Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust! - Sept 2014 Solo TR *Updated 04/07*

[godders]

I always enjoy both solo and international TR's so your's has been doubly enjoyable.

I agree with the skin-on mashed potatoes...we don't make them like around here either. I think is is more a time / money saver so they can crank out more meals and save a few bucks on the labor. They pretend it is something fancy so that people will feel the restaurant is chic instead of cheap. Don't fall for it! Fight the man! Creamy taters for all I say!

Your day at IOA sounds fun, if somewhat soggy. I had a park day like that once. Only mine didn't end so well.

There was chaffing. Mercy on us the chaffing. It accompanied by wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Looking forward to seeing how it all comes about.

Awww no! Yeh chaffing is the worst! Luckily I was saved by some anti chaffing stuff that I got off the internet. It was a life saver!

Hahaha yes I will keep fighting the man! Happened to me again the other day in Melbourne so it's not just a Universal thing. Damn them!!

Glad you're enjoying the report. Enjoying writing it because it's reminding me of what an awesome time I had!

 

[godders]

Day 3 Part 1 - Early Entry and quickish wiz(ard) round


So today was my last day at Universal and this evening I would be heading over to Disney (woop woop!) but I had one more day of WWoHP to get through first!

Once again I woke up crazy early and the previous night I'd thought about not going to the Early Entry at Universal but as I was awake I decided I might as well get going. I wasn't in any kind of a rush so I just took my time and ambled over taking pictures along the way.





I got there slightly after 8 so a lot of people had already headed in. Some people were going off to Despicable Me but most carried on round to DA as I did taking plenty of pics along the way.






Went straight onto Gringotts and decided to do the normal queue rather than the single rider and it was only a 10 minute (in theory) wait. First time I'd done it the whole way through so the story of the ride makes so much more sense now!! Also the effect in the lift is really cool. Unfortunately my phone takes awful pics and my camera is massive so I don't have any of the queue but I know for next time.

After Gringotts I decided to go for breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron. I'd heard about you needing a reservation (like you did when the Three Broomsticks opened) but it wasn't a problem and I walked straight in. I chose the pancake breakfast with an apple juice and it was massive!!! Came with 3 pancakes, 2 mini sausages, 2 bacon rashers and a croissant....



So for those who haven't read my trip report, I had a gastric band put in in June and so I can only eat small amounts and that is of certain foods. Bread, pasta and beans are out for example and some other stuff but anyway

I managed to eat the pancakes and the sausages but I had to leave the rest. Oh and before I forget, for those of you still yet to visit, the Leaky Cauldron has very good wifi connection


Inside the Leaky Cauldron

After breakfast I headed back on over to ET as it had broken down the last time I tried and I wanted something nice and calm while I digested. Now, I know ET is a classic and I love it but seriously, it is in need of some TLC and major updating. Even just smoothing out the track so it doesn't feel like the bike is going to drop out of the sky at any moment would be great! After ET I went on over to see what time the next T2 was showing and saw Lisa Simpson.



The first showing of T2 wasn't until 11.30 and it was now only 9.30 so I figured it was time for a cold drink and a nice sit down in the shade as it was already crazily humid by then....​

 

[godders]

Day 3 Part 2 - And then Disaster struck!

As it was so very hot already I grabbed a bottle of water from a vendor and sat down in the shade and listened to a band that was playing near by. They even dedicated Johnny B. Goode to Doc Brown which I thought was a nice touch. While I was resting I also saw Betty Boop and Shaggy and Scooby but didn't get the chance to get a good photo of them. Then I noticed a large group of Tibetan monks lining up for Despicable Me....it was really quite surreal....




After finishing my water I headed on over to Transformers (again) and met a Deceptacon along the way who was yelling abuse at people as they walked past. On Transformers I ended up completely on my own in a car so the last TM I went past was like "woo hoo, solo mission!" and I was like "hell yeh, bring it on!" but anyway.... survived that and then followed on round to The Mummy and I finally made it into the back row which I had been longing for and I nearly lost my lanyard...omg that back row is intense! So much more fun than the front but you do get flung around way more so if you have a bad back this is not the seat for you!


Scary!

Oh and if you've heard about how quite September is but don't believe it, these pics were taken at about 10.45am outside The Mummy looking back towards RRR and down to DA....




After the Mummy I decided I needed to retry MiB after my complete disaster of a ride the first time round. I looked in on Disaster on the way round but it had a 30 minute wait and I wasn't up to standing around for that long in the heat. So I rode MiB and not only did the red button not work but I even managed to score less than I had done the first time....didn't actually think it was possible!

