A Semi-Solo Weekend Escape - Sept 11 - Finished 2/7

Great update, Kelly. I love the photopass pics of you in front of Spaceship Earth.

We have those yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos (I think we still have three of them). We tend not to bring them because they are so heavy in the luggage and on us, and use $1.00 store ones and and then toss them. But I use my Mickey Mouse one if we go to the zoo at home or something.

Have a great Thanksgiving as a newly married woman. :goodvibes

Thanks Kathy! We decided to not travel anywhere this year, so we're having some of Geoff's coworkers over and I'm cooking. It'll be interesting because I've never cooked a turkey before! :lmao:
 
Kelly, you'll do great. I've been married 28-1/2 years, and I made my FIRST turkey last year. :goodvibes
 
Kelly, you'll do great. I've been married 28-1/2 years, and I made my FIRST turkey last year. :goodvibes

I managed to overcook it :laughing: It was supposed to cook 4 hours. So at hour 3.5, I went in the oven to baste it and the little popper had popped, so I took it's temperature and it was at 175. Oops! So I quick got him out of the oven and just let him sit for 40 minutes. I save him :thumbsup2d The turkey wasn't the moistest ever, but I thought it was pretty good all things considered!

We wound up with 5 people, so I had entirely too much food. I made soup on Friday and I think we'll be eating some form of turkey for the entire month of december :rotfl:
 
When I left off, I was making my way back over to the Contemporary.

I have a sweet tooth. A meal is never quite complete until I eat dessert. I didn't get dessert with my dinner, so since I was already in the main tower, I headed over to Contempo Cafe to see if anything looked good...oh did it!

I bought my cupcake and soy milk and brought it back up to the room so I could rest my weary bones.

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I then discovered that my toilet wasn't flushing...awesome. So I called down to the front desk. Within 15 minutes I had 2 maintenance people at my door. Big thumbs up to the Contemporary on that one! :thumbsup2 They fixed the problem, and I heard music...so I wandered out onto my balcony and discovered that the Electric Water Pageant was going on! So exciting :yay:

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I went back inside and grabbed my treat so I could watch the whole thing.

I also grabbed some nighttime shots of the BLT area.

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I also discovered I had much better cell reception outside on the balcony than I did inside the room, so after the show was over, I called Geoff to say good night :cloud9:

Up Next: To EMH or not?
 


I managed to overcook it :laughing: It was supposed to cook 4 hours. So at hour 3.5, I went in the oven to baste it and the little popper had popped, so I took it's temperature and it was at 175. Oops! So I quick got him out of the oven and just let him sit for 40 minutes. I save him :thumbsup2d The turkey wasn't the moistest ever, but I thought it was pretty good all things considered!

We wound up with 5 people, so I had entirely too much food. I made soup on Friday and I think we'll be eating some form of turkey for the entire month of december :rotfl:

We had a 20 pound turkey and seven people...still eating leftovers (and I'm not a turkey fan to begin with). :headache:

When I left off, I was making my way back over to the Contemporary.

I have a sweet tooth. A meal is never quite complete until I eat dessert. I didn't get dessert with my dinner, so since I was already in the main tower, I headed over to Contempo Cafe to see if anything looked good...oh did it!

I bought my cupcake and soy milk and brought it back up to the room so I could rest my weary bones.

DisneySeptember2011130.jpg


I then discovered that my toilet wasn't flushing...awesome. So I called down to the front desk. Within 15 minutes I had 2 maintenance people at my door. Big thumbs up to the Contemporary on that one! :thumbsup2 They fixed the problem, and I heard music...so I wandered out onto my balcony and discovered that the Electric Water Pageant was going on! So exciting :yay:

DisneySeptember2011144.jpg


I went back inside and grabbed my treat so I could watch the whole thing.

I also grabbed some nighttime shots of the BLT area.

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DisneySeptember2011139.jpg


I also discovered I had much better cell reception outside on the balcony than I did inside the room, so after the show was over, I called Geoff to say good night :cloud9:

Up Next: To EMH or not?

I want that cupcake now! :worship::worship:

We've not seen the Electric Water Pagent since we last stayed at the Poly which was in 2004. I always enjoyed seeing that.

Great nighttime pics around the BLT!
 
We had a 20 pound turkey and seven people...still eating leftovers (and I'm not a turkey fan to begin with). :headache:



I want that cupcake now! :worship::worship:

We've not seen the Electric Water Pagent since we last stayed at the Poly which was in 2004. I always enjoyed seeing that.

Great nighttime pics around the BLT!

I must admit that it was when I was sitting on the balcony, watching the Water Pageant, I thought to myself, "this is why I booked BLT." It was so lovely, and relaxing, and instead of thinking about everything I needed to do at home, I just enjoyed the moment. Perfect really :thumbsup2
 
One of the things I was looking forward to on this trip was the ability to order room service and enjoy breakfast on my balcony!

I had placed my order the night before, and right on time, they were delivering it to my room!

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I brought it outside with me and watched as Bay Lake woke up. It was so peaceful and wonderful. It was about then that I absolutely fell in love with BLT!

