"It's Complicated" October 2019 Link to Disneyland Report

[natebenma]

We interrupt this trip report (which has been going nowhere)
to bring you news from West Coast Disney!

I put together a short "trip report" summarizing our stay at Disneyland in early February.

If you want to check it out, here is the link on the Disneyland Trip Report Board:

Is Resistance Futile or Do We Rise to the Occasion?

 

[natebenma]

And now, back to our regularly scheduled Trip Report.

 

[natebenma]

Mark’s Adventures in Travel AKA: “How many modes of transportation did I use today?”

While I was trekking around Animal Kingdom with my friends, Mark was trying to get through his work day and some challenging travel.

He sent me this email in the morning:


How many modes of transportation am I using today?

Car
Bus
Train
Walk
Subway
Plane
Faux-No-Rail
Magical Express


******************************************************************************

Mark was going into the office and then catching a flight after his work day. Normally, he drives to the commuter rail train and leaves his car there for the day, but they prohibit cars from parking overnight there, so that was not an option to get to work.

There is a local bus that goes to the train station, so Mark decided to try that route.

He caught the 6 am bus which was full of sketchy people . He was not prepared for that and he said he kissed the ground when he arrived at his destination.

He also said he felt uncomfortable waiting for the Magical Express as a solo male traveler and I think one of the Cast Members asked “Just you?” which didn’t help alleviate that feeling.

Other than that, the day went smoothly. We were both relieved when he arrived at POP via Magical Express shortly before 10 pm.

I had taken all of our luggage, including his thing. One suitcase with the things that we just needed for that night and the next morning was in our room at POP and another one had been sent to the Yacht Club that morning since we would be checking in there the next day.


*********************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, I was trying to fulfill the request Mark had sent to my friends:

“Please try to wear Dee out before I get there”



Next Up: What's POPin'?

 

[natebenma]

What’s POPin'
Room 9126

It was around 4 pm when I arrived at POP from Animal Kingdom.

Although the line was very long to check-in, cast members came through the line with ipads which made the process go pretty quickly





I loved the room we got- Room 9126. It was in 80’s section, first floor, VERY close to the bus stop, just around the corner from the ice machine and a very short walk to the lobby and to the computer pool







We only had to walk past a few rooms before we got to this path. You can see how close it is to the bus stop:




I spent a few minutes arranging the room, getting out the clothes we would need for the evening and the next day and setting up charging stations for phones and cameras.

 

[natebenma]

What's POPin'?
Around the Resort

My plan for the evening was originally to walk around POP and Art of Animation taking pictures. I had never been to either of these highly-themed resorts. Then I was going to bring some food back to the room so Mark had something to eat when he arrived later.



As I thought about what I should get for Mark, I decided that the best bet was for me to go to EPCOT. He wanted something light, so I figured a salad from Sunshine Seasons and one of the platters from the Tangierine Café in Morocco would fit the bill.



I was able to complete part of my original mission of checking out parts of POP as I was walking to the gondolas that would take me to EPCOT:





Front Entrance & Lobby



















The pool looked very tempting! Very…




















Back to the 80’s























And the other decades were not ignored:





















Timeless:














Next Up: Solo Time at EPCOT: No Salad For You!

 

[annie170]

The refurbished rooms at the values are really nice. I'm surprised more hotels aren't removing carpeting and going with wood, laminate or tile flooring. So much cleaner and better for allergies.

So basically Mark had a planes, trains and automobiles kind of day! Hopefully his travel went smoothly.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

You got some great photos of the resort! Nice wee trip back to my youth looking at all those props
Mark’s travel day sounds alot like ours when we head to WDW. It sure can be pretty tiring but it’s such a great feeling when you finally arrive at the resort
I’m interested to hear how you felt about the skyliner.

 

[amazingact21]

Lovely photos from the resort. I love that they replaced the full sized beds with queens at Pop, and I feel like if you don't need that second bed the rooms feel bigger.

Mark was testing out all sorts of transportation systems on his arrival day!

 

[cindianne320]

What great pictures! I just love POP's updates. Everything is so clean. Love the Skyliner as well- how thoughtful of you to grab food from Epcot!

 

[natebenma]

The refurbished rooms at the values are really nice. I'm surprised more hotels aren't removing carpeting and going with wood, laminate or tile flooring. So much cleaner and better for allergies.

