Did I Hear That Right? A Solo Adventure at WDW Updated 8/30

[HistoryChick]

I'm really loving your trip report. I'm going solo at the end of the month, so I'm getting some good tips.

I was planning on going to EPCOT first, but now I might change to Magic Kingdom. That is my park and really signals the start of vacation to me.

I'm looking forward to the next installment!

 

[Pluto0809]

I'm with you...love Mickey's Philharmagic. A true masterpiece.

I have to say if that happened to me on the slow boat to China I would be in tears.

But you got some great photos while you were stuck.

Yes Mickey's Philharmagic is awesome. For me it's the best of the 4D movies at WDW.

I love IASW and listen to the song on a regular basis but I was still starting to get a little sick of it by the end of 1/2 hour! But I did get to take lots of pictures.

As much as I love IASW, I'm not sure how I would fare being on it 30 minutes. Though last time we were almost hoping they would let us go twice in a row because it put Claudia to sleep.

Well, she would have gotten a great nap on the ride I took!

What a wonderful morning at MK! The crowds do look pretty thick, but it seems like you still got quite a bit done. Thanks for posting the pictures of the construction - I cannot wait until it is finished!! How sweet of that family to "adopt" you at Peter Pan's Flight too. That does seem like quite a while to be stuck on IASW, but I would probably enjoy it - I love that ride! And taking pictures is the best way to waste the time!

I really did have a blast that morning, I love MK so much! I'm excited too for the new coaster, all of the rumors right now point to it being open when I go in Feb 2014. I'm crossing my fingers that they are true.

I did enjoy talking to that family in the line for ETWB. I had the same thing happen to me the next morning too. There are so many nice people at WDW.

Yep, I didn't really need that many pictures of IASW but I needed something to do while crawling along!

Ok -got behind but now I'm all caught up. I love the look of ETWB - we got to see The Little Mermaid in previews while we were there, but not that one. The Lumiere animatronic looks amazing! I just loved the whole feel back there in the new part of Fantasyland.

We actually didn't ride Dumbo this trip, though my youngest would have loved it. Have to catch it next time, because it looks great. I laughed about your IASW story. That would be my dad's nightmare. I was apparently pretty taken with the ride when I was younger, too, and on one ride he says they stopped for about 10 minutes on it and he almost went crazy. I was thinking of him while reading and looking at your pictures, and I could hear him tell me that sotry again. I'll have to tell him about it!

Can't wait to read more!

The Animatronics in ETWB were amazing. The whole themeing of the show was just out of this world.

The new Dumbo play area is wonderful! I did notice a few kids getting "lost" in there but the CMs were very quick to help them find their parents.

You will definitely have to tell your Dad!

I'm really loving your trip report. I'm going solo at the end of the month, so I'm getting some good tips.

I was planning on going to EPCOT first, but now I might change to Magic Kingdom. That is my park and really signals the start of vacation to me.

I'm looking forward to the next installment!

Thanks! I hope you have a wonderful solo trip. Other than a few bad moments my first day, mine was really wonderful. It's nice once in a while to do exactly what you want.

I don't think I'm going to start a trip without going to MK first. That's the plan for my Oct trip with DH. As for the Feb 2014 trip, there are going to be 16 of us so I'm not sure how much say I will have for our first park!

 

[Pluto0809]

One of the advantages of the long ride on IASW, it was now time for a new FP. So I trekked over to the Jungle Cruise. On my way, I saw these guys walking through Frontierland but didn’t stop to listen. Another thing to add to the list of stuff for a future trip.



I got a FP for the Jungle Cruise that would be good at 1:15 pm. Then I decided it was time for some lunch so I turned around and headed back to Liberty Square to one of my favorite CS in MK.





They were doing some rehab on the façade as you can see in the pictures. There was a pretty long line but I only took one picture of a light fixture. I see so many Disney light fixture pictures on the DIS that I’ve sort of become obsessed with photographing them myself.



Despite the large line, I was through it pretty fast and off to find a table. This is where I found one of the downsides of a solo trip. When you are by yourself, it’s much harder to find a table in a crowded CS. You have no one to send ahead to scout for a table. I headed upstairs which is usually pretty empty but it wasn’t on this day. I finally found a table in a side room upstairs. When I sat down I realized that my soda had overflowed a bit and I had a mess on my tray and all over my chocolate cake. Of course I had grabbed a handful of napkins but ended up using them all to sop up my tray and cake. Luckily the cake was covered. There was no condiment station in the room I was in and I didn’t want to lose my table so I just did without napkins the rest of the meal. So, enough of my sob story, here’s what I ordered, the fish and chicken plate:



And chocolate cake for dessert (a little foggy due to the Coke spilled on it).



