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

[hugApug]

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!

Thanks for joining in! I didn't expect to love Pop so much, and it's nice to know that others feel the same way!

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!

Right, Disney is reliable and delivers high quality service at all levels. After our first "hotel", I think anything would have been better, but Pop far exceeded our expectations.

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!

I'm sorry for your loss, but I'm glad you have two more pugs to comfort you We'd like to eventually get another pug, but we'll have to wait until we don't have roommates anymore

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

Yea, even my DBF said, "honey, you tried to save money, but you failed!" Lesson learned...always gonna go with my gut, and spend a bit more to get what I want. You should check out the arcade on your next visit...they have photo strip machines, and photo cube machines. It's not an obnoxiously loud arcade, so I actually liked it.

 

[spiroff.natasha]

I'm in

The POP is definitely our home away from home Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[__disneygirl]

Ooh, I didn't know about the photo strip machines at POP! We LOVE those!! We'll definitely have to stop in then, thanks!

 

[Zarabear]

Tuning in.

We are near the bay area as well, and the farthest I've traveled is down to DL. So our trip in September is going to be interesting!! Glad to hear you found 'home' and got out of the Baymont nightmare!!

~Rachal

 

[hugApug]

Day 1 Update with Pictures

Finally got my pictures loaded onto photobucket, and thought I would upload some pictures from Baymont.

Mattresses in the parking lot.

What looked like blood- at head level- on the towel rack.

Hair in bathtub.

Mildew

Dark stairway that we had to use because elevators were down.

Broken elevator area with "lights"(bulb and exposed wiring) that were not on in the evening.

great view..

crumbs all over counter

These are just a few of the many pictures. I wish I would have taken a picture of the many dead and living bugs, but I initially freaked out and had my DBF dispose the living creatures.

 

[hugApug]

I'm in

The POP is definitely our home away from home Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks for joining in!

Tuning in.

We are near the bay area as well, and the farthest I've traveled is down to DL. So our trip in September is going to be interesting!! Glad to hear you found 'home' and got out of the Baymont nightmare!!

~Rachal

You'll have so much fun!! The weather will be shocking for you, as it was for us, but it's so worth it! I'll keep an eye out for your trip report

 

[hugApug]

Day 2(June 2, 2010) continued: a trip to Animal Kingdom

After we checked into Pop, we decided to freshen up in our *clean* hotel room. At around 9:30 am we walked over to the bus stops, without a plan as to which park to visit, and we saw the Animal Kingdom bus waiting. This was our only really "non-planned" day, as I wanted us to go at a comfortable pace on our first full day. So, we spontaneously headed off to AK!

The bus ride was surprisingly smooth! After riding San Francisco muni buses for such a long time, I reeeeaaallllyyyyy appreciated Disney's bus drivers!!

Animal Kingdom really didn't seem to be too crowded, even though it had early EMH. We got fast passes for Kali River Rapids and toured the walking trails of the Kingdom.

On one of the walking trails, notice our friend in the background.

After the walking trails, we rode Kali River Rapids! DBF got absolutely postively soaked. He even had to take off his shirt just to twist the water out of it. I got wet as well, but he definitely got the brunt of it. I'm surprised that he enjoyed the ride, but he didn't want to go on it again.

We got an African beer at the bar near the Kilimanjaro Safari while we waited for our fast pass time.

And played drums....

Then it was time for our Safari. I have to admit, I was a little scared about this ride. Can anyone tell me if the car is on a track? Our driver, was of...let's say a bit past the retirement age, and I was frightened at a few points on the ride. However, we made it out alive with some fun pictures!

Too close for comfort!

On the prowl, literally.

Got to get back to work, lunch break is over! I'll continue in my next post

 

[MEK]

Yup - those pictures of the Baymont Inn say it all!

Lovely AK pics. I love the gorilla baby. Soooooooo cute!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Joining in the fun! The title caught my eye too, but the rest kept me on board! Soooo glad you were able to switch to POP for the entire stay. Baymont..well...don't think I could have managed even a single night there - the car in a parking lot would have felt safer!! And I would have been terrified of bedbugs! You guys really were courageous!

Looking forward to reading more and pics!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[hugApug]

Yup - those pictures of the Baymont Inn say it all!

Lovely AK pics. I love the gorilla baby. Soooooooo cute!

I really wanted to take the baby gorilla home

Joining in the fun! The title caught my eye too, but the rest kept me on board! Soooo glad you were able to switch to POP for the entire stay. Baymont..well...don't think I could have managed even a single night there - the car in a parking lot would have felt safer!! And I would have been terrified of bedbugs! You guys really were courageous!

Looking forward to reading more and pics!

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

Looking back now, I don't know how we managed even one night! I think a few drinks and a late night helped to ease the pain of going back to the scary hotel. I'm *very* thankful for Pop! Thanks for joining in!!

 

[__disneygirl]

Omigosh... the baby!! We waited forever for the mom gorilla to finally show us the baby! I got a video that I watch all the time... just tooo adorable!!

 

[hugApug]

Hope you all are having a great weekend! I'm excited to have finally ordered a majority of our prints up at a local Walgreens. I've been picking up some inexpensive scrapbooking items, and I'm excited to start! On to..

Day 2 Continued: Animal Kingdom and night swimming at Pop

I'm not sure if it's just my age that's changed since I last visited AK (at least 10 years ago), or if the actual park has changed...but it seemed a lot different! I really enjoyed this park's foliage and theming. While it's still not my favorite, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Bamboo growing around AK, I can't remember the exact fact that we learned on Rafiki's train, but this stuff grows fast!

