Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 12:42 PM
Karen Seemuth - January 2004 - Pop Century Resort
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle
Resort: PCR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: This report is short, but it covers a topic that many people wonder about: making a trip to the Magic Kingdom all by yourself. For this 4-day trip, Karen is all on her own and while it was lonely at times she found it had its own benefits and would do it again.
Karen Seemuth -- January 2004 -- Walt Disney World (PCR)
This is Karen's third trip report for MousePlanet. Here are her first two:
February 2001
April 2002
The Cast
Karen, 40-something, 14th trip, first trip solo
Day 1, Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I flew from Milwaukee to Orlando, arriving at 11:30am.
I used MEARS to get to Walt Disney World to keep expenses down. I was the second drop off; there were people left on the van for Caribbean Beach, Animal Kingdom Lodge and All Stars. I was glad I had chosen Pop Century instead of All Stars, for the earlier drop off.
BTW, the cost for MEARS went up to $29. Also, I did not get the $3 coupon with my WDW reservation confirmation.
I checked in and had a building choice of 50s or 80s. I chose the 50s as that is the decade in which I was born. My room overlooked the Bowling Pin pool. The room was ready, so I went and unpacked, ate an apple and yogurt I had brought from home and at 1:30 I was on my way to the Magic Kingdom!
I loved the Mickey statues at the entrance of MK, which commemorate Mickey's 75th birthday.
Main Street seemed deserted but Fantasyland was packed. I got a FastPass for Mickey's PhilharMagic, then rode TTA, one of my MK favorites.
I ventured over to Aloha Isle and enjoyed a Dole Whip, and then it was time for Mickey's Philharmagic. It was very, very well done. I loved the apple pie smell! Cute plot of Donald trying to get Mickey's sorcerer hat back. I never did get to ride Pooh that afternoon as the wait was too long, and the FastPass return time for Peter Pan was later than the stand by wait, so I got in the standby line. It went much faster than it had when I was there last August!
I had a 5:30 PS at Jiko so I had brought my backpack along with long pants, sweatshirt and jacket, planning to stash it in a locker while I was at MK. Yikes! The cost for a locker is up to $5 plus $2 deposit. I was too cheap to pay so much so I dragged the crazy backpack along with me.
I grabbed the bus to AKL and changed clothes when I got there. I sat out by the pool while I waited for the restaurant to open.
I hoped to be able to order a half portion of an entrée, as I knew I could never eat a whole portion, but the option is not available. So I had the cinnamon beef rolls, a huge salad of field greens, a glass of wine and for dessert, the Tanzanian Chocolate Candies. Everything was delicious and I didn't feel too weird dining alone. I did bring along a book to read, but that seemed weirder than just sitting alone.
I wanted to go back to my room to drop off the backpack before going to IllumiNations at Epcot, so I took the first park bus that came--MGM. We stopped first at AK to pick up any stragglers, and there were some, then went to MGM and caught a bus back to Pop Century.
I dropped off my stuff and then got the Epcot bus.
They did a really nice job at PC with the bus stops. They are under cover from the sun and have ceiling fansand benches. There also have queues set up for each bus stop for busy times.
I found a spot next to the American Gardens Theater to watch IllumiNations. It was a chilly evening and sitting just made me colder. I wished I had brought my ear muffs and ended up buying a knit hat the next day as Wednesday night it was supposed to go down to 36 degrees.
The spot I had chosen was a great spot to watch the show. You could see everything very well from there. My plan was to watch IllumiNations all 3 nights of my trip, from different places around the lagoon. Afterwards I made my way to the bus stop and got back to the hotel, watched a little TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 75, sunny and breezy, perfect!
The night temperature was 54.
Miles walked today = 6.9
Day 2, Wednesday, January 28, 2004
One of my goals for the trip was to get to Extra Magic Hour each day I was there. Usually the people I travel with don't like to get up early on vacation. (Love you guys anyway!) But I always wake up early so I figured I would take advantage.
