I've really enjoyed reading trip reports on this site, so I thought I'd add one about my (very) recent trip- I just got back this morning! All in all we had a great time- some ups and some downs- but that is to be expected. I love WDW and saw some amazing things but I was also struck by how some of the park seemed to have gone 'down hill' and needed repair. ( For a start, the restrooms at Universal Studios were spotless, WDW ones were ( eek!) kinda gross.) But old classics like Space Mountain and new additions like Everest kept us all happy and entertained. The new Haunted Mansion was a delight, as were other attractions. Maybe the grime ( and lots of walls) were due to my trip being during the 'off' season, but I don't remember my park tickets being discounted.... Ahh but I hate to be negative- great trip- still love WDW- hope to be back soon.

OK, a bit about us- me: 28 y.o. female: Been to WDW maybe 10 times from childhood until now- ( incld just last year)
Travel partner: my boyfriend who I'll call DB ( Disney Boyfriend):his last trip was 13 years ago.
We also met up here and there with my sister & her family. ( they are WDW fans- they go almost every year)
My first stay at Pop Century- Sept 20-25. (free) Disney Dine plan & 5 day park hop pass
( plus one very expensive day at Universal- I'm a sucker for Hulk- more on that later too)

We departed NJ at 4:00 am for a 7:00 am flight and arrived smoothly in Orlando and headed right downstairs for M.E. transport to POP. Once we got down into line, I got a little nervous- there was quite a mob. A nice woman started chatting with me and we were both like, 'uh, this might take a while!' We got lucky though and the Pop bus arrived very soon ( 15- 20 min? but seems like forever when you are ready to go!) Double luck that it's first stop was Pop. Some of those people in the M.E. lines may have been waiting for a long time- but I hope not. You guys all know how it is- the sun is out- you're in Orlando- I was SO excited to get to the parks! I did not want to spend an hour or two waiting for Magical Express. When we got to Pop I was happy to find zero line to check in. Our room was not ready yet ( it's about noon then) so we left our bags and made excellent time getting right on a MK bus that had just pulled up. This is the best part of the trip! Walking up to the Magic Kingdom. Our freshly issued cards worked perfectly and we were in! Colorful fall decorations were up and the music, the flowers- it was lovely. First stop: Haunted Mansion. Part of the fun of this trip is that DB had not been back to WDW in around 13 years so everything was new ( or like new) to him. HM did not let me down. Amazing new effects- I won't spoil it- but the new sounds, colors- make it really great. An excellent first attraction. After that we made our way around MK- most rides were only 15- 20 min wait ( some times less) so I was so happy to have smaller crowds. BTMRR needs that upcoming refurb- it stopped while we were climbing that hill with the boulders- they looked pretty bad. Some not moving at all, some just barely jiggling- it was not a very good effect. ( and I've never stopped on BTMRR before, egads!) Space Mountain became DB's instant fav of the whole trip- I was delighted to hear him laughing the whole way- seated in the front car. That ride just never lets you down. It just doesn't get old! With the short lines, fast pass and a baby swap ( THANK YOU!) from my sister we rode it many times. Eventually it was time for me and DB to head over to Poly for our ADR at Ohana- which was OK but a TON of food- way too much for 2 people- we actually felt weird about all the food they gave us- and DB was not thrilled about the hula dance that took place pretty much on our table, but it had been a long day ( ADR was at 9:00 pm!) It was pouring out so Wishes was delayed a bit- but we got to see it from the dining room. We had gone down to the dock/beach at Poly while waiting for our table and saw the electric boat parade light up right in front of us- but it started to lightning and thunder and pour so we ran inside. Besides the piles they gave us, dinner was good- they even gave me a veggie dish ( I don't eat meat) and we were full and happy & ready for bed after a long first day. ( OK I know it sounds strange to complain about too much food so I have to elaborate here- we could not even fit all the dishes on our table, we had chips, dip, shrimp, wings, salad, bread, veggie stir fry AND cheese potatoes even before my meal came out & DB got more meats- then I received a big tofu/stir fry dish- wow!) I had thought we could take the monorail back to MK for a bus back to POP but they stopped at 10:00 and it was 10:20 by the time we were done with dinner. ( oops!) so we had to take a cab. $20 and 15 min later we were back at Pop. Our bags were in our room- (very nice) and they had given us a room right next to my sister so that was perfect. Great first day.
Pros: ME was good getting us from MCO to Pop ( not so good getting us home, more on that later) HM is a huge success. Space Mountain- totally fun. Lots of fruit in the parks- nice to not just have fries all the time!
Cons: Dirty restrooms, Tomorrowland is looking a bit hurt- DB said- 'wow, this place is really dated, huh?' Way too much food for 2 at Ohana & the dinner show was cute, but not so cute after a 17 hour day. Heavy rain at times.

