MissRoseDarrensAngel
Will Turner's Pirate Princess
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2009
- Messages
- 92
**Flight**
Our family used AirTran non stop flights to and from Orlando to Michigan. I got to say besides Aer Lingus and British Airways (that I've used a bit in past), that AirTran did a great job with customer service and in flight services. The seats were wider compared to most airlines, and being pooh sized, I had no issues with fitting in the seats. There was only a small snack and beverage service both ways. Wireless internet is available and XM radio for entertainment. All the employees were helpful and professional too.
**Disney's Magical Express**
We used them to and from the airport and resort. We took advantage of the bag handling services so we were able to bypass bag claim in Orlando. We paid for our bags ahead of time before departure and we chose to use the resort airline check in to get our bags checked through. The bus ride was smooth and our drivers got us safely & quickly to our destinations. The seats were comfortable and the air conditioning felt good too.
**Pop Century Resort**
We were amazed at all to see at the resort itself from the time we got off the bus. Check in went smoothly, and we got our keys to the world which included our hopper passes for the parks.
I gave my cell phone # to get our final room assignment as it wasn't ready: we ended up in the 50's segment close to the Disney's grey Tramp dog on the ground floor. We got a text around 2pm informing us of our room number.
I also had some items for breakfast and snacks delivered from NetGrocer.com to our room.
Our luggage plus our carry on's that we had checked in at luggage assistance were all waiting for us when we came from the Magic Kingdom in the evening in our room. For our family group of 4, the room was decently sized. I shared a bed with my nephew, and my mother shared with my niece. Beds were comfortable. It took some getting used to the way the toilets flushed, and how to get the shower to a temperature preferred but I got it quicker compared to my mother.
Our house-mouse keeper did a great job with keeping our rooms clean, and even left us a towel animal. One day, the house-mouse keeper took my nephew's dinosaur he got from Animal Kingdom, and placed in on the window sill, and other day the same dino toy was set up on a bed facing the tv that was turned on and his paws holding the remote control.
Food was very good, and gift shop was plentiful. The kids even enjoyed a bit of the arcade too.
We didn't have to share buses to the parks with another resort/resorts at all which was a plus. I would deffo stay there again.
**The Parks**
We had hopper passes which are a great value for the money, and allow you to go to more than 1 park during the day if you like. Also, those staying on Disney property at their resorts can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours (mainly 1 hour early starts). The resorts do post what park has extra time that day for the week so people can plan ahead if they are early birds. Disney does offer other styles of tickets, its best to read up on them, then decide what works best for you. Keep in mind, any kids 10 years and older are considered adults by Disney. Kids ages 3 and under are admitted for free. Disney this year is running free admission on birthday promotion too. Fastpass is your friend for most popular attractions & make sure make sure you use it if you can, and keep in mind there are limits to how many you may have at any one time.
Yes we went to all 4 major parks, and below are my favorites for each park (and keep in mind this was my 3rd visit):
Magic Kingdom: Pirates of the Caribbean, Its a Small World, Splash Mountain, Big ThunderMountain Railroad, Dumbo (the ride), The Teacups, Indy Race Cars, Hall of Presidents, walking through Cinderella's castle some, Mickey's Toontown, meeting characters (mainly Mickey and Minnie)
Hollywood Studios: Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour Ride, Muppets 3D, Toy Story Mania, Stunt Show, American Idol Experience (at least I got to see on the screen, David Cook and Adam Lambert promoting things even though my mother wouldn't stop by it long enough for me to go into, grrr @ her for thinking I wasn't good enough to try to audition as a lark).
Animal Kingdom: Dinoland Rides (not the Dinosaur indoor coaster - too scary), Kali River Rapids, Safari Ride, Its Tough to Be A Bug, The Tree of Life
Epcot - Spaceship Earth, Mission Space (milder side of ride), Soarin', Test Track, UK Pavilion @ WorldShowCase, The American Experience @ USA Pavilion in WorldShowCase, Coca Cola's Club Cool
Yes you will do ALOT of walking. Make sure your socks and walking shoes can handle it - make sure you wear shoes that have been broken in.
Take rest breaks as necessary as Florida heat / humidity are brutal. Drink plenty of WATER - stay away from carbonated beverages as much as you can as the main rule is keep hydrated well. Most Disney table service places will give out glasses of ice water with meals upon request for free.
Have a poncho available as in Florida summer time, rain can come anytime. Many find the rain refreshing and go without a poncho.
Ensure plenty of batteries and memory cards/film for cameras - take your time to snap the sights - what is fascinating to you, may not be for others & vice versa - keep that in mind (if only my mother would have slowed down alot, I would have snapped more than the 400 pics I managed to get in the parks + down town disney + the resort)
Be kind to cast members aka Disney employees, and remember at the end of the day they are people too - they have a job to do as well. All of them were kind, helpful and patient with the guests. Many of them will engage people in some small talk too.
