LIVE Solo trip from SSR 6/23 - 6/28

[Iggipolka]

Woohoo! I'm on my way at dark o'clock this morning for my much anticipated, much guilt ridden solo trip to WDW!. I'm so excited I could blow up, except explosions are really frowned upon at airports. ;)

If you decide to join me on this journey, I should probably introduce myself. Hi! I'm Iggi (well, actually, that's my dead cat's name, but that's a whole 'nother story) 40 year old (gawd, how did that happen) woman, legally married (for the moment) to a wonderful woman and we had our first baby girl a year ago May. It's been a terrific and totally exhausting year getting to know our Princess Lillian and it's amazing how much she and us have changed in a year.

We've traveled with her to WDW when she was 3 months, 8 months and also took a Disney cruise with her when she was 10 months old. Totally awesome experiences and completely different than when it was just the two of us.

I work a 35 hour week in three days, M-W and my wife travels for business Thursday - Sunday, so I'm always on. If I'm not working a very stressful health care job, I'm on full time baby duty. So..I'm tired.

This is what lead to this fantasy trip. I am so crispy fried that I started dreaming about a trip somewhere, anywhere, by myself just so that I could sleep! Well, we're Disney DVC members and I thought that a trip to WDW would be the least expensive trip possible. So ya, the trip to WDW is all about the budget. Riiiiight... :rotfl:

With my wife's grudging blessing, I booked my stay at SSR and started quietly planning my trip. SQUEEE! I'm going to my favorite place and I get to do it at my own pace, go where I want, when I want and I get to sleep! Have I mentioned that I haven't slept through an entire night since the baby was born? So, I'm going to Disney to sleep. *heh* Ok..that's not totally true, otherwise this would be a really boring trip report.

So, all of this leads me to where I'm at today. Sitting at my gate at the Oakland California airport, waiting to fly across country to Florida! WOOHOO! I completely miss my little girl already and I know there are going to be very difficult moments without her. I'm prepared though with lots of pictures and my wife will be updating me on how she's doing.

I have a Backstage Magic tour planned and a DisBoards meet planned. Otherwise, I'm just going to go with the flow and see where the Magic takes me. Come along for the ride!

[DFD]

Have a wonderful sleep/trip...

Wondering where you end up at SSR.... love that resort... favorite spot is def'ly Congress Park.:goodvibes

[Iggipolka]

Yeay! I have one follower. Heh:thumbsup2

I had a delightfully uneventful flight to MCO and landed around 4:15pm. I had heard all this good stuff about the bath products at Lush and since my wife has scent sensitivities, I can't use scented products at home. This solo trip was my perfect opportunity to stink up a hotel room. Hmm..that doesn't sound quite right. ;)

Anyway, a quick stop at Lush at MCO for bath bombs, lotion and to try their solid perfume that I didn't get, but wished I had, I was off to ME.

ME stopped at Port Orleans, Port Riverside and OKW, prior to stopping at SSR. We also had Mumbles the driver. No one could understand a word he said, but apparently he was pretty funny. At least he thought so because after every unintelligible sentence, he would laugh. Umm..ok.

Got to SSR at 6:00 and had the fastest check-in ever. I had checked in online, so was simply handed my packet and directed to my room. I had requested a high floor in the Springs section because I wanted to be close to the main pool and areas. Well, I got the 4th floor in the Springs! Perfect!

Having never stayed at SSR, I was a bit concerned about all of the negative reports I have read about it. Those people must have stayed at a completely different resort, because SSR is lovely!

I'm very pleased with my room, it's a studio and is perfectly sized for a solo stay. It's super quiet. I haven't heard a peep from anyone else in the building and I have a beautiful view of a fountain right from my balcony. I couldn't be happier with SSR.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/room1.jpg

After a little victory dance in the room and setting up the wireless router for later (love that DVC members get free internet and with the wireless, I can compute on my balcony!). I headed out to MK. MK is always the first part we visit and I just couldn't break that tradition.

Going through those turnstyles is so wonderful with all of the anticipation of the trip behind and the magic just starting. Woo! Had a little trouble with my Premium Passport being read and the CM didn't quite knwo what to do. Apparently the DisneyWorld, Disneyland combined Annual Passes are still pretty new. Didn't take long to fix and I was on my way.

Love that first view of the Castle.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/Castle.jpg

I grabbed a cheeseburger and fries at Cosmic Rays and found a great spot outside with a Castle view. I love the fixen's bar there. The food was...'Meh", but I loaded up my fries with the sauteed onions & mushrooms, drizzled with a little cheese sauce and I was happy. The view was wonderful. I did hear a parent say to a little girl, maybe around 5 or 6 years old "Don't make such a fuss, it's not a Real Castle". OMG! The things parent's say! Made me so sad. Her little face was crushed.

After dinner, I road the TTC (not impressed with the new narration) and then Space Mountain. Space Mountain is certainly darker than it was before the rehab and so much fun.

By then it was 8:45 and I wanted to see the Electrical Parade at 9:00. One of the benefits of traveling solo is being able to squeeze into places where multiple people couldn't fit. So, instead of having to wait 90 minutes for a good spot in the hub for the parade, I showed up 10 minutes prior and grabbed a spot right at the curb in the hub where the parade comes up Main Street. Could not have been a better spot and I was not blocking any young kids or anything. Besides, I'm only 5'2", not going to be a problem for someone to see over me. :laughing:

I love the Electrical Parade so much more than Spectro. It just has more excitement for me. There seemed to be a problem with it that night as there were large gaps between the floats and lots of CM's running around frantically. Not sure what happened, but I think a float was missing. Didn't matter to me, made it more interesting actually.

For the Nighttastic Fireworks, I just had to turn around. :thumbsup2 These fireworks are Well...Fantastic! I miss the emotional impact of Wishes, but love the special effects of the Pirates taking over the Castle and the 360 fireworks in the hub is amazing. I know that Disney says you can view the fireworks from multiple places in the park, but to really get the effect of the taking over the Castle, you need to be able to see the Castle.

I also recognized a smallish guy standing right next to me. I kept sneaking glances at him, trying to figure out where I knew him from. Once I heard his voice, I knew! He's the "Friend of Peter Pan" in Disneyland! Woo! Too cool to see one of *ahem* Peter's Friends at WDW. He was there with several other CM's, so I eavesdropped on their conversation comparing WDW with DL. They all agreed that the WDW fireworks are better than DL, but had some great points about DL's entertainment in general being more dramatic than WDW. Think Fantasmic.

While I was listening to other people's conversations ;), the crush of people left the hub following the fireworks. I wanted to get a muffin for breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and accomplished that quickly as there was no line. THere was a HUGE line at the ice cream shop and non at the Bakery. Go figure. I also wanted to pick up a Mickey Mouse watch for a co-worker who is retiring. I found the perfect Pocket Watch for him and with the AP discount, it was only $70! Nice!

I said a temporary goodbye to MK because I know I'll be back there several times this trip and headed off, with a slight bit of dread, to the bus stop. I've heard horrible things about SSR's buss system and I knew it was going to be crowded.

Well, to my delight, one bus was already there being filled and within a couple minutes of it pulling away, another one showed up and I got on with a seat! Woohoo!

The bus driver entertained us with Disney Trivia on the way back, so the ride seemed very short. The longest part was the driving around the resort as the Springs is the last stop.

Back in my nice, very cool, studio for a quick bath with a bath bomb and into bed for my 1st solid night's sleep in over a year! Yeay!!

Woke up feeling mostly refreshed 8.5 hours later and decided to write a bit on my balcony with my coffee, before heading out to a water park this morning and then where the wind blows me this afternoon. :)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/room2.jpg

Questions or thoughts, are more than welcome!

[bobbiwoz]

It was worth coming over to read!:thumbsup2 I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she.":)

[DizGirl20]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Because I mostly hang out on the DVC boards, I had no idea there was an Adult/Solo Board until I saw your link. Thanks! :thumbsup2 Wherever you are off to today, enjoy and keep us posted.

Oh, I do have a quick question as we have never stayed at SSR. Because you are staying in The Springs, is it pretty much within walking distance to everything (i.e. restaurants, shops, spa, etc.)? I also noted your comment on how quiet it was there. That is so important to me. Our last few stays (OKW, BCV) have not been as quiet as I would have liked, but hey, it's Disney!

Thanks. Have a great day :goodvibes

[photobob]

We will arrive at SSR Sunday, I'll keep an eye on your TR between now and then!

[dizney4us]

great trip report so far! Really enjoying it, we love SSR too! Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, can't wait to read more!:thumbsup2

[heathers4um]

Loving this TR and so happy for you that you are able to do this - it sounds like you deserve it tenfold! :goodvibes

Can't wait to hear more...without rushing your solo trip of course! :thumbsup2

[Simba's Mom]

Loving your trip report. Gee, I never had Mumbles as my ME driver. Gitta watch/listen for him. I didn't notice-is this your first solo trip? It really can be sooo restful. I was overtired once, grabbed a bunch of books, and headed to BWV once with only one day on a park pass. Had a wonderful week away. I'll be very interested to see where you eat.

