BriarRabbit
<font color=red>BR, do you think you need protecti
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2002
- Messages
- 221
Cast: DH(me), DW, DS(13), DD(11)
Resort: Pop Century
Dates: 05/11/04-05/19/04
Tue, 5/11 Arrived at MCO around 4PM and bought our Premium Annual passes at the Disney Store at the airport since we may go again this fall or early next May. Heard that we may need the passes for checking in at Pop for AP rate of $59 per night. Flight was about 45 min late and the passes took 15 min so we were about an hour late but the Tiffany guy was still waiting. Did the Publix stop for Gatorade, H2O, and cereal. Pop Century was really neat. Checking in was quick and the CM never asked to see our passes.
I'd faxed a request the day before for non-smoking , top-floor, quiet side. We got all that in a 70s building. The theming is really neat with the Rubik cubes and yo-yos and bowling pins. Even the sayings at the top of the buildings caused conversation (and explaining) for all of us. We were under the "hot pants" sign. The 70s buildings are green, 90s are blue, 80s are red, 60s fading orange, 50s fading purple. The resort was very clean and felt new (opened last December). The room was small but we just used it for changing and sleeping and eating cereal. Tough to beat on-site for $59. We went for a quick dinner at the resorts food area. DD lived on chicken fingers this trip. I tried the Moms night out dinner which was turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I forget the price but the quality and the price werent bad. MGM was open until midnight for the Extra Magic hours so we headed there after dinner. Broke in the APs and rode the Movie Ride and Star Tours. Got Standing Room for Fantasmic so we left and DD and I rode TOT. Wed been up since 4AM so we beat the rush and headed back to Pop.
Wed, 5/12 I got up around 6AM to run and left DW orders to get ready for a start in MK. Got back and theyre all sleeping!!! Finally got to MK around 9:30AM and rode Philharmagic first. Very well done, the best 3-D show weve seen. Rode lots and lots, crowds were small as usual for mid-May. Did Carousel of Progress for the first time. Another new favorite now and I cant get that song out of my head!!! Did Buzzs ride a lot (DS got the first of his 3 perfect scores- 999999 today). Stayed until about noon and went to the room to change for Typhoon Lagoon. Stayed there from about 2 until 5. The kids like the wave pool and DW and I prefer the lazy river. I also rode some slides. A fun water park but I prefer Blizzard Beach which we would do later. Changed at the room and went to OHanna for dinner. Our third time there and it gets better each time. Finished the day with Extra Magic hours at MK until midnight. Oh, saw the new Wishes fireworks show. The fireworks are nicer and longer and Tinkerbell is lit up with lights! However, I think I prefer the old music.
Thu, 5/13 Went to Epcot. Rode the new Space ride twice. The theme is nice and we didnt get sick but I didnt think that the centrifuge added all that much to it. The best part was the Space Race game at the end. We went back there several times during the trip. Hint: A CM told us that the Orion team usually wins! Had a nice lunch at San Angel in Mexico. We all split a strawberry Beaver Tail in Canada while watching Illuminations. It was O.K.
Fri, 5/14 Spent the day at MGM for the start of Star Wars Weekend. Lots of Star Wars characters and the parade is small but neat. Saw Jedi Mickey, lol. DS did the trivia challenge. Two years ago he won in the kids division, last year he was out early as he had to move up to the adult age group. This year he was in the final 10 but some guy with Star Wars tattoos won the whole thing! Nice pins for Star Wars.
Sat, 5/15 Breakfastasaurus at AK. A tradition for us every year. We always buy the pictures too. My favorite ride, Dinosaur, was closed for repairs. Still a nice day. We spend more time there each year. I always get the wettest on the Kali River ride. The bird show is nice. Got to cross the new bridge from Dinoland to Asia. Saw the Everest ride under construction. Tough to be a Bug is still great. We had Boma PS for 5PM but werent that hungry. Family went back to Pop for chicken fingers. I liked this chicken and pasta dish at Caribbean Beach from last year so I went there and walked back to Pop. Kids swam while DW and I walked around the grounds and read the signs.
Sun, 5/16 Went to the Trails End breakfast for the first time. Not a huge selection but good for the price. Looked at the animals for a while. It was nice and quiet after several days in the parks. Back to noise as went to Disney Quest next. Thought wed stay for a couple hours and 4 and a half hours later we left. Had a good time. Gave Planet Hollywood another chance. Had two good meals there years ago and then had an awful one with horrible service. Well the waitress was nice and food came out quick but I thought that the prices were high for some chicken parts that werent all that good. Still too noisy for me. I think that was our last time there. Finished the evening in Epcot (more Space Race) and Illuminations. It was Extended Hours at Epcot. So cool to walk through the park at night!
Mon, 5/17 Blizzard Beach day. No lines on the slides in the morning. Did Summit Plummet twice. Lazy River is nice. Stayed about five hours. Changed at Pop and back for last night to see Epcot. More Illuminations.
Tue, 5/18 Last park day. Whole time at MK. Lots of Buzz, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain. Lunch at Crystal Palace. Used to be a favorite until last year. This year the food seemed better again. Wishes fireworks to finish. DS always gets emotional with the fireworks on the last night. Showed him the APs and said well probably be back again!
Wed, 5/19 Catch Tiffany driver around 9AM. Long day back. Connecting flight is full so DW gets us bumped to a later flight. A five hour wait in the airport but vouchers for free flight next time! Woohoo!
Summary: A really nice trip. Pop Century was fun and a great price. May is a great time to go. Small crowds and good weather. Still cant get "Its a great big beautiful tomorrow" out of my head! Maybe a fall trip or early May 2005 next.
