Pop Century Resort: A Review

So my recent trip to Walt Disney World was over the July 4th weekend. And yes, I know that's probably the WORST time to visit Uncle Walt's place, but a promo special made it possible to take my 9yo niece Bianca for a weekend trip for her 1st visit to The World.

With every trip to Disney World, the 1st question that needs to be answered is "Where do I Stay?" (the question 'When should you visit Disney World?" should always be answered ANYTIME!) My niece is a huge fan of 80's pop culture staple POKEMON. So it only made sense that we stay at the Pop Century Resort. This was a good decision for two reasons: 1) I have never stayed here before and 2) I know that this resort will be getting a face-lift once the new Art of Animation resort opens, which is being built adjacent to what was supposed to be the second half of the Pop Century resort.

So on July 1st, we arrived around 10:30am via Disney's Magical Express. I had used Disney's Online Resort Check-in prior to our arrival to the resort. As I enter the massive lobby of the resort, I looked for the designated line for those who used the Online Check-in process. We step up to the counter and the cast member asks for my name, ID and verifies the credit card I have linked to my reservation. The cast member hands over a resort folder that has info we may need for our stay. Our room is not ready, so the cast member tells me that they can either call me or text me when our room is ready. We decide to head over to Disney's Hollywood Studios to start the vacation and to wait till we hear that our room is ready. Around 3pm I get a text message that our room is ready. We head back to the resort to get our room keys and to make sure that our luggage was delivered to our room by Magical Express.

About two days before our trip, I called Disney to add a building request to my reservation. Pop Century is comprised of 5 buildings/sections that are themed to five decades of pop culture, the 50's to the 90's. I have requested a ground level room in the 80's section. While these requests are not guaranteed, my requested was honored.

Pop Century is designated a Value Resort among the many Disney resorts. Basically its Disney's version of an upscale motel. While this resort offers families a value option to visit Disney World, it offers plenty more than your average motel.

After verifying that our room cards worked, we checked out the room and verify that our luggage had arrived. Our luggage was in the room waiting for us. The room had a basic set-up: two queen sized beds, a small table with two chairs, a dresser with a flat-screen TV on top, a sink & counter area located outside of the bathroom. The only decor in the room that let's you know that your in a Disney resort is a framed collage of items that were popular in the 80's. In our room, this collage represented the release of Disney's The Little Mermaid movie. While I travel a lot and enjoy staying at beautiful and luxury resorts, for my trips to Disney World I prefer staying at a Value Resort because the main reason of these trips is touring the Disney parks. The Value Resorts serves my 3 main needs: Showering, Storage and Sleeping!

One of the things that makes the Value Resort a great place to stay is the food court located in the main building of the resort. The food court consists of various food counters and stands where you get your food. The food offered varies from salads, sandwiches, pizza, snacks, deserts and specialty foods that change on a daily basis. There is plenty of seating available next to the food court, plus there is additional seating outside of the building with views over-looking the main pool area of the resort. The food court is located right next to the main gift/souvenir shop of the resort. The seating area is so large that there was one area sectioned off for people who wanted to watch any of the World Cup games on a big screen TV. For the July 4th weekend, when the resorts are packed, there was plenty of seating available when ever we ate at the food court.

The food court located at Pop Century offers some great food choices. They offer a daily special that is based on classic comfort food meals. The meals are served in tin trays that resemble old fashioned TV dinners. One day it was meatloaf, another day it was sliced turkey and dressing. Some of the adult choices included Shrimp Lo Mein, Big Bowl of Chicken Soup, Beef & Broccoli, Nachos Supreme and Vegetable Lo Mein. I had the Shrimp Lo Mein one day and it was very good. I was surprised how huge the serving was. It was served in a classic Chinese take-out container. Here's a picture of my meal:

Another great aspect of Pop Century is how the resort is decorated and themed thru-out. Every building is decorated with items that represents the section/decade that you are staying in. The 50's section is decroated with Sock-Hop figures, the 60's section is decorated with Hippie slang and slogans. Our section, the 80's, is decorated with Pac-Man figures from the video game. It was so cool to see this and it made my niece very happy. Here is a pic of the building we stayed in:

As you walk around the grounds, you come across signs listing various pop events over the decades. Here a few that are located along the path leading to the 80's section of the resort:

 

 

Also, you will find larger-than-life sized recreations of classic toys thru-out the resort. Some of my favorite statues were the Mega Big Wheel, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, Rubik Cube and a classic Mickey Mouse phone. Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

The resort also has a couple of pools available for guests to use the main pool is beautifully laid out and has a Jungle Book theme to it. Here are some pics of the main pool area:

Here is the Jungle Book statue:

And another view of the pool:

All in all, Pop Century is a great resort to stay at while on your Disney World vacation. It's a great themed resort, has a great food court, clean and comfy rooms all for a great, affordable price. It will be interesting to see what happens after the Art of Animation resort is built. But if you can on your next trip, I suggest you give Pop Century a stay!

