Trip Report One Little Spark *COMPLETED*

One little spark of inspiration
Is at the heart of all creation
A dream can be
A dream come true
With just that spark
In me and you

One little spark ignited a relationship that is currently four decades long.

One little spark inspired a surprise (and very last-minute) birthday trip to WDW.

One little spark made a dream come true.

Who: Tuvalu and Woody
When: February 8-12, 2023
Where: Disney’s Pop Century Resort

 

[pkkurz]

Day 5 - Sunday, February 12

Woody and I were homeward bound just as dawn was breaking. We managed to avoid any eyes during the “walk of shame” to load our luggage into the car. (Aren’t you proud of us, @wdisney9000?)

We made one pit stop.

View attachment 704826

While the third time should have been the charm in knowing exactly what food to order, I soon discovered I am still on the learning curve.

On our first visit, we had breakfast brisket tacos which were amazing and easy to eat in the car. (And by easy I mean not messy.) But today we’d arrived after 11 am and those were not an option.

Warm sandwiches from the Texas Round Up would be our choice for lunch.

View attachment 704822

I’d had a sliced brisket sandwich on my second visit. While delicious, the slices were large and would be better eaten with a knife and fork. I’d decided then and there my next sandwich would be chopped brisket.

View attachment 704823

We picked up two chopped brisket sandwiches and a bag of these:

View attachment 704859

For those unaware, there are NO tables or chairs inside or outside a Buc-ee’s. Food is strictly to-go. Both prior visits I’d eaten in the car while in the parking lot. But Woody wanted to keep driving.

In theory, that sounded okay.

Until I unwrapped the first sandwich and discovered that the chopped brisket sandwich is SAUCY. Very saucy.

View attachment 704825

There was no way Woody would be able to hold one of these bad boys while driving, let alone take a bite. I ended up breaking the sandwich into bite-size pieces and feeding him, sauce covering all my fingers. (Romantic it was not! )

As if that wasn’t messy enough, the powdered cheese on the Buc-ee’s Nug-ee’s made a paste with the sauce on my fingers.

All I could do was laugh.

Next time I’ll have plastic utensils handy. And baby wipes. Wetting a paper napkin with water from a Dasani bottle is not the best substitute for cleaning sticky hands!

The rest of our drive was uneventful and we were home in plenty of time for Super Bowl pizza and Monster Cookies, a family tradition.

Coming up: Final thoughts

Just an FYI, Buc-ees has plastic utensils for the asking at the checkout counter. We tend to get the meat and cheese cups for the “keep on driving“ meals. Also, the made to order chicken wraps are pretty manageable and tasty too.

 

[lindawdw]

You know we would have been like to two kids in the candy shop running all around DHS during Fantasmic!!!! I will now have to read the trip report you posted above!!! I loved the description of you feeding Woody the messy sandwich! Many a car trips have I fed Pete along the way!

 

[Songbird76]

I'm actually surprised you didn't have wipes with you!! Being a mom (and a grandmother, even!) and having been through a pandemic, I thought you'd just have wipes with you. I always have a little pocket-sized package with me. You never know, especially at Disney, when you're going to need to wipe off a table before you can sit and eat. (I witnessed at Casey's in DLP, a family changing a baby's poopy diaper on their table before they left. You'd better believe I was scrubbing that table with sanitizing wipes before we sat down!!)

 

[Tuvalu]

Just an FYI, Buc-ees has plastic utensils for the asking at the checkout counter. We tend to get the meat and cheese cups for the “keep on driving“ meals. Also, the made to order chicken wraps are pretty manageable and tasty too.

You know we would have been like to two kids in the candy shop running all around DHS during Fantasmic!!!!

I'm actually surprised you didn't have wipes with you!!

They were dried out.

 

[Darstarr]

Until I unwrapped the first sandwich and discovered that the chopped brisket sandwich is SAUCY. Very saucy.

 

[Tuvalu]

 

[amjt660]

I ended up breaking the sandwich into bite-size pieces and feeding him

Max

 

[Tuvalu]

Max

 

[Songbird76]

They were dried out.

Oh, that happened to me a couple of weeks ago, but I fortunately had a 2nd package. But yikes....that is NOT ideal!

 

[Tuvalu]

Final Thoughts

Pop Century remains my favorite value resort. Rooms are well-appointed, the views along Hourglass Lake are beautiful and the Skyliner is a more comfortable (and often more reliable) ride than the monorail.

FARTS is a fun and creative Epcot Festival. It feels a little more intimate (and a lot less crowded) than the other three Festivals.

Sebastian’s Bistro is a hidden gem.

The Beacons of Light on Spaceship Earth and Tower of Terror have really grown on me.

While Disney merchandise has always been overpriced (relatively speaking) continued price hikes on the same merchandise that has been in the stores for the last two years is criminal. I keep close tabs on merch and food & beverage prices and recent increases reek of corporate greed, not inflation.

