lovewalt
05-29-2009, 10:12 AM
Cast of characters:
Me~ Holly aka lovewalt
DH~Corey
DD~Maura age 6
May 1-10 Pop Century Resort ~Magic Your Way Plan w/Quick Service Dining
Day 10 Sunday May 10th, 2009
3:30 AM arrived way too soon! We packed up and headed to the ME bus stop for our 4:45AM pick up time. We weren’t there more than 5 minutes when the bus arrived. We boarded and off we went to MCO.We got through security fairly quickly but we experienced something we hadn’t before. The security officer questioned Maura. He asked her name and how old she was. Then pointed to each Corey and me and asked her who we were. Usually she won’t talk to adults she doesn’t know, but I think she understood that it was important to answer him and she did very well. I had a sad thought that maybe she matched a description of a missing child so I didn’t mind the short delay while they questioned her. We also got chosen for a search. Lucky us. We stopped at Starbucks for some decent coffee and then made our way to our Southwest gate. I forgot to mention that we were able to check in online and get our boarding passes at POP the previous day with no problems. Since we had we were in the “A” boarding group and pretty much had our pick of seats. I don’t even remember the take off. I fell asleep almost immediately after buckling up I woke up about an hour before we landed and noticed that Corey and Maura were also asleep. We landed in Manchester, NH 20 minutes early and we called for our shuttle from the Highlander Inn. It came quickly and we were back to our vehicle in no time. We would definitely use the Highlander Inn Park and fly service again. Well, aside from an uneventful drive back to Maine, that concludes our vacation. Here are some final thoughts:
Pop Century- No complaints about the room. The location was great. Even though it was ground floor we weren’t bothered by outside noises. Mouskeeping was fine. We didn’t get as many towel animals or fun stuffed animal placements as we have here in the past but the room was clean so I can’t complain. What I will complain about is the cleanliness of the food court. Because we spent many afternoons at the resort to escape the heat we ended up having dinner here quite frequently. We found the carpets in the seating area to be very dirty with ground in food. Trash cans were often overflowing so that people were just leaving their dirty trays on the tables. The floor by the drink station was usually sticky too. This was our 3rd stay at Pop Century and this is the first time we encountered the food court in such a state. It was very disappointing. However everything else about POP was fine. Maura loved the pools, the gift shop was great, and it was fun to see what kinds of birds or bunnies would be waiting outside our room each day.
Quick Service Dining Plan- We did enjoy being free from the ADR schedule but I think a 10 day trip is too long for only Quick Service meals .We would probably do it again for a shorter trip. Our one complaint was the lack of variety in children’s meals. We were allowed to choose adult meals for Maura whenever we requested. Since we did get that one CM who insisted she used the child’s menu I assume that they will be stricter about this in the future and start being more specific about the QS credits.
Table Service-We did have 2 table service meals. Breakfast at Tusker House was excellent but our server was not great and we felt rushed and uncomfortable about being there past the breakfast hours. The character experience was great and we would give this meal another try. Our last minute ADR for Boma was excellent as always. It remains our favorite meal.
Magical Express- Very prompt service. No complaints at all.
Crowds- From reading the boards before the trip, I learned that they were predicting heavier crowds than usual. I was unnecessarily worried. The parks weren’t empty but the crowds were quite manageable. We only had to utilize Fast Passes a handful of times. We did run into the occasional crowded bus but it was usually at park opening and closing times when this occurred. People were generally well behaved. Except for that woman who pushed Maura to get a ball!
CM’s- The only bad experience was the server at Tusker House. Our last trip we ran into a lot of less than courteous CM’s but it was not the case this trip. Most everyone was friendly and helpful like the old days.
Weather in May- Unseasonably warm! Over 90º every day. Our last trip was in August and we found the heat unbearable. The temps were comparable to that trip but the big difference was the humidity. There really wasn’t any. If you could find shade it was bearable and after the sun went down was quite pleasant. Even though it was a bit too hot I would choose to go at this time of year again.
Well I guess that about sums it up. I know it took awhile for me to finish these reports so thanks for being patient while I finished.
