I'm doing this while at work between phone calls and so forgive me if it seems choppy and disconnected. I should've made notecards before sitting down to write this. But here goes.
First off, I do not go to Disneyworld all that often as you can see from my signature, so if I say something that is obvious or common knowledge, just chalk it up to my inexperience.
I stayed at Pop Century. I had a first floor room in the Jukebox building of the 50's and it faced the pool. An awesome view and an awesome location, but I agree with what someone said in another thread about the noise. I could hear the golf carts all night. Not a huge problem and it wasn't so distracting that I couldn't sleep or anything, but just a minor complaint. On the whole, I really liked Pop. The food there was wonderful. And Mark, one of the cast members there really made my day. Three days after I checked in, I was walking out toward the buses and he was walking toward the building. As we passed he said "Hey, Nick! How's your trip going?" The fact that he remembered my name after three days and did that really made me feel special. Good people at Pop.
And about the resort TV. I actually liked it. I can't compare it to the previous versions, but I really liked this one. And call me crazy, but I thought Chrissa was great. Very energetic and fun, without being obnoxious. I kinda want a copy of it I liked it so much. Is that possible to get one?
My biggest complaint about Pop would be that you never really get the feeling of being immersed in a theme the way you do at the moderates and delux resorts.
My first stop was the Animal Kingdom, and was thrilled with how empty the park was. They didn't even have Fastpass running except for Kilimanjaro, which only had about a ten minute wait anyway. I believe the longest line I waited in that day was about 15 minutes tops. And the weather for the entire trip was amazing. A little chilly toward the end, but compared to the NYC weather I was used to, it was paradise.
My second day I started out at Epcot. I was very excited to finally try Mission: Space. And again, the crowds were non-existant. The longest wait time was probably about 10 minutes for Test Track. Everything else was pretty much a walk on.
My review of Mission: Space wasn't what I was anticipating. I liked it and all, but I didn't see the huge deal. It wasn't anything "out of this world" or mind blowing. A great ride, and quite fun, but just not what I expecting based on the hype and the commercials. But I was the pilot, which I was hoping for. Small things please me.
It was also my first time on Test Track. Fun ride, but where do they get off calling this a thrill ride?
I had lunch at San Angel Inn at Mexico and had a table right next to the river. It was very relaxing and a great atmosphere to sit there.
I went over to the studios for the evening and did the two biggies. ToT and RnR. Again, very short wait times. This was my first time on ToT since they got rid of the lap bars, and I think I liked it better this way. With nothing to hold onto, I felt a little more...desperate...for some security which hightened the thrill. It left me wondering though, what's to stop someone from unbuckling their seatbelt during the ride??
Had a few hours to kill before Fantasmic, so just walked around casually and did the animation tour and One Man's Dream. Had a bite to eat at Prime Time, which I love. I can't get enough of that place. So fun. And the meatloaf is incredible.
Fantasmic was just as stunning as always. There were a few things in it that I thought were new, but apparently I was dilussional because everyone I told about them said they had always been there, so I guess I just have a bad memory. One thing that was different was the snake did not move around the mountain. Just stood still and moved his head back and forth. I heard this sometimes happens when it rains the the mountain is more slippery, but as the weather was perfect, I didn't know if it was a permanent thing or some one night only alteration. The steamboat at the end seemed to have more characters on it than I remember from my 2002 trip. Not that I'm complaining. I'm a sucker for characters.
I met up with a guy I had been chatting with who works at the animation tour and he gave me some drawings of his on official MGM animation paper. All autographed and dated. A very sweet gift. Actually, everyone I have been chatting with who I ended up meeting was a very nice person and really genuine. Good people in Florida.
Then it was back to Epcot for Illuminations. Such a beautiful show. Nothing really to report there.
I went swimming that night in the big bowling pin pool. But only for about two and a half minutes because it was just too chilly. I was told all pools were heated to 80 degrees, but they must've meant Celcius because that was NOT 80 degrees. I don't know how the kids could stand that cold water. It was freezing and they would swim for hours. Maybe I'm just getting old. :hammer:
On Saturday I went to the Grand Floridian for my character breakfast. I was originally wary of doing one of these because I felt like I might be out of place since I wasn't a child and didn't have a child with me. Just myself and three other adults. But let me tell you, it was SO MUCH FUN. Mary Poppins and Bert were there. Her accent was a bit tough to understand, but who cares. Mary Poppins rocks. And Bert was kinda hot.
I also had Alice and then a few of the Pooh characters. And again...the food! Wow.
Unlike the other parks, the Magic Kingdom was PACKED. Wait times of near an hour. This was my first time to the MK since 1995, so it was all pretty much new to me again. I was upset to see there was no water coming down the Splash Mountain drop hill, but I still got incredibly wet on it. A few of the animatronics didn't seem to work. There was no silhouette running over the hill and no FSU mole (or whatever that thing is). And the color they were painting it, while striking and very reminiscent of the painted desert, was a bit overbearing. I like what someone said in another thread. Dorito Mountain. Very true!
