Nice shot of the African cranes 
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OMG! You are so funny! I was actually looking for those dam cranes in your Tree of Life photo before I scrolled down! 
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wonderful report thanks! you all seemed so unhurried without kids.
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I think that was the biggest difference in this trip. We did a few things we wouldnât have done with the kids in tow, but the main thing was how laid back and, yes, unhurried we felt. It was nice 
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Thanks again for letting us play alongâŚ
More great photosâŚglad you were able to capture that rare mating ceremony of the cranesâŚ
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Wrap Up
Thanks for coming along for this trip review! I hope you enjoyed it - maybe laughed a little, maybe learned something new that will help YOUR trip be magical!
I thought I would take a moment in conclusion to point out the good, the bad, the magical, and the meh. In no particular order, and totally off the top of my head:
The Magical
California Grill brunch was over the top amazing. I think I will be dreaming about that for a long time to come, too. Viewing wishes from the lounge was something special too. If youâre thinking about a CaliGrill visit, stop thinking and make your ADR.
The Good:
Being alone together in the world was amazing. As I said near the end, we did many of the same things we always do when we travel as a family of 4, but we were so unhurried and just enjoyed each otherâs company. Iâm so happy we chose to spend our alone time in Disney.
As always, Sanaa was amazing. I dream about that Bread Service.
The actual room at Pop, with the king bed, was spacious, clean and well stocked, and the temperature was always set to what we wanted and did not reset to something warmer when we were sleeping or away.
Disney transport was fine. DME was convenient and quick.
The Star Wars fireworks were (for me) surprisingly good! Even as a non-fan (no tomatoes please!) I found them to be quite well done.
The crowds - this was probably the lowest crowd level we have ever been fortunate to see and that only added to our enjoyment.
The Meh
Ponchoing up and carrying on. I have always said just forge ahead, but doing it was something else entirely. Verdict?? Not so bad! Definitely easier to do as a twosome than it would have been with our kids. Not sure theyâd have been up to the task, but for us, it was okay.
Illuminations. We are definitely a take it or leave it family on this one. I wonât go out of my way to make sure we see it again. If we happen to be there weâll probably stake out a spot, but I wouldnât make a point to have it in our plans.
The Bad
Pop. Kind of hated it, actually. This probably had a lot to do with our room location which was approximately 1 mile from the moon, but 84932083920583920 miles from the bus stop or Classic Hall. Did I mention it was far?? Concessions being given for that, it just didnât feel very âDisneyâ to me. I did not necessarily feel that I was in the bubble at this resort in the way that I have at other resorts, and I missed that. I also didnât care for the food at the food court here. Just not good at all. Unless it is for a just me visit or a quick one-nighter ahead of a long stay at another resort on property, I donât think Iâll stay here again. For me, it was a one-and-done location.
The other thing I would call definitely BAD was the food at the QS in Mexico - La Cantina?? Just yuck. Do not go there. Taco bell is probably better. Thatâs scary.
Now we wait. A new countdown is on the horizon with possibilities for April vacation week or August. April has such better crowds and weather, but we will pay through the nose in airfare. On the other hand, August airfare will be significantly less, but we will melt to death and deal with much larger crowds. We are still tossing the decision around. In either case we are likely going for POFQ - time to have a spin at a moderate! Whenever we go, we know weâll have a great time being Home. 
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Thanks for your awesome report and the wrap up! 
Sorry you donât have much love for Pop - Iâll love it enough for the both of us! 
It is rather spread out and walking eleventy-billion miles wouldnât be fun! I do agree about the QS at Mexico - we werenât fussed on it either. The taco chips tasted soapy and that was a bit disturbing. Lol!
Glad you and your DH had such a wonderful time - that Cali Grill brunch sounds (and looks - thanks for all the tasty pictures!) like a winner!
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Hubby and I only did two nights at POP. We only used the food court and got cereal, milk, yogurt and bananas for breakfast the first morning. We had no ADRâS. We had lunch at Skipperâs Canteen and Dinner at Trails End on the second day. We also ate at the patio at the Hollywood Brown Derby for dinner . We arrived around lunch time and had a free breakfast at the hotel we were before. We had some food for lunch at the kiosks for Flower and Garden.
We wanted to see the Star Wars Launch Bay that opened after out last trip as well as the fireworks. ROL originally was supposed to open. We only went to AK to drop off pretzels for my friend that works there. Hubby canât be rushed, so most of our trips are relaxed. If anything, I will walk the resorts early in the morning before he wakes. I did more so at the Beach Club in November. POP is pretty at night when the oversized props are lit.
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Love the wrap-upâŚ
We had a great time on our adult-only trip last DecemberâŚand we loved POFQ
Definitely putting Sanaa on our âto-doâ listâŚ
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Thanks for the latest installment!! We always go in August tooâŚbut now you have me thinking about AprilâŚ
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I absolutely loved this. Your writing is engaging, informative and quite humorous. Although in Los Angeles now, I fly in and out of MHT at least once a year as I was born and raised in Manchester.
You definitely have me doing brunch at California Grill on my vacation next year.
Thank you for sharing your trip, your suggestions and your talents as a story teller.
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Really now?
What part of the city are you from? Did you graduate high school here? I was MMHS class of '92!
And thank you for the compliments! I think itâs awesome that youâll be visiting CG on account of me 
I should get a free dinner with all the people who are reportedly booking because of my review!
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East Manchester up near where Hanover Splits into Lake Ave. I went to Central class of 81. The back yard of our house was a few feet from the line that made the boundary between Central and Memorial.
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I know exactly where you mean. I work at Elliot Hospital
Ha ha, I didnât scroll past the text and just spent like 5 minutes looking for cranes in the picture of the Tree of LifeâŚ
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Thatâs where I was born. Billyâs Sports bar around the corner from you is a great lunch spot. A friend of my brothersâŚBilly (go figure) owns it.
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Ahhhh Billyâs. Been there too many times. Never for lunch while working though since I work nights.
I will actually be in Manchester, for sure, the week before my trip to Disney in Nov of 2017. I should stop by the Elliot to say hi. itâs a 5 minute drive from my Momâs house.
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Only if youâre up all night
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