Despite all the drama, my meal was delicious. The fish was much better than the mushy stuff I had the night before at Rose & Crown. And I always love a Disney chocolate cake.

I finished up my meal right around 1 pm. Since I still had about 15 minutes till my next FP window, I headed over to the Haunted Mansion. Unfortunately it had a 45 minute wait which would be cutting it too close to my Jungle Cruise FP time. I wasn’t worried about getting every ride done this day as I was coming back to MK the next night. Instead, I decided to go to Fronterland to get a FP for BTMR. After a quick stop to wash my greasy hands, I headed off. It was definitely a heavy crowd day.



Splash Mountain was still closed for renovations but even if it had been open, there was no way I would have rode it as cold as it was while I was there. Another crooked picture taken while I was walking:



I was still about 5 minutes early to get my next FP so I looked around in the Splash Mountain dump shop for a bit.



Then I pulled a FP for BTMR that would be good at 2:45 pm and headed back to Adventureland to the Jungle Cruise.



















As usual, I took a ton of pictures during my ride











Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Continued from Previous Post

More Jungle Cruise Pictures























Our guide was just ok, he didnt vary from the usual script at all but I still loved the ride.

Then I visited another old favorite of mine, the Tiki Room. I just love all of the old school rides and shows at MK. Every one of them takes me back to my childhood. I was so happy when they changed this one back to the original version. I walked in just as the pre-show was finishing so I didnt have to wait at all.









My venture into the Tiki Room produced a very good quote that will be listed at the end of this day.

Next I visited what is currently my favorite ride in all of MK, Pirates! I say currently because I change my mind on that regularly.



The line was about 30 minutes but it moves continuously and there is so much to see that it doesnt feel as long. I know I took pictures sometime in the line but it must not have been this time around (spoiler for later in the trip). And I always try to take pictures on this ride but am never successful. Someday I will get a picture of Captain Jack and the dog with the keys!

Up Next: Mama Dont Whip Little Buford

 

[katt789]

Downside of a solo trip, oh no!

Bahaha, there really is an obsession about lights here on the disboards…we are some weird folk! Lawl. Aw man, I definitely get the eating solo thing, it’s a lot harder over at DLR, I found so many of the tables were four tops, and there were barely any for two people, I ended up sitting with people or feeling bad about taking up a whole four top table.

I really have to say, I do love the jungle cruise, it’s a classic, and it’s actually a pretty good ride, ahahah! I always try to get pics on POTC, and it just doesn’t work out for me! It’s so dark in there!

 

[Happy Duck]

In no particular order...

The Dumbo play area is so cute!

I LOVE Philharmagic. Donald is my favorite! And I totally agree. It should be DONALD'S Philharmagic! He deserves some recognition!

I've never eaten in Columbia Harbor House, but fish isn't my favorite. Do they have many non-fishy selections?

I didn't even try and take pics in POTC this time around. Too many bad pictures. I chose just to enjoy the ride. It was actually pretty nice!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

That is just one reason why I'd be too afraid to take a solo trip I'm glad that it did work out for you though. I love your pictures from the Jungle Cruise, you got a bunch of great shots.

 

[Pluto0809]

Downside of a solo trip, oh no!

Bahaha, there really is an obsession about lights here on the disboards…we are some weird folk! Lawl. Aw man, I definitely get the eating solo thing, it’s a lot harder over at DLR, I found so many of the tables were four tops, and there were barely any for two people, I ended up sitting with people or feeling bad about taking up a whole four top table.

I really have to say, I do love the jungle cruise, it’s a classic, and it’s actually a pretty good ride, ahahah! I always try to get pics on POTC, and it just doesn’t work out for me! It’s so dark in there!

At least all of the light fixture obsession has gotten me to look up more while at Disney! There's so much detail you miss if you aren't paying attention.

Yeah, eating solo was tough at times but it was definitely not enough to stop me from going solo again.

In no particular order...

The Dumbo play area is so cute!

I LOVE Philharmagic. Donald is my favorite! And I totally agree. It should be DONALD'S Philharmagic! He deserves some recognition!

I've never eaten in Columbia Harbor House, but fish isn't my favorite. Do they have many non-fishy selections?

I didn't even try and take pics in POTC this time around. Too many bad pictures. I chose just to enjoy the ride. It was actually pretty nice!

That new Dumbo play area is really cute for kids. Such a great idea to keep them occupied while waiting for the ride.

My DH loves Donald too! He is looking forward to meeting him when we go in October.

I can't remember if there are non-fishy selections at CHH. I think they may have a chicken tender plate. You could probably look up the menu online.

