A Girl's First Solo Trip - August 2018 *updated 10/9 x2 and COMPLETED!*

[Steppesister]

Once the Guardians show ended I marched onward to Italy! This is another pavilion I never find much to do in, and today was no different. I took exactly one photo.

Me too. Canada and Italy seem to me to always be kinda sleepers.

You've even got her smirk goin' on! LOL!

the torturous walk to the front of the park.

I really detest that walk.

Those are both really LOVELY photos! Truly beautiful!

I'd love to do an DAH one day. Maybe this Fall it'll work out, but I've got a party to go to as well, so....

 

[TanzUnited99]

Magical Kingdom looks gorgeous at night...all the rides just seem to have that extra bit of magic!

Your face on the frozen banana photo...hahaha! Wow to having a splash mountain log all to yourself.

Lovely parade pics...okay I’m intrigued. What happened at your first trip meeting Gaston?

 

[paradesintherain]

How annoying of mousekeeping to bang on the door like that!

That's pretty great that you were still able to go to your BOG ADR!

Love the pics with Gaston!

You really did have an awesome spot to take pics of the parade!!

It was! But worked out since I did need to wake up.

I was very surprised it actually worked!

Thank you, he's a fun meet for sure.

It was pretty neat, but so hot!

I would have been so irritated with mousekeeping!
Great Festival of Fantasy parade pics.
I love your pics with Gaston! He's always a lot of fun!

I'd have been way more irritated if it was earlier, luckily it was just before I had planned on waking up anyway.

Thank you, love taking photos of parades.

Thanks, he's so much fun! You never know what he'll say or do!

Very much enjoying another trip report - my best to the porg!

Glad you're enjoying it! The Porg is doing well, currently staying on a shelf with his buddies Sven, Br'er Rabbit, and Simba

I'm enjoying your trip report. Great pics of the parade!
We will be going in August, we haven't been since 2011 so Be Our Guest, Gaston, etc. will all be new to us.

Thanks for reading it!

Oh you're going to have so much fun! There's quite a lot that's new since 2011. Let me know if you end up writing a TR, I'd love to read!

Hi Kara,

I'm really enjoying your trip report so far, keep up the great work! You took some amazing pictures

Can't wait to see how it ends!

Hello!

Thanks for reading it, and thanks for the compliments!

I'll try to move a bit faster, just hit the one year anniversary of the trip, oops!

I’m slowly getting over BOG except I did make a reservation for lunch in January for us!

I watched FoF on our Epic trip and I had such a great spot right on MS, it was so fun so see everything up close!

I love your pictures with Gaston, he asked if I was Andi’s sister, so of course I had to love him, haha!

It's hard to resist, honestly!

There's something really special about watching parades on Main Street, I especially miss watching electrical parades there.

Oh that Gaston! He's certainly got a way with the ladies hahah

Love the Main Street Philharmonic!

They're really great, and they always seem to surprise me!

We had the same experience at Sanaa....we were 1/2 late with no issues.

Nice! I wonder what would happen if you were even later? I bet they'd probably still try to accommodate.

Skippers and the Plaza are both good.

Big fan of Skippers, haven't been to The Plaza. Could be a definite option for future trips!

Fun!

Not usually a villains girl, but I do enjoy him!

Absolutely gorgeous photos!!

Hmmm, no. I wonder why too.

We may never know!~

Great pictures! May I ask what camera you use? My DSLR is a pain to carry around the park and am looking for an alternative.

Great trip report too!

THank you! It's a Canon sx730, pretty decent size!

Me too. Canada and Italy seem to me to always be kinda sleepers.

Yesss, I agree! Really excited about the prospect of another pavilion coming!

You've even got her smirk goin' on! LOL!

Let's pretend I did that on purpose.. haha!

I really detest that walk.

Me too, so brutal on a hot day.

Those are both really LOVELY photos! Truly beautiful!

