Prologue: Leaving
Staying at Pop Century resort - preferred room - 5 nights - we're meeting up with friends who got there today and we're in the 70's building.
Haven't been to WDW since March of ‘06 (far too long!!!) We were in
I didn't think we'd be able to afford going back to WDW this year either. But then Free Dining came back, and I managed to persuade my wife that we needed to go. She and I have been down together 3 times now, and have stayed at moderate resorts Port Orleans: Riverside and Coronado Springs as well as the deluxe resort, Beach Club.
This is our first time in a Value resort. I admit I'm a little apprehensive about it, but really what do you need besides a bed and toilet, right? I had to make it as cheap as possible to convince my Vulcan wife! We also decided to forgo park hoppers, since we have our little guy, and our friends have an almost 2 year old. Neither of the mothers thought schlepping the little tykes between multiple parks a day was an enticing prospect.
So much I'm looking forward to as I prepare! There are a lot of new attractions since our last visit. Everest wasn't open. Nemo wasn't open. Midway Mania. And best of all, I get to see my son experience it for the first time!
Anyway, I need to try to sleep as I must be up in 3 & 1/2 hours to get this house moving and drive to
You can probably expect my first installment by Sunday the 13th or Monday the 14th. I love talking (and writing) about Disney!!!
Off we go . . .
Day 1: Leavin' on a jet plane . . . for an evening at World Showcase.
My alarm went off at 3:35 A.M. Sunday morning, and after only one snooze, I got out of bed to throw a cup of coffee in my eyes. Moonlighting as a DJ now and then, I'm used to operating on only a few hours of sleep.
My wife, not so much. But I had everyone up and going by shortly after 4:00.
Uneventful drive to
Security was a breeze, Sean actually behaved, and before we knew it we were at the gate. To be honest with you, I don't even remember any details of the flight to
We were the first to board the Disney Magical Express, or DMX as I like to call it. Since we were staying at Pop Century, I knew we would be the first drop-off, thank God, as Sean was starting to get antsy (so was his father!) The on-board video helped pacify him somewhat (and his father!) I was on the bus and finally feeling like "I'm here."
I had done the On-Line Check-In the night before and there was only one other family ahead of me in that particular line in the lobby. It went so smoothly I was actually a little concerned. In the past upon checking in the Cast Member at the desk usually goes through the welcome packet, explaining everything, etc. This was "here's your stuff, here's where you are, have a magical stay!" Given I’d been going longer than the sun and just wanted to lay down for a minute, I didn’t mind the brevity. It just seemed odd.
Since our friends had checked-in the night before I basically already knew where to go. We were in the 70's section, building 10, room 144 (ground floor.) Our door was a 5 minute walk (at least for me . . . more to come on that later) from two pools, the lobby, food, shopping, & bus stops.
Here's where I want to address Pop Century. After booking this trip, I had reservations (no pun) about staying in a Value resort. Let me tell you all, those reservations were completely gone within about 10 minutes. Our room was great, a little tiny sure but honestly I saw little difference between this room and the one's I've stayed in at more expensive “Moderate” resorts. My only complaint would be that yes, the beds are not very comfortable, but I guess I'm forgiving of that. I can sleep on a coffee table if it comes to it. In fact, I have.
That aside, I will very likely stay at Pop Century again, unless I find myself in a position to join the Disney Vacation Club at some point. Which in these current economic conditions, seems unlikely any time soon. I love the theme and kitsch of Pop Century. Every day on the way to the pool we'd pass the giant Big Wheel and towering Mickey Mouse phone, and just couldn't help but smile. As my friend Joe put it, this is what you expect from a Disney hotel. You want whimsy!
We loved the Hippie Dippy pool between the 60's buildings, especially the kids zero-depth pool. For those not aware, it’s a large swimming pool shaped like a flower. The décor all around the pool area looked like a recreation of the set of Laugh In. Perhaps my favorite feature of this particular pool was Pedals pool bar a few yards away. While I tend to stick to bourbon and Cuba Libres, I did try and enjoy a Lava Lamp (or 3)! Don’t ask me exactly what was in them, but it was some cold combination of multiple spirits and Technicolor.
