Southern Bell
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2011
A Disney Report! just Back! Aug 31-Sept 7, 2014
(Universal Studios-August-29-Sept-31)
(St Augustine beach August 28-29)
I can't go all the way to Florida and not see the beach at least for the day!
We enjoyed Universal Studios! Fun to do something we hadn't done! Did all I wanted in one day, A lot of motion 3-d rides
, that I felt a little sick from by end of the day! LOL! Loved the Harry Potter stuff & glad I paid more for admission to have park to park & did the train!
Some thoughts about our Disney trip! Over the yrs, no matter who we have went with, parents, siblings, friends, children, we have been to Disney over July 4th more than any other time because that is when everyone could get off. I never expected Labor Day to be hotter but… it was! Hot! Hot!
LOL! But…Crowds were better! 
I have been in March yrs ago (Disneyland) and last of October(Walt Disney World) with cool temps in the morning and hot in the afternoon, but I’m not to fond of having to take a jacket and carrying it around on my waist for the rest of the day either! LOL! After seeing them once, I’m not as fond of the fall decorations in September and October as the July 4th decorations! I missed the red white and blue, and special fireworks and shows over the 4th. Swimming was better in July or September than October because the cooler temps at night drop the pool temp down and the heaters were not on during our Oct. trip.
We stayed at Pop Century! I have stayed at Pop before and still call it one of my favorites! That is why I stayed there again! I did make a request for first floor in 50’s building near parking because we drove. But I put it was more important to get my room upon early arrival rather than my request when I did online check in. I did not get my room when I checked in! I was read my request and I said yes I want in the 50’s , near parking and not by the lake! We went on to the parks and we were notified by our phone about 3pm that our room was ready. It was all set and all we had to do was show up with our magic bands to get in.We found it on the first floor in 60’s section facing the lake! And What part of my request did you not understand! LOL! We did get first floor(I didn’t want to use elevator or steps) But we ended up liking the back side of 60’s facing the lake! Fireworks were very pretty and you could see a reflection in the lake! It was very quite. I think the walks to our car, eating or getting to the bus were better from the 60’s than what I had originally asked for. So I can’t complain and didn't! But…Checking in online before you arrive does not mean your room will be ready! Not for me anyways!LOL! No pixie dust here! LOL! My husband did not like the online check out that I did. He travels from time to time and is accustomed to getting his receipt making sure charges are correct before he leaves! That’s what he did here also! So…I’m not going to do online check in or check out anymore!
LOL!
I found the the resort nice and clean and they washed off the pool area everyday. I found the eating area clean! I always look for bed bugs and found none in my room! LOL! I really expected to find at least some bugs crawling on the sidewalks because we were near the lake but I never did! SO they must spray!
Maid service was good! The only reason I don’t say excellent is because at the end of the week I noticed my floor had not been vacuumed Or their vacuum cleaner was not picking up. I know they did earlier in the week and I saw and heard them vacuuming other rooms. They came daily ,re-straightened up my bed (even though I did), left fresh towels, soap, shampoo, tissue, took out garbage. Upon Check in I had Mickey on the bed and one day a swan was left! We never understood why the maids would turn temp of room down so low when we were gone! Everyday we would come in freezing and found it on 63 one day. You couldn’t turn it back up but only a degree or two at a time or the heat would kick on. We appreciated it being cool but was a little to cool!
I did not think the food was as good at Pop century as when we stayed in 2010. But still there was enough that we did like! We thought the Pizza , Baked Chicken, Hamburgers, Sesame Chicken with rice, & Pineapple upside down cake(both new for us) were all good! We did not like the sandwhich with roast beef and cole slaw on top! It was a bit much, and we did not like the seasonings! We ate about half and threw rest away! Disney done away with the tye dyed cheese cake! No more cake! LOL! Just rainbow cheese cake in a small clear plastic cup , on top of crumbs! I don’t understand why Disney will take something that everyone likes and do away with it! LOL! Pop Century needs to keep the ice going for your drinks. Several times we found it empty, out of order, or just a few pieces! One night we just got our drink and went to the ice machine near room and got our ice! I guess carry two cups, one for ice, and your refill cup for your drink. You would get more to drink at beginning if you are headed back to your room!
We walked over to see AOA where we stayed last year with grandchildren. I was surprised to see so much of the greenery grown up. I thought it was prettier low to the ground and providing a visual to the big blue pool! A wall was up on one side of the pool (where work was going on about something) and still one up inside of the walk thru area near the bathroom. I don't know if they had bathroom problems or still having problems with floor! LOL! But after staying there I wasn't as impressed as before! Isn't that funny!
