The Walkers do Orlando 2018

[Scott W.]

This trip has been a long time coming and I really should have thought of a better title and a better layout for all this but I’ll just get typing and make the first post about the overall plans for the trip. I’ll probably make a post about my planning process later as well if anybody is interested.

We’re staying at Pop Century for the first week and this is my first time staying on site at Disney. I never really had an interest before since it was either crazy expensive for a good room or you stayed at a dump. The newly renovated rooms at Pop Century tick all the boxes but the early FP and Dining Reservations are the main key here. We’ve managed to get a FP for everything we’ve wanted and it took a little more effort for Dining since we booked up about 3 months after ADR started for the time but we’ve got everything booked that we wanted. Free parking is also nice since we’re British and if you add a saving of $22 a day, that more than helps justify the extra price for the hotel. Being able to drink at the parks and Disney Springs is also a nice benefit.

The 8 days after Disney will be spent at Hard Rock. Unlike the week at Disney which is heavily planned to the hour, we have things we want to do but nothing set on stone.

I bought tickets to SeaWorld last minute. I was tempted to add Discovery Cove on for an extra $70 each but by the time you add on the price of a taxi and a photo package, the price starts to sky rocket. Hopefully Infinity Falls will be opened by then and we’ll give Aquatica another shot since we didn’t like it that much on our only visit.

We’re currently on our flight and the plane is empty. 170 people on board.


Currently over Philadelphia with about 90mins till landing. My brother sent me a photo of our plane taking off from his work.



Laura has her nails done and we’re pretty much set for our first day at Animal Kingdom tomorrow.



I’ll post a first impression of the hotel tomorrow and I apologise for this rambling mess.

 

[Ridgepole]

Sounds great!! Keep it coming!

 

[Mad Dog]

:thumbsup:...the Dueling Brit/Scot Reports....Mark & Scott.....Love it.......This is making IU sooooo cool. :kumbaya:........aaand I'm on my way to the Pittsburgh Irish Festival....tonight Gaelic Storm, Screamin Orphans, Bastard Beadred Irishmen, Corned Beef & Curry and lots more bands.

 

[JoeCamel]

This trip has been a long time coming and I really should have thought of a better title and a better layout for all this but I’ll just get typing and make the first post about the overall plans for the trip. I’ll probably make a post about my planning process later as well if anybody is interested.

We’re staying at Pop Century for the first week and this is my first time staying on site at Disney. I never really had an interest before since it was either crazy expensive for a good room or you stayed at a dump. The newly renovated rooms at Pop Century tick all the boxes but the early FP and Dining Reservations are the main key here. We’ve managed to get a FP for everything we’ve wanted and it took a little more effort for Dining since we booked up about 3 months after ADR started for the time but we’ve got everything booked that we wanted. Free parking is also nice since we’re British and if you add a saving of $22 a day, that more than helps justify the extra price for the hotel. Being able to drink at the parks and Disney Springs is also a nice benefit.

The 8 days after Disney will be spent at Hard Rock. Unlike the week at Disney which is heavily planned to the hour, we have things we want to do but nothing set on stone.

I bought tickets to SeaWorld last minute. I was tempted to add Discovery Cove on for an extra $70 each but by the time you add on the price of a taxi and a photo package, the price starts to sky rocket. Hopefully Infinity Falls will be opened by then and we’ll give Aquatica another shot since we didn’t like it that much on our only visit.

We’re currently on our flight and the plane is empty. 170 people on board.
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Currently over Philadelphia with about 90mins till landing. My brother sent me a photo of our plane taking off from his work.

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Laura has her nails done and we’re pretty much set for our first day at Animal Kingdom tomorrow.

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I’ll post a first impression of the hotel tomorrow and I apologise for this rambling mess.

At least her heart is in the right place even if her feet won't be.... Have a great time at AK, be sure to catch the deck of the Nomad for a bit, absolutely beautiful.

 

[Scott W.]

Checked into Pop Century. The rooms are a lot nicer than the videos I’ve seen. We decided to drop housekeeping in exchange for a $60 gift card, we just need to call down to reception and new towels will be delivered to us and they’ll still be making security checks to the room during our stay. Location is pretty good, managed to get to the 192 in about 5mins and Kissimmee is far nicer than I remember from 20 years ago.

Our room overlooks hour glass lake and we’ve just watched the fireworks from DHS. It’s 10.12 and it’s time for bed at its 3.12 am back home. Up bright and early for extra magic hour at Animal kingdom. Got Saana booked for lunch and FP for Avatar early afternoon. I haven’t seen anything from Avatar so I’m going in blind. I’ll report back tomorrow.

