Having a "Me Party" - a Disney trip by myself! June 2013 update 9/9

[librarygeek]

Animal Kingdom Afternoon

Once my friends dropped me off at Animal Kingdom, I headed straight for Expedition Everest. I was meeting with my friend Nicola later that afternoon, but she was still having lunch and would be around shortly. So I used the single rider line and only had to wait about 15 minutes!



I wasn't sure how much longer it would be til my friend showed up so I didn't want to do another ride or a show. I walked the Maharajah jungle trek and took some more pictures.







I also bought some Beauty and the Beast vinylmations, since I collect those. I ended up getting a variant! If you don't know about vinylmations, the variants are super rare. But it was a character I wasn't really into (one of the Bimbettes that follows Gaston around), so don't judge me - I ended up selling it on eBay... for over $100! So I'll use that money to buy the ones I really want like Belle and the Beast.

Around 1:30 I met up with my friend, and we headed for the safari. It was drizzling very slightly, and the animals weren't super active, but we did see some cool stuff... the elephants were splashing around in the water and the male lion was actually standing up!









It started raining really hard as soon as we got off the safari. We were trying to get to the Nemo show, as I'd never seen it before and was curious. Even though it was 10 minutes before showtime the theater was full already - I'm guessing a lot of people ran in there when it started to pour. So instead we went to meet Mickey and Minnie at their new meet and greet in their safari gear! I don't have a pic right now since I'm still waiting for my photopass disc.

Then we decided to stake out spots for the parade, since the rain had stopped and that was something else that I'd never seen. It was definitely cute, though it didn't blow me away or anything. I'm not super into the parades but I'm glad I got to see it once, and we had a pretty decent spot.









We poked around one of the gift shops for a little while, and then it started to rain again. Nicola had to leave, but I made my way over for the 5:00 Nemo show. This time I was earlier and got in! The musical was cute, and some of the songs were pretty good - others were very cheesy, but hey, that's Disney!









I rode Everest again, and then decided to do the Safari one more time since I can never get enough pictures of the animals. The rain was still drizzling very slightly, so the safari was pretty empty. The guy told me I could have a whole row to myself, which I was excited about since I wouldn't have any heads in my way on either side! And then when it showed up there was no one else immediately there, just people still coming down the ramp, so I hopped in and the CM said, "Take her by herself and go!" and that's how I ended up with my own private safari ride!

The empty car behind me:





It was beyond cool. Since I was the only one there she stopped for every animal we saw and asked me if the angle was good for pictures, and pulled up more if I needed her to. It was such a cool moment.







The lion was back to being lazy:


After my private safari I went back to Animal Kingdom Lodge, but this time I got off at Jambo House for my dinner at Boma!



On my way I stopped to look at the animals again (of course), and saw them feeding the giraffes:



I'll write more about it in my dining review, but the meal was pretty incredible. A buffet is a nice type of meal to do by yourself, because there's no sitting around and waiting. I had a glass of wine and tried a bit of almost everything at the buffet. The soups were probably my favorite, but it was all great. And I finally got to try a zebra dome! Here's a glimpse of my dessert plate:



Then it was back to my room to get some rest before heading out to Epcot the next day!

 

[ThePin Princess]

That's so awesome that you got the whole safari to yourself! I absolutely loved Boma when we ate there, everything is so good! Great update!

 

[klacey1]

That's so cool that you got a private safari ride!! What a magical moment!

 

[shalom]

I just posted my whole Disney bucket list on my blog (http://disneyinyourday.com/2013/07/15/my-disney-bucket-list/)... so far I have 42 items on it but I'm always looking to add more!

It's good to have goals in life.

How neat that you got your own personal safari ride!

I think you've got this solo touring thing down -- you managed a nice mix of time alone and time with friends.

Edit:

Hadn't heard of Dapper Day before.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

OK first, wow, that is one ambitious Bucket List. Very impressive. If you are able to pull these off...

Starting Animal Kingdom with Everest... I so approve!!!

Aww I love watching the elephants play in the water. I've only seen it once, so I like to pretend it's a rare occurrence. And great Lion shots!!

I'm with you on the parade. It's very good as far as parades go and very unique but nothing I would make a point to see I don't think.

O...M...G... you're own private truck on the safari. That HAS to a rare thing. That is so cool.
Add that your Bucket List so you can check it off. Not too many people will have that one!!

 

[librarygeek]

That's so awesome that you got the whole safari to yourself! I absolutely loved Boma when we ate there, everything is so good! Great update!

Thanks! Boma is pretty fantastic!

That's so cool that you got a private safari ride!! What a magical moment!

Yeah, it was definitely something really special!

