9/13 – 9/17 – Pop Century
WHO’S GOING: Kirk, a veteran Disney traveler, and Ethan, a first time Disney guest
DAY ONE: ARRIVAL, DOWNTOWN DISNEY, MAGIC KINGDOM
I picked up my friend Ethan from his home about 5:15 AM, which was very early for us both. We needed to stop at a Walgreens to pick up a few things (hair gel, toothpaste, and so on) and discovered that none of the Walgreens that we passed on the way to the airport were open 24 hours like we had thought. Oh well, we were not to be deterred and headed on our way with or without the proper hair care products.
We arrived at the long term parking lot and were able to park quickly before the bus came to pick us up to take us to the terminal. We checked in with Delta, handed over our bags, and made our way to security. We made it through security without incident and headed to McDonald’s for breakfast. I was sad that it was a Sunday, which meant no Chik-Fil-A, but I was hungry so I settled for Mickey-D’s.
It wasn’t long before we were up in the air and on our way to my second home – Walt Disney World. Ethan had never been to Orlando or Disney World at was excited, but I’m not sure he fully understood the vastness of where we going and just how big the property is.
We landed in Orlando on schedule and found our way to the Magical Express. We did not have to wait in the line because we had our vouchers out and ready to go and so we were checked in quickly and only waited about 5 minutes before boarding the bus to the Pop Century resort. We were also the first stop the bus made so we were at the hotel in record time.
The cast member who checked us in was pleasant and helpful and when she heard me say this was my 3rd trip this year, she speeded up the process and explained less than she would have normally. I was completely fine with this. We were in the 70’s section, which was great as I’d not stayed in this part of the resort. It was close enough to Classic Hall for my taste but also we were on the backside facing Hourglass Lake, which was peaceful and relaxing.
We dropped off our stuff and headed to the buses for Downtown Disney. It started to pour and I forgot my umbrella was still in my suitcase, which had not yet been delivered. It didn’t matter, though, because I was in Disney World and nothing was going to bother me!
We got to Downtown Disney and walked through the Marketplace on our way to T-Rex. We both had a hamburger and waffle fries and it was very good.
We took some pictures here and walked over to the Characters in Flight tethered helium balloon, but it was closed due to the rain and the threat of thunderstorms rolling in. We walked back to the bus stop and took a bus to the Contemporary so we could get to the Magic Kingdom.
I will say this about the bus service: they are fairly efficient, but you cannot be in a big hurry as we found out later on. After the bus stopped at Typhoon Lagoon, it was on to the Contemporary. There was a couple who had just arrived on the bus with us and they had no idea how to get anywhere or what to do. I took them under my wing and helped them get to the monorail so they could go to the Magic Kingdom.
We walked right into the park as the parade was ending at Main Street. We quickly headed down Main Street and I think Ethan was awed by the castle. We went to Pirates, as I think it is the first thing I remember riding ever and I wanted Ethan to have that same experience. He loved it and we were able to walk right on with no wait. I was very pleased through the entire trip about the crowds as they walkways seemed a bit crowded but the lines were short, if there were any at all. We went over to Splash Mountain and pretty much walked right on. I was smart this trip and told them “one and one” instead of two on rides like this because with our long legs (I’m 6’4 and so is Ethan) it is uncomfortable trying to fit in some of these tight spaces.
We got wet but it was so hot that it felt good. After this we decided to go to the Haunted Mansion as Big Thunder Mountain had a 30 minute wait. We walked on HM, but the after the stretching room was ridiculously slow I think due to slowing or stopping the conveyor to board a wheelchair.
We walked back to Big Thunder and were able to walk on and get seated in the front car. We were both having a great time; Ethan was impressed and I was glad that the hype hadn’t ruined the experience as I’d been talking about Disney so much lately.
We walked up by the castle on our way to Fantasyland, as I wanted to get a better look. We walked into Mickey’s Philharmagic and again Ethan loved this. I have seen this show maybe 20 times and it still makes me smile. I can’t wait for my soon to be 6 year old niece to see it when my family goes back in December.
After Philharmagic, we went up to the castle hub to get ready to watch the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” Street Party. The cast members still seem to be having a ball during this and the guests really get into it, as well. After this we headed to Tomorrowland, watched Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (I was Mike Wazowski in the abbreviated story on the screen) and then we walked on Buzz Lightyear. I killed Ethan on this with a score of like 300,000 to 3,000 or something. Then we rode the TTA.
I was so happy that this had been closed and was hopefully getting some much needed TLC. Well, our car’s seat had a tear in it and the track didn’t seem repainted or anything. And when we got inside Space Mountain I was horrified that they were allowing guests to see the mess. The Skyway to Tomorrowland station was half-way a pile of rubble and it was just bad show all the way around. They should have kept the TTA closed so that people didn’t see this stuff.
We were exhausted from being up so early so we headed back to the hotel about 7:30. We got some food at the food court but it wasn’t so great. Plus it was super crowded, so we learned our lesson there.
TOMORROW: ANIMAL KINGDOM & DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
WHO’S GOING: Kirk, a veteran Disney traveler, and Ethan, a first time Disney guest
DAY ONE: ARRIVAL, DOWNTOWN DISNEY, MAGIC KINGDOM
I picked up my friend Ethan from his home about 5:15 AM, which was very early for us both. We needed to stop at a Walgreens to pick up a few things (hair gel, toothpaste, and so on) and discovered that none of the Walgreens that we passed on the way to the airport were open 24 hours like we had thought. Oh well, we were not to be deterred and headed on our way with or without the proper hair care products.
We arrived at the long term parking lot and were able to park quickly before the bus came to pick us up to take us to the terminal. We checked in with Delta, handed over our bags, and made our way to security. We made it through security without incident and headed to McDonald’s for breakfast. I was sad that it was a Sunday, which meant no Chik-Fil-A, but I was hungry so I settled for Mickey-D’s.
It wasn’t long before we were up in the air and on our way to my second home – Walt Disney World. Ethan had never been to Orlando or Disney World at was excited, but I’m not sure he fully understood the vastness of where we going and just how big the property is.

