Solo WDW:Avoiding a Divorce when NDH Goes Hunting thru Bday and Anniversary Upd:1/14

[ILuvCrush]

Sounds like a smashing good 1st day

Cabs are gonna cost you a bundle... and character bfast busses are EARLY. You really should consider driving

I took a cab from ASMu to Boma (not very far at all) $10 including tip

I also took the Character Bfst bus (for my KTTK tour) I needed to be there by 8:15... the bus picked me up at ASMu at 6:45 And it was the only option...no later busses, at least that day So I sat on a bench outside MK from 7:10 until they let us in the gate at 8

Paula

 

[Lady Lallie]

What are these character breakfast buses you speak of? I'm confused. For our early morning ADR at CP we just caught the Pop MK bus at 7AM but they did make stops at WL, Poly and GF so maybe we were on the character bus??

Lovely itinerary! You are going to have a great time. They sell picture frames at a lot of places, I don't think you will have any trouble finding them.

As far as Trip Journals. I got the perfect sized notebook at Walmart. I happen to have a picture of it from last PTR.

It was the perfect size and very lightweight. It was also great when I was writing my TR because it folded over and I could prop it up to type off of, if that makes sense. I actually bought a princess one just to have around the house. I think I will get another one for our May trip.

Yes, I just wrote a paragraph about my Trip Journal.

I also saw this, in the 26 pages of PTR photos I had for our September Trip and thought you might like it.

I believe these were from rumbly_tumbly's DISigns.

 

[ILuvCrush]

What are these character breakfast buses you speak of? I'm confused. For our early morning ADR at CP we just caught the Pop MK bus at 7AM but they did make stops at WL, Poly and GF so maybe we were on the character bus??

You probably were... the regular busses go direct, and they don't start til 1hr prior to park opening. So if Rope drop was at 9 the 7am bus was the character bfst bus. I asked at the front desk, and they told me what time the early bus was for each park

 

[Lady Lallie]

You probably were... the regular busses go direct, and they don't start til 1hr prior to park opening. So if Rope drop was at 9 the 7am bus was the character bfst bus. I asked at the front desk, and they told me what time the early bus was for each park

Very interesting. You learn something everyday. See, there is a sign at Pop that says the park buses start at 7AM by the bus depot so I just went off that. Who knew!

 

[jenjolt]

This gets me so excited! I'm so sad we are going at different times! I wish that we were going together.

Oh I know...I would have been on cloud nine if we could have met up LOL

Question: Cabs?

We had a van this summer and drove all over Disney with no problems. Now, we did have a driver and a navigator but with a GPS, I bet you would have no problem driving yourself (plus, WDW is really well marked with signs) As a resort guest, you get free parking throughout WDW. Personally, I would rather walk the parking lots than wait in line to be crowded on a bus but I will admit to never having ridden Disney buses so that is not first hand

They also sell lots of great Disney frames at Mouse Gears in Epcot. Don't forget resort delivery!

Looks like a fun start to your trip!

Thank you, I think I'm going to trust myself driving around because I don't want to have to rely on Disney Transportation in the early mornings, but we will see.

Sounds like a smashing good 1st day

Cabs are gonna cost you a bundle... and character bfast busses are EARLY. You really should consider driving

I took a cab from ASMu to Boma (not very far at all) $10 including tip

I also took the Character Bfst bus (for my KTTK tour) I needed to be there by 8:15... the bus picked me up at ASMu at 6:45 And it was the only option...no later busses, at least that day So I sat on a bench outside MK from 7:10 until they let us in the gate at 8

Paula

That's why I'm thinking more along the lines of driving myself. THANK YOU for the tips Paula, I really do appreciate it.

 

[jenjolt]

What are these character breakfast buses you speak of? I'm confused. For our early morning ADR at CP we just caught the Pop MK bus at 7AM but they did make stops at WL, Poly and GF so maybe we were on the character bus??

Lovely itinerary! You are going to have a great time. They sell picture frames at a lot of places, I don't think you will have any trouble finding them.

As far as Trip Journals. I got the perfect sized notebook at Walmart. I happen to have a picture of it from last PTR.

