MouseFest Hop till You Drop at Pop - Day 2 -- UPDATED 1/6 - Page 7 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Thanks! I'm very obsessive on my planning and I adore Excel.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemap760
The waits at the POP bus stops have been sounding worse and worse. Makes me think twice about renting a car.
I Pop. Loved the themeing, the food court, the shopping (better than the WoD), and my room.
The bus . I've got a trip booked for Pop for May and I'm really re-thinking it. I taking two ladies thathave never been to WDW or have never experienced the whole package. I'm going to look like an idiot if we wait 1.5 hours for a bus coming or going. But I also hate to rent a car because the whole point of staying on property is the convenience of ME and park transportation. I know my friends would adore the theme of Pop but what to do
Keep reading my TR. The bus troubles don't get any better.
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
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Great update! And your picture of SSE is spectacular! I didn't even know that there were lights in those trees.
As far as your May trip, I'd say that you should be fine. I've stayed at Pop several times, and their bus transportation is usually better than any other value resort. And it was definitely better than Port Orleans or Ft. Wilderness. Like you said, it was the combination of a completely full resort and the ECV/wheelchairs.
Mousekeeping is sure going to be happy with me. I slept like a princess the night before and my bed barely looked slept in. I woke up in the same position that I fell asleep in the night before. The phone was jangling and so I hit the speaker button. Stitch followed by Mickey were telling me to “Get up”. Yes, it was 6:30 in the morning but I bounded out of bed like I’d slept 8 hours or more. I had a jam-packed day ahead of me with the Yuletide Tour, Animal Kingdom, and dinner with a friend at Boma’s followed by late hours at the Animal Kingdom.
I was out of the room in a little over an hour after getting ready and finishing up unpacking. I had to pass the pool to get back to Classic Hall (the main building). Actually, I passed two pools. The first one in front of my building was in the shape of a bowling pin. The concrete around it was patterned to look like long wooden bowling lanes. The sun was starting to warm up and sparkle off of the water. Still, it wasn’t warm enough yet to swim despite the pool being heated.
The next pool that I passed was the Hippy Dippy Flower pool shaped like a ….. big flower. It was even cuter AND it had people in it.
My next stop was the Everything Pop Shopping and Dining located at the back of Classic Hall. I knew that I needed a decent breakfast since I had a lot of walking ahead of me with the Yuletide Tour being the first thing on the agenda. I’d like to say that I chose a healthy breakfast but I’m guessing that I didn’t. I chose a freshly made scrambled egg and bacon on a croissant. Yeah, I know. I also chose a small bowl of grits. I adore grits. I never eat them at home because my husband doesn’t do grits and I don’t bother for just me. After receiving my breakfast items, I checked out at the cash registers and remembered to use my Disney Dining card that I had purchased before I left. It saved me 20% on my breakfast, which wasn’t much considering that the food at Pop is reasonable but Hey, every little bit helps, right?
I filled my refillable mug half way with apple juice and I found a table outside on the patio overlooking the Flower pool. What a wonderful way to start the day!
After I had finished eating, I washed out my mug and refilled it with diet coke. I then headed out front to the bus stop to wait for an Epcot bus. I needed to check in for the tour by 8:45 and since it was close to 8:00, I was a bit concerned that I was pushing it to get there by then. It was no problem though because a bus pulled up within 5 minutes and we were there before 8:30.
I checked in with guest services just outside of the gates to Epcot and was given an id badge to wear. Then I was directed to an area where 20 or so people were gathered. We all chatted for a bit before our tour guides showed up and introduced themselves. We had three guides and they broke our group of now 30-40 people into three groups. One guide was a retired attorney, another was a retired school teacher who lived all over the world with her Air Force officer husband, and a lady that formerly worked for the UN. She came to Florida for a long summer break and stayed. They had all been with Disney for 10-15 years in the corporate training division and the Disney Institute.
They gave us all battery powered head phones so we could hear them as they narrated each area that we visited. Each group and guide had their own frequency so it took a bit to get everyone lined up with that. With that all done, I believe, we walked into Epcot and very quickly we were led into a backstage area to board a Disney Cruise Line bus. While we were driving around the backside of Epcot the guides reminded us not to take pictures in the backstage areas. We also couldn’t take them in World Showcase because that part was still closed to the public until 11 am. We might see some un-magical things happening while we were there such as delivery trucks, etc.
From there we drove to the backstage area behind World Showcase and we walked in next to the German pavilion. Carmen, our guide, talked about how the green and red colors of Christmas came from Germany and how they decorated evergreens with red apples. She brought up the German tradition of hiding a pickle on the tree. She told how glass ornaments came into play in America by F.W. Woolworth.
As we walked to Italy pavilion Carmen talked about the history of mistletoe and poinsettia’s. Italy is responsible for having the first Greccio or Crèche also called the Nativity in 1223. The Italians also decorated for Christmas more ornately than the Germans using gold and angels. Carmen, also brought up Le Befana and the traditional meal of the seven fishes on Christmas Eve.
From there we walked to American pavilion where we learned about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. And then we walked to the Japan pavilion where Carmen briefly spoke about the interesting custom of the Daruma doll and painting in the eyes.
