Need morning coffee strategy...Pop Century

[mickeyluv'r]

While I don't love the WDW coffee, I can tolerate it. It does help if you can add real milk or real cream. DH says the stuff they use is real cream, but I kow several places where they have 'creamers' they ar ethe fake kind, and I wonder that the stuff coming out of the creamer dispenser is the Cremora junk. I also think they have improved the coffee in the last year or two, but maybe I'm wrong.

Another alternative is to find one of the few quality places on property to get decent coffee.

In Epcot, you can get better coffee in the France espresso shop (after 11am), or the coffee place in future world (though the lines are VERY LOOOOONNNNGGGG. Not worth the wait, IMO.) The Dolphin resort also sells Starbucks (along with refillable mugs, $11.95), several of the mods have coffee bars. In the Studios, it's Starring Rolls or 'Cup O' Joe to Go.' the Boardwalk Bakery also has a coffee bar. At AK , it used to be at Tusker House. I think they are going to, or already have, reopened the coffee bar (after the remodeling of Tusker)

Pop has a coffee bar too. I think you can get espressos and the like there.
ANd of course, the Poly has great coffee. It might make for a nice morning break to stop over there via the monorail. If you are driving to MK, then just hop on the resort monorail from the TTC, or walk right over - the walk to the resort is only slightly longer than the walk up to the monrail.


Here's what I figure. It takes me longer to get ready inthe AM than DH, so I send him off to get coffee in the refillable mug, while I dry my hair IN PEACE! We usually get one mug and share. We leave the mug in the room, so we don't have to carry it around all day (or if we have access to a stroller, we might refill it one our way out the door). Later in the park we share a cup of better coffee.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Wow, thanks everyone for all of the terrific ideas! First we were thinking of the small coffee pot from Wal-Mart (could even have picked one up in FL where it is cheaper than here, I am pretty sure). But.....

Just spoke to DH and turns out, we have a hot pot! So this is what we will do: bring the hot pot, bring Folgers coffee singles and I love the flavored Splenda (no I do not use sugar...I follow Weight Watchers Maintenance). So we will bring all this and it will not take up much space in the minivan.

Can't help with checking in a coffee pot on a plane...we are driving down from NYC!!!

Thanks again,
Bonnie

 

[kg66]

Look for a coffee maker that has a plastic carafe type coffee pot, then you don't have to worry about it breaking. And bring filters so clean up is minimal. You could bring some Dawn or Palmolive wipes rather than a bottle of dish washing detergent. Just throw 1 for everyday in a ziploc bag and it'll take no room in your suitcase.

 

[Dopey420]

The Nescafe is made with hot water and a coffee "syrup".



I wish there was an avatar of the smiley guy throwing up- that would be appropriate here.

 

[rottiemom]

This thread is very timely as I'm the sort of person that needs a cup of coffee in order to be able to make a cup of coffee. When I wake up in the morning I'm useless until that first cup...it doesn't need to be fantastic but it needs to be resonably good.

So here's what occurred to me while reading this thread.- watch the garage sales & clearance racks for one of those pod machines like the Senseo or Melitta One & sending it ahead to the hotel. I'd just have to bring (or send) a pack of pods with me and a box of milk (I don't use sugar). The pod machines require virtually no brain power first thing in the morning & everything is contained & pre-measured (less chance for me to screw up). Nothing to rinse as the coffee goes right into your cup. No carafes to worry about. Senseo will occasionally offer their coffee makers up for free online but you can usually find these things on ridiculous markdown when the new models start coming in.

Wow, I can't believe I just had this brainstorm!

 

[fakereadhed]

Couldn't help but chime in about the coffee. Just in case someone is thinking the comments about bad coffee are overstated, let me tell you what my DH thought. He rewarms any leftover coffee he can find in the pot from the morning before, microwaves it, and drinks it. This is totally disgusting and he has ZERO standards for coffee. He could not drink the foodcourt coffee and refused to use his refillable mug. We seriously took two Excedrin every morning instead.

Bring your own, or enjoy it at Writer's Stop(DHS), Kona, Narcoosee's, or Chefs De France.

 

[bookbabe626]

While I don't love the WDW coffee, I can tolerate it. It does help if you can add real milk or real cream. DH says the stuff they use is real cream, but I kow several places where they have 'creamers' they ar ethe fake kind, and I wonder that the stuff coming out of the creamer dispenser is the Cremora junk.

I can verify that, at least at the values, the stuff in the "cream" dispenser seems to be the non-dairy creamer-like substance. I know, 'cause my system reacts badly to it, same as it does if I use Coffee Mate. Tried it once, and was a very, very unhappy Bookbabe. Definitely not one of the more Magical Moments of that trip...

I usually get a small container of milk, use part for my coffee, then feed the rest to DH. If we were renting a fridge anyway, I'd save the leftover milk to use the next day, but it's cheaper to get a small milk each day than pay the fridge rental if we don't need it for anything else. The coffee's okay if you add milk/sugar to it, but there's no way I could drink it black...it's worth the extra expense to get a tolerable caffeine fix...