EPCOT fireworks have started now.

 

[Scott W.]

Jet lag in full effect. Been up since half 4 and it blows my mind how many people are out jogging this early in the morning. Had a small walk around the resort and got a view of the gondola station, I’ll get some photos when it’s light and make sure my camera lenses survived the trip in my case.

Beds are comfy enough but the room walls are paper thin. I assume somebody pulled out their Murphy bed last night and it sounded like somebody slamming on the wall. The laminate flooring doesn’t help but the neighbours were quiet so I got s solid sleep.

I’ve always thought that Pop Century looked incredibly gaudy in photos but it looks far better in person and maybe even a little charming.

 

[LieutLaww]

I was at POP last year but was in a non renovated room.

 

[Scott W.]

Today’s quick recap before I crash and burn. Spent until 9pm in Animal Kingdom, I’ve been going since the park opened and this is the first time I’ve seen it in the dark, I don’t think it was designed for it.

Anyway, Avatar is a land I thought was some where between good and ok, I think I had extremely high expectations. Flight of Passage was excellent however. Genuinely loved it and it put a huge smile on my face for the rest of the day. Sanaa was also excellent and I’d highly recommend it. In Portugal a few weeks ago, my pals had a massive debate about how bad curry in the US is but this changes everything.

I can’t remember if it was @Brian G. or @Andy who recommended Culvers but my stomach thanks them. Total game changer for fast food.

Anyway, my belly is happy but I’m physically and mentally drained and my feet need a rest after 31,000 steps today.

More to follow.

I was at POP last year but was in a non renovated room.

What did you think of it? Any tips?

 

[Mad Dog]

Today’s quick recap before I crash and burn. Spent until 9pm in Animal Kingdom, I’ve been going since the park opened and this is the first time I’ve seen it in the dark, I don’t think it was designed for it.

Anyway, Avatar is a land I thought was some where between good and ok, I think I had extremely high expectations. Flight of Passage was excellent however. Genuinely loved it and it put a huge smile on my face for the rest of the day. Sanaa was also excellent and I’d highly recommend it. In Portugal a few weeks ago, my pals had a massive debate about how bad curry in the US is but this changes everything.

I can’t remember if it was @Brian G. or @Andy who recommended Culvers but my stomach thanks them. Total game changer for fast food.

Anyway, my belly is happy but I’m physically and mentally drained and my feet need a rest after 31,000 steps today.

More to follow.



What did you think of it? Any tips?

Slow up. You're on vacation. :thumbsup:

 

[LieutLaww]

What did you think of it? Any tips?

I stayed in preferred so was pretty much right next to the main building but I really liked POP, I had previously only stayed at All Star Sports but fancied a bit of a change so tried PC, as I said I had one of the old rooms but it was perfectly fine for me as I was solo (and generally always will be for my trips). Not really sure what sort of tips you want/need tbh.

 

[Scott W.]

Slow up. You're on vacation. :thumbsup:

This is physical hell week. I only managed 4 hours sleep last night and now it’s onto Brunch at the top with a few hours at the Magic Kingdom before it. I can rest when I hit Hard Rock.

I stayed in preferred so was pretty much right next to the main building but I really liked POP, I had previously only stayed at All Star Sports but fancied a bit of a change so tried PC, as I said I had one of the old rooms but it was perfectly fine for me as I was solo (and generally always will be for my trips). Not really sure what sort of tips you want/need tbh.

Tip wise, anything you’d recommend out the food hall and what’s the best use of the buses compared to driving around the resort?

I’m a bit miffed that they no longer offer a direct bus to the water parks any more. I might go to Blizzard Beach later on but I’ll see how the weather goes and how drunk I get at brunch.

 

[NJBrandon]

Slow up. You're on vacation. :thumbsup:

That sounds like a terrible vacation. When I'm on vacation I'm in "Go, go, go" mode. I can relax on my couch at home.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I have not payed a lot of attention to Disney in some time. Sounds like they are able to get folks on site just for the ability to book fast passes earlier.

I had no clue that they charge parking at the hotels now. I use to feel the rooms were overpriced as I felt like I was paying for Magic Express, but we never used it. Now it sounds like you pay for airport transport in the room rate and the get penalized for not using it. Guess it is all in how you look at it!

Pop was our favorite value resort and we would stay on site when we found the rate ok. One thing they finally did that (to me) made the rooms better was they shrunk the dressers and other furniture, it made the rooms feel less tight, but the last time we were there, Art of Animation was just starting to be built.