[Iggipolka]

It was worth coming over to read!:thumbsup2 I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she.":)

I am a she! My wife and I are both female. ;)


Oh, I do have a quick question as we have never stayed at SSR. Because you are staying in The Springs, is it pretty much within walking distance to everything (i.e. restaurants, shops, spa, etc.)? I also noted your comment on how quiet it was there. That is so important to me. Our last few stays (OKW, BCV) have not been as quiet as I would have liked, but hey, it's Disney!


This is my first time at SSR too and the Springs is the closest section to the restaurants, main pool, shop, spa and bus stop. I have maybe a 2 minute very pleasant walk to all of the above. The main pool is busy (normal), but once in my room, even with my balcony door open, I don't hear any people noise. It is so peaceful and relaxing to just listen to the white noise of the fountain while sipping a cold adult beverage on the balcony. I also figured out today that I'm right next to a grand villa, so I peeked in their window as I walked by. Looks pretty impressive!

Loving your trip report. Gee, I never had Mumbles as my ME driver. Gitta watch/listen for him. I didn't notice-is this your first solo trip? It really can be sooo restful. I was overtired once, grabbed a bunch of books, and headed to BWV once with only one day on a park pass. Had a wonderful week away. I'll be very interested to see where you eat.

Thanks! This is my first solo trip and I am loving it! When I was pregnant, my wife and I had a visit to WDW and she got sick with a horrible cold/ear infection. After awhile of me prowling around the villa, she sent me out to the parks so she could rest, so I've had the opportunity to explore the parks solo, but it certainly wasn't the same. Having the chance to do what I want, when I want, how I want..it's a dream!

I'm usually a big foodie type person and love the sit down restaurants at WDW. For this trip though, I just got the quick service dining plan, so my meals are not going to be that exciting. I figured it would be too hot to eat much anyway.

Ok..on to Part 1 of Day 2! :thumbsup2

[Iggipolka]

Arugh! I just wrote a long post about the first part of my day and then my computer ate it. GRUMBLE! Hate that!

Ok..I will try and recreate my wit, but believe me, it was funnier the first time. :lmao:

Sigh.

One of my main reasons for taking this trip was to sleep. Princess Lillian is up between 6:30 and 7:00am every day and when she's up, the whole house is up. So, since I was up at 4am California time and got to sleep at 1am Florida time, I decided I was going to enjoy sleeping as late as I wanted. Maybe even sleep until noon! This is my vacation after all!

6:30am..SPROING My eyes were wide open. This is 3:30am back home, which is often when Lil needs a little comfort, food or both. I reminded myself that 1. there's no baby here and 2. I can sleep as long as I wanted. Go back to sleep self. Except, I started debating about going to MK for rope drop, or maybe Typhoon Lagoon that has AM EMH today or maybe walk around the resort before it gets to hot or..or..or
FINE!
I'll just get up!
heh
Darn brain.

I did enjoy the luxury of being able to take my time, puttering around my room, drinking my coffee (brought from home with filters, thankyouverymuch) on my balcony in my PJs, while watching the resort wake up.

Typhoon Lagoon was calling to me, so I changed into my swimsuit (one year post baby and I'm back in my bikini..never thought that would happen, woot!) and got ready to go. I took a deep breath and decided to leave the cell phone behind. I sent my wife a Txt message to let her know where I was going and said a little prayer that no emergencies would happen. I felt so nekkid w/o my phone! I carry it everywhere since the baby was born, but I didn't want to risk it getting stolen at the water park and no way was I going to rent a $12 locker for just the cell phone. So, I gave up my last bit of faux-control and headed out sans phone.

There was a very nice CM at the bus stop who was monitoring bus arrival, departure and wait times. He asked me where I was going and then radioed in requesting a Typhoon Lagoon bus. We chatted for a bit and he mentioned that he's going on a CM only Fireworks cruise tonight at MK. Too fun! I'm so glad that Disney does neat things like that for their CM's. They need to experience the Magic of the parks too, not just work them.

Within 7 minutes, a Typhoon bus pulled up and after a couple stops at DTD, we were at the park within 10 minutes. I had no idea that Typhoon was so close to SSR! That's great! However, why even bother to stop at Pleasure Island anymore? No one gets on or off there since Disney wrecked it.

Typhoon was not busy at all. I was really surprised. I was able to grab a lounge chair in the shade, dump my book, sunblock, shades and shoes and wandered aimlessly. I decided to do the Scuba Shark Experience at Shark Reef. It's $20 for 30 minutes of surface scuba and is completely worth the money. I forgot to ask if they have a DVC or Disney Visa discount, darn it. Anyway, I've never scubaed before, but the CM did a great job of explaining how the regulator worked and I got the hang of it very quickly. The salt water was FREEZING cold, but I was distracted by the many pretty colored fishes, sharks, sting rays, hidden mickey's and coral. I also chatted with a CM who was hanging out on a rock in the middle of the pool who told me that WDW is the same size as the city of San Francisco, 47 square miles. Wow! I didn't know that. Now I feel like I've gotten my Alzheimer's Inoculation for the day by learning something new. ;)

After leaving the sharks, I had to go and warm up, so I rode Crushin' Gusher. I've never ridden this solo and I don't think my tube even touched the water I was going so fast. At the pool at the bottom of the slide, my tube skipped across the water to the stairs and if the CM hadn't grabbed my tube, I think I would have skipped on out of the pool! It was pretty funny. I'm going to have to get the photopass picture of that! Everyone in line was laughing. :rotfl:

To calm my beating heart, I rode around the lazy river and then played in the waves in the wave pool for a long time. My new game, spot the possible creep who grabs teenage women in the wave pool. Thankfully, everyone I saw today seemed to be innocent enough. :thumbsup2

I was surprised at the number of REALLY young kids way deep in the wave pool. I mean 3 & 4 years old in their life jackets bobbing around with their parents with those huge waves. They and their parents seemed very happy, but I guess I'm the over protective sort. I would want my kid to be a really strong swimmer before I let her way deep in that pool. I get tumbled around a lot there and I'm an adult. Granted, I'm short so some of these kids may actually be bigger than I am! :rotfl2:

After I was completely water logged, I needed lunch. It was around 1pm, so the line was expectantly long. No big deal, I'm on vacation! Woo! I got a chicken wrap, fries, fruit salad and lemon aid. I figured out that the line wasn't long because of the number of people, but because the food delivery system is completely inefficient. There had to be a dozen CM's behind the counter kinda milling around with really only one person delivering food. I saw several completed orders waiting for someone to take them to the window and no was one doing anything. Totally bizzare.

I took my food back to my lounge chair so I could eat while reading my book. I love just relaxing, reading & people watching. The chicken wrap was ok. It tasted better with a little honey mustard on it. It was food and did it's job. The fries were nasty and I saved the fruit salad for breakfast tomorrow. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular from water park food, so I was happy.

After lunch, I noticed that the park had really filled up. I was going to go on the other raft rides, but the lines were just way too long. So I relaxed at the edge of the wave pool with my book for quite awhile, just enjoying the feel of the water, the hot sun and the interesting people watching. When I got too hot, I took another trip on the lazy river and some more times getting tumbled by the waves before deciding to call it a day. I was getting a little nervous about afternoon thunder clouds moving in too.

This is what I love about solo travel. I got to chill and do what I wanted and then leave when I wanted. Badda Bing, Badda Boom. :thumbsup2

On my way out, I stopped and got a Tinkerbell temporary tattoo on my right ankle, presents for my wife and baby (matching Buzz Lightyear water shoes) and some tasty mini-donuts for the road. Love those mini-donuts.

Some poor little kid at the bus stop was crying because he cut his chin on one of the slides. His mom gave him a band-aid and a kiss and once he was calmer, I asked his mom if he and his sister could have a donut. She was happy, the kids were thrilled and I think I have a new best friend for life now. He was the nicest little boy. I so enjoy chatting with other guests, especially the kids, because they are so enthusiastic.

After a 10-12 minute wait, the SSR bus pulled up and this time, the Springs was the 1st stop. :confused3 Last night, It was the last stop! Too strange.

I went to Artist Palate to get my Mug included in the Quick Service dining plan and took a look at their other offerings for another time. The flat breads look really tasty as does the Asian Salad. I'm going to have to try that later. There were a number of people doing complete grocery shopping (eggs, bacon, bread, milk, lunch meat, wine). I really wanted to tell them about the Grocery Store Delivery options that are much less expensive, but I controlled myself. I just filled up my mug with Diet Coke (drink of the Gods) and headed back to my room for some 'puter time and relaxation.

