bluejasmine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2005
YAY for a refurb room!!
SOLO: A Chunkymonkey Story - June 2018! NEW 8/23 Last SOLO Moments THE END - Final VLOG posted!
- Thread starter chunkymonkey
- Start date
I thought I followed this thread when you started it, but I guess I didn't. I see I missed quite a bit.
Your refurbished room looks great! Saving $80 would have been a no brainer for me! Also, we've had better luck at values than POR. I think the grounds are absolutely beautiful at POR, but the horrible luck we had with buses ruined the chances we would ever stay there again. POFQ is our new favorite.
I just took a glance at your Instagram and am now excited to read the report on this trip!
Also, not a big Star Wars fan, but I love that backpack! So cute!
Your refurbished room looks great! Saving $80 would have been a no brainer for me! Also, we've had better luck at values than POR. I think the grounds are absolutely beautiful at POR, but the horrible luck we had with buses ruined the chances we would ever stay there again. POFQ is our new favorite.
I just took a glance at your Instagram and am now excited to read the report on this trip!
Also, not a big Star Wars fan, but I love that backpack! So cute!
chunkymonkey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
Have fun! Can't wait to hear about all of your adventures.
Thank you! I did!
Sept 14-23 currently...
Ooooh so tempting...We come back on the 9th. I may be able to make it down Sept 22nd. I really wanted to do some events that weekend.
It was amazing as I'm sure, was your solo trip!I’m here! Can’t wait to hear how your solo trip went. Annnddddd I’m jealous
Hi Kelly!! I'll be jealous of you in 2 weeks when you get to go to Toy Story Land!!
I loved it too! It was so nice and new and pretty!
Thanks! I did!
The refurbished rooms look great! Glad to hear you enjoyed Mama Melrose. How’s the weather there? Super hot already?
Also, love your new insta handle
Yup super duper hot. Probably the only down side of the weekend. The sun was beating down on me all weekend...omg I was a hot mess. Monday had a bit more cloud cover which was a huge relief.
Thanks Jenny! I know! Hope you're having a great time!
I loved the POP room! It was done really well. Lots of storage and very cute!
Thank you!!
It was amazing! I did like the grounds at Saratoga. Thought the room needed an update, for example I had to move nightstands just to plug in my charger and stuff, whereas at pop they are now have so many outlets and USB ports, it was so nice. The hallways could use a bit of sprucing up, the floors were just painted concrete, not what I'd expect from a deluxe resort. But the grounds are gorgeous, and loved how close my building was to Disney Springs, although I was 2nd to last bus stop to the parks LOL.
Yay someone new and interesting on Instagram for me!
Thanks for following!
Was great to meet you today! Hope you safely made it back home.
And I'll have more trip reports to enjoy as my year of Disney comes to an end. I'd be sad but I'm gonna live vicariously through you
Thanks Monica! It was so great meeting you! I had so much fun talking to you and hope we meet again soon!
Hope you're having a magical time at Disney/Universal!
chunkymonkey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
I'm not even sure I have all the colors myself but yes between me and Steve I think we have every color. They are just hard to keep track of and I use my special ones I purchased anyways, haha.
I missed my op for beignets but I got a fabulous room at pop which worked out
I loved it! Slow service though, but I guess I wasn't really in a rush to get anywhere.
It's a gorgeous space but it gets really hot during the morning sun!
Yup worth it!
Why not both?
I was contemplating it but the line at Sleepy Hollow was so long! Cheshire had no line and the cat tail was huge.
I never got one, I just ran out of time!
Thanks for following!
Hi Lynn!
The mac and cheese is at a kiosk in Animal Kingdom on Discovery Island. I think it is near the Adventurer's Outpost. Sadly I never had time to get one, but I'm planning to in Sept. Are you planning another trip soon?
Thanks for the info! I'm sorry you had such bad luck at POR with buses! I actually had some pretty good bus luck on this trip. Not every time I took the bus but at the times I needed it the most, they came through.
The POP room was so nice! I definitely feel like it was the right choice now, although if I ended up in a non-refurbished room I would have smacked myself for not spending the 80 bucks.
Thanks for following!
Thank you!! It was so pretty but the color got dirty so easily! Argh!
amalone1013
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2016
Are you going over Labor Day? I'm just here at work, seeing if we could go for the weekend there...
chunkymonkey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
June 8th: Not a long time ago, in a Century far far Away...
