SURPRISE!?? The Story of How Two Gift-Givers Collide at Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Photos by Schade Harris; @incendiary.life; Fire Heart Studios

It had always been my dad’s dream to stay in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. To wake up with the sunrise over that classic lake view, and casually ride the Monorail into the Magic Kingdom. To him that was the ultimate Disney experience. Unfortunately, we have a family of five, and a Disney vacation in a deluxe resort was never going to be in the cards for us. (One night in the place with a mediocre view can start at $400!)

Ever since I moved down to Disney I had been wanting to buy my dad just one night in the Contemporary Resort, so that he could finally cross that dream off his bucket list. When I heard he wanted to drive down (all the way from Kentucky!) to help me move back home, I finally decided it was now or never.

My roommate pro-rated my last month of rent, and I knew where every penny of the extra was going: to finally buy my dad one night in the Contemporary. Oh, it was going to be great. I called the Disney Resort Reservation line every other day to get the best cast member deal possible. I had the automated customer service menu memorized by heart. Finally, I settled on a Club Level top floor Bay Lake View room for a whopping $467.

I did all my searching and reading to be sure I knew what I was getting. And by the looks of my research, it was going to be awesome. We were going to have a beautiful view, chocolates on our pillows, turn down service, and free access to the club lounge that provided hors d’oeuvres, wines, and liqueurs at almost all hours of the day. What a boujee life for a struggling young adult on a Disney income, and a dad in a family of five with a freelance job. And the best part is, dad had no idea!

So my boyfriend and I did all of the planning. Dad knew we were going to Magic Kingdom on Saturday, August 4th. What he didn’t know, was that he wasn’t going to be sleeping on my air mattress that night. No, we would be taking the Monorail to the Contemporary to have an evening of luxury. But to do that, we had to manipulate a lot of scenarios.

The morning of this very important Saturday the 4th, I was going to “forget I hadn’t returned my work uniform,” so I would have to drive by myself to get into a “cast only area,” and just “meet Schade and my dad at Magic Kingdom.” While they were driving away in their separate car, I was to run back into my apartment and grab my overnight bag, and throw my dad’s things together to put in my car. Then I was going to check into my room over the phone while I drove to the resort, park in the Contemporary Resort lot (so we wouldn’t have to move my car later), and take the Monorail over to Magic Kingdom like nothing ever happened. We would play in Magic Kingdom like normal until our “lunch reservation at The Wave.” Weeks beforehand I had fibbed to my dad that I wanted to make a dining reservation at one of the restaurants that was 40% off for cast members, so that we would have a justified reason for taking the Monorail to the Contemporary in the middle of our Magic Kingdom day to eat at the Wave Café without looking totally suspicious. I also had to stretch the truth that my apartment had a really nice pool, and that he should bring his swimsuit in case we decided to swim sometime during the weekend. But don’t worry, I had a backup swimsuit for him on hand just in case he forgot (reminding him to bring it to many times also seemed too suspicious).

It was going to be the surprise of all surprises. Once we took the Monorail to the Contemporary for our “lunch reservation,” which we were “conveniently early for,” we would “kill time” in the gift shops while I “went to the bathroom” (AKA went up to the room to make sure all was set). Then we would “explore the hotel in search of the fire escape to the roof I found with some friends when I worked here once” (that is partially true by the way). Then, as Schade videoed our “search for said fire escape” from behind, I would come to a room, upon which my magic band magically worked. And to my dad’s brilliant and baffled surprise, we would be standing in our very own room in Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

Wow, that sounds like a great surprise. Are you invested yet? Cause I know I was.

Now, let me tell you how this actually went down.