I'd love to do an DAH one day. Maybe this Fall it'll work out, but I've got a party to go to as well, so....

Thank you! That means a lot coming from you, since you take such wonderful photos!

I think you'd really love DAH, I hope you do get to attend one someday!

Magical Kingdom looks gorgeous at night...all the rides just seem to have that extra bit of magic!

Your face on the frozen banana photo...hahaha! Wow to having a splash mountain log all to yourself.

Lovely parade pics...okay I’m intrigued. What happened at your first trip meeting Gaston?

They really do. They're fun during the day, but extra special at night!

The banana photo cracks me up too!

Splash Mountain by myself was definitely a cool moment.

Ooooh well Gaston was super flirty and full of himself, and he made me a little shy, so basically he cornered me and I was so overwhelmed! But it was amazing.

 

[paradesintherain]

August 5th - A Reprieve from the Heat!






Well, it's officially been a year since this trip happened so I'd better hurry up and finish this TR!!


While the parade was going on I’d forgotten all about the heat, but as soon as it ended I was zapped. That was enough Magic Kingdom for me! We briefly stopped in the Briar Patch to check for any new merchandise, but there was none.

Look! All the chemicals to develop photos on a shelf at Splashdown. So cute.

Plenty of sunshine headin’ my way (way too much sunshine as a matter of fact).

Before heading out of the park we stopped in some of the Main Street shops to do some shopping.

The first time I’ve seen this door!

Samira bought quite a few Alex and Ani bracelets, while I relished the air conditioning. I stopped and talked to the PhotoPass CMs about missing photos. They said it was a known issue and the photos should eventually show up. This seems to be a common occurrence.

We all then headed out of the park. The bus situation had been so terrible that I couldn’t bear the idea of waiting for one, especially in the middle of the afternoon when they run less frequently. Lyft can’t pick up at Magic Kingdom, only at TTC. But then I noticed a resort launch pulling up so I made the decision to go wherever it was going. Which turned out to be Wilderness Lodge!

There’s nothing I enjoy more than traveling by boat!

Water bridge!

And now we’ve arrived at Wilderness Lodge! At the time it made me excited about the prospect of staying there someday. It lived up to my expectations!

This resort is so beautiful, pictures can barely do it justice.

I thought this was cool. It’s great how much Disney tries to give back to the environment.

It’s artsy because it’s crooked?

Inside the Lodge was a welcome reprieve from the relentless heat.

If you’ve read any of my past TRs, you know that I’m a big fan of the amazing live bouquets they have in the resorts.

It’s really neat how the spring in the middle of the hotel lobby seems to feed the pool. Dad and I have analyzed it carefully and determined that it’s a convincing optical illusion!

Feeling refreshed, I called an Uber to take me back to Pop Century. This driver was super friendly and pleasant. It was kind of funny, too, because I had just texted a friend that I wanted someone to tell me I was pretty - sometimes a girl needs a little validation, ok - and then the driver was like, ‘Oh wow your eyes are beautiful, they just caught the sun or something!” He mentioned them again later in the driver and told me I was pretty and radiant. WOW, ok! Ordinarily this sort of thing would freak me out, especially alone in a car with a stranger, but he was actually really respectful and kind so it didn’t bother me.




Up Next - VIPassholders event at MK! ​

 

[disneyAndi14]

Before I read through the whole post, I was thinking how pretty you looked on the boat

WL is such a beautiful resort, I hope to actually stay there someday in a quiet room

 

[Steppesister]

Yesss, I agree! Really excited about the prospect of another pavilion coming!

I can't wait for any announcement!

Let's pretend I did that on purpose.. haha!

Thank you! That means a lot coming from you, since you take such wonderful photos!

I think you'd really love DAH, I hope you do get to attend one someday!

Aw, thanks!!

Me too. just a lot of $$ though. Still on the fence about them.

OH my GOSH!!! I'd have been dying of embarrassement. I love these!