So basically Mark had a planes, trains and automobiles kind of day! Hopefully his travel went smoothly.

That's what I thought about the room too. Very clean and "smart" The table-bed combo is a really efficient use of space. I liked the setup and storage in the bathroom, too.

My last stay at a value was in 2015 with the 8th grade class trip and at that time I had to bring my own coffee maker because they didn't have them in the rooms. I'm so glad they have included them in the rooms now, even if they are those weird Cuisinart machines.

Mark originally wasn't going to come to Disney, but since my girls trip stretched over a weekend and he was going to be "home alone", we though- it should be pretty easy for him to fly out after work.

He was very happy when he arrived at POP. There was a little confusion (minor) when he was on the Magical Express. I'll write about that in a couple of updates.

You got some great photos of the resort! Nice wee trip back to my youth looking at all those props
Mark’s travel day sounds alot like ours when we head to WDW. It sure can be pretty tiring but it’s such a great feeling when you finally arrive at the resort
I’m interested to hear how you felt about the skyliner.

It was fun being at a new resort.

I was very happy to be in '80's since a lot of the things depicted in this area were important parts of my childhood/teen years.

I'm glad I got a chance to ride the skyliner when I did. Mark did not have that opportunity, although it would have made a unique addition to his modes of transportation list!

Lovely photos from the resort. I love that they replaced the full sized beds with queens at Pop, and I feel like if you don't need that second bed the rooms feel bigger.

Mark was testing out all sorts of transportation systems on his arrival day!

That's how we felt too- lots of room since we didn't need to pull down the other bed.

Yes, Mark used lots of ways to get around and they did not all earn A+'s

What great pictures! I just love POP's updates. Everything is so clean. Love the Skyliner as well- how thoughtful of you to grab food from Epcot!

Thank you!

Clean is the perfect description for the feel of the room.

It really was easy to get to and from EPCOT. I had about 5 hours before Mark would arrive and no timetable, so EPCOT turned out to be a perfect place to kill some time.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I spent a few minutes arranging the room, getting out the clothes we would need for the evening and the next day and setting up charging stations for phones and cameras.

I have been very impressed with the remodeled value resort rooms. I think they look great. Is that your set of chargers on the table, or are they part of the room? It looks like it would be crushed if you lowered the bed on it.

We stayed in a remodeled room at POR that had the vinyl flooring. It was surprisingly clean except for the dust bunnies under the sink and bed. I ran a damp towel across the floor and it came up clean. The one disadvantage was that the room above us had very active kids bouncing around above our heads. That was a bit noisier than it would have bee with carpet.

I was able to complete part of my original mission of checking out parts of POP as I was walking to the gondolas that would take me to EPCOT:

The Skyliner is a great addition to AoA and PoP. People can come and go so very easily now. It is almost like staying in an Epcot resort with its easy access to the park.

 

[natebenma]

I have been very impressed with the remodeled value resort rooms. I think they look great. Is that your set of chargers on the table, or are they part of the room? It looks like it would be crushed if you lowered the bed on it.

We stayed in a remodeled room at POR that had the vinyl flooring. It was surprisingly clean except for the dust bunnies under the sink and bed. I ran a damp towel across the floor and it came up clean. The one disadvantage was that the room above us had very active kids bouncing around above our heads. That was a bit noisier than it would have bee with carpet.

In this picture? The white thing on the table is the instruction information to operate the table.



QUOTE="natebenma, post: 61644976, member: 203544"]

[/QUOTE]

The Skyliner is a great addition to AoA and PoP. People can come and go so very easily now. It is almost like staying in an Epcot resort with its easy access to the park.

I liked the room. I remember it being pretty quiet even on the ground floor. Then again, we were both pretty tired the one night we spent there.

Mark never got onto the Skyliner. I didn't have any issues when I used it but...

 

[Wood Nymph]

In this picture? The white thing on the table is the instruction information to operate the table.

It was hard to tell what it was from the picture.

I remember why Mark didn't get to ride the Skyliner. But that gives you a good reason to return to WDW.

 

[natebenma]

It was hard to tell what it was from the picture.

I remember why Mark didn't get to ride the Skyliner. But that gives you a good reason to return to WDW.

Mark was not planning on riding on the Skyliner anyway. We didn't have the time and he didn't care.