My dad’s love language is gift-giving through and through. He is the king of surprises, which I can vouch for after every Christmas, an extra “surprise” gift appeared under the tree hours after we had finished opening presents. He just loves giving to his family, and the excitement of planning a surprise. In fact, I was a little nervous this time that he would try to pull something, when I had already planned his surprise. He even texted me a few days before he came down to ask which nights he would be staying, so that he could use his travel points to book a hotel. “NO!” I said, “DO NOT GET A HOTEL. YOU CAN STAY WITH ME, I PROMISE MY ROOMMATE DOES NOT MIND.” He thought I was just being frugal, like I always am. This really wasn’t as suspicious of me as it sounds. I made him promise not to get a hotel because he could stay with me. And he did promise. Phewph. All was well.

All was well on Thursday when my Dad drove down and we enjoyed Chip and Dale’s Campfire Singalong at Fort Wilderness. All was well after Campfire when we ate dinner at Ale House. All was even well when we were cramming my stuff into two cars that were dangerously close to busting open. And we in fact did go to the pool at my apartment to take a break from the heat of moving. And then, all was not so well.

We were frolicking happily in the refreshment of the pool, and then the truth came out. Dad said,

“Haley, I’ve got something to tell you.” OH NO. I knew all was compromised in from that one sentence. This was just like him!

“Technically, I didn’t lie to you. I did stay with you last night, and I’m staying with you tonight. But tomorrow night, I’m not staying with you, you’ll be staying with me!”

WHAT??? “No, no, no, no, no, dad! You can’t do that!” I ran out of the pool and grabbed my phone.

“Why not?” he said.

“You just … you just can’t!” This went on for several rounds – I just couldn’t part with my brilliantly planned surprise my blurting it out then and there!

But eventually, the cat was completely and entirely 100% out of the bag. We had BOTH gotten each other a night in the Contemporary Resort, for the EXACT same day. Big oops. Major oops. What had we done? What a catastrophe.

For the next thirty minutes we sat on the poolside chairs in disbelief. Luckily, since my room had better amenities for less money, we kept that room, and were miraculously able to cancel the one that dad had made. Unfortunately, Operation Dad in Disney was no longer underway, and any and all surprises were done for. I guess that’s what you get when you have two gift-giver types in the family, who both love each other enough to pull such a big one. We had a big long hug of appreciation and apology for ruining each other’s surprises.

And when the time came, we did have an awesometime taking advantage of the facilities at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We helped ourselves to the free food in the club lounge, drooled at the incredible top floor view, and since dad had $500 back in his pocket from a cancelled room reservation, we decided we should be allowed to splurge at the rooftop restaurant, California Grill.

We had a nice dinner, swam in the pool, and watched the fireworks on the rooftop. Then we sat on our balcony and talked, while our sliding door mistakenly remained open, inviting all the mosquitos in the state of Florida into our room. When we walked back inside, it was war. Three people, two shoes, one magazine, and thirty-five mosquitos. Twenty minutes of wiping up blood and guts later, and we were off to bed unscathed.

I remember naturally waking up at sunrise. It was that pleasant kind of waking up from a very deep sleep, where you don’t remember where you are at first. It was so pleasant to realize that where I was, was on the top of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, with the sun pouring in my window, that looked over a sparkling Bay Lake. We had breakfast in the club lounge and went back to our room to stare at that iconic, breathtaking view for what we wish could’ve been hours. But it was time to leave the sunshine state for the bluegrass one. We bid the beautiful place goodbye, and vowed that Disney would never be the same again after we had spoiled ourselves so.

It may sound like a silly trifle of a thing to some. I know a lot of families vacation in deluxe Disney resorts without batting an eye towards it. But to us, it was special. It always had been. It was beautiful, it was magical, and for the first time in a long time, it made me feel like a kid again, and not a Disney cast member.

That weekend may not have gone as both of us planned. But it showed my dad and me how much we loved each other and would do anything to make the other happy. And I’m tearing as I write that I love my dad so much I can’t even describe it. I will never forget the fleeting, sweet, magical, storybook evening we had at the place where sometimes ... dreams really do come true.

#disneyblog #disneyscontemporaryresort #oops #surprise #giftgivinglovelanguage #daddysgirl #disneyworld #disneyblogger #disneytravelblog #disneyvacation #disneyvacationplanning