A Whole New SOLO World: A July 2015 WDW TR - My 1st! (complete)

[PolDisneyfam]

Loved reading along with your trip report! Great job on the writing and the pictures. Looks like you had a fantastic time! I love your Epcot days and really liked seeing your experience at the Orlando eye. I am curious about that area.

I went on a partially solo trip in 2011 before my hubby came along. It was only partially solo because I drove down with my brother, sister in law, niece and nephew. We stayed at different properties when we got there. They were at Caribbean Resort and I was at the Doubletree at DD. We also had a cousin there on her band trip at the same time. The first 4 days I met various family members at the parks, then the next 5 days solo while my cousin went home and my brother and family went to further south to visit sil's family. I loved my solo days. CM's treated me so nicely at my TS meals, and I talked to lots of other guests while I was there. The hotel staff treated me so nice as well.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for day 9!! Please update before I leave for my WDW trip coming in 12 days!! Can't wait!

 

[bamacmac]

Loved reading along with your trip report! Great job on the writing and the pictures. Looks like you had a fantastic time! I love your Epcot days and really liked seeing your experience at the Orlando eye. I am curious about that area.

I went on a partially solo trip in 2011 before my hubby came along. It was only partially solo because I drove down with my brother, sister in law, niece and nephew. We stayed at different properties when we got there. They were at Caribbean Resort and I was at the Doubletree at DD. We also had a cousin there on her band trip at the same time. The first 4 days I met various family members at the parks, then the next 5 days solo while my cousin went home and my brother and family went to further south to visit sil's family. I loved my solo days. CM's treated me so nicely at my TS meals, and I talked to lots of other guests while I was there. The hotel staff treated me so nice as well.

I'm on pins and needles waiting for day 9!! Please update before I leave for my WDW trip coming in 12 days!! Can't wait!

Thank you so much for the kind comments! It was an incredible trip and it has been very fun to relive it all through writing this trip report. It's like a virtual journal/scrapbook of sorts!

That sounds like an ideal trip to me....part of the time with friends or family and then part of the time solo as well. My February trip is starting to look like it will be like that. I'll be with friends the majority of the time, but will have some solo time at the beginning and end of the trip. Best of both worlds!

I may be able to get Day 9 up this afternoon. I'm not sure yet though. Hopefully tomorrow if not. And then I'll have another post or 2 after that to sort of wrap it all up.

12 days!! AH! So fun. I have just under 90 until my December trip!! Woo hoo!!!

 

[bamacmac]

Day 9: Sunday, July 26th


Part 1

The final day of my trip had arrived. A 9 day trip sounds like it is so long, and then it seriously flies by. All good things must come to an end though, right?

Ready to see what happens? Well, here you go. (Read the next paragraph BEFORE you scroll down if you don't want the surprise to be ruined...lol. )

I got up fairly early and was ready to go. I wanted to get home at a reasonable hour, because I had to be at work at 7AM the next day. I loaded the car, said goodbye to my friends and promised to return soon, and hit the road. I got on I-75 North and began the journey. As I got close to Tampa and started seeing signs for Orlando and I-4, a little thought popped into my head. I decided that the thought was crazy. So I dismissed it. I kept driving along and then I came upon the exit for Orlando. No, don’t do it Christy. Go home. Get home before dark. Get to bed early and rest up for work tomorrow. Before I knew it, I was taking the exit and I was on I-4, headed back to Orlando. I know, right? It's like my car had a mind of it's own and decided we were going back to Disney. I really had noting to do with it, actually. I blame the car.

My “thinking” (aka rationalizing) was that I could be there by about 9:30AM, spend about 4 hours at Epcot and then head home. I would get home pretty late…likely around midnight, but that AP in my purse was making me want to take advantage of being less than 2 hours away. (Because when you live over 8 hours away, being 2 hours away seems like walking distance.) So I finally went with the “why not?” that was trying so hard to take over my mind. A little spontaneity never hurt anyone. Ok well, maybe it has, but in this case, it didn’t.