It's good to have goals in life.

How neat that you got your own personal safari ride!

I think you've got this solo touring thing down -- you managed a nice mix of time alone and time with friends.

Edit:

Hadn't heard of Dapper Day before.

I agree - mixing time alone and time with friends was a really good way to do it because you don't get *too* lonely.

And did you look up Dapper Day? It sounds like fun!

OK first, wow, that is one ambitious Bucket List. Very impressive. If you are able to pull these off...

Starting Animal Kingdom with Everest... I so approve!!!

Aww I love watching the elephants play in the water. I've only seen it once, so I like to pretend it's a rare occurrence. And great Lion shots!!

I'm with you on the parade. It's very good as far as parades go and very unique but nothing I would make a point to see I don't think.

O...M...G... you're own private truck on the safari. That HAS to a rare thing. That is so cool.
Add that your Bucket List so you can check it off. Not too many people will have that one!!

Haha well I am very ambitious! After all, if this bucket list has to last my whole life, there's gonna be a lot of Disney trips so I need something to strive for!

This was the first time I'd seen the elephants in the water, and the first time I'd see the lion standing! So at least for me they are rare occurrences!

 

[rcroke]

Your own private safari ride- fabulous!


So sorry about your friends Dessert party. Thats so disappointing to spend that much long and have family & friends travel for your wedding and for several handicapped guests to not be able to even enter the building- terrible!

Really enjoying your trip report! I have "me party" stuck in my head every time I read it lol.

-Dee

 

[rachel09985]

Just started reading!

I collect Beauty and the Beast vinylmations too!!! How COOL that you got the variant from a blind box!! Did you get the red or yellow?? the only one I need still is Belle!! I also started collecting Monsters U vinylmation.

Umm-- a private safari ride!!!?? That is awesome!! So jealous!

You got some really good pictures of the animals on both safaris. I love the male lion standing up and I love the giraffes on your private ride.

Wow that wedding is amazing! My dream wedding! I would love to get married there! I am so worried about the cost though

 

[librarygeek]

Your own private safari ride- fabulous!


So sorry about your friends Dessert party. Thats so disappointing to spend that much long and have family & friends travel for your wedding and for several handicapped guests to not be able to even enter the building- terrible!

Really enjoying your trip report! I have "me party" stuck in my head every time I read it lol.

-Dee

lol I know, I am always singing that song now that I've been working on my trip report!

Just started reading!

I collect Beauty and the Beast vinylmations too!!! How COOL that you got the variant from a blind box!! Did you get the red or yellow?? the only one I need still is Belle!! I also started collecting Monsters U vinylmation.

Umm-- a private safari ride!!!?? That is awesome!! So jealous!

You got some really good pictures of the animals on both safaris. I love the male lion standing up and I love the giraffes on your private ride.

Wow that wedding is amazing! My dream wedding! I would love to get married there! I am so worried about the cost though

Yeah! I got the yellow one. I really want Belle and the Beast but haven't been able to blind box them! So I'll probably have to end up buying them on ebay or something.

And thanks! I absolutely love taking pictures of the animals. I'm doing the Wild Africa trek tour next trip and I can't wait for that!

I'm friends with a number of DisBrides from the boards here, and I do know that it's expensive. They do have cheaper packages but then you don't get as much and can't invite as many people. For me it was much cheaper to do it at home, but hopefully someday when we have more money we can do a vow renewal or something

 

[librarygeek]

Epcot Morning



I had no real plans for the day other than to go to Epcot, but I made sure to get there right when it opened! I decided to head straight for Soarin' and get on that first, since the two "big" rides I wanted to do were that and Test Track, but I know that Test Track has a single rider line. So I rode Soarin' and had a pretty good time, though I had kinda the worst seat (third row and all the way on the end - I think it really does affect the enjoyability of the show and being in the front row is way better!).

As I was getting off I saw the sign to sign up for the Behind the Seeds tour, and on a whim I decided to do it. It seemed like good timing - it wasn't something I thought my DH would really be interested in, so it would save me money by doing it now on my own and not having to pay to bring him along. Plus I didn't have any real plans for the day and I thought doing a tour would be fun!

I still had some time before the tour started, so I headed over to Test Track and hopped on the single rider line. The only thing I don't like about it is that you don't get the chance to design your own car as a single rider. They have a very basic version but it's not nearly as fun and detailed as the regular one. After Test Track I stopped in at MouseGear, especially since I had gotten a 20% off coupon after buying my Behind the seeds tour admission! I bought a laptop case since I just got a new laptop and wanted to get a Disney one

Then it was back to the Land for the tour! It was a really interesting experience. I'm not a gardener or anything, but I enjoy learning about many things. We started out by going backstage and learning/observing some of the pest control methods that they use.