It turned out each day I was at the bus stop by 7:15 and at the park of the day by 7:30.
Wednesday the early park was Epcot. We waited patiently in line till opening and I went straight to Mission: Space. I rode 2 times in a row. The second ride I was getting kind of warm and ended up feeling a little queasy. After I got off I ate the bagel I had brought along and felt better. Just don't dress too warmly for the ride!
Next I rode Test Track, I think only once, and then went to shop at Mouse Gear. I found a knit hat for the cool evening ahead and then went to get a snack at the Sunshine Season Food Fair in The Land. I heard the Soarin' construction while I ate my snack and updated the TR notes and expenses (which I had stopped doing by the end of the trip!)
I browsed in the garden shop in The Land but didn't find what I was looking for (Christmas ornaments for a gardener).
The Fish and Chips place didn't open till 11:30 and Off Kilter was performing at 12:10 so I just wandered aimlessly for a while. I bought my fish with no chips and ate at the Off Kilter stage.
It was getting warm enough to take off my jacket. I loved sitting in the sunshine and wrote some postcards.
After Off Kilter I left Epcot and went back to PC to take a nap. 15 minutes into my nap my cell phone rang and I had a minor crisis to deal with. I couldn't go back to sleep so I walked along Memory Lane and through all the different sections of Pop Century. Some people don't care for the décor but I think it is bright and colorful and fun. I loved the music from my teens years, it made me feel younger! Of course just being at WDW makes me feel younger.
I lay in the sun by the pool for a while and then went to check out the memory boxes in the lobby of Pop Century. It is like a time line from 1950 till the present and there are numerous boxes containing memorabilia from different years. 1988 had a Macintosh II C computer. In our family we use Macs so it was fun to see that. However, the II C was released in 1984, not 1988.
Then I bought a side salad from the food court for dinner and took it back to my room. It was quite warm in the room even though thermostat was set to 68 (since then I found out the heating/cooling runs only when movement is sensed in the room). So I propped the door open and ate my dinner while enjoying the warm temperature.
I took the bus to MK and rode Space Mountain. They have added pockets in each seat to stow your stuff. They need these on Rock n Roller Coaster!
Then I found a seat at the train station one hour before Wishes was to begin. Even though I wore my new hat, I was quite cold.
At 7, the show began. It is a great fireworks show and the colors and shapes projected onto the castle are very cool. As others have mentioned, I could do without Jiminy Cricket's narration.
I left MK and caught the monorail to the TTC and then to Epcot. I strolled around World Showcase and got a piece of chocolate cake from France. I thought I would give the infamous Nescafe another chance. It really was as awful as I remembered. If you really need your coffee fix every morning, you may want to consider bringing your own 2 or 4 cup coffee maker for your room.
Tonight I watched IllumiNations from Norway. Because it was so chilly I think people stayed away and I was able to get a spot right at the fence about 15 minutes before the show started.
I took the bus back to PC, watched some TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 65.
The night temperature was 47.
Miles walked today = 13.5
Day 3, Thursday, January 29, 2004
When I got up this morning the temperature was 39 degrees and for a moment I wondered if I was back home! However, by afternoon it was again in the 60s.
Today was Extra Magic Hour at MK. I arrived at 7:30 and at 8:00 they had a park opening with some guests they had picked to throw Mickey confetti.
I rode Pooh twice, Peter Pan twice, and then went to Mickey's PhilharMagic.
After a ride on Space Mountain, I took the boat to Fort Wilderness for breakfast at Trail's End Buffeteria. It was a nicely varied selection and very reasonably priced at $9.99 for all you can eat and drink.
I rode the boat back to MK and took a bus back to PC. I was going to take a nap but the maid was just arriving to clean my room so I went to MGM and rode Rock n Roller Coaster twice and then went through Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. It was nice to go through at my own pace.
I went back to PC and bought salad for dinner (again!) and did some shopping in the gift shop.