Oh, I should mention that there was bingo and a dance party going on at the main pool. The pool was not that crowded with lots of lounge chairs available. I was surprised as usually the main pools are packed in the heat of the day.

Everyone warned me that June was an overwhelming crowded time of year to visit WDW and that I would hate the crowds and the heat. Well, aside from Parade time last night at MK (which happens regardless of time of year), I haven't seen any crowds. As far as the heat, I don't find it to be a problem at all. I've felt very comfortable!

So, tonight, I'm thinking about heading over to DHS to play Toy Story and then to Epcot for dinner and Illuminations. But first, I gotta get a shower and get the fish poop off of me from Shark Reef! :lmao:

[DFD]

enjoying your updates!

It was worth coming over to read!:thumbsup2 I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she.":)

hey stranger!

We will arrive at SSR Sunday, I'll keep an eye on your TR between now and then!

enjoy SSR!!!

[manntra]

Hi there :wave: It sounds like you are having an amazing and relaxing time :goodvibes
I have only been to SSR once....it was in January and it was very cold and we were quite far from the main area. That being said it was a beautiful resort and I enjoyed my stay but next time it would have to be closer...if only to eat those delicious flatbreads!!! I remember having a cheeseburger (no onion :crazy2:) flatbread....I don't even eat cheeseburgers in my real life :rotfl: loved them!! :rotfl2:
I always stock up on Lush when I am in the MCO airport :lmao: If you start running low you can always take a boat over to DTD and pop in Basin....DVC discount there too ;)
I was all set for my first solo trip in October but I asked a friend of mine if she wanted to come along and she is....it will be fun though....Food and Wine :thumbsup2 Although I was looking forward to the solo I am sure I will have others in the future:goodvibes
Hope you are having a good night at DHS and Epcot....where are you eating tonight?

Tracy

[es45]

I was surprised at the number of REALLY young kids way deep in the wave pool. I mean 3 & 4 years old in their life jackets bobbing around with their parents with those huge waves. They and their parents seemed very happy, but I guess I'm the over protective sort. I would want my kid to be a really strong swimmer before I let her way deep in that pool.

I think the same parents and kids were out there when we visited last year. I watched them, amazed at their lack of fear, while my DD5 clung to me in ankle-deep water! ;)

[Iggipolka]

*snip*
Hope you are having a good night at DHS and Epcot....where are you eating tonight?
Tracy

Thanks Tracy!
I am having a great night! I would not like to stay at SSR without a car if I was very far from the main area. It's just way too big. I do have to agree with you about the flatbreads though. I was eyeing the cheeseburger one earlier! I'll post about my dinner choice in a minute. I think you'll be happy. ;)

I think the same parents and kids were out there when we visited last year. I watched them, amazed at their lack of fear, while my DD5 clung to me in ankle-deep water! ;)

Omg! I get scared at that deep water. I am totally with your DS on that part.

Ok..next post, day 2, part 2! Thanks for reading along. :thumbsup2

[Iggipolka]

I had some nice downtime in my room, enjoying the wireless on the balcony and just resting my feet a bit before showering and heading out to DHS.

Once again, the bus appeared within 10 minutes and it was a quick journey to DHS. I finally found the crowds. The park was quite busy, but I still felt comfortable and that's important. I have really bad claustrophobia and cannot handle being packed in with huge crowds. No worries here though.

It was 6pm and I was feeling a bit hungry, but I wanted to ride R&R before I ate. :lmao: I headed over there and soon was zooming around the alley to catch my Super Stretch Limo. Since I was a single rider, they placed me with another Single Rider. She was a young, attractive (to me) woman who called me "sweetie" and we chit chatted in line for a bit. I kind of got the feeling she was hitting on me! She warned me that she's "a screamer (long pause) on roller coasters". Uh huh. We took off and DAMN..I love that ride. She was loud, but I think I beat her in the screaming department. My throat is still sore!

When we were coasting back to the end of the ride, she asked me how old I was and when I told her my age, she did a massive double take. It was so funny! She said "I thought you were in your 20's! I was totally hitting on you back there!" She wouldn't believe my age until I showed her my Driver's License. :lmao: I got a nice ego boost out of that. :cutie: I immediately sent my wife a text message letting her know that she has competition. She thought it was pretty funny. :)

I took my time wandering through the park, just soaking up the atmosphere while on my way to TSMM. DHS never really does much for me. I like R&R and TSMM, the Animation Studio and the Ariel and Beauty and the Beast shows, but I don't like the confusing way the park is laid out. I always get lost and I've been there so often. So, I wanted to really slow down and find the details.

TSMM was great, as always. I like the new Balloon pop, even though I haven't seen TS 3 yet. I miss Little Bo Peep though. I got 187,035, which is a Cat, so I was happy.

By 8:00 I realized I had a decision to make. I could scoot over to Epcot to grab some dinner and see Illuminations if I left DHS immediately, or I could just go back to SSR and have an early night. My Disney Freak screamed Epcot!! My Adult tired self said "You won't get home until 11pm with lots of people waiting for buses after Illuminations, you have an early day planned tomorrow and the past two nights you've gotten very little sleep." Soo..I did the responsible thing and came back to SSR.

In retrospect, I'm glad I did, but at the time, I had a very loud battle in my head. Now I understand what my schizophrenic patients go through! ;)

Once again, I waited less than 10 minutes for an SSR bus. I also had a lovely conversation with a couple who lives about 30 minutes from my home in California! Too funny.

Back at SSR, I decided that even though I wasn't very hungry, I needed to eat something. I went to Artist's Palate and stood in an extremely slow moving line. There was a mom & dad with two young kids (girl 2, boy 4) waiting right behind me who kept ordering their over tired, hungry kids to sit in their strollers. The kids were totally done with their strollers and were quite unhappy about being in them. Mom & Dad were also over tired and hungry and just done with their kids! I was bored with waiting, so I played peek-a-boo with the 2 year old and kept chatting with the boy about all the fun things he did today. Kept me and them entertained. The parents seemed a bit freaked out about this strange lady talking to their kids and didn't say a word to me! Too funny!

I finally got my Grilled Vegetable Flatbread, substituted my dessert for a tomato & mozzarella salad and got a bottle of OJ for my drink. I wanted the OJ for breakfast. I also used my 2 snack credits from today to get a single serve cereal and a milk for tomorrow's breakfast. So, now I'm all set for tomorrow morning!

The flatbread was good, probably would have been better if I had eaten it there while it was hot, but I wanted to get back to my room. The salad was awesome with very ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. I had also picked up a bottle of wine, so it was a tasty dinner. :thumbsup2

Now I'm going to relax, play on the net for a bit and get ready for a very busy day tomorrow. Tomorrow is my 8 hour, Backstage Magic Tour! WOOHOO! I'm so excited for this! I've always wanted to do this tour and I figured that now is the perfect opportunity. Can't wait! :cool1:

[Simba's Mom]

Gee, my brain has had that same arguement. What's nice about being solo is that no matter what you end up doing, YOU won the arguement! There's no one else dragging you around when you really want to rest.
Enjoy the backstage magic tour and please tell us about it.

[MousekaMaddi]

Your tiny princess is adorable! Cute pix!
Disney solo sounds fun but our DD7 would never speak to me again if I did it! She and I leave in 15 days while daddy stays home to work!:lmao:

Love your report, I was very interested in your resort, so thx in advance!
More please.......:3dglasses

[GaRain]

Nice following along "live" with you!
Love traveling solo!
Have never stayed at SSR, but rode the bus through on my way to DTD...man, that place is HUGE, I know I would get confused and lost!
Can't wait to hear about the backstage magic tour!!!

[jekjones1558]

Thanks for posting such a great report. I have only had 2 days solo and I loved them, except for the dining alone part. Waiting for the next update...

[DMOMof3]

Just joined in and all caught up.. Can't wait to read the next report.

Sitting here at work dreaming of a solo trip:surfweb:

[heathers4um]

You are making me want to plan a solo trip for sure! I have never been to any of the water parks and had no idea things like scuba were offered! That sounds so exciting as I have only snorkeled - once - in my life when I was in college...just a short itme ago :rolleyes1

cant wait for more...popcorn::

[ClareH37]

Sounds an absolutely fantastic trip - I love that solo 'feeling' too, being able to do exactly what you want, when you want, bliss :cool1:

[manntra]

Glad you enjoyed the flatbread! :thumbsup2 I had that same salad also :)
Great score on TSMM.....I remember doing the balloon pop but I swear Little Bo Creep (:rotfl2: that is what my niece calls her...when she is out in the parade she is a bit creepy;)) was there in May...I will have to pay attention in October!!
Hope you are enjoying your tour and will share your secrets!! :goodvibes

Tracy

[DFD]

ohhh now I want some flatbread!!!

glad you are having a wodnerful time..

yesss.. great score at TSM :thumbsup2

now go have more fun and share it with us lonely ones... :)

[Iggipolka]

One of the blessings of being a DVC member and traveling to WDW several times throughout the year, is that we rarely do a marathon day at the parks anymore. We've even been known to go into a park, do one ride, grab something to eat and head out completely happy.

