No Disney Tickets Today

Perhaps I haven't mentioned just how hot it has been every day so far. Average daily highs are around 33 C or 91 F. Generally when we head out the door a t-shirt and shorts are the order of the day, complemented by orthotics in a sturdy pair of running shoes. Though sandals would be cooler they don't offer enough support for the 14 or 16 km we walk every day. LC and I both wear fitbits so we can see exactly how far we walk each day - and we both got a grand slam badge where we walked more than 20,000 steps in a day.

And though we were not at Disney or Universal today, we managed to get in 4.5 km walk in just one store - the "Ross Dress for Less" store. Love that store!  You can buy a number of stylish, comfortable dresses for $20 apiece!  No equivalent store can be found in Canada in my humble opinion!  After sharing laughs in trying on clothes, we left 2 hours later laden with parcels. I think LC was particularly disappointed when she fell in love with a green maxi dress and I suggested she looked like Fiona from the movie Shrek!

After a super lunch at Panera Bread (which cost $5 for a fresh chicken citrus salad) we first returned to the hotel, then to the car rental agency. Alamo offered great service in picking us up to first rent then car, then shuttled us anywhere we wanted in Walt Disney World upon returning the car. Great service, and perhaps more importantly, no damage to the car inflicted by me driving in Florida!  Having my own GPS was essential to navigating around comfortably. 

So we decided to be highly ineffective in our time management, but effective in learning about different forms of transport! We used all three methods offered for free at Disney- boat, bus and monorail to get to the Contemporary resort!  It was neat to see more properties at Disney - especially the Grand Floridian - a deluxe property that looks absolutely huge!

The draw to visit the Contemporary Resort was our 7:40 pm reservation at California Grill. The California Grill is located on the 15th floor of the hotel so it offers a spectacular view. 

The white buildings in the distance are the Grand Floridian. 

It put things in perspective as we looked over the Magic Kingdom and across the water to the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian resorts and saw the transportation boats scooting back and forth across the water.  The real reason for the relatively late reservation was because of the access to one of four outdoor terraces to view the Wishes Fireworks above the Magic Kingdom at 10 pm. 

The blue hue is the castle on the left and the big green hued cone on the right is part of Tomorrowland (Space Mountain maybe?)

So a little review of the Contemporary Resort - cold marble flooring and vaulted ceilings in the reception might make some think it is an opulent space but I thought it was stark and unwelcoming. I ordered a flatbread to share with my sister for an appetizer and the scallops for an entree. Both dishes we're very tasty. Add in a pot of camomile tea at the end and the bill was a whopping $75 for my share without tip!  Seriously? Shockingly expensive for a meal without alcohol or dessert. Add to the astronomical price for dinner, the fact that I had to put napkins on my shoulders to keep warm in the freezing temperature and I didn't feel like it was good value for a special night out. The view was stunning and we did have music piped in to watch the fireworks, but the fireworks themselves didn't compare with those seen every summer in my home city. All that said, I felt very guilty paying what I did for that meal for the entertainment value of the fireworks. 

We did walk 6 or 7 minutes to the Magic Kingdom after the fireworks to catch a bus back to the Port Orleans French Quarter hotel. All in all, still a fun day in paradise!