I never noticed those before and might have missed that they were related to photography. I think at first I'd have guessed them at explosives or medical elixers or something. Good eye!

Nice shot!

They said it was a known issue and the photos should eventually show up. This seems to be a common occurrence.

Sometimes you're lucky if they show up at all.

A green heron. Love those!

If you’ve read any of my past TRs, you know that I’m a big fan of the amazing live bouquets they have in the resorts.

ME TOO!!! I always seem to love the ones at Boardwalk best. This last trip the ones at the GF for literally hideous.

It was kind of funny, too, because I had just texted a friend that I wanted someone to tell me I was pretty - sometimes a girl needs a little validation, ok - and then the driver was like, ‘Oh wow your eyes are beautiful, they just caught the sun or something!”

Awww! YOU ARE!!! He most definitely wasn't fibbing in the least.

 

[paradesintherain]

Before I read through the whole post, I was thinking how pretty you looked on the boat

WL is such a beautiful resort, I hope to actually stay there someday in a quiet room

Aww thank you! I feel like I'm digging for compliments including that story, but it was cute! hahaha

It's so gorgeous, for what it's worth our room was very quiet, and had a wonderful view so you definitely need to try again! Though your move to the Grand is pretty enviable.

I can't wait for any announcement!

Me too! It'll be great to finally see some growth in that area.

Aw, thanks!!

Me too. just a lot of $$ though. Still on the fence about them.

It is a lot of money, definitely. My dad enjoys them at the price point, which I think is saying something because he finds signature restaurants too expensive, etc.

OH my GOSH!!! I'd have been dying of embarrassement. I love these!

Oh I was mortified! He was so in my face! After I left I was physically shaking from the adrenaline or whatever.

I never noticed those before and might have missed that they were related to photography. I think at first I'd have guessed them at explosives or medical elixers or something. Good eye!

This was my first time noticing them and it took me a while staring at them to realize they were developing chemicals. It's such a sweet touch. Love those Disney details

Nice shot!

Thank you!!

Sometimes you're lucky if they show up at all.

That's true, definitely been having that issue lately.

A green heron. Love those!

I was wondering what kind of a bird this is! Are you a bird watcher?? Or just full of random knowledge?

ME TOO!!! I always seem to love the ones at Boardwalk best. This last trip the ones at the GF for literally hideous.

That's a shame, GF usually has spectacular ones! I don't often go to Boardwalk so I can't say that I've ever seen one of theirs. Next trip!

Awww! YOU ARE!!! He most definitely wasn't fibbing in the least.

Aww shucks, everyone is so darn nice!

 

[paradesintherain]

August 5th - VIPassholder at MK!




After my detour at the Wilderness I had lyfted back to Pop Century. Once there I hung around the room a bit, and took some more photos of the refurbished amenities.

I took this picture to show off the size of the fridges. Those waters are all from Disney After Hours!

Coffee available in the room.

And the coffee machine. I found the little coffee nook pretty convenient.

I went to Art of Animation to check out their food offerings and settled on something different.

Asian Chicken Bowl - Mongolian Stir-fried Chicken and Broccoli with Jasmine Rice.

This chicken bowl was pretty decent. I enjoyed the flavors, but the breading on the chicken was a bit weird and grainy. While in the room I watched some of Zombie High, which was kind of a trip! The girl did have a pretty voice though.

Around 7 I caught a bus back to Magic Kingdom.

Good riddance, sun!

The line to check in for the VIPassholder event was really long.

I had unintentionally matched my MagicBand with the event wristband!

Once inside MK I took some time to enjoy it. Earlier in the day it had been too hot to look around and enjoy the details, but with the sun going down it was marginally more pleasant.

This time of day is the best.

I was on my way to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to use a FP that I had modified earlier.

Only one of the photos from the ride came through. And, oh my goodness I just noticed the little girl in front of me!!

After Mine Train I went to Tomorrowland for some PeopleMover.

