I could nev. . .Happy Bir. . .*Beep!Beep!* - A Solo/Birthday Feb. '14 TR *Update: 10/25*

[Neverland Girl]

I could nev. . .Happy Bir. . .*Beep!Beep!* - A Solo/Birthday Feb. TR February 23-28

Hello and Welcome to my first ever Trip Report!
​

For those who read my PTR, welcome back. For those who are new, I'm so very glad you're here.

Let me introduce myself!

Hi, I'm Becky. This was my fourth overall trip but my first solo trip. I decided to celebrate my birthday a bit early while I was down there and it made the trip all the better. (In fact my birthday is next week already.)

I stayed at All-Star Music (the musician side of me couldn't resist). My arrival day was Feb. 23 and I flew home on Feb. 28.

What can you look forward to in this report? Amazing moments with CMs and Characters, lots of mental horn honking and eye rolling, and one of the best trips I've ever had.

I hope you read along with me as I regale you with the story of the birthday trip I had dreamed of for months!

 

[Neverland Girl]

Chapters

Introduction
Pre-Arrival
Apologies
Announcement
Wha'dja get? - Part 1

Arrival Day
Chapter 1 - Come Fly With Me, Come Fly, Let's Fly Away!
Chapter 2 - Are We There Yet?
Chapter 3 - This is Gonna Be Good!
Chapter 4 - Hooray for Hollywood!
Chapter 5 - Hooray for Hollywood! Part 2
Chapter 6 - Hooray for Hollywood! Part 3
Chapter 7 - Hooray for Hollywood! Part 4
Chapter 7 - Hooray for Hollywood! Part 4 continued
Chapter 8 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 1
Chapter 8 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 1 continued
Chapter 9 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 2
Chapter 9 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 2 continued
Chapter 10 - Around the World (and to the Future) in Just One Day: Part 3
Chapter 11 - Step Inside Our Storybook, Imagine What's in Store: Part 1
Chapter 12 - Step Inside Our Storybook, Imagine What's in Store: Part 2

 

[hokieinpa]

Following along! I love reading solo TRs!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

joining in! your thread title caught my attention - sounds like a fun trip!

 

[Disneycrewof5]

Catchy title! Look forward to reading about your trip!

 

[afnaechiquita]

joining, i love reading solo trips!

 

[Neverland Girl]

I'm Almost There!​

Pre-Arrival (2/21 and 2/22)
So Saturday arrives an my plan for today was to run to my bank to get some cash out for my trip, you know, for snacks and mousekeeping. Well there was snow in the forecast for that day so, I decided I would get up a bit early to do my errand running before the weather started around noon.

I finally get downstairs around 10:45 to see that not only had it started snowing already but, the streets were slowly beginning to cover. Great! I couldn't postpone till Sunday because the bank was closed. So, I ventured out all decked out in my winter gear. Luckily it didn't take too long because by the time I got home the roads were beginning to get iffy.

I relaxed for most of the afternoon with my family. Occasionally, I would work on getting stuff together for my trip. Towards the evening I wandered upstairs to start packing my suitcase. This was the view from my window at this point.

I finished packing my suitcase (except for the things I could only pack Monday) and finished packing my carry-on on Sunday. I didn't get to bed as early as I wanted to Sunday night because my mom decided to suck me into an episode of Downton Abbey.

 

[SarahDisney]

Hi! I'm here and excited to read all about the trip. I love the picture of you in front of the castle!!

 

[Neverland Girl]

to all of you who have joined in so far!

joining in! your thread title caught my attention - sounds like a fun trip!

Catchy title! Look forward to reading about your trip!

It took me forever to come up with a title for this report! I'm glad you like it.

Hi! I'm here and excited to read all about the trip. I love the picture of you in front of the castle!!

It is one of my favorites! I love it even more once I figured out how to crop out that stupid crane.

 

[Vernie822]

I'm here - excited to hear all about your trip!

 

[NobleAlyssum]

I'm here! I enjoyed your sense of humor at your PTR, so I'm here for the report! Also, my birthday is in February as well, so I would like to see what Disney looks like in Feb. :3

 

[Neverland Girl]

I'm here - excited to hear all about your trip!

I'm here! I enjoyed your sense of humor at your PTR, so I'm here for the report! Also, my birthday is in February as well, so I would like to see what Disney looks like in Feb. :3

Yay! I love having more readers! Welcome to both of you.