Today, was not one of those days.

OMG..am I tired! So much for getting my rest and relaxation on this trip! This is going to be a short report before I fall over. :rotfl2:

I was up by 7 this morning and crawled out of my comphy SSR bed and into the shower, turning on the coffee pot as I went. It's been so quite in my room that I just have to believe that the 1-bedroom next to me is unoccupied. There's just no way that the sound proofing is that good. With the bliss of the quiet, I am sleeping super soundly, so getting up this morning was not easy.

However, with the glee of the Backstage Magic tour as motivation, I was at the bus stop by 7:45 anxiously waiting. And waiting. And waiting. My bus karma ran out on the morning I actually had to be someplace! Another poor couple was trying to make the 8:15am Segway tour at Epcot and they'd been waiting since 7:00am for a bus! The bus stop CM was of absolutely no help "I honestly don't know when a bus will arrive and dispatch won't tell me."
Ooookay

So, the other couple and I split a cab to Epcot. I made it there in plenty of time and the $6 for me was well spent. I hope that they made their tour as the Segway tour is a lot of fun!

I highly recommend the Backstage Magic tour!! I can't say enough good things about it, except that we were asked not to talk about it! Umm..ok. I'll just give a few highlights. We started in Epcot and learned that the American Pavilion was originally going to be located inbetween Canada and Mexico. Makes sense, huh? Well, then the realized that people would just stop there and not go around the lagoon, so that idea was changed.

We also got to see the inner workings of the American Adventure, which was AMAZING. OMG..I loved that show before, I love it more now.

Then it was off to Magic Kingdom where we first stopped at a gigantic machine shop where they build all of the ride vehicles from scratch, assemble them and paint them. They also repair and paint the buses and signs and pretty much all the rest of the hardware. Way cool to see bits and pieces of various ride vehicles in stages of assembly.
We also toured the tunnels under MK and walked down Mainstreet.

Lunch was at the Whispering Canyon at the Wilderness Lodge. I was a bit leery of this lunch because I haven't had good experiences with the food there. Well, they either improved it greatly, or they treat the tour guests better because the food was outstanding. The ribs were super fall off the bone, tender, chicken was moist and tasty, all the other stuff in the skillet was yum and the berry cobbler with ice cream was to die for. So good.

We all sat family style, so I didn't feel weird about being solo. In fact, there were a couple other solo people on this tour, so I wasn't even the only one. Everyone was super friendly and we chatted throughout the tour and they even invited me out to Jelly Rolls tonight! So nice of them. I didn't make it there, but that's for later.

Ok, back on the bus after lunch and over to DHS where we went behind the scenes to the costume shop where they make and repair all of the costumes (way cool) and we got a very close view of a ToT ride vehicle. They went into great detail about how ToT actually works, which helps to diffuse some of my fears about this ride. I still doubt I'll ever ride it again, since the last time I did I had a major panic attack at the end, but I'm happy to inform you that it is a very safe ride. :)

We then went to Animal Kingdom and walked through where the floats for the parade are kept and also saw the green houses for the horticulture. It was really fascinating to see how the topiarys are made and the large number of plants that are grown on property. The amount of care that Disney puts into something like a hanging basket, is really amazing. I'm going to pay so much more attention to those baskets on Main Street now!

We then got to watch the Parade at AK, which was awesome after just walking right next to them while they were in storage.

Sadly, that was the end of the 8.5 hour tour and they dropped us off at Epcot by 5pm.

Again, well worth doing.

Ok..I'm just too tired to continue this tonight. I'll pick up the evening tomorrow after I crash out! Super fun day. :thumbsup2

[DFD]

great update! thank you!

[kathmzh]

Just joined, enjoying your reports! The tour sounds amazing. I love SSR too...and the flatbreads!

[iluveeyore]

Just found your report and am really enjoying it - I've been on two solos and long for another one someday! Happy to read about your positive experiences - always nice to show my hubby the DIS solo reports and say 'see, I'm not the only one on the planet that likes to go to WDW solo!':goodvibes Can't wait to read more!:surfweb:

[Iggipolka]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the comments and reading along. I always wonder if it's "worth it" to do a trip report, but I know I have so much fun reading them when I'm stuck at home that this feels like my turn to give a back a bit of the magic.

I am so glad I did this trip. I still have twinges of Mama Guilt and Spouse Guilt, but usually a Mickey Bar or a spin on a roller coaster that neither of them could or would do, sends the Guilties back into hiding for awhile. ;)

Ok, so where I was I. Oh ya, the 2nd part of my Marathon Friday.

The fantastic Backstage Magic Tour ended in the Epcot Bus Parking lot at 4:30. So romantic. Hi, Bye..your tour is done, have a pin and get off our bus. heh

I had a decision to make. I really wanted to see Illuminations since my wife finds it incredibly boring (how that is possible, I have no idea) so we rarely see it when we travel together. I was also really tired with super sore feet, so my debate was the usual one of ---Go back to Resort and chill before heading back out for Illuminations, or Damn It, I'm at Disney World and I wanna see stuff! Since my responsible side (Super Ego) won the night before, I decided to let my Id (see Freud: Id, Ego, Superego) win and it did a little dance to the Epcot entry music. :banana:

I headed over to Soarn' with a stop for a soft pretzel. Those pretzels always taste so good. I can get them at home in the freezer section of my grocery store, but they never taste as good as they do at WDW.

Soarin' was awesome, as always. I teared up a bit when we zoomed over the Golden Gate Bridge, made me a little homesick. I was riding next to a couple who had never been on the ride before, and their Ohh's and Ahh's were so much fun to share in.

Next up, I had a date with a Totally Awesome Dude - Crush! I never miss Turtle Talk and he was in rare form. He asked a Dad if he knew the little girl that identified him as her father, and the Dad said "No"! Crush asked him if he had other little off spring he didn't know about. Dad said "Probably".
Crush had the most surprised and shocked look on his face. He then said "Duuuuude. Remember, this is Disney, Cha?" It was super funny.

After chuckling at Crush, I headed back across Future World with a stop at Space Ship Earth for a nap, er..I mean to listen to Dame Judy. Love her voice. I like the new computer scene at the top with Uhura in her Go Go Boots.

Time for Test Track! I rode in the back of the car and it seems faster back there then in front. Maybe because the windshield prevents the wind from whipping my hair around so much, but in back, I felt like we were going much faster than 65.

It was around 7pm now and I was STARVING. I always seem to forget to eat at WDW until I'm absolutely famished. I thought about getting some Fish-n-Chips, so off to England I went. When I got there, I remembered that I had the phone number for one of the phone booths in England. I've called it from home and have had several lovely chats with people and I wanted to call while I was at Epcot to actually see who I was talking to.

Well, the guy who answered the phone was so rude! He was a person in his early 20's, all dressed in black and kept swearing at me for "interrupting a family vacation by calling on the phone". I kept thinking to myself that he was the one who answered the phone! I think he was just messing with me, but it was weird. He finally hung up by yelling "Stranger Danger!" Umm..ok. I decided I needed food before I tried the phone booth thing again.

It was still in the lower 90's at 7:30pm and the heavy grease smell of fish-n-chips was just not doing it for me. I went to Japan and thought about eating at the TS place there as a splurge, but ended up getting sushi at the CS place instead. Yes, I know it's supermarket quality California rolls, but it was tasty and cool.

I ate sitting outside by the World Showcase Lagoon and enjoyed the night breeze and the people watching. Epcot was quite busy and there were three separate Illuminations Viewing Parties being set up. It was interesting to watch them get the areas ready for guests and also to see how CM's handled guests who wanted to enter those areas w/o permission.

At one point, I saw Disney Security assist with "escorting" a obviously intoxicated guest away who was trying (highly unsuccessfully) to step over the rope into the party area. The CM and I were pretty amused by the guest's efforts. He stepped up about a foot away from the rope and then seemed surprised that the rope was still in front of him, so he tried again..and again...and again... Sad and funny. I'm not sure if he was by himself or his family were too embarrassed to claim him!

After my dinner and watching this "show", I decided I needed a drink myself! So, off to Mexico to the Tequila bar I went. The Tequila bar was mobbed with people, but I managed to snag a bar tender and ordered an Avocado Margarita. I know, it sounds gross, but it was soooo good. I don't like sweet drinks and this had just enough sour to make me very happy. I chatted with a lovely couple next to me who were DATW and they shared their guac and chips with me for a bit before I wished them luck on their quest.