Here’s a link to some pictures if you’re interested: http://hollyfitch.shutterfly.com//3
You'll need the password:Maura16
Thanks for Reading
Me~ Holly aka lovewalt
DH~Corey
DD~Maura age 6
May 1-10 Pop Century Resort ~Magic Your Way Plan w/Quick Service Dining
Day 10 Sunday May 10th, 2009
3:30 AM arrived way too soon! We packed up and headed to the ME bus stop for our 4:45AM pick up time. We weren’t there more than 5 minutes when the bus arrived. We boarded and off we went to MCO.We got through security fairly quickly but we experienced something we hadn’t before. The security officer questioned Maura. He asked her name and how old she was. Then pointed to each Corey and me and asked her who we were. Usually she won’t talk to adults she doesn’t know, but I think she understood that it was important to answer him and she did very well. I had a sad thought that maybe she matched a description of a missing child so I didn’t mind the short delay while they questioned her. We also got chosen for a search. Lucky us. We stopped at Starbucks for some decent coffee and then made our way to our Southwest gate. I forgot to mention that we were able to check in online and get our boarding passes at POP the previous day with no problems. Since we had we were in the “A” boarding group and pretty much had our pick of seats. I don’t even remember the take off. I fell asleep almost immediately after buckling up I woke up about an hour before we landed and noticed that Corey and Maura were also asleep. We landed in Manchester, NH 20 minutes early and we called for our shuttle from the Highlander Inn. It came quickly and we were back to our vehicle in no time. We would definitely use the Highlander Inn Park and fly service again. Well, aside from an uneventful drive back to Maine, that concludes our vacation. Here are some final thoughts:
Pop Century- No complaints about the room. The location was great. Even though it was ground floor we weren’t bothered by outside noises. Mouskeeping was fine. We didn’t get as many towel animals or fun stuffed animal placements as we have here in the past but the room was clean so I can’t complain. What I will complain about is the cleanliness of the food court. Because we spent many afternoons at the resort to escape the heat we ended up having dinner here quite frequently. We found the carpets in the seating area to be very dirty with ground in food. Trash cans were often overflowing so that people were just leaving their dirty trays on the tables. The floor by the drink station was usually sticky too. This was our 3rd stay at Pop Century and this is the first time we encountered the food court in such a state. It was very disappointing. However everything else about POP was fine. Maura loved the pools, the gift shop was great, and it was fun to see what kinds of birds or bunnies would be waiting outside our room each day.
Quick Service Dining Plan- We did enjoy being free from the ADR schedule but I think a 10 day trip is too long for only Quick Service meals .We would probably do it again for a shorter trip. Our one complaint was the lack of variety in children’s meals. We were allowed to choose adult meals for Maura whenever we requested. Since we did get that one CM who insisted she used the child’s menu I assume that they will be stricter about this in the future and start being more specific about the QS credits.
Table Service-We did have 2 table service meals. Breakfast at Tusker House was excellent but our server was not great and we felt rushed and uncomfortable about being there past the breakfast hours. The character experience was great and we would give this meal another try. Our last minute ADR for Boma was excellent as always. It remains our favorite meal.
Magical Express- Very prompt service. No complaints at all.
Crowds- From reading the boards before the trip, I learned that they were predicting heavier crowds than usual. I was unnecessarily worried. The parks weren’t empty but the crowds were quite manageable. We only had to utilize Fast Passes a handful of times. We did run into the occasional crowded bus but it was usually at park opening and closing times when this occurred. People were generally well behaved. Except for that woman who pushed Maura to get a ball!
CM’s- The only bad experience was the server at Tusker House. Our last trip we ran into a lot of less than courteous CM’s but it was not the case this trip. Most everyone was friendly and helpful like the old days.
Weather in May- Unseasonably warm! Over 90º every day. Our last trip was in August and we found the heat unbearable. The temps were comparable to that trip but the big difference was the humidity. There really wasn’t any. If you could find shade it was bearable and after the sun went down was quite pleasant. Even though it was a bit too hot I would choose to go at this time of year again.
Well I guess that about sums it up. I know it took awhile for me to finish these reports so thanks for being patient while I finished.
Here’s a link to some pictures if you’re interested: http://hollyfitch.shutterfly.com//3
You'll need the password:Maura16
Thanks for Reading