Twirl week and Brazilians...

So the family and I just returned from five days and six nights at Pop Century Resort. And while I wasn't planning on really doing a trip report, a friend convinced me that maybe I should share my thoughts. So here goes...

Before I left, I had discovered that we would be there during Twirl Week. So I call a CM and ask about switching to another hotel in the moderate category since the Twirlers would be staying at Pop Century. Told that everything was booked solid but they'd see about putting me somewhere quiet at Pop (I'm currently working on my MBA so after leaving the parks at the end of the day I would need to work on schoolwork). So Wednesday morning rolls around and off we go.

After a five hour drive, we arrive at our hotel. Since we did online check-in, I figured it wouldn't take us long to get our keys and head to the parks. Wrong. Apparently something screwed up in the computer and it took a good 30 minutes before everything was straightened out. Not a good start. So we finally get our keys and then listen to an explanation on how the RFID keys work. Not being exactly technology illiterate, I politely listened and the headed for the room afterwards.

After a quick unload of our car we were off to see the Magic Kingdom and New Fantasyland. The line for the bus was pretty long so we didn't make the first one but managed to get on the second. When we arrive and get to the front gate, I notice the new RFID card readers on the right. So we head over there and touch our cards to the readers. The process was pretty simple and didn't take much time at all. After a quick stop to get a GAC for our son, we were off. Since we were a bit hungry we decided to head to Casey's Corner for a hot dog. First thing we notice is the place is PACKED. It took a good 15 minutes just to place our order. Then after getting our food there was nowhere to sit. So I basically carried around our trays for another five minutes until a spot opened up inside. I'd heard great things about the hot dogs there but thought they were average at best. Of course, I do live in the heart of Georgia and have access to one of the best hot dog chains in the world...Nu-Way. So maybe I am just spoiled but I wasn't impressed. With our bellies full we head to new Fantasyland.

One the way to New Fantasyland, my son spots his favorite ride...Winnie the Pooh. So In we go for our first ride of the day. As we're on the ride my son is smiling and laughing, which always brings me joy. Being autistic, he often has a tough time and I've learned to really cherish these moments. So a quick ride on Pooh and we're off to explore New Fantasyland.

To be continued...

 

[Figgy1]

Thanks I glad you ds was happy! Just a quick question I've heard they've changed a few things with the GAC have they made any changes for those with autism?

 

[Todd H]

Thanks I glad you ds was happy! Just a quick question I've heard they've changed a few things with the GAC have they made any changes for those with autism?

Nothing changed as far as we could tell. We still used alternate entries, such as handicapped and Fastpass entries. Didn't run into a single problem.

 

[Figgy1]

Thank you I was a little scared my ds does exceptionally well at Disney but the Gac is a God send when the lines are long and compact he's a little claustrophobic! Not going til June but my ds's doc already gave him a note explaining his needs just in case. Hope to hear about the rest of your trip!

 

[Twhitty]

I had heard from other sources that many hotels on many occasions are having problems with the new system they are using. I will say it again , " they rolled out this system to early".

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Although I read your post about your first night's sleep, I hope you had a great trip!

P.S. I like Pooh's attraction, too.

 

[Todd H]

Thank you I was a little scared my ds does exceptionally well at Disney but the Gac is a God send when the lines are long and compact he's a little claustrophobic! Not going til June but my ds's doc already gave him a note explaining his needs just in case. Hope to hear about the rest of your trip!

If they've gone full MM+ by then, then it may change the way GAC works. I don't think anybody knows exactly how it will work yet though.

I had heard from other sources that many hotels on many occasions are having problems with the new system they are using. I will say it again , " they rolled out this system to early".

Oh, just wait until I go into detail about our experiences with the RFID system a little later. Not pretty.

 

[littleroo]

I read your previous thread and was concerned how your trip was going to go. I am glad they're some bright spots!! Look forward to reading the rest!!

