As my title says, this was my 1st ever-solo trip and my first ever trip at Easter time. I was originally booked for 3 nights at POFQ but decided that it wasnt long enough and booked another 2 nights. Nothing available at resort so I have to pack up and move to POR on 4th day.
Day 1 Easter Sunday 04/16/06
My flight was at 7 AM so my ride dropped me off at the airport around 5:30 AM. For some reason I talked more to every person I came in contact with from the employees on the curb to the luggage handlers, to the check-in people. I just couldnt shut up. Probably because I was fearful that I wouldnt be speaking again on the remainder of the trip. On the plane, I did my single duty by moving twice to allow 2 families to sit together. The plane landed early and I headed down to magical express after a quick change into my shorts (it was freezing at home). By 9:30 AM, I was on the bus to POFQ. We got to the resort shortly after 10:00 and there was only 1 other person waiting to check-in. I didnt like the person checking me in at all. I also missed the packet of info that you get at the deluxes but I can get over it, I am at Disney. I was put in Bldg 7 and my room was ready. By 10:30, I was in my room! The room was tastefully decorated and I was happy that they honored my request not to be placed on the ground floor. Though Bldg 7 seemed to be the furthest from the main bldg, it wasnt a long walk and I especially liked it when I discovered the quick back way to the bus stop. Also, though I really prefer and love the deluxe resorts, I could tell that I was going to be comfortable here. I made a quick call home to see if everyone was gathering in preparation for the big family dinner. By 11 AM, I was on a bus to Epcot.
I had been to Disney in December with my mom over the Xmas holiday and we tried several times to ride Soarin but never made it on. I was determined this trip. I went to Soarin first and grabbed a fastpass (6-7pm return). I had like 7 hours to kill before that time so I hit my favorite part of Epcot, the countries. I went only to my favorite sites which was the biggest plus of my entire solo trip. I went to Mexico and rode the boat ride (I always love this little ride). I was getting hungry so I ate at Cantina de San Angel. I had the loaded nachos and a congo fruit juice. Attacking seagulls come free with meal! Afterward, I hit Norway for Maelstrom (skipped movie). I hopped over to China and Japan. These are my favorite countries mainly for the shopping. I bought heavy stuff from Japan and without thinking, told them that I would carry it myself. Halfway around world showcase, my arm was killing me. I had everything sent to the room after this throughout the rest of the trip. I had to stop in Club Cool for a quick drink and went in spaceship earth to cool off. I hadnt been on this ride since I was a kid so I figured why not, this is my trip. After this, I headed out of Epcot. YEAH my POFQ bus was waiting and I was back at the resort in minutes! Buses working great so far, and I couldnt believe it, here it is only 2:30 and my bags are in my room!! YEAH!!!!
I unpacked and relaxed for a while before heading back out to Epcot to ride Test Track and use my fastpass for Soarin. I had never rode test track so I went there first and the single rider line said 110 minutes but I overheard someone saying that it was actually much shorter. I got in line and it only took 20 minutes before I reached the front. I love this ride. I headed over to Soarin to use my fastpass. I liked the ride but wouldnt necessarily ride again if I had to wait. If I could get another fastpass in my trip I would try it again but otherwise skip it. Like another poster had warned me before I went, I was in the last row on the right side and I could see everyone elses feet. It really took away from the ride. I guess the ride was different from other view points as people getting off with me was telling others in the 110 minute line that the wait was worth it. My eyes were screaming GET OUT OF LINE NOW. I left Epcot and hit MKG via the monorail. I had dinner at the Noodle Station. I had the chicken teriyaki YUCK! But it was edible and I just moved on. I rode Buzz Lightyear and the transit authority. I then went to BT mountain to get a fastpass. I rode my favorite ride at MKG Philharmagic and also its a small world and I then grabbed a spot for spectromagic. This is my favorite parade in all of Disney and oh how I have missed it. I then used my fastpass for BT mountain. This ride is definitely better at night. What a thrill! I decided to hit splash mountain while everyone was waiting for the fireworks and I made it on in about 15 minutes. Never rode splash mountain at night before and just as I got on, the Wishes fireworks started and it was nice to see while on the ride. The line for space mountain was way too long even at 10:30 at night so I grabbed an ice cream cone and headed for the exit. The park was open to 3 AM tonight but being my first day and a full day, I was beat and left at 11:30.
Day 2 Monday 04/17/06
I should start this day by saying that before I left home, I had these big plans of making it to every extra morning hour this week. I should continue by saying that this is the only morning that I made it out of bed to any of them! I had breakfast in the room (granola bar and fruit) and caught the 7:30 bus to MGM. I got into the park exactly at 8 AM and ran straight to RNR. I havent been on this ride sine 2001 so I couldnt wait. I decided to grab a fastpass and hit TOT instead as there was a lot of people in the park already. I hadnt been on TOT since it first opened, where I waited 120 minutes to ride and the drop was very quick and only a small one. This time the wait was only 10 minutes and our car went up and down several times. I loved it but decided that my stomach couldnt take it anymore. I had a little time before my fastpass so tried to hit movie ride but after running over there, discovered that it wasnt opened during EMH. Ran to Little Mermaid and found out the same! I was getting frustrated so headed to another one of my favorites, Sounds Dangerous as it was just about 9 AM. I still love this attraction. I hit movie ride and just squeezed it in before my fastpass was expiring. WOW . RNR is just like I remembered. I will definitely be hitting this again before my trip is up.