After our journey on Kilimanjaro Safari, we headed over to It's Tough to Be a Bug! I *love* this 3D show, and I didn't tell DBF about the little surprises ahead of time, so it was fun to see him surprised! We loved it when the beetles and bugs got to leave before the humans.

We meandered through Dinoland but didn't really stick around for too long. DBF didn't feel up for Primeval whirl or Dinosaur, and I didn't want to pressure him on his first WDW day.

We ended up doing Rafiki's train ride/destination, and had a bit of fun. I did not like seeing a tarantula being presented to little children though Inside of the building, a CM brought out a little cage with a tarantula, and these children were pawing all over the cage. I was ready to faint.

After AK, we caught the resort bus back to Pop. On our way to the bus stop, we saw a Pop bus that was about ready to leave. I started running, and DBF said, "honey, we're on vacation...relax, it's Disney and the next bus will be here soon!" So true. I needed him on this vacation to remind me to take it easy, and not rush. This was definitely a nice break from hectic city life.

Back at Pop, we ate in the food court (double bacon cheeseburgers) and used our refillable mugs. I didn't realize what a big deal these mugs were until we got there! And, thank goodness for the Dis, otherwise I would have wondered why everyone was walking around with these mugs!

We went for a night swim in the bowling pin pool. Can I just say that this was incredibly relaxing! This pool was never busy during our stay, and it was the perfect retreat, especially during the evening.

Back to our room for the night

Next Up: Day 3, June 3, 2010: Why does it always rain on my birthday: Epcot

 

[Disneychix]

Wow, glad I just found your TR! Great start so far!
I can't believe they actually booked you for 7 nights in that 1st hotel. I can't believe you actually stayed 1. How exciting it must have been to get out of there! Were their any other paying customers there??

Your day at AK looked fun! Can't wait for more!

I have a Pug too, his name is Seamus and he's 7yrs old in August! Oh, that dog tests my patience most days!

 

[__disneygirl]

I agree about the bowling pin pool. It was our first time staying in the 50's section and we LOVED it over there! So quiet and sooo different from staying in the 60's which is way more fast paced and crazy!

 

[kate_wdw]

Subbing.

After your first hotel (which gave me the heebie jeebies), you certainly were due for some some good hotel karma, and I'm glad everything worked out for you at Pop.

You got some great animal pics. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!

 

[MEK]

Great update! It sounds like you had an awesome first day. I have only been on rafiki's planet watch once and I really need to visit again. I love AK. I think there is sooooooo much to do there. It's one of my favorite parks. Glad you got to enjoy the safari and Bug's life.

 

[hugApug]

Wow, glad I just found your TR! Great start so far!
I can't believe they actually booked you for 7 nights in that 1st hotel. I can't believe you actually stayed 1. How exciting it must have been to get out of there! Were their any other paying customers there??

Your day at AK looked fun! Can't wait for more!

I have a Pug too, his name is Seamus and he's 7yrs old in August! Oh, that dog tests my patience most days!

And, unfortunately, the 7 nights were prepaid and nonrefundable! Oh well, live and learn. When we first arrived, there were absolutely NO cars in the huge parking lot. During the evening, there were a few cars...but this was definitely an indication!

My pug tests my patience on most days too . We just got back from the dog park, and she still has energy!

I agree about the bowling pin pool. It was our first time staying in the 50's section and we LOVED it over there! So quiet and sooo different from staying in the 60's which is way more fast paced and crazy!

We enjoyed visiting the 60's but loved living in the 50's. hehe. I was surprised by how quiet this area was, and we'll be requesting it in the future!!!

Subbing.

After your first hotel (which gave me the heebie jeebies), you certainly were due for some some good hotel karma, and I'm glad everything worked out for you at Pop.

You got some great animal pics. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of your TR!

Thanks for joining in! I still have the heebie jeebies from our first hotel !

Great update! It sounds like you had an awesome first day. I have only been on rafiki's planet watch once and I really need to visit again. I love AK. I think there is sooooooo much to do there. It's one of my favorite parks. Glad you got to enjoy the safari and Bug's life.

Rafiki's was a nice escape from the rest of the park. I feel like some visitors may not realize what it is, and just don't visit it? It was really not crowded at all, which was nice for us. You definitely should visit it again on your next trip.

Just wanted to share my excitement...I stopped in at Ross this afternoon, and found a Mickey Mouse scrapbook for $6.99!! I had been kicking myself for not buying one in the parks(we bought 2 scrapbooking kits instead), so this was a great find. Yay! Ill update again this week...maybe with scrapbooking updates too!

 

[teacher1717]

SOunds like a GREAT start to your vacation. I was not a fan of the POP, but Im glad you enjoyed it.

 

[Disneychix]

If you paid with a credit card you CAN get your money back. Please check this out!! You should NOT have to pay for the full 7 nights in this disgusting hotel!!!!

I used to work claims for VISA, I know they will try to help get your money back!

 

[hugApug]

SOunds like a GREAT start to your vacation. I was not a fan of the POP, but Im glad you enjoyed it.

I think that's what makes WDW so special...there are so many resorts to choose from, and I think everyone can find their own "home."

If you paid with a credit card you CAN get your money back. Please check this out!! You should NOT have to pay for the full 7 nights in this disgusting hotel!!!!

I used to work claims for VISA, I know they will try to help get your money back!

Even though Hotwire's policy is no refunds? :-/ I'll have my DBF call B of A to protest the charge. Should we provide pictures, etc? Protest the star rating? Hotwire said that it's a 3* hotel, and it definitely wasn't.