It was 8:30 and I found a spot along the Lagoon just outside of Mexico to wait for Illuminations. I was just next to one of the big fire torch things, which I didn't think much about, until 8:45 when they lit that thing up and sweat poured down my face. Umm..wow. Fire is hot. heh :rotfl:

I love Illuminations and I had a great spot for it. Usually I watch from the other side of the Lagoon, but I think I actually prefer the Mexico side. I had a better view of the globe than I do from around France and could actually make out the scenes on the globe. Of course, I cried at the end. Doesn't everyone? :confused3

I know this sounds crazy and perhaps it was, but at the end of Illuminations, I decided to walk allll the way around to the other wide of WS. I figured that instead of walking the quick way out past Mexico which was right behind me and then waiting for the bus with the rest of the crowd, I'd take my time and enjoy the night.

It was a lovely walk. The air had cooled down just enough so it was very comfortable and once the massive crush of people past, the WS was quiet and relaxing. It was a long walk on tired feet, but a delightful one just the same.

Some people from the tour had invited me to join them at Jelly Rolls and as I past the International Gateway, I briefly considered joining them. If I had been staying at Boardwalk or Beach Club Villas, I probably would have, but getting back to SSR from Jelly Rolls would have been a hassle. Even my Id, tiredly agreed that it was time to go home.

So, I marched from WS, through the rose garden, past the fountain, past the golf ball, past the graveyard and out the gates to the bus. Thankfully a SSR bus pulled up within a couple minutes of my arrival at the stop. Yeay!

I was back in my room by 11:00 and crashed out in bed by 11:30. At 12:30, my next door neighbors in the 1 bedroom arrived and after much talking and toilet flushing, they were finally quiet. I guess I had been right in my suspicions that that villa had been empty for the first few days I have been here.

My plan for Saturday - sleep late and then go to AK for a brief moment to ride Everest and then over to the Poly for a Dis Meet, followed by relaxing pool time. ...

[Iggipolka]

Ya know what they say about plans? Don't bother making them because they will always change. Well, one good thing about Solo trips, is that I can be a lot more flexible when it's just me, than when it's me, the wife and the baby. This day called for a lot of flexibility.

6:00am "THE CIRCLE OF LIFFEEEEEEEE" What the heck? Ok, my language was a lot stronger than that, but this is a family board. At 6:00am, my neighbors in the 1-bedroom Villa were BLASTING the Circle of Life. OMG..someone is going to have to die. I tried to doze through the music, but there was just no way.

So, I peeked my head out my door and got their room number. I called them, someone answered, but no one said anything. I hung up and called again, this time (very politely, I must say, I said "This is your next door neighbor calling, I love Disney Music as much as the next fan, but I don't like it at 6:00 in the morning when I'm trying to sleep. Please turn off the Disney Music until after 8:00." and hung up. It worked, because they switched to Rap. :sad2:

After a few more choice words to myself, I gave up and decided that since I was up, I might as well start my day. I realized that AK had AM EMH, so after grabbing the last 1/4 of the giant blueberry muffin from MK that had been feeding me for three days(!) I headed off to the bus stop.

I got to AK at 7:30 and they were already letting Guests into all areas of the park. Woo! I rode the Safari twice w/o waiting for a moment and the animals were all out. In fact, we got stopped by a Black Rhino who was just happy to stand in the middle of the road for a good long time. I even saw the Lion actually stand up! That's the most movement I've ever seen him do. I do wish Disney would get rid of that Poacher story line. It really detracts from the safari.

After the sarafi, I walked on the jungle trek right at the exit to the ride and said hello to the cute Meercats and the 4 month old baby gorilla. So cute.

In Asia, I rode Kali River Rapids and ended up totally soaked. It's the fault of the woman next to me. She was poking fun at her husband and son who were sitting across from us, telling them that they were going to get SOOO wet. Well, Kali heard her and soaked her and me good. I told her that I'm never sitting next to her again on a river raft ride. :rolleyes: It was actually fine because by 9:30, it was Animal Kingdom Hot and I was dry within 20 minutes.

I was getting hungry, but I knew I wanted to see the Yeti and eating before Everest, just didn't seem like a good idea. The single rider line was moving very fast, so I got to ride twice. Woohoo! I love Everest! To me, this ride is more exhilarating than R&R and it always freaks me out a bit. Ok, a lot actually. I think it's the backwards uphill that gets me the most. So fun though.

It was close to 11:00 and I was starting to think about heading out to go to the Poly to grab some sushi from the Kona Sushi bar and hang out at the pool before the Dis Meet. I had brought my swimsuit with me, so I was all prepared. Plus, I was hungry and food was sounding really good. However, as I was on my way out, I noticed that Nemo was at 11:30 and they were just loading the theater. I couldn't leave w/o seeing Nemo!

"It's a Biiiiiig Blue Worrrrld"

And I now have that song stuck in my head for the rest of my life. Nemo, The Musical, is awsome. It has to be my favorite show at WDW, even more so than the Lion King. The puppets are amazing, the quality of the singing is great, the sets are fantastic, it's just a really good show.

Ok, so now it's close to noon and I'm starving, but I really want sushi for lunch. I thought about back tracking to Yak and Yeti CS to get an egg roll snack, but that just seemed too far away. I stopped at Flame Tree and was just about to suck it up and have lunch there, but my wife called, so I chatted with her as I walked out of the park to find the Poly Bus.

The bus came relatively quickly and the bus driver's switched. I guess Noon is a bus shift change? The new driver got on and I just have to wonder if an age limit or a more frequent driver's test when one is of advanced age, might be appropriate.

The driver took (no exaggeration) 20 minutes to get his seat right. He even had to call over a manager to help him adjust the seat. Then he had to get out and adjust the mirrors. Then he lowered the bus and raised the bus and lowered the bus and raised the bus. Externally, I stared at the scenery, internally I was screaming. The man across from me kept muttering "Just drive. Just drive the "f"ing bus. If you don't start driving, I'm gonna drive it for you." Heh. It's funny now, but not so funny then.

Finally, he got it together and off we went. It was a scary ride, with lots of SURPRISE braking, but we made it finally to the Poly at around 1:00. I was famished and so looking forward to a big plate of sushi. I went upstairs and to my dismay, the sushi bar was empty with no pretty displays of tasty fish and no sushi chefs. I asked at the Kona if I could get sushi there, but was told that they don't serve sushi until 5pm. Cry! :guilty:

So...I tried to look on the bright side and think about the money I saved by going down to Cpt Cooks and eating a CS meal on my QS dining plan instead of expensive and tasty fishies. Besides, Fish are Friends, not Food!

I got a fresh Hawaiian Chicken Salad with mixed spring greens, pineapple, wonton chips and blue cheese with a Dole Whip for dessert. The salad was Delicious and I certainly would get this again. Dole whips are always two thumbs up. :thumbsup2:thumbsup2

The Dis Meet was at the Lounge at 2pm and about 30 people attended. I had a lot of fun chatting with people and putting faces to screen names. Plus I got my baby fix as there were about 3 babies in attendance. Super cuties too.

I forgot to mention that while waiting for the Nemo show to start, I called Disney Visa because my Rewards Card that had $80 on it on Wednesday, was suddenly empty when I tried to use it at Mexico the night before. I had all of my receipts and somehow I was missing $20 reward dollars. Disney Visa reviewed the charges and I had been double charged at Typhoon Lagoon for the scuba I did there on Thursday. Instead of being charged $20, I was charged $40! I asked Disney Visa to fix the problem and they told me I had to go back to Typhoon Lagoon to get the charges reversed.

I wasn't happy about this.

My plan for after the Dis Meet was to go back to SSR and relax by the pool with a fruity adult beverage. Instead, I took the DTD/Typhoon Lagoon bus from the Poly which took FOREVER. I waited a long time in very hot temps for any bus to come at the Poly. I don't know if this is a normal experience, but if it is, the people who are spending a lot of money to stay at the Poly should be very ticked off.

I got back to Typhoon Lagoon and talked to Kathy at the Shark Reef Scuba place. She was the same person who checked me in on Thursday and she remembered me! She was very nice, but unfortunately, not able to help me. I called Disney Visa again and explained the situation again. I was put on endless hold while Kathy and I chatted. She writes up the receipts with the CC information and then turns that information into her managers at the end of the day. They are the ones who actually run the CC's, so Kathy said she would speak to her managers in the morning about it (they were gone for the day). Her managers aren't even located at Typhoon Lagoon, but at the Circle D Ranch at Ft. Wilderness of all places! Sharks - Ft. Wilderness...umm..ya, I see the connection?

Finally, the Disney Visa lady came back on the line and said she would "escalate" my problem, but I wouldn't hear back from Disney Visa until Monday. Well, I'm leaving WDW on Monday so I guess if I get my $20 back, it will have to wait for another Disney Trip. Good thing I'm going to DL in July. Kathy did say she'd call me on Sunday and let me know what her managers say.