I keep trying every trip even though they never turn out! I took well over 1200 pictures this trip but ended up deleting over 300 that were no good.

That is just one reason why I'd be too afraid to take a solo trip I'm glad that it did work out for you though. I love your pictures from the Jungle Cruise, you got a bunch of great shots.

It was a little rough eating alone but it definitely was not enough to stop me from doing another solo trip sometime. Thanks on the pictures, I can never go on that ride without taking a million pictures!

 

[oopsiDAISY]

I think I just realized that Frontierland and Adventureland are my favorite lands at MK...seeing your pictures has made me miss it today!! And Columbia Harbor House...YUM!!!

Cannot wait to hear the quote from the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki,Tiki Room....

 

[KatMark]

I love Columbia Harbor House for lunch...one of oru favorite CS's.

Jungle Cruise is not a must-do, but we enjoy it every other trip...the jokes still make us laugh. You got some great pictures on it.

 

[Pluto0809]

I think I just realized that Frontierland and Adventureland are my favorite lands at MK...seeing your pictures has made me miss it today!! And Columbia Harbor House...YUM!!!

Cannot wait to hear the quote from the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki,Tiki Room....

I'm not sure which land is my favorite? I do love Adventureland because it has Pirates but I also really like Fronterland and Liberty Square. And of course there's also New Fantasyland. See, I just can't decide!

The quote was a good one!

I love Columbia Harbor House for lunch...one of oru favorite CS's.

Jungle Cruise is not a must-do, but we enjoy it every other trip...the jokes still make us laugh. You got some great pictures on it.

CHH is my favorite CS in MK right now. I haven't tried BOG though for lunch yet so that might change.

I think I'm the only one in my family that thinks JC is a must-do. I dragged Mom on it in November, she just thinks it's cheesy.

 

[Pluto0809]

As you can probably tell from the title, my next stop was another Disney show that a lot of people skip, the Country Bear Jamboree. My love for this show can also be traced back to my childhood. Big Al is another character that is near and dear to my heart. Not at the level of Pluto but pretty far up there. I remember having a Big Al doll when I was a kid, I wish I knew what happened to him. I’m sad that they no longer sell merchandise for this show. Ah, here his is in the lobby area:



I also noticed they had a pressed penny machine in the lobby and one had Big Al on it. I was all set to get one but for some reason, I didn’t have the right change. I always carry two quarters and a penny in my bag in case I find a Pluto one (I have not found a Pluto one since my Honeymoon in 1998). I discovered later that I had forgotten to switch the change from one bag to the other. Having two Pluto bags, I switch each night. I figured I could stop back on another day if I remembered to get the penny.

This show is so cheesy but that’s what makes it fun. Just check out these “advertisements” that are on the curtain in the theater.



I just love how politically incorrect this show is, I mean who doesn’t love songs like “My Women Ain’t Pretty But She Don’t Swear None”, “Mama don’t Whip Little Buford”, “All the Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down”, and “Blood on the Saddle”? That last one is my favorite since Big Al sings it.

There’s no flash photography allowed till the final but I still managed to get some OK pictures.







There’s my guy!









When I exited the theater, there were a lot of people lined up for the Celebrate the Magic Parade. I wasn’t planning on watching it but as I crossed over the street to the bridge to head to BTMR, I noticed a nice spot right next to the beginning of the bridge behind a family with a couple of strollers. I asked them if then minded me standing behind the strollers and they said no problem. I was right across from Town Hall.





You know it’s a cold day in Disney when you see this before a parade:



I did start to get a little nervous because I had forgotten that the parade would take a while to get to Fronterland and my BTMR FP expired at 3:45 pm. But I figured that I could sneak out of my spot and across the bridge if time started to get tight.

The parade came right at 3:20. Luckily it is a short parade so I was able to watch the whole thing. So here are my pictures from the parade. I wonder if anyone from the Grand Marshal family is a member of the DIS.















Continued In Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Continued from Previous Post

































I'm really glad I took the time to watch this one since it's going to change next year. After the parade finished up, I fought my way through the crowds and over to BTMR. I used my FP at 3:40 pm, 5 minutes before it expired. I moved through the line very quickly and only took one picture.



I had a wild ride as usual. I did notice that the water effects on the first hill get you a bit wet. Not too bad but as chilly as it was that afternoon, it made the rest of the ride a bit cold.

When I was done with BTMR, it was getting very close to the end of my Little Mermaid FP so I booked it over to New Fantasyland. I did notice that the Haunted Mansion still had a 45 minute wait as I passed there. I made it just in time to use my FP and I was glad I did. The standby line was 80 minutes long. I overheard a family talking later and they said they had waited over 2 hours that day to ride.



