How Many Times Did I Meet Pluto This Trip? A Dec Solo TR - New TR Link 11/30!

[DisneyKid4Life]

Ah yes, that Tinkerbell is a quick one.

OMG I love Wishes so much!!! I especially love it during that time of year when the castle shifts to the dream lights at the end. Extra Special. I'm really really trying to get my father to Disney one more time hopefully this year or early next, and this seems like it would be a perfect thing to see it. Much better than having him stand (or my mother for that matter).

Aww a Friendship Boat pin. They really do have a pin for everything.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great pictures of Wishes. I agree. I do prefer being in front of the castle to see the fireworks; but not having to jostle with the crowds is well worth being at the Terrace.

Fantastic pins and Vinylmation!
Stitch waiting for you was soooo cute.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I'm glad you loved your dessert party! I really enjoyed it when I went in 2013! (I also really loved the fact that they had milk - it really hit the spot with all those desserts! )

Beautiful pictures from Wishes!

 

[MEK]

You got a great view for your fireworks pictures. Nice job! I'm glad you really enjoyed the dessert party. Looks like fun!

 

[Pluto0809]

isn't it time you bought a DSLR? I do believe your ready... i would look into it and i will be MORE THEN happy to go out shooting with you!

Now on to the questions. You know Matt likes the vinyalmations... I am not that versed in this.. The chaser: is that the question character on each box? Where are the locations to trade these things? I know the store does but they only hold three at a time.

I have thought about a DSLR but there are two main reasons holding me back. First I just don't think I have the patience to learn one and secondly I love the small size of my camera and really don't want to carry something bigger around. I really only use my camera on vacations, the rest of the time I just use my phone.

OK, let's talk vinyls. First of all, I'm not an expert but I'll fill you in on the stuff I've learned over the last year.

The chaser - yes that is the question mark character in each box. There's actually three types of vinyls although not in every set. First of course is the regular ones you see on the side of the box. Second is the chaser which is a bit more rare to find than the rest of the regular ones. The third type is called a variant. These are super rare and not every set has one. I usually turn to Ebay to figure out if there is a variant in a set. For example, here's my Ink and Paint set:



In that set, Minnie is the chaser. The regular ones sell for cost on Ebay but she sells for $30 - $40. There is a variant in that set, it's a black and white version of Donald. I have yet to see it sell for less than $200 on Ebay. Hence the reason I don't have it in my set.

As for trading I'm not even going to get into it because as of February 5th, Disney eliminated all trading locations at WDW. As far as I know, the small clear boxes at the Disney store is the only place to live trade. I was told in February that there are plenty of web sites to trade but I haven't gone looking because trading for me was just for fun.

So many awesome pictures of Wishes! I'm glad it was worth attending. And it definitely sounds like something you would enjoy with your mom

Aww Stitch in the window is so cute!

I can't wait to take Mom to the dessert party. I know she will love it! I really enjoyed seeing Stitch when I came back to my room that night.

The dessert party does look like a great location. I would love to try it but will see how the reviews are after it changes. I also love watching from the hub area because of the castle but fantasyland is my second favorite spot because there are much less crowds.

I am a big collector of vinylmations as well. I have the tiki one and a few other park stars, I don't have sonny eclipse tho. I have two Christmas carol ones too but I like the ones you got better than mine. Love stitch in the window.

Yeah, I'm holding my breathe to see what the changes are to the dessert party. I hope they didn't eliminate some of the variety.

I love the Park Stars ones other than the extra cost. That's probably why I only have two of them right now. I think I have 6 of the 12 Christmas Carol ones now, I'll eventually finish off the set by getting them off of Ebay. I was also so bummed when I found out they stopped the trading at Disney this spring.

I opened this report in a tab a few weeks ago, then got distracted and never started it. I'm so glad I read through it this morning!

I am even more convinced of two things: I definitely need to take a solo trip, and we DEFINITELY need to get ourselves there during the holiday season.

I love your report of the Tomorrowland Terrace Dessert Party! I booked the new version, the Wishes Dessert Party, for our trip in July. Since I've never done ANY of the dessert parties, I'm excited!
Heading over to look at your Universal TR too, as we're doing that for the first time this summer as well

(Oh, and I think AK is just the "upset stomach captial of Disney World" because I had issues there in August. Ugh.)