Day 2: EPCOT
Computer down at Rose and Crown; sweating CM tries to keep tourists happy/fed in crazy heat, multiple rides on Mission: Space, surprising dust/dirt in Test Track,CM from our home town & I chicken out of TOT.
More soon!:)

I did that whole leaving my house at 4am for a flight at 7 out of Newark. Went to MK when I got there. I fell asleep as I was walking I was tired! How did you guys stay up?! I felt like I hit a brick wall and couldn't walk anymore. Last Nov. we did a 4:30 wake up and after a few hours at the AK I went to sleep for the night at 4! I give you guys credit! Can't wait for more!

Yea! Thanks for posting! The info on the cab is timely. Last trip we took cab from POFQ to DTD and it was $8. I budgeted the same for several on-site trips to/from resorts at odd times this trip....I will need to adjust that. I forget how spread out some of it really is!

Looking forward to the day 2!

Lovely to read a report from someone who was just there, as I am off to The World in three day's time! Yep, on Saturday myself, significant other, parents and sister are off for a three week stay (offsite, but in what promises to be the most magnificant 2-storey villa!) - and we can't wait! To say we are all excited is an understatement!! :D

We have all been before, but not together for many years, and we have been planning this for 18 months.

Oh, oh, oh, Mickey here we come!! :cool:

Anyway, sorry, got a bit carried away there - I hope to be able to read more of your posts before we go - it sounds like you had a great time!

Excellent beginning to your trip report. I'm looking forward to reading more.

That cab from Poly to Pop came in at around $16.50- so we rounded up and gave him the $20. For anyone who might be leaving before I complete this report, we also took a cab from Animal Kingdom Lodge after dinner at Boma back to Pop ($10.00) and to Universal Studios ($30.00 each way) AND back to the airport to go home because M.Express didn't show up at Pop at 4:15 am. (I'm getting ahead of myself but I want to share)- the bus did not arrive yesterday morning and I was nervously sitting in the Pop lobby and checking in with the front desk. It ended up getting so late (30 min past depart time) that I asked again & the desk people said- oh, sorry, the 4:15 didn't show up ( I had called M. E the night before to confirm)- you can just take the 4:45. Well, if that one was 10-15 min late, AND if it made more then one stop- that would have been cutting it close ( plus, did I just get up at 3:45 for nothing?) So I said, 'Uh, that's cutting it a bit close'. Before I knew it the guy at the desk sprang into action, was back in front of me with $50 cash and had called a taxi. He had me sign for the cash and wished us safe travels. The cab was out front in just a minute and we were off & got to the airport in plenty of time. Total fare with tip was actually $55.00 ( with zero traffic that early) but that's fine. Problem was resolved quickly so CM whoever you were- thanks for that! I think if it is that early and there are just two people the hotel should just call a car- seems like a waste to use a whole bus for two!

Back to the comment about long days- yes- we got tired at points, but were in bed by midnight and as the trip went on we got to the parks later and later- 9:00 then 9:30 then 10:00 then 10:30 am. We didn't have children who needed breaks so we were able to pretty much go full steam! Plus because of the smaller crowds, we hit everything we wanted to so I didn't feel pressure to take advantage of the mornings ( even though the parks closed on the early side) On our AK day seems like Everest was 20 min max the whole day.( and with single rider, 5 min) Oddly, the only ride at WDW with consistant long wait times was Peter Pan. (?) 45 to 60 min waits each day we went- including running out of fast passes. Soarin' too I guess ( we used a FP there). We quickly declared Rip Saw Falls at IOA the Peter Pan of U.S. when that had a solid 60 min wait time all day ( rest of the park rides mostly 5 min). We never did make it on that one. I think people wanted to get wet because it was so hot...

