"It's Safe to Say, I Love You!" A Solo Jan Adventure!-Now Completed!

[katt789]

Hello to all of you out there! And WELCOME!! I am your host! (your ghost host?!!? Who knows??!) and fearless TR writer, back once again from yet another trip to Disney World! (I know, I know, how do I do it?!) This one was a little different, with lots of changes to my regular habits while at Disney. But first, let’s start off with some introductions!!

The Who:

Me! (And yes, I’m doing the most “Disney-ified” face that I can…) I’m a 22 year old Disney fanatic, who works as a server (at a couple of different places) up here in Canada. I’m currently working towards paying off my debt & building up a bigger savings so that I can move out to Vancouver (or TO, or the states) to start some dream work in the arts industry, as I both act & dance! Here's a more "normal" picture...

I have been to Disney 5 times, once to Disneyland in 1997, and 4 times to Disney World since May of 2011 (yes, you read that right, and yes, you read the part about me being way up here in Canada right too…and no…I don’t have an annual pass….yet…) It’s safe to say that I can get around the Magic & Animal Kingdoms easier than my own neighborhood (hey, don’t judge I just moved!) and that I would rather spend a day watching Disney movies & coloring than going out & partying.

My favorite Park: Magic Kingdom (the atmosphere is just so incredible!!)
Favorite MK Land: Main Street USA
Fave MK Ride: Splash Mtn
Favorite Epcot Ride: Test Track Baby!!
Favorite WS Country: France (what can I say, those GG Slushies really do it for me! )
Favorite DHS Ride: Tower Of Terror!!
Favorite AK Ride: Expedition Everest
Favorite Show: FOTLK, I can’t miss it, EVER. It’s jam packed with SO much incredible talent, and just SO CLASSIC (also, one of the greatest movies!) My dream job is to be that blue bird girl!
Favorite Princess: Ariel, followed closely by Rapunzel
Favorite Fab 5: Donald, I grew such a soft spot for him recently!
Favorite Winnie the Pooh character: Tigger. Hands down, I have loved him since I was about 4, when I was little, I used to call him my boyfriend, and that’s still a running joke!


So now that you have the who background, how about some more talking that’s not just about me?! What about everyone else on the trip, you may ask? Well, this was a solo trip, just for me!

When: Jan 29th to February 1/2012.
I needed a quick getaway from work, and the cold, and life here, so I started looking at vacations out to Banff or something, and then realized that it’s cold up here, and I wanted to go somewhere warm. Well, a little girl like me can’t even THINK of going to Mexico alone, and Australia’s a little far…where better to go than my happy magic place?!

Where: Well, I splurged this trip, after finding a 30% room discount, I decided, just to see how much it would be, to price out a room at the Polynesian. After crunching some numbers, I could afford it!! Dream resort! Heck yes!!

I had a 3 day park hopper pass, and was paying OOP for all of my food, I made one ADR for 1900 Park Fare on the 31 st, and that was my only plan that tied me down to anything. Before leaving, I checked crowd calendars, and EMH, and did a general plan for what days when, and that was it! I also got a data plan for my phone so I could tweet as I went along on my adventure!

 

[IadoreWDW]

Hello

I'm in.

Great intro.

You look like you should be a Disney Princess!

Can't wait to read all about your trip



Sarah

 

[katt789]

Chapter Links!!

Day 1-> Sun Jan 29th
You're Supposed to Be Excited!
I Feel Like A VIP
The Good Ole Key of G!

Day 2-> Mon Jan 30th
So! Much! Awesome!
Wanderings of the Kingdom
This is My Life!
Best Performance EVER!
Excurisions to Epcot
A Collection of Characters
Katt Goes on An Adventure
I Go See Some Theatre!
A Palooza of Characters
Back to the Magic Kingdom
Back to the Bayou

Day 2-> Tues Jan 31
Wrapped Up In Pixie Dust
My Morning of Magic
Lunch & More Adventuring
Well, Why Not?!
Getting Lost In Dreams
Are You A Cm?
Last Meeting with the Bffs!
Reviews!
Food Reviews!

Real Life!!
April Trip
Surprise!!
DisneyLand!
September Trip ADR's
Life Update
Spring Vacation Plans & Halloween Ideas
A Years Worth of TR's

 

[dara00]

I'm in!

 

[IheartDDuck]

I'm here my dear!

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

I'm here!!!

And I just want to say THANK YOU for talking all these Disney trips so I can still get my Disney fix...

 

[katt789]

Hello

I'm in.

Great intro.

You look like you should be a Disney Princess!

Can't wait to read all about your trip

Sarah

Thanks!! I honestly heard that quite a few times this trip, it's becoming more & more apparent that I need to audition again!

I'm in!

I'm here my dear!

Glad to hear you guys are here!! Hope you enjoy!

 

[katt789]

Our adventure begins on a not so warm & cheery night way up in good old Canada (Calgary, Alberta to be exact) I had asked a friend to drive me to the airport, and thus, stayed at their house the night before (as it was much closer). The alarm went off bright and early at nearly 5:30 in the morning, and with a quick teeth brushing, we were on our way!