It was only 10:30 but I was beginning to get tired of MGM. I left and got on the AKG bus. I arrived at AKG at 11 AM and wasnt sure how long I was going to stay because of my feet situation. I forgot to mention that I packed sneakers in my suitcase that I hadnt worn in quite some time and couldnt remember why. Turned out it was because they were tight after long periods of walking. I had terrible blisters on my feet. So bad that I couldnt put the sneakers on anymore. I am now in the sandals that I bought before leaving home and have never worn before. I know, recipe for disaster, as these are the only 2 shoes that I have brought. Anyway, I limp around the park and head to EE first to grab a fastpass. It was for 3 ½ hours later so I had time to kill. I went to its tough to be a bug. LOVE THIS SHOW AS ALWAYS! There was only a 15-minute wait that went really quickly. I had lunch at Pizzafari (pizza and Caesar salad) and then went to Lion King. I have seen this show before but always from the back and sometimes standing. I was in the 3rd or 4th row on the floor and I love this perspective of the show. I fell in love with it all over again. I loved how I could feel the vibrations of the music from this viewpoint. Totally rejuvenated, I went on primeval whirl and then decided to spend the 20 minutes until my fastpass, waiting in front of EE. I had had enough of the hot sun and my feet were killing me. 20 minutes was way too long so I wandered into a couple of gift shops. It was finally time for my fastpass. As I entered, I then saw the single rider board they had leaned up against the wall in front of the fastpass return. With everyone waiting there, you couldnt see it and it wasnt marked on the map. Tired and hot, I was completely ticked off but shook it off, as it was my turn to ride. Finally got on and they put a single rider on with me. She said she only waited 20 minutes!?!?! Anyway, reflections of the ride. I liked it for the roller coaster factor but thought that Disney theme wise, it was lacking. I never saw the yeti. It was way too dark in there and not sure if this is the norm or if he was broken as others had reported. The sounds were also low so my wait ended with just a fast roller coaster ride in and out of darkness. I was exhausted and decided to head back to the resort and try the ride another time during my trip.
When I got back to the resort, I had to stop at the front desk. I forgot to mention that my keycard wasnt working right and I had trouble getting in to AKG and getting fastpasses. The concierge desk switched my card and I also wanted to inquire about my room being available for the additional 2 nights so I wouldnt have to switch to POR. I just really didnt want to pack up and I was enjoying POFQ. POR seemed too big for my tastes and I didnt want to move. They said that there were 5 rooms available but that they couldnt do anything until my checkout day but that they would notate on my account that I wanted to have my room for 2 more days. They suggested I try central reservations first. When I got back to the room, I called central reservations to have my room only reservation with POR switched over. The person I got said he didnt know what the front desk was talking about because there were not rooms available. I hung up with him and called the front desk and told them what was going on and that I didnt want to wait until Wednesday, as I also didnt want to switch rooms even if I stayed at this resort. This time the person I spoke with asked me to hold on while he got a manager. When he came back, he said OK DONE! In that quick of time, he had gone in and booked my room for 2 more nights and canceled my reservation at POR. He said that my room deposit would move over to my current reservation on Wednesday and that all I had to do was come down and have my keycard switched. I changed for the pool and off I went to get my 3rd keycard and had them put the remaining 1 night on my credit card.
I relaxed for a bit by the pool. It was really crowded so I only stayed in for about 10 minutes. I mostly read my book. After showering and changing, I headed to Epcot. It was around 8:15 when I got there so not much to do but wait for Illuminations. I went to France to get my favorite dessert a Napoleon and had it wrapped to go. After Illuminations, the plan was to got to MKG but again, my feet and stomach had other plans so I went back to the resort to have dinner (burger and fries from the food court) and my Napoleon. Much more relaxing hanging in the room.
Day 3 Tuesday 04/18/06
I woke up at 6 AM and no way I was getting up. I hit the snooze button and finally got out of bed at 7. I flipped thru the TV channels and looked over the park maps trying to decide what to do. Here I stretched my trip to 6 days and I had done the parks commando style the first couple of days and my feet were killing me. I finally caught up with my brain and slowed it down. I had breakfast in the room again (cereal and granola bars I brought from home) and lay around the room for a while. My feet needed to desperately soak so I grabbed a towel and the (now dont laugh J) plastic throwaway top to my dinner plate and filled it with hot water. I soaked my little footsies one half at a time. Dumb me didnt realize until I went to take a shower that I could have used the tub. SHHHH .dont tell anyone that I am stupid J.
