Laid-back Disney Week - Solo, Live-ish

[ElizaDoesDisney]

I’m going to give this trip reporting thing a whirl. I’m here alone so hope I can keep the thread updated on a regularish basis. Apologies in advance for all the misspellings - I’m on mobile.

I’m Eliza. I used to have family in the area and came to Disney all the time. Then they moved away and I haven’t been back since early 2019. Until two weeks ago when I came on a big family trip. It was a ton of fun, but we didn’t end up spending too much time in the parks. I bought an AP and my sister has a conference in town this week- so free hotel room. I work remotely so figured I might as well work from Orlando for the week. So here we are. I love food and drink and all things Disney.

Arrived in Paradise very late last night due to a flight delay. Got my rental car fairly quickly and finally got into my hotel room at 12:45AM. I’m off site for this trip and bouncing around a bit. First two nights are at the Hyatt Place I Drive. Perfectly acceptable hotel, but nothing special.

Set my alarm for 6:55 fully intending to make an afternoon reservation at my hopping park - MK. And go back to sleep for a while, but had some challenges getting it booked and was wide awake so decided to head out early. Means there is a good chance I won’t make Disney Enchantment as intended, but there are more days in the trip - and I try not to push myself so hard that I end up not enjoying my time.

After a quick stop at Walgreens (who forgets to bring sunscreen to a Disney vacation?), I tapped into Animal Kingdom Park at 8:07. Got a ton done pretty quickly - Dinosaur, Tricerotops, Everest, Safari. It was about 9:30 when I got off Safari and I headed down to Pandora to soak it in.

I was feeling a bit peckish, so I ordered a cheeeseburger pod kids meal from Sautuli. It was very interesting. I’m glad I tried it once, but I don’t think it’ll be a go-to for me going forward.



Then off to Feathered Friends in Flight - the story has been changed up since I saw it last, but it was still super entertaining. Then I made my way over to Kite Tails, but not before stopping at Restaurantosaurus Lounge for a cocktail.



KiteTails was cute and I love that Disney is doing something new with the lake. I saw the Jungle Book version. I would definitely stop if I was nearby when the Lion King version is happening.

Decided to try to get into Nomad Lounge and lucked into an immediate seat at the bar. There was a 2 Hour wait for a table. Bar sounds fine to me. Ordered a snow leopard salvation (take on a mule) and a Tuna Bowl. Both were excellent and not too heavy.


Next stop - hopping to MK.

 

[shh]

"Restaurantosaurus Lounge for a cocktail" That drink looked interesting. Enjoying the read!

 

[SEAGULL59]

Sounds like a good first day!

 

[suse66]

love the start of your day! You can never go wrong with time at Nomads!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Made good time getting out of park and over to MK. Was able to make a third LL at 1. And then have been managing three reservations all day. It’s been smooth sailing except splash went down right as my window opened a couple minutes ago. Boo. Ah - things happen. I have a few minutes before my window for Big Thunder to catch up this thread.

I had a bit of time to kill before I could enter MK so I grabbed an iced coffee and enjoyed a leisurely ferry.

Tapped into MK right at two. Then I hit up Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and it’s a small world before checking in early to my 4:45PM Jungle Cruise Skippers Canteen reservation.

Was seated at 4:30 and was out by 5:30. Had a Kongaloosh Ale which hit the spot on a hot day. Plus cheese balls which were meh. And shrimp fried rice which was excellent. Next time I’d stick to the rice and save room for dessert.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Sounds wonderful so far! Have a great time and thx for posting… will be reading along.

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Great Evening at MK

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

After dinner - I continued my trek around the park using LL reservations. I hit Pirates and then headed to Frontierland only to have Splash go down right as I arrived. This ended up working to my advantage. I did Big Thunder, Under the Sea, Tomorrowland Speedway and Buzz. Then hit the hub right around 7:30 and lucked into a great spot to view Dinsey's Enchantment. I know folks have mixed feeling about this, I really liked it. I thought the projections on the castle were amazing. I kind of want to come back one night and watch from down near the train station to see more of the main street effects.