I briefly thought about going swimming at Typhoon, after all, I had my swim stuff with me, but decided that the pool at SSR was more inviting.

The SSR bus pulled up as soon as I reached the bus stop and delightfully, the Springs is the first stop when coming from Typhoon Lagoon. Woohoo!

I quickly changed and got down to the pool around 5:30. Bliss, pure bliss. The water was the perfect temp and it felt soo good on my tired, sore feet and muscles. I read and swam for a little over and hour and was so happy.

For dinner, I stopped at Artist Palate and just had to try the Cheeseburger Flatbread that came so highly recommended here. Yumm-O! Very tasty with the tomato salad. I also got a yogurt parfait for breakfast tomorrow.

Tonight has been a relaxing night typing and people watching from my balcony. It's going to be an early bedtime and hopefully my neighbors will be a little (ok, a lot) more considerate in the morning.

Tomorrow is my last day and my 1st and last days, are always MK days. I have some shopping for friends I need to do and I want to explore the "old" Fantasy Land before it goes away. I'm also hoping to get some more relaxing pool time in before my solo trip draws to a close and the *gasp* real world sneaks back in.

But first, one more happy day of vacation coming up!

[DisneyFreak06]

I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I've been lurking here since you started your TR and I've been totally enjoying it! I normally don't bother with TRs that don't have pictures (I love me some pictures!) but you write so well that I don't need pictures, I can see it all in my head! :)

[Simba's Mom]

Congrats on seeing the baby gorilla at AK. For a while, he was very ellusive. I tried 3 different times the end of April/beginning of May and he hid. CMs there said they'd been unable to see him. Yet, my parents saw him in March. I'm so envious!
Good luck with your rewards points. That must have been a pain to have to go back to Typhoon Lagoon.

[manntra]

Enjoy your day tomorrow!!!! :goodvibes
I am so glad you enjoyed the cheeseburger flatbread!! That sounds so good right now! :thumbsup2
Wow....what a lot of "extras" you had to deal with....your friendly neighbors, the rude boy in England, the needs to really retire this time bus driver, no sushi, the Disney Visa mishap....:rolleyes:
Here is a little pixie dust that you will have a magical day tomorrow pixiedust:

Tracy

[Iggipolka]

I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I've been lurking here since you started your TR and I've been totally enjoying it! I normally don't bother with TRs that don't have pictures (I love me some pictures!) but you write so well that I don't need pictures, I can see it all in my head! :)

Thank you so much! I usually only read TR with pictures too and my past TR's have been loaded with pics. This trip, I left the camera at home so I could just concentrate on being present with the magic, rather than being the photographer.

I have been taking a couple pics with my cruddy cell phone though.

Stitch Topiary during the Backstage Tour

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/stitch.jpg

My scary white legs and tired feet, resting while waiting for Illuminations. ;)

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/feet.jpg

Congrats on seeing the baby gorilla at AK. For a while, he was very ellusive. I tried 3 different times the end of April/beginning of May and he hid. CMs there said they'd been unable to see him. Yet, my parents saw him in March. I'm so envious!
Good luck with your rewards points. That must have been a pain to have to go back to Typhoon Lagoon.

The little baby gorilla was so adorable and Mom was taking good care of him too. He was crawling all over her and she just had this very patient look on her face. Super cute.

Going back to Typhoon Lagoon was a pain, especially after I was told that I didn't really have to do that. Arugh! I'm hoping to hear back from Management today in regards to my points.

Enjoy your day tomorrow!!!! :goodvibes
I am so glad you enjoyed the cheeseburger flatbread!! That sounds so good right now! :thumbsup2
Wow....what a lot of "extras" you had to deal with....your friendly neighbors, the rude boy in England, the needs to really retire this time bus driver, no sushi, the Disney Visa mishap....:rolleyes:
Here is a little pixie dust that you will have a magical day tomorrow pixiedust:

Tracy

Thanks Tracy! It was an adventure yesterday, but still a great day. How could it not be? I'm at Disney World!

[Iggipolka]

Today is my last full day of vacation as I leave tomorrow morning to go back to California. Bummer. I miss my daughter and my wife though, so it will be lovely to see them. Ok..I'm not going to dwell on that because I still have today!

But first, last night. I crashed out at 9:30(!) and immediately fell into a deep sleep. My neighbors came home at 11:00 and were loudly talking. I thought to myself that I'd give them an hour to settle down before I got upset. It sounded like two or three college (drunk) college age women and one of them was upset with the others for "dissing" her. I heard the whole argument loud and clear. Because they were already angry, I decided against calling them or going over there myself and at midnight when they were still arguing, I called the Front Desk who said they would send Security.

At 12:30 Security arrived and things settled down a bit. They were still talking, but at least they stopped slamming things and I couldn't exactly hear what they were saying anymore. By 1:00, they were quiet and I went back to sleep.

6:00 they were up and slamming around again. Oh to have the energy of the youth. The "dissed" one was still angry and ate all of the cereal this morning, much to the others annoyance. She responded with "payback is a b*tch". Oh she's going to be a joy to be with today. I have to wonder why they are traveling together when already on their 2nd day, they hate each other?

Thankfully, they slammed out of the room by 7:00 and I went back to sleep until 9:00. Ahh..the bliss of sleeping until 9:00. I haven't been able to do that for 14 months now. :) 'course, my sleep was just as interrupted as it is at home!:rotfl:

I considered switching rooms, but since I'm just here one more night, I'm going to suck it up and deal. I don't want to be homeless today while waiting for a new room to open up anyway.

So, my new revised plan for the day, go to DTD for some shopping, pool time this afternoon and MK this evening.

At the moment, I'm munching on a Yogurt Parfait and coffee for breakfast and enjoying the delightful quiet and peace of my balcony. I'm going to miss SSR. This is such a relaxing resort.

[Iggipolka]

I just had to share this picture my wife sent me last night. My daughter, Lillian (yes, named after Walt's wife - I didn't tell my wife that's why I liked the name until after the baby was born ;) ), wanted to climb on our dog's chair. Well, Bella was already sitting there, so Lil climbed up over Bella and sat on her instead! We have a very patient dog. :rotfl: Poor puppy.
Lil is happy though!

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/LilBella.jpg

[puggymom]

Thanks for your report, I love Solo trips to the World.

I took the Backstage Tour in 2007 and it sounds like a completely different tour now, AK wasn't included and lunch was at Mama Melrose and no ToT included. Makes we want to go again.

I keep saying I am going to pool hop with my DVC membership to Poly and never get to it. Too bad about the Visa mess up, hopefully you got it straightened out.

I love that your dog has its own chair:thumbsup2 My dogs think they have their own house and just allow me to live here:lmao:

[rmom50]

Thanks so much for this fun read! I'm a solo traveler and enjoying your report. You are trying some things that I haven't yet, but want to. I always do MK on my last day too. Have a safe trip home. :flower3:

[Iggipolka]

What a great day! I had a very relaxing & easy day, which is just perfect for the last day of my get-a-way.

I walked over to DTD, which was a very pleasant 15 minute walk from the Springs section of SSR. The view of DTD from Congress park is wonderful and I'm sure at night it's just gorgeous. I got to see the balloon at DTD go up and down a couple of times. Wow, that really goes high! I don't think that is something I ever care to do.

It was a very hot day today and I was surprised at how crowded DTD was at 10:30am. I thought it would be empty and I could do some quick shopping, but the World of Disney store was crazy busy. That store always overwhelms me, but I managed to find a few t-shirts for friends and a couple goodies for my wife. She's also a pin collector, so I had to stop at the Pin Store to get the Passholder pins.

I was looking for the pet store that used to be at DTD, just off of the World of Disney store, but couldn't find it. I didn't want to go home without gifts for the pets, but I guess that they'll just have to get extra special strokes and brushings from me instead of presents! I don't think they'll mind. :lmao:

After shopping, I had lunch at Wolfgang Puck's Express. I'd never eaten there before and I am so impressed! I had a really tasty Chinese chicken salad, an ice tea and took a cookie to eat on the plane tomorrow. The salad was delicious and the meal was such a value on the Dining Plan. I was amazed at the number of people getting big heavy meals like Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf and Alfredo Pasta. I just can't eat like that when it's close to 100 degrees and 80% humidity.

I was going to take the boat back to SSR, but it was such a lovely easy walk, that I just walked back. When I got back to my room, I dumped my purchases and changed into my swimsuit for the pool! Woo! I had a perfect afternoon sitting in the pool with the water up to my chest, reading my book. Every so often, I'd put my book up on a rock and swim around a bit, then head back to "my spot" and read some more. I was cool and happy and enjoyed the people watching.