So it begins! My first ever solo trip which I booked very last minute! I don't know if any of you who have done solo trips had to sort of justify it to your family/friends etc. about why you're going to Disney ALONE, but I told my family I was meeting some friends down there (which is not entirely untrue) because they all thought it was incredulous I'd go someplace ALONE. Hmph. Anyways, my dad offered to send me to the airport from work, which I accepted. Some of you know from my previous TRs that my dad is recovering from Stage IV prostate cancer - he underwent a new treatment after chemotherapy did not work and to date he's doing really well now, and he wants to get back to his regular routine of being the family chauffeur, LOL. He would rather me ride with him than take an Uber so I obliged.
Prep for the trip:
My sister makes these Mousekeeping envelops so I pre-filled 3 for the trip down, although I realized that with my DVC room I won't be getting daily service so I only really needed two.
Also my special edition Magic Band which I bought in Dec 2017:
After work on Friday June 8th I was on my way to Newark airport! I was flying United down and I had purchased basic economy seats which was 50 bucks cheaper than regular economy. It wasn't too bad of a price and being two weeks out from the trip I didn't have much choice. Basic Economy means you board last, don't pick your seat, no overhead space, and no checked bag. However with a united credit card you are allowed to bring a carry on and a checked bag, and are in Group 2 boarding, so that took care of most of the things I needed anyways. Then I had nightmares of being stuck in the middle seat especially when you hear all those stores of people taking off their shoes and putting their feet up.
Ew gross. Imagine being sandwiched between four stinky feet!! So I thought well, I'll pay the extra 20 bucks to SELECT a seat. My ticket ending up costing only 30 bucks less than a regular economy seat but I was able to get the last aisle seat in the whole plane both ways which was a relief!
Ready for my Solo trip!
Newark airport has a big United terminal and unfortunately their lounge was being renovated so I could not use a one-time pass. I had found out they have a "secret" restaurant located air side for certain United customers called Classified. I entered my information into their website and lo and behold I was able to make a reservation. I have no idea why because I do not hold any elite status but I do have a united credit card so maybe that's why. Anyways, I made it through security via pre-check and found my way to the restaurant called Saison. I asked a waitstaff about Classified, and they had the Maitre'D come over, verify my invitation, and escorted be to the back of the restaurant through a doorway down a long corridor before I finally came to Classified.
I had no idea this was even here! I found out about it on some travel blog. Here's the inside of Classified:
It was a beautiful, if rather small space. In all honesty it's just like a fancy airport restaurant, they still have the ipads you order from which is available at all restaurants at the terminal, only perhaps the waitstaff were a little more attentive. I ordered some light dinner because I didn't want to overeat and sat back, charged my phone and relaxed until I had to board.
As an amuse-bouche I was offered some smoked salmon with herb creme fraiche and cucumber. It was a nice refreshing bite.
I got an iced tea to drink:
As an entree I got a shrimp salad which was part of the appetizer menu.
The shrimp were huge! There were three of them on the plate, served with fresh watercress and greens, fennel, orange segments and a lemon vinaigrette.
To balance the healthy I also got the Beef Fat Fries:
OMG these fries were delicious! I absolutely loved the flavor of these fries, it was like eating steak as well, LOL.
A balanced meal?
I actually thought the food at this private restaurant was quite tasty, except it was a little expensive. The entrees were all in the 30-55 dollar range. If I didn't get 20% off from using my united card, I'd probably not return, although those beef fat fries are calling my name already. I believe in total I paid 33 dollars and change for everything and I stayed there for about an hour and a half which was a nice way to get out of the hubbub of the terminal.
As a parting gift I got some chocolates from a fancy chocolatier who's name escapes me now:
I got to my gate and was one of the first people in line for group 2, yay! My seat was almost all the way in the back of the plane though so it was a good thing I boarded early as I probably would not have any overhead space left if I was in the later groups. Our flight was supposed to depart at 8:00pm but a screw up in the video system meant they couldn't show the safety video and they could not depart without showing it, so we ended up being delayed 30 minutes. Boo.
Anyways, flight was fine, we arrived closer to 11pm, and I made my way to Magical Express.
A lot more people than I expected at this late hour:
I waited in line with all the other people for Pop and we boarded a bus maybe 20 minutes later.
