Day one
In the car, I make small talk
with Bob. Previous years my train leaves
around 2 pm. This year due to track
construction, it leaves at
The drive to Pop Century is
fast and uneventful. Weather is
nice. On the way to Pop, I see the
driveway to the new Art Of Animation resort.
Bob drops me off at Pop, pay
him off. And I am at my home for the next week
I head inside. The first line is the normal check in, which
looks pretty busy. The next line is for
online check in line which just one person in front of me.
Judy from
I requested the 70's first
floor, but they had nothing available in the 70’s except the 4th
floor, near hourglass lake. The only
first floor they had was in the 90's . Now here is the funny part. She starts talking to me about 60's, 4th
floor. So I said yes to that, thinking I am getting a preferred room, which
would make up for not being on the first floor.
She hands me a map and starts showing me where my room is. I know Pop
Century layout very well and realize she is pointing to a building in the
70’s. When I correct her that the
building she is pointing out is the 70’s, not the 60’s,
she apologizes and said she meant the 70’s.
I head towards the building;
it’s the one by the giant Mickey phone.
I take the elevator to the 4th floor, and start looking at
the signs for the room number. I get a
little lost, back track, find me way, try the card in the door, doesn’t
open. I look again at the room number on
the paperwork, and it’s the wrong room.
I am doing good J I find the right room, enter
it, and look around the room.
My home for the next 8 nights
New soap and shampoo
The cube frig is in part of
the furniture. I place my yoo hoos in it. I place some items like my laptop and money
into the safe, and I head towards luggage assistance to get my scooter. I see the scooter with my name on it. I go and get the key, which I didn't have to sign
for (huh?) The scooter came with a canopy, which I removed as it was free.
My traditional first meal
once on site is at Flame Tree BBQ in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I usually get the rib meal. Last year I got the chicken and rib meal,
same meal credit, but is worth more, so I decide to
get that. I head to the park without the
scooter.
Here is a video of my walk to
get my rib meal J
Chicken & ribs
meal
Like I always said, I never
relax till after I have my meal at Flame Tree J And for the
first time in weeks, I am relaxed, and enjoying myself. The birds are pretty smart here. A family brought their food to their table, then went to get utensils.
With the family away from their food, a bird jumped on the table and
looked to eat. But another family scared
the bird away.
The food napper on the railing
With Its Tough to be a bug
close by, I decide to do that next. This
attraction has a large winding queue around the Tree of Life.
Tree of Life
So while trying to navigate the queue, a
father stops to feed his child, blocking everyone else from walking down the
queue. Then a large group of 12 or more
decide at the end of the queue, not to see it, turn around to exit in the
entrance queue, and act like I am in their way.
Last year they operated the
3D show without the Hopper audio Anamatronic
working. This year it seemed that the
big end bug attack scene, where they have spiders dropping from the ceiling, is
hardly noticeable because there is a thick fog throughout the theater. But it’s still enjoyable, especially since I
know to lean forward and wait to hear people scream J I cant say why in case someone reads this and haven’t been
here yet.
I walk around a bit. I walk
towards Camp Minnie Mickey to take a photo of the
Once back at my room at Pop
Century, I head to the food court to get my refillable mug. I look for a new color, but settle on a black
one. I head over to the soda
fountain. There soda machines need a
rehab, look at this photo.
you can hardly make out the flavors. My favorite, Orange soda can be identified by
the color only.
Walking back to my room, I
see they are showing movies on the lawn behind classic hall.
I tried the free wifi
to upload some videos I took of walking around Animal Kingdom. I kept getting a
limited connection error so I gave up on this for the time being. I went to shave and shower. My plan now is to
head to Epcot, do something there, then head to Animal Kingdom Lodge to eat at
dinner at Boma.
A couple of weeks ago, I was standing
near my home in Coney Island when I hear and see two helicopters flying along
the shore line going east to west. One
of the helicopters looks like Marine One, the President’s helicopter, and the
other a twin rotor military type following it.
Well standing at the Pop Century bus station, I see the same types of
helicopters again flying in the sky. So
I post the question, is the President in
To get into Epcot itself, the
entrance line is longer then the bag check line L
Once inside, I see the line
for Spaceship Earth is nothing, so I go one that.
I know everyone is worried…
what will they do to Bruce’s Yankee hat this time?? Nothing J
And here is the video that
was emailed to me
I look around Mousegears. I find
this Facebook inspired shirt.
Cute, but
not me. I then spot this
That I like, make a mental
note to pick it up later in the week.
So I leave Epcot and look for
the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge, bus station 4, I am the only person there.
A bus pulls up and stops by the station I am waiting at. It says training on
the display.
The door opens and I ask the trainer, which resort is 'training'?
He laughs and asks where I want to go. I tell him Animal Kingdom Lodge. (It’s
where I am standing, right?) He tells me to hop on. I have the bus to myself.
While enroute, he tells me the trainee is fully
qualified to drive the bus, but is learning the routes. I didn't think about
that at all.
I checked into Boma about 25 minutes early. I was
buzzed to be seated about 5 minutes later.
As usual, I am far in the back. I
keep saying to myself, any further back, and I will be in the pool :)
How is this for a ratio? 6 glasses of diet coke, 4
plates of food, and 2 plates of desserts? :) Well the two plates of desserts
are true, don't know about the rest, but sounds close.
I forget whether it was Boma or
I am thinking what to do next. Perhaps hop a bus to Downtown Disney from the
lodge.
I am on the bus to Downtown
Disney. After being picked up at Animal
Kingdom Lodge, we make a stop at their DVC resort, and all of a sudden I am
hearing bad country western music.
Someone boarded the bus with a boom box?? I can’t believe it.
I am trying to figure out… is
a passenger or even the bus driver playing this bad music somehow over the PA
system? Disney does play music on the buses, but its themed music to your
destination; this is just bad sounding music.
I finally get an answer to my
presidential helicopter question from someone named
I get off at the second stop,
the
I see this by the Lego store,
looks new.
I window shop, see what is
being sold, walk towards the Marketplace, and jump on the bus there, head back
to Pop and call it a day.