Many meals are very large in some places - its a good idea to share especially with kids in a group, and sharing can keep your food expenses down some.
Best meal had I had hands down in terms of taste and value - Magic Kingdom - Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tommorrowland - $14 for a half rostiree chicken and part slab of BBQ ribs with potato and vegetable. It split up nicely between me, my mother and 2 growing kids. I also liked the chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and pizza selections as well. I only wish I couldve tried Yorkshire Fish n Chips in UK pavilion (grrr @ my mother as my nephew would've enjoyed that).
Best snack -- Pineapple frozen bar (served at most parks, I had mine at Epcot), and my nephew loved the Sundae @ the Pop Century Resort even though his eyes were bigger than his tummy LOL. and yes i did try the Disney Popcorn - I splurged on the bucket for 4.50 at Magic Kingdom, and it was as good as people say it was.
**The Part from Heck**
I have to say though that most visitors are considerate to other guests. But my mother was often rude, pushy, walked too fast and didn't seem to understand I have limits with my bad feet and being a bigger person (she used my feet and weight problems as an excuse to her as to why I didn't keep up with her GRRR). Keep in mind, that everyone walks at different paces, and not all people can handle Florida hot weather well. Even with plenty of sunscreen and shoes that I broke in nicely, I still got sunburned bad and horrid blisters on my sore feet.
I did have a mini meltdown Saturday night of sorts because after 3 days of my mother pushing everyone around, my limits broke as I was stressed out and tired, and simply needed more breaks plus wanted a chance to be to take my time to soak up the Disney experiences. Thank you to some of my great adopted bro, sis, and mum for keeping me sane via my mobile with text and a phone call I placed to them as well just to let off some much needed steam. I have to say I will NEVER holiday with my mother EVER again. My feet are still killing me but not like during the week - thank God for time to soak them them plus rest and plasters for them too.
**Downtown Disney**
Mainly shopping places and restaurants with a few clubs still there - many of the shops I did take a look around in. I did splurge and get myself stuff at World of Disney Store. We had a voucher for Planet Hollywood where we ate some really good food - i shared a pulled pork BBQ sandwich meal with my nephew, and my niece shared a turkey club meal with my mother. Service there was very good, and we all enjoyed the movie stuff displayed throughout the place as well.
Our family used AirTran non stop flights to and from Orlando to Michigan. I got to say besides Aer Lingus and British Airways (that I've used a bit in past), that AirTran did a great job with customer service and in flight services. The seats were wider compared to most airlines, and being pooh sized, I had no issues with fitting in the seats. There was only a small snack and beverage service both ways. Wireless internet is available and XM radio for entertainment. All the employees were helpful and professional too.
**Disney's Magical Express**
We used them to and from the airport and resort. We took advantage of the bag handling services so we were able to bypass bag claim in Orlando. We paid for our bags ahead of time before departure and we chose to use the resort airline check in to get our bags checked through. The bus ride was smooth and our drivers got us safely & quickly to our destinations. The seats were comfortable and the air conditioning felt good too.
**Pop Century Resort**
We were amazed at all to see at the resort itself from the time we got off the bus. Check in went smoothly, and we got our keys to the world which included our hopper passes for the parks.
I gave my cell phone # to get our final room assignment as it wasn't ready: we ended up in the 50's segment close to the Disney's grey Tramp dog on the ground floor. We got a text around 2pm informing us of our room number.
I also had some items for breakfast and snacks delivered from NetGrocer.com to our room.
Our luggage plus our carry on's that we had checked in at luggage assistance were all waiting for us when we came from the Magic Kingdom in the evening in our room. For our family group of 4, the room was decently sized. I shared a bed with my nephew, and my mother shared with my niece. Beds were comfortable. It took some getting used to the way the toilets flushed, and how to get the shower to a temperature preferred but I got it quicker compared to my mother.
Our house-mouse keeper did a great job with keeping our rooms clean, and even left us a towel animal. One day, the house-mouse keeper took my nephew's dinosaur he got from Animal Kingdom, and placed in on the window sill, and other day the same dino toy was set up on a bed facing the tv that was turned on and his paws holding the remote control.
Food was very good, and gift shop was plentiful. The kids even enjoyed a bit of the arcade too.
We didn't have to share buses to the parks with another resort/resorts at all which was a plus. I would deffo stay there again.