I needed a water so I stopped in to see Sonny Eclipse and grabbed that water!

Is there anything better than putting your feet up on the PeopleMover?

And of course, selfies ARE required on the PeopleMover.

Space Mountain was down so all the lights were on, that's always exciting to see. Plus the lights were on in the PeopleMover tunnel which I’d never seen before.

Seeing Space Mountain with the lights on always reminds me when my parents let me go off on my own and ride it by myself when I was a preteen, while they watched the fireworks. So I waited in the line and got the front seat on the car, had a grand ol' time. And then the ride stopped, and the lights came on! We sat there for quite a while, at the top of the coaster, until a CM came and manually pushed the car down the hill. We then kind of coasted into the station, and we did get to ride again immediately after, somehow. Luckily, I've never been an easily frightened person or that could have been kind of scary for a kid riding alone for the first time!




Up Next: VIPassholder begins!​

 

[missangelalexis]

Beautiful pics when you got back to MK that night!

What a memorable story about getting stuck on Space Mountain as a kid!

 

[Cloe Colton]

What an awesome After Hours! Those are honestly my favorite Disney event. Excited to hear how VIPassholder night went in comparison!

 

[Steppesister]

Pretty!!!

Is there anything better than putting your feet up on the PeopleMover?

Nope!

Always so cool to see.

Seeing Space Mountain with the lights on always reminds me when my parents let me go off on my own and ride it by myself when I was a preteen, while they watched the fireworks. So I waited in the line and got the front seat on the car, had a grand ol' time. And then the ride stopped, and the lights came on! We sat there for quite a while, at the top of the coaster, until a CM came and manually pushed the car down the hill. We then kind of coasted into the station, and we did get to ride again immediately after, somehow. Luckily, I've never been an easily frightened person or that could have been kind of scary for a kid riding alone for the first time!

What a cool experience!

 

[Jenny Sanders]

I LOVE your WL picas and I really hope you get to stay there someday as it's my fav deluxe resort. I think it's so beautiful.

Great Passholder event!!! You're right, there's NOTHING better than putting your feet up and taking a nice ride on the PeopleMover.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Great choice on going to Wilderness Lodge in the boat! The pictures are amazing. I need to pay that Resort a visit.

Glad it cooled down in Magic Kingdom for the VIP event and yeah the space mountain coaster incident may definitely scare some people.

Oh by the way yours eyes are beautiful..you just caught the sun or something!

 

[paradesintherain]

Beautiful pics when you got back to MK that night!

What a memorable story about getting stuck on Space Mountain as a kid!

Thank you! Dusk is pretty great.

Definitely one of my favorite memories, and still my best ride breakdown story!

What an awesome After Hours! Those are honestly my favorite Disney event. Excited to hear how VIPassholder night went in comparison!

I agree - spoiler: VIPassholder was nowhere near as good!

Pretty!!!

Thank you!

Nope!

Simple pleasures of life!

Always so cool to see.

Agreed!

What a cool experience!

Such Disney nerds to enjoy ride breakdowns!

I LOVE your WL picas and I really hope you get to stay there someday as it's my fav deluxe resort. I think it's so beautiful.

Great Passholder event!!! You're right, there's NOTHING better than putting your feet up and taking a nice ride on the PeopleMover.

Why thank you! I actually got to stay there in May and it was fabulous! Didn't quite dethrone AKL, but I'd happily stay there anytime.

I could really go for a ride on the PeopleMover right now!

Great choice on going to Wilderness Lodge in the boat! The pictures are amazing. I need to pay that Resort a visit.

Glad it cooled down in Magic Kingdom for the VIP event and yeah the space mountain coaster incident may definitely scare some people.

Oh by the way yours eyes are beautiful..you just caught the sun or something!

I was pretty pleased with my decision! You definitely need to visit, Christmastime is especially beautiful

I was VERY GLAD. August heat is no joke!

Ahaha I know, i know! Cheesy, but sweet!