I initially planned to head out post-fireworks, but I was feeling good (that first day at Disney magic) and Splash was back up. When Splash went down, they automatically turned my LL reservation into a pass good for the rest of the day at any LL line except the ILL$ and Peter Pan. Later after finishing up Buzz - I thought to try to book another timeslot for Splash post-fireworks and was surprised it allowed it. So I ambled all the way back to Frontierland and rode Splash twice. It's one of my favorite - I love the ride mechanics and the story-telling; I'm excited to see what it will look like once it is rethemed.

Then I headed towards park exit, except somehow my feet carried me into Tomorrowland where I rode the Peoplemover (highly recommend at night - unique views of the castle) and got in line for Space Mt just before park close. I took my time shopping my way out of the park and found a bench near the train station to people watch - I'm surprised how many people stuck it out so late.

Picked up a late night snack and more water at Wawa and made it back to hotel just before midnight. This was about as long of a park day as I've ever done. And I don't intend to do any more open to close days. Tomorrow I'm meeting up with friends to do an early afternoon at DHS before hopping over to EPCOT - knowing us we'll probably only end up doing a handful of attractions and just eat and drink ALL the THINGS! But, there are several new-to-me rides in these parks: ROTR, MMRR, Remy - I'm hoping to manage to get on one or two of them.

 

[hulagirl87]

Love reading your adventures! I'm taking a solo trip, my first, next month and it's fun to read about what others are doing! Have a great time!!!!

 

[a1tinkfans]

Another Amazing solo adventure.. lots of steps in for sure but u did So much, awesome!
have a great time at Epcot n HS

 

[disneymecca]

Encourages me to be more excited about my first solo trip. Thanks for such great details. TTFN

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Yesterday was a day of awesomeness. Didn’t want to say anything in advance in case it didn't work out, but I was invited by some friends to join them in the Club 33 Lounges at DHS and EPCOT. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, as I never expected to see the inside of the clubs. No pictures - they aren't allowed. But the clubs were classy and quiet offering a nice respite from the heat and madness of the parks. Each had it's own character with it's own unique touches. Small specialty drink and food menus at each lounge, with full bar available. I didn't really know anything about Club 33 until friends mentioned they were members and asked if I'd like to see a couple lounges, and still don't know too much about it except that (1) it's awesome and (2) I would never be able to afford to be a member myself. But, if you get a chance to see one of the lounges, I highly recommend it.

Met up with friends at DHS entrance around noon. They had generously added a Club 33 Ticket to my account for the day so I had an allotment of any attraction any time LL passes. As far as I know the only limitations are that you can only use the passes once per day on Remy and ROTR. We went on Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway which I hadn't seen before - I really enjoyed it and loved the trackless car technology they used. Then over to the lounge for a drink and lunch.

Then up into Toy Story Land where we hit up Slinky Dog Dash - another new to me ride that I thought was exceptional - so smooth. Then Toy Story Midway Mania where I was by far the least successful. And then to Rise of the Resistance. I am a giant Star Wars nerd and this was my favorite thing ever! It was amazing and so well executed. I totally get why the lines are so long.

Took the Skyliner over to EPCOT and went on Remy. Another super cute new to me ride. I don't know what I was expecting, but this really impressed me. Feel like I need to ride it a few more times to fully appreciate all the details. The skies were starting to look ominous so we hustled over to the lounge at EPCOT and managed to get in just before the first downpour of the day. Had another round of drinks and decided to go to the new Creperie in France for dinner. We timed it well and managed to get back over to France during a break in the rain - it was just starting to pour again as we got seated in the restaurant. I had a Poulet Crepe and a Brut cider and both were fantastic. Plus the view was great for people watching.




The rain finally subsided so we headed down to ride Soarin'. Great as always. EPCOT was packed yesterday. About as busy as I've ever seen it, even after the rain storm. Hard to move around and long lines at all the F&W booths. Felt more like a Saturday than a Sunday. Friends decided to call it a day and I wanted to poke about Hollywood Studios some more so we headed back that way.

