POP Century - July 17-25, 2008
Pre-trip Stuff & Arrival
Pre-trip
The kids have a habit of calling my name constantly Aunt Candy .Aunt Candy Aunt Candy all day long it goes. So a while ago, as a joke I told them that I had a new name THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ and that if they wanted me to do something, that is what they have to call me. If any of you have seen my previous posts, you know that I have been to Disney many times but I have never taken the kids alone. I promised my nephew (Chase 11 yrs old) that I would take him somewhere in 2008 and kept the where a surprise. To make the trip even more fun for him, I invited my niece (Tiara 10 yrs old; actually my cousins daughter but she calls me Aunt Candy anyway) to come along. I began planning the trip in late 2007 but a family tragedy almost derailed it. My brother-in-law (Chases dad) was hit by a car in September 2007 and struggled in ICU for about 6 months. He was expected to recover though most likely would be permanently paralyzed. My sister insisted that I continue planning the trip. She thought that it would be good for Chase. Unfortunately things turned bad and we lost my brother-in-law in March 2008. He was only 40 years old and they have 4 children. Here he is with my sister at a friends wedding.
I again planned to cancel but my sister said NO-WAY! So I pressed on and continued planning. I poured over every Disney detail as I usually do but was having so much trouble with the ADRs. I do not have children so I love to spoil my nieces and nephews with trips but at the age they are now, meals were becoming difficult. They both eat adult portions but want the things on the kids menus. After consulting all of you here on the boards, I decided to just plan 2 or 3 meals and just wing the rest of it. I booked us for the Fantasmic Package at Hollywood & Vine and Hoop Dee Doo. I have never been to either restaurant or show. I figured it was finally time I got to both. At the last minute, I booked Boma for breakfast one morning.
The kids were not told until June where we were going and Chase still had no idea that Tiara was going. I bought brochure paper from Staples and downloaded all of these pics of the resort and parks and made my own brochure. It was personalized with each of their names and read something like LOOK AT THIS COOL HOTEL! at the end it said AND GUESS WHO IS GOING? I mailed them to each of them and they were so excited to hear of our upcoming 1-week adventure. They have both only been to Disney with their families once before and they were both 5 at the time so it was going to be all new to them!
By the time July rolled around, I was ready. Or so I thought. I had everything planned, bought our tickets, packed a supply suitcase with stuff for breakfast most mornings and snacks for the room. Then the other shoe dropped. My cousin (Tiaras mom) called me and informed me that Tiara had been diagnosed with a highly contagious rash and was partially quarantined. They live in Maryland but Tiara and her siblings usually spend the summer up here in Pennsylvania with their grandparents. Her doctor in Maryland didnt know what it was but luckily the doctor here in PA did and they started treatment. The usual treatment is very painful; even for adults so that was not an option. They finally figured out a solution and the doctor treated her and they practically had to almost burn the rash off of her. Her grandmother was great at helping her to make certain it didnt spread. My thoughts were, oh no, how am I going to tell this little girl that she cannot go to Disney. I was concerned that she would still be contagious and unable to safely go. After all this was only 2 weeks before our trip. Luckily all of their efforts paid off and she was clear of the rash and out of the contagious stage and by the time we left, it was completely gone! WHEW! That was a close one!
Her mother also informed me that she was afraid of roller coasters and some of the attractions that may be dark. I assured Tiara that I would not make her ride anything that she was afraid of and that if she got to the front of any line and wanted to get out we would. This will become a problem later in the report, as you will see!
Sooooooooooo.. any whoooooooo..off we go!
Departure/Arrival
I had their parents drop them off at my house the night before since our flight was at 7:00 AM. While I finished packing, I had the kids coloring these Disney posters I picked up to decorate our window at POP with. We then spent the entire night looking at all the Disney shows I had recorded on my TiVo before I finally made them shower and hit the sack by 11:30. We were back up at 4:00 AM and my sister picked us up and dropped us off at the airport at 5:00 AM. I was happy to learn that I didnt have to pay the extra baggage fees because I booked the trip so long ago. I was unhappy to learn that since I didnt pay to choose seats ahead of time we got stuck with the only 3 seats together left .. the back row! I always hate the closed in feeling of this seat. I decided to make the best of it. We had a quick breakfast at the Burger King in the airport; ham & egg croissant meal and 2 french toast meals ($13). (Oh yeah, I like to post what we ate and prices annoying but youll get used to it). Still feel foolish taking food pictures so unfortunately you wont find any of those. A quick stop at the restrooms and we were boarded and took off at exactly 7:00 AM. The back seat actually turned out to be wonderful. We had lots of room and since it wasnt squeezed up against the wall, the seats did recline. We were also first to get beverages, which was nice. We flew Air Tran Airways ($196 pp roundtrip)
We arrived at MCO 30 minutes early at 9:00 AM and the kids loved taking the monorail to the baggage area.
There was no one waiting for ME and we were on the bus to POP within 15 minutes. The bus was about ½ full but POP was the first stop! YEAH! We were there in approximately 30 minutes.