 

[paradesintherain]

August 5th - VIPassholder Begins!





I had a FP at Splash Mountain that I’d modified from my afternoon FP, so that was my next direction.

Happily Ever After was just beginning as I walked along Rivers of America. That’s a new perspective for me!

Happily Ever After is mesmerizing to me, but I eventually dragged myself away and used my FP at Splash Mountain. Oooh, look, you can see the fireworks from the loading area!

The fireworks were still going off as I floated along in my log. That’s always a special experience.

My Splash picture is forever lost, alas. I caught Pirates with a short line so I jumped on in. Unfortunately I rode with a lady who took nonstop flash photos. How aggravating! Here’s a great picture of me in the very back row. Thank goodness this photo made it through!

I think at this point the event had started. I figured the crowds would start to thin, and the lines would get shorter, but it remained fairly crowded throughout the whole event with rather long lines. Very different than After Hours the night before. I wanted to ride Peter Pan but the line was too long - bummer because I had thought this night would be a good night to ride it. I did catch a bit of the castle projection show though!

Another big difference between the After Hours event and the VIPassholders was that there was no free treats! So I purchased this Mickey ice cream sandwich. I was definitely spoiled the night before.

Haunted Mansion’s line didn’t look too bad so I got in it.

Samira and Will were in line for the Tangled lantern shot. I was a little worried they would get turned away since it was well past closing time for regular admission, but luckily it worked out for them!

I walked Samira and Will to Main Street.

It was nice to be able to walk through the castle for once!

After saying goodnight to them I walked to Tomorrowland to check if Space Mountain had come back up. If you can time it just right you can end up with a pretty short wait after a breakdown.

People were streaming into the queue, though the wait times sign hadn’t been turned back on yet. I asked a CM who estimated a 30-35 minute wait so I decided to chance it and wait.

Luck was on my side! I walked right to the merge point, and the CM let me choose my side; I chose the right side because I think it’s better than the left, and the CM agreed with me. Validation, finally! The PeopleMover tunnel lights were still on so it was really bright in the ride, pretty close to riding with the lights on.

Next I rode Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, where I did abysmally. Someday I want to get 999,999 but I want to do it without looking up where the target I need to hit is.

I still was hoping to get on Peter Pan so off to Fantasyland I went! Mad Hatter’s Tea Party wasn’t running and it looked like they were doing some maintenance.

Sadly, the line was STILL long for Peter Pan so I walked right on Small World instead, where I had a boat all to myself! I’m one of those weirdos who really enjoys the song. In fact, when I just recently watched fireworks on Memorial Day in my city the live symphony played “it’s a small world” and I was ecstatic! They also had a choir for that part, so it was a pretty neat moment. Anyway, back to Disney World!

Up next: VIPassholder continues!​

 

[paradesintherain]

August 5th - VIPassholder Continues... and Ends!




So, in the last update I was just about to jump on it's a small world! What a sad facade when compared to Disneyland’s.

So not only was my boat empty, but two boats ahead of me, and behind me were also empty. It was a little weird being on the ride all alone. I mean, there were people riding on it somewhere, but they weren’t near me!

Love this drunk little hippo.

The boats actually started piling up a bit.

The last room is the best room!

My name actually popped up on the goodbye screens! That was the first time I’d gotten to see that.

Peter Pan was still posting a 25 minute wait, so I said nope and headed toward the front of the park. It was basically closing time, anyway.

In the hub I spotted some PhotoPass CMs with passholder signs for props. It seemed a bit pretentious but I got in line anyway! After all, I was an AP and the world needed to know that! I do wish the CM had told me to lift the frame up a bit, but oh well.

I enjoyed the ambience of Magic Kingdom at night and snapped a few more photos.

I caught the “Kiss Goodnight” for the first time start to finish, and the darn thing made me tear up.

