Just got back from our 1st trip to Disney. A few thoughts on our stay at POP ....
1. Our family of four managed perfectly in the small rooms. Now, we only slept there so we weren't looking for anything special.
2. Requested room #4458 and got #4457. We were only "home" two nights to watch fireworks from the balcony but
we could see a ton of fireworks from Wishes and some from Illuminations. We even saw a few from Fantasmic. I'm not kidding. It was pretty cool. My girls (6 and 8) were thrilled. I wasn't expecting to see as much as I did.
Very pleasant surprise. Many commented on only being able to see the high fireworks of Illuminations, but I don't know if there was ever mention of Wishes.
3. We only ate breakfast and breakfast snacks at Pop. For the most part people were considerate, but at times people were quite rude and messy.
4.
Hippy Dippy pool was too crowded for us. My girls really liked the water pop-up jets (not Goofy jets) behind the Hippy Dippy Pool. I didn't know they were there? They did have tons of games and music during the afternoon hours.
A movie every night at 9 pm. During our stay they showed Tangled, Cars, Gnomeo and Juliet, Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and I think Up.
5. Mousekeeping was just okay. Nothing over the top for us. We did tip them $4 each day. We only received one towel animal, but my kids really didn't care.
6. Yes, the shampoo/conditioner was awful. Glad I brought our own stuff. A 3 oz. bottle of shampoo and a 3 oz. bottle of conditioner was plenty for my two daughters and myself for showers everyday. We stayed for 6 nights/7 days and have shoulder length hair. My girls shared a travel sized toothpaste tube and that amount was perfect. (Just in case you were wondering how much to pack.
)
7. I have never done
laundry on vacation and it was fine. The washers are very small. I brought a pillowcase from home to put dirty laundry in. I dumped the laundry and the pillowcase in the washer ($2) and then in the dryer ($2). When everything was dry I used the clean pillowcase to transport the laundry. (One dry cycle was plenty. I used one Purex laundry sheet.)
8.
Buses were always coming and going in a timely manner. Drivers were always friendly. My only complaint about the buses was the scooters and the time it took to load them. (Nothing against those using them. Please do not take it the wrong way.)
9. I bet every other day we forgot to lock our safe. It contained two ipod and a laptop. Nothing was ever touched.
Felt very safe at POP.
Things to remember the next time we stay at Pop ...
I'll buy a big bottle of wine for $15 vs a tiny bottle/glass for $7. Oops, wasn't thinking.
Figure out a better use for the 5 hooks that are on the wall before entering the bathroom. Every inch in a POP room should be used!
Going to remember to bring a small lunch box ice pack and freeze it with ice-cubes each night. My kids brought home so many grapes, carrots and desserts from the dining plan. In the park, I filled zip-locs with ice-cubes to keep stuff cold. It worked fine, but a freezer pack would have been a better option.
Oatmeal packets. I saw one family eating oatmeal everyday. They used the microwave and some bowls they brought from home. We brought Clif bars and those seemed to fill up my kids pretty good in the morning. (I like that they are packed with protein and are organic.)
We put glow sticks (purchased at Target for $1) around our resort mugs before bed to find them easier for a quick drink in the middle of the night.
We moved one of the chairs between the bed and the bathroom wall for my 8-yr old to put her resort mug, a few tissues, etc. Otherwise the girls would fight for the side of the bed by the table. Seriously?!
At $2 an inch (near the Hippy Dippy pool), I am going to perfect hair wrapping.
See this video.
Funny POP story
My 6-year old was going to the bathroom and announced that when the toilet paper rolls off, it sounds like a roller coaster going up a hill. She's right!!
Overall great trip. No crowds!! We walked on almost every ride. Can't wait to go back.
That is exactly the set of picures I was looking for!! Thanks so much for posting those!! It would really be incredible to have a link to your photos on the first page of this thread. Minnie&Nana do you think a link to chocovrdmicears food and food court pictures could be added to the new thread when we get to that point? And chocovrdmicears would you mind if the link was there? The details and prices are extremely helpful for planning purposes.
Although your kiddos might not appreciate all those pics, we do! 
PLEASE do not use this thread to check your countdown tickers. The thread has a page limit, and we asked just yesterday, please only post questions/answers or reviews until we can get the new thread up.