Following that embarrassment I went over to The Simpsons because that's always fun and I was just on my way up the ramp, putting my camera back in my rucksack when some a** smashed into me while over taking me forcing my camera completely out of my hands and onto the concrete ramp. A few choice words escaped my mouth as the guy just uttered a "Sorry love" and continued on his way while I was left to deal with my camera. So it landed lens down smashing the UV filter and cracked the lens casing. It's my 28-300mm lens which I use as my standard one and it would no longer zoom and couldn't always focus. I was so very close to tears and it was a brand new lens that I'd gotten just a week or so before the trip. On the positive side the body of the camera appeared to be fine. A couple behind me asked if everything was ok and I just about managed to suck up the tears and tell the closest TM about the smashed glass before having to get on the ride. Suffice to say that I felt pretty unwell by the time I got off at the end ​

 

[GreatBiscuit]

After finishing my water I headed on over to Transformers (again) and met a Deceptacon along the way who was yelling abuse at people as they walked past.
Scary!​

They do tend to be a rather surly lot.

So it landed lens down smashing the UV filter and cracked the lens casing. It's my 28-300mm lens which I use as my standard one and it would no longer zoom and couldn't always focus. I was so very close to tears and it was a brand new lens that I'd gotten just a week or so before the trip. On the positive side the body of the camera appeared to be fine. A couple behind me asked if everything was ok and I just about managed to suck up the tears and tell the closest TM about the smashed glass before having to get on the ride. Suffice to say that I felt pretty unwell by the time I got off at the end

That is SUCH a versatile lens! I would be full on dyspeptic!

 

[godders]

Day 3 Part 3 - Needing a pick me up

So I spent the whole of my ride on The Simpsons reeling from the accident and as soon as I got off I called my Mum who was very sympathetic and was asking all the right questions and then reminded me about my travel insurance (oh thank god!!) and I started to feel a little better. So from now the pics you'll see are all with the damaged lens until it really gave up on me.


Yep that's where I headed!

I decided I needed a pick-me up of Beetlejuice (my favourite show at a theme park ever!) but I still had time for another quick round on Transformers (no solo mission for me this time) and The Mummy. I got my seat for the show and was all excited because I don't think I got to see it last time I was here and then the lights dimmed....smoke started....Beetlejuice came out.....and it all when horribly wrong. I mean SERIOUSLY?!? WHY WHY WHY! Gone were the awesome rock from back in the day and now we had Gangnam Style, a sexy mummy and a dj based on Niki Minaj.......ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!! I mean, ok I may have been mildly influenced by the camera incident but it really was awful!

So after my initial pick-me-up idea failed I decided to head back to my happy place (DA if you hadn't guessed) and got myself a massive ice cream from Florean Fortesque's and a Gillywater. So what you can't see in the picture below is my hand covered in ice cream because it was melting so quickly while I was getting the shot so I just hope you guys appreciate the effort lol. So I went for the Mint ice cream and it was good but the little machines they have in the back of the shop for soft serve where they choose the flavour and it all comes out of the same thing....very nice



So if you've been to DA you'll probably recognise where I'm sitting but if not, as you walk in just head straight up towards the Dragon and next to Gringotts is a set of stairs. They don't lead anywhere but they are almost always in the shade and they have great aircon so they are an awesome place to have a quick rest or to people watch...whichever you prefer. So after I finished my ice cream and cleaned myself up (no I was not above licking my hand clean - it was really good ice cream....), I took some photos




I know it looks busy but DA is a very small space so no matter how busy it looks in here, the park really was very quiet!

After people watching (and writing my TR) I decided I'd better experience the HE in the other direction so off I went to Kings Cross



Now walking behind me were a couple talking about how much like the real Kings Cross it was but all I could think was "yeh except it's way cleaner, I'm not about to get mugged and there's no armed police.." (Remember I've had a bad day....)

But I thought it was very cool and I especially like the way they made it seem like you went through the pillar onto Platform 9 3/4. So on the train I was sat on my own with a family speaking a language I couldn't place, could've been Dutch or maybe Flemish but I honestly didn't have a clue but they appeared to be having a good time which helped to cheer me up just a little.....
​

 

[wellesleyprincess]

Joining in. I'm headed to WWoHP in May and on a solo trip in October so looking forward to your report on both.