Thanks for joining in and getting caught up, I love hearing everyone's thoughts and opinions on my trips.

Solo travel is so much fun. Shhhhh, don't tell my family but I really think solo trips are my favorite. I'm a pretty independent person and don't mind being by myself so solo trips really appeal to me.

Oh, I hope you will let us know how the new version is! Let me know if you do a report on it because I'm very anxious to see what changes if any they make.

I have stomach issues all the time so it's nothing new to me. I really think it was the dessert party the night before that made me sick since I didn't eat any dinner before the party. Plus the alcoholic hot chocolate probably didn't help.

See you over on the Universal report!

Sounds fun!

Thanks, it was a lot of fun!

Love your Wishes pics!! and the cute little Vinylmation "Dot" you traded for. On the pins you posted--the Flik one looks like there should be something in his hand--maybe an add-on pin or something?

Check out the Dot vinyl in the post above the pins. See how her hand is also curved like the Flik pin? All the Mickey shaped vinyls have a curved hand like that so that's why it's like that on the pin!

 

[Pluto0809]

Ah yes, that Tinkerbell is a quick one.

OMG I love Wishes so much!!! I especially love it during that time of year when the castle shifts to the dream lights at the end. Extra Special. I'm really really trying to get my father to Disney one more time hopefully this year or early next, and this seems like it would be a perfect thing to see it. Much better than having him stand (or my mother for that matter).

Aww a Friendship Boat pin. They really do have a pin for everything.

Yes she is way too fast!

Seeing the dream lights at the end of Wishes is definitely a special experience. I hope you are able to get your parents to go to Disney!

Yep, I even have a "no dancing" pin!

Great pictures of Wishes. I agree. I do prefer being in front of the castle to see the fireworks; but not having to jostle with the crowds is well worth being at the Terrace.

Fantastic pins and Vinylmation!
Stitch waiting for you was soooo cute.

The dessert party was a very nice change from the crazy crowds.

I was so happy to get back to my room and see Stitch waiting for me.

I'm glad you loved your dessert party! I really enjoyed it when I went in 2013! (I also really loved the fact that they had milk - it really hit the spot with all those desserts! )

Beautiful pictures from Wishes!

The milk just made my night! I'm a big milk drinker to begin with and it was the perfect combo with the sweet desserts.

Thanks, I was pretty pleased with my pictures that night.

You got a great view for your fireworks pictures. Nice job! I'm glad you really enjoyed the dessert party. Looks like fun!

Thanks, it was definitely a great spot to watch from and the yummy desserts didn't hurt either.

 

[Pluto0809]

A Relaxing Afternoon at the Monorail Resorts.

I didn’t have to be anywhere till 1:15 pm on Tuesday December 2, 2014. Even though I knew I wouldn’t sleep too late, I set my alarm for 10 am just in case. I didn’t want to take the risk that this would be the one time I slept really long.

But right at 8 am, knock, knock, knock, “Mousekeeping!”. So much for sleeping in a bit, I really needed to get a Do Not Disturb sign to use the rest of the week. I answered the door and let them know I would be out of the room by 11 am.

I took my time getting ready and left right at 11 am to catch a bus to MK. It was cloudy and supposed to rain some in the afternoon but I wasn’t planning on being outdoors till later in the evening.

I caught the Monorail quickly and finally took some pictures as I rode around to the Grand Floridian.











A look at the progress on the Poly DVC construction at that moment. I’m pretty sure these are done now aren’t they?







I had caught both the bus and the monorail pretty quickly so I was very early for my ADR. So I walked around a bit, did some shopping, had some PP pictures taken by the tree and then crashed on one of the couches to work on my trip journal for a while.









Disney included some stock photos from the GF in my PP account and since they are pretty, I will share them with you. These next two photos are not mine.





I bought two items at the GF gift shops. Both items were things I had been searching for but hadn’t found at the other stores. First was this Donald magnet that was for Jim.



The second item was a pair of Mickey earrings. I had bought the same pair for Mom back in February when she wasn’t feeling well during that trip. I decided I wanted a pair and had looked for them on both my May trip and October trip with no luck. I finally found them at the GF!