There are way too many seagulls in the Magic Kingdom.
The castle stage show is very cute, and I officially have a gigantic crush on Peter Pan. My friend (who is "friends with the characters") was able to swing it so I could meet Peter before he runs up the side stairs of the castle to do the scene with Captain Hook. We had to clear it with Peter before hand to get his approval, and he agreed. So I was standing there by the gate, and the greeter (her name was Laura and she is fabulous) cleared out the entire section. I felt so important. Peter came running around the corner, jumped up on the steps, spun around, put his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. We snapped a quick a picture and I thanked him for his time and for doing me the favor and off he flew to go get Hook.
IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE TRIP.
And please don't be like my friend and say things like "They are trained to do that, Nick." Or when I joked "This is a picture of my boyfriend Peter" and he said "Actually, his name is _______ and he's already dating someone." Why do people have to be like that? Can't I just have some fun and pretend?! That moment made me feel special. Why ruin it for me? Made me so angry.
Little does he know, Peter does love me and we're going to get married.
The SADCT Parade was adorable. And the music in it was so cute and whimsical. Was actually the first Disney parade I've seen in person, so it was special to me. Spectro was what I was REALLY looking forward to. I was supposed to see it back in '95, but it started raining right before parade time and it got cancelled. I was devastated. So I was thrilled to fianlly get to see it live. And it was every bit as magical as I had hoped. I always get chills when the lights go all white and the music changes to the children's voices. Such a great moment. And I had a perfect viewing spot right outside of the Emporium.
For Wishes, I decided to watch it from the bridge to Tomorrowland. Not exactly the best location, but not crowded, which I was happy about. It must have been too windy, because Tink didn't fly, which was depressing, but the show itself was beautiful.
I then took a day off and went to Universal with some friends. And that only made me appreciate Disney even more. Universal may have some superior rides, but they lack the heart. Really made me appreciate Disney even more.
Back to the MK on Monday, expecting the crowds to be a bit smaller than the weekend. And they were, but it was still pretty crowded. Watched my boyfriend Peter in the castle show and the parade again, did a couple of rides I didn't get to do on Saturday. Then caught the character meal at Liberty Tree Tavern, which was delicious!
And that pretty much sums up the trip. Just a general thing I noticed was there seemed to be many more characters out and about in the parks than I remembered from past trips. I liked that.
I'm sure I've forgotten things I wanted to mention, and will probably reply just to include them. If you have any questions or want clarification on anything, just let me know.
Wow, I'm long winded.
First off, I do not go to Disneyworld all that often as you can see from my signature, so if I say something that is obvious or common knowledge, just chalk it up to my inexperience.
I stayed at Pop Century. I had a first floor room in the Jukebox building of the 50's and it faced the pool. An awesome view and an awesome location, but I agree with what someone said in another thread about the noise. I could hear the golf carts all night. Not a huge problem and it wasn't so distracting that I couldn't sleep or anything, but just a minor complaint. On the whole, I really liked Pop. The food there was wonderful. And Mark, one of the cast members there really made my day. Three days after I checked in, I was walking out toward the buses and he was walking toward the building. As we passed he said "Hey, Nick! How's your trip going?" The fact that he remembered my name after three days and did that really made me feel special. Good people at Pop.
And about the resort TV. I actually liked it. I can't compare it to the previous versions, but I really liked this one. And call me crazy, but I thought Chrissa was great. Very energetic and fun, without being obnoxious. I kinda want a copy of it I liked it so much. Is that possible to get one?
My biggest complaint about Pop would be that you never really get the feeling of being immersed in a theme the way you do at the moderates and delux resorts.
My first stop was the Animal Kingdom, and was thrilled with how empty the park was. They didn't even have Fastpass running except for Kilimanjaro, which only had about a ten minute wait anyway. I believe the longest line I waited in that day was about 15 minutes tops. And the weather for the entire trip was amazing. A little chilly toward the end, but compared to the NYC weather I was used to, it was paradise.
My second day I started out at Epcot. I was very excited to finally try Mission: Space. And again, the crowds were non-existant. The longest wait time was probably about 10 minutes for Test Track. Everything else was pretty much a walk on.
My review of Mission: Space wasn't what I was anticipating. I liked it and all, but I didn't see the huge deal. It wasn't anything "out of this world" or mind blowing. A great ride, and quite fun, but just not what I expecting based on the hype and the commercials. But I was the pilot, which I was hoping for. Small things please me.
It was also my first time on Test Track. Fun ride, but where do they get off calling this a thrill ride?
I had lunch at San Angel Inn at Mexico and had a table right next to the river. It was very relaxing and a great atmosphere to sit there.
I went over to the studios for the evening and did the two biggies. ToT and RnR. Again, very short wait times. This was my first time on ToT since they got rid of the lap bars, and I think I liked it better this way. With nothing to hold onto, I felt a little more...desperate...for some security which hightened the thrill. It left me wondering though, what's to stop someone from unbuckling their seatbelt during the ride??