 

[godders]

Day 3 Part 4 - Up, down and a little bit of shaking (or shivering)

Sorry bit of a text full one today!

So I arrived back in the lovely Hogsmeade and immediately took the photo below, don't know why but I really like it.



I immediately headed straight for Gringotts and as I was going into the lockers I saw possibly the most gorgeous man I've ever seen...he looked like a tall Santiago Cabrera (if you don't know who he is see below). I unfortunately couldn't get a phone out for a sly stalker pic but I only followed him as far as the SR line and ducked out for the walk-on rather than the 35 minute wait (priorities!)Oh yeh and he was British which was also a bonus....my day was finally looking up!!



So after getting over my stalker tendencies I enjoyed my ride on Gringotts and went and did a tincey tiny little bit of shopping (which also helped my mood) and then I thought, my god it is getting hot (it was now about 1.30pm) so I decided to ignore how wet I got last time and head to the water rides!!! Jumped straight on JP and got a little wet but nothing major and jogged along to River-Rat Bilges and once again used my poncho to keep my camera dry (think it had suffered enough for one day). I also remember thinking well I can't possibly get as wet as last time.....

How wrong I was....

I was actually wetter! Even my toes were wrinkly this time....

But it felt so good to not be boiling for the first time that day!!

and that was it. I was done with the heat and rides for the day but I still had 5 hours until my cab was coming to pick me up from my hotel here to take me to DISNEY!!!!

So I decided that what I really needed was alcohol! So I ended up with this from Citywalk:


mmmmm Margarita!

I felt pretty drunk after finishing that (as I'd only eaten an ice cream all day) but it had taken me a good 2 hours to get through it. After my drink I knew I needed to eat something and to have a cigarette but I also needed to book my appointment at Hart and Huntington to get my new tattoo (see my PTR for details). When I stood up I really felt the alcohol so I did what any responsible adult would do and went and did more shopping at the Universal Studios Store *hangs head in shame*

After the amount of money I spent had sobered me up I went and booked my appointment for the following Monday afternoon.

And then I still had 3 hours until my taxi pick up so I headed to the cinema. The only film I really fancied was Guardians of the Galaxy and luckily it started pretty soon so I got a ticket (only $11 which is about £6 - cinemas in London haven't been that cheap for about 10 years) and grabbed some chips and went in. OMG that film is awesome! Loved it! Chris Pratt was brilliant and the soundtrack was great.

So I'd managed to salvage my afternoon or so I thought....because then my phone died and I'd been keeping it out to make sure I had time to go back to the hotel to get my luggage and get changed before heading to The World. Unfortunately it was about that time that, as I was still slightly wet, in the aircon of the cinema, I was now freezing!! GAH!

I managed to last a little bit longer into the film before my OCD about being late kicked in and I left to rush back to the hotel just in case...

By some miracle when I got out of the cinema I realised that I had missed the afternoon rain storm but still unsure of the time I hot footed it back to the hotel while having a much needed cigarette and quickly got my bags so I could crack my ipod out and finally see the time....and naturally I still had another hour before I needed to be back grrrrr!!!!

After seeing the time I managed to drag all my stuff into the ladies in the lobby at RPR and got changed. I was so cold I actually put on jeans and a jumper! I then curled up in the lobby on some very comfortable setees and started working on my photos until it was nearly time for my cab....

 

[godders]

Universal - A Round-UP

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my 2 1/2 days at Universal but I'm not sure I could've done any longer solo. I didn't make it on all the rides because for some reason I just didn't fancy the roller coasters on my own (maybe I just need the comfort of knowing the person screaming next to me...) so maybe if I had done those there wouldn't have been quite so many Transformer and The Mummy rides (even though I enjoyed every single one).

I think Universal have really pulled the boat out again with DA and I would recommend everyone go visit, even if you're not a HP fan. The detail and effort that has gone into that place should be appreciated. Gringotts was a great ride but I would definitely have liked it to be 20 seconds longer so that it really kept up with everything else. I can only really applaud Universal though on the family friendly element of it because even my Mum (who won't even do Thunder Mountain because it's too much) did it more than once when she was there in November. A miracle if you ask me!

The new Transformers is excellent as well, as is Despicable Me. It's as though HP has given Universal a new lease on life and they are using it to their advantage! At this rate I can't wait to see what they come up with for the new King Kong update. There are some boards up by JP where they are doing work so if it is Skull Island themed then that would work quite well.