We walked thru a side exit to the backstage area and we boarded our bus to the MGM Studios. We didn’t do a lot of walking in the studios. We walked from a backstage area right into the “streets of America” section where the Osborne Lights were located. Carmen talked about the history of the Osborne Lights coming form Jennings Osborne’s home in Arkansas.
In 1994, the Osborne’s were ordered by the Arkansas Supreme Court to cease lighting their huge holiday display because their neighbors found the constant traffic to be an annoyance. In 1995, Disney came to the rescue with an offer to display in the MGM Studios.
When the Cast Members were unpacking the crates of lights and displays, they found that a lone Halloween display, a purple cat, had stowed away and made the trip to Florida. Since it was in the boxes with the Christmas lights, they assumed it was supposed to be part of the Spectacle of Lights, and the cat was put into one of the displays.
When Jennings Osborne visited his Spectacle of Lights for the first time at MGM, he pointed out the cat and said it didn't belong in the Christmas display, but belonged instead in his Halloween display back home in Arkansas. Because the cat had made such a great effort to get to Florida, it was decided the cat should stay anyway. ;-) So now, the cat hides in a new place every year, as a sort of "Hidden Kitty."
After that we boarded the bus and drove to the Grand Floridian Resort to see their Christmas decorations and the life size edible gingerbread house. It was so huge that it was difficult to get a picture of the whole thing. It also had a lot of detail with a several hidden Mickey’s and even smoke coming out of the chimney. I walked around and on one side there was a lady standing in the window selling gingerbread cookies.
We were told that we wouldn’t have a lot of time here so I quickly snapped pictures right and left of the house, the tree, and poinsettia display out front. When we returned to the bus we were all given a gingerbread cookie to sample. It was the best that I’d ever had but then I haven’t tasted too many.
Our last stop was the Magic Kingdom where we snuck in another back entrance. Here Carmen talked about the relocation of the Christmas tree and garland for the Christmas Parade taping held a few days earlier. She also pointed out the Christmas decorations on the light posts along Main Street. They kind of look like a silhouette of Mickey but then she pointed out the dangling lanterns below and therefore must be Minnie.
On the bus ride back to Epcot, Carmen brought up several wonderful Christmas movies such as It’s A Wonderful Life, Meet Me in St. Louis, Miracle on 34th Street, and some other classics. She closed by quizzing us about the Twelve Days of Christmas.
After we got off the bus in Epcot, we had the opportunity to thank our guides and they gave us a special 2007 Yuletide Tour pin. (I’ll post a picture of this pin in the next post)
Up next Day 2 Continued....Experiencing Boma with a new friend
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Oct '99: CSR ~ May '02: CR ~ Nov '04: SOG ~ May '06: SOG ~ Dec '07: Solo @ Pop ~ May '08: Pop w/friends ~ Oct '08: SOG ~ Dec '09: Pop w/LeAnn ~ Sept '10: Solo @ Pop ~ Spring '11: AKL ~ Jan '12: Pop for 1/2 Marathon ~ Sept '12: 1st trip for DL 1/2 Marathon? ~ Feb '13: Pop w/pals? ~ Mar '13: Tokyo Disney w/PP's?
Last edited by Minnie Lor; 01-06-2008 at 08:44 PM..
I'm so glad you enjoyed your solo trip. I took one in 2004 and loved every minute of it. It's a totally different experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat The tour sounds wonderful, I'll have to try that one time. Looking forward to more!
Great update! Glad you enjoyed the tour. I think I had Carmen as my guide when I took the YFT. If so, I was in the group that told HER about the hidden cat.
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Mickey's so happy to see me back, he can barely contain himself!
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Pop. Loved the themeing, the food court, the shopping (better than the WoD), and my room. 
. I've got a trip booked for Pop for May and I'm really re-thinking it. I taking two ladies thathave never been to WDW or have never experienced the whole package. I'm going to look like an idiot if we wait 1.5 hours for a bus coming or going. But I also hate to rent a car because the whole point of staying on property is the convenience of ME and park transportation. I know my friends would adore the theme of Pop but what to do 
ºOº ~*~ 
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Day 2: Wednesday December 5th
I woke up in the same position that I fell asleep in the night before. The phone was jangling and so I hit the speaker button. Stitch followed by Mickey were telling me to “Get up”. Yes, it was 6:30 in the morning but I bounded out of bed like I’d slept 8 hours or more. I had a jam-packed day ahead of me with the Yuletide Tour, Animal Kingdom, and dinner with a friend at Boma’s followed by late hours at the Animal Kingdom. 
Still, it wasn’t warm enough yet to swim despite the pool being heated.
I chose a freshly made scrambled egg and bacon on a croissant. Yeah, I know. I also chose a small bowl of grits. I adore grits. I never eat them at home because my husband doesn’t do grits and I don’t bother for just me. After receiving my breakfast items, I checked out at the cash registers and remembered to use my Disney Dining card that I had purchased before I left. It saved me 20% on my breakfast, which wasn’t much considering that the food at Pop is reasonable but Hey, every little bit helps, right?
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