 

[Todd H]

So, the first day after Pooh we head to New Fantasyland because my son really wants to ride "Goofy Barnstormer" as he calls it. So off we go around the huge construction walls of SWMT and head to Storybook Circus. By this time my stomach is not feeling so great. Apparently the hot dog didn't agree with me. We make it to Barnstormer and my son and wife ride it while I head to the bathrooms at the train station. I find the only empty stall, close the door, and go to reach for a disposable seat cover when I notice that someone has peed all over every single one hanging on the stall's wall. I mean they are soaked and yellow. Nice. So back out I go and finally the handicapped stall opens up. Sorry if there was a handicapped person waiting but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. I take care of some business and back to Barnstormer I go.

I did get a chance to look around Storybook Circus while I was there. Barnstormer looked OK I guess. The dual Dumbo's looked nice. although I didn't get a chance to go into the tent there. And I just had to laugh at the Casey Jr. area's fence. Kids were climbing all over the thing. I just shook my head and met up with my wife and son.

So next up was Mermaid. Loved the outside of the ride and the queue. Pretty nice attention to detail. Wish I could say the same about the ride. It felt plasticky and cheap. And they could have at least covered all the pipes and fixtures in the ceiling. Kinda kills the illusion. Plus, it seemed like very lazy and unimaginative storytelling. Most of the animatronics seemed to be working, so I guess I caught it on a good day. My son liked it but didn't really want to ride it again.

So next we head towards Beast's castle to get a look. Man the perspective trick they used for the castle does not work. At all. And the closer you get the worse it looks. Not sure what they were thinking to be honest. We didn't get a chance to go inside unfortunately. We took a quick peek at Gaston's Tavern and headed out of New Fantasyland. Honestly I was disappointed. Maybe it will be nicer once SWMT is done but right now New Fantasyland was one of the biggest disappointments of the trip.

To be continued...

 

[Figments Friend]

So next up was Mermaid. Loved the outside of the ride and the queue. Pretty nice attention to detail. Wish I could say the same about the ride. It felt plasticky and cheap. And they could have at least covered all the pipes and fixtures in the ceiling. Kinda kills the illusion.

Fully agree...and the interior air ventilation system and other fully viewable items hanging from the ceiling really takes away from what could have been the most immersive scene in the entire thing ( Under the Sea segment ). It would be better if some type of see through vinyl/plastic/light gel coverings could be incorporated in there to not only obscure the above mentioned visual intrusions, but to ALSO create a nice blue/green glow. I suppose it would be difficult...and probably breaks some fire codes...but it would look far more impressive with some kind of covering above you. It would make it feel more like you were actually underwater.

So next we head towards Beast's castle to get a look. Man the perspective trick they used for the castle does not work. At all. And the closer you get the worse it looks.

YES! I was surprised by the poor effect when i saw it in person also. It really looked to me like a childs playset sitting up on a shelf that happened to look like a small hill. I was not expecting it to be so *off* as far as perspective. I was also expecting it to look far larger...even in the distance...then what is actually there. All the photos i had seen of NF prior to seeing it in person last month were very deceptive as far as scale goes for the buildings and scenery. As beautiful as everything looked for the most part, the scale was MUCH smaller then i was expecting.

 

[epcotisbest]

Was in Macon on business Monday and had a couple of Nu-Way wieners. Quite good, but very red...and not a tour group in sight.

 

[RedDad]

As a fellow Middle Georgian, I can tell you that no hot dog will ever live up to the famous red NuWay weiner. The color freaks people out, but they just dye the casings.

Looking forward to hearing the rest of the trip!

 

[Todd H]

Glad to see some fellow Nu-Way fans here. I've had hot dogs just about everywhere (including many of New York's best) and I haven't yet found the equal of Nu-Way. Making me hungry thinking about it...

 

[RandomPrincess]

Glad to see some fellow Nu-Way fans here. I've had hot dogs just about everywhere (including many of New York's best) and I haven't yet found the equal of Nu-Way. Making me hungry thinking about it...