And here’s the PP pictures by the tree.







My lunch destination was the Grand Floridian Café and I checked in at 1 pm. The CM told me that they were running about 15 minutes behind so I was surprised when my pager went off at 1:05 pm. The CM walked me all the way to the back of the restaurant only to realize that the table she was taking me to was already filled. She then realized that the slip she had wasn’t even for me. So she walked me back to the front and gave me a new pager. It was right around that time that I noticed it was pouring outside. The second pager went off right at 1:15 pm which was my ADR time and this time it really was for me.

I was hoping that the fish of the day would be something I liked but it was salmon, the one fish I really dislike. I also looked at the Pasta of the Day but it was a cheese sauce which would not have been a good idea for me. I ended up getting the Char-Crusted New Your Strip Steak that came with mashed potatoes and Swiss chard. You can probably guess that I didn’t touch the Swiss chard.



I was a little worried about the sauce but it was mild and tomato based so I liked it. The steak was good, not the best I’ve ever had but decent and I enjoyed my meal.

I didn’t order dessert because I had something else in mind so I settled my bill and headed out. It was still raining but I wasn’t worried, I still had a few hours before I needed to be outside. I took one last picture of the Gingerbread house before heading back to the monorail.



I rode with an older gentleman who was quite confused. He was trying to get to Epcot and thought that the line we were on would take him there. I think he may have been riding the monorail in circles for a bit. I explained to him that he needed to get off at the TTC and transfer to the Epcot line. He must have asked me at least 10 times between the GF and the Contemporary to remind him which stop again. I got off at the Contemporary and really hoped he made it to Epcot.

I walked through the shops at the Contemporary and checked out the Frozen gingerbread display. I thought it was cute but nothing amazing.



I then headed to the Contempo Café to fulfill my cupcake quota for the day. They had two kinds and I really don’t remember what the second one was. I got a chocolate peppermint one.



This was very yummy and I spent a while enjoying it while watching the monorails zoom by. It was after 3 pm when I finished up and the rain had stopped. Before I headed back to the monorail, I found the five legged goat and took a picture.



After waiting 15 minutes for a monorail and watching the line get longer and longer, I got impatient. I had a FP+ from 3:15 to 4:15 and time was ticking away. I decided it would be quicker to walk so I headed out of the Contemporary.

Up Next: I’m a Galactic Hero, Well Sort Of

 

[missangelalexis]

Ugh, how annoying that Mousekeeping came early on the day you could have slept in!

Love the PP pics of you at the GF.

sounds like a nice and relaxing afternoon!

 

[rteetz]

Mouse keeping was quite early that day! I love the gingerbread set ups at the resorts, I have yet to see them in person but they look great. Your steak looks good and that probably something I would opt for at the GF. Looks like you had a nice relaxing day so far.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

On most trips I wouldn't even really need a Do Not Disturb since I was usually out so early. This past trip, I did actually use it. That sucks that Mousekeeping decided to come so early.

Your pictures I'm pretty sure are all I will ever see of the Poly DVC. Maybe they'll have a free tour or something.

HAHA, when you said you had something else in mind for dessert I was really thinking you might run over and take a bite out of that house.

Five Legged Goat... WOOT!!!

 

[mickeystoontown]

I'm all caught up again. I seem to stay behind since the Dis makeover. Soooo, I'll just comment on the latest update. Can I just say that's one of the cutest shirts ever! I could go for that steak right now....I'm munching on a handful of peanuts and they just aren't cutting it. So, how was the cupcake? As delicious as it looks?

 

[KatMark]

Slowing going around to catch up everywhere.

What is with Disney buses. Either too hot or too cold.

Love Columbia Harbor House.

We've never done Liberty Belle at night...I'll have to keep that in mind.

You can't beat Country Bears and BTMR.

Mark loves taking the train around the park (twice if I'll let him).

I'm glad you got your Dessert Party. I don't think I want to do it. I kind of think it defeats the purpose of having a seat and then having everyone standing in front of you at the railing...but that's just me (plus I don't eat a lot of sweets). I want to be sure to see the Castle Show...haven't seen it for awhile. Great pictures of Wishes.