Wearing the braclets were OK!! I liked them better than I thought I would! It was great not having to keep up with or pull out the card everywhere. AT first They bothered me more than my husband because he wears a watch! I found it not very flexable and to make my arm wet underneath. But as week went on I did not pay as much attention to wearing it and it seemed less stiff! I don’t know how children are going to like them but they seemed to be wearing them OK and some all decorated! A good money maker for Disney I guess! We’ll probably do it too! Sometimes the braclet would not open the door to our room and had to take it off to get the Mickey to scan! Its like the door facing was in the way! But not that big of a deal and we did not have a problem anywhere else! It doesn’t matter if you wear your braclet on left or right arm.
The best thing about the new fast pass was not having someone (usually my husband)in your group run ahead and get the fast passes for everyone! Or if I couldn’t get to the park until 10 AM I had my ride! ! The new fast pass did not stress us out and as long as it worked for us saving time or being available we used it to our adantage! It did work best for us at the beginning of the week when we had not rode any rides and we were not park hopping. By the end of the week our use of it had diminished.We became limited because by the end of the week we did not need three fast pass of what was offered in any park, and if you only had used one, left one park and went to another, you couldn’t get a fast pass in the next park! So by the last day we were just winging it! Older fast pass worked best for park hopping at the end of the week and redoing favorite rides in each park!
I planned as I always do and arrived as early as possible with fast passes already made. At least two in the morning, and the third no later than after lunch and pretty much stuck with that! . It was hot and later in the week storms were popping up by late afternoon and we would return to rest at our resort! A few times we were able to make a 4th in the evening for when we returned! We like going in the morning and some of the popular rides like Toy Story at HS, or new ride Like Seven Dwarfs at MK do need a fast pass in the morning. Peter Pan, Winnie the pooh was hit or miss. I rode Peter pan with and Winnie without the same morning. I passed thru on another morning and both had a long line, and you would have needed a pass! It’s a small world would be my last choice!
Sometimes I beat my fast pass time and cancelled and got another fast pass! That worked great if the app worked!
Some passes were not needed but you needed to use it to get to the top of the tier again! That seemed kind of silly and needless planning that Disney has created for us! I knew before hand I did not need a fast pass for Indiana Jones and the workers had even closed the fast pass line it was so useless! But I thought I still need to use it to get to my 4th or top of the tier again! I went back to front and explained and they let me scan it!
We came back that night to HS to use our new fast pass for fantasmic! Of all the shows or fireworks I would recommend one for fantasmic and Anna & Ella’s sing along at HS ! I have stood in line for an hr at Fantasmic. So it was nice to just walk in and sit down! Even though we were seated in the middle (just 2 of us) most arriving by late time, were sitting to the left. But the way the seats are curved and the show is on both sides it does not matter if you are sitting right, left or middle!
You will also need a fast pass or ticket upon arrival At HS for the Anna & Ella Sing Along. They seated the EARLY FAST PASS people in the front of the show first, those who arrived early with a ticket ( from the park that morning )behind them, then later arrivals of fast pass & tickets to the sides We had a fast Pass for the seond show but we arrived when the park opened and were able to get a ticket to see the first show, seated in the middle behind fast pass but was still close! So I did not use my fast pass and cancelled it. The App worked that day
In Animal Kingdom my app did not work! I beat the fast pass time I had for Lion King A worker cancelled it for me and re arranged another fast pass for a earlier time that I hadn’t thought to do! I never had a problem at the Kiosk with a line but I bet you may when the crowd picks up! The Kiosk was easy to use and workers were there to help! No problem!
We liked the new seven dwarfs mine ride but if you were expecting a thrill ride it will disappoint you! It is not! I look forward to taking my 2 yr old granddaughter on it next summer(3)! My 5 yr old grandson will probably be disappointed because he rode Mt Everest last yr and loved it! I expect the waiting line for this to diminish when the newness wears off!
I was expecting more merchandise of Frozen at HS than I saw! I enjoyed the new sing along show but thought the sing along would have been more about showing Anna & Ella(people dressed as them)singing Instead it was two older people dressed in costume of their kingdom, telling about the movie that was being shown upon screen, and encouraging the audience to sing along. So that surprised me a little! I thought they were funny but understood more by the adults than the younger children. As the show went on I think the younger children became disinterested ! It wasn’t a bad show and is worth seeing but I just thought they should have shown the sisters more! But… Finally after waiting they were shown together ! At the end! Finally! LOL!
