"Now we know how Tom Hanks felt in Cast Away" A Pop Century Resort and WDW June TR!

[hugApug]

Hi all! This will be my first trip report, ever! I hadn't initially planned on doing one since I'm so new to the board, but we had such an amazing trip and I'm suffering from WDW withdrawals, so I'm hoping that a TR will be good medication!

My title quote is from my DBF. We were in the wave pool one morning at Typhoon Lagoon, and he was pretty excited that the waves were realistic. Ok, more than excited...I had trouble getting him out of the wave pool! His happiness and awe at everything in the world really made my trip that much better.

Some introductions....

That's me on the left, Monkey(the pug) in the middle, and DBF on the right. That picture was taken at Soda Springs, CA on the iced-over Serene Lake during January 2009. We've been together for just over 3 years, and have been friends for over five. Monkey is our furry child, and we missed her a lot this trip....but as you'll see later on, she didn't miss us!

This was our first trip together to WDW(my 3rd trip), and my DBF's first time to the other side of the country! The furthest he has ever traveled from the Bay Area was to Las Vegas. Needless to say, this was a *huge* trip for him to make.

Some details...

Dates of trip: June 1, 2010-June 8,2010

Hotel: Originally Baymont Inn(oh the horror for 1 night) and switched to Pop Century(6 night stay)!

Itinerary: Pretty loose- I didn't want to put too much stress on DBF, so we went at our own pace, and it really turned out great!

Up Next: Day One: A horrible hotel, an unexpected DTD concert, and interesting encounters with Floridians.

Here's a picture...anyone know where this would have been taken?

 

[MEK]

Oh I am never first for anything. Great start to your TR! I am going to guess that you are on the speedway at the MK!


p.s. was the Baymont Inn really that bad?

 

[walkdmc]

Hi!

Can't wait to read all the details, as we're visiting soon!

 

[OhMari]

My guess is the Speedway too at the MK.

 

[hugApug]

Oh I am never first for anything. Great start to your TR! I am going to guess that you are on the speedway at the MK!


p.s. was the Baymont Inn really that bad?

Thanks for joining in! Yes-it was really that bad. I definitely did not expect luxury by any means, but it was "under construction" and really really really dirty. I'll post pictures with my next update.

Hi!

Can't wait to read all the details, as we're visiting soon!

Hope you'll have fun on your trip! Are you staying at Pop?

My guess is the Speedway too at the MK.

Close! But, it's actually Autopia at Disneyland! I like the DL version better than Speedway IMO.

I'll try to update tomorrow. My mom is in town and we've been doing a lot of shopping

 

[JanetMom]

I'm in.

We loved the Typhoon Lagoon wave pool!

 

[Dsnygrl1205]

Joining in and excited to read more! We love Pop!

 

[hugApug]

Day One: June1

We headed to SFO at 4 am and somehow made our way through the dense fog. Luckily we only live 20 minutes away from the airport, and we made it there in time for our 6 am flight! The bad weather at home made it just that much easier to head to sunny Florida!

After a brief stopover in Atlanta, we arrived in Orlando at 430 pm and were ready to begin our vacation! The guy at our rental counter(Budget) was grumpy and seemed upset that we didn't want to upgrade to a convertible....so, he gave us a bright yellow Chevy Cobalt. We were easy to find in a parking lot, that's for sure

We headed straight to the Baymont Inn, and had planned on checking in and then heading to MK for fireworks and fun. Unfortunately, the hotel was not as it had been advertised, and was supposedly "under construction." (I've been reading on some other trip review sites, and this location has been under construction for forever, without making any actual progress or changes).

I expect bugs in Florida, don't get me wrong, but not dead bugs and live ticks in my hotel room. The room, especially the bathroom, had not been cleaned. There were black hairs all over (bath tub, sink, tile floors, pillow, and towels). Anyway, I don't want to rant too much, but this was a horrible hotel to end up in, especially being so far away from home. I'll upload pictures later on, I just don't have them online yet.

We decided to make a late night of it at Downtown Disney, and check out first thing in the morning to POP. Luckily, they had openings..we just had to endure one bad night.

DBF was excited!

We found our first gator at Rainforest Cafe

The one major positive of the night was the surprising concert at House of Blues! Imogen Heap, my favorite singer a few years back, was performing that night. I had no idea she would be there and was beyond excited!!! The performance was really unique, and the crowd was even more interesting. I think it was definitely a locals hangout for the night, so we met a lot of Orlando residents who teased us for being Disney tourists. Oh well, we love the Disney magic

Sorry for the blurriness, I had to be stealth with my camera.

So, that was our day one. It definitely did not turn out as planned, but there were some positives. We got back late enough to the hotel to pass out quickly on top of the covers(and towels) and dreamt of Disney.

Up next: Day 2: Finally Home at Pop and Getting soaked on Kali River Rapids

 

[hugApug]

Thank you guys for joining in!

I'm in.

We loved the Typhoon Lagoon wave pool!

I've been dreaming about the wave pool ever since our trip! I think we could have stayed all day in it...and maybe we did.

Joining in and excited to read more! We love Pop!