Anyway, we were checked in by noon and our room was ready. So we dropped off our carry-ons, and since we hadn't eaten much breakfast, walked back to the food court with our friends who been just about to head to the pool when we arrived. The one mistake we made (I'm saying we, even though I had suggested it the night before) was that we hadn't put swimsuits in our carry-on bags. But we figured if we were lucky by time we ate, our bags would have found their way to the room.
I must confess the food court at Pop is somewhat vast and can be overwhelming. For lunch, I had a meatball sub and salad simply because I was starving and my head was spinning so I just pointed to the first thing I saw. Honestly, the sandwich wasn't bad. Messy, but then, aren't they supposed to be?
Joe had a chili cheese dog and cheese fries, clearly no lactose intolerance there, and they looked pretty good. He said it was passable. We can be somewhat unfairly judgmental of chili dogs, given that we’re from
Sadly I don't even remember what my wife or kid had.
By the time we finished lunch, and I bought myself a refillable mug (which definitely pays for itself), our luggage was already in the room. So on went the bathing suits and to the pool we went. I must admit that I needed maybe 15 minutes at the pool, just to unwind and cool off, and then I was ready to hit our first planned park, Epcot. I had made online reservations for
Unfortunately the rest of the group wanted to float around for a couple hours, which I obliged (although begrudgingly.) I’ve said it before, but I like to hit Walt Disney World commando style. I could step off the plane and not stop going until I had to board it again at the end of the week. My wife will constantly say “aren’t you tired? How can you still be going?” Its Disney magic babe; it keeps me running.
By time we were all done at the pool and the kids each caught a quick catnap, it was already nearly 4:30 and our ADR was for 5:45. I called to try to push it back but there was no availability. I said at lunch there were 2 things I really wanted to do at Epcot, knowing how limited time would be, and that was Nemo & Friends (because we hadn’t been there since its opening) and Spaceship Earth, because of the refurbishment and because prior to this trip, Joe, who has been to WDW with his in-laws now about a half-dozen times, didn’t even know “the big ball had a ride in it.”
We got to Epcot and immediately saw a huge line for Spaceship Earth. I couldn’t believe it. Every other time I’ve come in early September, you could walk right on. They practically begged guests to ride it. Not this time. Not, I later learned, since the rehab.
So, with a shrug I led on towards The Seas, figuring it a better choice for out little ones anyway. I was really excited about this, a new dark ride featuring Nemo, and utilizing a cool effect to make it look like Nemo and friends were in the real aquarium. This was clearly going to be awesome, right? Um, sadly not so much. Total let-down. I mean I guess it is cute, but I was really bored. And I think my 2 & ½ year old was too.
When we exited the Seas pavilion, the
We made it just in time for our reservation, like a pack of wet dogs and just as hungry. We were given a nice corner table. Here was where we had to learn exactly how to work with the “Free” dining plan. We all wanted margaritas (it was our first day of vacation after all, and we were in Mexico!) which of course are not included, and we had 2 kids who were under 3, therefore free to the parks, but not included in the dining. So each couple ended up with two bills. One for our entrees, one for drinks and each child.
I’ve been to
Warning: These are not to be found on the dinner menu of
However, what I did have, and three out of four of us had, was the Filete Motuleno. Grilled beef tenderloin over black beans and melted cheese, ranchero sauce, Poblano pepper strips and fried plantains. I would never claim to be cultured enough to know if it was authentic, but I do know it was delicious! We all agreed. The ranchero sauce was a little spicy, but I loved every bite. One of those “lick the plate clean” kind of meals.
For dessert I had the Capirotada de Chocolate Blanco: white chocolate and golden raisin bread pudding served with Mexican milk caramel. Wendy had a mousse with berries that I don’t remember the name of, and Ashley had the flan. Of course the kids had ice cream. Dessert was underwhelming. My bread pudding was dry, though I will say once I scooped some of Sean’s ice cream over it, it was a decided improvement. That said I couldn’t have been happier with our first dinner, and every one left satisfied.