I just thought I'd share with you some more of my pictures from my first few days as well as the results of the several times I was distracted by shopping



















​

 

[godders]

Day 4 Part 1 - DISNEY! DISNEY! DISNEY! DISNEY!

I wake up, give a little whistle and several birds fly in through my open window and begin to plait my hair.....I mean that kind of thing happens at Disney right??

What actually happened was that I woke up at about 6am and hauled my butt off to the food hall before jumping on a bus to my first park but before that I must tell you about my night before.....

So I left you leaving me in the lobby of the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal, damp and cold, waiting for my taxi to arrive. It got to the time when my cab should've been arriving so I went to sit outside and it was lovely and warm out there (that doesn't happen back home). As I was waiting I got talking to a lovely Irish man who unfortunately was very sunburnt poor thing but he kept me entertained while my cab was a few minutes late.

I'd decided to book a private car through Mears again as they had done such a good job of getting me from the airport and while they were a bit more expensive I took comfort in them being a well known name when I'm a solo girl traveller.

But finally, at about 8.10pm, I was off to the land that time forgot........wait, no that's not right.....to the land where no one grows up.....wait.....to that place with the big castle and girls in pretty dresses and treasure and magic and where dreams come true.....


Sorry, not my pic but it was dark and rainy when I actually went under the sign (thanks to whoever took it btw)

So I was nearly there, at my chosen resort of Port Orleans Riverside.....where I'd stayed as a kid with my family when it was still Dixie Landings. I remembered how much fun I'd had there last time and I couldn't resist another visit


This was actually taken a couple mornings after when I was on my way to a park but it's the only one I have of the front entrance

I arrived and while it was still lovely and warm, it was raining again and had already gone dark. I was also in desperate need of my bed after having such an awful day (my camera was broken if you don't remember). So I just about stumbled into reception with all my stuff and luckily there wasn't a queue to check in. Everything was all fine and I asked about my 2nd booking (as I'd extended my trip by an extra 3 days) but they said it was too far in advance to check anything and I was too tired to argue. Then she brought out my Magic Band (woo hoo!!) and it was all cool and red and then she brought out the grey one from my 2nd booking which I didn't need so that disappeared again and finally the lady pointed me out the front do for luggage services and sent me on my way.

Now my stuff was heavy so I thought getting some help would be awesome so I got back outside and all the cute boys at Bell Services asked me where my room was and I had no idea......I had completely blanked on pretty much everything the woman had told me.....so with a little help (including having all my bags taken off me and all the random bits of paper and the box from my Magic Band and everything else, they called a golf cart and I was off.

Now the bloke driving the kart was hilarious but he'd told me to sit in the 2nd row because he didn't want my husband getting upset and I said "that's not a problem I'm not married or here with any one" and then he kept calling me Mrs Godwin. He just said it over and over and I was just thinking he's just rubbing it in! But anyway....he drove me right up to the steps of my building, pointing out things all along the way (as though I was actually going to remember) and then helped haul my heavy suitcase up the stairs to my room and I was finally able to snuggle up in my pjs and go to bed...but not before watching some fireworks from my window (think it was Illuminations....)


For some reason I can't find the picture I took of my room but it pretty much looked like this... ​

 

[godders]

Day 4 Part 2 - Disney's Hollywood *cough* MGM *cough* Studios

So as you may I have guessed, I grew up coming to Disney when it was MGM and it is still very hard to get out of that habit so I apologise ahead of time if I make that typo. For some reason it has always been my favourite park (nothing to do with Star Tours what-so-ever) and so I made sure it was my very first Disney Park (that and several crowd calendars said I should )

I didn't sleep well that first night at POR. Unfortunately, after the world's comfiest bed at RPR anything else was just a let down but somehow I still managed to wake up refreshed and ready to get started on my Disney adventure. I jumped in the shower to wake myself up and then remembered I had left my damp clothes from the day before in my suitcase so naturally they were still wet and I had to try to find my other shorts from the depths of my suitcase. After I'd eventually found my jean shorts I ventured out to try to find some breakfast.

Now the one major childhood memory I have from POR/Dixie Landings is that moment in the morning when you open your door and you just get hit by that humidity! I love it (although my hair does not!) and it's one of the things that always reminds me of Disney and puts me in a good mood and this morning did not disappoint

I managed to find my way to the Riverside Mill pretty easily and there is such a HUGE choice of food in actually quite a small space. Luckily I was in early so the mill was relatively quiet. One of my other memories from being here as a kid were the Mickey Pancakes but unfortunately pancakes are too much first thing in the morning (my stomach needs a few hours of lots of water to wake up for something more solid) so they were off but I did find some greek yoghurt and some juice! Yummy! I also got some fruit and ice tea for later.



