We finally made it back to Walt Disney World, this time we stayed at Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary Resort. Our first trip was in 2019 when the kids were four and 22 months. They are now seven and four.
One of my favorite things about this trip was that it was a total surprise for the kids. The, we thought we were driving to school and then ended up at the airport type of surprise. They were shocked and so unbelievably elated.
We did this for a couple of reasons. We booked this trip for January 2022 in April 2021 when we naively believed that Covid would soon be over and the world would return to normal. This was also before we were aware of anything wrong with my Dad’s health. It was a simpler time then, sigh. Anyway, we didn’t want the kids to be disappointed should we not be able to go for one of the plethora of reasons that could have come up at this point in time, so we didn’t tell them until we absolutely knew for sure it was going to happen.
Also it was just kind of fun to surprise them like this. I don’t think they will ever forget the time they thought they were going to school and ended up in Disney World.
This was our first time on an airplane in two years. After a very smooth and easy flight (the kids were a dream to travel with and so much easier then when they were younger) we arrived at the Orlando airport. We took a private van using Mears Connect transportation to our resort. We booked our hotel at Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort by renting DVC points through David’s Vacation Club Rentals. This was a much more inexpensive way for us to book a room here, but we did need to plan in advance for the best selection and there was no cancellations.
Bay Lake Tower
Bay Lake Tower is right next to Disney’s Contemporary resort. They are connected by a sky bridge. We chose to stay at this resort due to the proximity to Magic Kingdom and the monorail. It was only a ten minute walk to Magic Kingdom and the monorail to Epcot and other nearby resorts runs through the building.
The Contempo Cafe
We arrived at the resort by 12:30. Our room wasn’t quite ready yet, so we wandered around the resort to explore, enjoy the warm weather and get some lunch from The Contempo Cafe, the quick service restaurant here. We ate on the observation deck. Another cool thing about this resort is there is a view of Cinderella’s Castle, which we enjoyed while we ate.
Bay Lake Tower Hotel Room
After lunch we got the message our room was ready so we headed over to check it out.
It was small but exceptionally clean and well laid out. It had a beautiful bathroom, super efficient kitchenette with more room for food storage then my kitchen has. The main room had a queen size bed and sofa that folds out into a bed. There was also a balcony with a couple of chairs. We opted for a lake front view.
The Contemporary Pool
After settling in the kids immediately wanted to check out the pool.
That night after dinner we headed down to the skybridge to watch the fireworks. They play the music on the speakers too.
The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast in our room and watched the sunrise from our balcony over the lake. We had an Amazon Fresh order that was delivered to us the day before and this provided us with food for breakfast, a few lunches and a bunch of snacks.
Then we got on our Mickey and Minnie shirts and got ready for our first day at the Disney parks!
The Walking Path to Magic Kingdom
A huge perk about staying at Bay Lake was the walking path to Magic Kingdom. It was a ten minute, flat, paved walk over to Magic Kingdom from our resort. It was incredible to just walk there and not have to worry about catching a bus or even waiting for a potentially crowded monorail.
Let the magic begin…
The next several days were kind of one big magical blur that ended in a big old heap of tired. We went in January, a time of year that is suppose to be less busy, but the crowds were still large in every park we went. The new Lighting Lane option with The Genie+ app helped with waiting in line, which was nice. Here are some of my favorite moments from this trip.
The First Day at Disney Parks
No other day in a Disney Vacation is as fun or exciting as that very first day. We started at Magic Kingdom this trip, and our first ride of this vacation was Alice’s Teacups, this was followed by as many rides in Magic Kingdom as we could fit in.
Magic Kingdom at Night
On our last trip to Disney, Jake was young and none of us had the energy to try and go back to the parks at night. This time we did and it did not disappoint.
Dinner at the Polynesian Resort
The Polynesian resort was only a quick monorail trip from Bay Lake so we decided to head down for dinner and check it out one night. We were so glad we did. Such a fun resort and I’ve already decided this is where I want to stay on our next trip. Its beautifully decorated, the staff members are wonderfully friendly. It’s Moana themed now too! Also, Dolewhip is served on site, so there’s that.
Random Disney magic
You never know what kind of fun is going to pop up at Disney. We were at Animal Kingdom eating our lunch when Disneys new show Kite Tails flew on by.
Everything Star Wars at Hollywood Studios
The Star Wars rides ended up being at the top of the list of favorite rides for everyone this trip.
Animal Kingdom Safari
The safari at Animal Kingdom this trip was fantastic. We went first thing in the morning and the animals were active! We saw so many, super up close too.
Total Exhaustion
By day five of the parks the kids were DONE and totally exhausted. They just wanted to go back to the hotel and watch TV. It was pretty adorable.
We had a fantastic Disney trip and were so grateful for the time we got to spend together as a family. Initially I believed this was the worst possible timing and was pretty bummed that we had booked and paid for this trip when we did, BUT I was wrong. In hindsight this trip was the best possible time for our family and was a total gift for us. It came at a time when our family needed a break and family time that comes from being in the Disney bubble more then ever. We were given the opportunity to be together to recharge and regroup before we took on the next chapter in our lives.