Resort: Pop Century
Dates: 05/11/04-05/19/04
Tue, 5/11 Arrived at MCO around 4PM and bought our Premium Annual passes at the Disney Store at the airport since we may go again this fall or early next May. Heard that we may need the passes for checking in at Pop for AP rate of $59 per night. Flight was about 45 min late and the passes took 15 min so we were about an hour late but the Tiffany guy was still waiting. Did the Publix stop for Gatorade, H2O, and cereal. Pop Century was really neat. Checking in was quick and the CM never asked to see our passes.
I'd faxed a request the day before for non-smoking , top-floor, quiet side. We got all that in a 70s building. The theming is really neat with the Rubik cubes and yo-yos and bowling pins. Even the sayings at the top of the buildings caused conversation (and explaining) for all of us. We were under the "hot pants" sign. The 70s buildings are green, 90s are blue, 80s are red, 60s fading orange, 50s fading purple. The resort was very clean and felt new (opened last December). The room was small but we just used it for changing and sleeping and eating cereal. Tough to beat on-site for $59. We went for a quick dinner at the resorts food area. DD lived on chicken fingers this trip. I tried the Moms night out dinner which was turkey, mashed potatoes, and green beans. I forget the price but the quality and the price werent bad. MGM was open until midnight for the Extra Magic hours so we headed there after dinner. Broke in the APs and rode the Movie Ride and Star Tours. Got Standing Room for Fantasmic so we left and DD and I rode TOT. Wed been up since 4AM so we beat the rush and headed back to Pop. Wed, 5/12 I got up around 6AM to run and left DW orders to get ready for a start in MK. Got back and theyre all sleeping!!! Finally got to MK around 9:30AM and rode Philharmagic first. Very well done, the best 3-D show weve seen. Rode lots and lots, crowds were small as usual for mid-May. Did Carousel of Progress for the first time. Another new favorite now and I cant get that song out of my head!!! Did Buzzs ride a lot (DS got the first of his 3 perfect scores- 999999 today). Stayed until about noon and went to the room to change for Typhoon Lagoon. Stayed there from about 2 until 5. The kids like the wave pool and DW and I prefer the lazy river. I also rode some slides. A fun water park but I prefer Blizzard Beach which we would do later. Changed at the room and went to OHanna for dinner. Our third time there and it gets better each time. Finished the day with Extra Magic hours at MK until midnight. Oh, saw the new Wishes fireworks show. The fireworks are nicer and longer and Tinkerbell is lit up with lights! However, I think I prefer the old music.
Thu, 5/13 Went to Epcot. Rode the new Space ride twice. The theme is nice and we didnt get sick but I didnt think that the centrifuge added all that much to it. The best part was the Space Race game at the end. We went back there several times during the trip. Hint: A CM told us that the Orion team usually wins! Had a nice lunch at San Angel in Mexico. We all split a strawberry Beaver Tail in Canada while watching Illuminations. It was O.K.
Fri, 5/14 Spent the day at MGM for the start of Star Wars Weekend. Lots of Star Wars characters and the parade is small but neat. Saw Jedi Mickey, lol. DS did the trivia challenge. Two years ago he won in the kids division, last year he was out early as he had to move up to the adult age group. This year he was in the final 10 but some guy with Star Wars tattoos won the whole thing! Nice pins for Star Wars.
Sat, 5/15 Breakfastasaurus at AK. A tradition for us every year. We always buy the pictures too. My favorite ride, Dinosaur, was closed for repairs. Still a nice day. We spend more time there each year. I always get the wettest on the Kali River ride. The bird show is nice. Got to cross the new bridge from Dinoland to Asia. Saw the Everest ride under construction. Tough to be a Bug is still great. We had Boma PS for 5PM but werent that hungry. Family went back to Pop for chicken fingers. I liked this chicken and pasta dish at Caribbean Beach from last year so I went there and walked back to Pop. Kids swam while DW and I walked around the grounds and read the signs.
Sun, 5/16 Went to the Trails End breakfast for the first time. Not a huge selection but good for the price. Looked at the animals for a while. It was nice and quiet after several days in the parks. Back to noise as went to Disney Quest next. Thought wed stay for a couple hours and 4 and a half hours later we left. Had a good time. Gave Planet Hollywood another chance. Had two good meals there years ago and then had an awful one with horrible service. Well the waitress was nice and food came out quick but I thought that the prices were high for some chicken parts that werent all that good. Still too noisy for me. I think that was our last time there. Finished the evening in Epcot (more Space Race) and Illuminations. It was Extended Hours at Epcot. So cool to walk through the park at night!
Mon, 5/17 Blizzard Beach day. No lines on the slides in the morning. Did Summit Plummet twice. Lazy River is nice. Stayed about five hours. Changed at Pop and back for last night to see Epcot. More Illuminations.
Tue, 5/18 Last park day. Whole time at MK. Lots of Buzz, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain. Lunch at Crystal Palace. Used to be a favorite until last year. This year the food seemed better again. Wishes fireworks to finish. DS always gets emotional with the fireworks on the last night. Showed him the APs and said well probably be back again!
Wed, 5/19 Catch Tiffany driver around 9AM. Long day back. Connecting flight is full so DW gets us bumped to a later flight. A five hour wait in the airport but vouchers for free flight next time! Woohoo!
Summary: A really nice trip. Pop Century was fun and a great price. May is a great time to go. Small crowds and good weather. Still cant get "Its a great big beautiful tomorrow" out of my head! Maybe a fall trip or early May 2005 next.