Had a few hours to kill before Fantasmic, so just walked around casually and did the animation tour and One Man's Dream. Had a bite to eat at Prime Time, which I love. I can't get enough of that place. So fun. And the meatloaf is incredible.
Fantasmic was just as stunning as always. There were a few things in it that I thought were new, but apparently I was dilussional because everyone I told about them said they had always been there, so I guess I just have a bad memory. One thing that was different was the snake did not move around the mountain. Just stood still and moved his head back and forth. I heard this sometimes happens when it rains the the mountain is more slippery, but as the weather was perfect, I didn't know if it was a permanent thing or some one night only alteration. The steamboat at the end seemed to have more characters on it than I remember from my 2002 trip. Not that I'm complaining. I'm a sucker for characters.
I met up with a guy I had been chatting with who works at the animation tour and he gave me some drawings of his on official MGM animation paper. All autographed and dated. A very sweet gift. Actually, everyone I have been chatting with who I ended up meeting was a very nice person and really genuine. Good people in Florida.
Then it was back to Epcot for Illuminations. Such a beautiful show. Nothing really to report there.
I went swimming that night in the big bowling pin pool. But only for about two and a half minutes because it was just too chilly. I was told all pools were heated to 80 degrees, but they must've meant Celcius because that was NOT 80 degrees. I don't know how the kids could stand that cold water. It was freezing and they would swim for hours. Maybe I'm just getting old. :hammer:
On Saturday I went to the Grand Floridian for my character breakfast. I was originally wary of doing one of these because I felt like I might be out of place since I wasn't a child and didn't have a child with me. Just myself and three other adults. But let me tell you, it was SO MUCH FUN. Mary Poppins and Bert were there. Her accent was a bit tough to understand, but who cares. Mary Poppins rocks. And Bert was kinda hot.
I also had Alice and then a few of the Pooh characters. And again...the food! Wow.Unlike the other parks, the Magic Kingdom was PACKED. Wait times of near an hour. This was my first time to the MK since 1995, so it was all pretty much new to me again. I was upset to see there was no water coming down the Splash Mountain drop hill, but I still got incredibly wet on it. A few of the animatronics didn't seem to work. There was no silhouette running over the hill and no FSU mole (or whatever that thing is). And the color they were painting it, while striking and very reminiscent of the painted desert, was a bit overbearing. I like what someone said in another thread. Dorito Mountain. Very true!
There are way too many seagulls in the Magic Kingdom.
The castle stage show is very cute, and I officially have a gigantic crush on Peter Pan. My friend (who is "friends with the characters") was able to swing it so I could meet Peter before he runs up the side stairs of the castle to do the scene with Captain Hook. We had to clear it with Peter before hand to get his approval, and he agreed. So I was standing there by the gate, and the greeter (her name was Laura and she is fabulous) cleared out the entire section. I felt so important. Peter came running around the corner, jumped up on the steps, spun around, put his arm around my waist and pulled me into him. We snapped a quick a picture and I thanked him for his time and for doing me the favor and off he flew to go get Hook.
IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE TRIP.
And please don't be like my friend and say things like "They are trained to do that, Nick." Or when I joked "This is a picture of my boyfriend Peter" and he said "Actually, his name is _______ and he's already dating someone." Why do people have to be like that? Can't I just have some fun and pretend?! That moment made me feel special. Why ruin it for me? Made me so angry.
Little does he know, Peter does love me and we're going to get married.
The SADCT Parade was adorable. And the music in it was so cute and whimsical. Was actually the first Disney parade I've seen in person, so it was special to me. Spectro was what I was REALLY looking forward to. I was supposed to see it back in '95, but it started raining right before parade time and it got cancelled. I was devastated. So I was thrilled to fianlly get to see it live. And it was every bit as magical as I had hoped. I always get chills when the lights go all white and the music changes to the children's voices. Such a great moment. And I had a perfect viewing spot right outside of the Emporium.
For Wishes, I decided to watch it from the bridge to Tomorrowland. Not exactly the best location, but not crowded, which I was happy about. It must have been too windy, because Tink didn't fly, which was depressing, but the show itself was beautiful.
I then took a day off and went to Universal with some friends. And that only made me appreciate Disney even more. Universal may have some superior rides, but they lack the heart. Really made me appreciate Disney even more.
Back to the MK on Monday, expecting the crowds to be a bit smaller than the weekend. And they were, but it was still pretty crowded. Watched my boyfriend Peter in the castle show and the parade again, did a couple of rides I didn't get to do on Saturday. Then caught the character meal at Liberty Tree Tavern, which was delicious!
And that pretty much sums up the trip. Just a general thing I noticed was there seemed to be many more characters out and about in the parks than I remembered from past trips. I liked that.
I'm sure I've forgotten things I wanted to mention, and will probably reply just to include them. If you have any questions or want clarification on anything, just let me know.
Wow, I'm long winded.
:lookaroun in the picture? If it was , how is he doing?? Just wondered, when you bought him did they say anything about being able to update him? We have not gotten one yet, and figure he may be out of date by the time we do. ( was hoping the $$ may come down a little 