Love the picture of you in front of the tree at the GF.

 

[Chicago Mo]

third type is called a variant.

Never knew anything about this one! thanks! So anytime Matt opens one of these things i am going to check with you first..

Disney eliminated all trading locations at WDW.

Why would they do this?!?!

Yeah, I'm holding my breathe to see what the changes are to the dessert party.

What changes?!?! haven't heard anything about changes!

I have thought about a DSLR but there are two main reasons holding me back. First I just don't think I have the patience to learn one and secondly I love the small size of my camera and really don't want to carry something bigger around.

Some newer cameras are really small. but you know me and my big ol babies!
You would be surprised in how easy they are to use and like i said I WOULD LOVE to go out with ya!

A look at the progress on the Poly DVC construction at that moment. I’m pretty sure these are done now aren’t they?

Omg they are so beautiful... But 2,500 a night is absolutely CRAZY!!!!! looking at it all i cannot wait to go back here


dang mousekeeping! Sorry they work you up!!! Yes you need a Do not Bother me i am sleeping in door hanger.

What up with the crazy Monkey picture just weird like it would be on the wall of Dr Monroe's island.

Your PP are adorable. I just love your shirt! I am about frozened out.... yet that cupcake looks pretty good!!!

 

[PrincessInOz]

What a shame that Mousekeeping came rat-a-tat-ting early. But it looks like you had a great morning anyway.
Love the Donald magnet. I think I want one!
Great pictures of the Christmas 'specials'. I love the gingerbread house.

Maybe that guy is still travelling round on the monorail.

 

[missjackiemcg]

I have only seen the Grand Floridian gingerbread house once, but I don't remember seeing Santa up on top!! What a cute touch!

I was on my solo afternoon the time I saw it and I felt funny taking PP pictures with the tree by myself. I've been kicking myself ever since because it is SO beautiful!!!

 

[Tracy161]

Don't be too upset by your Tink pictures... they're sure better than any I've been able to capture!

The dessert party must be such a nice way to avoid the crowds!

Beautiful shots of the Grand Floridian! And I LOVE your Mickey earrings! Lovin' your holiday Pluto shirt too, by the way

I am still astounded each time I see pictures of the gingerbread house! If I go on another trip this year, I haven't decided if it'll be September/October... i.e., Halloween time (one of my favorite times to be at Disney) or late-ish November so I can see all the holiday happenings! I haven't been to Disney during the holiday season since 1997!

YUM!!! Your chocolate peppermint cupcake sounds delicious!

 

[Pluto0809]

Ugh, how annoying that Mousekeeping came early on the day you could have slept in!

Love the PP pics of you at the GF.

sounds like a nice and relaxing afternoon!

I was a little annoyed they came so early but I can't blame them since I didn't have a sign to put out.

It was a really nice afternoon.

Mouse keeping was quite early that day! I love the gingerbread set ups at the resorts, I have yet to see them in person but they look great. Your steak looks good and that probably something I would opt for at the GF. Looks like you had a nice relaxing day so far.

They were early and on the day I wanted to sleep in a bit!

The Grand Floridian Gingerbread display is definitely the best but I do like the Beach Club carousel. I didn't make it to that resort this trip.

On most trips I wouldn't even really need a Do Not Disturb since I was usually out so early. This past trip, I did actually use it. That sucks that Mousekeeping decided to come so early.

Your pictures I'm pretty sure are all I will ever see of the Poly DVC. Maybe they'll have a free tour or something.

HAHA, when you said you had something else in mind for dessert I was really thinking you might run over and take a bite out of that house.

Five Legged Goat... WOOT!!!

I know I won't be staying at those Poly DVC unless I win the lottery someday. Guess I need to start playing the lottery, huh?

Nope, no gingerbread for me! It's got to be chocolate or nothing!

I love finding the little odd details like the five legged goat.

I'm all caught up again. I seem to stay behind since the Dis makeover. Soooo, I'll just comment on the latest update. Can I just say that's one of the cutest shirts ever! I could go for that steak right now....I'm munching on a handful of peanuts and they just aren't cutting it. So, how was the cupcake? As delicious as it looks?

Thanks, I love that Pluto shirt!