 

[Neverland Girl]

Come Fly with Me, Come Fly, Let's Fly Away!​

Arrival Day (2/23) - Part 1

After staying up the night before to watch The Granthams and all those other lovely folks from Downton Abbey, having my alarm go off at 5 am was a bit of a shock. So, needless to say I hit the snooze bar to go back to sleep. I finally got out of bed at

I am soo glad I took this picture because I noticed my camera was only a quarter of the way charged.

I mean seriously?! I just charged it the night before and it was fully charged! So, I grabbed the charging cable from my carry on and plugged it in while I got ready. It was good to go once I finished showering and getting dressed.

However, I some how got a bit behind schedule. By the time I wandered downstairs I only had like 15 minutes before my ride to the airport was going to get here. I had to finish gathering papers and my last mousekeeping envelope (which I kept forgetting the night before to take upstairs) in addition to eating breakfast. I only got half way through my sandwich when I decided I couldn't wait any longer to pack the papers.

As I went to the front door where my bags were, I saw my ride out in the driveway.

I just needed five more minutes but oh well.

I grabbed my coat and bags, said goodbye to my mom and headed out the door. The guy driving me is someone who we know well from our church which definitely helped me relax a bit. About ten minutes into the drive I realized that I left my itinerary for the week (flight info included) and my last mousekeeping envelope by the front door. I texted my mom to let her know that it was there but she thought I was talking about my carry-on itself. Once I got her calmed down and on the same page as me she told me she would try to email it to me somehow.

This is where the first part of my TR title comes into play. We began talking about Disney and the trips we've been on. The last time he was down, EPCOT had just opened a few years ago. "I could never go down there by myself or on a vacation period." Yep, I've heard that before. That seemed to be the general consensus from everyone I told my plans too. This phrase would continue to follow me through out my trip too.

I finally got to the Philadelphia Airport around 9. After I checked my bags and got through security, it was around 9:30.

Considering I never got to finish eating my breakfast, I stopped by the McDonald's which was right next to my gate to grab a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait and a Caramel Iced Coffee.

Sorry, no pic of the parfait though.

There was a line of people at the gate desk waiting to check in. I wasn't sure what it was for so I began to ease drop. It turns out the people were from flight cancellations caused by the snow we got during the weekend.

Ooo! I wanted to share this screenshot of my trip countdown quickly.

About a half hour before the flight was to leave they started loading. Luckily I managed to find a window seat on the wing. We took off on time and the flight was smooth. In fact, we landed about a half hour early!

Now the only downside to getting a window seat was having to wait for my row mates to get up. Well to add to that, my coffee had now run it's course and I was beginning to do a potty dance. This is also where the last part of my TR title comes in. I started to mentally honk my horn at people in an attempt to get them to move faster.

I call this my "I'm stuck on a plane and have to go to the bathroom" face. Luckily it wasn't too much longer till I was off the plane and found relief.

The "Non-arail" was calling me so off I went. I knew my suitcase would be waiting for me on side A and DME was side B. What I didn't know was that side A and B did not connect on the baggage claim level. So, after walking and walking and walking, I asked someone to confirm my suspicions. Yep, I had to go up a level to go over and down to DME. Ugh!

I finally got to where I needed to be.

That is where I will leave you for now.

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay for 0 days to go on the countdown!

I always sit middle or window (window by myself, middle when travelling with my sister), so I totally know the feeling. If you're sitting on the aisle, you need to be one of the first people off the plane so that your row mates can get out. Seriously! Mentally honking your horn ... awesome.

That baggage claim/DME thing is a killer. In November we got lost and had to go up and then back down to get there. I wish the two sides connected on all of the levels!!

 

[Tracy161]

I'm here, too! Yep, I get that often too - "I could never vacation solo". But truthfully, sometimes I prefer it to traveling with others! Solo trips are just the best! Excited to hear more!!!

 

[Disneymoon09]

I'm here I've only had 1 solo day, but it was fabulous!

 

[Neverland Girl]

Yay for 0 days to go on the countdown!

I always sit middle or window (window by myself, middle when travelling with my sister), so I totally know the feeling. If you're sitting on the aisle, you need to be one of the first people off the plane so that your row mates can get out. Seriously! Mentally honking your horn ... awesome.

That baggage claim/DME thing is a killer. In November we got lost and had to go up and then back down to get there. I wish the two sides connected on all of the levels!!

The mental horn honking must've been working because I didn't have to wait too much longer. Oh my gosh! The trek from baggage claim side A to DME is brutal! I feel like it would be super easy to connect the two sides on that level.

I'm here, too! Yep, I get that often too - "I could never vacation solo". But truthfully, sometimes I prefer it to traveling with others! Solo trips are just the best! Excited to hear more!!!

If I had a dollar for every time that was said to me, I would've had a nice souvenir fund.

I'm here I've only had 1 solo day, but it was fabulous!

Hey, one day is enough to catch the solo touring bug. I'm glad you could join in on this thread.

 

[Neverland Girl]

So, I thought I was working tonight which meant I had made a bunch of plans for Saturday with my family. Then work called asking me if I could come in and pick up a shift tonight which seriously confused me. It turns out that I wrote my schedule down on the wrong days. My mom was going to order a cake for Saturday which won't work now because it turns out I'm closing that night. Have no fear though, we are determined to salvage the mess that I made out of my own birthday.
Also, I may or may not (oh, who am I kidding) be wearing a freebie souvenir from my trip today.



Are we there yet?!

​

Arrival Day (2/23) - Part 2
When I last left you, I was waiting in line for my DME carriage to pick me up. As I was standing there, I was getting warmer by the minute. It was significantly warmer in Orlando than it was in PA. (If you noticed in my last post, my phone said it was 29° at the Philly Airport.)

I probably waited 7 or 8 minutes in line before I was on the bus waiting to go. I was super excited to actually get a proper DME bus this time, seeing as the last trip I was on, my family was stuck with a boring old Mears bus.

Well hello there Captain Mickey!

I was slightly disappointed because DME had changed the videos since the last time I was there. Yeah that stupid Mears bus from my last trip never showed the welcome video. Maybe I'll have to try and find it on youtube. Anybody know of any good links? So, I was stuck watching the Disney Parks Blog welcome video which (if you've seen it you know) isn't super magical.

We got on the road and I was on my way towards the most magical place on Earth! Woo Hoo!

I had my front row seat and I was ready for that beautiful archway to come into view so that I could grab a picture. My camera on the other hand decided that it didn't want to do that so it was going to give me a hard time. By the time my camera gave in to what I wanted, this was the best picture I could get.

Oh well, it's better than nothing.

The order of stops was going to be Coronado, All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies. I'm always happy actually when I'm not the first stop. It gives me the chance to get a little peak at other resorts without having to stay there.

The editing on the one above is a bit heavier than some of the others but I just love it.

I thought this detail was super cute!

In just five more minutes or so, I was at my home for the next week. Once I retrieved my suitcase from under the bus, I wandered inside to check-in.

I hadn't done online check-in because I still had a balance to pay off on my room but, I didn't want a card linked to my account/magic band. So, I got in line for the regular check-in. Whew! I seriously was second guessing my decision on online check-on. This was a really long wait. It was probably 15-25 minutes (I'm not entirely sure) till it was my turn. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure why it was taking so long for the people in front of me to get checked in.

Yep, my patience was wearing thin. It was after 3 pm by this point and the last time I had something to eat was almost 6 hours ago. So, I was slowly entering the hangry territory.

Oh, what's hangry you ask? Well, hangry is when you are soo hungry that even the tiniest thing can make you grumpy and unpleasant. Yep that was me about now.

While I was waiting, I was watching all of the CMs in an attempt to figure out which one I was hoping I would get. (Is that weird?) Well, some pixie dust must have found me because the CM that seemed the nicest was the one I got. I wish I could remember her name because she was fantastic! I paid off the rest of my balance, had my magic band loaded with the room info, and got one of these beauties!

That's right! I'm a princess! It is just so nice to have somebody else realize this.

She gave me directions to my room too. It felt like they were a bit odd but figured that the way I was told to go was simply the shortest path. I went back out the lobby entrance and made a left, walked past the Calypso building and finally got to the Jazz building I was looking for. In my hangry state, I got some what confused with the direction signs. I eventually found my room around the back of the building. Here's my star:

I had difficulty getting my Magic Band to open my room so, I took it off to better align it which worked nicely. Ready for a room tour? Here we go!

I got a king size bed all to myself!

I love this! It's like they knew that I played a brass instrument (despite it not actually being pictured here.) Can anyone guess what I play?

Peekaboo!

I'm not entirely sure if I had a handicap room or not. The tub wasn't a roll in one but there were a lot of safety bars in the bathroom. Oh and I was loving the pocket door for the bathroom.

By this point I was well into my first FP+ window for Enchanted Tales. I was torn between going straight to MK or to Downtown Disney for food and a bit of shopping. So, I rolled my pants up, changed my shoes, and pulled my hair back I was off!

This was the view once I rounded the corner of my building!

Oh, where did I settle on going? Well, you'll have to wait (for the very next post.)

 

[Neverland Girl]

This is Gonna be Good!​

Arrival Day (2/23) - Part 3
Decisions, Decisions! Should I go to MK or Downtown Disney? Well, with my stomach yelling at me, I decided to go Downtown. I remembered from staying at POP! that there was a door that led you right into the main building between the lobby and food court so, that's where I was headed.

Upon getting there, I see that those doors were closed for renovations. Okay. No big deal. I'll just cut through the food court. Well, that wasn't going to happen either because apparently that whole hallway was being refurbished. Sigh!

So I went back outside and walked all the way around the building to get to the buses. I didn't wait too long for a bus to get there. I stepped on and the birthday wishes started. The bus driver was wonderful! Once he pulled away, he played one of the birthday messages over the speakers. It made my sour mood turn for the better, at least for the time being. The bus was pretty empty so we headed on to All-Star Movies.

Here a bride and groom got on. Well they just had to wait for the rest of their party to get there. At first it was fine but after waiting for 5+ minutes, everyone who was on the bus prior to this stop started getting fed up. There goes my mood boost. Finally, they gave up on waiting and we were off again.

Finally, we arrived!

While I was here, I also wanted to find the mysterious grab bags at Market Place Fun Finds. I must have forgotten about a map because I found myself just walking around. Before I left on my trip, I had seen a picture of the Fun Finds sign so I had been keeping an eye open for it. Luckily I didn't walk too far before I spotted this:

I walked in and browsed for bit. Isn't she just the cutest?!

I found the mystery bags, bought one, and had it sent back to my resort. I had never done this before so it was new and exciting!

Once that was taken care of, I was ready for food! My stomach was in rage mode by this point. I really wanted to try Earl of Sandwich and what do you know?! It was right across from where I was!

I went inside and hopped in line. Everything seemed to be moving pretty quickly and before I knew it, it was my turn to order. I got The Earl's Club without the sandwich sauce and a Vitamin Water. I had to wait about five minutes for my sandwich to come out. While I was waiting I noticed a lady who had decorated her magic band with some rhinestones. It was super pretty.

Once I got my food, I grabbed some napkins and found a table outside to sit at. The weather was gorgeous!!! There was a nice warm breeze blowing and I finally felt like I was on vacation. Ah, bliss!

This was so yummy! The bread had a nice crunch but was still nice and soft inside. The whole sandwich was toasted so everything was nice and warm. The ingredients were well balanced too. In fact, I could go for another one right now. While I was eating I noticed the perfect kiosk across the way for my mom. It made me giggle to myself.

Once my stomach was full and I found my happy place, I had some evil space villains to battle. I wandered back towards the bus stop and decided to hop on the first bus that showed up. Well once I got there a POP! bus was loading so, I picked up my pace a bit and got on. It felt nice going back there. It brought back memories from my last trip.

No sooner did I get off of the Downtown bus then a MK bus pulled up. Yay for bus luck! I couldn't believe that in a matter of minutes, I was going to be back in my favorite park. When that drum roll starts and the trumpets play their fanfare to welcome you to the Magic Kingdom, I get all warm and fuzzy inside.

Oh, how I've missed you! Don't let this picture fool you. It was busier than I expected the park to be by now.

I walked in and rounded the corner to see this beauty:

I made a right turn towards the future.

I redeemed my Buzz Lightyear FP+ and was off to rid the galaxy of that Evil Emperor Zurg. Here's my score (please pardon the horrid pictures):

I call this expression "Maybe I should have used the other gun because this one is awful."

Anyways, I was a Ranger 1st Class and had triumphed over evil!

Now I had 40 minutes to kill till my M&G with a certain tinker fairy. What should I do now? Hmmm, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to visit my favorite land in the kingdom. So, off to Fantasyland I went. I, of course had to take the path that would take me right through the castle. That walk will never get old for me.

I went a bit overboard with editing again but I just love it!

Philharmagic is by far my most favorite 3-D film in the parks but for some reason tonight, it had an unusually long wait. So, I kept walking. it's a small world only had a 25 minute wait so I figured why not.

Again, this isn't the greatest picture but it was so cool to see this happen.

The wait was more between 15 - 20 minutes till I was boarding my boat and I got a whole row to myself!

These were the best shots I got:

Cue the small world traffic jam!

It was getting close to my Fairy FP+ so I headed back down Main Street, stopping for pictures along the way.

After these were taken, the PP CM told me not to lose "this." I assured her that I would not lose my MB. She quickly corrected me and said that it was alright for me to lose my MB. That could be replaced. What I shouldn't lose was my arm. Those aren't so easy to replace and they don't have a lost and found for those types of items. It was so great!

I again scanned my FP+ and walked through the queue. There was a family in front of me who had gotten their daughter one of the light up wands that they sell during their nighttime entertainment events. Well my wait in line quickly turned into a little kid mini-disco when another family with a light up toy got in line. It was super adorable though so I didn't mind.

Finally they took us into a room and made us stand in a line. This was where we were going to be shrunk down to Tink's size. Compared to the old M&G in Adventureland, the shrinking process here is 1000% times better. I couldn't help but smile.

The area they have you wait in till it is your turn to meet Tinkerbell is super cute. My favorite detail by far is this cup.

All of the nods to the history of Peter Pan made my heart swell! I rotated it for you so that you can read it better.

I also adore this flower.

Finally it was my turn! Tinkerbell was so excited to see I was wearing green. I told her I wore it specifically because I had planned on meeting her.

She said then said that I could be an official tinker fairy. There was one thing to keep in mind though. Green lost things are the most rare so, I need to protect them from pirates, especially Captain Hook. Jake the Pirate was okay though.

After my first amazing M&G, I headed out of the park before MSEP started. As I was walking down to the buses, I could see the Electric Water Pageant floating by. At one point in my planning, I was trying to work seeing this into my schedule but had then scrapped that idea. So, being able to see this little bit of it made me happy.

My bus luck continued when I didn't have to wait more than five minutes for a bus. Add to that the fact that I got a seat, and I was a happy camper. There were a group of young girls in the back that started singing various songs from Frozen. At first it was cute but then some random lady started joining in. After the Frozen Sing-Along (no not that one ) was over this lady started to get them to sing "Shake It Off." Okay fine. It was when she started them on "All About That Bass" that it started getting a bit weird. That song really isn't appropriate for that group of girls. The couple beside me agreed.

The guy from that couple was also the first guest to wish me a Happy Birthday and it made me smile.

Upon getting back to the resort, I stopped to get a mug from the food court. I also got another yogurt parfait to eat back in my room.

After I finished eating, I called home and unpacked for the week. I had a busy yet incredible first day (despite the less than favorable moments) so I turned in for the night.

Tomorrow was my first full day and I was headed to Hollywood!

 

[SarahDisney]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Also, I may or may not (oh, who am I kidding) be wearing a freebie souvenir from my trip today.

Yay!

So, I was stuck watching the Disney Parks Blog welcome video which (if you've seen it you know) isn't super magical.

I'm with you - I miss the old video! This one is informational, but not fun.

That's right! I'm a princess! It is just so nice to have somebody else realize this.

Always nice when people remember you're a princess

So I went back outside and walked all the way around the building to get to the buses. I didn't wait too long for a bus to get there. I stepped on and the birthday wishes started. The bus driver was wonderful! Once he pulled away, he played one of the birthday messages over the speakers. It made my sour mood turn for the better, at least for the time being. The bus was pretty empty so we headed on to All-Star Movies.

Sounds like an awesome driver! I love when they go out of the way to do something special for you.

I was at MK that day too - the crowds were way more than I was expecting. It got better later in the day, but it was still a lot more people than I was expecting to see that day. I hope the crowds lessened a little later in the week!

I call this expression "Maybe I should have used the other gun because this one is awful."

I hate when that happens ... sometimes the gun just doesn't want to shoot!

I must have missed this when I saw Tink - this is so awesome!

As I was walking down to the buses, I could see the Electric Water Pageant floating by. At one point in my planning, I was trying to work seeing this into my schedule but had then scrapped that idea. So, being able to see this little bit of it made me happy.

I'm glad you were able to see part of it! I've tried to work it into my schedule on the past few trips but it just hasn't worked ... so I totally get how nice it must have been to see at least a little of it.

I'm glad it was an incredible day (despite the hiccups)!