8lovesmickey
Down at the Laughing Place is where I'll be!
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2006
So you know that friend who says “I’m going to a conference in Orlando” and you say “Take me with you!”? What if said friend takes you up on it? That’s how my crazy WDW weekend adventure came to be. It started with texting:
Her: I have a conference in Orlando next weekend and can stay at Caribbean Beach or Swan. Which should I pick?
Me: (after discussing pros and cons of both resorts...) You should take me with you!
Her: Great idea! My coworker canceled and you can stay in the room for free if you can find a flight.
Me: Seriously?
Her: Sure! You would be by yourself most of the time, but I can hang out with you Sunday night.
Me: (After short pause to think about timing, budget, and possible guilt of leaving husband and teenagers at home while Mom plays) Let’s do it!
A little background -- I am a frequent DLR visitor but hadn’t been to WDW since April of 2013 (before FP+ was rolled out to everyone). I am also a fervent planner (think spreadsheets), so 10 days’ notice was almost unthinkable. But this was too good to pass up, so I got online and found a flight (cheap on Frontier… at least until I had to pay for a carry-on bag AND a seat to sit in, like standing’s an option…). I would arrive Saturday noon (12/12) and depart Monday noon, so this would also be my quickest trip ever. Let the (abbreviated) planning commence!
-I checked park hours and found that there was a MVMCP on Sunday night, so I called my friend and we decided this was a good use of our time and money (later hours, shorter lines, and festive too!).
-I bought a two-day park hopper for me and MVMCP tickets for both of us
-I sketched out which parks I wanted to hit and when, including my “must-do”s
-I got FP+ reservations for both days -- surprisingly most things were available, but then there was only one of me.
-I made a list of priorities: Osborne Lights, Candlelight Processional, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and as many new things as I could get done. I decided not to make any dining reservations since time was short; I would just wing it and/or live off pretzels and margaritas. Obviously there was a lot I wouldn't have time to do, but I focused on the stuff I could do. I especially wanted to see new things and things that aren't at Disneyland, since I had just been there a month before.
Here’s how everything worked out -- (spoiler alert) it was awesome!
Saturday
I got up at 4 am to catch a 6:45 flight out of Denver. Everything was on time and we landed around noon Orlando time. We took a cab (friend’s expense account) to the Swan. We chose the Swan because of the proximity to the Boardwalk and Epcot. Review of that to follow.
My friend headed off to her conference at the Marriott and I changed into some shorts, put on the Mickey ears, and headed to the bus stops.
Our view from the Swan
My plan was to hit three parks the first day (Saturday) so that I could see Animal Kingdom and still get a glimpse of the Osborne Lights and the Candlelight Processional. Then I would spend the majority of Sunday at Epcot and the resorts until the party started. I figured I could see the Magic Kingdom attractions at MVMCP, so no need to rush there.
The bus to DAK arrived first (yay!) and I was off. When I arrived, I picked up my tickets at the booth and bought my first-ever Magic Band (mostly for fun -- could have used a plastic ticket, I suppose). I should back up and say that I had tried to redeem my ticket vouchers at the Swan, but they had one person working and about 4 families in line. This turned out to be a much better option; at 1:30 when I arrived at DAK there was no one in line for tickets. The nice CM linked my band to my tickets (including MVMCP) and I was in the park in no time.
I started by just taking everything in and enjoying the decorations and giant tree. I was also LOVING the fact that it was in the 80’s and I had narrowly escaped a snowstorm at home. I had three FP+ here -- Everest, Flights of Wonder & Safaris. My first destination was Expedition Everest, but to my surprise when I got there, my FP+ was gone from my phone app. I didn’t figure out what was wrong until I checked my email hours later -- the ride had gone down during my window and they sent me a message that my FP+ was cancelled but I could use it on anything else I wanted to. Unfortunately I didn’t know that, so I tried the single rider line but it was 30 minutes (which would cause me to be late for FofW), so I got some lobster mac-n-cheese instead and enjoyed the view.
The tree at Animal Kingdom
Next stop, Flights of Wonder. This was a first for me and I really liked it! (However, if birds make you squeamish, avoid at all costs.) The FP+ worked great - I walked right in and sat in the second row on the end. I loved being able to have my Magic Band scanned rather than trying to keep track of the little papers they still use at DLR.