This part of the adventure, well, it’s not too adventurous, and thanks to me being solo, I kind of felt weird taking pictures, so I’ll bore you with just words for a bit first! I did the required “get to the airport 2 hours before your flight” thing, and at first glance at the Delta line ups, thought “oh dear God.” There was a GIANT group of what appeared to be ski-ers all over the place! Luckily, Delta workers were separating travelers who weren’t with the group & sending them through. I got through check in seamlessly, and then breezed through security. The Calgary airport wasn’t too busy on a Sunday morning, I still had 2 hours before my flight!! I wandered through after finding my gate and picked up a bagel with cheese egg & turkey from Great Canadian Bagel (although I had, had my heart set on a Harvey’s Breakfast Sandwich, those things are tasty!) and waited for boarding.

The flight went pretty smooth, I slept the entire way thanks to not sleeping much the night before, and before you know it, I’m at my stop over! I grabbed an Uncrustable & some cheese to munch on while I waited!

I slept some more on the next plane, and then….the magic began!! I landed in Orlando! All safe & sound!! YAYAYAY!!! I just adore the moment of getting off the plane, the humidity & heat hits you, and the smell of Florida just fills you up with happiness & pixie dust! (I have to say, this trip may have done me over into the category of people who recognize Disney scents in other places…yup…weird…..) I jumped down to the baggage claim, but not without a stop in the Universal Store for a look at the HP merchandise. This is where a large decision came up for me, when we went in May, I wanted nothing more than Bellatrix’s wand, and they didn’t have it. Well, they carry it now! And I found it at the airport store! After debating with myself for a while, I decided not to get it (at least not yet!) as I already have a wand at home. I quickly found my luggage, and then headed towards the Magical Express (or so I thought!! :shocked: ) It seems to be an ongoing theme that I get lost at this point. I can find my way around Disney property like nobody’s business, but MCO…not so much.

I quickly re-organized myself, and headed in the RIGHT direction! Since the trip had been booked so recently, I had to go to the counter to get my ME stuff printed, and then was directed into the line. (All while being addressed as “princess” *sigh* I love Disney!) This time, I skipped right by the Value Resorts line, and jumped into this one:

Now considering how much I’ve probably bored you, I’ll jump through to the highlights of the next 40 minutes! At one point on the Magical Express, a little boy was crying, clearly just tired, and his sister (who probably wasn’t much older) turned to him and said: “You’re supposed to be excited, we’re at Disney World…” Soooo cute! Gah! I love the adorableness of small children (and some of the stuff they say is just too cute!) The Polynesian was the 5th stop, and there was only 1 other family left with me. While entering the Polynesian was another moment to take a deep breath of that sweet sweet Disney air in!

Check in went pretty smooth, I had a cm that was “earning her ears” (I’ve noticed they’ve hired a lot of college program people as of recent) so it took a little longer, but I was fine with that, I was in DISNEY! (not to mention…deluxe resort!!) The cm that was helping her highlighted a quick route to my room, and off I went! I was in the Tahiti building (and along the walk, I got super excited that maybe my room would somehow magically be on the side where I could see the beach/castle!) Alas, no luck with the view, but it was still pretty magical! I was the last room on the right, farthest from the main building!

You may wonder why that gets a thumbs up? Well, it means that I was closest to the TTC! I was a quick under 5 minute walk to the monorail, which would take me to the Magic Kingdom, and I was quite alright with that. Here’s a few more shots from around the room:

After taking a quick look around, and exclaiming “THIS IS TOTALLY AWESOME!!” I quickly changed from full length pants to capris, and threw on a light sweater, and practically ran over to the TTC, I had some extra magic hours I had to use!!

 

[My sister's princess]

I will be reading along! Sounds like you had a ton of fun!
Some day I want to be brave enough to go alone!

 

[katt789]

I'm here!!!

And I just want to say THANK YOU for talking all these Disney trips so I can still get my Disney fix...

Haha! No problem!! I'll be taking a lot in the next year, glad you're getting the Dis fix!

I will be reading along! Sounds like you had a ton of fun!
Some day I want to be brave enough to go alone!

Yay! And it was awesome!! Going alone wasn't as bad as you think it could be! I was a little awkward at first, and there are moments, but it's fantastic, you do what you want when you want!!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, your room at the Poly weirded me out, because it was a flipped version of our room.

Arrival is always so exciting, because for me it feels like what happens at the airport just takes FOREVER! I'm glad you've arrived.

 

[katt789]

Hahaha, your room at the Poly weirded me out, because it was a flipped version of our room.

Arrival is always so exciting, because for me it feels like what happens at the airport just takes FOREVER! I'm glad you've arrived.

Haha!! Thinking about a room flipped of mine is weird!! I love the arrival day, everything takes SO long, but once you get there its soooo worth it!!

 

[shan23877]

I'm here!