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I had finished getting ready pretty early, so I decided to head over to Hollywood Studios and catch EMH mornings.

I took some pictures of the BLT lobby on my way out to catch the bus:
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I got to the park about 8:05, just after the park opened, but early enough that there were no lines :thumbsup2

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I'm sure it's a surprise to no one that my first stop was to get a Toy Story FP!

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Once the FP was secured, I made my way up Sunset Blvd.

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I decided that my first stop would be Rock N Roller. Since it was still early, I didn't need to use the Single Rider line, but I did anyway. It was nice when I was able to by-pass everyone and literally walk right on!

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Obviously my next stop was Tower of Tower, which is one of my favorites. Geoff hates it, so it was great to not feel guilty when I went on by myself!

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The huge line:
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My next stop was to head across the park and visit Star Tours. We had done it twice on our last trip and I really love the re-do on the ride!

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I just love that it's not the same every time you go on it!

I still had a little time to kill before my Toy Story FP was good, so I decided to go on the Great Movie Ride.

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There were 2 guys behind me that had the hidden mickey guide. They were hoping to be able to see a few on the ride, and I know where all of them are :rolleyes1 So I told them if they didn't find it, I would point it out to them. I pointed out the one they had in the book and also showed them where Donald and Mickey were on the wall in the Indiana Jones scene. They were really excited to find it, it was pretty funny! They were thanking me when we got off the ride, so I was happy I was able to help them!

It was finally time to use my FP, so I headed over to Toy Story and skipped through the line. Interestingly enough, they had the right side of the stairs open for those with FP. Sometimes they have you join the line before going up the stairs instead.


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Yes, this was my score!
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I had done all my favorites (minus the Muppets!) at the Studios, so I decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom. I think the Studios is my favorite to do morning EMH. You can hit so many of the rides when you get there early, it's really amazing!

Up Next: Adventures in the Magic Kingdom!
 


Looks like you got a lot done at DHS! I finally tried Star Tours for the first time ever (no, I never did the original...:rolleyes1) and it was pretty cool.
 
If anyone cares to look, I uploaded all my Professional Wedding Photos to Photobucket. Here's the link: http://s649.photobucket.com/albums/uu213/onelilspark/Wedding/





I would LOVE to do a solo trip one day! The idea of doing what I want, when I want...:cloud9:

It was a lot of fun, but I would recommend doing an extended weekend like this instead of a full week. The only downfall is that you don't really have anyone to share things with, besides Twitter...

Looks like you got a lot done at DHS! I finally tried Star Tours for the first time ever (no, I never did the original...:rolleyes1) and it was pretty cool.

I'm always amazed at how much you can get done at the Studios during EMH!
 
I love TOT...so sorry Geoff doesn't.

I tried looking at your wedding pictures, but Photobucket (much like the DIS lately) is acting wacko! I'll try again at home tonight; the ones I saw from Page 1 are beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest.
 
I love TOT...so sorry Geoff doesn't.

I tried looking at your wedding pictures, but Photobucket (much like the DIS lately) is acting wacko! I'll try again at home tonight; the ones I saw from Page 1 are beautiful and I can't wait to see the rest.

Thanks for the compliment Kathy :goodvibes
 
..So 3 weeks later, should I finally update this? :rolleyes1


I left off after finishing everything in HS. I caught a bus from HS to the TTC. From there I had a choice to make: Monorail or Ferry? I hadn't taken the boat in ages and there was one pulling in as I was walking over, so Boat it was!

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It was quite lovely to take the boat over, I just stood at the railing admiring the view.

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I got through Bag Check, and I was delighted to find that most of the Halloween decorations were up! I love the decorations for Holidays at the Magic Kingdom!

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I stopped to get my obligatory park photo:

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...I really need a suntan! :lmao:

My first stop was over to Splash Mountain. I haven't ridden it in quite a while. I'm not usually at WDW when it's terribly hot, so between not wanting to walk around soaked and Geoff not liking big drops, this sounded like a great way to kick off a solo MK experience!

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I was put in the back seat of a log that had a family in it. The family didn't speak English. And didn't realize I was in the log with them until half way through the ride :rotfl:

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My next stop was Big Thunder. I must say, I walked on both of these. September is awesome.

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After I got off, I was starting to feel a little light-headed. A frozen coke sounded like a great way to cool off a bit and get a little sugar into me. (I bring a water bottle and drink about 3-4 refills of it each day, so I knew it wasn't dehydration!)

I consulted my Dining App for the iPhone and found that the location for frozen cokes in the MK was at the farmers market type area over at Liberty Square. But when I went over, they weren't on the menu! So I asked, and they had them. Weird.

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I took my treat inside as it was about time for lunch. I knew exactly where I was headed: Columbia Harbor House :banana:

Lighthouse Sandwich, delicious.
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After lunch, I hit my favorite ride in all of WDW!

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After my spooky ride, I was done with the left-hand side of the park...where would I go next?!
 
Great update, Kelly. So glad you got to do Splash Mountain (and then do Big Thunder with no wait!).