Flights of Wonder
Next stop, Safaris (one of my favorites!) followed by a walk on the Pangani Trail where the baby gorillas were wrestling. Super cute!
Then I headed back to Everest where the single-rider line was considerably shorter and I was on board in 10 minutes. I sat next to a boy (maybe 10 or 11) whose family was in front of us. He had never ridden and it was so fun watching his face when we stopped at the ‘broken’ tracks! I also thought the Yeti looked pretty scary, but I could have just lowered my standards since it’s been many years since I saw it fully operational.
I then made a loop around the park and rode Dinosaur for the first time ever (friends had told me it wasn’t worth the wait, but there wasn’t one so what the heck). It was as advertised: loud, dark, bumpy and a little dated. It was still pretty cool, though, although sitting on the end meant a lot of unexpected whipping around.
I wanted to get to the Osborn Lights as early as possible, so I headed for the bus stop around 5. That was a shocker -- the line for the DHS bus was literally from one end of the bus complex to the other (as in it started at the far end of the platform and reached back to the park entrance). What the heck?! But I didn’t see any choice, so I waited. I expected this would take at least an hour and found myself asking how long before I called an Uber. Soon I found out from a CM that the parking lot at DHS had been ‘closed’ (full? construction? other?) so everyone was being re-routed to DAK to park and then bussed over. The good news? Just about every charter bus in central Florida was called into duty and as soon as one filled up, the next one pulled up. I was out of there in less than 10 minutes. Disney magic (or they’re just really good at moving crowds when they need to be!).
The entry to DHS wasn’t crowded, but the Osborn Lights were CRAZY! The mob to get onto the Streets of America wound around the park and it was barely moving (think super slow shuffle). But I was determined, so I persevered. It was over an hour from when I found the back of the ‘line’ until I actually saw lights, so here I would say that if my kids had been with me, I would have abandoned ship. It was borderline scary, and I have the stroller marks on my heels to prove it.
The throng on the streets
After a selfie with a Green Army Man and enough time to take in the ambience (and a few pictures), I wove my way out of the mob and headed to Min and Bill’s for some dinner. Ended up with the pulled pork mac-n-cheese which was a nice (if non-nutritional) surprise.
My goal was to get to Epcot for the last Candlelight Processional, so after dinner I did some brief shopping and headed out. This is where a lack of preparation cost me -- I walked around the whole bus complex looking for an Epcot bus. Finally I asked -- there wasn’t one -- I needed to take the boat.
I was starting to notice my feet about now, but when I saw the HUGE line for the boat I decided to walk (but not before asking directions). Turned out it was a nice (if long-ish) walk that landed me at the back of Epcot, which was where I wanted to be. I will confess, though, that passing the Swan on the way made me pause… should I just go back to the room and stop the park-hopping insanity? But no, where’s the fun in that?! Onward to the International Gateway.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get into the theater for the Candlelight Processional. I had thought this might be a possibility since I didn’t have time or desire to get a dinner package OR stand in line for four hours. So I grabbed a pumpkin spice funnel cake (yum) and sat across from the theater. The sound quality wasn’t the same, but I could hear everything and still enjoyed it a lot.
I ended up leaving before it was over because, honestly, I was tired! My 4 am wake-up call was catching up to me and I had a strong desire to put my feet up. At least I could say I was there! I walked back to the boat launch and was on board with no wait. Back to the Swan I went, and off to dreamland.
Epcot opened at 9 on Sunday and I was determined to be back at the Gateway before then. I got on the boat around 8:15 and had a beautiful ride with the sun just coming up.
The boat ride from the Swan
I decided I didn’t need to ride Test Track, Mission: Space or Soarin’ this trip (mostly because I had just ridden Radiator Springs Racers and Soarin’ at Disneyland, and M:S has the potential to make me disoriented for the rest of the day and I didn’t want to risk that.) So my FP+’s were for Living with the Land, The Seas w/ Nemo & Friends, and Spaceship Earth. I started at the Land and didn’t need the FP, but that wasn’t surprising at 9 am. After, I thought I’d check on Soarin’ just in case I could fit a quick ride in, but the wait was already 60 minutes so I skipped it.
Next was The Seas. Super cute ride, but I enjoy the exhibits even more. There was one manatee happily eating lettuce, and I watched him for a good long while.
My FP for Spaceship Earth was still an hour away, so I had breakfast, did a little shopping, and headed for World Showcase at 11 when it opened. I had a margarita and a quick ride on the boats at Mexico (also a first for me since they added the amigos), then I went to Norway to do some shopping.