Okay where do you find the special Nu-Way hotdogs in Georgia? I'm going to have to drive down and try some.

 

[Todd H]

Okay where do you find the special Nu-Way hotdogs in Georgia? I'm going to have to drive down and try some.

Best place is their original location in downtown Macon.

 

[Kristia]

I am glad that I am not the only one who finds Casey's dogs overrated. The smell on Main St. is so good and then the dogs are kind of disappointing.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

I'm along for the ride but I have a feeling this is going in a bad direction... I'm looking forward to hearing more about why you have Brazilians in the title. Not that I don't know already but looking forward to reading your take on it. LOL!

 

[tracyandalex]

Enjoying your TR. Very interested to see the rest of your thoughts!

 

[Todd H]

So we leave Fantasyland for a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. I'd heard about the new mermaid effects and wanted to check them out for myself. And wouldn't you know it the mermaid projection effect wasn't working. And the mermaid song doesn't work for me. Seems out of place. And to top it off Blackbeard's mist projection is still a blurry mess much like it was on my last ride in 2011. I'm beginning to doubt the effect will ever work correctly again. I still think Pirates was a much better ride before they added the terrible "Where's Jack Sparrow?" subplot. Seriously, how many rides do we need where the plot is someone has gone missing and we need to find them? Lazy storytelling.

By this time my stomach is still in knots from my earlier encounter with the hot dog from Casey's. So a few more trips to the facilities are in order. We then cut across so my wife can ride Space Mountain while my son and I take a relaxing ride on the People Mover. While on the People Mover my wife texts me and says that Space Mountain is down...again. Seems like it's down almost every trip we take. Hey Disney...how about a proper refurb? Last time I rode it I almost needed to see a chiropractor.

By now it's time for our reservation at Tony's, which was pretty much the only reservation I could get for that day in MK. Our waiter seats us outside and takes our order. While we're waiting a couple comes out and has a huge fight mere feet from our table. Awesome. So our waiter returns and takes our order. I ordered the chicken parm and the wife does the same. My son gets the standard kid's cheese pizza. The waiter acts like he'd rather be anywhere but there. The food was a notch below Olive Garden, which isn't saying much since I consider Olive Garden the McDonald's of Italian Restaurants. I leave the waiter an 18% tip, which he seems insulted by even though he was terrible. By this time my son has had it and we head back to the room.

A few observations about our first day...

In the past getting an unfriendly staff member at WDW was a rarity. Now it's not uncommon at all. Overall it was about a 50-50 mix between friendly staff and staff that act like they don't give a crap. During our 2012 trip to Universal, we experienced none of this. Every staff member there was friendly and helpful. There was an exciting vibe in the air. At WDW, it's like everyone is going through the motions.

The crowds were terrible. I don't think the twirlers had arrived yet but the Brazilians were out in full force, as were folks from Louisiana. The Louisiana folks were fine. In fact, I always end up talking to a few about good ol' SEC football when they notice my red University of Georgia cap. I've found they are some of the friendliest people around. The Brazilians, on the other hand, travel in roaming packs and are quite possibly the rudest guests I've ever come across.

At this point the RFID touch system has worked fine. But that will change on the second day.

To be continued...

 

[Alley7728]

I'm along for the ride but I have a feeling this is going in a bad direction... I'm looking forward to hearing more about why you have Brazilians in the title. Not that I don't know already but looking forward to reading your take on it. LOL!

Jumping up and down with my hand in the air...I know, I know! We were there during the same time frame the Brazilians were EVERYWHERE!!! Literally... we were lucky enough to get to the parks early and out before it became overwhelming. My only complaint was their lack of respect for older people when on the buses. Breathe in breathe out....this really gripes me. Wait wait and when they sprawl out in the lobbys leaving very little room for a path from one door to the next!