I really wanted to eat at Le Cellier but could never find an opening. It is a steakhouse in the
After dinner we hopped on the Gran Fiesta boat tour. I hadn’t been down that river since the 80’s when it was essentially a really boring (and dated) travel film for the Mexican Department of Tourism. The changes and addition of the Three Caballeros is much better. It’s still a bit slow but the music is exciting and the overall vibe is fun, and Sean being a big Donald Duck fan really enjoyed trying to spot him throughout the “show.”
Here’s one negative: This is the second time, in two consecutive visits, where we were waiting on a CM in the
The exact same thing happened waiting for Gran Fiesta. At least this time the catching up was much quicker and they actually got on a boat. Do you know what would happen if I turned my back on a client to catch up with a buddy who dropped by?
Still, it was a little thing I guess – I would actually expect that were on vacation in Ixtapa. But you just come to expect a little better at Disney. Not like it ruined my day. It’s just weird that it happened twice, four years apart, in the same place.
It rained on and off for a little while after dinner, and once it finally stopped, it got so humid that my shirt couldn’t even finish drying, between rain and my sweating. We tried to jump on the Maelstrom in
Future World was closed at 7, so there was nothing else to do but wander through World Showcase, which is fine with me, even with the heat. My wife and I knew just what to do – we headed straight for the
Wendy goes for this tangerine daiquiri type thing (the name escapes me now and I can’t find it online) and I always get a Casa Beer. It’s a slightly bitter, slightly citrusy beer and Epcot is the only place I’ve ever seen it. Although that might be because, apparently I’ve never actually looked at the label. I walked up and ordered, as I’ve always thought until this September 6th it was called, a “
The CM knew of course what I meant and chuckled as he asked me if I’d been to
We eventually found a nice spot to camp out for Illuminations, just between the
And it was framed by burning torches around the waters edge. I scrambled for the camera and tried to capture it but our Sony Cyber Shot only zooms in so far, and it really didn’t come out that clear. So then I got the video camera out and just started recording. As the display went from STBY to REC, I zoomed in on this beautiful shot, and the narration for Illuminations kicked in (which if you haven’t seen/heard you just can’t get the feel of what I’m talking about . . . and shame on you) and it just made for an awesome scene. I held tight on it until the old man blew the torches out, then panned over to record the rest of the show.
It was just a “you had to be there” moment. The Disney Imagineers couldn’t have created a better effect for Halloween than nature did that night.
Once Illuminations ended, great as always, we began the arduous journey to the front gates along with the rest of the park. A joy, I discovered, that is only enhanced now that I find myself for the first time fighting the throng with a stroller before me.
I was more than a little sad that this would be my only time at Epcot this trip. Didn’t get to see the new ending to Spaceship Earth. No Test Track. No Soarin’. Didn’t get to take Sean on Imagination, though wasn’t really sure how he’d take to it yet anyway. I really love Epcot and it is definitely a whole-day park for me. Had we purchased Park Hopper tickets like we used to, maybe I could’ve come back some morning and caught some of my favorite attractions. Due to our budget, we only had single-day/park tickets this time so the odds of coming back were slim. We had 4 more full days and those days were accounted for, and Epcot was not in the mix again. Or so I thought.
We made our way to the bus, discovering another slight drawback to staying at Pop Century. You are always the last bus stop. And it is usually packed, especially if you do wait til the very end of the night to leave. No matter. I was tired but happy to be in Walt Disney World again. Sean was content in his stroller. And tomorrow morning we were off to the
Back to Pop, and quickly into bed, after a few minutes of watching my girlfriend Stacey (shh, don’t tell the wife) and her list of Must-Do's! It took me a while to fall asleep, even after only a couple hours of rest the night before. My mind wouldn’t slow down, thinking of the next few days to come. I had to tell myself, as I did often this trip, to stop thinking about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. Enjoy the very moment, in a Disney hotel, on Disney property, at Disney World. No better place I know.
Tomorrow, breakfast early at the
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