So after breakfast I figured I should probably call my Mum just to let her know I'd calmed down about my camera and that I wasn't going to let it ruin my holiday.....and then I realised that I was lost...I mean not "oh dear god where am I lost" but "I was heading for the South Bus Depot and now I'm back at the building next to mine..huh?" I decided to say goodbye to my mum and concentrate on what I was actually doing....

I eventually found the bus deport and it turned out to be just a 3 minute walk from Block 16 where I was staying and the South Bus Depot is the main one which I was really grateful for too!


I don't think this map is quite to scale but you get the idea (there on the left was where I was)

By the time I got to the bus stop it was probably 7.30ish and I think maybe MK had it's EMH that morning because there were ALOT of little princesses waiting. OMG! They were so cute! But I was also really glad when they all got on the MK bus I was also interested to see how my MB would work. I'd forever been reading about problems with them on the DIS so I have to say I was slightly anxious...

The Hollywood Studios bus came after about 10 minutes and I was glad to see the ETA tv screen for the buses were pretty accurate. And then finally I was on the bus with only about 8 other people which again amazed me, having only ever visited the World at peak times before. Then before I knew it.....
I'd arrived!!!! And I was enjoying that first moment at a Disney park, allowing it to wash over me....when some kid ran straight into my camera bag (and that thing is SOLID!)






Please excuse how bad these photos are but it was VERY humid that morning and my lens was fogging up as soon as I could wipe it

But I got to the things-that-are-no-longer-turnstiles at about 8.15 meaning I had a good 40+ minutes before we'd be let in but luckily I was 2nd in line behind a woman and her little boy whose birthday it was. But why was I there so early I hear you ask......TSMM.....that is all I need to say.....It is a dog-eat-dog world out there in relation to getting on that ride before the queue sky rockets up to 1hr+ and I was lucky, just being a single person having to negotiate the crowds without small children or elderly folks to slow me down......but I aware I'd have to dodge round them and I was fully prepared to use my camera bag as a battering ram if needs be.....

By about 8.30 the crowd was beginning to grow and the temperatures began to climb and then all of a sudden I was being handed an Olaf on a stick



and then I remembered......Disney's Frozen Summer Fun had been extended through the whole of September..... If you've read my PTR you will know I am not the biggest fan of Frozen (I prefer Tangled) but boy was I grateful for Olaf that day!! I'm not sure whether he was just promoting Frozen or what but he was very good as a fan!!

Finally as 9am approached we were finally allowed into the park and everything went swimmingly with my MB. So there I was bobbing and weaving through the crowd (at a hurried but not frantic pace) I noticed a couple of runners *tut tut* and was all excited getting my first proper view of the Hat...and then we all stopped in front of it by a set of ropes....unfortunately Frozen had reared its ugly head and we were forced to go through Olaf and his singing before finally the CMs were able to walk us to the ride as crowds from several directions were funneled into one group. Luckily the CMs stayed in a very stringent line ahead of us all the way to the ride entrance and one even went all the way up to the loading dock to prevent people running once they were actually in the queue. And it all paid off! I was probably one of the first 40 people on the ride that day...now I just had to work out what to do with my Olaf on a stick....?​

 

[DisneyBelle_x]

Excited to read a solo trip report especially from someone in the UK, I've recently booked my first solo trip for this September and am both excited and slightly nervous.

Sorry to hear about your lens I'd have been upset and angry too, I know what you mean about doing the big rides alone, I'm not sure I'm going to bother with Universal because I don't think I'd enjoy doing the bigger rides alone for some reason.

Look forward to reading more and seeing more of your great photos

 

[godders]

Excited to read a solo trip report especially from someone in the UK, I've recently booked my first solo trip for this September and am both excited and slightly nervous.

Sorry to hear about your lens I'd have been upset and angry too, I know what you mean about doing the big rides alone, I'm not sure I'm going to bother with Universal because I don't think I'd enjoy doing the bigger rides alone for some reason.

Look forward to reading more and seeing more of your great photos

Yeh me too!! It was reading solo trip reports that gave me the courage to go on it in the first place. Hahahaha yeh I was nervous too but the excitement won out in the end.