I could go for any kind of Disney food right now, or any time for that matter. And yes the cupcake was yummy!

Slowing going around to catch up everywhere.

What is with Disney buses. Either too hot or too cold.

Love Columbia Harbor House.

We've never done Liberty Belle at night...I'll have to keep that in mind.

You can't beat Country Bears and BTMR.

Mark loves taking the train around the park (twice if I'll let him).

I'm glad you got your Dessert Party. I don't think I want to do it. I kind of think it defeats the purpose of having a seat and then having everyone standing in front of you at the railing...but that's just me (plus I don't eat a lot of sweets). I want to be sure to see the Castle Show...haven't seen it for awhile. Great pictures of Wishes.

Love the picture of you in front of the tree at the GF.

Hi Kathy! Welcome back I'm glad you had a good time in Phoenix.

I had no idea the Liberty Belle ran after dark, I really thought it closed at dusk so that was a pleasant surprise.

I think at the dessert party you almost have to stand up to really see Wishes. Even at my front row seat, I think some of the roof would have blocked the fireworks. The tables towards the back definitely had a blocked view. It was definitely much less crowded than watching from the Hub.

Never knew anything about this one! thanks! So anytime Matt opens one of these things i am going to check with you first..

Why would they do this?!?!

What changes?!?! haven't heard anything about changes!

Some newer cameras are really small. but you know me and my big ol babies!
You would be surprised in how easy they are to use and like i said I WOULD LOVE to go out with ya!

Omg they are so beautiful... But 2,500 a night is absolutely CRAZY!!!!! looking at it all i cannot wait to go back here

dang mousekeeping! Sorry they work you up!!! Yes you need a Do not Bother me i am sleeping in door hanger.

What up with the crazy Monkey picture just weird like it would be on the wall of Dr Monroe's island.

Your PP are adorable. I just love your shirt! I am about frozened out.... yet that cupcake looks pretty good!!!

Well, I'm no expert at the vinyls, just learning myself but I will be happy to try and help!

I have a feeling that the vinyl trading just wasn't very popular. I rarely ever saw anyone else trading when I was doing it. It was already limited with only one or two spots in each park. I just hope they still keep making them because I love opening the blind boxes.

I'm just speculating on if there will be changes to the dessert party. They did change the name and raise the price to $49 a person but I don't know for sure if there were any other changes.

I'll probably hold off on getting a fancier camera until they make one I can slip down in my pocket. That's one of the things I love about my little point and shoot!

I definitely want to plan a stop at the Poly next time I'm there so I can see the new lobby. The new bar sounds interesting too.

I thought the monkey picture was odd too, that's why I took a picture.

What a shame that Mousekeeping came rat-a-tat-ting early. But it looks like you had a great morning anyway.
Love the Donald magnet. I think I want one!
Great pictures of the Christmas 'specials'. I love the gingerbread house.

Maybe that guy is still travelling round on the monorail.

I was slightly annoyed that they knocked so early but I couldn't blame them with no sign on the door.

I had an awful time finding that Donald magnet! That was the only place I saw them and they only had a couple. Jim had seen it when he was there for a concert in October. He only stayed one night and didn't get a chance to buy it so he asked me to pick one up. I'm just glad I did find it for him.

I was seriously worried about that guy. I really thought about staying on and making sure he did make it but I didn't want to ride all the way around the monorail loop again.

I have only seen the Grand Floridian gingerbread house once, but I don't remember seeing Santa up on top!! What a cute touch!

I was on my solo afternoon the time I saw it and I felt funny taking PP pictures with the tree by myself. I've been kicking myself ever since because it is SO beautiful!!!

I think they change up the decorations each year on the gingerbread house.

I got over the feeling funny by myself pretty quickly. If not I wouldn't have had any pictures!

Don't be too upset by your Tink pictures... they're sure better than any I've been able to capture!

The dessert party must be such a nice way to avoid the crowds!

Beautiful shots of the Grand Floridian! And I LOVE your Mickey earrings! Lovin' your holiday Pluto shirt too, by the way

I am still astounded each time I see pictures of the gingerbread house! If I go on another trip this year, I haven't decided if it'll be September/October... i.e., Halloween time (one of my favorite times to be at Disney) or late-ish November so I can see all the holiday happenings! I haven't been to Disney during the holiday season since 1997!