I finally hit the pool at 10:30. I had lunch in the food court (cheeseburger and fries again) and headed to the room for a quick shower and change. Took a nap instead and didnt get out of the room until 4:30. The minute I stepped out of my room, it started pouring. The first rain during the trip. It rained for about 30 minutes and because it was so hard, I decided to wait it out. I grabbed my Disney rain jacket and caught the bus to MKG. I went to space mountain for a fastpass (it was for 3 ½ hours later). This seems to be my magic wait time. I had time to kill so I hit some of my favorites, pirates, big thunder mountain, and of course philharmagic again. I did a little shopping and bought more stuff for people back home. My guilt over not bringing my niece and nephews was making me buy them lots of stuff. Good thing I brought an extra bag to take it all home in. I ate at Noodle House again because I didnt learn my lesson the first time. I got the beef & broccoli this time and it was again awful. I was also starting to get tired of other peoples tired and cranky kids at this point. I was glad that I didnt have any actually with me and my tolerance went way down at this point. While I was trying to eat at least some of this disgusting dinner, the kids at the next table were spraying each other with those fan & water sprays. The parents were watching them but didnt notice that they were completely soaking my food and me until I finally put my hands up to shield myself. They told them to stop and apologized but of course the kids didnt. They kept saying, Stop but the kids wouldnt. In 2 seconds I was about to snatch those sprayers. Finally, the father returned to the table and he took them but after the kids got rowdy again, they gave them back and my bath started again. I moved my chair to the other side of my table and thats when the parents noticed again and apologized again. I decided to just chuck the rest of my dinner anyway and made a call home to calm myself.
I finally got on space mountain. Not as thrilling as I remembered. I headed to main street for ice cream while everyone was watching spectromagic and then waited for Wishes. I love ending the day with these fireworks. I decided to call it a night because (I forgot to mention) I had to change my keycard again that had somehow demagnetized itself again. When I got the 4th card, I was scolded by someone at the front desk and told it was my fault. Even though I didnt have a cell phone on near it or a credit card in the same pocket but it was my fault. I chucked it up to an employee hating that she was working the late shift and just hit the sack.
Day 4 Wednesday 04/19/06
I was supposed to hit AKG again today but just couldnt get up. Feet were still hurting and decided that I must find new shoes today. I ate in the room again and decided to catch boat to downtown Disney around 11 AM. I again bought way too much stuff but the important thing is that I got new flip-flops. YEAH!!!!! I caught the boat back to the resort to drop off my packages and switch my shoes. I caught the bus to Epcot around 1:30 and thought I would give Soarin a second try but all the fastpasses were gone. I walked over to Japan as I kept missing the drum show in December and was determined to catch it this time. It was already going on when I got there so I went to lunch instead. Ate at Yakitori House. Japanese food is my favorite food in the world so this was of course my favorite meal. I had chicken teriyaki and miso soup. YUM!!!! It was great as I was able to hear the end of the drum show while I ate. I hopped over to Italy to window shop and catch the street performers and then jetted back to Japan to finally catch the drum show. I stopped at France again for another Napoleon to go (I LOVE THIS DESSERT) and then headed out the back exit and walked over to boardwalk. I sat in the gazebo and ate my dessert before catching the water launch to MGM. All ready to hit the park in my new shoes, I waited in the 45-minute line to ride RNR again. I also hit beauty and the beast, star tours, little mermaid, one mans dream (minus the movie because of a jerk attendant) and the great movie ride again. I had dinner at ABC Commissary (fish & chips). The fish and chips were really small so after hitting a few more rides, I got in line to get a pretzel. It was now EMH and the line for a pretzel was very very slow. The girl just didnt want to be there and the guys getting beer were plentiful. I waited 30 minutes and finally got a pretzel and cheese. My plan was to have a quick snack and then ride RNR as many times as I could before 1 AM. PLANS CHANGED!!! After getting the pretzel, I walked and ate about 1/3 of it watching the live show before this XOPLIEYGGG person decided that she didnt have to wait her turn and pushed passed me and knocked the pretzel out of my hand. The pretzel was holding the hot cheese cup and it went spiraling into the air and came down on my hair, glasses, cheek, and white shirt before splattering on the ground. My feet had started to hurt in the new shoes by the way at this point and boy was I ready for a fight. I stood there, took my cheese-covered glasses off and realized that I didnt have a napkin. I turned to see who the person was and it was young girl (around 16 or so) who just stared at me and then walked into the gift shop with her friend. Not sure if her parent was around. I hope not as if it was my child, she would have been in that persons face apologizing up and down and offering to get napkins. I stood there another minute and yelled every curse word I know before finally setting off to get some napkins. I apologize by the way to anyone who had children around while I was screaming. I finally limped over to a bench where a nice woman found a tissue in her purse and then finally found a bathroom to cleanup. I was so ticked at this point and really felt like I could hurt someone that I ended the night and returned to the resort. I have my KTTK tour tomorrow and I needed to soak my feet and relax.
Day 5 Thursday 04/20/06
I had to put my old sandals that were now worn down to nothing so it was like walking bare foot back on because the new shoes now put a blister on my foot in a new place. I also forgot to mention that I had tried to get my sneakers back on on day 3 but didnt make it far so they are now in the trash.