After that it was time for Spaceship Earth, which I still think is cool after all these years.
Then it was time to say farewell to Epcot. At the last minute, I decided I wanted to see the Festival of Fantasy parade at MK, but before that I wanted to hit at least one resort to check out decorations. So I did! I rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom then got on the resort loop and headed for the Grand Floridian. I shopped around there and enjoyed the giant tree and gingerbread house, then back on the monorail to make the parade.
The view from the second floor of the Grand Floridian
I didn’t have much time at MK before the parade, so I shopped around a little, then got a big pretzel and found a ‘comfy’ spot on the pavement as soon as the ropes were set up. I spent some time talking to the uninhibited 5 year old next to me (always a little tricky when you’re solo -- didn’t want her parents to think I was going to make off with her). She was actually quite hilarious and had one goal: ELSA! Where was Elsa? When was Elsa coming? Was it time for Elsa? Is that Elsa? Luckily Elsa obliged and blew her a kiss from the float as it passed. I don’t think she saw any of the parade after that.
Then I needed a little rest and some fresh bandaids for the blisters I had acquired. According to my fitbit I had already walked 16 miles in two days and I wasn’t done yet. I took the bus back to the Swan and went back to the room only to find the housekeeper there. Bummer for my feet. Turns out my friend / roommate had slept in and hung the ‘do not disturb’ sign, so this was the first time the housekeeper had access. I grabbed a change of shoes and headed down to the lobby to find an early dinner.
Both the Swan and Dolphin were beautifully decorated. Among other things, the Swan had a life-sized Santa display made entirely of chocolate, and the Dolphin had an amazing tree covered in white poinsettias. There were also decorations all over the lobbies.
This is all chocolate!!
In the lobby of the Dolphin
When I couldn’t walk any more and my lunchtime margarita and pretzel had worn off, I found myself at Shula’s. I sat in the lounge and watched some football until 5:00 when they started serving food. Most of the people in there looked to be family men who had temporarily escaped their responsibilities to catch a game or two. I had a crab cake and some roasted asparagus - not cheap but amazingly good (and the first ‘real’ food I’d had in a couple of days!).
After dinner it was back to the room to get ready for the party! This involved putting on my Mickey Santa hat and changing shoes. I knew I could get in at 4, but my friend wasn’t done with meetings until 5 so I decided to wait for her (and my feet thanked me).
I got on the bus around 5:40 just as it started to rain / mist. This was the first bad weather all weekend, and I was really hoping it wouldn’t mean no fireworks and/or parade.
We met up at MK around 6 and went right in. We didn’t really have a plan except to see the parade, fireworks, and at least one ride on Splash Mountain. I was also really hoping to ride Seven Dwarfs, but with no FP’s in effect I didn’t know how that would be.
What a great time!! We started at the Jingle Cruise; the wait said 30 minutes but they were adding boats and we didn’t wait more than ten. Then it was time for Pirates. This always seems a little lackluster compared to its west coast cousin, but it’s still a classic.
Next it was time for some cookies and hot chocolate. The cookies were a little boring if you ask me, but the hot chocolate was better than I expected and it was a nice break.
Then we were off to Splash Mountain (my personal favorite). It was great! There was no line, and when we finished I asked if we could stay on again and they let us. The second time (and the third!), there wasn’t even anyone else in our log. Just the two of us in the front seat! For whatever reason, the jumping fountain room wasn’t working, but everything else was fabulous. We got pretty wet, and then it started to rain again and we got SOAKED! We were at that well-we-can’t-get-any-wetter point, so we just laughed, We could have gone around a fourth time, but it was getting close to fireworks time so we got off, then bought ponchos. Not sure why.
Hard to make out, but this is our selfie alone in a log on a rainy Splash Mountain
We found a viewing spot near the hub and crossed our fingers that the fireworks would go on. They did! The rain stopped and the show was right on time. Amazing! The last time I was at MVMCP was 1996 and it was very different - including no castle lights. This was truly awe-inspiring.
Next stop, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We decided to give it a shot, and the sign said 40 minute wait. That gave us enough time to ride and still see the second parade, so we got in line. I love riding something for the first time -- trying to take it all in. As a first-timer, here are my observations:
And thus ended my “week at WDW crammed into two days.” I was in an Uber to the airport at 9 and home in time for dinner.
