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

[Pluto0809]

Hello and welcome to my latest Trip Report. This will probably be the last one for a while as I don’t have any plans to go back to WDW till 2017. Of course everyone that knows me says there’s no way I’ll make it that long so we shall see.

For those who are new to my reports, my name is Ariana, I’m 41 and I live outside of Atlanta, GA. Here I am with my favorite guy in the whole world.



I am married but my husband, Jim, is not a huge Disney fan. He has gone a few times with me but does not have the urge to run back the second we get home. Once every two or three years is fine with him. Here we are hanging out with Gaston.



We don’t have any two-legged kids but do have four four-legged babies.

Our oldest guy is a schnauzer named Eddie. He’s 13, completely blind (lost both his eyes to glaucoma), and is going a bit senile. He’s still my baby though, we’ve had him since he was six weeks old. Because of his dark coloring, I have an awful time getting good pictures of him but I managed to get this one a few weeks ago. My Mom says he looks scary in this picture but I don’t think so.



Next in line is Alex. He’s 8 years old and a Schnauzer mix. His Mom was a pure-bred Schnauzer who went for a walk one day and came back pregnant. He is the first of our babies that “followed” me home from the Animal Shelter that I volunteer at. He is a complete Mama’s boy and is almost always somewhere near me.



Sierra is our 4 year old Schnauzer and she is 100% Jim’s baby.



Our final baby is Remy. He is the second one that “followed” me home from the shelter. We brought him home to foster over Christmas last year and he never went back. He turned 5 in December and is a Yorkshire terrier. He and Sierra are best buds and like to beat the snot out of each other daily.



This trip was my fourth in 2014 and my ninth since 2010. Prior to that I had gone six times so this trip was #15 overall. In February of this year, we did a huge family trip to Disney and my cousin got married while we were there. In May, Jim and I did a quick weekend for the Flower and Garden festival. TRs for both of those trips are complete and are in my signature if you care to go back. My third trip was a Mother/Daughter trip in October and we had a great time. The TR for that trip is still in progress.

So a little more about this trip:

Who: Me, me and me! This was my 2nd solo trip and I had an absolute blast. While I love going with other people, I find solo trips to be very freeing and this one was no exception.

When: November 29th – December 7th, 2014. Eight glorious days to do what I wanted, when I wanted.

Where: Preferred Room at All Star Movies with a request to be in the 101 Dalmatian section. I was very happy to receive my request and I did enjoy the resort. I’ve stayed at all the values now except for AOA and I can say that POP is still my favorite.

Finally, about the title of the TR. As I stated above, Pluto is my main man. I have loved him for as long as I can remember. I have several Pluto souvenirs that I have had my whole life and have an entire room in my house dedicated to him. So I pretty much made this trip all about him. I wore mostly Pluto gear and met him numerous times. Just how many? You’ll have to stick around to find that out.

I did have two other titles in mind for the TR which might give you a hint of what’s to come.

“A Cupcake a Day Keeps the Disney Blues Away”

“A Plethora of Character Paloozas”

Up Next: The Trip is Finally Here!

 

[Pluto0809]

Saturday, November 29th, 2014
The Trip is Finally Here! Part 1
The Trip is Finally Here! Part 2
You'll Never Guess What I Did First at MK Part 1
You'll Never Guess What I Did First at MK Part 2
Jingle Cruise, Jingle Cruise, Jingle All the Way Part 1
Jingle Cruise, Jingle Cruise, Jingle All the Way Part 2
Frozen Fever
The Cupcake Quest Begins Part 1
The Cupcake Quest Begins Part 2
Wishes From a New Perspective Part 1
Wishes From a New Perspective Part 2

Sunday, November 30, 2014
I'm a Georgia Peach!
Bah La La La La
Cowboy!! Part 1
Cowboy!! Part 2
Character Palooza #1
Oh Those Glorious Osborne Lights Part 1
Oh Those Glorious Osborne Lights Part 2
Frozen Dessert Party

Monday, December 1, 2014
Why Do I Do This to Myself?
Dinosaur and Festival Time! Part 1
Dinosaur and Festival Time! Part 2
Where are the Pretty Fish?
Safari Part 1
Safari Part 2
I Make My Own Character Palooza
In the Big Blue World
A Unique Nighttime Experience Part 1
A Unique Nighttime Experience Part 2
Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party Part 1
Tomorrowland Terrace Fireworks Dessert Party Part 2
Wishes From the Dessert Party Part 1
Wishes From the Dessert Party Part 2
Wishes From the Dessert Party Part 3

Tuesday, December 2, 2014
A Relaxing Afternoon at the Monorail Resorts
I'm a Galactic Hero, Well Sort Of
The Good Half of MVMCP
The Bad Half of MVMCP

Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Christmas Shopping at DTD Part 1
Christmas Shopping at DTD Part 2
Character Palooza #2 Part 1
Character Palooza #2 Part 2
Fantasmic Part 1
Fantasmic Part 2

Thursday, December 4, 2014
I Think Pink is My Color Part 1
I Think Pink is My Color Part 2
Where FP+ is Actually Slower Than Standby Part 1
Where FP+ is Actually Slower Than Standby Part 2
I'm Peter Pan and I'm a Power Ranger Part 1
I'm Peter Pan and I'm a Power Ranger Part 2
Now It's Time to Eat the Fishes Part 1
Now It's Time to Eat the Fishes Part 2
Candlelight Processional
I Fail at One of My Quests Part 1
I Fail at One of My Quests Part 2

Friday, December 5, 2014
The Four Park Quest Begins
Jingle Cruise Round 2 Part 1
Jingle Cruise Round 2 Part 2
Finishing Up Park #1 Part 1
Finishing Up Park #1 Part 2
Moving on to Park #2 Part 1
Moving on to Park #2 Part 2
I Just Can't Wait to be King Part 1
I Just Can't Wait to be King Part 2
Park #3 - Hollywood Studios: A Crowded Nightmare
I Finish Up the Four Park Quest!

Saturday, December 6, 2014
How Can it Be the Last Day Already? Part 1
How Can it Be the Last Day Already? Part 2

Real Life Updates
Disneyland Paris Gifts
Memorial Day Weekend
Elsa Visits the Shelter!
Character Palooza #4

 

[Pluto0809]

Let’s start this trip report off two days before I actually left which was Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27th, 2014………………

Jim and I had a low key Thanksgiving. All of our family is out of town so it was just the two of us. Jim cooked a small Turkey and the usual accomplishments (yes he does most of the cooking, mainly in self-defense against my horrible cooking). We spent the afternoon relaxing and watching TV. Well I did, Jim was swamped at work so he spent a lot of time on his computer. As a matter of fact, he decided to go into work on Friday even though he was supposed to be off. I got up at 5:30 that morning right when he left and spent the morning cleaning my house from top to bottom. Then I finished packing and hit the bed fairly early. I thought I would have trouble sleeping but luckily I think I tired myself out with the cleaning and slept quite well.

And then it was the day, Saturday, November 29th and I was leaving for Disney! I got to start off this day by sleeping in till 6 am. I usually schedule a much earlier flight but I decided to go with a 10:30 am flight because MK was open till 3 am and I didn’t want to be tired. I wasn’t planning on staying out that late but I didn’t want to be falling asleep at 8 pm either.

The airport is about 45 minutes from our house and I wanted to leave about 7:30 am. It was pretty close to that time when we headed out. Jim drove me to the airport so I got to listen to his music.



There was a bit of a line to check my bags but once I finished that it took me a grand total of 4 minutes to get through security. I was at my gate by 8:45 am. The flight itself was uneventful I really don’t remember anything about it. We landed in Orlando at 11:30 which was almost a half an hour before we were supposed to. I was thinking about getting something to eat before heading to the Magical Express but I was too anxious to get to my resort. Of course I took a few pictures along the way.







I apparently did not have any time for the airport Christmas decorations because those were the only photos I took until this one.



I know, riveting, right? I was on one of the plain yellow Mears buses and I didn’t expect to see the DME video. But they did show it on the tiny video screens they have in those buses.



I was actually one of the first people on the bus but couldn’t get the first row because they are now reserved for guest with disabilities. But I was able to lean out into the aisle a bit and get a couple of shots of the sign.







I always get extra excited when I start seeing the purple street signs.



We had to stop first at All Star Sports and All Star Music. Even though I was anxious to get to my resort, it was interesting to see some of the Christmas decorations at the other two resorts. All Star Sports had this wreath.





And then onto All Star Music. This is the only picture I took there for some reason.



And then it was time for All Star Movies! We pulled into the resort right at 1 pm. I think that was pretty good timing after landing at 11:30 am and having to make two stops before my resort.

I didn’t have a suitcase under the bus (thank you Southwest for allowing me to check two bags free!) so I was able to head straight into the lobby which put me first in the online check in line. My room was ready and I was placed in the 101 Dalmatian section like I requested. I was pretty hungry at this point but I wanted to drop off my carry-on bag so I headed out to find my room. I took pictures as I walked and since I had my bag in one hand, some of these turned out a bit crooked.







I was immediately in love with all the Dalmatian stuff. I found my room easily and of course took lots of pictures.



Mickey was having a bit of a problem with one of his ears.



Here we go, this is better.



Continuing with the pictures. You can see my huge carry-on bag there. I had a reason for bringing such a large bag, I had some Christmas shopping to do and needed the room to take stuff home.













Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Continued from Previous Post





I pretty much turned around and headed back out after the pictures because I was getting desperate for some food.