It was the perfect size and very lightweight. It was also great when I was writing my TR because it folded over and I could prop it up to type off of, if that makes sense. I actually bought a princess one just to have around the house. I think I will get another one for our May trip.

Yes, I just wrote a paragraph about my Trip Journal.

I also saw this, in the 26 pages of PTR photos I had for our September Trip and thought you might like it.

I believe these were from rumbly_tumbly's DISigns.

Oh that Journal is just darling..I love it! I'm definitely going to have to keep my eyes open!!!

And thank you for those designs...I love the I married a Prince one YAY I've saved them and am going to try my hand at making my own shirt LOL!

 

[mana_liz]

Hey Jen,

Not sure if you've seen this on the Mousesavers website...since your driving it might come in handy with your GPS.


FREE downloadable file for your auto GPS navigation unit, listing dozens of locations in the Walt Disney World area that are mentioned here on MouseSavers.com. Includes theme parks, water parks, airport terminals, Disney resorts, MouseSavers Preferred Hotels, restaurants and lots more!

 

[jenjolt]

Hey Jen,

Not sure if you've seen this on the Mousesavers website...since your driving it might come in handy with your GPS.


FREE downloadable file for your auto GPS navigation unit, listing dozens of locations in the Walt Disney World area that are mentioned here on MouseSavers.com. Includes theme parks, water parks, airport terminals, Disney resorts, MouseSavers Preferred Hotels, restaurants and lots more!

OOOhhhh...I didn't know about that...THANK YOU going to see if they have a compatible file with my Tom Tom YAY!!!

 

[jenjolt]

Day 2 Itinerary

January 16th: My first full day at the World.

Now I must begin by telling you that YES, I am a morning person. No matter how much I try I will most likely be up at 6am everyday. I’m also pretty good as long as I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night so that is why on Thursday night I want to be in bed by 10ish so I can get 8 good hours of sleep before I start my full day at Disney.

Wake Up: 6:00 (Take a quick shower and be out to my car about 6:30ish)

Breakfast: 7:10am at Chef Mickey’s! This is where the whole I’m glad I have a car with me comes in handy. I know this is early, but I love MK Rope Drop and I don’t want to miss it for anything so I’m going to brave a very early breakfast and then moosey my way to Contemporary. Here’s my dilemma though, can I leave my car parked at the Contemporary all day?? Or will I need to move it over to the MK parking lot??? I haven’t found a definite answer on that so I’ll have to keep researching. Either way I wanted to give myself plenty of time to eat, enjoy the characters, and still make it in time for the 9am Rope Drop.

9am Rope Drop: First things first, going to get a Fast pass for Space Mountain and then go ride Buzz…I love that arcade ride. I’m also going to ride TTA and Carousel of Progress for the first time ever. Then its off to Adventureland and FronteirLand to ride those rides which means POTC, Jungle Cruise, and BTMRR (Splash will be closed) and then to enjoy the moment I step on to the Hallowed ground which is The Haunted Mansion. I will ride this ride, oh yes, it will be ridden many times by me during this trip. The last thing I have to hit while I’m here on this day is Disney’s PhilHarmagic because it will be undergoing a refurb the next time I come to the park. I’m going to also, depending on lines see if I can fit in Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, IASW, and Snow White. I will not be riding Dumbo or Flying Carpets, don’t do well with the open aired height thing and I’m not going to get myself two kinds of dizzy on a tea cup, not my cup of tea LOL!!! Couldn’t resist LOL!! I have a lot more days at MK so if I don’t hit up everything I would like today no biggie.

1:00-1:30: Drive back to Pop and get ready to head to DHS. I don’t like driving in the dark at all so I’m going to head back to the POP to hop a bus to DHS where I will be taking my afternoon break at Brown Derby. I like to use meals to give me a chance to relax for a bit.

2:35: Dinnuch at Brown Derby! I have read some great reviews about this restaurant and I’m really looking forward to my meal here. I haven’t quite decided my entrée yet, but I am going to ask for the cobb salad for one it looks so yummy!!

