Here I Go Again On My Own – Trip Report
Here I Go Again On My Own – Trip Report
Basic Info:
Dates: April 25 – May 2, 2023
Resort: Pop Century
Room Type: Preferred
Discount: ‘Annual Passholders: Save Up to 25% on Rooms’
Okay, this is unusual, but since I tend to go overboard with my trip reports, I figured I’d give you all a break and try to keep this concise and mainly give the highlights, and lowlights, this time around.
Flight down was smooth and on time. I know people have a ‘love-hate’ relationship with Southwest, but I have not had a bad experience with them. A couple confusing situations, but nothing that I would consider ‘bad.’
Got checked into Pop through the app, but had to go to the desk to get a room assignment. Not sure what was going on there as it seemed that there were plenty of rooms available in the Preferred buildings. In any event, I got my things up to my room and got ready to hit EPCOT for the evening.
Hopped the Skyliner to EPCOT and got there around 4pm. Was actually a bit surprised that the Skyliner is the ONLY method of transportation to/from EPCOT and DHS, unless it is down due to weather.
My big plan for this evening was to walk around World Showcase to check crowd levels, check out some of the topiaries and maybe get a bite or two at the Festival kiosks. Maybe I was lucky and in the right spots, but I found the crowds to be moderate for the most part. Around 5pm the sky started to darken and you could tell that a ‘Florida Storm’ was approaching, so I figured that it was a good opportunity to check out The American Adventure. Just a few minutes after I got in the building, the clouds opened up and it came down hard. By the time the show ended, so did the rain. The rest of the evening was beautiful and the EPCOT Forever fireworks were better than I had remembered them.
From this point on, the trip was pretty much standard…Hit one park for the early part of the day, come back to the room for a couple hours to prep for the evening, then to another park for the evening. On two days this plan did not work. One was Thursday, when I was going to meet up with Denise and John Keeler at DHS for the evening and to watch Fantasmic and the second was Saturday, when I did nothing due to a sinus problem (Cold? Infection? Allergies?) [Forgive me if my days are off, as it all blends in to the mush that is my brain after a few days. LOL]
I did meet up with Debbie Sander Hertweck on Friday evening at DHS and we sat for Fantasmic. I am quite happy with the changes to the show and would be happy to see it again. (Just wish the seats were not the metal ones they have in there now! Very uncomfortable.) After the show, Debbie and I went to see the projection show at/on the Chinese theater. Nicely done show and worth catching while in the park. Debbie had a reservation for Oga’s Cantina, so asked me along to check it out. Since the park was officially closed, we were pretty much guided to the venue and had a short wait to get in. We had one drink and walked around inside to take a few pics of the layout. Definitely worth the time to check it out! When we left, it was a great time to get some night shots on the way out with no one around!!!
On two consecutive nights, I missed meeting up with Justin and Dawn McCarthy and Ian Mitchell. The first was due to my sinus problem, the second was due to just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To be honest, the second night I think I was in the RIGHT place – in the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind!!! LOL After Guardians, I decided to try to get in to the Space 220 Lounge since I hadn’t been there before. Walked right up and got a spot on the next ‘elevator’ to the station. I was planning on having one drink, take a few pics, and heading back down to Earth. 3 drinks (Shuttle Crew, Black Hole Old Fashioned, and Illumination,) a set of Short Rib Sliders and some good conversation later, I finally made my way back down. LOL BTW – Christopher is a great bartender and talker! [Personal note: I have no idea why I get into so many good conversations while I’m at WDW. I am typically not very outgoing. For example: Here in the lounge, a group of three young women came in and Christopher asked if I could move down one spot to let them sit together. How does THAT start an hour long conversation? LOL!!!!!]
Weather wise, there was some rain but it was sporadic, as is not unusual for FL, and Sunday and Monday were WINDY!!! Mornings were beautiful! A little stifling in the early afternoon, but that is typically when I take my short break anyway. After preparing myself for what the Weather Channel had predicted for the week, I was very pleased.
Okay…time for the wrap-up…
Highlights:
Meeting up with Debbie and spending a good evening in DHS.
First time seeing Fantasmic in years!
Oga’s Cantina and the walk out of the park afterward.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (I can go on and on about this, but you have to ride it to understand. I am not a coaster ‘fanatic,’ but this has “Must Do” written all over it!)
Space 220 Lounge. I know it’s hit or miss for most, but I truly enjoyed it.
Topiaries. That is what I go for at this time of year. I’m sure I missed getting pics of some of them, but I think I got most of ‘em.
Lowlights:
Missing out on meeting up with Denise and John.
Skyliner being down during/after evening storms – Buses were few and far between for covering the down time.
Missing out on meeting up with Justin, Dawn and Ian. Not one night, but two!!
Not getting to try Tron. Missed the Virtual Queues and didn’t feel like spending $20 for it.
This was my last visit on my current AP and I’m still debating whether or not to renew it. It runs out the end of this month, so I have at least 60 days to make up my mind….
Well, that’s a wrap! Thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings. As always, I will be taking a few days to go through all my PhotoPass and phone pics and will be posting albums on my facebook page…
Take care and have a Magical day!!!!