John

I Love Harry Connick, Jr...

Now don't take this the wrong way. This is merely a fan's response to the product produced by an artist. But let me tell you, it took me awhile to 'get into' Connick. In the beginning, as we all know, Connick began his career out of New Orleans. His big break came with the soundtrack to WHEN HARRY MEET SALLY. While I liked his singing, I was not completely impressed with his 'persona' or the way he came across in interviews and public appearances. Now, this is PURELY my perception of the man at the time. Maybe because he was young and cocky. Maybe I thought he was trying too hard to be the next Sinatra (or maybe it was his management that was trying too hard???). But for some reason, I didn't click with the whole Connick package.

Then in 1990, Connick started making movies. Memphis Belle, Little Man Tate, Copycat, Independence Day, Hope Floats and The Iron Giant are just some of the films where Connick was able to show his talents. I think becoming an actor not only serves to expand your fan base, but it helps develop a personality. I think more than anything, films helped Connick become more famous, well known and well liked.

Then in 2002, Connick made another move: guest appearing on the WILL & GRACE sitcom. This role, more than his films & music I think, open the doors wide for Connick. At first I wasn't sure this was a good move. I thought this was gimmick casting. But after a couple episodes, I discovered something: Connick is FUNNY! Seeing him in this role made me realize that Connick, like any other developing star, needed time to find his persona. There are only a handful of stars who have set a persona from day one of their careers: Sinatra, Presley, Cher, Madonna...you get the point. Over the years, Connick seems to have relaxed. He seems more care-free. He seems more REAL now more than ever.

But the setting that suits Connick the best is when he appears on talk shows. From Ellen to Craig Ferguson to American Idol, he just enjoys being in the moment. Every time that Connick appears on Ellen Degeneres' show I am laughing so hard. Connick just goes crazy and never lets up. Want proof? Check this clip out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Hu09Vo8JCg

I have never seen Connick so funny, so free and so human. His appearance on the past season of American Idol was also funny. Plus he connected with the contestants and helped them become better singers and performers. Take a look at Connick's appearance on American Idol:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQZAOfMi8CA

So what I am trying to say? I think it takes time to 'judge a book by its cover'. In today's mass produce and instant gratifying culture, stars don't take the time, or effort, to evolve and grow over time. We get the same re-hash time after time. To see someone like Connick grow and develop over time and not become some one-note singer is so rare these days. There's a certain Canadian signer who has built his career by keeping the traditions of the Great American Songbook alive, while mixing in elements of Pop music. For the most part I think he is a great singer...on CD. But when this signer is on stage or on TV, he becomes a gimmick and his singing loses passion and soul. And when he does interviews he becomes cocky and annoying. In the past few years, this singer has put out recordings that sounded the same without depth or feeling. Yet somehow millions of people buy his CD's. You don't know how much this annoys me! But that's a subject for another blog!

I wish more singers and actors would take a page out of Harry Connick's book. I wish more celebrities were multi-faceted, like those from the golden age of entertainment. Remember those? You don't hear the phrase 'Star of Screen, Stage and Music' like you used to. I'm glad Connick is keeping that tradition alive.

So Harry, keep up the great work, make great music, make more films and keep us laughing on TV in between everything else you do!

John

I'm A Disney Dork...and that's OK!!!

Welcome to The Disney Dork Blog! As the title says, I'm a Disney Dork. I love everything Disney: the films, the music, the theme parks, the tv shows & specials. As a 40yo accountant, you probably wouldn't think that. But as a 40yo gay fan of the 80's, Madonna, horror movies, musicials, travel & dining, American Idol, Anne Rice, Disco music, dancing, Speed Racer, Almadovar films...well, you get the point. So what can I say about Disney that anyone else hasn't? Probably not much. But I'm gonna say it MY WAY, from my point of view.

Today is Hump Day and it was a busy day at work. The only thing keeping me going: knowing that I'm going to Disneyland in October! More details on that trip later...

I'm gonna try to post everyday. In between my blogs, you can follow me on TWITTER at DisneyDork69.

Have A Magical Day!!!

John