Day two soon!

Peter Pan always has a wait. The only time we saw 15 minutes was at the end of EMH.

You should have done Single Rider at Rip Saw Falls. We did it once and we were able to ride in twos anyway! We walked right on!

Day Two: Epcot.

We got up at a good time ( 8:30ish) on day two- I was very excited to get started. EPCOT would turn out to be DB's favorite park. We went for our first breakfast at the Pop food court. Having stayed at other WDW hotels, I knew what to expect: LCD screens of options with waffles, eggs- the basics- and pretty good. It was a little confusing with the dine plan- you can get a meal and two drinks- but some days they let us get one drink and fruit- other days not. I liked to get a coffee and then a juice with a cap to bring to the park- again, it's REALLY hot down there right now… The food court was usually pretty busy , but efficient, and we got through quick. We had fun sitting at the pac man video game table and not a 'normal' table. We went out to the buses and quickly made it to EPCOT. Bag check was quick- I looked up at the guy's name tag and he was from the town I live in, so that was fun. Now I know why they always list them. It was a bit disappointing for DB that Spaceship earth was closed- but I wasn't too sad about that one- let them seal it up and work on it for a while. As the icon of the park- it should be an awesome ride. We made a dash for Mission: Space and I did all the same lines: Now THIS is a good one- you'll really like this one, etc etc- I said that a lot to DB. Even though I've been on before- all those warnings get to you and I was nervous by the time we got on. That Orange side is really sweet. The lines were so short we quickly rode again. Then we got a FB for Soarin' – I knew if we wanted to get on, I'd have to get the FP pretty early.( when we went back and rode it, I asked for the top and it was worth it) From there we did Test Track ( 20 minn wait- perhaps our longest of the trip.) TT is so fun, but next time you go look at the crash test dummies right where you go into the briefing room. They're torn, really dusty and grimy. In my head I was actually hoping DB would not see them because I want WDW to be perfect! I also noticed torn wall paper in that area. (Maybe I'm too harsh a critic? But this not six flags! This is WDW!) On the ride, the end part where it says it's doing a thermal scan was also broken, and it did not take our picture. In the after area, the two 'welding' hands were not moving- so quite a few little areas for improvement on TT… By then it was time for our 12:30 ADR at Rose and Crown. Now, this was a hot walk over to WS! By the time we got there we were a bit beat down by the sun. We arrive at the desk and guess what: the waitresses were all standing around and the manager and one of the employees were saying how the computer had just gone down. I put in my name, and said I had the ADR, got a soda from the pub and sat down with DB in the shade. A small mob started to form for the poor CM and that manager who were apologizing and saying there is a delay due to no computer. Ok, I'm cool with that- not their fault. BUT after another 15 min I went inside the pub, and guess what? People were inside being served. At that point I was so hot- and I was trying to see how the computer was effecting food coming out of the kitchen or why they shouldn't seat us if other people were being served,….DB noticed my annoyance and reminded me to relax, so I chilled out. Another 5-10 min and we were seated- outside. O'well, it was a little cooler by the water in the shade. DB loved the chicken and I had a salad and the cheese plate ( very good.) At that point, having been thrilled by M:S and TT I wanted DB to experience TOT so decided to take him to MGM ( or whatever it's called). Plus it was just way too hot to do WS- and there was EMH at EPCOT that night so I wasn't worried. There is a park exit right there by England/France so we departed and I made the executive decision that the boat to MGM would take too long so we should just walk. ( yeah right) We got as far as the Swan and Dolphin and made our way to the boat dock for a boat the rest of the way. I think we had just missed one because this was a long wait- maybe 25 min for a boat. But some very cute kids kept us entertained. One little girl- maybe 5 years old saw another girl dressed up like tinkerbell. I could hear the wheels turning. She says to her mom, 'Mom, do some little girls dress up like princesses here?' Her mom says- yes- some do. Little girl: 'Mom, how come I'm not dressed like a princess?' ( Awwww) Her