YUM!!! Your chocolate peppermint cupcake sounds delicious!

I'm not really upset by the Tink pictures because I know it's hard to get her but I keep trying!

It was a great way to avoid the crowds and get some yummy desserts!

I really love those earrings too. You don't see a full body Mickey very often, it's usually just his head.

I do love the Halloween season but Christmas is definitely my first love. Between the Osborne Lights, MVMCP and the Candlelight processional it's hard to beat.

 

[Pluto0809]

I’m a Galactic Hero, Well Sort of

It took me about 10 minutes to walk to the front of MK and I noticed they were already letting party people through the designated gates. I had thought I would be in MK a bit earlier and would have to seek out a location within the park. But I lingered a while over my cupcake waiting for the rain to stop so I entered through the party gate and got my wristband.

I had to hustle a bit to make my first FP+ time which was for Buzz Lightyear. I started off the game pretty good and was amassing a decent score and then the ride stopped at the absolute perfect place. It was right in front of one of the 100,000 targets that I knew about! It wasn’t another minute before my score said this.



Whoo hoo! I’m galactic hero. Sort of. It was a bit of a cheat but I was going to take it and run. I had been trying for that score for a while.

In the car next to me were two little boys. I leaned over and pointed out the target to the one closest to me who was the younger of the two. A few minutes later I heard the other little boy say “Wow, look at your score!” The first boy seemed pretty proud of himself for beating his older brother so that was fun to watch. He did tell his older brother about the target but we started moving just then.

And of course I couldn’t walk away from the ride without stopping to get my Galactic Hero button. They had them already written up and the CM handed me one when I showed her my score. Notice anything weird about the button? Somebody couldn’t spell that day.



Oh, and here’s my boring ride photo. You would think at this point I would have been relaxed and hamming it for the camera. But no, I was still in serious playing mode and had slid over to use the other gun.



My next FP+ was now available since I used the first towards the end so I headed straight to Space Mountain. I have no idea what this ride photo look was all about. I swear I was having a wonderful time. Really.



Another way too serious face as I exited the ride.



I had a bit of time before I could use my last FP+ for Peter Pan so I decided to get in line for Winnie the Pooh. The wait time said 25 minutes but I only waited about 15. It gave me some time to take a few line pictures. First though, a sneak peak at a rare sighting. Rabbit was out meeting with Pooh and Tigger.









In front of me in line was a Dad and his adorable little boy. The boy was running all over the place of course and the Dad kept having to hold up the line while the boy caught up. He apologized to me but I didn’t mind and we struck up a conversation. I had a good time showing the boy how to find the characters in the honey. When we got to the front the boy told me I was riding with them. He wanted me to sit in the front of the car with the two of them but I said it would be better if I was in the back. I did end up in a selfie that the dad took of the three of us. I had a blast riding with them. Of course I took some ride photos too.

















My last FP+ was for Peter Pan at 5:15 and I used it right at the 5:10 grace period. I don’t seem to have pictures from that trip through Neverland. I don’t know if I didn’t take any or if they were all bad. That ride is so hard to photograph.

I had planned on getting a snack after PP but I wasn’t hungry yet after the huge cupcake plus I had noticed that people were already lining up for the 7 Dwarfs. I decided that I better get in line so that I wasn’t wasting valuable party time in line. It was right about 5:30 when I got in line and there were about 5 families in front of me.

Up Next: The Good Half of MVMCP

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Whoo-hoo for 999,999 points on Buzz Lightyear! I'm not too bad at TSMM but I'm TERRIBLE at Buzz. I really should study up on those high point targets!

It's hysterical that all your pictures are all so serious.

What a fun surprise to see Rabbit! I don't think I've ever seen him out and about!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Nope, you are legit a Galactic (or I guess Galatic) Hero Ariana. It's not a cheat to be stuck, it's a blessing. Congratulations!!

Awww Rabbit!!! I think I would have had to jump in that line. I don't remember meeting him before.

You know I love the interaction in the line the boy and his dad. That's so cute he wanted you to ride with them. Ah Disney.