Note to self: Next time don’t buy large and/or heavy souvenirs when you only have a checked bag AND you have blisters. Think pack mule with sore hooves.
Thanks for reading this far! Hope you can live vicariously through my adventures like I do through all of yours! To finish off, I have some final observations.
Magic Bands - Overall, love the concept. Easy, comfortable and even kind of cute.
Fastpass Plus - Not sure about this one. It mostly worked for me, but was that because I was traveling alone and didn’t need to see many of the “E ticket” attractions? Also I understand why the FP+ windows are an hour apart, but if I rode something at the beginning of the window, I had a lot of wasted time until the next FP+ and often wasn’t able to change them on the fly. I also think the “standby” lines seemed longer than I remembered, considering the parks only felt moderately crowded overall (Osborn Lights notwithstanding!)
The Swan Hotel - Beautiful, posh, good service, great location, awesome beds. But… no real Disney magic. I probably wouldn’t stay here with my kids unless it was an amazing deal. Could just be me, but if I pay to be on Disney property I want to feel like I’m actually living in WDW.
Traveling Solo - Awesome (but not for everyone). I’m that person who doesn’t care who stares if I eat alone or go to a movie alone, so this wasn’t an issue. In fact I had very few odd looks, but there were times I felt a little awkward. However, the independence was freeing -- I did exactly what I wanted and didn’t worry about anyone else’s needs. Of course I missed my family and sharing Disney moments, but this type of commando-style trip wouldn’t have been possible with them anyhow. I also had a friend to talk to at the end of the day and share the party with, so that was a nice compromise. By my calculations my weekend included 2 planes, 3 monorails, 5 buses, 1 uber, 1 mine train, 1 log, 6 boats and 21 miles on the fitbit. Overall I really did feel like I crammed a week-long Disney vacation into two days. And I loved (almost) every minute!
Her: I have a conference in Orlando next weekend and can stay at Caribbean Beach or Swan. Which should I pick?
Me: (after discussing pros and cons of both resorts...) You should take me with you!
Her: Great idea! My coworker canceled and you can stay in the room for free if you can find a flight.
Me: Seriously?
Her: Sure! You would be by yourself most of the time, but I can hang out with you Sunday night.
Me: (After short pause to think about timing, budget, and possible guilt of leaving husband and teenagers at home while Mom plays) Let’s do it!
A little background -- I am a frequent DLR visitor but hadn’t been to WDW since April of 2013 (before FP+ was rolled out to everyone). I am also a fervent planner (think spreadsheets), so 10 days’ notice was almost unthinkable. But this was too good to pass up, so I got online and found a flight (cheap on Frontier… at least until I had to pay for a carry-on bag AND a seat to sit in, like standing’s an option…). I would arrive Saturday noon (12/12) and depart Monday noon, so this would also be my quickest trip ever. Let the (abbreviated) planning commence!
-I checked park hours and found that there was a MVMCP on Sunday night, so I called my friend and we decided this was a good use of our time and money (later hours, shorter lines, and festive too!).
-I bought a two-day park hopper for me and MVMCP tickets for both of us
-I sketched out which parks I wanted to hit and when, including my “must-do”s
-I got FP+ reservations for both days -- surprisingly most things were available, but then there was only one of me.
-I made a list of priorities: Osborne Lights, Candlelight Processional, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and as many new things as I could get done. I decided not to make any dining reservations since time was short; I would just wing it and/or live off pretzels and margaritas. Obviously there was a lot I wouldn't have time to do, but I focused on the stuff I could do. I especially wanted to see new things and things that aren't at Disneyland, since I had just been there a month before.
Here’s how everything worked out -- (spoiler alert) it was awesome!
Saturday
I got up at 4 am to catch a 6:45 flight out of Denver. Everything was on time and we landed around noon Orlando time. We took a cab (friend’s expense account) to the Swan. We chose the Swan because of the proximity to the Boardwalk and Epcot. Review of that to follow.
My friend headed off to her conference at the Marriott and I changed into some shorts, put on the Mickey ears, and headed to the bus stops.
Our view from the Swan
My plan was to hit three parks the first day (Saturday) so that I could see Animal Kingdom and still get a glimpse of the Osborne Lights and the Candlelight Processional. Then I would spend the majority of Sunday at Epcot and the resorts until the party started. I figured I could see the Magic Kingdom attractions at MVMCP, so no need to rush there.