(SO...be honest, was anyone thinking that would be the unexpected twist? If not, did you have any guesses?)

I pulled off at the next exit and opened the MDE app. Luckily I was able to get a FP for Soarin’ and Spaceship Earth (which I had missed during my Epcot days that week) and they were for perfect times. So I made my way towards Orlando and my favorite geodesic sphere and was so excited that I would get to spend a few more hours at my most favorite place.

I loved passing under this beauty one more time!!



Ah....I'm back Epcot. I'm back.





It was sobering to walk up and see our flag at half-staff. This was because of the shooting at the Navy Operational Support Center
in Chattanooga, TN on July 16th, 2015, that claimed the lives of 5 American service members.





The first FP was for Spaceship Earth, so I headed straight for that big, beautiful sphere. I had only experienced this attraction a few times, ever. I really enjoy it though. It’s another one of those that I always notice something new. And…let’s be real, I like knowing that I am inside the sphere.





After that, I made my way to one of my many Epcot loves, the Land Pavilion. I know, I’ve already declared my undying love for it. Repeatedly. Just reminding you. I enjoyed my flight over California immensely and then was able to walk on Living with the Land. I was pretty happy with my decision to get a little sidetracked on the way home at this point.





On to the World Showcase!

And Part 2.

 

[bamacmac]

Day 9: Sunday, July 26th

Part 2

First, a couple of pictures I took before I got over to the World Showcase....




On to France!




I needed crème brulee from France first. NEEDED I tell you. Needed. So I took care of that first. Yum....creme brulee is so good. And France. Ah France. If you haven’t been to Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie yet, then you need to put that on your Disney To-Do list. Or maybe your Disney MUST-Do list. And try that crème brulee. You won’t regret it.

Next up, American Adventure. Love, love, love.



America...spread your golden wings...sail on freedom's wind...'cross the sky...
This song owns me. I find myself listening to it in the car sometimes. Sniff.



I hadn’t spent much time in Italy and Germany earlier in the week, so I spent some time meandering. Beautiful pavilions.







Continue to Part 3!

 

[bamacmac]

Day 9: Sunday, July 26th

Part 3

I had wanted to do the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride in Mexico while I was there before, but never got around to it. Sure it’s cheesy, but it’s also fun. And it’s a boat ride and we have established that I’m a fan. So I headed south of the border.






I was done. I had walked over 5 miles. I had jammed a lot into those 4+ hours, and it was time to hit the road for real now.



On to Part 4...

 

[bamacmac]

Day 9: Sunday, July 26th

Part 4

So I did what any logical person would do right before they leave WDW and drive home. I bought some blue cotton candy. Because I am 5 years old remember. I headed towards the monorail. I wanted to end my trip with a little ride to the TTC and back. It was quite lovely. Sigh.

Got some great pictures...







For some reason I thought it was cool to get a picture of my car with the monorail passing behind it. Ha. I'm weird,
I know.




So once again, it was time to say “See ya real soon, Mickey”.



I then cried hysterically for the next 8 hours. Ok. So maybe I didn’t. I got a grip on my emotions, put in my new Walt Disney World Official Album and began the journey home.

The trip home was a looooonnnnggggggg one. I struggled with those last couple of hours and was close to finding a hotel for a few hours. But I pressed on and got home close to midnight, just as I had expected I would.

I was tired, but happy. It had been an incredible trip. Great memories had been made, new things had been experienced and I had discovered that my dreams for the future were more realistic than they had seemed before.


The End









Just kidding. Ha. I can’t just end it with that. I have a lot more to say for those interested. There will be another post very soon. It won't include tons of awesome pictures, but I’d like to wrap this up with a bit of a conclusion…some thoughts on the trip, favorite things I did, etc. I also want to fill you all in on what is next for me, since this trip was about trying to figure out if I really wanted to move there or not, at least in part. The weeks since the trip have been….interesting, to say the least.