Last-minute, “go with the flow” WDW vacations - with little to no expectations - can be more relaxing than those planned months in advance with daily agendas.

But you do miss out on the excited anticipation of a trip countdown.

And have I been counting down to this!

(My birthday gift from Em. We’ll be the twinsies bawling our eyes out at 9 o’clock that night.)

Thanks for reading y’all!

 

[MickeyCB]

And have I been counting down to this!

(My birthday gift from Em. We’ll be the twinsies bawling our eyes out at 9 o’clock that night.)

How wonderful, have a great time!!
And thanks for taking us along on your birthday bash!

 

[k8einwdw]

My birthday gift from Em. We’ll be the twinsies bawling our eyes out at 9 o’clock that night

How awesome that HEA’s return aligned perfectly with GA Spring Break?! Hope you ladies have an amazing time!

Thank you for sharing your trip with us! I enjoyed reading along, as always!

 

[Sillysidewalker]

Final Thoughts

Pop Century remains my favorite value resort. Rooms are well-appointed, the views along Hourglass Lake are beautiful and the Skyliner is a more comfortable (and often more reliable) ride than the monorail.

FARTS is a fun and creative Epcot Festival. It feels a little more intimate (and a lot less crowded) than the other three Festivals.

Sebastian’s Bistro is a hidden gem.

The Beacons of Light on Spaceship Earth and Tower of Terror have really grown on me.

While Disney merchandise has always been overpriced (relatively speaking) continued price hikes on the same merchandise that has been in the stores for the last two years is criminal. I keep close tabs on merch and food & beverage prices and recent increases reek of corporate greed, not inflation.

Last-minute, “go with the flow” WDW vacations - with little to no expectations - can be more relaxing than those planned months in advance with daily agendas.

But you do miss out on the excited anticipation of a trip countdown.

And have I been counting down to this!

View attachment 705338

(My birthday gift from Em. We’ll be the twinsies bawling our eyes out at 9 o’clock that night.)

Thanks for reading y’all!

We just miss meeting Tuvalu and HEA. Enjoyed your trip report like always. Can't wait for the next report!

 

[Laurenciaa]

Final Thoughts

Pop Century remains my favorite value resort. Rooms are well-appointed, the views along Hourglass Lake are beautiful and the Skyliner is a more comfortable (and often more reliable) ride than the monorail.

FARTS is a fun and creative Epcot Festival. It feels a little more intimate (and a lot less crowded) than the other three Festivals.

Sebastian’s Bistro is a hidden gem.

The Beacons of Light on Spaceship Earth and Tower of Terror have really grown on me.

While Disney merchandise has always been overpriced (relatively speaking) continued price hikes on the same merchandise that has been in the stores for the last two years is criminal. I keep close tabs on merch and food & beverage prices and recent increases reek of corporate greed, not inflation.

Last-minute, “go with the flow” WDW vacations - with little to no expectations - can be more relaxing than those planned months in advance with daily agendas.

But you do miss out on the excited anticipation of a trip countdown.

And have I been counting down to this!

View attachment 705338

(My birthday gift from Em. We’ll be the twinsies bawling our eyes out at 9 o’clock that night.)

Thanks for reading y’all!

This also means that in less than what 14 days another potential mini-TR/TR might be in place (if you wish to share offf course)! Thank you @Tuvalu for sharing your adventures again with us

 

[MinnieM123]

Tuvalu, I always like reading your opinions on the various on-property resorts. You've stayed in such a variety of them, from the "value" to "deluxe", so I appreciate your perspective on the pros and cons of each.

This was another great TR, and it doesn't stop there -- I know that there will be many more TRs to come!

 

[amjt660]

Loved the report as always

This is you and Em walking down Main street for HEA

Wish I could be the third!!!

Max

 

[lindawdw]

I always enjoy your Final Thoughts Tuvalu, and I totally agree with you on Pop Century! I stay there with friends whenever we do ladies trips and always find it such a pleasant stay. The merch and food prices at WDW have been a complaint of mine for years now and I agree that it's more corporate greed than inflation at this point! I so wish I was going in April so I could meet up with you and Em. Enjoy Happily Ever After and I look forward to those pictures in your next TR!!!! Have a magical time.

 

[Darstarr]

Another two thumbs up from me Miss True Value

 

[Darstarr]

Having issues with Magic….
Nothing to see here.

 

[cgersic]

What a great trip report and thank you so much for taking the time to do what you do! Completely agree on POP and I can't wait for my upcoming trip there. Is it just me that as soon as I book a trip, that's all I can think about? So lovely to see you and Woody riding the train together and enjoying what Disney still has to offer. Have the best time at HEA (love the shirt!) - I'm hoping to be able to catch one of the shows with you!