The bus to DAK arrived first (yay!) and I was off. When I arrived, I picked up my tickets at the booth and bought my first-ever Magic Band (mostly for fun -- could have used a plastic ticket, I suppose). I should back up and say that I had tried to redeem my ticket vouchers at the Swan, but they had one person working and about 4 families in line. This turned out to be a much better option; at 1:30 when I arrived at DAK there was no one in line for tickets. The nice CM linked my band to my tickets (including MVMCP) and I was in the park in no time.
I started by just taking everything in and enjoying the decorations and giant tree. I was also LOVING the fact that it was in the 80’s and I had narrowly escaped a snowstorm at home. I had three FP+ here -- Everest, Flights of Wonder & Safaris. My first destination was Expedition Everest, but to my surprise when I got there, my FP+ was gone from my phone app. I didn’t figure out what was wrong until I checked my email hours later -- the ride had gone down during my window and they sent me a message that my FP+ was cancelled but I could use it on anything else I wanted to. Unfortunately I didn’t know that, so I tried the single rider line but it was 30 minutes (which would cause me to be late for FofW), so I got some lobster mac-n-cheese instead and enjoyed the view.
The tree at Animal Kingdom
Next stop, Flights of Wonder. This was a first for me and I really liked it! (However, if birds make you squeamish, avoid at all costs.) The FP+ worked great - I walked right in and sat in the second row on the end. I loved being able to have my Magic Band scanned rather than trying to keep track of the little papers they still use at DLR.
Flights of Wonder
Next stop, Safaris (one of my favorites!) followed by a walk on the Pangani Trail where the baby gorillas were wrestling. Super cute!
Then I headed back to Everest where the single-rider line was considerably shorter and I was on board in 10 minutes. I sat next to a boy (maybe 10 or 11) whose family was in front of us. He had never ridden and it was so fun watching his face when we stopped at the ‘broken’ tracks! I also thought the Yeti looked pretty scary, but I could have just lowered my standards since it’s been many years since I saw it fully operational.
I then made a loop around the park and rode Dinosaur for the first time ever (friends had told me it wasn’t worth the wait, but there wasn’t one so what the heck). It was as advertised: loud, dark, bumpy and a little dated. It was still pretty cool, though, although sitting on the end meant a lot of unexpected whipping around.
I wanted to get to the Osborn Lights as early as possible, so I headed for the bus stop around 5. That was a shocker -- the line for the DHS bus was literally from one end of the bus complex to the other (as in it started at the far end of the platform and reached back to the park entrance). What the heck?! But I didn’t see any choice, so I waited. I expected this would take at least an hour and found myself asking how long before I called an Uber. Soon I found out from a CM that the parking lot at DHS had been ‘closed’ (full? construction? other?) so everyone was being re-routed to DAK to park and then bussed over. The good news? Just about every charter bus in central Florida was called into duty and as soon as one filled up, the next one pulled up. I was out of there in less than 10 minutes. Disney magic (or they’re just really good at moving crowds when they need to be!).
The entry to DHS wasn’t crowded, but the Osborn Lights were CRAZY! The mob to get onto the Streets of America wound around the park and it was barely moving (think super slow shuffle). But I was determined, so I persevered. It was over an hour from when I found the back of the ‘line’ until I actually saw lights, so here I would say that if my kids had been with me, I would have abandoned ship. It was borderline scary, and I have the stroller marks on my heels to prove it.
The throng on the streets
After a selfie with a Green Army Man and enough time to take in the ambience (and a few pictures), I wove my way out of the mob and headed to Min and Bill’s for some dinner. Ended up with the pulled pork mac-n-cheese which was a nice (if non-nutritional) surprise.
My goal was to get to Epcot for the last Candlelight Processional, so after dinner I did some brief shopping and headed out. This is where a lack of preparation cost me -- I walked around the whole bus complex looking for an Epcot bus. Finally I asked -- there wasn’t one -- I needed to take the boat.
I was starting to notice my feet about now, but when I saw the HUGE line for the boat I decided to walk (but not before asking directions). Turned out it was a nice (if long-ish) walk that landed me at the back of Epcot, which was where I wanted to be. I will confess, though, that passing the Swan on the way made me pause… should I just go back to the room and stop the park-hopping insanity? But no, where’s the fun in that?! Onward to the International Gateway.