big brother chimes in, 'That's not a princess, that's a fairy!' Little girl: 'Mom, is Tinkerbell a fairy or a princess?' So cute. Finally we make it to MGM and I'm sad to see RNRC closed. DB rides TOT- I went with him all the way until you get in the elevator then took the chicken way out. I went on it last year, and for me, once is enough. Coasters I can do, but repeated vertical drops are just too much. Waiting for him to get out I couldn't believe the tiny kids, and (quite) older people who were getting off that thing! Maybe it's just me who thinks it's so intense! The photos on that ride are always the best. It's fun to see them, and the see the people come off and all laugh. I never buy them- but they're such a good idea. Anyway- park was not crowded- DB was off in just a sec and rode again. Very fun to talk about that ride. " what happened? How many times did you drop?" We then hit the Great Movie ride which I always thought was pretty good but DB did not like at all. Some of it is showing it's age. The alien did not come down, it was just frozen there- the munchkins have seen better days and the movie at the end is pretty dated. But I still like it pretty well. I just can't help but think: Upkeep! Why can't CM's ride the rides and say- hey- that munchkin is not at all singing along to the music. He looks like a cheap Christmas ornament you can by at the hardware store that waves around a candle.- we need to work tonight on getting that little guy some new plastic lips!? WDW has always been about being perfect and these little things are noticed in a ride where the anamatronics are the stars of the show. There was zero wait so we went on Star Tours and were the only people on it. The poor CM did a good job of keeping up the act for two people- but it was funny. Star wars weekends! So much potential! And that ride is SOOOO old looking. We also did the muppets show- like that one. We missed the car stunt show, so we decided to go back over to EPCOT now that it was slightly cooler. We went on all the Epcot rides we wanted to- esp with the EMH. Had a lovely dinner at the Mexico ride. I just LOVE the atmosphere in there. The food was pretty good & we made it out in time for illuminations. I was surprised to see the globe- I thought that was under refurb. My sister had met up with a friend who works for WDW and he told her a guy actually sits under that globe and drives it out. I guess if his door is not completely sealed- the whole show stops- at least that is what they told me..
So, we saw illuminations and walked all around WS- which is not the greatest for EMH. All the carts were closed up – it was a bit quiet- but the Norway ride is fun & we got some sweets in the countries. Walking around the park that night we saw a great sight: about 4 happy scooter riders doing a little synchronized scooter dance to the music just by the big fountain at night. They were riding in circles, doing figure 8's- all to the trumpeting, grand music. You had to see it- it was so sweet and so funny. When we finally decided to call it a day we went out to the bus stop for Pop. I won't go into detail- but speaking of scooters, DB was happy to help- and lent a hand to push a very large tourist up the bus ramp because the person's scooter just didn't have the juice. You never know anyone's situation, but that person then proceeded to pop right up out of that chair, walk out of the bus to get a bag from their friend, get back in go over and sit down in a seat. It makes you stop and wonder….
Back at Pop it was so cheery and I began to really like the hotel. The pool was so warm, the music was great an even at midnight there were big groups laughing and having a great time in the pool. It's one big party- it was really festive. (Luckily we could not hear those festivities in our room) Our room was in the 60's right by the play doh and a great location- even the elevators were fast. Clean & a good size for 2 people.

Day two pros: Mission: Space is fantastic! Test Track is still really fun, but with a little more care could be as great as when it opened. Very good food at Rose and Crown, Great atmosphere for our Mexico dinner. TOT- a great thrill for DB.

Cons: Still some dirty restrooms- can you believe it? Some broken elements here and there- a bit more rain.

Coming soon: Day 3: Animal Kingdom,: all the rides on Everest our hearts desire, more time with my sister and her family- fun introducing a entire new park to DB who had never been. Our best meal: Dinner at Boma and an unallowed (but harmless) dip in the Animal Kingdom Lodge hot tub.