Pop is just amazing! I can't wait to go back someday.

 

[dstevens]

Subscribing. With a Pug in your picture i just have to follow your report. Our Pug (Abbey) will be 9 next month and i swear her face at times looks like a Monkey. How old is your Monkey? We also have a Bulldog (Jade) so i call Abbey Jades mini-me.

 

[hugApug]

Subscribing. With a Pug in your picture i just have to follow your report. Our Pug (Abbey) will be 9 next month and i swear her face at times looks like a Monkey. How old is your Monkey? We also have a Bulldog (Jade) so i call Abbey Jades mini-me.

Abbey is a cute pug name! I wish that Monkey was still 9 months old like yours, but she will be 3 this July. We named her Monkey because she used to sit up on our shoulders like a little monkey when she was a puppy. Is Jade an english bulldog? I just love how soft and wrinkly they are

 

[__disneygirl]

I read as many TRs that take place at POP as possible because I am obsessed with it, but you so had me at TOM HANKS.

More TRs need to include his name in the title. Just saying.

And your pug is adorable. Can't wait for more!!!

 

[hugApug]

I'm in.

We loved the Typhoon Lagoon wave pool!

JanetMom-just read your completed trip report from the Contemporary. I loved all of your pictures, especially your sunset balcony pictures!

 

[JanetMom]

JanetMom-just read your completed trip report from the Contemporary. I loved all of your pictures, especially your sunset balcony pictures!

Thanks! That was a great balcony - I still miss it.

 

[hugApug]

I read as many TRs that take place at POP as possible because I am obsessed with it, but you so had me at TOM HANKS.

More TRs need to include his name in the title. Just saying.

And your pug is adorable. Can't wait for more!!!

T.Hanks for joining in! We are big Tom Hanks fans, so DBF tends to quote his movies *a lot*.

 

[hugApug]

Day 2: Tuesday June 2, 2010

Despite my suffering from a bit of a hangover (house of blues after a depressing hotel is not a good mix!), I woke up at 7 am and quickly repacked our bags. I woke DBF up, and he was hesitant about trying to check into POP at such an early time, but I had a good feeling that today would be a better day....and it was!

We arrived at POP around 8 am, showed my driver's license to the female security guard (who was very sweet, and put on her hat to be official!), and drove up to the Pop guest check-in parking lot. I immediately felt so at home, and at ease. The lobby was beautiful and clean, and check in was a complete breeze. The CM gave me my birthday pin(to wear on Thursday) and gave us a great room. We were in room #3310, 50's building number 3, pool view. We paid the standard rate, so I was surprised to get a pool view, but maybe this is standard? Awesome start!

I also had to go over to the tickets/reservations counter, and had a bit of a wait, but the CM was very friendly. My UT tickets had been lost in the mail, but thankfully, being the reputable company that UT is, they faxed me a copy of the tickets prior to my trip. The CM didn't even question the tickets a bit (which I had had nightmares about, phew!) and she easily put them on our Key to the World cards..yay!!

I had originally booked three nights at POP and the remaining 3 nights of our trip at a DTD hotel (I think Holiday Inn?)... but once we entered our room, I knew we were home. I immediately canceled my other reservation, and easily extended our stay at POP. It was a bit more costly than we had originally planned for...but being 2500 miles away from home, I knew this was the one place we would feel happy staying at.

A few pictures....

DBF with a bowling pin staircase, sorry for the bad photo composition!

Me representing yo-yo pride...I grew up near the yo-yo capital of the world, Chico, CA!

Leave it to DBF to find the arcade!

Up Next: Day 2 continued: More pictures of POP, and a trip to Animal Kingdom

 

[TINKERIFIC]

subscribing.

I have a deep felt love for Pop. It really is a great little hotel/resort. This is where we stayed on our first visit.

Looking forward to more!

 

[MEK]

Nice updates. Your Room at the Baymont Inn sounds like a nightmare. That is what I like so much about Disney. The least expensive room at Disney is far better than enduring a night is a not-so-great hotel. I love Pop. It is always clean, cute, and the CM's are great. DH and I stayed there last September for our anniversary and we had a fabulous time. We had stayed at Kidani in June and I was worried that Pop might be a let-down, but it was GREAT!

 

[MollyMcDaniel]

Woooo-hoooo....another crazy pug nutty fan right here!!! Our oldest boy died in Feb, but Otis (fawn) is 10yrs and Ike (black) is 4yrs. Our house is a bit calmer w/just 2 instead of three.

Enjoying your TR...I've never even left DW property ....can't imagine staying anywhere else. Glad you saw the light and made the switch!

 

[__disneygirl]

Oh man i'm sorry about the terrible room. This is why when I always try and spring for a more expensive room b/c I have a fear of ending up in a mice/cockroach/anything else ridden room with brown water coming out the faucets! Of course you can pay for the cheapest room at Disney and still feel safe which is why I love WDW so much and why i'm obsessed with POP! Your Pop pics made me so happy... god I love that place! I love the arcade pic... as many times as i've stayed at Pop i've never gone in! Can't wait for more