After about 35 minutes we pulled into our first stop, Art of Animation. I miss this resort! I loved staying here too. Think it's time for a return. Then the next stop was Pop Century! It was very late and for some reason I did not get my text with my room number yet so I couldn't just go straight to my room. I had to get on line to check in. I was very anxious to see if I got a refurbished room...but very happy to finally be at Disney again!
After waiting for a few people to check in, it was finally my turn. I scanned my band, and they had to check a few things before it was working. It was then that I immediately got the text on my phone with my room number. Bah. It was so late then, maybe close to 1am, and all I really wanted was a shower and sleep. The CM told me I was in Building 5 and when I inquired about the refurbished room, he said that almost all the rooms are refurbished now and that it would be rare to not get a refurbished room at that point so yay!
My room was on the 2nd floor of Building 5, and was very very close to the main building, almost next to the stairs.
Here's the refurbished room!
I thought the room was great and very smartly designed. I loved the pull down murphy bed as you can keep the room spacious if you're not going to use it. I loved all the storage and shelves, and the multiple outlets and USB ports. It felt so fresh and new and the giant TV was greatly appreciated too. Two very big thumbs up from me! I could see how it would be a bit small for more than 2 people but hey, it's fine. I would also almost certainly pick a preferred room as I loved how close it was to the main building and Everything Pop!
So I did some live video which you can check out on my Instagram - maybe at the end of the trip report I'll see if I can compile everything into one big video and post it here. It was also very very late so it was time to sleep - tomorrow I was going to Hollywood Studios!
So it begins! My first ever solo trip which I booked very last minute! I don't know if any of you who have done solo trips had to sort of justify it to your family/friends etc. about why you're going to Disney ALONE, but I told my family I was meeting some friends down there (which is not entirely untrue) because they all thought it was incredulous I'd go someplace ALONE. Hmph. Anyways, my dad offered to send me to the airport from work, which I accepted. Some of you know from my previous TRs that my dad is recovering from Stage IV prostate cancer - he underwent a new treatment after chemotherapy did not work and to date he's doing really well now, and he wants to get back to his regular routine of being the family chauffeur, LOL. He would rather me ride with him than take an Uber so I obliged.
Prep for the trip:
My sister makes these Mousekeeping envelops so I pre-filled 3 for the trip down, although I realized that with my DVC room I won't be getting daily service so I only really needed two.
Also my special edition Magic Band which I bought in Dec 2017:
After work on Friday June 8th I was on my way to Newark airport! I was flying United down and I had purchased basic economy seats which was 50 bucks cheaper than regular economy. It wasn't too bad of a price and being two weeks out from the trip I didn't have much choice. Basic Economy means you board last, don't pick your seat, no overhead space, and no checked bag. However with a united credit card you are allowed to bring a carry on and a checked bag, and are in Group 2 boarding, so that took care of most of the things I needed anyways. Then I had nightmares of being stuck in the middle seat especially when you hear all those stores of people taking off their shoes and putting their feet up.
Ew gross. Imagine being sandwiched between four stinky feet!! So I thought well, I'll pay the extra 20 bucks to SELECT a seat. My ticket ending up costing only 30 bucks less than a regular economy seat but I was able to get the last aisle seat in the whole plane both ways which was a relief!Ready for my Solo trip!
Newark airport has a big United terminal and unfortunately their lounge was being renovated so I could not use a one-time pass. I had found out they have a "secret" restaurant located air side for certain United customers called Classified. I entered my information into their website and lo and behold I was able to make a reservation. I have no idea why because I do not hold any elite status but I do have a united credit card so maybe that's why. Anyways, I made it through security via pre-check and found my way to the restaurant called Saison. I asked a waitstaff about Classified, and they had the Maitre'D come over, verify my invitation, and escorted be to the back of the restaurant through a doorway down a long corridor before I finally came to Classified.
I had no idea this was even here! I found out about it on some travel blog. Here's the inside of Classified:
It was a beautiful, if rather small space. In all honesty it's just like a fancy airport restaurant, they still have the ipads you order from which is available at all restaurants at the terminal, only perhaps the waitstaff were a little more attentive. I ordered some light dinner because I didn't want to overeat and sat back, charged my phone and relaxed until I had to board.
As an amuse-bouche I was offered some smoked salmon with herb creme fraiche and cucumber. It was a nice refreshing bite.