I didnt eat breakfast this morning and headed out to the bus to MKG for my KTTK tour. I wanted to ride a couple of things before the tour began. I could only get 2 rides in before I had to check in though. Checked in and picked my lunch (hummus sandwich half with cup of clam chowder). I loved this tour. I cant say enough about it or about our guide. HI JONATHAN! He was very knowledgeable and we had a lot of fun. I couldnt believe the things around the park I had walked passed on so many trips to MKG and never noticed. It was also neat walking around with the headsets. Everyone was like, Who are they? What are they doing? The backstage areas were neat too but due to my oath will not go into details. We had our lunch at Columbia Harbour House in Liberty Square. HELLO TO THE FAMILY FROM MICHIGAN THAT I SAT WITH! During our tour, we rode the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion. I loved going in the back door of the haunted mansion and while everyone was listening to the ride attendant, our guide knelt down and whispered into our headsets about what was really going on and pointed things out to us to look out for. It was really neat. We all got a neat KTTK pin as well. I highly recommend the tour. Ours lasted 5 hours so my body and feet were beat so I headed back to the resort to rest up.
I stopped by the food court for a quick bite and then headed to the room for a nap. I headed back to Epcot around dinnertime. Soarin was still crowded so I decided to just forget it. I ate in the Land (sushi, cucumber salad & a Smirnoff ice). I decided to hit the countries again and buy all the things I saw when I was window-shopping earlier in the week. I treated myself to a leather purse & ring in Italy and another Disney shirt. It was getting late and I hadnt packed so I went back to the room but not before finally getting the beignets from the food court. YUM!!!
Day 6 Friday 04/21/06 Last Day!
I was ready to go home at this point. My plan was to hit my favorites all over the world one more time and then I wanted to go to MKG and take pictures of some of the things pointed out on the KTTK tour. Unfortunately, when I woke up, I was sick. I finally got a little food in me but could barely move. I called down and got my checkout moved to noon and I took a nap. I left the room at 11:58 and dragged my luggage over to storage. My shuttle wasnt coming until 5:00 so I had 5 hours to kill. I thought about taking an earlier shuttle and just sleeping in the airport but nixed that idea. This was the hottest day so everyone kept saying. Me, I wouldnt have known. I had a high fever and was shaking and covered with chill bumps. I finally made it over to the bus stop and waited for the epcot bus. I had to pick up those roasted nuts that my mom loves and one more souvenir for my dad. Everyone was staring at how I was walking. I was sure they thought I was drunk or high off of something. It took me 20 minutes to reach the entrance of epcot. I finally made it to the entrance of world showcase and plopped on a bench. Everyone was trying to find shade and fan themselves but me, I was just trying to catch my breath and find some sun as I was still shivering. The cart with the nuts wasnt opened yet so I sat on the bench. An hour later, I was still on the bench in the hot sun and was unable to move. I dosed off a couple of times too. Finally, I got up and made it to a bathroom and yet another bench rest was in order. I had decided to head for the first aid building, as I was about to pass out when I noticed that the nut stand was open. I got in line, swaying back and forth and got what I needed. I decided to get a water ice even though I was cold because my throat was killing me. I sat on a bench in the sun and it did the trick for now. After another 30 minutes, I was finally able to get up and head for the bus. MKG was definitely out of the question. I finally made it to the bus stop and sat on a bench just across from it. The bus came but I couldnt move. I sat there for another 30 minutes and when another one came, I staggered over to it. I sat on a bench outside of the gift shop to try and get warm, as my fever had returned. I sat here trying to get some sleep and kill time. Here is another drawback of this small resort, only 2 small couches in the lobby and they were filled. I sat outside for 30 or 40 minutes before I saw someone get up in the lobby and I dashed in there. There was another lady on the other couch trying to sleep also. I finally fell asleep, though very cold and not comfortable. I slept for about an hour and headed out to get my luggage. I grabbed my raincoat out of my luggage and sat on the benches shivering waiting for the shuttle.
Just then, the skies opened up and the thunder, lightening, and heavy rain started. Our shuttle came and we all piled in. I slept the whole way to the airport. I hit the food court for some soup and made it to my gate feeling a little better. Since I could only wear sandals and my feet were uncovered, it didnt help my chills at all. All airtran flights were delayed and they kept moving the gates around. I finally got to the right gate and instead of leaving at 8 pm, we didnt take off until 9:45. If anyone else has ever flown while being sick, you know my pain. The flight was packed and I couldnt get comfortable. I could barely talk at this point and the flight attendant took pity on me. She brought me hot tea and blankets to wrap up in. I know the people next to me wanted to get away from me. We circled for a while before landing but we finally did and I got home around 1:45 in the morning.
Recaps on going solo
Well, you are finally to the end of my trip report. I know it was long so thanks for reading. I loved going solo and would do it again. As with anything, there are always things you like and dont like. I loved being able to choose what I was going to do or not do. This included meal choices. I hated that on most rides, especially the boat ones, I was always placed in the rear by myself. I loved the peace of going solo. I found that I had very low tolerance for the crowds and cranky kids when I didnt have any of my own. I would definitely go again but not as long. I was bored after awhile. I think my original plan of 3 nights would have done. Also next trip, I will definitely have to return to the deluxes. There was just things that I missed though POFQ was beautiful. For next my trip, I will also take things much slower in the beginning and hopefully try some restaurants. I ate at only counter service places. Feel free to ask any questions!
