever beat my second home at Old Key West...which I'll still probably visit on my trip because I can!). So, for now, as someday I'll tell of my first experience at the resort, here's a beautiful picture of Bay Lake Tower:

Either way, I think the best way to fix this is to go home and read more about Disney, and it's what I plan on doing as soon as I leave school. I'm going home and I'm going to read about Disney. Well, first I'll probably practice piano...but after that I'm going to continue reading the posters book that I started way back over Christmas break. I still have a huge book all about Disney to get through, so hopefully that will last me until July.

It probably won't.

Here's today's Disney History: 1888: The City of Marceline, Missouri, the future boyhood home of Walt Disney, is incorporated. The Disney's will arrive in Marceline in 1906 and stay for about 4 years.

Have a magical day!