I ate my salad in the room and then went around the resort and took photos.
I returned to MK for Wishes. Tonight I watched from carousel area.
The bottle rockets are launched from rooftops either side of castle. The high fireworks are launched from behind 20000 Leagues. I had to keep turning around to see everything and from there you can't see the projections on the castle.
However--it is very cool to be in the middle of the fireworks. You can feel the ground shake.
Then I rode the monorail to Epcot for IllumiNations. I took a ride on Spaceship Earth in case the rumors are true that it is changing.
I walked around World Showcase twice to burn off some of the calories I had been consuming. I was at Rose and Crown when the show began. The barge of fire is very close to shore at that point so if you are into fire that is a great spot to be. Then I walked to the center of the entrance to World Showcase Plaza for the rest of the show.
For the last time I took the bus back to PC, watched some TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 66.
The night temperature was 56.
Miles walked today = 13.0
Day 4, Friday, January 30, 2004
Last day, (tear).
I almost forgot. While riding the monorail Thursday night a woman told both her kids not to lean on the doors. A few minutes later she wondered out loud if a monorail had ever hit anything. Her husband said, "No, it's on a single track. There is nothing to hit." The whole conversation just made me chuckle and reminded me of my own mother who tended to worry about a lot of unlikely things.
Today was Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom. I arrived at 7:30 and at 7:45 they let us through the gates and as far as the Tree of Life.
At 7:55 Mickey and Minnie arrived in a jeep wearing safari gear. They were there to welcome everyone and drove in front of the crowd as we walked to Kilimanjaro Safari.
Ellen was our guide on the safari, she was very fun and enthusiastic. Are the geysers on the safari new? I don't remember them.
I watched the gorillas for about 20 minutes. They were very funny. The 5-year-old female dropped a large plastic lid to the ground. The mom was sitting below the tree and jumped! The 5-year-old also pounded on her chest. One of the guys in the group across the trail ate an entire bunch of leaf lettuce in 4 bites!
I went to see the tigers but they were all asleep.
As I walked through Dinoland I noticed that from the walkway to Theater in the Wild you could see construction of Expedition Everest.
I left AK at 10 and went back to PC to pack and nap; I had a 1:00 pm checkout.
I left my bags with the bell people and went to the Fountain View Cafe at Epcot for one final treat.
I enjoyed REAL coffee and a piece of Chocolate Blast--chocolate mousse with pecans and a glob of caramel in the center. Yummy!
I'm not sure I have ever seen version 3 of Journey into Your Imagination so I rode that. It was cute, but quite low budget.
I stopped at Innoventions to email a postcard to my sister and left.
I went back to PC and had a little time to update my notes before Mears was due to arrive. I sat in the lounge area which was deserted. Even though they ended up being 20 minutes late, and I was the last drop off at the airport, I was checked in and through security by 6 pm for my 7 pm flight.
Just to be sure I had an exciting end to my trip, while on board the plane at the gate, there was a sudden blackout and all power shut off, including the engines!
Someone said, "I hope that doesn't happen when we are in the air!"
The explanation was that while the jetway was moved away, the external power was accidentally unplugged.
The rest of the evening was uneventful and I arrived home to about 5 degrees.
Before leaving Orlando the temperature was 64.
Miles walked today = 7.6
Total miles walked the entire trip = 41.0
NOTES:
I did not buy the refillable mug at Pop Century ($11.99) since the coffee is so dreadful and I prefer my diet Coke in a bottle I can recap, preventing spills. There was a Coke machine that dispenses 20oz bottles by the ice machine at the hotel. ($2.50, same as in the parks)
Bus times from Pop Century:
MK--15 minutes
Epcot--12 minutes
AK--12 minutes
MGM--6 minutes
Traveling solo: Though it was a little lonely at times, I really enjoyed time away all by myself. I was able to be on my own schedule and do what I wanted, when I wanted. I would travel solo again.