Pictures from right outside my door. Not much of a view but I was happy to be on the opposite side from the pool where it would be quieter. I did have a bit more traffic than anticipated thanks to the parking lot right there but it never bothered me.

Looking to the right.



Straight ahead.



And to the left.



More pictures as I walked to the food court.









Kanine Krunchies anyone?



And that folks was pretty much all of the photos I took of the resort. Once again I never made it to other areas to check them out. Guess I was just too busy playing in the parks to care much about the resort.

Heading into the lobby, there were some pretty Christmas wreaths.





I took an immediate right and entered the food court.





So what did I get for my very first Disney meal of the trip? Why my old stand-by, Chicken Tenders and Fries and a bottle of Coke Zero to go with it. I had been craving those babies for days! I wasn’t on a meal plan since I have an AP so I didn’t get dessert. I didn’t want to fill up too much as it was now 1:30 pm and I had a dinner ADR at 6 pm.





A few pictures from my seat.







I ate pretty quickly since I had places to go and things to do. First stop was at Bell Services to get my food order delivered. Much to my delight, I was told it had already been delivered to my room while I was eating. Much better than the hour and ½ it took Bell Services at Coronado Springs to make the delivery.

And sure enough, there it was when I got back to my room.



And yes, that is way more water than one person needs for a week let alone a month but they only had 8 packs or 24 packs in the brand I like. I knew I would drink more than 8 bottles and it was more expensive to buy two of the 8 packs than one 24 pack.

I unpacked the grocery bag and was surprised because I thought I had ordered cookies too. I wasn’t exactly sure though because I had ordered a month ahead of time so I could get the discount.



Then I looked in the fridge to check on the milk I ordered and low and behold there was a package of cold cookie dough.



Yep, I was an idiot and ordered cookie dough instead of cookies. Oh well, all I could do at that point was laugh at myself and move on. I left the cookie dough in the fridge at the end of the week and I hope the Mousekeeper was able to take it home and have some tasty cookies.

There was one last thing I wanted to do before heading out to a park. I had brought some window clings and a stocking to decorate my window so I did that. Jim thought I was nuts to do this but I really enjoyed coming home to the decorations each night plus it always helped me find my room.







I finished up the decorations and headed back out of my room about 2:20 pm to catch a bus to MK. I was hoping to catch the Festival of Fantasy parade but I knew it would be close.

Up Next: You’ll Never Guess What I Did First at MK

 

[missangelalexis]

Hi Ariana! So glad you've started your new TR! I hope you and Jim enjoyed the holidays

I'm glad the flight went smooth and you got to the hotel so timely!

I'm glad you got the section you wanted, love all the 101 Dalmatians decorations!

You did such a great job decorating your window, came out lovely!

Can't wait to hear about your time at MK!!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

Joining in! I couldn't pass up a TR where Pluto will dominate the character meets.

Glad to hear the flight and everything else went smoothly at the airport!

Love your Christmas decorations! Those are always cool to see around the resorts.

to the chicken tenders and getting put in the 101 Dalmatians section!

Can't wait to hear about your MK adventures (hope you actually did get to see Festival of Fantasy)!

 

[rteetz]

So glad you started the next TR! I am excited to follow along.

I leave for Disney tomorrow for marathon weekend.

 

[marDgreen88]

Thanks for the heads up! I'm here, of course!

Ahhh, love those All Stars. When I stayed at movies I was in Fantasia but always wished I was in Dalmatians. So cute.

24 bottles of water might not actually be enough to hold me for a week... hahah! Dang, too bad cookie dough doesn't travel well.

Your window decorations are too cute!

I can't wait to hear about allll the Christmas and Pluto fun!

 

[liz827]

Subscribing! Looking forward to reading more!

 

[MEK]

Subbing in! Back to read!

 

[dalayney]

Joining in! Terrific start!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Marking my spot. Looking forward to reading all about it!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

All set and checked in Arianna. Obviously I especially love solo trips, but I also know you'll have some special guests throughout.

As much as I love POP, I actually really like the room decorations at the All Stars.

Oh I am totally on board with the window decorations. If there's one thing I regret from my December trip last year, it's not decorating. But I did appreciate all the people that did.

 

[mickeystoontown]

Thanks for the heads up that you started the new report.

Glad to hear that your travel day went smoothly and that you arrived to find your requests granted. The Dalmation section is so cute!

 

[BarbP]

I'm in. Anxious to see how it was to travel solo. Not sure if my family would ever let me do that. And I loved your decorated windows! How festive!

 

[HumblePie]

Joining in! Looking forward to hearing all about it!

 

[Chicago Mo]

Humm.. Page two. Glad you had a great Thanksgiving! Hope Christmas was great too!
Love the pictures of your 4 legged kids. they are all so sweet.

Well at least i made it!

I adore the decorations and themes of 101!!! HOW CUTE! and perfect for your everything Pluto trip!