Day 1 Easter Sunday 04/16/06
My flight was at 7 AM so my ride dropped me off at the airport around 5:30 AM. For some reason I talked more to every person I came in contact with from the employees on the curb to the luggage handlers, to the check-in people. I just couldnt shut up. Probably because I was fearful that I wouldnt be speaking again on the remainder of the trip. On the plane, I did my single duty by moving twice to allow 2 families to sit together. The plane landed early and I headed down to magical express after a quick change into my shorts (it was freezing at home). By 9:30 AM, I was on the bus to POFQ. We got to the resort shortly after 10:00 and there was only 1 other person waiting to check-in. I didnt like the person checking me in at all. I also missed the packet of info that you get at the deluxes but I can get over it, I am at Disney. I was put in Bldg 7 and my room was ready. By 10:30, I was in my room! The room was tastefully decorated and I was happy that they honored my request not to be placed on the ground floor. Though Bldg 7 seemed to be the furthest from the main bldg, it wasnt a long walk and I especially liked it when I discovered the quick back way to the bus stop. Also, though I really prefer and love the deluxe resorts, I could tell that I was going to be comfortable here. I made a quick call home to see if everyone was gathering in preparation for the big family dinner. By 11 AM, I was on a bus to Epcot.
I had been to Disney in December with my mom over the Xmas holiday and we tried several times to ride Soarin but never made it on. I was determined this trip. I went to Soarin first and grabbed a fastpass (6-7pm return). I had like 7 hours to kill before that time so I hit my favorite part of Epcot, the countries. I went only to my favorite sites which was the biggest plus of my entire solo trip. I went to Mexico and rode the boat ride (I always love this little ride). I was getting hungry so I ate at Cantina de San Angel. I had the loaded nachos and a congo fruit juice. Attacking seagulls come free with meal! Afterward, I hit Norway for Maelstrom (skipped movie). I hopped over to China and Japan. These are my favorite countries mainly for the shopping. I bought heavy stuff from Japan and without thinking, told them that I would carry it myself. Halfway around world showcase, my arm was killing me. I had everything sent to the room after this throughout the rest of the trip. I had to stop in Club Cool for a quick drink and went in spaceship earth to cool off. I hadnt been on this ride since I was a kid so I figured why not, this is my trip. After this, I headed out of Epcot. YEAH my POFQ bus was waiting and I was back at the resort in minutes! Buses working great so far, and I couldnt believe it, here it is only 2:30 and my bags are in my room!! YEAH!!!!
I unpacked and relaxed for a while before heading back out to Epcot to ride Test Track and use my fastpass for Soarin. I had never rode test track so I went there first and the single rider line said 110 minutes but I overheard someone saying that it was actually much shorter. I got in line and it only took 20 minutes before I reached the front. I love this ride. I headed over to Soarin to use my fastpass. I liked the ride but wouldnt necessarily ride again if I had to wait. If I could get another fastpass in my trip I would try it again but otherwise skip it. Like another poster had warned me before I went, I was in the last row on the right side and I could see everyone elses feet. It really took away from the ride. I guess the ride was different from other view points as people getting off with me was telling others in the 110 minute line that the wait was worth it. My eyes were screaming GET OUT OF LINE NOW. I left Epcot and hit MKG via the monorail. I had dinner at the Noodle Station. I had the chicken teriyaki YUCK! But it was edible and I just moved on. I rode Buzz Lightyear and the transit authority. I then went to BT mountain to get a fastpass. I rode my favorite ride at MKG Philharmagic and also its a small world and I then grabbed a spot for spectromagic. This is my favorite parade in all of Disney and oh how I have missed it. I then used my fastpass for BT mountain. This ride is definitely better at night. What a thrill! I decided to hit splash mountain while everyone was waiting for the fireworks and I made it on in about 15 minutes. Never rode splash mountain at night before and just as I got on, the Wishes fireworks started and it was nice to see while on the ride. The line for space mountain was way too long even at 10:30 at night so I grabbed an ice cream cone and headed for the exit. The park was open to 3 AM tonight but being my first day and a full day, I was beat and left at 11:30.
Day 2 Monday 04/17/06
I should start this day by saying that before I left home, I had these big plans of making it to every extra morning hour this week. I should continue by saying that this is the only morning that I made it out of bed to any of them! I had breakfast in the room (granola bar and fruit) and caught the 7:30 bus to MGM. I got into the park exactly at 8 AM and ran straight to RNR. I havent been on this ride sine 2001 so I couldnt wait. I decided to grab a fastpass and hit TOT instead as there was a lot of people in the park already. I hadnt been on TOT since it first opened, where I waited 120 minutes to ride and the drop was very quick and only a small one. This time the wait was only 10 minutes and our car went up and down several times. I loved it but decided that my stomach couldnt take it anymore. I had a little time before my fastpass so tried to hit movie ride but after running over there, discovered that it wasnt opened during EMH. Ran to Little Mermaid and found out the same! I was getting frustrated so headed to another one of my favorites, Sounds Dangerous as it was just about 9 AM. I still love this attraction. I hit movie ride and just squeezed it in before my fastpass was expiring. WOW . RNR is just like I remembered. I will definitely be hitting this again before my trip is up.
