Just got back

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Got back Sunday, had a great 2 weeks at POP, will start on a full trip report later this week, but heres a few things off the top of my head. This was my 7th visit the last one in 2004, so it was interesting to see what had changed.

• POP Century was excellent, much better experience than Carribbean Beach (2004)
  
• Only rained for 7 hours in the 2 weeks, hottest day was 103 F.
  
  
• Disney Magic still reigns at Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
  
• Tour Guide Mike advice was excellent, longest wait for for 15 minutes and that was Dollar Car Hire at the airport !
  
• Found Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure just lacking in any sort of magic. We did IOA all the rides in 3 hours.
  
• Had a meal at Hooters which was just terrible.
  
• Aquatica was just superb, made Typhoon look very old and dated.

Overall an excellent time, some strange things I noticed for the first time, people on junctions with card board plackards saying they were homeless and helpless, which I found a bit disturbing for some reason, something I did not expect to see in Florida.

My overall thought after coming back is that for the first time after 7 visits, I have no desire to go again, this for me was a major revelation, maybe it will change over time, I am not sure, but just felt that after 7 visits, it had not changed all that much over the last 4 year, maybe this will change but I am not sure.

My trip reports, I will hope to include an many tips as possible, but my greatest tip, was at immigration, and to queue as far right as possible, when the immigration people have delt with the US passengers, they call you over, we were thru in less that 10 mins !!


Any questions please post, I will try my best to answer

Kev

 

[Karenpowley]

Looking forward to your trip report....

Have bkd 6 days at POP next July - altho was torn between there and a moderate, but am very pleased u liked it, and that i bkd there now. Could you reccommend any particular block to request?

K x

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Looking forward to your trip report. We are going to Aquatica in December (I hope) & I think yours is the first positive comment I've read So I really would like to see what you have to say.

I was hoping the crowds wouldn't be as crazy.

Glad you enjoyed your holiday

 

[Netty]

welcome back Kevin
i know what you mean about universal and IOA, we don't rate those parks that much, infact we went to IOA for the first time 2 years ago and left within a couple of hours there.
we now still do the wdw parks but we also do alot of other things in florida as well. this trip we are going to an orlando magic game, and we try and go to different things that don't involve a mouse or many tourists either!

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

We were in block 6, third floor, which was difficult to find at the start, but after a day we realised that it was through the main building and down to the left, just a couple of minutes. Lifts always worked and always seem to be where you wanted them !

We bought the re fillable mugs which were valid for all drinks at the food court for 2 weeks, they were $12.49 each. What we did then was always park at the front at the check in parking after a day out, walk through the main building have a drink, and enjoy the air con ! then re fill them on the way back to the room. In the morning we did the opposite, must have saved a fortune in drinks !

The themeing was excellent, big icons like Mickey, three pools which were never really full, the rooms were clean, and the matresses had been replaced that year, as I found the tag on one of them!

Lovely gardens and views, lifts always worked, our air con broke, but I reported it next moerning, it was fixed when we returned, we got interconnecting rooms too. Air con was modern and silent, unlike the old ones we had at Caribbean Beach.

Food hall was big and lively, they played great music through out, and at 8 am the cast members would 'do the twist' in the middle, which I thought was cute.

Plenty of food choice, but after a few days we tried off site breakfasts.

Check in desks were plentiful, and everyone there looked liked they wanted to be there, plus plenty of seating.

Food hall was always very busy beyween 8 and 10 am, and 6 and 8 pm, so we avoided those times.

A great resort, great atmosphere, and the buses were great too, and the security man on the way in was a pleasure to talk too.

Also you now need your room key to open the gate to get back into the resort, so take a tip and remember to keep it handy, not in your pocket like I did every day, wrestling to try and get it out all the time !!

 

[Pinky166]

Welcome home Kevin. Sounds like you had a great time, looking forward to reading your trip report.

 

[dooledoo]

I was very pleased to hear about the queues. We are going at the end of August next year, did you find the queues quieter on particular days or were the parks manageable most of the time? Did you find the mornings quieter than the afternoons?

Were you there for the Labor Day (I think that is the public holiday the USA has just had)? How were the crowds then?

Sorry, full of questions!!!

 

[suzycute]

Glad you had a great time - looking forward to your trip report

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Looking forward to your trip report. We are going to Aquatica in December (I hope) & I think yours is the first positive comment I've read So I really would like to see what you have to say.

I was hoping the crowds wouldn't be as crazy.

Glad you enjoyed your holiday

The four of us thought Aquatica was better than both Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon.

Given the choice now if I could choose only one, I think it would be Aquatica, it only had one drawback for me, but made up for it in all the rest.

Its clean and very very tidy, lovely garden planting.