 

[amandamousebeat]

OK gotta throw in my 2 cents worth here. As a coffee house owner Disney coffee is not the best but have had much much worse!! If you really cant wait to do the food court thing or you want to bring your own beans these two options have my vote.

1 small 4 cup machine about $8 at walmart

2 take an electric tea pot & use either those prefilled coffee "pouches" or do a Melita system or French press both make awesome coffee to your preferences & size needs.

I agree Coffeeshousemom, the WDW coffee is not very tasty and really over priced. A Starbucks cup is less than a WDW cup. Sort off topic but what coffee do you use at your place? I am a huge coffee fan and like to know what other coffee lovers drink.

 

[Bell30012]

I can't function without sipping my morning coffee. POP Century's coffee isn't the worst that I've ever had but it isn't my favorite either. I have to bring a coffee pot for a different reason... I tend to get up early and as a single father, I found myself in a dilemma... I can't go to the food court and get that coffee in the early morning because of that beautiful sleeping daughter. So I bring a coffee pot.

 

[janloz]

Another solution is to order a small coffeepot, coffee and filters on line at amazon or such site and have it sent to the hotel. You can use it while there and then have it shipped home or just leave it. There are also several grocery shopping services that deliver to POP and they might be able to get coffeepot and deliver with other items. I organize a fridge swap and we added 10 cup pot, 6 coffee cups and filters to our walmart order when we shipped fridge for the coffee-a-holics in our swap. So far it has worked very well and each swapper brings their own coffee and buys milk in the food court.

 

[MARY-IN-OH]

I bought a 4 cup coffee maker and put the glass container in my carry on and the rest of the unit in my luggage. I packed coffee, dry creamer, sugar and put it in our luggage. I packed the glass well in bubble wrap. On the way home, I took a risk and put the glass part in the bubble wrap in our luggage with clothes, and it made it home just fine!

I "splurged" and bought a 4-cup coffee maker with a timer on it. ($18.00). turned out to be a great alarm clock hearing and smelling the coffee brewing before we got out of bed! (Just remember to buy the smaller 4 cup filters to bring along with you).
-mary

 

[Raiderhouse]

Only fast food around is McDonalds...I guess you could go there!! It is right next to the Allstars!!

 

[ohiojoy]

There's this cheap brand of instant coffee at Target that tastes so good you should try. It's in a red container, Hills Bros, and it's faux cappuchino. I've been using that for months instead of my normal coffee maker because it actually tastes better. Get the English Toffee flavor --- yum!

 

[donkeypunch827]

I sense too many science projects in the making that are going to lead to a serious jonesing!

Your investing in the fridge, do your mental health a favor and pack a case of Starbucks Iced Coffees in the can and some doubleshots. It's going to be hotter than a match and it'll really hit the spot. Hubby might even pull one of these in the morning after rolling out of bed and cracking a few cold ones.

Warning: This might lead to another vice (speaking from personal experience of course ...but it's better than taking your kids hostage for 3 hours in the morning...trying to figure out where your going to get a solid cup!

Good Luck!

 

[GeoDad]

Thank goodness there are others, I thought I was the only one in a panic about not having coffee except at the food court! No plug for McDonalds, but in a pinch I have been known to drink their brew, better than Nescafe any day! Self professed coffee snob and proud to proclaim my one last vice, (ok maybe adult beverages make two).

We will be staying at All Stars so I am happy to have that dilema and will bring some sort of coffee maker and pre-ground as I too am a grind and beans guy.

I am curious to learn more about these refrigerator swaps? Perhaps another post for another time.

 

[rottiemom]

I sense too many science projects in the making that are going to lead to a serious jonesing!

See, that's why I thought of the Senseo. No thought power necessary and if you insert the pod the night before you just have to blear over to the coffee machine in the morning & push the button .

Your investing in the fridge, do your mental health a favor and pack a case of Starbucks Iced Coffees in the can and some doubleshots.

Iced coffee doesn't do it for me in the AM. It's a yummy treat, not an essential part of the morning wake up process. The coffee has gotta be hot, and unsweetened. Honestly that's my biggest problem with the Sbux packaged stuff- the sugar/corn syrup/whatever sweetener. Any sugar in the morning will make me crash farther than the coffee can pick me up from.

And now I've discovered that Community coffee makes their New Orleans Blend in pods. I could actually be in coffee heaven while away from home!

 

[raven69david]

Can anyone confirm if all Disney coffee at the food courts is Nescafe brand? Since I have only stayed at AKL, this is the only place i get coffee. I love the coffee as it reminds me of Disney. There is a restaurant in my local area that has the same Nescafe machine that they have at AKL and the coffee tastes just like it.

 

[bytheblood]

I buy a cheap coffee maker at Target and put it in a box along with a bag of Starbucks grounds, flavored creamer and splenda and send it to WDW before I get there. The coffee makers in the room are disgusting (never cleaned out) and the coffee at WDW is nasty.

When I leave, I leave the coffee maker for whoever wants to pick it up from my resort.

 

[PortieOwner]

I'd just send the husband over to the food court every morning when they open at 7am. I do it every morning I'm at WDW to secure coffee and some early breakfast to tide us over until the later in the morning character breakfasts. Buying the resort mug will save you a little money (free refills).