It was only 10:30 but I was beginning to get tired of MGM. I left and got on the AKG bus. I arrived at AKG at 11 AM and wasnt sure how long I was going to stay because of my feet situation. I forgot to mention that I packed sneakers in my suitcase that I hadnt worn in quite some time and couldnt remember why. Turned out it was because they were tight after long periods of walking. I had terrible blisters on my feet. So bad that I couldnt put the sneakers on anymore. I am now in the sandals that I bought before leaving home and have never worn before. I know, recipe for disaster, as these are the only 2 shoes that I have brought. Anyway, I limp around the park and head to EE first to grab a fastpass. It was for 3 ½ hours later so I had time to kill. I went to its tough to be a bug. LOVE THIS SHOW AS ALWAYS! There was only a 15-minute wait that went really quickly. I had lunch at Pizzafari (pizza and Caesar salad) and then went to Lion King. I have seen this show before but always from the back and sometimes standing. I was in the 3rd or 4th row on the floor and I love this perspective of the show. I fell in love with it all over again. I loved how I could feel the vibrations of the music from this viewpoint. Totally rejuvenated, I went on primeval whirl and then decided to spend the 20 minutes until my fastpass, waiting in front of EE. I had had enough of the hot sun and my feet were killing me. 20 minutes was way too long so I wandered into a couple of gift shops. It was finally time for my fastpass. As I entered, I then saw the single rider board they had leaned up against the wall in front of the fastpass return. With everyone waiting there, you couldnt see it and it wasnt marked on the map. Tired and hot, I was completely ticked off but shook it off, as it was my turn to ride. Finally got on and they put a single rider on with me. She said she only waited 20 minutes!?!?! Anyway, reflections of the ride. I liked it for the roller coaster factor but thought that Disney theme wise, it was lacking. I never saw the yeti. It was way too dark in there and not sure if this is the norm or if he was broken as others had reported. The sounds were also low so my wait ended with just a fast roller coaster ride in and out of darkness. I was exhausted and decided to head back to the resort and try the ride another time during my trip.
When I got back to the resort, I had to stop at the front desk. I forgot to mention that my keycard wasnt working right and I had trouble getting in to AKG and getting fastpasses. The concierge desk switched my card and I also wanted to inquire about my room being available for the additional 2 nights so I wouldnt have to switch to POR. I just really didnt want to pack up and I was enjoying POFQ. POR seemed too big for my tastes and I didnt want to move. They said that there were 5 rooms available but that they couldnt do anything until my checkout day but that they would notate on my account that I wanted to have my room for 2 more days. They suggested I try central reservations first. When I got back to the room, I called central reservations to have my room only reservation with POR switched over. The person I got said he didnt know what the front desk was talking about because there were not rooms available. I hung up with him and called the front desk and told them what was going on and that I didnt want to wait until Wednesday, as I also didnt want to switch rooms even if I stayed at this resort. This time the person I spoke with asked me to hold on while he got a manager. When he came back, he said OK DONE! In that quick of time, he had gone in and booked my room for 2 more nights and canceled my reservation at POR. He said that my room deposit would move over to my current reservation on Wednesday and that all I had to do was come down and have my keycard switched. I changed for the pool and off I went to get my 3rd keycard and had them put the remaining 1 night on my credit card.
I relaxed for a bit by the pool. It was really crowded so I only stayed in for about 10 minutes. I mostly read my book. After showering and changing, I headed to Epcot. It was around 8:15 when I got there so not much to do but wait for Illuminations. I went to France to get my favorite dessert a Napoleon and had it wrapped to go. After Illuminations, the plan was to got to MKG but again, my feet and stomach had other plans so I went back to the resort to have dinner (burger and fries from the food court) and my Napoleon. Much more relaxing hanging in the room.
Day 3 Tuesday 04/18/06
I woke up at 6 AM and no way I was getting up. I hit the snooze button and finally got out of bed at 7. I flipped thru the TV channels and looked over the park maps trying to decide what to do. Here I stretched my trip to 6 days and I had done the parks commando style the first couple of days and my feet were killing me. I finally caught up with my brain and slowed it down. I had breakfast in the room again (cereal and granola bars I brought from home) and lay around the room for a while. My feet needed to desperately soak so I grabbed a towel and the (now dont laugh J) plastic throwaway top to my dinner plate and filled it with hot water. I soaked my little footsies one half at a time. Dumb me didnt realize until I went to take a shower that I could have used the tub. SHHHH .dont tell anyone that I am stupid J.