It looked like the rain was done for the day and I was able to snag a post-close reservation at Oga's so I figured I'd stay late at the park and soak in all the atmosphere - I hadn't seen Galaxy's Edge or Toy Story Land at night yet. I ran over and did Tower of Terror. Then back up to toy story land where I rode Slinky Dog again - great views of the park and GE at night. I think the night time ride is better than the day time ride for this attraction. Then rode the aliens - another new ride for me - cute, but not something that will make my must-do list going forward. Over to Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run where I rode as a engineer and then went back through again hoping for another position and got my own ship as a pilot. I only crashed the Falcon once or twice (or three times, but who's counting). Finished my second mission just before park close and was prepared to wander around Galaxy Edge until my 9:30 Oga's reservation when it started raining again. I sought cover and was able to get into Oga's a little early.




I love the vibe at Oga's and my Jedi-Mind Trick was an excellent drink. I especially enjoyed how quiet and empty the park was on the walk out - I think I may have to do another evening at DHS and hope for better weather to enjoy it a bit more.

I had checked out of the Hyatt Place and joined my sister over at the Rosen Shingle Creek for the next few nights.

 

[snikki]

What an awesome day with the Club 33 lounges and the anytime LL. That's probably everyone's dream come true!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Work day. But the view of the golf course is better than the view from my home office.


Took a break for brunch at Moma’s Cafe just a bit up Universal Avenue from the hotel. Good coffee and an excellent Breakfast Club sandwich.


This evening’s plans are up in the air depending on weather and my stamina. Hoping to go to EPCOT for some bites and sips from F&W festival, but we’ll see. May just end up at hot tub here at the resort with a drink and my kindle. Sounds like a great night either way.

 

[MaleficentMe]

Following! Club 33 - wowzers!!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Ahhh. The best moment on any workday is shutting down the computer. Headed over to EPCOT and tapped in around 5:45PM. Spaceship Earth was a walk on and it was the last thing left on the list of must-dos I wrote up before the trip. So everything from here on out is gravy.

Went over to inquiry about Space 220 Lounge. Was quoted a 2 hour wait and you have to stay in line - it’s not a virtual queue. I’ll wait until it isn’t the new shiny thing. It started to pour so I jumped on Mission Space Orange and the weather had mostly passed by the time I was done. My only plans is to wander around World Showcase and make a dinner of F&W - so I started off with the mimosa flight. Super yum.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Ohhhhh …this is like a dream trip to me lol. What was your impression of the food and service at club 33. lucky You. Great report, thx again for sharing!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Spent the rest of the night meandering around World Showcase. A beauty and the beast sing along was starting as I passed through France so checked it out. It was cute, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the framing device they used. Frozen sing along is definitely the better choice.

I had the griddled cheese in Greece. Very good and a huge portion for the price. This is actually a theme - last time I did F&W (which was probably 2018) I thought it had gotten out of control expensive versus how much food/drink you were getting. Value seems much better this year - it’s still Disney prices but more reasonable.



Grabbed a paella and lager from Spain booth. And had perfect timing as I sat down at a picnic table by the lake in Germany to eat and MK fireworks started. I didn’t realize how good of a view you can get of MK fireworks from World Showcase.



Poked along to Mexico and rode the boat ride before grabbing a cucumber margarita.



Grabbed a tuna poke from the Hawaii booth which was excellent. I was full and decided to head out of the park around 9:15. If I hadn’t seen HarmoniUS twice two weeks ago I would have stuck around for it. I’m always amazed at how early folks are staking out their spots for the shows.

 

[snikki]

I keep seeing and hearing about this griddled cheese. I hope they have it next year. We aren't the biggest F&W fans due to the small portions, a lot of stopping and standing in lines and it takes a lot of samples to get you full which costs $$$ but DD will be older so I'm hoping to give it another try.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

You make a solo trip sound glorious! Very much enjoying your trip report.