So stick around, I’m not quite done with this Trip Report yet.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

OK, so I thought the surprise at the end was going to be that you lined up your future job at WDW. Hey, I dream big, too. But another half-day at Epcot is also great! Was the crème brulee all you had to eat there? Any lunch? Or was that lunch?

Yes, I agree that a trip including various times with family, friends, and solo would be the best of all worlds. (I'm planning mine for April.)

Looking forward to your wrap-up!

 

[bamacmac]

OK, so I thought the surprise at the end was going to be that you lined up your future job at WDW. Hey, I dream big, too. But another half-day at Epcot is also great! Was the crème brulee all you had to eat there? Any lunch? Or was that lunch?

Yes, I agree that a trip including various times with family, friends, and solo would be the best of all worlds. (I'm planning mine for April.)

Looking forward to your wrap-up!

Ha! I wish that is what the surprise twist had been! That would have been awesome! Oh well.

Hmmmm...trying to remember what else I ate that day. I "think" I may have had a Mickey pretzel in there somewhere too. Apparently I made the decision at some point that carb loading before a long drive was a brilliant idea. Hahaha.

Have fun planning that April trip!

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part 4

Pics from my first ride aboard the Liberty Belle!

View attachment 118844

View attachment 118845

View attachment 118846


View attachment 118851

I really loved the BTMR pics I got from the river!

View attachment 118847

View attachment 118848

View attachment 118849


View attachment 118850

Haunted Mansion was closed for a little while (not sure why), but how weird to see a completely empty queue in the middle of the day!

On to Neverland….Peter Pan’s Flight! Another favorite…although I kinda wanted to do this one without a FP so I could check out the new queue, but not quite enough to want to wait in line for an hour.

View attachment 118853

Next…the bitter taste of disappointment. I had a FP for Jungle Cruise and was really looking forward to that one! But then it was closed because of weather. I will say though that I found it great that because of that, they automatically gave me a FP to use anytime that day at several indoor attractions. It didn’t work out for me to use it, but it is a nice way for Disney to handle sudden closures.

I had a little bit of time to kill until my lunch reservation at Be Our Guest (and this would be my first time there!). The wait time for the Little Mermaid attraction was posted at 20 minutes, so I decided to do that.

View attachment 118854


Well it was definitely not 20 minutes. It was closer to 40 or maybe even more. So this made me a little late for my lunch reservation. Which made me late for the next “first” on my list, the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I was frustrated somewhat…mostly with myself and my poor planning. Oh well.

(to be continued....)

Bummer about that. WAIT TIME POSTINGS usually err in your favor... shorter than what's actually posted - than Longer.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part 5

I did enjoy Be Our Guest, just had to enjoy it much faster than I would have liked. This place is stunning though in detail and theming. Wow. I was so glad I experienced it. I had the roast beef sandwich. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t Arby’s either. Ha. For dessert I had a chocolate cupcake topped with the grey stuff. I can confirm that it is, in fact, delicious. Lumiere knows his stuff.

View attachment 118855

View attachment 118856

View attachment 118857

View attachment 118858

View attachment 118860

View attachment 118859


So I ate very quickly and then hurried towards the parade route. I found a spot where I could somewhat see, behind all the kids on shoulders and iPads (ugh!), in Liberty Square. I caught about half of the parade, walking up as Peter, Wendy, Hook and Tink passed by. But I was at least glad I got to see Maleficent…how cool is that fire breathing dragon?

View attachment 118861

View attachment 118862

View attachment 118863

View attachment 118864

After the parade, I was standing directly in front of Hall of Presidents, so it made sense to go with that next. Yet another show I like. Not a must do every time, but it’s such an impressive one. So after that I spent some time looking around shops in Liberty Square and Frontierland and people watching. Fun times.