That drink looks quite yummy...I'll have to check that one out.
 
Great update, Kelly. So glad you got to do Splash Mountain (and then do Big Thunder with no wait!).

That drink looks quite yummy...I'll have to check that one out.

I'm a big fan of frozen cokes. They're just filled with sugar though, so I don't get them too often!
 
Life Update: As you probably know, I have no trips to Disney planned :sad1: Geoff and I talked about doing a trip in February, but then realized that since we're saving for a house, we probably should keep saving instead of spending money. Of course, it helps if that house is IN FLORIDA. :woohoo: We're putting our plan into motion.

Geoff's company is based in Melbourne, FL, so he'll be looking at transferring with them. I've got the MLK holiday off, so I'm taking a long weekend to fly down, meet with a Realtor, etc. Basically make sure we actually *like* Melbourne before we actually move. If I give the all clear, he'll talk to his boss about a transfer. The biggest thing that's up in the air is whether or not I'll get to keep my job. Fingers crossed that all goes according to plan!


Now back to your regularly scheduled (or not so regularly...) Trip Report!

I left off leaving the Haunted Mansion. I was passing by Small World and almost got on until I realized that when my parents joined me the next day, my Dad would probably want to ride. I mean, I like Small World, but not enough to ride it two days in a row! So I kept walking and boy was it HOT. It had been a while since I watched Philharmagic and it's one of the few 3D shows I actually enjoy, so in I went!

I *just* missed a show, which I didn't mind terribly, I just found a nice comfy spot on the floor and caught up with my tweets. The show as usual was enjoyable and the row I went into actually moved all the way across. A miracle really.

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My next stop was Pooh. I really wanted to check out that interactive queue too.

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It was cute, but definitely for children and not adults.

Before too long, I was boarding my Honeypot! Luckily I was in the back of it and not blocking some poor kids view!!

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When I got off the ride, I ran into this guy in the gift shop. I believe my tweet was something along the lines of "Who on Earth is this supposed to be?"

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I still haven't found out.

I continued my stroll through Fantasyland and into Tomorrowland. It was a little weird to see all of Toon Town closed off!

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Unlike Small World, the Peoplemover I can do over and over and over again, so even though I figured my Mom would want to do it the next day, I hopped on.

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And took the obligatory TTA picture:

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When I was done, I was off to battle the Evil Emperor Zurg.

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Not my best score, but still pretty decent.

After saving the universe, I walked next door to one of my favorite attractions...don't judge.

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I absolutely love this show. But then again, I've got a weakness for corny jokes.

After I finished Tomorrowland, it was snack time! I grabbed a sundae from the Ice Cream shop and found a nice spot down by the moat where the smoking area is. (I don't smoke, it's just usually nice and quiet down there.)

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BONUS! I had a pretty decent view of the parade. At least decent enough to keep me entertained!

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Between the fact that the sundae was huge and I'm just one person and the ducks that were enjoying a snack of their own - frogs :sick: I didn't come close to finishing my sundae. The drawback of being on your own.

After the parade moved out, I took a stroll up Main Street, browsing in a few shops. I finally made my way to the train station. I wanted to take a scenic tour around the MK (and maybe peak through a few fences...which didn't work so well.)

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As I got on the train, I noticed that they had started letting in the masses for Night of Joy. Which meant that I was getting the you-know-what outta dodge! So after my trip around the Kingdom, I strolled out of the MK, and took a nice walk back to BLT. Can I just say how awesome that was? Being able to just walk back to the hotel after leaving?

I took a quick nap and shower before my parents came by. We all hung out in my room until dinner (they wanted to see the room and resort.) Then we headed over to California Grill for dinner. I have more details about dinner in my Dining Report, but the short version is that it was excellent. We had a fantastic meal, and again, it was so awesome to be able to just walk back to my room! They took a cab back to their hotel (they were staying at the Marriott World Center on points...I think.) And kept their car at BLT, so my Dad could join us in drinking some wine. It worked out well. I just asked for a parking pass when I checked in!

And thus ends my solo portion of the trip and my adventures of Day 2! Up Next...More Magic Kingdom!
 
I hope your plan works out Kelly! But aren't you afraid you'll miss snow? :laughing:

I have no idea who/what that multi-colored bear thing is either!
 
You got some great pictures! I love the ones of the view from the boat (such a fun view) and the one of the castle from the train station.

LOL, almost 800,000 isn't your best score? :eek: I have never come close to a score like that.

Your sundae looked pretty good too.

I feel like I've seen that yellow bear somewhere but also have no clue who/what he is. But you've got me curious now.
 
Really enjoying your report!

The yellow Bear is Special Agent Oso. He's a Disney Jr. cartoon with his own show for toddlers. Sadly, I see a lot of him on my tv. He is not my favorite but my little boy got very excited when he saw the picture you took. :happytv:
 
I will be keeping my fingers crossed that all works out with the possible move to Melbourne. We've been to Melbourne...and it is very nice.

Love the update. I'm with you, IASW once in a trip is enough. But I could do the People Mover over and over again.
 

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