Whenever I get done I’m going to go just explore DHS a bit. Going to do some shopping, there is this amazing villain store I really want to visit again. Just enjoy looking at the park for awhile, often as a commando I don’t get to just stop and look. I might try to fit in the last show of Beauty and the Beast this day, but we’ll see what time it is. The only other things I’m thinking of doing here is riding the Single rider line of RnR Coaster and the Great Movie Ride. Okay I will admit it, I’m a sucker for that ride, I really really like it LOL!!! The park closes at 7pm that night, but if I get done early I might end back to Magic Kingdom to watch Wishes at 8pm, or go explore my resort and get to bed early. Since I’ll be at MK for EMH later in the week I’m starting to lean more towards making it an early night, especially since it was an early morning.

 

[ILuvCrush]

Boy you have a lot planned on your 1st full day!! It will be fun though

I'm not the parking guru by any means, but I'm pretty sure that you're only allowed to park at a resort your not staying at for 2 hours, cause they figure that you should be done eating then. The gate person will ask if you're a guest and when you tell them you're dining, they'll give you a 2hr pass.

That said... I'm not sure how well they enforce it... AND if you tell them a little white lie and say you're checking in... will they catch you???

That deciet you'll have to decide on..cause I won't help...I'm too much a goodie 2 shoes

Paula

 

[Lady Lallie]

Your first full day sounds fabulous. I have no idea about the parking at resorts.

I am so excited that you are going to Brown Derby. My favorite meal by far was there. I am not sure if you like Salmon or not but if they have the Salmon with Polenta....SO DELICIOUS. It's so good that Marc has since learned how to cook polenta and makes it for me....a lot. The cobb salad is delicious too. I know they were going to let me order that for my entree before I decided on the polenta & salmon.

Are you going to try to fit in Fantasmic on a different day or is that not your cup of tea either? Oh and I HATE the teacups. I have since my first time on them and I avoid them at all costs!

 

[kschafer]

I believe Paula is right, you will get a 2 hour parking pass but I don't know if they enforce it. The other thing to think of is that if you arrive that early to the MK parking lot, you will be right up front. You could hop the resort monorail (contemporary is the first stop) or even walk (I hear it's not far) then when you finish your time at MK, your car will be very close!

 

[jenjolt]

Boy you have a lot planned on your 1st full day!! It will be fun though

I'm not the parking guru by any means, but I'm pretty sure that you're only allowed to park at a resort your not staying at for 2 hours, cause they figure that you should be done eating then. The gate person will ask if you're a guest and when you tell them you're dining, they'll give you a 2hr pass.

That said... I'm not sure how well they enforce it... AND if you tell them a little white lie and say you're checking in... will they catch you???

That deciet you'll have to decide on..cause I won't help...I'm too much a goodie 2 shoes

Paula

Ummm I think I'll pass on the deceit part, it would wear on my conscience all day...LOL I think I'll just somehow get my vehicle over to the MK parking lot LOL

It will be a full day, that's why I want a light evening. I'm really thinking of waiting on Wishes and doing that another night that way I get back and just relax in my resort. Wait until I tell you about Monday..THAT will be a busy day LOL

Your first full day sounds fabulous. I have no idea about the parking at resorts.

I am so excited that you are going to Brown Derby. My favorite meal by far was there. I am not sure if you like Salmon or not but if they have the Salmon with Polenta....SO DELICIOUS. It's so good that Marc has since learned how to cook polenta and makes it for me....a lot. The cobb salad is delicious too. I know they were going to let me order that for my entree before I decided on the polenta & salmon.

Are you going to try to fit in Fantasmic on a different day or is that not your cup of tea either? Oh and I HATE the teacups. I have since my first time on them and I avoid them at all costs!

I will never ride the teacups again, I was dizzy the rest of the day after that ride, no thank you! I'm not quite sure if I will get Fantasmic in on this trip. It is the one show I have seen and I would really like to see Spectro, Wishes, and Illuminations so they are more on the priority list than Fantasmic is.

I really want to try that cobb salad it just looks heavenly!!!

I believe Paula is right, you will get a 2 hour parking pass but I don't know if they enforce it. The other thing to think of is that if you arrive that early to the MK parking lot, you will be right up front. You could hop the resort monorail (contemporary is the first stop) or even walk (I hear it's not far) then when you finish your time at MK, your car will be very close!

THIS IS A FABULOUS IDEA!! I'm so going to do this if the parking lot is open I'm going for it!! THANK YOU!!!!

