Just returned today from 8 nights at Pop Century .. a few thoughts and observations... any questions? ask away!
dates of trip: September 30 - October 8
celebrations: youngest daughter's 8th birthday, on October 1. we chose the gift card. easy process .. showed the birth certificate, hopper pass, and was on our way. the CM was grumpy, though.
she barely muttered "happy b'day" to DD, who was VERY excited to be celebrating at Epcot! used the gift card over several days, at park and resort locations. highlight of the day? dinner at 50's Prime Time. Loved that! 
weather: September 30-October 3 was gorgeous. warm, low humidity ... Sunday was warmer and more humid, and by Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday ... holy cow!
it was HOT. Heat indices in the 105-110 range. We did not go to AK, but understand it was miserable over there. we drank a TON of water. visions of snack credits used on napoleons and cheese fries quickly became snack credits used on smart water. LOL.
resort: Pop Century, building 3 .. great location! I don't know if it's preferred or not, but we were very close to the bowling pin pool, not far from classic hall or parking! the room was clean, mouse keeping did a nice job. no bedbugs The resort was sold out on Saturday, and we could tell. People everywhere!
free dining: I don't think there's anything that can be said about free dining that hasn't been said already, LOL ... for us, it was a lot of food, especially with the heat. most of the time, 3 CS meals were plenty for our family of 4. we started the week with 32 credits and ended up with 12 table service meals, and 4 counter service meals left over and no snacks remaining.
regarding snacks: ask before you buy something with a credit .. there have been some changes in what qualifies as a snack. the CM's I spoke to seemed to be frustrated by the changes, especially at Pop Century. The cashiers said that they changed the policy, then the managers come and make overrides.
crowds: there were plenty of people around! more than in past years. we've visited WDW the same week for the last 10 years. This week (starting October 3) leading up to Columbus day was far more crowded than I can ever remember. Yesterday at the MK, the waits for Splash Mt. were consistently 60 minutes throughout the day. The World Showcase in Epcot Sunday night was very busy, but apparently not as bad as Saturday. LOL.
We went to the Boardwalk on Saturday night, and it was a mess .. people everywhere! It was tough to get something to eat over there without a long wait.
transportation: we rented a car and drove to MGM and Epcot. Rode the bus to the MK. I hate riding the bus. Hate it. But I understand it's a necessary evil, especially going to the Magic Kingdom. Pop does a good job of getting people moved, no doubt about it.
dates of trip: September 30 - October 8
celebrations: youngest daughter's 8th birthday, on October 1. we chose the gift card. easy process .. showed the birth certificate, hopper pass, and was on our way. the CM was grumpy, though.
she barely muttered "happy b'day" to DD, who was VERY excited to be celebrating at Epcot! used the gift card over several days, at park and resort locations. highlight of the day? dinner at 50's Prime Time. Loved that! weather: September 30-October 3 was gorgeous. warm, low humidity ... Sunday was warmer and more humid, and by Monday, Tuesday, and yesterday ... holy cow!
it was HOT. Heat indices in the 105-110 range. We did not go to AK, but understand it was miserable over there. we drank a TON of water. visions of snack credits used on napoleons and cheese fries quickly became snack credits used on smart water. LOL. resort: Pop Century, building 3 .. great location! I don't know if it's preferred or not, but we were very close to the bowling pin pool, not far from classic hall or parking! the room was clean, mouse keeping did a nice job. no bedbugs
The resort was sold out on Saturday, and we could tell. People everywhere! free dining: I don't think there's anything that can be said about free dining that hasn't been said already, LOL ... for us, it was a lot of food, especially with the heat. most of the time, 3 CS meals were plenty for our family of 4. we started the week with 32 credits and ended up with 12 table service meals, and 4 counter service meals left over and no snacks remaining.
regarding snacks: ask before you buy something with a credit .. there have been some changes in what qualifies as a snack. the CM's I spoke to seemed to be frustrated by the changes, especially at Pop Century. The cashiers said that they changed the policy, then the managers come and make overrides.
crowds: there were plenty of people around! more than in past years. we've visited WDW the same week for the last 10 years. This week (starting October 3) leading up to Columbus day was far more crowded than I can ever remember. Yesterday at the MK, the waits for Splash Mt. were consistently 60 minutes throughout the day. The World Showcase in Epcot Sunday night was very busy, but apparently not as bad as Saturday. LOL.
We went to the Boardwalk on Saturday night, and it was a mess .. people everywhere! It was tough to get something to eat over there without a long wait.
transportation: we rented a car and drove to MGM and Epcot. Rode the bus to the MK. I hate riding the bus. Hate it. But I understand it's a necessary evil, especially going to the Magic Kingdom. Pop does a good job of getting people moved, no doubt about it.