I finally hit the pool at 10:30. I had lunch in the food court (cheeseburger and fries again) and headed to the room for a quick shower and change. Took a nap instead and didnt get out of the room until 4:30. The minute I stepped out of my room, it started pouring. The first rain during the trip. It rained for about 30 minutes and because it was so hard, I decided to wait it out. I grabbed my Disney rain jacket and caught the bus to MKG. I went to space mountain for a fastpass (it was for 3 ½ hours later). This seems to be my magic wait time. I had time to kill so I hit some of my favorites, pirates, big thunder mountain, and of course philharmagic again. I did a little shopping and bought more stuff for people back home. My guilt over not bringing my niece and nephews was making me buy them lots of stuff. Good thing I brought an extra bag to take it all home in. I ate at Noodle House again because I didnt learn my lesson the first time. I got the beef & broccoli this time and it was again awful. I was also starting to get tired of other peoples tired and cranky kids at this point. I was glad that I didnt have any actually with me and my tolerance went way down at this point. While I was trying to eat at least some of this disgusting dinner, the kids at the next table were spraying each other with those fan & water sprays. The parents were watching them but didnt notice that they were completely soaking my food and me until I finally put my hands up to shield myself. They told them to stop and apologized but of course the kids didnt. They kept saying, Stop but the kids wouldnt. In 2 seconds I was about to snatch those sprayers. Finally, the father returned to the table and he took them but after the kids got rowdy again, they gave them back and my bath started again. I moved my chair to the other side of my table and thats when the parents noticed again and apologized again. I decided to just chuck the rest of my dinner anyway and made a call home to calm myself.
I finally got on space mountain. Not as thrilling as I remembered. I headed to main street for ice cream while everyone was watching spectromagic and then waited for Wishes. I love ending the day with these fireworks. I decided to call it a night because (I forgot to mention) I had to change my keycard again that had somehow demagnetized itself again. When I got the 4th card, I was scolded by someone at the front desk and told it was my fault. Even though I didnt have a cell phone on near it or a credit card in the same pocket but it was my fault. I chucked it up to an employee hating that she was working the late shift and just hit the sack.
Day 4 Wednesday 04/19/06
I was supposed to hit AKG again today but just couldnt get up. Feet were still hurting and decided that I must find new shoes today. I ate in the room again and decided to catch boat to downtown Disney around 11 AM. I again bought way too much stuff but the important thing is that I got new flip-flops. YEAH!!!!! I caught the boat back to the resort to drop off my packages and switch my shoes. I caught the bus to Epcot around 1:30 and thought I would give Soarin a second try but all the fastpasses were gone. I walked over to Japan as I kept missing the drum show in December and was determined to catch it this time. It was already going on when I got there so I went to lunch instead. Ate at Yakitori House. Japanese food is my favorite food in the world so this was of course my favorite meal. I had chicken teriyaki and miso soup. YUM!!!! It was great as I was able to hear the end of the drum show while I ate. I hopped over to Italy to window shop and catch the street performers and then jetted back to Japan to finally catch the drum show. I stopped at France again for another Napoleon to go (I LOVE THIS DESSERT) and then headed out the back exit and walked over to boardwalk. I sat in the gazebo and ate my dessert before catching the water launch to MGM. All ready to hit the park in my new shoes, I waited in the 45-minute line to ride RNR again. I also hit beauty and the beast, star tours, little mermaid, one mans dream (minus the movie because of a jerk attendant) and the great movie ride again. I had dinner at ABC Commissary (fish & chips). The fish and chips were really small so after hitting a few more rides, I got in line to get a pretzel. It was now EMH and the line for a pretzel was very very slow. The girl just didnt want to be there and the guys getting beer were plentiful. I waited 30 minutes and finally got a pretzel and cheese. My plan was to have a quick snack and then ride RNR as many times as I could before 1 AM. PLANS CHANGED!!! After getting the pretzel, I walked and ate about 1/3 of it watching the live show before this XOPLIEYGGG person decided that she didnt have to wait her turn and pushed passed me and knocked the pretzel out of my hand. The pretzel was holding the hot cheese cup and it went spiraling into the air and came down on my hair, glasses, cheek, and white shirt before splattering on the ground. My feet had started to hurt in the new shoes by the way at this point and boy was I ready for a fight. I stood there, took my cheese-covered glasses off and realized that I didnt have a napkin. I turned to see who the person was and it was young girl (around 16 or so) who just stared at me and then walked into the gift shop with her friend. Not sure if her parent was around. I hope not as if it was my child, she would have been in that persons face apologizing up and down and offering to get napkins. I stood there another minute and yelled every curse word I know before finally setting off to get some napkins. I apologize by the way to anyone who had children around while I was screaming. I finally limped over to a bench where a nice woman found a tissue in her purse and then finally found a bathroom to cleanup. I was so ticked at this point and really felt like I could hurt someone that I ended the night and returned to the resort. I have my KTTK tour tomorrow and I needed to soak my feet and relax.
Day 5 Thursday 04/20/06
I had to put my old sandals that were now worn down to nothing so it was like walking bare foot back on because the new shoes now put a blister on my foot in a new place. I also forgot to mention that I had tried to get my sneakers back on on day 3 but didnt make it far so they are now in the trash.