At this point, I all of a sudden completely changed my game plan for the rest of the day. The plan WAS to have dinner at BOG (yes, I know, twice in one day, but I knew the QS and TS experiences there would be different enough…plus Beast…lol) and then get some more FP’s and hang around until after Wishes. BUT, it wasn’t to be. I decided to cancel the dinner reservation and go get another Nutella waffle for dinner. Yep I sure did. Don’t judge me. When you discover a little bit of heaven on earth, you let yourself experience it more than once in a day if you can. And I could. Because I was alone. And when you are alone, guess what? You get to do WHATEVER you want to do!

While I was enjoying my 2nd waffle of the day, I decided that next I would take a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad. On the way there, I realized it was almost time for the Flag Retreat Ceremony. This was something I had never watched! I was excited to get to see this.

(Almost there...continue on to Part 6!)

You got that right sister! Going solo is Disney your way. I cant wait until my SOLO coming up in less than 60 days. No judgement here.
BOG? Been there. Did It. Felt like another waffle? It's YOUR world... you can do that!

Enjoying your TR.... and watching you have your Disney Fun. I'm next darnit! (*_*).

 

[LadyDiznee123]

Day 5: Wednesday, July 22nd

Part 4

View attachment 119040


View attachment 119041


View attachment 119042

View attachment 119043

View attachment 119044

View attachment 119045

After I wiped my tears and regained composure, it was time to head to Liberty Square for yet another trip through the Haunted Mansion. I think this would make 3 times for the trip. Yeah, I love it.

Got a cool picture too...

View attachment 119046

I spent some time shopping on Main Street before I left. Had to get a few things for the kiddos that I had been waiting to buy.

Let me tell you a funny story here. So the 6 year old girl I keep had wanted something Belle related. She didn’t really care what, just wanted something that had to do with Belle. (I had asked each of them to give me an idea of what they might want…either a character, or type of item.) She still enjoys playing with Barbie dolls a lot, so I got her this Belle doll, knowing that she would love the beautiful dress and would love the little comb that came with it too. This is Belle when I purchased her.

View attachment 119049

Fast forward to the week after my trip. I had given the kids all their gifts that first Monday back with them. The 6 year old LOVED the Belle doll. She was so excited. I had done well.

I was off the next day. So I go back to work that Wednesday and the kids are all still asleep when I get there. The Mom tells me that Belle was involved in an unfortunate incident involving their 10 month old lab puppy. Belle had been left where the dog could get to her and it did not end well for Belle.

View attachment 119050

As you can see, Belle had tragically lost both of her hands. The sleeves of her dress had disappeared. Her dress was slightly ripped in a few places. Her hair was...well, quite a mess and pieces of her hair were found near the crime scene. But, she was still smiling and her makeup was intact. What a girl. That Belle.

The Mom said there were BIG tears over this. HUGE tears. She said they would replace it, but I told her no, I would do it, no problem. So I called the Disney Parks Merchandise number and a very nice Cast Member located the correct Belle and had her on her way to us. Problem solved and hopefully lesson learned! (I did make sure she understood this would be the last replacement doll though! Hahaha.)

One more post to go for Day 5...

Great story. You're a great friend to that family.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

-why do I feel like popping an Eggo waffle in the toaster after reading this?
-I think Meth Lab Belle still looks nice
-The Plaza has always seemed like an afterthought to me in the MK. Glad to see a review that confirmed that view.
-good stuff, C-Money

"Meth Lab Belle." lol.

 

[j2thomason]

I just read your entire trip report while watching the Auburn game. You made a solo trip sound more then wonderful! I will definitely be doing my own solo trip now during spring break.

So glad you ignored the haters and enjoyed the Wishes FP viewing area. I love that view so much and definitely think it's worth the fast pass. I just hate that it keeps you from getting that 4th fast pass during the day.

Sorry, you didn't enjoy The Plaza. I really like it. We ate there a lot when I was a kid, so I have sentimental memories there. I always order off of the kids menu and get a grilled cheese with tomato soup.

I'm putting the Nutella waffle on my solo trip "to-do" list!