I got an iced tea to drink:
As an entree I got a shrimp salad which was part of the appetizer menu.
The shrimp were huge! There were three of them on the plate, served with fresh watercress and greens, fennel, orange segments and a lemon vinaigrette.
To balance the healthy I also got the Beef Fat Fries:
OMG these fries were delicious! I absolutely loved the flavor of these fries, it was like eating steak as well, LOL.
A balanced meal?
I actually thought the food at this private restaurant was quite tasty, except it was a little expensive. The entrees were all in the 30-55 dollar range. If I didn't get 20% off from using my united card, I'd probably not return, although those beef fat fries are calling my name already. I believe in total I paid 33 dollars and change for everything and I stayed there for about an hour and a half which was a nice way to get out of the hubbub of the terminal.
As a parting gift I got some chocolates from a fancy chocolatier who's name escapes me now:
I got to my gate and was one of the first people in line for group 2, yay! My seat was almost all the way in the back of the plane though so it was a good thing I boarded early as I probably would not have any overhead space left if I was in the later groups. Our flight was supposed to depart at 8:00pm but a screw up in the video system meant they couldn't show the safety video and they could not depart without showing it, so we ended up being delayed 30 minutes. Boo.
Anyways, flight was fine, we arrived closer to 11pm, and I made my way to Magical Express.
A lot more people than I expected at this late hour:
I waited in line with all the other people for Pop and we boarded a bus maybe 20 minutes later.
After about 35 minutes we pulled into our first stop, Art of Animation. I miss this resort! I loved staying here too. Think it's time for a return. Then the next stop was Pop Century! It was very late and for some reason I did not get my text with my room number yet so I couldn't just go straight to my room. I had to get on line to check in. I was very anxious to see if I got a refurbished room...but very happy to finally be at Disney again!
After waiting for a few people to check in, it was finally my turn. I scanned my band, and they had to check a few things before it was working. It was then that I immediately got the text on my phone with my room number. Bah. It was so late then, maybe close to 1am, and all I really wanted was a shower and sleep. The CM told me I was in Building 5 and when I inquired about the refurbished room, he said that almost all the rooms are refurbished now and that it would be rare to not get a refurbished room at that point so yay!
My room was on the 2nd floor of Building 5, and was very very close to the main building, almost next to the stairs.
Here's the refurbished room!
I thought the room was great and very smartly designed. I loved the pull down murphy bed as you can keep the room spacious if you're not going to use it. I loved all the storage and shelves, and the multiple outlets and USB ports. It felt so fresh and new and the giant TV was greatly appreciated too. Two very big thumbs up from me! I could see how it would be a bit small for more than 2 people but hey, it's fine. I would also almost certainly pick a preferred room as I loved how close it was to the main building and Everything Pop!
So I did some live video which you can check out on my Instagram - maybe at the end of the trip report I'll see if I can compile everything into one big video and post it here. It was also very very late so it was time to sleep - tomorrow I was going to Hollywood Studios!
missangelalexis
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2012
Sounds like a smooth travel day! Though I am sure you were exhausted when all was said and done. The refurbished room looks awesome!
jacksdadcan
Muggle Dad
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2015
Just started following on Instagram, great trip vlog!!
MiracleCream
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2017
Ahhh, you gotta love daddies! My dad was the same after getting better from his hospital scare. After recovering for three months, he was so happy to be back to being my driver! (I hate driving. It’s probably because I’m deaf and hate having to pay so much attention when driving)
Boy, these pics of the refurbished room look AMAZING! We are a family of four and I’m the only woman so I’m sure I will feel claustrophobic and wanting my space! Thanks for sharing the pics so I can at least know what the new rooms look like.
It was so much fun following along on your Instagram in real time! It’s like a preview of your famous trip reports
princess aleya
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2009
I’m so glad to hear you got your refurbished room. I was concerned too as I have a trip booked at the end of the month with one night a pop in a preferred room. It’s great to hear that most of the rooms are refurbished. Looking foreward to hearing more about your solo trip!
Jenny Sanders
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2007
Hi Su-Lynn! The new Pop rooms look great! I haven't stayed there in years. Maybe it's time to go back...
chunkymonkey
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 27, 2009
Are you going over Labor Day? I'm just here at work, seeing if we could go for the weekend there...