I didnt eat breakfast this morning and headed out to the bus to MKG for my KTTK tour. I wanted to ride a couple of things before the tour began. I could only get 2 rides in before I had to check in though. Checked in and picked my lunch (hummus sandwich half with cup of clam chowder). I loved this tour. I cant say enough about it or about our guide. HI JONATHAN! He was very knowledgeable and we had a lot of fun. I couldnt believe the things around the park I had walked passed on so many trips to MKG and never noticed. It was also neat walking around with the headsets. Everyone was like, Who are they? What are they doing? The backstage areas were neat too but due to my oath will not go into details. We had our lunch at Columbia Harbour House in Liberty Square. HELLO TO THE FAMILY FROM MICHIGAN THAT I SAT WITH! During our tour, we rode the jungle cruise and the haunted mansion. I loved going in the back door of the haunted mansion and while everyone was listening to the ride attendant, our guide knelt down and whispered into our headsets about what was really going on and pointed things out to us to look out for. It was really neat. We all got a neat KTTK pin as well. I highly recommend the tour. Ours lasted 5 hours so my body and feet were beat so I headed back to the resort to rest up.
I stopped by the food court for a quick bite and then headed to the room for a nap. I headed back to Epcot around dinnertime. Soarin was still crowded so I decided to just forget it. I ate in the Land (sushi, cucumber salad & a Smirnoff ice). I decided to hit the countries again and buy all the things I saw when I was window-shopping earlier in the week. I treated myself to a leather purse & ring in Italy and another Disney shirt. It was getting late and I hadnt packed so I went back to the room but not before finally getting the beignets from the food court. YUM!!!
Day 6 Friday 04/21/06 Last Day!
I was ready to go home at this point. My plan was to hit my favorites all over the world one more time and then I wanted to go to MKG and take pictures of some of the things pointed out on the KTTK tour. Unfortunately, when I woke up, I was sick. I finally got a little food in me but could barely move. I called down and got my checkout moved to noon and I took a nap. I left the room at 11:58 and dragged my luggage over to storage. My shuttle wasnt coming until 5:00 so I had 5 hours to kill. I thought about taking an earlier shuttle and just sleeping in the airport but nixed that idea. This was the hottest day so everyone kept saying. Me, I wouldnt have known. I had a high fever and was shaking and covered with chill bumps. I finally made it over to the bus stop and waited for the epcot bus. I had to pick up those roasted nuts that my mom loves and one more souvenir for my dad. Everyone was staring at how I was walking. I was sure they thought I was drunk or high off of something. It took me 20 minutes to reach the entrance of epcot. I finally made it to the entrance of world showcase and plopped on a bench. Everyone was trying to find shade and fan themselves but me, I was just trying to catch my breath and find some sun as I was still shivering. The cart with the nuts wasnt opened yet so I sat on the bench. An hour later, I was still on the bench in the hot sun and was unable to move. I dosed off a couple of times too. Finally, I got up and made it to a bathroom and yet another bench rest was in order. I had decided to head for the first aid building, as I was about to pass out when I noticed that the nut stand was open. I got in line, swaying back and forth and got what I needed. I decided to get a water ice even though I was cold because my throat was killing me. I sat on a bench in the sun and it did the trick for now. After another 30 minutes, I was finally able to get up and head for the bus. MKG was definitely out of the question. I finally made it to the bus stop and sat on a bench just across from it. The bus came but I couldnt move. I sat there for another 30 minutes and when another one came, I staggered over to it. I sat on a bench outside of the gift shop to try and get warm, as my fever had returned. I sat here trying to get some sleep and kill time. Here is another drawback of this small resort, only 2 small couches in the lobby and they were filled. I sat outside for 30 or 40 minutes before I saw someone get up in the lobby and I dashed in there. There was another lady on the other couch trying to sleep also. I finally fell asleep, though very cold and not comfortable. I slept for about an hour and headed out to get my luggage. I grabbed my raincoat out of my luggage and sat on the benches shivering waiting for the shuttle.
Just then, the skies opened up and the thunder, lightening, and heavy rain started. Our shuttle came and we all piled in. I slept the whole way to the airport. I hit the food court for some soup and made it to my gate feeling a little better. Since I could only wear sandals and my feet were uncovered, it didnt help my chills at all. All airtran flights were delayed and they kept moving the gates around. I finally got to the right gate and instead of leaving at 8 pm, we didnt take off until 9:45. If anyone else has ever flown while being sick, you know my pain. The flight was packed and I couldnt get comfortable. I could barely talk at this point and the flight attendant took pity on me. She brought me hot tea and blankets to wrap up in. I know the people next to me wanted to get away from me. We circled for a while before landing but we finally did and I got home around 1:45 in the morning.
Recaps on going solo
Well, you are finally to the end of my trip report. I know it was long so thanks for reading. I loved going solo and would do it again. As with anything, there are always things you like and dont like. I loved being able to choose what I was going to do or not do. This included meal choices. I hated that on most rides, especially the boat ones, I was always placed in the rear by myself. I loved the peace of going solo. I found that I had very low tolerance for the crowds and cranky kids when I didnt have any of my own. I would definitely go again but not as long. I was bored after awhile. I think my original plan of 3 nights would have done. Also next trip, I will definitely have to return to the deluxes. There was just things that I missed though POFQ was beautiful. For next my trip, I will also take things much slower in the beginning and hopefully try some restaurants. I ate at only counter service places. Feel free to ask any questions!