I kind of regret not doing them now but at the time I was good with it. I would definitely go to Universal though. There's so much going on and even if you're not a Harry Potter fan you should check out WWOHP because its just fabulous!

Really glad you're enjoying it!

I'm also heading back in Sept btw. What are your dates?

 

[DisneyBelle_x]

Yeh me too!! It was reading solo trip reports that gave me the courage to go on it in the first place. Hahahaha yeh I was nervous too but the excitement won out in the end.

I kind of regret not doing them now but at the time I was good with it. I would definitely go to Universal though. There's so much going on and even if you're not a Harry Potter fan you should check out WWOHP because its just fabulous!

Really glad you're enjoying it!

I'm also heading back in Sept btw. What are your dates?

Snap! I really wanted to go and nobody else fancied it then I read a few solo trip reports and thought 'sod it, maybe i should go alone and i'd have no one moaning or to worry about then'

Like you, i like to let out a scream on the big rides, no idea why as I'm not actually scared but its fun and i don't think i'd have the confidence to do it alone for some reason and would feel kind of bored in a way. I'm not a HP fan in the slightest but do fancy seeing all of that as it wasn't there last time i did Universal and IOA so I may do the two in a day.

Ooh exciting, solo again? I'm there 17th-26th

 

[godders]

Snap! I really wanted to go and nobody else fancied it then I read a few solo trip reports and thought 'sod it, maybe i should go alone and i'd have no one moaning or to worry about then'

Like you, i like to let out a scream on the big rides, no idea why as I'm not actually scared but its fun and i don't think i'd have the confidence to do it alone for some reason and would feel kind of bored in a way. I'm not a HP fan in the slightest but do fancy seeing all of that as it wasn't there last time i did Universal and IOA so I may do the two in a day.

Ooh exciting, solo again? I'm there 17th-26th

Yeh I had the same thing plus my family were going in November when I was away elsewhere. It was solo or nothing! Hahaha yeh not having someone moaning about the heat or someone to moan to can make all the difference!

I know what you mean but I will definitely be getting on them this time round. I think you should go because the new technology Universal is using is crazy! They have really pushed the limits of what it can do. Also WWoHP is incredible just for the detailing. It's Universal doing Disney better than Disney (but don't let the Mouse know I said that!)

Yep solo again 6th-20th atm but looking at maybe adding an extra week to try F&W and see the POTC refurb (it's not weird to extend just for a ride right?)

 

[godders]

Day 4 Part 3 - Star Tours I love you.....

So remember how I was REALLY bad on MiB....well it did not get better with TSMM......I was trying so hard and I only had myself to compete with but it just wasn't happening *hangs head in shame (again)* Next time I am definitely wearing my glasses so I will hopefully have some non-useless scores to report.

When I got out of TSMM, the queue was already up to 60 minutes so hitting it at RD was definitely a good idea. As I left the ride I noticed one of the fabulous Toy Soldiers following people and being pretty entertaining for I just stood to one side and watched him for a bit. It was especially funny when he started copying unsuspecting peoples walks



Finally then, it was time for me to head to my most favouritest ride in the whole world....Star Tours *cue chorus of angels singing*



Also in full swing was the Jedi Training Academy so I stopped and watched them for a few minutes until I could delay it no longer. I was desperate to see the updates to a classic!



OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! It was AMAZEBALLS! I got the Tatooine pod race which was good fun. I'm just really glad they have kept the essence of what the ride is and didn't change it completely unlike others I could mention *cough* Universal *cough* Back to the Future *cough* I unfortunately was not the traitor they were looking for but I had high hopes of riding it enough times that I eventually would be!

After ST I headed on over the TGMR and while it is also fairly outdated I still love it except for the Alien bit. I mean I love Alien the movie, Ripley is an awesome kick-a** female doing it for the girls but that bit is so creepy. I mean I could literally feel myself getting lower in my seat as we went under it.... I also love the movie montage at the end showing so many classics. I would love to be able to say I'd seen all of them (maybe one day). Even had a little tear up at Robin Williams....

Anway, after TGMR I headed on over to the Muppets 3D and on the way past got my photo taken with Lightning McQueen and Mater as Cars is one of my Dad's favourite films. I had to queue for about 15 minutes because the people in front of me wanted every which way combination of photos but hey, at least they were having fun!