I love the pace at which you took your trip. You seem to pack a lot in, but also got plenty of down time. I struggle with that on every trip. I'm always exhausted, but I'm always traveling with others, too. Another reason a solo trip sounds heavenly!

I also plan to get help from the Facebook Dissers while I'm on my trip.....what a great idea!

I can't wait to hear your follow up report and what your future plans will be.

Great trip report!!!

 

[Campingfam5]

I have enjoyed your trip report so much! We were at FW in August and are booked again for December. Your report has given me some great planning suggestions. Also, I love that you did the meet and greet and the character meal!! Seems you had a wonderful time.

 

[GPC0321]

I just read this whole trip report and got so excited when you decided to swing back by Epcot on the way home! I would've done the exact same thing! The last time I was at WDW (nearly 17 years ago!), we had climbed into the MEARS van to head back to the airport, and as I was taking in my last views of Coronado Springs, I seriously contemplated jumping back out before they slid the door closed, waving "bye bye" to my stunned parents, and then sprinting away so they couldn't catch me. I could, I reckoned, take up residence in one of those nice bus stops, and at least ride the buses around the property even if I couldn't get into a park. At that outrageous moment, anything, even homelessness, seemed preferable to leaving Disney!!
I stayed in the van and fought the urge to sob openly when we exited the pristine WDW grounds and came back to the reality of the very un-magical real world.
Anyway, I loved reading about your trip! I'm heading back (finally!) in March for Spring/Easter break with my folks who are now in their (very active) 70's. We're staying at CBR too, and like you, I have a special fondness for Epcot!
Thanks for sharing your trip!!

 

[FosterLovesMickey]

Love, love, love the twist at the end… I didn't have a clue what it might be, but I loved it!! I would have totally done the same!! As always, beautiful pictures! Looks like a great solo trip (I'm even more excited for mine now!) and I can't wait to hear your final thoughts about the trip!!

 

[Evansvillegirl26]

Can't wait to read your final conclusions!! Glad you had such a fun trip. Solo's are sooooo fun. I will definitely do a report for my next one.

 

[bamacmac]

Can't wait to read your final conclusions!! Glad you had such a fun trip. Solo's are sooooo fun. I will definitely do a report for my next one.

Thanks SO much for reading! I've so enjoyed going back and sort of reliving it all! And talking to so many about it has been a blast too!!!

 

[bamacmac]

Love, love, love the twist at the end… I didn't have a clue what it might be, but I loved it!! I would have totally done the same!! As always, beautiful pictures! Looks like a great solo trip (I'm even more excited for mine now!) and I can't wait to hear your final thoughts about the trip!!

Thank you! I so appreciate you following along for all of it and all of your comments. You've been awesome. It's been a blast to relive it all through writing it and to talk about it with folks. Working on 3 additional posts now. Should have the first up tonight or tomorrow.

 

[bamacmac]

I just read this whole trip report and got so excited when you decided to swing back by Epcot on the way home! I would've done the exact same thing! The last time I was at WDW (nearly 17 years ago!), we had climbed into the MEARS van to head back to the airport, and as I was taking in my last views of Coronado Springs, I seriously contemplated jumping back out before they slid the door closed, waving "bye bye" to my stunned parents, and then sprinting away so they couldn't catch me. I could, I reckoned, take up residence in one of those nice bus stops, and at least ride the buses around the property even if I couldn't get into a park. At that outrageous moment, anything, even homelessness, seemed preferable to leaving Disney!!
I stayed in the van and fought the urge to sob openly when we exited the pristine WDW grounds and came back to the reality of the very un-magical real world.
Anyway, I loved reading about your trip! I'm heading back (finally!) in March for Spring/Easter break with my folks who are now in their (very active) 70's. We're staying at CBR too, and like you, I have a special fondness for Epcot!
Thanks for sharing your trip!!

Ha! I love that you got excited too! And great story...yes many crazy things seem better than leaving Disney!

So fun that you are going soon and with your parents too! I am so eager to get my parents down there!!! They'll have to come if I live there.