Karen Seemuth
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle
Resort: PCR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran
Comments: This report is short, but it covers a topic that many people wonder about: making a trip to the Magic Kingdom all by yourself. For this 4-day trip, Karen is all on her own and while it was lonely at times she found it had its own benefits and would do it again.
Karen Seemuth -- January 2004 -- Walt Disney World (PCR)
This is Karen's third trip report for MousePlanet. Here are her first two:
February 2001
April 2002
The Cast
Karen, 40-something, 14th trip, first trip solo
Day 1, Tuesday, January 27, 2004
I flew from Milwaukee to Orlando, arriving at 11:30am.
I used MEARS to get to Walt Disney World to keep expenses down. I was the second drop off; there were people left on the van for Caribbean Beach, Animal Kingdom Lodge and All Stars. I was glad I had chosen Pop Century instead of All Stars, for the earlier drop off.
BTW, the cost for MEARS went up to $29. Also, I did not get the $3 coupon with my WDW reservation confirmation.
I checked in and had a building choice of 50s or 80s. I chose the 50s as that is the decade in which I was born. My room overlooked the Bowling Pin pool. The room was ready, so I went and unpacked, ate an apple and yogurt I had brought from home and at 1:30 I was on my way to the Magic Kingdom!
I loved the Mickey statues at the entrance of MK, which commemorate Mickey's 75th birthday.
Main Street seemed deserted but Fantasyland was packed. I got a FastPass for Mickey's PhilharMagic, then rode TTA, one of my MK favorites.
I ventured over to Aloha Isle and enjoyed a Dole Whip, and then it was time for Mickey's Philharmagic. It was very, very well done. I loved the apple pie smell! Cute plot of Donald trying to get Mickey's sorcerer hat back. I never did get to ride Pooh that afternoon as the wait was too long, and the FastPass return time for Peter Pan was later than the stand by wait, so I got in the standby line. It went much faster than it had when I was there last August!
I had a 5:30 PS at Jiko so I had brought my backpack along with long pants, sweatshirt and jacket, planning to stash it in a locker while I was at MK. Yikes! The cost for a locker is up to $5 plus $2 deposit. I was too cheap to pay so much so I dragged the crazy backpack along with me.
I grabbed the bus to AKL and changed clothes when I got there. I sat out by the pool while I waited for the restaurant to open.
I hoped to be able to order a half portion of an entrée, as I knew I could never eat a whole portion, but the option is not available. So I had the cinnamon beef rolls, a huge salad of field greens, a glass of wine and for dessert, the Tanzanian Chocolate Candies. Everything was delicious and I didn't feel too weird dining alone. I did bring along a book to read, but that seemed weirder than just sitting alone.
I wanted to go back to my room to drop off the backpack before going to IllumiNations at Epcot, so I took the first park bus that came--MGM. We stopped first at AK to pick up any stragglers, and there were some, then went to MGM and caught a bus back to Pop Century.
I dropped off my stuff and then got the Epcot bus.
They did a really nice job at PC with the bus stops. They are under cover from the sun and have ceiling fansand benches. There also have queues set up for each bus stop for busy times.
I found a spot next to the American Gardens Theater to watch IllumiNations. It was a chilly evening and sitting just made me colder. I wished I had brought my ear muffs and ended up buying a knit hat the next day as Wednesday night it was supposed to go down to 36 degrees.
The spot I had chosen was a great spot to watch the show. You could see everything very well from there. My plan was to watch IllumiNations all 3 nights of my trip, from different places around the lagoon. Afterwards I made my way to the bus stop and got back to the hotel, watched a little TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 75, sunny and breezy, perfect!
The night temperature was 54.
Miles walked today = 6.9
Day 2, Wednesday, January 28, 2004
One of my goals for the trip was to get to Extra Magic Hour each day I was there. Usually the people I travel with don't like to get up early on vacation. (Love you guys anyway!) But I always wake up early so I figured I would take advantage.