On my way round to Muppet Vision I got caught in a sea of strollers as Frozen Sing-a-Long had just let out.....oh my god that was a lot of children! Took me an age to extract myself from the chaos but eventually I did and made it safely to the Muppets before most of the strollers ​

 

[DisneyBelle_x]

Yeh I had the same thing plus my family were going in November when I was away elsewhere. It was solo or nothing! Hahaha yeh not having someone moaning about the heat or someone to moan to can make all the difference!

I know what you mean but I will definitely be getting on them this time round. I think you should go because the new technology Universal is using is crazy! They have really pushed the limits of what it can do. Also WWoHP is incredible just for the detailing. It's Universal doing Disney better than Disney (but don't let the Mouse know I said that!)

Yep solo again 6th-20th atm but looking at maybe adding an extra week to try F&W and see the POTC refurb (it's not weird to extend just for a ride right?)

My husband is not the biggest theme park or Disney fan so doesn't enjoy Disney nearly as much as me so will be nice not to have to worry he's bored to death

I'm so excited i'll just catch F&W, its another thing I've wanted to do for ages, and thats def a good enough reason to extend the trip have you done it yet?

 

[godders]

My husband is not the biggest theme park or Disney fan so doesn't enjoy Disney nearly as much as me so will be nice not to have to worry he's bored to death

I'm so excited i'll just catch F&W, its another thing I've wanted to do for ages, and thats def a good enough reason to extend the trip have you done it yet?

Yeh the freedom of not having to worry about anyone else enjoying the trip is awesome! Hahahaha I have extended my trip but only by 2 days because I luckily remembered in time that I have Rugby World Cup tickets so I'll have to be back in the UK on the 24th....but I am treating myself to a last night with a theme park view at the Contemporary so hopefully I will be able to have a chilled out last view of Wishes!

 

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Day 4 Part 4 - First FP+ and 50's Prime Time​

I love the Muppets and as it was getting to 11am it was really nice to have a quick aircon break. After that I headed on round to the Backlot Tram Tour for one last ride before it disappears completely. It is a classic but a lot of things I remember from when I was younger have already gone so I found myself not too bothered about it going but I was excited about one last ride on Catastrophe Canyon as that has always been a family favourite that we've pretended to be on on several family holidays elsewhere. I do wonder what they will do with all the old props they have back there and whether or not they will open it up as a walk-round area....





After that it was finally time for my first experience of using my MB for FP+. Again after reading so much negativity from the boards I wasn't hopeful that it would all run smoothly but it was all good! Jumped straight through (not that there was really a standby line) and got to enjoy my second round of the updates and I do think that some of the stories meld a little better than others but I still enjoyed it. Again I was disappointed to not be the spy!!

After ST I still had 20 minutes until my first ADR and decided it was better to spend that time in the aircon rather than in the sun so I headed on round to 50's Prime Time Cafe which is the Godwin restaurant of choice when we visit together. On the way past I saw the little Indiana Jones cart and bought the whip and hat I needed to complete my costume for MNSSHP later on the trip

When I eventually got to the restaurant it was absolute chaos....kids running around everywhere, lots of yelling.....took me a good 5 minutes to get someone's attention to check in. There wasn't anywhere to sit so I just tried to stand out of the way but it was so noisy people were having trouble hearing the CMs calling their names....nightmare!

But pretty much on time I was seated close to the back with plenty of people watching opportunities and I immediately ordered myself a Chocolate shake and Grandma's Chicken Pot Pie (I was starving!)



Mmmmmm it was sooo good! Really tasty and the pastry was fab!

As I ate my lunch I was able to catch up on my diary for the trip and cool down ALOT as it was definitely the hottest day I had had so far. I was just finishing up when I noticed my napkin which pretty much sums up my feelings about Disney:



After eating all I could of my lunch, the waitress very kindly put the last of my shake into a to-go up and I was just in time for the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular!​

 

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Day 4 Part 5 - Another bit of Pixie Dust​

Ah the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular! One of my all time favourite shows at WDW and also the inspiration for one of my MNSSHP costumes! It was just as awesome as I remembered it and SOOOOOO much better than the Sinbad show over at the Dark side. Unfortunately it was during the show that my camera lens completely died on me and refused to focus when zoomed so I was unfortunately a little distracted during the show and it put me in a pretty bad mood so I decided to head on back to POR and look at some options for hiring a replacement lens for the rest of my holiday.....

