Pluto0809
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2012
Going Under the Sea and Flying Solo
I seriously considered doing Enchanted Tales with Belle next so I could get a picture with Belle. But the show really is a time sucker even without a line and I wasn’t guaranteed a picture unless I participated in the show which was not something I wanted to do. I just decided to save her for the next time I went and headed to the Little Mermaid Ride instead. The crowds were officially gone and everything from here on out was a walk on.
I needed to fly with my favorite Elephant one last time so I got in line. Or rather I walked through the line to fine no one in front of me. The ride was running but as I watched I realized no one was on it. Empty Elephants:
I thought for sure someone else would walk up behind me but no one did. I was loaded onto a completely empty ride and had a solo flight on Dumbo! Look Ma, no people!
Well that was an awesome, magical experience for sure! It turned out to be one of the highlights of my whole trip. I was so happy to get a solo flight on one of my all time favorite rides.
There was no line for the Barnstormer so I decided to ride it next.
I rode with one other family and we got to go twice in a row because there was no one waiting to board. I could have gone a third time but it was now 2:30 am and I wanted to catch Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear before the park closed.
I took the back path from Storybook Circus to Tomorrowland and headed to Space Mountain. Boo! It was down. I thought about the TTA but it was already closed. I guess it doesn’t run during evening EMHs. So I decided to try the one ride in Tomorrowland I haven’t done. Well, like the Carousel, I might have ridden it as a child but have no memory. The problem is, the thought of riding this one scared me quite a bit. You see, I’m not very fond of heights. I can handle rides like Expedition Everest because you are strapped down well which makes me feel safe. But you will never catch me on a Ferris Wheel where your feet dangle. One of my dirty little Disney secrets is that Dumbo scares me a little. Yes I ride it every time I go but if I’m alone, I have to make sure I sit all the way to the outside because I hate it when I slide to the left when the ride starts. By now you probably have figured out that the ride I’m talking about in Tomorrowland is the Astro Orbiter. I’ve always avoided it in the past because it’s higher than Dumbo and I’ve read descriptions where people say it feels like you might slide out. But I beat down my inhibitions and got in line.
I only had to wait for the current ride to finish before we were loaded onto the elevators and taken up to the ride. I took two pictures before we took off but after that I was hanging on for dear life.
I was definitely not a fan but at least now I can say I have ridden it. It’s most likely a one and done for me! I need to go back and double check but I'm pretty sure I've now ridden every ride in MK at least once since 2010. I also think I've seen every show except for Dream Along with Mickey.
Space Mountain was still down when I got off so I headed to Buzz Lightyear for one last spin. I got a pretty good score too considering how late it was and how delirious I was at this point.
There was a ride photo this time but it was not in my PP account when I got home. It really was not worth sending an e-mail to Disney to try to recover it so I didn’t bother. It still seems to be hit or miss with the ride photos making it to your account. What I did this trip was to take a picture of the number so if I did need to contact Disney to recover one I had it to give to them.
I walked back over to SM after the ride and all the CMs were outside standing in a line doing the wave. Obviously the ride was not going to reopen that night. It was about 2:50 am at this point so I decided to head towards Main Street.
Up Next: A Kiss Goodnight and The End
I seriously considered doing Enchanted Tales with Belle next so I could get a picture with Belle. But the show really is a time sucker even without a line and I wasn’t guaranteed a picture unless I participated in the show which was not something I wanted to do. I just decided to save her for the next time I went and headed to the Little Mermaid Ride instead. The crowds were officially gone and everything from here on out was a walk on.
I needed to fly with my favorite Elephant one last time so I got in line. Or rather I walked through the line to fine no one in front of me. The ride was running but as I watched I realized no one was on it. Empty Elephants:
I thought for sure someone else would walk up behind me but no one did. I was loaded onto a completely empty ride and had a solo flight on Dumbo! Look Ma, no people!
Well that was an awesome, magical experience for sure! It turned out to be one of the highlights of my whole trip. I was so happy to get a solo flight on one of my all time favorite rides.
There was no line for the Barnstormer so I decided to ride it next.
I rode with one other family and we got to go twice in a row because there was no one waiting to board. I could have gone a third time but it was now 2:30 am and I wanted to catch Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear before the park closed.
I took the back path from Storybook Circus to Tomorrowland and headed to Space Mountain. Boo! It was down. I thought about the TTA but it was already closed. I guess it doesn’t run during evening EMHs. So I decided to try the one ride in Tomorrowland I haven’t done. Well, like the Carousel, I might have ridden it as a child but have no memory. The problem is, the thought of riding this one scared me quite a bit. You see, I’m not very fond of heights. I can handle rides like Expedition Everest because you are strapped down well which makes me feel safe. But you will never catch me on a Ferris Wheel where your feet dangle. One of my dirty little Disney secrets is that Dumbo scares me a little. Yes I ride it every time I go but if I’m alone, I have to make sure I sit all the way to the outside because I hate it when I slide to the left when the ride starts. By now you probably have figured out that the ride I’m talking about in Tomorrowland is the Astro Orbiter. I’ve always avoided it in the past because it’s higher than Dumbo and I’ve read descriptions where people say it feels like you might slide out. But I beat down my inhibitions and got in line.
I only had to wait for the current ride to finish before we were loaded onto the elevators and taken up to the ride. I took two pictures before we took off but after that I was hanging on for dear life.
I was definitely not a fan but at least now I can say I have ridden it. It’s most likely a one and done for me! I need to go back and double check but I'm pretty sure I've now ridden every ride in MK at least once since 2010. I also think I've seen every show except for Dream Along with Mickey.
Space Mountain was still down when I got off so I headed to Buzz Lightyear for one last spin. I got a pretty good score too considering how late it was and how delirious I was at this point.
There was a ride photo this time but it was not in my PP account when I got home. It really was not worth sending an e-mail to Disney to try to recover it so I didn’t bother. It still seems to be hit or miss with the ride photos making it to your account. What I did this trip was to take a picture of the number so if I did need to contact Disney to recover one I had it to give to them.
I walked back over to SM after the ride and all the CMs were outside standing in a line doing the wave. Obviously the ride was not going to reopen that night. It was about 2:50 am at this point so I decided to head towards Main Street.
Up Next: A Kiss Goodnight and The End
Last edited:
I LOVE the angles you got of their little faces all in a row flying behind you! Definitely more magical this way than if they were filled with random strangers. Love it! Looking forward to the Kiss Goodnight. I always read about it, but have never experienced it myself. Someday, I hope!!!!
What was it like riding it? The height is what is keeping me from getting on.
But you were a trooper staying until 3am!! 
Have a great time in PA!
I guess that's what happens when you lurk around the DIS for a year before getting the "you know whats" to finally start posting!
Seems like it all worked out though, and you didn't have to drag all your bags through the airport, so that's always nice. 
It sounds like you had a truly wonderful trip (but then again, any trip to WDW is wonderful IMHO). We aren't planning another trip until 2016 and more than likely won't be back for another couple of years so I feel your pain. It's lovely to have all those memories though. 