I didn’t take pictures during the ride because I was trying to take the whole thing in. This was my second time riding, Mom and I had caught it in November, and I really wanted to notice all the details this time. And I still loved every minute of it. Of course if you haven’t figured it out yet, I am very old school in the rides I like! The LM ride is such a classic Disney dark ride I couldn’t help but fall in love with it. Towards the end though, I did notice that the "Kiss the Girl" scene was broken. Instead of moving back and forth, Eric and Ariel were locked in a permanent “almost” kiss. I wonder if that is why it was down during the morning. Guess they weren’t able to fix it.

At the very end, we stopped for a few minutes and I did get out my camera and snap two pictures.





Up Next: DIS Meet Time!

 

[KatMark]

Fun update.

Mark LOVES the Country Bears and we try to see it every other year. I am totally bummed that we missed it at Christmas (do they still do a different show at Christmas?).

I am glad to hear we are finally getting a new parade...it's been awhile.

for making both of your Fastpass times.

 

[11point5]

You got some great shots of the parade!! DBF and I missed that parade on our Oct trip and I'm sad because it'll be changed by the time I go back in 2014. Good thing you snuck it into your day and were still able to make it to both your FPs!
Also I can't IMAGINE seeing a hot cocoa cart at Disney!! It's always been like 90something degrees or hotter whenever I've been there, cold drinks and frozen treats all the way!

 

[Disney9.9.10]

I completely agree with you about Country Bears! I love all of that old, classic, cheesy stuff! I haven't seen that show in years, but it really is great. I also really loved the new LM ride. I know that there are people who aren't crazy about it, but I thought that they did a really good job with it. So many little details!

 

[ronnmel]

I thought I had never seen Country Bear Jamboree, but looking at your pictures, it looks familiar. I may have seen it when I went to Disney as a little child. And/or my grandma had a Big Al plush toy. And/or the local amusement park had a (much smaller) show with bears and that's what I remember. In any case, I should probably watch it (again?).

 

[HistoryChick]

Great update. I'm not a big Country Bear fan, but I'm going to catch the show on my upcoming trip.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the Little Mermaid ride. I was hoping for more. God thing you had that fast pass!!!

 

[Pluto0809]

Fun update.

Mark LOVES the Country Bears and we try to see it every other year. I am totally bummed that we missed it at Christmas (do they still do a different show at Christmas?).

I am glad to hear we are finally getting a new parade...it's been awhile.

for making both of your Fastpass times.

I think they only do the Christmas show at Disneyland. That would be really neat to see though!

I'm excited for the new parade too, it will be interesting to see how it is.

I was relieved to make the LM fasspass time once I saw how bad the line was!

You got some great shots of the parade!! DBF and I missed that parade on our Oct trip and I'm sad because it'll be changed by the time I go back in 2014. Good thing you snuck it into your day and were still able to make it to both your FPs!
Also I can't IMAGINE seeing a hot cocoa cart at Disney!! It's always been like 90something degrees or hotter whenever I've been there, cold drinks and frozen treats all the way!

It was interesting to see the hot chocolate cart. It was unusally cold while I was there. It was very chilly that day at MK and it turned out to be one of the warmer days of my trip!

I completely agree with you about Country Bears! I love all of that old, classic, cheesy stuff! I haven't seen that show in years, but it really is great. I also really loved the new LM ride. I know that there are people who aren't crazy about it, but I thought that they did a really good job with it. So many little details!

I always drive my family nuts wanting to go to the old stuff! That's why I made a point to see it this trip since I was by myself. I was still very impressed with the LM ride but I can understand in this day and age how some people want more "flash".

I thought I had never seen Country Bear Jamboree, but looking at your pictures, it looks familiar. I may have seen it when I went to Disney as a little child. And/or my grandma had a Big Al plush toy. And/or the local amusement park had a (much smaller) show with bears and that's what I remember. In any case, I should probably watch it (again?).

You might have seen it as a child. I've never heard of anything similar at another park (well other than Disneyland). You should definitely catch it again sometime. I try to see everything at least once so I can form my own opinion.

Great update. I'm not a big Country Bear fan, but I'm going to catch the show on my upcoming trip.

Honestly, I was a bit disappointed with the Little Mermaid ride. I was hoping for more. God thing you had that fast pass!!!

Country Bears are just good cheesy fun! I understand how some people wanted more out of the LM ride.

 

[wilma-bride]

Just found your trip report today and wanted to chime in. My DS loves Pluto so I showed him the pictures of your room. He thought it looked great.

I am really enjoying following along with all your aventures, expecially seeing pics form the new Fantasyland as we have yet to experience that.

I am a little sad to have got to the end (so far) and hope there will be more soon