Always good to have a reason to return.

 

[natebenma]

Solo Time in EPCOT: No Salad For You!



When I left off, I was enroute to EPCOT via the Skyliner. On the ride over, I looked to see if there were any decent Fast Passes available. The only thing I found that was remotely interesting was Nemo, and I don’t usually get a chance to visit this attraction when I am with others, so this was a good chance for me to go Under the Sea.





It is cool to see the World from a different perspective.







Look! It’s the Backside of France!







This is what greeted me when I disembarked:




It was crowded and hot!

(Oh, yeah, start of a weekend during Food & Wine)



I had not had anything to eat since the Tusker House that morning, so my first stops were for some food and a refreshing drink.



Hawaiian Pork Slider and a Citrus Sunrise (frozen orange and pineapple) from the Joffrey’s stand near Canada.











Just what I needed.



I made my way over to The Seas, took a spin under the sea and then spent some time in the aquarium area watching the manatees and dolphins. I had the privilege of being part of the Behind the Seas class when I chaperoned Ben’s 8th grade class trip where we learned all about the care of these amazing creatures.















There was a photopass photographer there. I have never seen one in that location before (admittedly, I don’t spend much time there) so I posed for a few shots







While in the area, I took some time to stop and smell the roses. Or whatever these things are:











I also spent a lot of time just watching as the monorail went by in front of Spaceship Earth.











That was one of the big advantages of being by myself and not having anyplace I needed to be for a few hours.



My next stop was The Land to look for something to bring back for Mark to eat.



A few of you who have read some of my past reports know about my love affair with the Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad at Sunshine Seasons. It used to be my favorite thing to eat at Disney. I was so upset when Disney stopped offering this

Moment of Silence, please.

But they had a few other salads on the menu, and Mark said something light sounded good, so I went to order.







The counter was bare! I was told that salads were not sold after 5 pm.



What?!?



Moving on, I guess, to the World Showcase and our takeout standbys, grab and go sushi from Japan and a Vegetarian Platter from Morocco.



On the way, I stopped off at the dancing water at the Imagination Pavilion. Again, I don’t spend much time here when I am with others, but I loved watching the water jump from circle to circle and the fountains shooting up in the air with the backdrop of the setting sun.

























It was dark as I was fetching the food and the skyline of the World Showcase countries was beautiful.



















Mission accomplished, so I was feeling proud. I was also feeling very very hot. But I had a problem.



Although I had meticulously packed two suitcases, the one with my swimsuit was not at POP.



Next Up: “It’s Complicated”

 

[Wood Nymph]

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

They served a beet and goat cheese salad in the BC club lounge when we were there last week. I thought of you when I took my serving.

The counter was bare! I was told that salads were not sold after 5 pm.

That explains why we couldn't get a salad when we stopped there for dinner in December. It is a shame, too, because there can never be enough salads.

 

[natebenma]

They served a beet and goat cheese salad in the BC club lounge when we were there last week. I thought of you when I took my serving.


That explains why we couldn't get a salad when we stopped there for dinner in December. It is a shame, too, because there can never be enough salads.

Yes, I have seen beet and goat cheese salads pop up in lots of other places at Disney World. A lot of restaurants have versions on their menus. I guess they just don't want me to have inexpensive, easy options to purchase it.

It was really weird that they had a end time for selling salads.

 

[amazingact21]

No salads after five o'clock? Huh, to me that seems like the easier food to keep on the line. As long as it stays chilled, it doesn't have to be prepared "fresh" like some of the other offerings. I guess they assume by dinnertime people are looking for something more filling.

Your shot of the monorail going by the dancing water reminds me how much I love Epcot in the evening. Such a pretty park.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love your alone time in Epcot. I have been known to steal off for some time there on my own as I love slowing down to enjoy the simple things it has to offer- like dancing fountains and beautiful flowers ( no idea what they’re called either). The buildings take on a whole different look as nighttime draws in. Very beautiful and I just love the shot of Japan.
Strange about the salad cut off time . I can understand not making anymore fresh ones up but surely they still have some varieties from earlier in the day to sell Sounds like you successfully completed your mission for lighter fair anyways

 

[MaddieB223]

May or may not have read this whole thread! LOVED your pictures, they really helped me satisfy my WDW withdrawals now that the parks are closed Awesome thread, Dee!