Unfortunately I couldn’t get into the theater for the Candlelight Processional. I had thought this might be a possibility since I didn’t have time or desire to get a dinner package OR stand in line for four hours. So I grabbed a pumpkin spice funnel cake (yum) and sat across from the theater. The sound quality wasn’t the same, but I could hear everything and still enjoyed it a lot.
I ended up leaving before it was over because, honestly, I was tired! My 4 am wake-up call was catching up to me and I had a strong desire to put my feet up. At least I could say I was there! I walked back to the boat launch and was on board with no wait. Back to the Swan I went, and off to dreamland.
Epcot opened at 9 on Sunday and I was determined to be back at the Gateway before then. I got on the boat around 8:15 and had a beautiful ride with the sun just coming up.
The boat ride from the Swan
I decided I didn’t need to ride Test Track, Mission: Space or Soarin’ this trip (mostly because I had just ridden Radiator Springs Racers and Soarin’ at Disneyland, and M:S has the potential to make me disoriented for the rest of the day and I didn’t want to risk that.) So my FP+’s were for Living with the Land, The Seas w/ Nemo & Friends, and Spaceship Earth. I started at the Land and didn’t need the FP, but that wasn’t surprising at 9 am. After, I thought I’d check on Soarin’ just in case I could fit a quick ride in, but the wait was already 60 minutes so I skipped it.
Next was The Seas. Super cute ride, but I enjoy the exhibits even more. There was one manatee happily eating lettuce, and I watched him for a good long while.
My FP for Spaceship Earth was still an hour away, so I had breakfast, did a little shopping, and headed for World Showcase at 11 when it opened. I had a margarita and a quick ride on the boats at Mexico (also a first for me since they added the amigos), then I went to Norway to do some shopping.
After that it was time for Spaceship Earth, which I still think is cool after all these years.
Then it was time to say farewell to Epcot. At the last minute, I decided I wanted to see the Festival of Fantasy parade at MK, but before that I wanted to hit at least one resort to check out decorations. So I did! I rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom then got on the resort loop and headed for the Grand Floridian. I shopped around there and enjoyed the giant tree and gingerbread house, then back on the monorail to make the parade.
The view from the second floor of the Grand Floridian
I didn’t have much time at MK before the parade, so I shopped around a little, then got a big pretzel and found a ‘comfy’ spot on the pavement as soon as the ropes were set up. I spent some time talking to the uninhibited 5 year old next to me (always a little tricky when you’re solo -- didn’t want her parents to think I was going to make off with her). She was actually quite hilarious and had one goal: ELSA! Where was Elsa? When was Elsa coming? Was it time for Elsa? Is that Elsa? Luckily Elsa obliged and blew her a kiss from the float as it passed. I don’t think she saw any of the parade after that.
Then I needed a little rest and some fresh bandaids for the blisters I had acquired. According to my fitbit I had already walked 16 miles in two days and I wasn’t done yet. I took the bus back to the Swan and went back to the room only to find the housekeeper there. Bummer for my feet. Turns out my friend / roommate had slept in and hung the ‘do not disturb’ sign, so this was the first time the housekeeper had access. I grabbed a change of shoes and headed down to the lobby to find an early dinner.
Both the Swan and Dolphin were beautifully decorated. Among other things, the Swan had a life-sized Santa display made entirely of chocolate, and the Dolphin had an amazing tree covered in white poinsettias. There were also decorations all over the lobbies.
This is all chocolate!!
In the lobby of the Dolphin
When I couldn’t walk any more and my lunchtime margarita and pretzel had worn off, I found myself at Shula’s. I sat in the lounge and watched some football until 5:00 when they started serving food. Most of the people in there looked to be family men who had temporarily escaped their responsibilities to catch a game or two. I had a crab cake and some roasted asparagus - not cheap but amazingly good (and the first ‘real’ food I’d had in a couple of days!).
After dinner it was back to the room to get ready for the party! This involved putting on my Mickey Santa hat and changing shoes. I knew I could get in at 4, but my friend wasn’t done with meetings until 5 so I decided to wait for her (and my feet thanked me).
I got on the bus around 5:40 just as it started to rain / mist. This was the first bad weather all weekend, and I was really hoping it wouldn’t mean no fireworks and/or parade.