It turned out each day I was at the bus stop by 7:15 and at the park of the day by 7:30.
Wednesday the early park was Epcot. We waited patiently in line till opening and I went straight to Mission: Space. I rode 2 times in a row. The second ride I was getting kind of warm and ended up feeling a little queasy. After I got off I ate the bagel I had brought along and felt better. Just don't dress too warmly for the ride!
Next I rode Test Track, I think only once, and then went to shop at Mouse Gear. I found a knit hat for the cool evening ahead and then went to get a snack at the Sunshine Season Food Fair in The Land. I heard the Soarin' construction while I ate my snack and updated the TR notes and expenses (which I had stopped doing by the end of the trip!)
I browsed in the garden shop in The Land but didn't find what I was looking for (Christmas ornaments for a gardener).
The Fish and Chips place didn't open till 11:30 and Off Kilter was performing at 12:10 so I just wandered aimlessly for a while. I bought my fish with no chips and ate at the Off Kilter stage.
It was getting warm enough to take off my jacket. I loved sitting in the sunshine and wrote some postcards.
After Off Kilter I left Epcot and went back to PC to take a nap. 15 minutes into my nap my cell phone rang and I had a minor crisis to deal with. I couldn't go back to sleep so I walked along Memory Lane and through all the different sections of Pop Century. Some people don't care for the décor but I think it is bright and colorful and fun. I loved the music from my teens years, it made me feel younger! Of course just being at WDW makes me feel younger.
I lay in the sun by the pool for a while and then went to check out the memory boxes in the lobby of Pop Century. It is like a time line from 1950 till the present and there are numerous boxes containing memorabilia from different years. 1988 had a Macintosh II C computer. In our family we use Macs so it was fun to see that. However, the II C was released in 1984, not 1988.
Then I bought a side salad from the food court for dinner and took it back to my room. It was quite warm in the room even though thermostat was set to 68 (since then I found out the heating/cooling runs only when movement is sensed in the room). So I propped the door open and ate my dinner while enjoying the warm temperature.
I took the bus to MK and rode Space Mountain. They have added pockets in each seat to stow your stuff. They need these on Rock n Roller Coaster!
Then I found a seat at the train station one hour before Wishes was to begin. Even though I wore my new hat, I was quite cold.
At 7, the show began. It is a great fireworks show and the colors and shapes projected onto the castle are very cool. As others have mentioned, I could do without Jiminy Cricket's narration.
I left MK and caught the monorail to the TTC and then to Epcot. I strolled around World Showcase and got a piece of chocolate cake from France. I thought I would give the infamous Nescafe another chance. It really was as awful as I remembered. If you really need your coffee fix every morning, you may want to consider bringing your own 2 or 4 cup coffee maker for your room.
Tonight I watched IllumiNations from Norway. Because it was so chilly I think people stayed away and I was able to get a spot right at the fence about 15 minutes before the show started.
I took the bus back to PC, watched some TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 65.
The night temperature was 47.
Miles walked today = 13.5
Day 3, Thursday, January 29, 2004
When I got up this morning the temperature was 39 degrees and for a moment I wondered if I was back home! However, by afternoon it was again in the 60s.
Today was Extra Magic Hour at MK. I arrived at 7:30 and at 8:00 they had a park opening with some guests they had picked to throw Mickey confetti.
I rode Pooh twice, Peter Pan twice, and then went to Mickey's PhilharMagic.
After a ride on Space Mountain, I took the boat to Fort Wilderness for breakfast at Trail's End Buffeteria. It was a nicely varied selection and very reasonably priced at $9.99 for all you can eat and drink.
I rode the boat back to MK and took a bus back to PC. I was going to take a nap but the maid was just arriving to clean my room so I went to MGM and rode Rock n Roller Coaster twice and then went through Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. It was nice to go through at my own pace.
I went back to PC and bought salad for dinner (again!) and did some shopping in the gift shop.
I ate my salad in the room and then went around the resort and took photos.