Opinion alert: I was very surprised by the number of people with very tiny babies who were out with them at the pool in the middle of a very hot, very sunny day. These were babies well under 6 months of age, so too young to have sunblock on them. The majority of the babies were not happy and were making it known how much they weren't happy. Now, I was one of those mother's who took an infant to WDW. When Lil was 3 months old, I took her (with my brother and his family) to WDW in August and we stayed at the Boardwalk Villas. We didn't go out in the middle of the day though and I only took her into Epcot at night when it was cooler. Just my opinion, but I felt bad for the obviously unhappy babies who would have been much happier napping or staring at the ceiling fan in the room.

Ok, opinion over. Around 3:00, I decided to get myself together and head over to MK for the evening. I showered and changed and was on the bus to MK by 3:30. I had an entire bus to myself! I couldn't believe I was the only one going to MK at that time. The bus driver and I chatted and he told me all about the luxury homes that are being built on WDW property, close to Ft. Wilderness. They start at 1.5 million and go up to 8 million, so start saving your pennies! :rotfl2:

MK was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. My first stop, the Bakery for an ice cream sandwich. My general rule is to not eat anything bigger than my head, but this was an exception.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/cookie.jpg

So tasty.

The wind was kicking up and clouds were looking pretty nasty, so I decided to head for an indoor attraction before the rain started. The Hall of Presidents was close by, so I visited Obama and the rest of the gang while it rained. It was perfect timing, because as soon as the show was over, the rain stopped!

It was still pretty hot though, so I went over to Splash Mountain to cool off. I got very wet. So wet that several hours later, my shorts are still damp. It felt good at the time though.

Since I was at that end of the park, I decided to ride BTMR, which didn't even have much of a wait! I was surprised and happy. I love the goat and the other animals along side the train tracks. Those little details is what makes WDW so special.

Speaking of special, on my way out of Frontier Land, I heard Hokey Pokey music! Woody and the gang were dancing the Hokey Pokey with a crowd of 50 guests or so. It was so fun to watch all of the adults "Put your head in. You put your head out. You put your head in and shake it all about" The adults got into it, just as much as the kids! That was a Disney Magic Moment. :goodvibes

The rain clouds were threatening again, so it was time for another indoor ride, Haunted Mansion that was a walk-on! No wait at all! Woo. Once inside, the ride was stopped for several minutes while 3 CM's all clustered around the terminal. I'm not sure what the problem was, but eventually they pushed a button and the doom buggies took us off into the Mansion.

It hadn't rained yet, but was still looking nasty, so I stopped at my favorite CS place in MK for dinner, Columbia Harbor House. I wasn't all that hungry, but I was getting tired and figured a little food might help. I got the Lighthouse sandwich and an apple crisp for dessert. I love the crunchy broccoli slaw on the sandwich. I had 1/2 a bite of the apple crisp though. After that giant ice cream sandwich, I really didn't want anymore sweets.

I wandered through Fantasy Land for awhile, just trying to cement the image of the "old" Fantasy Land in my head before it is completely changed. Tree are lots of walls up all in the back of Fantasy Land, so they have started work already.

It seemed like all of the people in the park were in Fantasy Land and 80% of them were yelling at their kids. It makes me so sad to see the hurt look on the kids faces. Granted, I have no idea what was actually going on, but it still made me sad and made me really miss my daughter. Thankfully, there was that 20% of parents who weren't tired/hungry/hot/whatever and I saw a Mom skipping to the Tea Cups with her 5 or 6 year old daughter. That was super cute.

I rode Space Mountain, the TTC and then realized that I was ready to leave MK. I was going to stay for the Fireworks, but I was just done with the crowds and I was tired. It had been drizzling off an on, nothing significant, but I wanted to get back to SSR in case it really started to pour. I felt a little guilty (!) leaving MK before the fireworks, but I kept reminding myself that I came on this trip to feel less tired than I did when I got here, not more. Besides, we're going to Disney Land in a month and I'll see the Nightastic Fireworks there.

So, I said Goodbye to MK as I slowly walked down Mainstreet. When I got to the train station, I turned around and gazed at the Castle for a bit. I always get a little teary eyed when I leave MK for the last time on a trip. Silly, I know, but I do.

On the bus back to SSR, the clouds opened up, so I felt a little better about my decision. The rain really helped to cool the night off and it is very comfortable out now. I walked over to Artist's Palate and finished off my snack credits with a bag of Mickey Pretzels, a package of Mickey coconut patties and a Mickey chocolate bar. Woo! Treats for when I'm back at work next week. :thumbsup2

Currently, I'm enjoying the lightning flicking across the sky and the occasional rumbles of thunder while I'm packing and getting ready to leave tomorrow. The worst part of a Disney trip, the leaving part. My ME pickup time is 10:30, so I'll have time for breakfast at Artist's Palate in the morning.

It's been a great trip and one I will remember for a long time. I have no idea if or when I'll be able to do another solo trip, so this will be a cherished memory. I know that my wife, Lil and I will be back at WDW next year and we'll be at DL next month, so I have all those future trips with the family to look forward to. This special time just for myself, was so worth it and so needed.

Thanks for reading along!

[nurse.darcy]

Iggi, what a thoughtful trip report. Thanks for sharing on the DISboards. This will help those that question the decision to go solo or not. I am so glad you had such a great time.

[DisneyDebRob]

Iggi,thanks so much for the wonderful reading you gave us the last few days!I was enjoying it so much that I told my wife to read it and she totally enjoyed it also.Very engaging,thoughtful and at sometimes hilarious!!Glad your trip was a great one and thanks for getting us pumped up for our 2 week AK and BC trip coming up in 4 months.:goodvibes

[dort]

Hey Iggi, I've been following your TR, it's been great:thumbsup2, really enjoyed reading all about your solo trip.

Safe travels home!!

[kathmzh]

Great report, thanks for taking the time to post....now I want to go on a solo trip!

[Iggipolka]

I took the Backstage Tour in 2007 and it sounds like a completely different tour now, AK wasn't included and lunch was at Mama Melrose and no ToT included. Makes we want to go again.
I keep saying I am going to pool hop with my DVC membership to Poly and never get to it. Too bad about the Visa mess up, hopefully you got it straightened out.
I love that your dog has its own chair:thumbsup2 My dogs think they have their own house and just allow me to live here:lmao:

I asked the tour guides (Mike and Wayne) if the tour ever changes and they said that it actually changes pretty frequently, at least every 6 months. They used to stop at the Holiday Storage area and now they go to the Machine Shop. They are planning some changes to the tour in September, including a different lunch stop. They said that the lunch stop changes are demanded by the Tour Guides because they get sick of eating at the same place all the time! I can totally understand that. ;)

Pool hopping to the Poly is very easy and it's a nice quick break from MK.

The Disney Visa mess is still in process. I called both Managers at the Circle D ranch yesterday. I have to say that they were less than helpful and just said they would "research it". What actually surprised me is that no one apologized for the mistake. A little "I'm so sorry for your troubles and we'll take care of this for you", would have gone a long way in making me feel better.

Thanks so much for this fun read! I'm a solo traveler and enjoying your report. You are trying some things that I haven't yet, but want to. I always do MK on my last day too. Have a safe trip home. :flower3:

Yeay for a fellow solo traveler! I'm glad that you've enjoyed the trip. MK is always my first and my last park. It's the most magical of the parks for me and I just love the atmosphere there. Hard to leave though.

Iggi, what a thoughtful trip report. Thanks for sharing on the DISboards. This will help those that question the decision to go solo or not. I am so glad you had such a great time.

Aww..you're so sweet. I strongly encourage solo trips. I think that everyone needs some time to themselves to recharge and be a little selfish. I think it makes for better spouses and parents if we take care of ourselves. Plus, it's fun! :thumbsup2

Iggi,thanks so much for the wonderful reading you gave us the last few days!I was enjoying it so much that I told my wife to read it and she totally enjoyed it also.Very engaging,thoughtful and at sometimes hilarious!!Glad your trip was a great one and thanks for getting us pumped up for our 2 week AK and BC trip coming up in 4 months.:goodvibes

Heh..thanks for sharing my little adventure with your wife! I'm glad that you guys liked it. I do enjoy writing these and find that doing live reports is fun for me because I get to read them when I get home and remember the nifty time I had.

Have a wonderful 2 week trip! Prior to the baby, my wife and I stayed for 14 days at AK and absolutely loved it

Hey Iggi, I've been following your TR, it's been great:thumbsup2, really enjoyed reading all about your solo trip.

Safe travels home!!

Thanks! I'm all stocked up on snacks, movies on my iTouch and a good book. I'm ready (well, not really ready, but I gotta go) for the trip.

Great report, thanks for taking the time to post....now I want to go on a solo trip!