We met up at MK around 6 and went right in. We didn’t really have a plan except to see the parade, fireworks, and at least one ride on Splash Mountain. I was also really hoping to ride Seven Dwarfs, but with no FP’s in effect I didn’t know how that would be.
What a great time!! We started at the Jingle Cruise; the wait said 30 minutes but they were adding boats and we didn’t wait more than ten. Then it was time for Pirates. This always seems a little lackluster compared to its west coast cousin, but it’s still a classic.
Next it was time for some cookies and hot chocolate. The cookies were a little boring if you ask me, but the hot chocolate was better than I expected and it was a nice break.
Then we were off to Splash Mountain (my personal favorite). It was great! There was no line, and when we finished I asked if we could stay on again and they let us. The second time (and the third!), there wasn’t even anyone else in our log. Just the two of us in the front seat! For whatever reason, the jumping fountain room wasn’t working, but everything else was fabulous. We got pretty wet, and then it started to rain again and we got SOAKED! We were at that well-we-can’t-get-any-wetter point, so we just laughed, We could have gone around a fourth time, but it was getting close to fireworks time so we got off, then bought ponchos. Not sure why.
Hard to make out, but this is our selfie alone in a log on a rainy Splash Mountain
We found a viewing spot near the hub and crossed our fingers that the fireworks would go on. They did! The rain stopped and the show was right on time. Amazing! The last time I was at MVMCP was 1996 and it was very different - including no castle lights. This was truly awe-inspiring.
Next stop, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We decided to give it a shot, and the sign said 40 minute wait. That gave us enough time to ride and still see the second parade, so we got in line. I love riding something for the first time -- trying to take it all in. As a first-timer, here are my observations:
- The details are amazing.
- The ride is faster and more intense than I thought it would be based on reviews I had read (“family-friendly coaster”).
- This is by far the smoothest coaster I’ve ever experienced. The swaying motion isn’t super noticeable, but you can tell that something’s different.
- It’s so nice to see a classic movie made into a modern ride rather than the opposite.
- Finally, you need to be the general size of a dwarf to be comfortable in the cars. Not sure which super small people they used to calibrate the seats, but my knees were wedged against the car and my friend and I were close to being on top of each other (not that we’re petite, but wow! I would say I had half the room that I did on Everest). I have no idea how anyone over 5’8 could even wedge in there (not to mention a Pooh-sized person). In fact, I’m pretty sure I spent more time worrying about bashing my knees than I did enjoying the ride, but I still enjoyed it, so that’s saying a lot.
And thus ended my “week at WDW crammed into two days.” I was in an Uber to the airport at 9 and home in time for dinner.
Note to self: Next time don’t buy large and/or heavy souvenirs when you only have a checked bag AND you have blisters. Think pack mule with sore hooves.
Thanks for reading this far! Hope you can live vicariously through my adventures like I do through all of yours! To finish off, I have some final observations.
Magic Bands - Overall, love the concept. Easy, comfortable and even kind of cute.
Fastpass Plus - Not sure about this one. It mostly worked for me, but was that because I was traveling alone and didn’t need to see many of the “E ticket” attractions? Also I understand why the FP+ windows are an hour apart, but if I rode something at the beginning of the window, I had a lot of wasted time until the next FP+ and often wasn’t able to change them on the fly. I also think the “standby” lines seemed longer than I remembered, considering the parks only felt moderately crowded overall (Osborn Lights notwithstanding!)
The Swan Hotel - Beautiful, posh, good service, great location, awesome beds. But… no real Disney magic. I probably wouldn’t stay here with my kids unless it was an amazing deal. Could just be me, but if I pay to be on Disney property I want to feel like I’m actually living in WDW.
Traveling Solo - Awesome (but not for everyone). I’m that person who doesn’t care who stares if I eat alone or go to a movie alone, so this wasn’t an issue. In fact I had very few odd looks, but there were times I felt a little awkward. However, the independence was freeing -- I did exactly what I wanted and didn’t worry about anyone else’s needs. Of course I missed my family and sharing Disney moments, but this type of commando-style trip wouldn’t have been possible with them anyhow. I also had a friend to talk to at the end of the day and share the party with, so that was a nice compromise. By my calculations my weekend included 2 planes, 3 monorails, 5 buses, 1 uber, 1 mine train, 1 log, 6 boats and 21 miles on the fitbit. Overall I really did feel like I crammed a week-long Disney vacation into two days. And I loved (almost) every minute!
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