Disney’s Pop Century Resort

Located near Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex, Disney’s Pop Century is a value category hotel.  Pop Century allows guests to travel through and experience pop culture fads from the 1950’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. Being in the value category the resort is one of the  more affordable resorts on WDW property.

The hotel theme is evident everywhere, from the hotel lobby, food court court, grounds and the rooms themselves.  Guests are brought back in time through the decor found throughout the resort.

Guests can relax at one of three pools.   There is the 1950’s bowling pool, the 1960’s hippy, dippy pool and the 1990’s computer pool. There is plenty of seating for those wishing to relax instead of swim.  There is a 1 mile jogging trail surrounding the resort for those who wish to get in a workout during their stay. For families needing a break from the parks you can rent surrey bikes and enjoy cruising around the resort. The 70’s section is home to a children’s playground and for older kids the lobby has an arcade.

The hotel’s food court has a nice selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner options. There is plenty of seating for those peak times. There are a few tables located right outside of the food court if you wish to dine outside. Petals pool bar is located in near the 60’s pool.

Guests staying at Pop Century Resort can take advantage of Disney’s Magical Express bus service from and to the Orlando International Airport.  Bus service is also available to the Disney parks and Disney Springs.  Guests traveling by car are entitled to complimentary standard parking at the resort and parks.  Luggage services are available to hold your carry on if your room isn’t ready when you arrive and to also help you with boarding passes and luggage check in on your departure day.

I was happy with my stay at Disney’s Pop Century Resort. For a value category hotel I felt that it has a lot to offer. Families with small kids will love the decor and the family friendly atmosphere.  This is a great affordable Disney resort option.

 

Doing Disney Solo

After dozens of Walt Disney World (WDW) trips over the years I finally embarked on my first solo trip.  Since my last trip in March 2016 a lot has changed and opened at WDW.  After tossing around the idea of a solo trip for months,  I finally took the leap and booked a quick 4 day trip.

Here are my pros and cons from my trip:

PROS:

Because it was just me traveling I had a lot of flexibility with my trip dates and flight schedules.  I searched several different dates and flights and eventually settled on the least expensive option.

For the first time I stayed at a value resort. I had heard really good things about Pop Century and decided to stay there. I was glad to have a chance to experience a value resort.

My day was mine. I was up everyday and out the door by 7am and back at the hotel once the parks closed at night. Almost everyday I park hopped in order to see everything I wanted to see in the short time I was there.

I spent a lot of time wandering around Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival taking pictures. The festival is gorgeous and I could easily spend a whole day wandering around it. But not everyone wants to do that and I would feel bad having a travel companion have to do that with me.

You meet new people. From the minute I got in line for the Magical Express until I got off the plane in Manchester I met me people. Once people realize you are traveling alone they seem willing to chat with you and share trip experiences.  I am a people person and met some really nice people on this trip.

I am not a foodie and really don’t need to eat 3 meals a day. I had the quick service dining plan as part of my package and didn’t even use all my credits. I ended up bringing back a lot of rice krispie treats!  I made sure that I ate a good breakfast everyday and wasn’t always hungry at lunch time. So I found that I would eat later in the day (after the crowds) and count that as lunch and dinner. Later in the evening I would have a snack and that seemed to work for me.

I was able to ride all the rides I wanted to regardless of the wait time. Because my family has been to Disney a lot we will often skip the longer lines. This time I opted to wait and do some rides I haven’t done in awhile.

I felt safe. This was my first completely solo trip and I will admit that there was a flurry of nerves once I got to my gate at the airport. But once I arrived at WDW I felt safe the entire time.

CONS:

You eat all your meals alone. I opted to eat quick service meals because they were the quickest and there was a lot I wanted to do on my short trip.

Waiting for a show or fireworks to start can be a bit boring without someone to talk to. This happened to me twice.  While I was waiting for the Star Wars fireworks I did meet some nice women who chatted with me until the show started.

I am a master of just missing my bus so I seem to spend a lot of time waiting in the bus lines. There were a few times where I waited for a while and had no one to chat with.  That just seemed to make the wait feel longer.

Would I do another solo trip? Yes and I think 4-5 days is the perfect length of time to be away by yourself.  I don’t think I would do it all the time but every so often I would consider it. I felt safe at Disney and there is so much to see and do at the parks that I was never bored. I would suggest trying it at least once!

Disney’s Newest MagicBands

Disney is always looking for ways to improve guest experiences and the introduction of the MagicBand is one of the best improvements in a long time.

Prior to the introduction of the MagicBand guests were given a credit card style pass upon check in. This pass was your room key, your park ticket and could be used to get a fast pass at one of the kiosks in the park. The downside to the old passes was that they had to be taken out of your wallet or bag every time you needed to use them. How many times have you seen someone get a fast pass and walk away and leave their card in the kiosk? I have more times than I care to remember. At the end of a long day in the park it always seemed to take forever to find and get out your pass to open the door to your room.

Tmes have changed and with a simple touch you can now check in at FastPass+ entrances, enter parks, unlock your hotel room door and more.

MagicBands are colorful (you can customize the color), waterproof
(can be worn in a pool or at a water park) wristbands that resemble a watch or bracelet. You can quickly and easily touch to a sensor called a touch point  (match the Mickey head on the band to the Mickey head on the touch point). MagicBands basically allow you to roam the parks with the need for a bag or wallet.

You can use your MagicBand or card to:

• Unlock the door of your Disney Resort hotel room.
• Enter theme and water parks (with valid admission).
• Check in at FastPast+ entrances.
• Connect Disney PhotoPass images to your account.
• Charge food and merchandise purchases to your Disney Resort hotel room (only available during your hotel stay).

A MagicBand can also:

• Add a touch of magic to your vacation by unlocking special surprises, personalized just for you, throughout the Walt Disney World Resort!

The MagicBand has recently undergone a design change. The first version of MagicBand were delivered in an “Incredibles” box and over time also came with coordinating luggage tags.

The newer version of the MagicBand has a newly designed band is lighter, more comfortable and larger than the original version.  It is also more flexible and fits better around the wrist.

MagicBands contain an RFID chip that allows the band to work with Disney’s onsite technology. The version of the MagicBand has a removable RFID chip. The disk can be removed after you unscrew the two small screws on the back that keep it from falling out. Disney is now offering a line of sale-able collectible bands, lanyards and key chains that you can use with the chip. This gives guests the option to carry the chip in ways other than a wrist band.

The new MagicBands now arrive in a white postal box, gone is the Incredibles box. For those of us who collect all things Disney this was a bit of a disappointment. But I am looking forward to trying  out my new MagicBand 2 on my upcoming trip.