Hooray for the fancy resort line at the ME!!!

 

[mike the canuck]

Following along once again

 

[luvMickey72]

I, too would love to go by myself!

 

[katt789]

I'm here!

Hooray for the fancy resort line at the ME!!!

Yay!

Following along once again

Glad you're here!

I, too would love to go by myself!

It really does make for an awesome trip, if you get the oppertunity, do it!

 

[katt789]

I was all smiles as I walked down the monorail ramp and breezed through bag check & the turnstiles, stopping for a breath of air & this lovely shot!

*sigh* the Magic Kingdom & all it’s beauty! It’s such an amazing atmosphere & I always have and always will absolutely adore it. It doesn’t matter how many pictures you see of it, that overwhelming….awesomness…when you actually round that bend onto Main Street and see that castle…just fantastic!

It wasn’t quite time for some castle shots for me yet though! I had some very important people to meet!! (well..ok…maybe they aren’t people…) I love character meet & greets, definitely the best part of the trip (especially while solo!) so I checked the times on Town Hall Theatre, the princesses were a bit of a wait, but Mickey, he was only at 5 minutes! I quickly jumped at the opportunity! There was literally no one in the line, and around the corner, still no one, I actually said “I feel like such a VIP!” to the cm as she privately lead me through to the m&g room! There was one family in front of me when I got in there, but it gave me the opportunity to snag a few pics first!

And then it was time to meet the mice!! They were great, as per usual! Hugs & love all around as they welcomed me to their home! (A pretty good place to make your first stop!)

I said good bye to my new friends, while stuffing my new photopass card into my camera case, and heading along Main Street! I took some time to just take it all in, I was really here! (again…) no matter how many times I’m there, it’s still just as magical. One thing that wasn’t so magical…the huge tarp over the bakery! They usually blend in pretty well, but this one sticks a good couple of feet out over the sidewalk, which was boourns to me! Oh well! My tummy was a rumbly, and it was time for some food, so, what better place to stop!? I went for a classic and got the Turkey Sandwich, and added on a Banana Bread Pudding for a dessert!

Delcious! It’s a lot of bread…and a lot of Turkey, I should really start taking pictures of what my plate looks like when it’s done! I first picked out half the turkey, and then took off the top slice of bread, and then ate most of it. The bread pudding was good, not the greatest that I’ve had, but it was the end of the day, you can’t expect it to still be fantastically light & fluffy!

After finishing my dinner, I left the bakery just in time to see some Wishes! However, I would be back in Magic Kingdom (and possibly had plans to watch them from the Poly beach) later in the trip, I had some rides to ride, and more people to meet. So I grabbed some shots while walking, and then once again once I found a nice place to sit!

Where was this lovely spot to sit & enjoy the display of fireworks you may ask? Well, a little garden over by Liberty Square, that, once the fireworks were over, were graced with the presence of a Princess & her Prince! This royalty, of course, is Tiana & Naveen! They’re always such a great time to interact with, and there weren’t very many other characters out, so I had to come say hi!

They asked where I was from, to which I said that I was from Canada, they said they’d never been there before, but would have to check it out sometime. Then Naveen starts to say that they were talking, and saying that I look like Charlotte/Lottie…although she’s pretty crazy….but I don’t look so crazy…but very beautiful! It was hilarious, my response… “…thank you?” I’m pretty sure that’s what was being said in this picture…

Yup…feel free to just take a second to zoom in on this one..

Yup…oh my life… we talked a bit about how I was actually planning on coming back for Halloween, and was thinking about maybe being Lottie for the Halloween party! They of course LOVED that idea, and were sure to tell me that I HAD to come by, even if I wasn’t dressed up as Lottie. New friends?! I think YES!

They dubbed me “Canadian Charlotte” and I was on my way! It was a little chilly for me, even being in capris, but the sweater I had on just wasn’t quite warm enough. However, I had bought a ticket for the sole purpose of EMH tonight, and I was going to take advantage of it!

 

[My sister's princess]

Fun update!!! I went into the bakery for the first time in January and eyed that sandwich! Might have to get one next time.

 

[Merida]

Subbing, of course

I love your Poly room! How amazing to have that room all to yourself for a few days! It sounds so relaxing. Did you find it too dark or anything?

Okay, going to MK at night for your first activity of a trip sounds amazing. I was always partial to the 'arrive early and go to parks right away for a full day' but I'll have to give serious thought to this method too! And then going right away to see Mickey? Great choice! I think a solo hunt-down-as-many-characters-as-possible trip sounds really fun.

omg, that sandwich. It's like an entire turkey on bread. I wonder if anyone's mouth is actually big enough to eat that? It looks amazing, though. Is it the same sandwich as at Starring Rolls?

 

[IheartDDuck]

Hahaha, Canadian Charlotte. That is such a fun idea for MNSSHP though! That would be so cool, plus she's kind of a neglected character. I love the fact that she's crazy!

Had to say too, holy moly dude, that is the biggest stack of turkey I have ever seen on a sandwich!