We landed in Orlando on schedule and found our way to the Magical Express. We did not have to wait in the line because we had our vouchers out and ready to go and so we were checked in quickly and only waited about 5 minutes before boarding the bus to the Pop Century resort. We were also the first stop the bus made so we were at the hotel in record time.


The cast member who checked us in was pleasant and helpful and when she heard me say this was my 3rd trip this year, she speeded up the process and explained less than she would have normally. I was completely fine with this. We were in the 70’s section, which was great as I’d not stayed in this part of the resort. It was close enough to Classic Hall for my taste but also we were on the backside facing Hourglass Lake, which was peaceful and relaxing.
We dropped off our stuff and headed to the buses for Downtown Disney. It started to pour and I forgot my umbrella was still in my suitcase, which had not yet been delivered. It didn’t matter, though, because I was in Disney World and nothing was going to bother me!
We got to Downtown Disney and walked through the Marketplace on our way to T-Rex. We both had a hamburger and waffle fries and it was very good.



We took some pictures here and walked over to the Characters in Flight tethered helium balloon, but it was closed due to the rain and the threat of thunderstorms rolling in. We walked back to the bus stop and took a bus to the Contemporary so we could get to the Magic Kingdom.
I will say this about the bus service: they are fairly efficient, but you cannot be in a big hurry as we found out later on. After the bus stopped at Typhoon Lagoon, it was on to the Contemporary. There was a couple who had just arrived on the bus with us and they had no idea how to get anywhere or what to do. I took them under my wing and helped them get to the monorail so they could go to the Magic Kingdom.

We walked right into the park as the parade was ending at Main Street. We quickly headed down Main Street and I think Ethan was awed by the castle. We went to Pirates, as I think it is the first thing I remember riding ever and I wanted Ethan to have that same experience. He loved it and we were able to walk right on with no wait. I was very pleased through the entire trip about the crowds as they walkways seemed a bit crowded but the lines were short, if there were any at all. We went over to Splash Mountain and pretty much walked right on. I was smart this trip and told them “one and one” instead of two on rides like this because with our long legs (I’m 6’4 and so is Ethan) it is uncomfortable trying to fit in some of these tight spaces.
We got wet but it was so hot that it felt good. After this we decided to go to the Haunted Mansion as Big Thunder Mountain had a 30 minute wait. We walked on HM, but the after the stretching room was ridiculously slow I think due to slowing or stopping the conveyor to board a wheelchair.
We walked back to Big Thunder and were able to walk on and get seated in the front car. We were both having a great time; Ethan was impressed and I was glad that the hype hadn’t ruined the experience as I’d been talking about Disney so much lately.

We walked up by the castle on our way to Fantasyland, as I wanted to get a better look. We walked into Mickey’s Philharmagic and again Ethan loved this. I have seen this show maybe 20 times and it still makes me smile. I can’t wait for my soon to be 6 year old niece to see it when my family goes back in December.

After Philharmagic, we went up to the castle hub to get ready to watch the “Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It” Street Party. The cast members still seem to be having a ball during this and the guests really get into it, as well. After this we headed to Tomorrowland, watched Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor (I was Mike Wazowski in the abbreviated story on the screen) and then we walked on Buzz Lightyear. I killed Ethan on this with a score of like 300,000 to 3,000 or something. Then we rode the TTA.
I was so happy that this had been closed and was hopefully getting some much needed TLC. Well, our car’s seat had a tear in it and the track didn’t seem repainted or anything. And when we got inside Space Mountain I was horrified that they were allowing guests to see the mess. The Skyway to Tomorrowland station was half-way a pile of rubble and it was just bad show all the way around. They should have kept the TTA closed so that people didn’t see this stuff.

We were exhausted from being up so early so we headed back to the hotel about 7:30. We got some food at the food court but it wasn’t so great. Plus it was super crowded, so we learned our lesson there.
TOMORROW: ANIMAL KINGDOM & DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS