How Many Times Did I Meet Pluto This Trip? A Dec Solo TR - New TR Link 11/30!

[Pluto0809]

Yay, park #2!

I like your shot from EE. You had quite a few interesting riding partners! The guy next to you is hilarious. But the little girl in the bow and face painting is cute! And is that at CM in the back?

Great shots from the Jungle Trek! And we loved FOTLK too - worth seeing twice!

Yes, that was a CM with the little girl. She was one of the tour guides that does the private tours with a family. I can't remember what they are called right now.

Thanks, I was pretty pleased with my tiger pictures this trip.

Awesome crowd luck. We are going the same time this year, hopefully we have that kind of crowds.

So far on this day, crowds were fairly low. I still had two more parks to hit up so we'll see if that holds up. I've been twice during the week after Thanksgiving and both trips had very manageable crowds.

You know, Animal Kingdom updates are sometimes the most interesting to me. Especially in this case as you went from riding a roller coaster to admiring tigers. What a cool park. And 2 parks down, woo!

AK really is a cool park and I think once all the new stuff opens it will be even better! I love looking at animals and riding coasters so its a win, win!

Wow...you are doing great on buses.

I'm glad you got to see Donald since you missed him the first time.

Seriously, you could not pay me a million dollars to go back on the Primevil Hurl!

Glad you got on your favorite EE again (the guy next to you is hysterical).

Skipped the bat pictures, but LOVE the tiger pictures.

I did have some great bus luck that morning.

It's so weird that Primeval Whirl doesn't bother me at all since I do get sick on RnRC and Star Tours. You would think that one would give me problems but it doesn't.

I love the single rider line for EE, it's rarely long because I don't think a lot of people know it exists.

I figured you would skip that bat picture.

Holy smokes! You are rocking the 4 Parks Challenge! I love rope drop but we only did it one morning on our last trip. Hopefully we'll be able to hit more this next trip.

That's a bummer about Donald. The sideshow character meet was a hit for us last time, although Daisy wasn't out yet. Of course, Goofy is always a blast.

I had some great luck that morning with crowds so it made the day easy so far. I love rope drop and try to make it as much as possible. I always find that I get a ton done during that first hour in the parks.

I've had both hits and misses with most of the characters over time. Even my Pluto has been a bummer once in a while.

 

[Pluto0809]

I Just Can’t Wait to Be King Part 1

When we were let into the FOLK theater, being a solo traveler paid off big time. There was room for one more person in the row right behind the handicapped seats and the CM directed me there. I had a perfect view but then they did back a scooter in a little to my right. Check out this view! You can see a little of the scooter but it didn’t bother me during the show.



And then the show started and once again I was swept away by the wonder that is this show. I could probably watch this one over and over. Since most of you know what the show is about, I will just sit back and let the pictures do the talking.































A continuation of my Tumble Monkey obsession……









Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

I Just Can’t Wait to Be King Part 2



Not sure what Timon was doing in this next one.





FOLK was the last thing I planned on doing before leaving AK but I still had some time after the show before I needed to head to HS. I did have a FP+ for Indiana Jones from 3:30 – 3:50 but I had no intention of using it since I saw that show earlier in the week. I did want to make it to the second Character Paloosa of the day which was at 4:20 pm.

Since I was right in the area, I decided to check on the wait time for the safari and it was only 10 minutes. I really ended up walking almost all the way to the loading area before hitting a line. I did snap a quick drive by photo of the birds in the regular line. I rarely get to see them since I usually FP this ride.



I was in the second row this time so I had a better view.



























Look who was up and about.



I didn’t get any pictures of Elephant butt this time so Lion butt will have to do.



While I was riding the safari, the skies kept getting darker and darker. As I exited, it started raining lightly but still not enough for a poncho. I knew I would be cutting it close and needed to head out quickly if I wanted to make the Character Paloosa so I booked it towards the exit of the park. Just as I got to the exit, the skies opened up and it started pouring. I stopped under a tree and quickly put on my poncho. When I finally made it to the HS bus stop (which happened to be about the furthest one from the park entrance) I realized I was not the only one headed to HS. There was a huge line. I was beginning to think I might not make the Character Paloosa after all. And if it keep raining, would the Character Paloosa even happen? I’ll just leave you with that cliffhanger till next time.

So during my time at AK I rode three rides, Primeval Whirl, Expedition Everest and the Safari, met one character, Donald, walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek and saw the Festival of the Lion King show.

Up Next: Park #3 – Hollywood Studios: A Crowded Nightmare

 

[rteetz]

FOTLK is the best show in all of WDW in my opinion. Looks like you had a great time at AK. Your trip to DHS sounds interesting.

 

[IowaTater]

Wow! A walk-on safari? That's awesome luck. DH was not a big fan of AK on our last trip so we'll probably skip it this time. I'm hoping maybe I can talk him into it just so I can ride EE and maybe catch the safari and FOTLK.

 

[missangelalexis]

Great seats and pictures of FOTLK! That Timon one is so silly!

Glad you had time to ride the safari. AHH you caught the lioness, awesome!

Oh no, sorry about the rain AND the long line for the bus. Can't wait to hear how it works out, though it doesn't sound too good!

 

[marDgreen88]

Oooooh FotLK. I agree, that show will absolutely never get old. It's perfect.

No elephant butt? Rip off. Kitty butt is okay too. Haha!

Uh oh. Sounds like DHS was a hot commodity that evening. Interested to see how that went!

 

[MEK]

Wow - score on the great seat for FOLTK. I always squeak in there at the last minute, so I have never had such an awesome seat. It really worked to your advantage with your pictures. Nice shots. And who doesn't love the tumble monkeys????

I also love you pics from Safari. That's an excellent picture of the elephant.

Oh Yeah - nothing better than striking out and just getting lion butt, so I'm glad the lady lion was up taking a stretch.

 

[hokieinpa]

What a great seat at FOTLK. I love the Tumble Monkeys too!

A walk on safari - yay! And you got some great shots. Love the zebras and the lioness!

I'm sorry for the long, rainy wait at the bus stop!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Gorgeous animal photos. Love the seat your got for FOtLK.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

I enjoyed FOTLK much more on my last trip than my previous one. It really is a great show!

You managed to get a lot done at Animal Kingdom! Nice work!

 

[Pluto0809]

FOTLK is the best show in all of WDW in my opinion. Looks like you had a great time at AK. Your trip to DHS sounds interesting.

Totally agree with you on the FOLK show. It's my favorite of all the shows at WDW. DHS was a bit rough as you'll see here in a minute.

Wow! A walk-on safari? That's awesome luck. DH was not a big fan of AK on our last trip so we'll probably skip it this time. I'm hoping maybe I can talk him into it just so I can ride EE and maybe catch the safari and FOTLK.

I did have great line luck with the first two parks this day. My DH is also not a fan of AK, we skipped it when he went with me in May 2014. Maybe you can just do a 1/2 day to catch the few things you want and then hop to another park.

Great seats and pictures of FOTLK! That Timon one is so silly!

Glad you had time to ride the safari. AHH you caught the lioness, awesome!

Oh no, sorry about the rain AND the long line for the bus. Can't wait to hear how it works out, though it doesn't sound too good!

I have no idea what Timon was doing there but it made for a cute picture!

Yep, I was happy to see the Lioness walking around.

I won't keep you waiting too much longer, I have the next installment all ready to go.

Oooooh FotLK. I agree, that show will absolutely never get old. It's perfect.

No elephant butt? Rip off. Kitty butt is okay too. Haha!

Uh oh. Sounds like DHS was a hot commodity that evening. Interested to see how that went!

FOLK is just so awesome, I honestly notice something new every time I see it.

Sorry, but Kitty butt was the best I could do this trip.

DHS coming right up.

Wow - score on the great seat for FOLTK. I always squeak in there at the last minute, so I have never had such an awesome seat. It really worked to your advantage with your pictures. Nice shots. And who doesn't love the tumble monkeys????

I also love you pics from Safari. That's an excellent picture of the elephant.

Oh Yeah - nothing better than striking out and just getting lion butt, so I'm glad the lady lion was up taking a stretch.

Both times I saw the show this trip I got in line about 1/2 before show time and got great seats.

I'm always on a quest to get better pictures of the Lions but they don't cooperate very often.

What a great seat at FOTLK. I love the Tumble Monkeys too!

A walk on safari - yay! And you got some great shots. Love the zebras and the lioness!

I'm sorry for the long, rainy wait at the bus stop!

The Tumble Monkeys are just the best! I could watch them all day.

I was surprised the safari was a walk on. Of course I think it lined up behind me a bit because a lot of people headed there after the FOLK show. I was just quick enough to beat most of them there.

Gorgeous animal photos. Love the seat your got for FOtLK.

Thanks, I was pretty happy with some of my shots during that Safari.

I enjoyed FOTLK much more on my last trip than my previous one. It really is a great show!

You managed to get a lot done at Animal Kingdom! Nice work!

I'm not sure what it is about that show but I can watch it over and over and not get bored.

MK and AK were definitely both successful on this day.

 

[Pluto0809]

Park #3 – Hollywood Studios: A Crowded Nightmare

I left you with a cliffhanger last time. Would I make it to the Character Paloosa on time and would it even happen with the rain?

Two buses came pretty quickly right in a row but I didn’t think there was any way I would make it onto either one with the amount of people in front of me. I was going to stand if needed even though I had gotten a little sick doing that earlier in the week. I was just that determined to make it to HS in time. And for a few minutes I thought I might make it. The 2nd bus driver really squished people on. I ended up being the very first person that didn’t make it on. I probably would have tried but the driver cut me off. There were still a ton of people behind me too so the driver said he would call and have another one there very quickly.

Well whether he did call or not, it was the full 20 minutes before the next bus came. The only good thing about that was the rain had stopped and I was able to ditch the poncho. I spent the time in line talking to a mom and daughter that were there for a dance competition. They were very nice and I enjoyed that much at least.

I made it to HS with about 10 minutes to spare and I booked it up Hollywood Boulevard and then down Sunset Boulevard. I had to do some serious dipping and dodging because HS was the most crowded I think I’ve ever seen it. Yay! I made it and yes, the show did still go on now that the rain was over! This was my third Character Paloosa of the week and it was not the best. There was only one rare character and it was one I had already met earlier in the week. But I still decided to do the meet and greets.

First up was Pocahontas another princess I had never met. I was definitely checking off the princesses and other characters on this trip. She was very sweet and asked me all kinds of questions about the Christmas holiday since it was foreign to her. Man I could tell that it was humid and rainy that afternoon, my hair is just blah at this point.



Then I saw Aladdin and Jasmine who were meeting together. I don’t remember anything specific we talked about.



Snow White was next. She was hilarious. She keep “hearing” animals up in the woods behind us and would go running off into those bushes looking for them.



Chip and Dale were also meeting together so I got to meet them a second time that day.



The only rare character this time was Bert and he was meeting with Mary Poppins again. We apparently had quite the conversation but I don’t remember what it was about.





Last but not least was Minnie Mouse.



Even though there weren’t as many rare characters this time, I still had a blast. I was bummed that Pluto wasn’t there but I did get to add Pocahontas to the list of characters I’d met.

It was about 4:35 when I finished and my second FP+ for the evening was TSM at 5:30 (if you remember, I let the first one for Indiana Jones expire). I figured that the 5:00 drawing class would fill that hole nicely. But like I said earlier, the park was crazy crowded and when I got to the animation building the line was already cut off for the 5 pm class. I could have waited for the 5:30 one but instead headed for another character meet that was new for me. Not Hiro and Baymax, their line was still insane. So was the line for Sorcerer Mickey. The line for Mr. Incredible and Frozone though was not bad at all. I waited less than 10 minutes and I’m really glad I did this one since they no longer meet at HS.

Both of them were fascinated by my Pluto gear and had to check everything out.









When I was at WDW with my Mom a few months before this trip, we had seen some interesting drinks at Wandering Oaken trading post located in the old exit to the backlot tour. We had never made it back there to try one so that seemed like a good idea to do next. I definitely wasn’t getting on any other rides except for my FP ones, it was that crowded. TOT had an 80 minute wait, TSM was 120 minutes and The Great Movie Ride was 50 minutes. I didn’t even go down near RnRC to check out the wait time there. I really can’t ride that one anymore because it gives me a headache and makes me sick to my stomach.

As I started towards the back of the park I came across a Photopass Photographer in a new location. She was right outside of the Little Mermaid show and had no one waiting.



I even got a magic shot out of it. I really need to work on my surprised face.



Moving on, the Backlot Tour was completely shut down and the ride vehicle that used to be at the entrance was gone.



When I got to the trading post, I ended up ordering the Blue Snow Dream.





I ordered mine though without the foamy stuff on the top because I didn’t think I would like it.



I probably should have ordered a cupcake too because I was starting to get quite hungry at this point. It had been a very long time since the early BOG lunch.

I headed back down towards Pixar Place and found a bench near TSM to finish my drink and wait for my FP+ time. The drink was very good. I’m afraid I drank it a little too fast and ended up feeling a little tipsy when I headed to TSM. Of course it probably wasn’t that strong, I’m just a light-weight when it comes to drinks!

Once again I was put through the little blue gate and got to bypass a bit of the line. You would think I would feel guilty with all the glares from the regular line. But nope, I just smile at them all as I walk by.

About ½ way through the ride this time, it came to a dead stop. I was actually in between two games so I pulled out my camera to take a few pictures.











We sat there for about 10 minutes before the ride started back up again. I wasn’t complaining because it gave my arm a rest. That ride can really give you a workout!

And I was once again pleased with my score although I still didn’t achieve 200,000 like I wanted to do.





I had one more FP+ for TOT but it wasn’t until 6:40 pm. It wasn’t even 6 pm yet and I was starting to get pretty hangry. I was also over HS at this point because the crowds really were insane. I wanted fish and chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop so I abandoned HS and headed out. If I ever do this sort of thing again I need to remember to snack along the way.

I did stop for some PP pictures as I left. These really don’t do justice to the size of the crowds that night. The photographer took three shots but only one turned out, the other two are super blurry.



I didn’t realize till I was half way to Epcot that I never got my ride photo with the #3. Oh well, at least I got on one ride at HS even if it didn’t have a picture. I had also planned on another trip through the Osborne Lights but hunger won out this time. I'm sure it wouldn't have been the most pleasant experience with the huge crowds any way.

While at HS I rode one ride, TSM, met eleven characters, Pocahontas, Jasmine, Aladdin, Snow White, Chip, Dale, Bert, Mary Poppins, Minnie Mouse, Frozone and Mr. Incredible and had a drink from Wandering Oakens Trading post.

Up next: I Finish the Four Park Quest!

 

[missangelalexis]

Sorry this Characterpalooza wasn't the best one, but still fun and I'm glad you made it in time!

Nice pic with the Incredibles!

Your drink looks yummy!

Super cool pics inside TSMM!

Sorry hunger made you cut your HS time short, but with the crowds I'm sure it was a wise decision. Too bad you couldn't get your ride photo though!

 

[rteetz]

If there is one thing I've learned from your trip reports its that I need to go to character paloozas.

It seems everyone wanted to be at DHS that day.

Nice TSMM pictures!

Excited to hear about your four park finish.

 

[Chicago Mo]

Great seats in FOLK!!! So happy for you!!!
you got a lot done in AK. so sorry your HS was a bust. yet you were able to meet a ton of characters! So Sorry you only made ONE ride! Boo!!! and no walk to the osbourn lights again!!! ugh that sucks!!!

Over crowded is the pits.. we DID wait that 80 minutes for ToT in Sept it was our last ride and we needed it.. and i wouldn't do it again! LOL

 

[missjackiemcg]

Sorry HS wasn't everything you hoped it would be, but pretty awesome that you were still able to get to Character Palooza and get a ride in. and even better, you got to have a delicious sounding drink!!! (I am positive I would have ordered it with NO foam, too!)

can't wait to hear how the end of your four park day turns out!!

 

[IowaTater]

That Bert is amazing! He is a very close ringer to Dick Van Dyke. I'm sorry HS was a bit of a bust but that drink sounds delicious! Here's to hoping it's still around next year.

 

[KatMark]

Ariana, I'm sorry that I got so far behind. I very seldom come over here anymore.

Love your pictures of Festival of the Lion King...I'll be seeing that next month but we are skipping it in October (we are skipping a lot at AK in October). Great safari pictures...especially the lionness.

Glad you were able to get your poncho on and not get too wet.

Wow...you really made out with the Characterpalooza this trip (I here this is going away ). I also hear they are closing the Animation Building.

Sorry the Studios were so busy. Your drink looks really yummy.

Yes, when touring four parks in one day, you really ought to snack.

 

[marDgreen88]

Darn, too bad DHS was so busy. This is where FP+ really helps! It's awesome that you were able to get on the ride with the longest wait in no time! And it is a shame that you couldn't get your park #3 ride photo but hey, you went. It counts! Bring on Epcot!