We got the Quick Service dining plan! Our favorite meal of Quick Service was number 1 braised Pork from BOG at MK, then Ribs from Flaming Tree at AK, Pork Chop from Sunshine Seasoning at Epcot, Fish and Chips from Columbia House at MK, Steak from American Building at Epcot, Baked Chicken,Pizza from Pop Century ABC Commissary at HS had good hamburger that was large enough to be eaten by two , especially with the large Olaf Cupcake( carrot cake with cream cheese icing and olaf on top made of white chocolate)!.
I tried the school bread at Norway bakery but it was just OK for me. I thought the Strawberry Cupcake at BOG or Funnel Cake from Sleepy Hollow at MK (on one of our snack credits) was better. We also used snack credits for our usual Dole Whip, Mickey Mouse Bar, fruit cup, a cup of butter pecan ice cream, a couple of drinks. .
I had eaten at the BOG restaurant last yr with my daughter and really enjoyed the turkey sandwhich . She ordered the roast beef or steak (not sure what it was last year)without horseradish and liked hers better. I made a fast pass for lunch at the BOG for me and my husband this yr. I pre ordered my meal but was asked if they were any changes before I was seated. I had not read any bad reviews of Briased Pork but I was very surprised at how good the Braised Pork really was! My husband really liked it! It was like old fashioned pot roast, so if you do not like pot roast you will not like it! It is not like barbeque! I would have liked to have had more carrots! Mine had two (that I shared LOL) and my husbands had none. Potatoes were good but I did not like the green beans. Nothing wrong with them according to My husband! He ate them all, But I prefer my own and like just my old fashioned canned green beans much better! LOL! We both enjoyed the extra refill!
We enjoyed BOG enough that we made another reservation for later in the week! We chose the Ham sandwhich with fries. I know that it’s got a fancy name but it is a slice of canned ham(like Hormel not as good as honey baked) with cheese on wheat, and grilled. It was good but It is what it is! Just a grilled ham and cheese! LOL! I like grilled ham and cheese! If theres nothing on the kids menu for my grandchildren I plan on ordering this for them to split next yr! It was a bigger sandwhich than I expected, and all that I wanted for a hot day! Even though I wanted to try the grey stuff we ordered the strawberry cupcake both times LOL!
So that kind of speaks for how we felt about that little strawberry cupcake!
And …….how we felt about our trip! Hope to be back next yr with the grandchildren! Already made reservations for 14 days at Fort Wilderness!
OVER JULY 4th OF COURSE!
(Universal Studios-August-29-Sept-31)
(St Augustine beach August 28-29)
I can't go all the way to Florida and not see the beach at least for the day!
We enjoyed Universal Studios! Fun to do something we hadn't done! Did all I wanted in one day, A lot of motion 3-d rides
, that I felt a little sick from by end of the day! LOL! Loved the Harry Potter stuff & glad I paid more for admission to have park to park & did the train!Some thoughts about our Disney trip! Over the yrs, no matter who we have went with, parents, siblings, friends, children, we have been to Disney over July 4th more than any other time because that is when everyone could get off. I never expected Labor Day to be hotter but… it was! Hot! Hot!
LOL! But…Crowds were better! I have been in March yrs ago (Disneyland) and last of October(Walt Disney World) with cool temps in the morning and hot in the afternoon, but I’m not to fond of having to take a jacket and carrying it around on my waist for the rest of the day either! LOL! After seeing them once, I’m not as fond of the fall decorations in September and October as the July 4th decorations! I missed the red white and blue, and special fireworks and shows over the 4th. Swimming was better in July or September than October because the cooler temps at night drop the pool temp down and the heaters were not on during our Oct. trip.
We stayed at Pop Century! I have stayed at Pop before and still call it one of my favorites! That is why I stayed there again! I did make a request for first floor in 50’s building near parking because we drove. But I put it was more important to get my room upon early arrival rather than my request when I did online check in. I did not get my room when I checked in! I was read my request and I said yes I want in the 50’s , near parking and not by the lake! We went on to the parks and we were notified by our phone about 3pm that our room was ready. It was all set and all we had to do was show up with our magic bands to get in.We found it on the first floor in 60’s section facing the lake! And What part of my request did you not understand! LOL! We did get first floor(I didn’t want to use elevator or steps) But we ended up liking the back side of 60’s facing the lake! Fireworks were very pretty and you could see a reflection in the lake! It was very quite. I think the walks to our car, eating or getting to the bus were better from the 60’s than what I had originally asked for. So I can’t complain and didn't! But…Checking in online before you arrive does not mean your room will be ready! Not for me anyways!LOL! No pixie dust here! LOL! My husband did not like the online check out that I did. He travels from time to time and is accustomed to getting his receipt making sure charges are correct before he leaves! That’s what he did here also! So…I’m not going to do online check in or check out anymore!