I have never been to POP so I was excited to see it. The kids and I headed to check-in. It was only 10:15 AM and there was only 1 person in line in front of us! The kids were dying to run and explore but I told them to stay with me until after check-in and then we would go explore. A very nice cast member checked us in and I was hoping not to have any trouble with the AP rate I booked as I had not yet picked up my AP. They actually never even asked for it and check-in went easy. I put my Disney Visa down for room charges and we were done. I picked up our welcome folder and expected her to tell us how to check on our room availability later but to our surprise, she pulled out a resort map and wrote our room number on it and said your room is ready! YEAH!!!!!! I booked a preferred room and we were in the bowling pin building closest to the main building. We practically ran to the room! The kids eyes got so big just looking at all the details and loved our location to the food court, buses, and pools. By 10:30 AM, we were in our room! We were having such good luck.
The kids loved everything about the room. For me it was much smaller than I am used to. Definitely didnt like how you had to practically step on the bed to close the door when bringing bags in and how you had to stand in the corner of the bathroom to shut the door but the kids were happy and I was happy for them. The room was in excellent condition though and we already had a towel animal waiting for us. I placed him in our window and we received several more throughout the week. I got my first of many hugs from the kids for bringing them and Chase said, thanks for bringing us to the most wonderful hotel for kids; you really are the great and powerful oz! HEART MELTING RIGHT NOW!
The kids were dying to head to the parks so after a few photos, we were off.
Next Up Day One at the Parks! this kid is afraid of Fireworks!
Pre-trip Stuff & Arrival
Pre-trip
The kids have a habit of calling my name constantly Aunt Candy .Aunt Candy Aunt Candy all day long it goes. So a while ago, as a joke I told them that I had a new name THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ and that if they wanted me to do something, that is what they have to call me. If any of you have seen my previous posts, you know that I have been to Disney many times but I have never taken the kids alone. I promised my nephew (Chase 11 yrs old) that I would take him somewhere in 2008 and kept the where a surprise. To make the trip even more fun for him, I invited my niece (Tiara 10 yrs old; actually my cousins daughter but she calls me Aunt Candy anyway) to come along. I began planning the trip in late 2007 but a family tragedy almost derailed it. My brother-in-law (Chases dad) was hit by a car in September 2007 and struggled in ICU for about 6 months. He was expected to recover though most likely would be permanently paralyzed. My sister insisted that I continue planning the trip. She thought that it would be good for Chase. Unfortunately things turned bad and we lost my brother-in-law in March 2008. He was only 40 years old and they have 4 children. Here he is with my sister at a friends wedding.
I again planned to cancel but my sister said NO-WAY! So I pressed on and continued planning. I poured over every Disney detail as I usually do but was having so much trouble with the ADRs. I do not have children so I love to spoil my nieces and nephews with trips but at the age they are now, meals were becoming difficult. They both eat adult portions but want the things on the kids menus. After consulting all of you here on the boards, I decided to just plan 2 or 3 meals and just wing the rest of it. I booked us for the Fantasmic Package at Hollywood & Vine and Hoop Dee Doo. I have never been to either restaurant or show. I figured it was finally time I got to both. At the last minute, I booked Boma for breakfast one morning.
The kids were not told until June where we were going and Chase still had no idea that Tiara was going. I bought brochure paper from Staples and downloaded all of these pics of the resort and parks and made my own brochure. It was personalized with each of their names and read something like LOOK AT THIS COOL HOTEL! at the end it said AND GUESS WHO IS GOING? I mailed them to each of them and they were so excited to hear of our upcoming 1-week adventure. They have both only been to Disney with their families once before and they were both 5 at the time so it was going to be all new to them!
By the time July rolled around, I was ready. Or so I thought. I had everything planned, bought our tickets, packed a supply suitcase with stuff for breakfast most mornings and snacks for the room. Then the other shoe dropped. My cousin (Tiaras mom) called me and informed me that Tiara had been diagnosed with a highly contagious rash and was partially quarantined. They live in Maryland but Tiara and her siblings usually spend the summer up here in Pennsylvania with their grandparents. Her doctor in Maryland didnt know what it was but luckily the doctor here in PA did and they started treatment. The usual treatment is very painful; even for adults so that was not an option. They finally figured out a solution and the doctor treated her and they practically had to almost burn the rash off of her. Her grandmother was great at helping her to make certain it didnt spread. My thoughts were, oh no, how am I going to tell this little girl that she cannot go to Disney. I was concerned that she would still be contagious and unable to safely go. After all this was only 2 weeks before our trip. Luckily all of their efforts paid off and she was clear of the rash and out of the contagious stage and by the time we left, it was completely gone! WHEW! That was a close one!
Her mother also informed me that she was afraid of roller coasters and some of the attractions that may be dark. I assured Tiara that I would not make her ride anything that she was afraid of and that if she got to the front of any line and wanted to get out we would. This will become a problem later in the report, as you will see!
Sooooooooooo.. any whoooooooo..off we go!