Not sure about tips for pop. We wouldn’t get preferred rooms and found cutting through the parking lot was a faster walk then following the walkways within the resort.

I think the room can be a little quieter if you keep the bathroom door closed.

Hope you are having a good time!

What dates will you be at UoR?

 

[Scott W.]

I have not payed a lot of attention to Disney in some time. Sounds like they are able to get folks on site just for the ability to book fast passes earlier.

I had no clue that they charge parking at the hotels now. I use to feel the rooms were overpriced as I felt like I was paying for Magic Express, but we never used it. Now it sounds like you pay for airport transport in the room rate and the get penalized for not using it. Guess it is all in how you look at it!

Pop was our favorite value resort and we would stay on site when we found the rate ok. One thing they finally did that (to me) made the rooms better was they shrunk the dressers and other furniture, it made the rooms feel less tight, but the last time we were there, Art of Animation was just starting to be built.

Not sure about tips for pop. We wouldn’t get preferred rooms and found cutting through the parking lot was a faster walk then following the walkways within the resort.

I think the room can be a little quieter if you keep the bathroom door closed.

Hope you are having a good time!

What dates will you be at UoR?

Luckily we’re still getting free parking since we’re from the U.K. when we have to pay for parking if we return I’ll need to weigh up the pros and cons. Once Star Wars opens I expect the prices to jump.

We’re in building 3 and the location is good enough for what we need. Not been to the main building yet but will head down in the next half hour or so to get a bus to MK.

The room noise isn’t really an issue, we’re up before most people because of the jet lag and in bed just as the parks are closing. If anything, people are probably complaining about us having a shower at 5am.

Heading to Universal on Friday for 8 days. Check out here is at 11 and check in is at 3. I’m assuming we’ll be able to leave our bags are reception and head to the parks for a few hours. Worst case scenario, I’ll just leave them in the car.

 

[LieutLaww]

Wouldn't know about driving at Disney as I never do, my job involves driving all day so I skip it when on holiday, I found the buses were great but if you want to get somewhere make sure you go earlier than needed as the more popular parks the lines for the bus get super busy quite quickly, Food Hall well as the menu changes I can't really say, If you take some pics of the menus i can see if there is anything I had when I was there and try to recommend.

 

[JoeCamel]

Luckily we’re still getting free parking since we’re from the U.K. when we have to pay for parking if we return I’ll need to weigh up the pros and cons. Once Star Wars opens I expect the prices to jump.

We’re in building 3 and the location is good enough for what we need. Not been to the main building yet but will head down in the next half hour or so to get a bus to MK.

The room noise isn’t really an issue, we’re up before most people because of the jet lag and in bed just as the parks are closing. If anything, people are probably complaining about us having a shower at 5am.

Heading to Universal on Friday for 8 days. Check out here is at 11 and check in is at 3. I’m assuming we’ll be able to leave our bags are reception and head to the parks for a few hours. Worst case scenario, I’ll just leave them in the car.

You will be able to leave the bags and have a great time. I'll be stayin and screamin Friday too.

 

[Frank Drackman]

I had replied before I saw what types of tips you were looking for. I tend to park the car and never move it when on vacation.

Anyway, the bus to the MK is easier than driving since the resort busses take you to the park entrance (if nothing has changed) as opposed to needing to get to the gate from the ticket and transportation center.

I do not think the water parks ever had dedicated buses.

Anyway, if you do not mind driving, I would think that it is easier to drive to any park than it is to use the buses save the MK.

We have not been in about six years, but I think the food court would have decent Fried chicken, I seem to recall it being some type of mom’s plate of grandmoms...or maybe a TV dinner...it may have only been offered on Sunday...again, it has been too long and I imagine a lot has changed!

 

[Brian G.]

Anyway, Avatar is a land I thought was some where between good and ok, I think I had extremely high expectations. Flight of Passage was excellent however. Genuinely loved it and it put a huge smile on my face for the rest of the day. Sanaa was also excellent and I’d highly recommend it. In Portugal a few weeks ago, my pals had a massive debate about how bad curry in the US is but this changes everything.

I can’t remember if it was @Brian G. or @Andy who recommended Culvers but my stomach thanks them. Total game changer for fast food.

Anyway, my belly is happy but I’m physically and mentally drained and my feet need a rest after 31,000 steps today.

Twas Andy.

 

[Teebin]

How are you getting around Scott? I was surprised to hear you went to Kissimmee and surrounding areas.

 

[UK-Trigg]

Nice report buddy, enjoying reading along. The jet lag never bothers me coming out going home however is a killer.