LOL!I found the the resort nice and clean and they washed off the pool area everyday. I found the eating area clean! I always look for bed bugs and found none in my room! LOL! I really expected to find at least some bugs crawling on the sidewalks because we were near the lake but I never did! SO they must spray!
Maid service was good! The only reason I don’t say excellent is because at the end of the week I noticed my floor had not been vacuumed Or their vacuum cleaner was not picking up. I know they did earlier in the week and I saw and heard them vacuuming other rooms. They came daily ,re-straightened up my bed (even though I did), left fresh towels, soap, shampoo, tissue, took out garbage. Upon Check in I had Mickey on the bed and one day a swan was left! We never understood why the maids would turn temp of room down so low when we were gone! Everyday we would come in freezing and found it on 63 one day. You couldn’t turn it back up but only a degree or two at a time or the heat would kick on. We appreciated it being cool but was a little to cool!
I did not think the food was as good at Pop century as when we stayed in 2010. But still there was enough that we did like! We thought the Pizza , Baked Chicken, Hamburgers, Sesame Chicken with rice, & Pineapple upside down cake(both new for us) were all good! We did not like the sandwhich with roast beef and cole slaw on top! It was a bit much, and we did not like the seasonings! We ate about half and threw rest away! Disney done away with the tye dyed cheese cake! No more cake! LOL! Just rainbow cheese cake in a small clear plastic cup , on top of crumbs! I don’t understand why Disney will take something that everyone likes and do away with it! LOL! Pop Century needs to keep the ice going for your drinks. Several times we found it empty, out of order, or just a few pieces! One night we just got our drink and went to the ice machine near room and got our ice! I guess carry two cups, one for ice, and your refill cup for your drink. You would get more to drink at beginning if you are headed back to your room!
We walked over to see AOA where we stayed last year with grandchildren. I was surprised to see so much of the greenery grown up. I thought it was prettier low to the ground and providing a visual to the big blue pool! A wall was up on one side of the pool (where work was going on about something) and still one up inside of the walk thru area near the bathroom. I don't know if they had bathroom problems or still having problems with floor! LOL! But after staying there I wasn't as impressed as before! Isn't that funny!
Wearing the braclets were OK!
! I liked them better than I thought I would! It was great not having to keep up with or pull out the card everywhere. AT first They bothered me more than my husband because he wears a watch! I found it not very flexable and to make my arm wet underneath. But as week went on I did not pay as much attention to wearing it and it seemed less stiff! I don’t know how children are going to like them but they seemed to be wearing them OK and some all decorated! A good money maker for Disney I guess! We’ll probably do it too! Sometimes the braclet would not open the door to our room and had to take it off to get the Mickey to scan! Its like the door facing was in the way! But not that big of a deal and we did not have a problem anywhere else! It doesn’t matter if you wear your braclet on left or right arm. The best thing about the new fast pass was not having someone (usually my husband)in your group run ahead and get the fast passes for everyone! Or if I couldn’t get to the park until 10 AM I had my ride! ! The new fast pass did not stress us out and as long as it worked for us saving time or being available we used it to our adantage! It did work best for us at the beginning of the week when we had not rode any rides and we were not park hopping. By the end of the week our use of it had diminished.We became limited because by the end of the week we did not need three fast pass of what was offered in any park, and if you only had used one, left one park and went to another, you couldn’t get a fast pass in the next park! So by the last day we were just winging it! Older fast pass worked best for park hopping at the end of the week and redoing favorite rides in each park!
I planned as I always do and arrived as early as possible with fast passes already made. At least two in the morning, and the third no later than after lunch and pretty much stuck with that! . It was hot and later in the week storms were popping up by late afternoon and we would return to rest at our resort! A few times we were able to make a 4th in the evening for when we returned! We like going in the morning and some of the popular rides like Toy Story at HS, or new ride Like Seven Dwarfs at MK do need a fast pass in the morning. Peter Pan, Winnie the pooh was hit or miss. I rode Peter pan with and Winnie without the same morning. I passed thru on another morning and both had a long line, and you would have needed a pass! It’s a small world would be my last choice!
Sometimes I beat my fast pass time and cancelled and got another fast pass! That worked great if the app worked!