We then headed into the greenhouses and our guide gave us some in depth information about how they grow the plants there. There are many methods, including hydroponics.



There was also one really cool plant whose leaves shrivelled up when you touched it! Here's the before picture of the plant:


And the "after" picture, after the guide had shaken it up a bit!



Crazy to think it's the same plant! And then after about half an hour the leaves go back to normal. We also got to taste the cucumbers they grow there, and we released ladybugs into the greenhouses.

We learned some interesting things (I won't talk about all of them here in case anyone plans on taking the tour and wants to be surprised!) and it was neat to walk around backstage and get a closer look at everything.





Hidden Mickey!




The tour ended around 11:30 and I was getting a bit hungry for lunch. I wanted to eat somewhere in the World Showcase so I headed that way. I also wanted to try and meet Mulan in China, since she was the last princess I didn't have a photo with! (I know it's debatable on whether or not she's technically a princess, but I consider her one!). I didn't want to sit around in China waiting til noon, so I stopped in Norway and hopped on Maelstrom.



Then it was time for China!


And sure enough, I only had to wait a few minutes until Mulan came out! Very happy to have gotten this picture



I decided to go to Japan for lunch and visited the Katsura Grill. I had the tempura shrimp and noodles, which was very good. And I had good timing, as it started raining while I was in there! I took my time eating and just waited the rain out.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Yup I agree,the front on Soarin' is way better!!

Oh WOW that plant is seriously cool. I didn't know such a thing existed. Really neat.

GREAT shot from Maelstrom. I'm guessing you were in the back.

Ah, congratulations on finishing the princess meet and greets!! That's awesome.

 

[klacey1]

That does stink that you can't do the full design experience when you go through the single rider line on TT!
The Behind the Seeds tour sounds really fun-- and I think tours are a good way to spend time on a solo trip!

 

[librarygeek]

Yup I agree,the front on Soarin' is way better!!

Oh WOW that plant is seriously cool. I didn't know such a thing existed. Really neat.

GREAT shot from Maelstrom. I'm guessing you were in the back.

Ah, congratulations on finishing the princess meet and greets!! That's awesome.

The plant was really neat! I also took a video of it actually in the act of closing up its leaves when you touched it, I'll try to get that uploaded at some point

I was in the back from Maelstrom. Couldn't resist that shot. It's my favorite part of the ride!

And thanks! Meeting all of the princesses is something else I can now check off the bucket list!

That does stink that you can't do the full design experience when you go through the single rider line on TT!
The Behind the Seeds tour sounds really fun-- and I think tours are a good way to spend time on a solo trip!

Yeah, another good thing about tours on a solo trip is that you get to hang out with a group of people, so it's a good way to get some social interaction in without feeling too awkward

 

[rachel09985]

That plant is cool!!! I have never heard of that either. It is like Harry Potter magic haha!

 

[librarygeek]

That plant is cool!!! I have never heard of that either. It is like Harry Potter magic haha!

Haha good point! I actually teach a Harry Potter wizarding summer camp during the summers, and I wish I had one of those plants - it would make a great Herbology lesson!

 

[librarygeek]

Ugh, so the bandwidth on my photobucket account has been exceeded. Luckily it resets on Tuesday, but still frustrating. I'm also 50% full on storage and that's just from this TR and my dining review! Anyone else use another website besides photobucket that you recommend?

 

[librarygeek]

Epcot Afternoon

All right, I ended up switching to imgur for now. My old photos will be viewable again on Tuesday, but at least you can see the new ones now!

After lunch I continued making my way around the World Showcase. I stopped briefly in a few countries to take photos, but spent some time in the UK.

The lines were pretty short for the character meet and greets there, so I got my picture with Mary Poppins as well as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger!

I was getting a bit thirsty, so I purchased a pear cider at the cart outside. There were some more things I wanted to do in Future World, so I made my way back over while enjoying my drink. I still hadn't finished it once I reached FW, so I sat down on a bench and called my husband to chat for a few minutes while I drank the rest. It was good to talk to him. He was home before heading out with his friends that night, so I wouldn't be able to talk to him before I went to bed like I usually do since they would be out late at the barcade! (Yup, it's a bar and an arcade in one).

I decided to watch Captain EO, since I had never seen it before. Umm... I don't feel I was missing very much. I'm sure it has a big following with MJ fans, but I just felt it was very cheesy 80's. I hated Honey We Shrunk the Audience (because it terrified me as a child). But I feel like they could do something much cooler in that theater. I've heard rumors lately that they're going to re-do parts of the imagination pavilion, and I'm pretty certain Captain EO will be gone. I hope they put something awesome there!