**The Parks**
We had hopper passes which are a great value for the money, and allow you to go to more than 1 park during the day if you like. Also, those staying on Disney property at their resorts can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours (mainly 1 hour early starts). The resorts do post what park has extra time that day for the week so people can plan ahead if they are early birds. Disney does offer other styles of tickets, its best to read up on them, then decide what works best for you. Keep in mind, any kids 10 years and older are considered adults by Disney. Kids ages 3 and under are admitted for free. Disney this year is running free admission on birthday promotion too. Fastpass is your friend for most popular attractions & make sure make sure you use it if you can, and keep in mind there are limits to how many you may have at any one time.
Yes we went to all 4 major parks, and below are my favorites for each park (and keep in mind this was my 3rd visit):
Magic Kingdom: Pirates of the Caribbean, Its a Small World, Splash Mountain, Big ThunderMountain Railroad, Dumbo (the ride), The Teacups, Indy Race Cars, Hall of Presidents, walking through Cinderella's castle some, Mickey's Toontown, meeting characters (mainly Mickey and Minnie)
Hollywood Studios: Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Backlot Tour Ride, Muppets 3D, Toy Story Mania, Stunt Show, American Idol Experience (at least I got to see on the screen, David Cook and Adam Lambert promoting things even though my mother wouldn't stop by it long enough for me to go into, grrr @ her for thinking I wasn't good enough to try to audition as a lark).
Animal Kingdom: Dinoland Rides (not the Dinosaur indoor coaster - too scary), Kali River Rapids, Safari Ride, Its Tough to Be A Bug, The Tree of Life
Epcot - Spaceship Earth, Mission Space (milder side of ride), Soarin', Test Track, UK Pavilion @ WorldShowCase, The American Experience @ USA Pavilion in WorldShowCase, Coca Cola's Club Cool
Yes you will do ALOT of walking. Make sure your socks and walking shoes can handle it - make sure you wear shoes that have been broken in.
Take rest breaks as necessary as Florida heat / humidity are brutal. Drink plenty of WATER - stay away from carbonated beverages as much as you can as the main rule is keep hydrated well. Most Disney table service places will give out glasses of ice water with meals upon request for free.
Have a poncho available as in Florida summer time, rain can come anytime. Many find the rain refreshing and go without a poncho.
Ensure plenty of batteries and memory cards/film for cameras - take your time to snap the sights - what is fascinating to you, may not be for others & vice versa - keep that in mind (if only my mother would have slowed down alot, I would have snapped more than the 400 pics I managed to get in the parks + down town disney + the resort)
Be kind to cast members aka Disney employees, and remember at the end of the day they are people too - they have a job to do as well. All of them were kind, helpful and patient with the guests. Many of them will engage people in some small talk too.
Many meals are very large in some places - its a good idea to share especially with kids in a group, and sharing can keep your food expenses down some.
Best meal had I had hands down in terms of taste and value - Magic Kingdom - Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe in Tommorrowland - $14 for a half rostiree chicken and part slab of BBQ ribs with potato and vegetable. It split up nicely between me, my mother and 2 growing kids. I also liked the chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and pizza selections as well. I only wish I couldve tried Yorkshire Fish n Chips in UK pavilion (grrr @ my mother as my nephew would've enjoyed that).
Best snack -- Pineapple frozen bar (served at most parks, I had mine at Epcot), and my nephew loved the Sundae @ the Pop Century Resort even though his eyes were bigger than his tummy LOL. and yes i did try the Disney Popcorn - I splurged on the bucket for 4.50 at Magic Kingdom, and it was as good as people say it was.
**The Part from Heck**
I have to say though that most visitors are considerate to other guests. But my mother was often rude, pushy, walked too fast and didn't seem to understand I have limits with my bad feet and being a bigger person (she used my feet and weight problems as an excuse to her as to why I didn't keep up with her GRRR). Keep in mind, that everyone walks at different paces, and not all people can handle Florida hot weather well. Even with plenty of sunscreen and shoes that I broke in nicely, I still got sunburned bad and horrid blisters on my sore feet.
I did have a mini meltdown Saturday night of sorts because after 3 days of my mother pushing everyone around, my limits broke as I was stressed out and tired, and simply needed more breaks plus wanted a chance to be to take my time to soak up the Disney experiences. Thank you to some of my great adopted bro, sis, and mum for keeping me sane via my mobile with text and a phone call I placed to them as well just to let off some much needed steam. I have to say I will NEVER holiday with my mother EVER again. My feet are still killing me but not like during the week - thank God for time to soak them them plus rest and plasters for them too.
**Downtown Disney**
Mainly shopping places and restaurants with a few clubs still there - many of the shops I did take a look around in. I did splurge and get myself stuff at World of Disney Store. We had a voucher for Planet Hollywood where we ate some really good food - i shared a pulled pork BBQ sandwich meal with my nephew, and my niece shared a turkey club meal with my mother. Service there was very good, and we all enjoyed the movie stuff displayed throughout the place as well.