I returned to MK for Wishes. Tonight I watched from carousel area.
The bottle rockets are launched from rooftops either side of castle. The high fireworks are launched from behind 20000 Leagues. I had to keep turning around to see everything and from there you can't see the projections on the castle.
However--it is very cool to be in the middle of the fireworks. You can feel the ground shake.
Then I rode the monorail to Epcot for IllumiNations. I took a ride on Spaceship Earth in case the rumors are true that it is changing.
I walked around World Showcase twice to burn off some of the calories I had been consuming. I was at Rose and Crown when the show began. The barge of fire is very close to shore at that point so if you are into fire that is a great spot to be. Then I walked to the center of the entrance to World Showcase Plaza for the rest of the show.
For the last time I took the bus back to PC, watched some TV and went to bed.
The afternoon temperature was 66.
The night temperature was 56.
Miles walked today = 13.0
Day 4, Friday, January 30, 2004
Last day, (tear).
I almost forgot. While riding the monorail Thursday night a woman told both her kids not to lean on the doors. A few minutes later she wondered out loud if a monorail had ever hit anything. Her husband said, "No, it's on a single track. There is nothing to hit." The whole conversation just made me chuckle and reminded me of my own mother who tended to worry about a lot of unlikely things.
Today was Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom. I arrived at 7:30 and at 7:45 they let us through the gates and as far as the Tree of Life.
At 7:55 Mickey and Minnie arrived in a jeep wearing safari gear. They were there to welcome everyone and drove in front of the crowd as we walked to Kilimanjaro Safari.
Ellen was our guide on the safari, she was very fun and enthusiastic. Are the geysers on the safari new? I don't remember them.
I watched the gorillas for about 20 minutes. They were very funny. The 5-year-old female dropped a large plastic lid to the ground. The mom was sitting below the tree and jumped! The 5-year-old also pounded on her chest. One of the guys in the group across the trail ate an entire bunch of leaf lettuce in 4 bites!
I went to see the tigers but they were all asleep.
As I walked through Dinoland I noticed that from the walkway to Theater in the Wild you could see construction of Expedition Everest.
I left AK at 10 and went back to PC to pack and nap; I had a 1:00 pm checkout.
I left my bags with the bell people and went to the Fountain View Cafe at Epcot for one final treat.
I enjoyed REAL coffee and a piece of Chocolate Blast--chocolate mousse with pecans and a glob of caramel in the center. Yummy!
I'm not sure I have ever seen version 3 of Journey into Your Imagination so I rode that. It was cute, but quite low budget.
I stopped at Innoventions to email a postcard to my sister and left.
I went back to PC and had a little time to update my notes before Mears was due to arrive. I sat in the lounge area which was deserted. Even though they ended up being 20 minutes late, and I was the last drop off at the airport, I was checked in and through security by 6 pm for my 7 pm flight.
Just to be sure I had an exciting end to my trip, while on board the plane at the gate, there was a sudden blackout and all power shut off, including the engines!
Someone said, "I hope that doesn't happen when we are in the air!"
The explanation was that while the jetway was moved away, the external power was accidentally unplugged.
The rest of the evening was uneventful and I arrived home to about 5 degrees.
Before leaving Orlando the temperature was 64.
Miles walked today = 7.6
Total miles walked the entire trip = 41.0
NOTES:
I did not buy the refillable mug at Pop Century ($11.99) since the coffee is so dreadful and I prefer my diet Coke in a bottle I can recap, preventing spills. There was a Coke machine that dispenses 20oz bottles by the ice machine at the hotel. ($2.50, same as in the parks)
Bus times from Pop Century:
MK--15 minutes
Epcot--12 minutes
AK--12 minutes
MGM--6 minutes
Traveling solo: Though it was a little lonely at times, I really enjoyed time away all by myself. I was able to be on my own schedule and do what I wanted, when I wanted. I would travel solo again.
Karen Seemuth