Yup the 1st to the 9th. PLEASE COME! It's gonna be so much fun! And so HOT, LOL. We're doing the Halloween Party on the 3rd.
It was very last minute!
It is always worth the long day of work and travel to arrive at Disney that very night. The sooner I can get there, the better!!
Yup, pretty exhausted but very happy to be at Disney!
I loved the room! I will definitely return and seems perfect for a solo trip!
Thank you so much!!
I don't like driving too! I guess all dads just want to do what's best for us. It seems like they are at their most comfortable when driving us around
The are very modern rooms. It's almost like an Ikea showroom. They are not as big as a deluxe room though so I can see how with the other bed down it would feel a bit cramped, but there is a lot of storage at least, with all the little cubbies and shelves.
Thank you!! It was fun to do, but I look kinda awkward at times, hahaha.
I was so happy to hear I got one too! But I didn't believe it until I saw it! haha. But rest assured you will most likely get one!!
Thanks for reading!
They look really nice! I am very impressed with the renovation. I'll definitely not hesitate to go back!
amalone1013
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2016
Ha that's what I want to do! I was thinking about the Halloween Party, and the water parks, since we'll back 9/14 to 9/23 for the parks... No APs now
at least, not yet...
JoAnnPan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2005
Hi Su-Lynn! 
I feel so late to the party! Glad to read your father is feeling well.
Pop sure has a very crisp look to it now - glad you got a refurb room.
Kudos to your sister for her mousekeeping envelopes.
I did a solo trip once but only for two days before my sisters joined me.
I loved it! Went to Downtown Disney (at the time) Le Cirque show my first night and did all of DHS the next day. Even had all of 1900 Park Fare sing me happy birthday lol.
Everyone must have been like this poor girl is alone on her birthday!
As usual loving your report and looking forward to the next installment.
I still have to catch up on your last cruise report!
I feel so late to the party! Glad to read your father is feeling well. Pop sure has a very crisp look to it now - glad you got a refurb room.
Kudos to your sister for her mousekeeping envelopes.
I did a solo trip once but only for two days before my sisters joined me.
I loved it! Went to Downtown Disney (at the time) Le Cirque show my first night and did all of DHS the next day. Even had all of 1900 Park Fare sing me happy birthday lol.
Everyone must have been like this poor girl is alone on her birthday!
As usual loving your report and looking forward to the next installment.
I still have to catch up on your last cruise report!
cajunfan
Welcome to the DIS where wishes come true.
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2003
I do not have a trip currently planned, but really hoping for one next year. I will have to hunt down that kiosk in AK!
You need to remind everyone about your sister's etsy page...I know I want to hit her up for envelopes for mousekeeping next trip!
And I think your meal at Classified is PERFECTLY balanced!
You need to remind everyone about your sister's etsy page...I know I want to hit her up for envelopes for mousekeeping next trip!
And I think your meal at Classified is PERFECTLY balanced!
MeghanEmily
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2016
Uggh! My aunt lives alone teaching ESL overseas. On her breaks, she travels all over Asia by herself. People look at her like she has 3 heads sometimes when she talks about travelling anywhere alone, especially as a woman. But if you're confident and enjoy your own company, solo trips anywhere—especially Disney!—can be awesome experiences! I had a great time on my solo days, and I wouldn't give up my trips with Nathan or my family in favour of going solo, but I also enjoyed it just as much in some ways for different reasons. I'm looking forward to hearing about your solo trip!
I do, however, have to justify to a lot of people why we keep returning to Disney so often at all. And my answer is always something like..."why not??"
Beautiful!! She's so crafty.
My mousekeeping envelopes are printed from the internet onto card stock if I'm feeling VERY ambitious, and they're just small mailing envelopes if I'm not. 
I'd do the same thing! The aisle seat is EVERYTHING when you're flying alone.
So weird! The exact same thing happened to me on my last flight (from Toronto to Halifax.) After about a 20 minute delay, they ended up having to do the safety info in person, and it was like it was really weird for them to do it that way. Amazing how dependent we are on technology these days. You don't always notice it until something malfunctions.
The new refurbed rooms are so nice! I love the murphy beds! Would really like to go back to Pop sometime to stay in one of these rooms. I was really hoping they'd get further along with the renos at ASMo before I stayed there, but by the time I got there the only refurbed rooms were preferred and I had a standard. Oh well...all the more reason to go back!
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