Oh do it! I encourage you to just take a deep breath and give it a try. You will so love the freedom. :thumbsup2

So, now that this trip is over, I thought I'd post a picture of myself so you can see who this crazy lady is who took off for the wilds of WDW, leaving her spouse and infant behind. ;)

This is a picture of Lillian and I on the Disney Magic in March for formal night. Yes, my wife was there too, but she doesn't like her picture "plastered all over the internet". *chuckle*

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a364/Dr_moni/WDW%20and%20Cruise%20March%202010/MoniLilformalnight2.jpg

The Sorority Sisters were surprisingly quiet last nigh and not a peep from them this morning. There's an ME tag on their door, so I know they haven't checked out. I'm wondering if they ditched the "Dissed" and are having a better time without her! :rotfl:

I've already checked my bag in with RAC and had breakfast at Artist Palate. I don't know what it is about CS breakfast, but I just have never had a good one. I always get the "Bounty Platter" which is scrambled eggs, mickey waffle, bacon, sausage and a biscuit. The eggs and waffle were ok, but the rest..blaugh. It's too much food anyway. I should have stuck with my yogurt and fruit.

ME comes at 10:30, so my plan is to saunter around the resort and enjoy walking until I have to sit for the long flight across country to California. My body is going to be really surprised that it's not walking all day today!

Thanks again for reading along. It makes me happy to be able to share this wonderful experience. I hope it encourages other people to take solo trips.

[magicmommy]

Wow. Really enjoyed your TR! Ill be going to WDW in 17 days for my birthday!
Have a safe trip home!!!

[Iggipolka]

Hello from Houston Hobby Airport. It's a nice airport, as airports go. I like the ones with free wireless (Oakland, MCO..) much better, but oh well.

To back track, I took a lovely stroll around SSR this morning and really wish I'd done that earlier in my trip! I found out that I could have gotten off the bus at the Paddock stop (3rd stop) and walked across a pretty bridge to the Springs section. This would have been faster and more enjoyable than waiting on the bus for the Springs stop. Ahh well. I learned something new for next time.

I also walked past the Grandstand section and oohh'ed and Ahh'ed over their pool. My daughter would love that pool with the large splash zone. Really nifty and it is a quick 5 minute walk to the main pool area.

I passed through the Grandstand area and walked down to the first section of Treehouses. I didn't want to walk too far into the Treehouse section, just enough to get a feel for the place. I would love to stay in one of them, but only if we rented a car. Even then, it would be a hassle because if you were in a far away Treehouse, you'd have to take a car to the pool and back. It's a looong walk. I'm in good shape and I hike and exercise a lot at home. I would not want to be lugging my WDW tired body and feet to the pool and back to the Treehouse on a frequent basis. It was only a 10 minute walk from the first Treehouse to the check-in desk, but still...

I circled around to the Congress section and walked partway to DTD, before I realized that I had better get back to my room and grab my carryon bag before the ME bus arrived. Maybe a little departure denial was happening on my part. ;)

ME was scheduled to leave at 10:30, so I was at the bus stop at 10:20. The bus arrived at 10:45, which was freaking some of us compulsive people out who thought we'd missed the bus. However, it was a good thing for a family who arrived late and hadn't even checked their bags in for the RAC. They were quite late and just managed to make the bus.

The bus got into MCO about 2.5 hours before my flight. I don't understand why ME gets to the airport so early. However, since I had time I went back to Lush to get some more bath bombs and the solid perfume I liked so much. I also got a free foot treatment! Woohoo! Apparently they offer free face, hand or foot treatments with their products. I got a lovely foot treatment including a massage with stuff to reduce rough skin, a salt scrub, wash and then another massage with peppermint lotion. Ooo..yummy and all free! My feet felt soo good afterwards. Of course, I had to buy their foot package, which was only $20 and had 7 different products in it. Not bad actually! Totally worth it just for the happy feet part. :cool1:

The security line at MCO is crazy. I cannot believe how unorganized and chaotic it is. One of the TSA guys pulled me out of line and my heart stopped for a moment. I thought for sure I had been "randomly selected" for a search. However, he'd selected me to go through the employee screaning line. Score! No wait for me! :thumbsup2

The flight from MCO to Houston was totally uneventful, just the way I like it. I now have two hours to chill until my flight to Oakland California.

I usually don't do this, but I do have to recommend some products. I got a Hydroflask http://www.amazon.com/Hydro-Flask-Stainless-Drinking-24-Ounce/dp/B002ZKVFJI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1277756604&sr=8-1-spell from Amazon.com and I absolutely love it. It keeps liquids cold for over 24 hours, even in Florida heat. In the mornings, I would load it up with ice water and even in 100 degree heat, I still had ice in it at 5pm. Love it!

I have super fair skin and burn easily. At home, I use Neutrigena Dry Touch sunblock, 75 spf daily and used that on my face at WDW as well. I used the Neutrigena Cool Mist spray, spf 50 on my body as it's easier to make sure I don't miss a spot than the lotion is. I didn't burn a bit! My arms are slightly tanned, but not a single burn and I was out in the sun the majority of my trip. Great stuff.

Ok, enough with the product placements, just had to recommend two things that worked really well for me.

Now, one last flight and then I'll be home with my family.

[cj9200]

Great TR and I agree solo is a great way to go. Beats not going. I enjoyed meeting you and our brief conversation at the Dis meet. It was fun. Unfortunately I had to keep an eye on my daughter (I picked her up on Friday) so I was bouncing back and forth between the meet and her. She was shy and did not want to meet my "Internet friends." Did you win anything from the raffle?

[DisneyFreak06]

Thanks for sharing your TR!

I can't believe you didn't take your camera! :scared: But awesome for you too! :dance3: I've actually had nightmares that I've forgotten my camera! I've been twice on solo trips, and they are quite fun and somewhat relaxing too. Even if it's go go go, it seems more relaxing because you do what you feel like.

[momatater]

Thanks Iggipolka for the great TR!

I was a follower of your trip when you were pregnant and stayed at the AKL, so I was thrilled to find this report. Your daughter is adorable!!

Glad you had such a great time going solo! I also have been considering a solo trip without my gang, and now I just might do it. I grew up in FL close to the world and have never been by myself....don't know why either. Oh well.

Again, Thanks for the great report....enjoy being back with your family!

[ttester9612]

Thanks for sharing your TR. I did a solo trip in May 2009 and stayed at SSR for 2 weeks. I thoroughly enjoy SSR, it's so beautiful and quiet. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'll have to do the Backstage trip on my next trip, it sounds totally awesome. :thumbsup2

[VrBchJ]

Thanks so much for your very detailed trip report. I've been considering the Backstage Magic tour but it's gotten so expensive. After reading how much you enjoyed it I'll think do it when I'm solo in Oct.

[DFD]

Now, one last flight and then I'll be home with my family.

are you home???? :rolleyes1 I hope you got in safe and sound and now busy having fun with the lil one :woohoo:

[Iggipolka]

Wow, real life just kinda smacks ya in the face when getting home from a Disney trip, huh? Yup, I'm home and back in the swing of things. Although, I'm certainly got a bit of post-Disney/post-Solo Trip depression going on. But, let's back up a bit.

My flight to Oakland was right on time and was uneventful until landing. Right as the wheels touched down, the 9 year old girl behind me repeatedly vomited all over the back of my seat. OMG. Don't get me wrong, I felt bad for her, but I couldn't get off of that plane fast enough. I feel sorry for the flight attendants and clean up crew. Yeach. At least she waited until the end of the flight, rather than the beginning.

I saw the girl and her family at baggage claim and her mom was feeding her a muffin! A Muffin? Really!!?? :confused3

Anyway, My bags came quickly and after picking up my car, I drove the short distance home. I walked in the door and my wife said "The baby just went down to sleep, but she's fussing, would you go and check on her?" Hello Mom and welcome home, you are back on duty. In a way, it was nice because I got to see little Lillian, but it was also 11:30 WDW time and I was tired. Ahh well. Real life goes on when one is at WDW and I'm sure my wife needed a baby break.

This week, I've been finding myself thinking "This time last week, I was walking around Epcot" or, "This time last week I was on that Backstage Magic tour", or "This time last week I was eating breakfast on my balcony".
Anyone else drive themselves nuts like this?

We have a Disneyland trip coming up at the end of this month and we're going with good friends who are also Disney freaks, so I know that will be fun. We're looking forward to seeing the World of Color and I'm looking forward to Lillian's first trip to the park Walt built.

One of these days, I'll get to do another solo trip to WDW. It may be a few years from now, but it's going to happen again.
Thanks for reading along!

[DisneyFreak06]

Welcome home!

Glad you got to see Lillian right away. I'm sure you were tired, but at the same time, you were probably happy to see your baby girl!

I am in the midst of doing the whole "this time..." except it's "this time, in 3 weeks... " :rotfl: I'm sure I'll be doing the same thing when I come home. ;)

Thanks again, for sharing your TR with us!