On my way over to Nemo I finally managed to capture a picture of the cool Monsters University monorail I'd been seeing:

I rode Nemo just because it was there, but my real destination was Turtle Talk with Crush. Even though I don't have my own kids, other children's kids never fail to amuse me! This time Crush had a pretty funny interaction with a family from Puerto Rico - Crush tried to speak some Spanish to them, but let's just say a sea turtle's Spanish isn't very good! The other funny thing was when one little girl asked, "How many fish are there in the ocean?" Crush goes, "Umm..." and then turns around, counts briefly, and comes back with "36." Haha. He asks her how many humans are on the Earth and she very knowledgably replies, "over 1,000." If you've never done Turtle Talk because it seems like it's for kids, go see it!! It's one of my favorite things in Epcot!

I wanted to do Test Track again, so I headed back to the single rider line. I was waiting, pretty close to the end, when it shut down due to the weather (It had been raining on and off all day). I waited for about 20 more minutes and then gave up. I was a little bummed, so I decided to cheer myself up with... ice cream!

I'd heard good things about the new ice cream shop in France, so that's where I went. It was really unusual - I got mint chocolate chip, and instead of tasting like typical mint ice cream, it tasted more like real mint! I was surprised at first but ended up really enjoying it.

Then back to Future World, hoping I could get on Test Track perhaps. I was pretty tired from walking around so much so I took the boat back. As soon as I got off it started pouring! I knew Test Track would be closed, so I ran for Mission: Space. I don't know what came over me, but I decided to go the more intense side. I've done it before, but I usually prefer the less intense and only do orange when other people are with me that want to do it. But i guess I was feeling adventurous that day! It's one of those rides that I'm still not really sure whether I like it or not, lol. The ride is really cool, but it always leaves me feeling a little bit weird afterward. And after that I was finally able to get on Test Track again since the rain had stopped!

I had dinner reservations at Via Napoli, so I headed around the world showcase again. I stopped in Mexico to ride the boat ride, as it's an old favorite (even though they've changed it up). Then I headed to Italy.

I waited for about 10 minutes to be seated. I was surprised at how many people thought they could just get a table by walking up. When one was told they were booked, he asked if he could make a reservation for Tuesday. When they told him Tuesday was already booked too, he was in utter shock. I couldn't imagine going on vacation without doing a little research! The best was the guy that walked up to the counter and asked for "Two slices to go." The hostess just stared at him like he was crazy. Even if you thought it was a pizza place, once you get inside and there's a hostess desk and everything it's pretty clear it's not!

The food there was good, and very filling - I had an individual pie and ended up with a fourth left over. The dining room was very loud, but I had a nice view from my seat:

Right after the food I went to the Billy Joel Tribute show they were doing for the summer concert series. This was fantastic! I absolutely love Billy Joel, and the band was very good - the lead singer sounded very similar to him and did a great job. I just wish it was longer - the set was only about 20 minutes long, and then they took a 40 minute break before the next set.

I thought about staying but I was so tired from walking. Epcot is definitely the park that gets me the most exhausted. I was planning to stay for Illuminations but there was nothing else that I wanted to do in Epcot, so I decided to just leave. I went back to AKL and relaxed on my balcony. I watched the animals and went on my laptop outside.

I am so in love with this resort!

 

[wiigirl]

That plant is cool!!! I have never heard of that either. It is like Harry Potter magic haha!

Totally!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Oh no, stupid photobucket!! Thankfully I was all caught up. Your's is the second TR I read that recently hit the bandwidth. I ended up buying the cheapest pro photobucket just for the unlimited bandwidth. I know some have switched to Flickr, but I can't comment on it sadly. It looks like you found something though, so that's good!

I think that's the first time I've seen Mary Poppins inside. And while I didn't get a photo last trip, I really thought the new "Christopher Robin's room" Decor for the Tigger and Pooh great was really well done.

I only saw Captain EO for the first time last year (in D-Land). I too wasn't impressed even though I do love Michael. I guess maybe it was impressive in it's day, but by today's standards... not so much.

I think you sold me on seeing Crush!

 

[OhMari]

Stupid Photobucket. The same thing happened to WDWgirl-Sarah.

Me and my dh ate at Via Napoli for lunch. There were many seats open around us, but it was a very busy place. Of course I had to use the bathroom and you had to walk all the way through the Dining to go to the back of Via Napoli. I would of put the bathrooms out front, but I guess everyone would use them.

Looking forward to your pictures being back up tomorrow.