When I got out to the bus stop an Art of Animation bus was already sitting at their stop. But I saw another reticulated bus at the entrance to the bus loop, and figured it must be for Pop so I decided to wait for that. BIG MISTAKE! That stupid bus sat at the entrance for ages, and the AoA bus was long gone. Plus the music on the Pop Century buses is annoying! Who wants to listen to the Slinky jingle?! Port Orleans has peaceful bayou sounds and Pop gets the Slinky jingle. Geez.


Also can I just mention that I’m not a fan of rainfall showers? I was super excited for them and people rave about them, but they just drown you! I did like the handheld showerhead at Pop. however.

Rant over bus music and Slink jingles over, I then went to sleep (yes I did really rant about those things in my notes, so I felt the need to include it here! Sometimes when you’re solo you gotta get your feelings out somewhere!)




Up next: the final full day! ​

 

[Jenny Sanders]

Isn't it funny how just about everyone who rides IASW gets a pic of the hippo?!?!

 

[suse66]

After my detour at the Wilderness I had lyfted back to Pop Century. Once there I hung around the room a bit, and took some more photos of the refurbished amenities.

Thanks for sharing all the room pics! They are making me feel excited about my stay at Pop in December!

Only one of the photos from the ride came through. And, oh my goodness I just noticed the little girl in front of me!!

So cute!

Is there anything better than putting your feet up on the PeopleMover?

Nope!

Happily Ever After was just beginning as I walked along Rivers of America. That’s a new perspective for me!

Beautiful!

I think at this point the event had started. I figured the crowds would start to thin, and the lines would get shorter, but it remained fairly crowded throughout the whole event with rather long lines. Very different than After Hours the night before. I wanted to ride Peter Pan but the line was too long - bummer because I had thought this night would be a good night to ride it. I did catch a bit of the castle projection show though!

Too bad! I guess a lot of locals would come out for Passholder night.

Sadly, the line was STILL long for Peter Pan so I walked right on Small World instead, where I had a boat all to myself! I’m one of those weirdos who really enjoys the song. In fact, when I just recently watched fireworks on Memorial Day in my city the live symphony played “it’s a small world” and I was ecstatic! They also had a choir for that part, so it was a pretty neat moment. Anyway, back to Disney World!

I also love IASW....it's a classic!

My name actually popped up on the goodbye screens! That was the first time I’d gotten to see that.

Love that!

I caught the “Kiss Goodnight” for the first time start to finish, and the darn thing made me tear up.

Same.....it's so sweet!

 

[missangelalexis]

Cool vantage point of the fireworks, and even cooler getting to see them on Splash!

Sounds like it was a fun night!

I don't mind the Small World song either..but I think I would be a little creeped out riding alone with no one around me but the dolls!

I like your PP pics from the end of the night!

 

[paradesintherain]

Isn't it funny how just about everyone who rides IASW gets a pic of the hippo?!?!

Cause he/she's so cute and drunk!

Thanks for sharing all the room pics! They are making me feel excited about my stay at Pop in December!

Yay! I'm glad I could help get you excited for Pop, I really enjoyed my stay there!

So cute!

She's too precious!

Nope!

All Dis-ers agree!

Beautiful!

The reflections make it extra special!

Too bad! I guess a lot of locals would come out for Passholder night.

You're probably right! I had unrealistic dreams of it being like After Hours!

I also love IASW....it's a classic!

Feeling very validated! Some of my non-Dis Disney friends don't like it!!

Love that!

Me too! My name is unusual so it's neat to see it places!

Same.....it's so sweet!

So sweet, just thinking of it makes me feel a little teary!

Cool vantage point of the fireworks, and even cooler getting to see them on Splash!

Sounds like it was a fun night!

I don't mind the Small World song either..but I think I would be a little creeped out riding alone with no one around me but the dolls!

I like your PP pics from the end of the night!

I thought so! Still, nothing beats Main Street!

It was fun, but crowded.

It was actually a little eerie, I won't lie.

Thanks! I kinda like them too