All of the tips have been so helpful!!!

Day 3 should be coming up later today or tomorrow!

 

[julezdisney]

Great update! It made me tired!

 

[danceintherain]

I JUST realized that you're arriving the day after we leave. Somehow I think that's slightly ridiculous, and I totally would stay an extra day if I didn't have to be back in time for classes to start on the 15th. Why they didn't just give us the extra 2 days and start after President's Day, I don't know.

I'm pretty sure you can't park at the Contemporary all day too. I agree with the suggestion of parking at the Magic Kingdom parking lot and taking the monorail over initially, so you don't have to move your car.

 

[danceintherain]

ooops... that's Martin Luther King Day

 

[jenjolt]

Awwww... Becca...if I only had one more personal day LOL...yeah I always thought it was a bit odd that they made you come back like 2 days before they gave you another day off...that never made much sense to me at all!!!


So are you enjoying your Christmas break...have you been making a lot of wedding plans...the day is coming so soon!! I'm so excited for you!!!

 

[jenjolt]

Good Morning to you!! Only 3 more days until Christmas!!! I’m reporting live from my living room wearing my pajamas and watching one of my cats go ballistic over a catnip mouse…speaking of cat toys….

Yesterday after church I walked in and thought I smelt something funny, well I lit a candle and took out the trash and figured I had taken care of the offending odor. Well a couple of hours later I smelled it again and told Prince Phillip, because I had dealt with odor issue number 1 now it was his turn. He turns to me and asks what does it smell like? I just looked at him, what is it with guys and wanting to know what something smells like; I just shrugged my shoulders and said it smelled BAD. Apparently I wasn’t helpful enough so he left to figure it out on his own LOL! He would never cut it as a detective because the hunt for the gross smell lasted all of like 5 minutes before he was chasing our fat furball affectionately named Mush around the house, then he stopped. “Hun, found the smell!” “Apparently what I have been thinking was just one of the kitties cat toys, well not quite a toy.” I was grossed out, you mean to tell me a dead mouse is laying on my floor and my husband thought it was just one of their toys…EWWWW. Well he cleaned it up and then my bottle of bleach cleaner had a hay day with that floor. I’m hoping that the Hanta Virus isn’t floating around my house now LOL!! So apparently during the summer my kitties bring me lizards and during the winter they find the mice hiding in the garage…YAY. I properly thanked my kitties and reminded them next to leave said offending creature in the garage where it wouldn’t be confused with their play things. We’ll see how that goes…they don’t listen very well for some reason they think they are the boss in this house LOL!!

Okay switching from one mouse to THE MOUSE…let’s talk about my DAY 3 Itinerary.

Day 3: Saturday, January 17th EPCOT DAY

Wake Up: Probably around 7ish so I can get ready load up and make it to EPCOT for rope drop. I have a couple of dates with Soarin. No big breakfasts planned, probably just use a snack credit and get something to go and munch on. I have two big meals today so I don’t want to eat a lot in the morning.

9am: It’s off to Soarin’ I just love this ride. I’m going to get a Fastpass and then hop into standby and try to ride twice. Then just because I’m a zoology teacher and I can’t refuse a good aquarium I’m going to head over to the Living seas and see if I can find some good material for my classroom. After exploring some of the Innovation pavilions, it’s off to ride Spaceship Earth, the mild version of Mission Space, and the Single rider line of Test Track.

12:00: Lunch at Les Chefs de France

1 :00-5 :00 Explore World Showcase (I want to watch a couple of the movies, buy me some school bread, and ride the two rides in the pavillions there LOL)

5:30: Dinner at Yachtsmen Steakhouse

7:30: Head back to EPCOT, explore a bit! Grab a drink, find a spot and just people watch and relax a bit before Illuminations starts.

9:00: Illuminations (First time I will ever see this show YAY)

11:00: Bedtime!!!

 

[jenjolt]

Great update! It made me tired!

Yeah that is why my DAY 3 is a little more laid back...sleep in (well in my world sleep in) and just take it easy at EPCOT...Sunday is going to be my really long day LOL!!

 

[Dancegrl624]

I am so excited to see IllumiNations again! I haven't seen it in 11 years and it's one of my favorites.