Departure/Arrival
I had their parents drop them off at my house the night before since our flight was at 7:00 AM. While I finished packing, I had the kids coloring these Disney posters I picked up to decorate our window at POP with. We then spent the entire night looking at all the Disney shows I had recorded on my TiVo before I finally made them shower and hit the sack by 11:30. We were back up at 4:00 AM and my sister picked us up and dropped us off at the airport at 5:00 AM. I was happy to learn that I didnt have to pay the extra baggage fees because I booked the trip so long ago. I was unhappy to learn that since I didnt pay to choose seats ahead of time we got stuck with the only 3 seats together left .. the back row! I always hate the closed in feeling of this seat. I decided to make the best of it. We had a quick breakfast at the Burger King in the airport; ham & egg croissant meal and 2 french toast meals ($13). (Oh yeah, I like to post what we ate and prices annoying but youll get used to it). Still feel foolish taking food pictures so unfortunately you wont find any of those. A quick stop at the restrooms and we were boarded and took off at exactly 7:00 AM. The back seat actually turned out to be wonderful. We had lots of room and since it wasnt squeezed up against the wall, the seats did recline. We were also first to get beverages, which was nice. We flew Air Tran Airways ($196 pp roundtrip)
We arrived at MCO 30 minutes early at 9:00 AM and the kids loved taking the monorail to the baggage area.
There was no one waiting for ME and we were on the bus to POP within 15 minutes. The bus was about ½ full but POP was the first stop! YEAH! We were there in approximately 30 minutes.
I have never been to POP so I was excited to see it. The kids and I headed to check-in. It was only 10:15 AM and there was only 1 person in line in front of us! The kids were dying to run and explore but I told them to stay with me until after check-in and then we would go explore. A very nice cast member checked us in and I was hoping not to have any trouble with the AP rate I booked as I had not yet picked up my AP. They actually never even asked for it and check-in went easy. I put my Disney Visa down for room charges and we were done. I picked up our welcome folder and expected her to tell us how to check on our room availability later but to our surprise, she pulled out a resort map and wrote our room number on it and said your room is ready! YEAH!!!!!! I booked a preferred room and we were in the bowling pin building closest to the main building. We practically ran to the room! The kids eyes got so big just looking at all the details and loved our location to the food court, buses, and pools. By 10:30 AM, we were in our room! We were having such good luck.
The kids loved everything about the room. For me it was much smaller than I am used to. Definitely didnt like how you had to practically step on the bed to close the door when bringing bags in and how you had to stand in the corner of the bathroom to shut the door but the kids were happy and I was happy for them. The room was in excellent condition though and we already had a towel animal waiting for us. I placed him in our window and we received several more throughout the week. I got my first of many hugs from the kids for bringing them and Chase said, thanks for bringing us to the most wonderful hotel for kids; you really are the great and powerful oz! HEART MELTING RIGHT NOW!
The kids were dying to head to the parks so after a few photos, we were off.
Next Up Day One at the Parks! this kid is afraid of Fireworks!
I decided to ignore her. If she got up there and really was like NO WAY than of course we would exit but she seemed a little better to hear that we were all in the same car. I felt bad for pushing her into the ride but I knew if I could get her to ride and love any of the coasters it would be this one. The kids consider this a much more tame coaster so I went for it. WELL
she loved it. She screamed and squealed with joy and kept begging to get on again. It was getting late and the next fastpass was not for a while so we decided to try again later. We took some photos while waiting for our fastpasses for philharmagic and pooh.
The only complaint, I noticed that Tiara was having a little trouble in philharmagic. Couldnt quite put my finger on it but she said she really liked it. We decided to head out as the kids wanted to swim while the hot sun was out. The humidity made it feel like 104 all week so this wasnt a problem! On the way out we hit pirates of the carribbean. Tiara began freaking out when she saw how dark it was. I assured her that it wasnt a scary ride. After all, she is 10 what is there to be scared about. Well I guess I had her all wrong
.finally put my finger on what was wrong. This kid is afraid of the dark. She is also afraid of things coming at her like at the 3D shows as I found out later. And wouldnt you know it, as always when I ride, pirates stopped and we sat in the shooting scene for 10 minutes. She was having a fit. I also noticed at this point and time that she kept putting her fingers in her ears. I later discovered that this was her way of buffering the sound and that way she thought she wouldnt be so scared. YES LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
this kid walked around the park with her fingers in her ears. Boy is her mom getting a call tonight for not warning me!
So she skipped that one too. I felt bad and didnt want her to think of her night being wasted waiting for Chase to ride stuff so we hauled it over to space mountain (the only ride now that exists to her) to see if we could get on. Luckily the wait was posted at 30 minutes and we were on in 20 minutes. 
So, so true with kids. I am really enjoying your trip report. "Aunt Candy/Great and Powerful Oz" brought back a memory of mine from my childhood. I had an eccentric great-aunt who would always give us a dollar if we opened a restaurant door for her and said "Enter Queen Coffee Cuppee." A dollar was quite a bit in those days! Looking forward to more installments.
I can't wait to read the rest of your adventures. I hope Tiara gets over some of her fears & learns to enjoy something other than Space Mountain & icees.