The beach area is so much more cleaner and well developed than the Disney parks, the loungers are arranged in rows with space between them to walk along. Unlike say Typhoon, where the loungers look like they have just been washed up!!

The sand was freshly raked between the longers, which were also height adjustable, something sadly missing at the Disney parks.

There were loads of umbarellas for shade, in fact we got 4 loungers, with 2 umbarellas. When we visited Typhhon, I thought that the umbarellas had been nicked because there was only one, I kid you not.

Food was good, you take it back using a plastic shopping basket rather than a stupid tray, they use recycled food wrapping, and you can recycle plastic there, which is good to know.

The main pool is not very big, its only drawback, so it can get crowded, but the waves were briliant, much better that Blizzard, which a real waste of time.

The pool at the end has a clock, which is handy, and also displays the temperature.

The changing rooms, were an actual block, and it was a proper door, you walked in and it was massively spacious but also air conditioned, these were brilliant, they made the Disney changing area look like some cheap council pool area !

Rides were good, the Dolphin one was disapointing as its too fast to see anythig, but I suppose a nice try. The other rides were good.

When you leave and then visit Typhoon, you realsise just how old, dated and dirty Typhoon Lagoon is.

I think thats my only gripe with Aquatica, the main pool is not as big as Typhoon, which to me is now its only draw. I won't bother with Blizzard Beach again if I ever visited, but I do feel that Aquatica missed the trick with the wave pool, they should have made as big if not bigger than Typhoon.

The other thing to note is that the bobbing wave at Typhoon from 4 years ago, has been toned down a lot so much so I thought the wave machine was broken, this for me was a major let down, as I had left Typhoon for my last day, as it had always been my best day.

Havin said that, the overall experience at Aquatica was so much more positive that both Disney Parks, that I would choose it again, over the other 2.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I was very pleased to hear about the queues. We are going at the end of August next year, did you find the queues quieter on particular days or were the parks manageable most of the time? Did you find the mornings quieter than the afternoons?

Were you there for the Labor Day (I think that is the public holiday the USA has just had)? How were the crowds then?

Sorry, full of questions!!!

I used Touyr Guide Mikes Recommendations of the park days, and to get there for rope drop, we then planned the non Disney parks around what TGM said if you see what I mean.

Labour day was a breeze, we did not notice any difference, and we went to MK on this day, again there for rope drop, by 11.30 we had done about 8 or 9 of the main rides, we just then wandered around the rest.

We were the first on simpson's and Soarin !

And whe we rode Kraken, we just styaed on for 3 goes in a row !

What we did notice is that about 11 am at every park the Americans turned in up in droves, by which time you have done the major stuff.

I did plan for 7 months and it paid off, the early bird and the worm thing !

 

[Netty]

we have never been to a park for rope drop- this year we are going to be there for it! one question though..... what time is rope drop???

 

[disneyholic family]

The other thing to note is that the bobbing wave at Typhoon from 4 years ago, has been toned down a lot so much so I thought the wave machine was broken, this for me was a major let down, as I had left Typhoon for my last day, as it had always been my best day.

DD was at pop century the same time as you- she's still there in fact...she leaves tomorrow morning..

as for typhoon- you're right...the wave machine is broken so they've had to keep the waves down to a low level...
it's scheduled to be fixed when TL has it's annual downtime (november?)..

 

[Girlsontour]

Bad meal at Hooters....no!!!!!

 

[dooledoo]

Thanks for the reply, everything I wanted to hear

I agree about the planning. I've been planning this trip since January last year. I've now booked the accommodation and the flights are marked on the calendar to be booked in October. I am now into SERIOUS planning (we don't go until next August). I think by then I will be in meltdown.

Boy, I LOVE planning - it is soooo exciting

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi,

I must admit after our last holiday in 2006 we needed a few years off too, things were just too familiar and we have had problems varying the holiday and keeping it fresh and interesting.

Looking forward to going back though next year as we have changed our accomodation plans to hopefully freshen it up a bit.

 

[jackieleanne]

I also found labour day crowds to be nothing at all. Queue's are very much down on other times of year. We rode test track twice in a row without having to get off as there was no queue's. Glad you had a good time Kevin I never got to make it to Aquatica because it ended up raining so we went to the malls instead.

 

[~Fisharefriends~]

glad you had a good time, thanks for your reveiw of aquatica, we are heading there on this trip.

 

[stoneyloon]

Bad meal at Hooters....no!!!!!

But the scenery was still good!

 

[T16GEM]

Glad that you had a good holiday, I am pleased that you liked Aquatica there has been far too much negativity about this park IMO before letting it find it's feet.

 

[The Fetherstons]

Welcome Home , glad you had fun, we are going to WDW on Saturday and we hadnt planned to go to Aquatica due to the reports Ive heard, but we might just give it a try