Some passes were not needed but you needed to use it to get to the top of the tier again! That seemed kind of silly and needless planning that Disney has created for us! I knew before hand I did not need a fast pass for Indiana Jones and the workers had even closed the fast pass line it was so useless! But I thought I still need to use it to get to my 4th or top of the tier again! I went back to front and explained and they let me scan it!We came back that night to HS to use our new fast pass for fantasmic! Of all the shows or fireworks I would recommend one for fantasmic and Anna & Ella’s sing along at HS ! I have stood in line for an hr at Fantasmic. So it was nice to just walk in and sit down! Even though we were seated in the middle (just 2 of us) most arriving by late time, were sitting to the left. But the way the seats are curved and the show is on both sides it does not matter if you are sitting right, left or middle!
You will also need a fast pass or ticket upon arrival At HS for the Anna & Ella Sing Along. They seated the EARLY FAST PASS people in the front of the show first, those who arrived early with a ticket ( from the park that morning )behind them, then later arrivals of fast pass & tickets to the sides We had a fast Pass for the seond show but we arrived when the park opened and were able to get a ticket to see the first show, seated in the middle behind fast pass but was still close! So I did not use my fast pass and cancelled it. The App worked that day
In Animal Kingdom my app did not work!
I beat the fast pass time I had for Lion King A worker cancelled it for me and re arranged another fast pass for a earlier time that I hadn’t thought to do! I never had a problem at the Kiosk with a line but I bet you may when the crowd picks up! The Kiosk was easy to use and workers were there to help! No problem! We liked the new seven dwarfs mine ride but if you were expecting a thrill ride it will disappoint you! It is not! I look forward to taking my 2 yr old granddaughter on it next summer(3)! My 5 yr old grandson will probably be disappointed because he rode Mt Everest last yr and loved it! I expect the waiting line for this to diminish when the newness wears off!
I was expecting more merchandise of Frozen at HS than I saw! I enjoyed the new sing along show but thought the sing along would have been more about showing Anna & Ella(people dressed as them)singing Instead it was two older people dressed in costume of their kingdom, telling about the movie that was being shown upon screen, and encouraging the audience to sing along. So that surprised me a little! I thought they were funny but understood more by the adults than the younger children. As the show went on I think the younger children became disinterested ! It wasn’t a bad show and is worth seeing but I just thought they should have shown the sisters more! But… Finally after waiting they were shown together ! At the end! Finally! LOL!
We got the Quick Service dining plan! Our favorite meal of Quick Service was number 1 braised Pork from BOG at MK, then Ribs from Flaming Tree at AK, Pork Chop from Sunshine Seasoning at Epcot, Fish and Chips from Columbia House at MK, Steak from American Building at Epcot, Baked Chicken,Pizza from Pop Century ABC Commissary at HS had good hamburger that was large enough to be eaten by two , especially with the large Olaf Cupcake( carrot cake with cream cheese icing and olaf on top made of white chocolate)!.
I tried the school bread at Norway bakery but it was just OK for me. I thought the Strawberry Cupcake at BOG or Funnel Cake from Sleepy Hollow at MK (on one of our snack credits) was better. We also used snack credits for our usual Dole Whip, Mickey Mouse Bar, fruit cup, a cup of butter pecan ice cream, a couple of drinks. .
I had eaten at the BOG restaurant last yr with my daughter and really enjoyed the turkey sandwhich . She ordered the roast beef or steak (not sure what it was last year)without horseradish and liked hers better. I made a fast pass for lunch at the BOG for me and my husband this yr. I pre ordered my meal but was asked if they were any changes before I was seated. I had not read any bad reviews of Briased Pork but I was very surprised at how good the Braised Pork really was! My husband really liked it! It was like old fashioned pot roast, so if you do not like pot roast you will not like it! It is not like barbeque! I would have liked to have had more carrots! Mine had two (that I shared LOL) and my husbands had none. Potatoes were good but I did not like the green beans. Nothing wrong with them according to My husband! He ate them all, But I prefer my own and like just my old fashioned canned green beans much better! LOL! We both enjoyed the extra refill!
We enjoyed BOG enough that we made another reservation for later in the week! We chose the Ham sandwhich with fries. I know that it’s got a fancy name but it is a slice of canned ham(like Hormel not as good as honey baked) with cheese on wheat, and grilled. It was good but It is what it is! Just a grilled ham and cheese! LOL! I like grilled ham and cheese! If theres nothing on the kids menu for my grandchildren I plan on ordering this for them to split next yr! It was a bigger sandwhich than I expected, and all that I wanted for a hot day! Even though I wanted to try the grey stuff we ordered the strawberry cupcake both times LOL!
So that kind of speaks for how we felt about that little strawberry cupcake!
And …….how we felt about our trip! Hope to be back next yr with the grandchildren! Already made reservations for 14 days at Fort Wilderness!
OVER JULY 4th OF COURSE!