Luckily, as I got to the bus stop outside Hollywood Studios the bus was just pulling up so I was quickly whisked back to the hotel. As soon as I got back to the room I headed to the DISboards to look for some advice and one company was recommended several times over and that was Kingdom Camera Rentals and they had the exact lens I was using for a great price so I immediately got on it. Annoyingly due to some technical difficulties my rental wouldn't go through online. I ended up ringing them and actually got Rod (I think) and he was not the right person to talk to but he sorted me out and said he could be with me at POR at 7.30am the next morning with the lens and then got the office to ring me to pay over the phone. Absolutely fabulous!!! I was sooo unbelievably relieved and they were very helpful over the phone and I could not recommend them more! So another bit of pixie dust that in the end completely made my holiday!

As I was having a quick happy dance moment in my room I got a message from DISer Gusgusgoose asking if I wanted to go and meet up to watch Fantasmic so I quickly got my stuff together again and headed on back to HS. It was still really warm but luckily it was starting to cool down to a bearable level after the heat of the day

We met up outside of Art of Animation and went to go and get pics with Mickey and we timed it well enough that we were the last people before he headed off for his break. Unfortunately my pictures never turned up on my MM but I didn't realise until I'd already left Disney so I couldn't be bothered to ring up to try to find them. On the plus side, it really gave me the confidence to go and get pics with the characters and to use MM so I ready for the rest of my trip!

After Mickey we headed on over to Star Tours and I got to see a completely different set of scenarios from my other rides which was really cool and the lighting was awesome so I managed to get a couple of nice shots while walking around




We still had some time to kill before Fantasmic and TGMR had only a 10 minute wait so we headed on in there, chatting about what we do back home and stuff. I still shrank down in my seat at the Alien bit but hopefully in a slightly less obvious way now I wasn't on my own.

After that we went and joined the crowds heading in for the show and ended up 3rd row from the front, 2nd block in from the right hand side (when looking at the water). Tried to take a photo but it was pretty useless without my tripod to keep the camera steady



I really enjoyed the pre-show entertainment (always love a bit of competition) but the sing-a-long bit went really badly and it was ever so slightly cringey but anyway....

OMG! I love Fantasmic! I can completely see why it is so many people's favourite show at WDW. It reminded me of so many disney songs that I love! I also think it might have been updated since I last saw it so it was lovely to watch and a great way to end my first Disney day!

After the show we managed to successfully navigate all the crowds to get back to the bus stops and Gusgusgoose and I said our goodbyes as we were staying at different resorts and I joined the queue for POR and managed to get a seat on the first bus SCORE! Two women in front of me had full on stereotypical (from a UK perspective) hilly-billy accents and it was awesome and I was staring at them fascinated for a while till I realised I was wearing my glasses rather than my sunnies so they could see me....ooops!

Finally made it back to POR and just about crawled into bed, happy with the knowledge that I was going to get to take pictures again tomorrow!​

 

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Hey everyone! I would like to apologise to everyone who reads this TR. I have been absolutely useless with getting posts up in a timely manner so I'm going to try to crack out quite a bit this evening because I can't start my next pre-trip report until I've finished this one!

So without further delay....I welcome you to:

Day 5 Part 1 - Animal Kingdom

I had another early start, getting up at 6am to make sure I was up and ready to go and meet Rod at 7.30am. I headed to the food court again for breakfast and grabbed a yoghurt again. I was just about finished when Rod called to say he was just pulling up to the gate which was brilliant because he was 20 minutes early so it meant I wasn't going to feel all panicked about not getting to AK by the time I wanted (my OCD can't deal with me being late in any capacity). I headed into the lobby and met Rod just as he was coming in and within 5 minutes I was all sorted. The new lens was a little faded but still in really good condition so I was looking forward to getting my shoot on!

I said goodbye to Rod and then headed the long way round to the bus stop to take some photos to check how the lens was working and these were the results:







I love taking pictures at that time of the morning! The light is so nice!

I got to the bus stop and I'm guessing it was EMH at MK because that bus stop was full! Probably the busiest I saw it the entire week. Some people clearly didn't look at the crowd calendars.....


Their bus stop...


My bus stop.....I ended up being one of only 5 or 6 people on the bus to Animal Kingdom

I ended up getting to my destination a little after 8 and again wandered around a little taking photos before I went to join the queues. I was very jealous of all the guests getting to go in early and see a practically empty park.....(obviously not as visually cool at AK as I imagine it to be at MK)

So here are the photos I took on my AK arrival:







When I went to the queues I positioned myself on the side closest to Africa ready to hot foot over to Kilimanjaro Safari (as recommended by you lovely DISers!) and as soon as the park opened I was off!​