No dining? Im curious how much more expensive it was for you?!

 

[Pluto0809]

Hi Ariana! So glad you've started your new TR! I hope you and Jim enjoyed the holidays

We did have a nice Christmas. It was pretty quiet but that gave me some time to relax.

I'm glad the flight went smooth and you got to the hotel so timely!

I was very happy with how quickly I made it to the resort.

I'm glad you got the section you wanted, love all the 101 Dalmatians decorations!

I was very happy with the 101 Dalmatian section. Disney sure does it right.

You did such a great job decorating your window, came out lovely!

Thanks! I enjoyed doing that.

Can't wait to hear about your time at MK!!

Coming right up.

Joining in! I couldn't pass up a TR where Pluto will dominate the character meets.

Hi! Glad to meet a fellow Pluto lover. He definitely was the star during this week although I ended up meeting a ton of characters this trip.

Glad to hear the flight and everything else went smoothly at the airport!

It always nice when there are no delays getting to WDW.

Love your Christmas decorations! Those are always cool to see around the resorts.

Thanks! I was a little disappointed that I didn't see a whole lot more. Maybe it was just not close enough to Christmas yet.

to the chicken tenders and getting put in the 101 Dalmatians section!

I love Disney chicken tenders. Everything at Disney is just better.

Can't wait to hear about your MK adventures (hope you actually did get to see Festival of Fantasy)!

You'll see very soon as I'm about to post the next update.

So glad you started the next TR! I am excited to follow along.

Hi! Thanks for joining in.

I leave for Disney tomorrow for marathon weekend.

Oh man, you are there right now!! Hope you are having a wonderful time.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm here, of course!

Hi Marissa!

Ahhh, love those All Stars. When I stayed at movies I was in Fantasia but always wished I was in Dalmatians. So cute.

I never made it to check out the Fantasia section. I could sort of see it across the pool but I really should have taken some time to go check out the other areas.

24 bottles of water might not actually be enough to hold me for a week... hahah! Dang, too bad cookie dough doesn't travel well.

Well, if I had been willing to carry some with me into the parks I might have finished more than I did. I just hate to have too much weight to carry.

Your window decorations are too cute!

Thanks!

I can't wait to hear about allll the Christmas and Pluto fun!

Coming up soon!

Subscribing! Looking forward to reading more!

Hi! Thanks for joining in.

 

[Pluto0809]

Subbing in! Back to read!

Hi Mary Ellen! Thanks for stopping by.

Joining in! Terrific start!

Hi! Glad you enjoyed the start!

Marking my spot. Looking forward to reading all about it!

Thanks for stopping in to read!

All set and checked in Arianna. Obviously I especially love solo trips, but I also know you'll have some special guests throughout.

Yep there were some guests although not till the end of the week. I did make some "temporary" friends along the way too.

As much as I love POP, I actually really like the room decorations at the All Stars.

I loved the Dalmatian stuff! I really wanted to take that picture on the wall home but it was too big for my bag. Oh, and the coat rack, don't get me started on that.

Oh I am totally on board with the window decorations. If there's one thing I regret from my December trip last year, it's not decorating. But I did appreciate all the people that did.

I didn't see a whole lot of decorations besides mine. Maybe it was a little too soon before Christmas.

Thanks for the heads up that you started the new report.

Hi Lisa!

Glad to hear that your travel day went smoothly and that you arrived to find your requests granted. The Dalmation section is so cute!

I was very happy that I got the section I requested. I'm guessing that it was easy for them to fill because I think most people request Toy Story.

 

[Pluto0809]

I'm in. Anxious to see how it was to travel solo. Not sure if my family would ever let me do that. And I loved your decorated windows! How festive!

Hi! Thanks for joining. I will say that I absolutely loved traveling solo and wasn't lonely one time all week. That being said, I have always been comfortable by myself. It may be harder for someone who is not so comfortable by themselves.

Joining in! Looking forward to hearing all about it!

Hi! Thanks for stopping by!

Humm.. Page two. Glad you had a great Thanksgiving! Hope Christmas was great too!
Love the pictures of your 4 legged kids. they are all so sweet.

Well it's probably my fault you ended up on page 2 because I never got around to sending out a message on Facebook. Christmas was very nice also. Poor Jim was so busy with work that he had a rough time but we still managed to relax a bit and see a few movies.

Well at least i made it!

I'm very glad you are here!

I adore the decorations and themes of 101!!! HOW CUTE! and perfect for your everything Pluto trip!

Yep this trip was all about the dogs.

No dining? Im curious how much more expensive it was for you?!

Well I didn't go back and add up what I spent but I do know I saved a bunch at the sit down meals because I had a Tables in Wonderland card. There were times too when I skipped dessert or the drink that you are forced to get on the meal plan so that was nice.