Tracy161
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 3,925
Let the Wookiee Win
August 19-25
All-Star Movies
August 19-25
All-Star Movies
Hello, friends! And welcome to my latest attempt to combat those post-Disney blues we all know and don’t love. I had a fabulous trip, met up with two fabulous Disers (twice each!), met a few love interests (and only one of whom is a droid…), and enjoyed lots of solo time! I’m so happy to have you here as I relive my memories. But first, the basics:
Who: Tracy, 34, Disney addict. I’ve lost track of how many trips I’ve been on, but I’d guestimate somewhere between 15-20, and this was my 5th solo. By day I am a cataloging specialist at a research library that is part of a glass museum in upstate New York, by night I am a graduate student about halfway through my master’s degree in library and information science.
Favorite characters: Mickey and Minnie, and Belle (because… ya know, the whole library/book thing)
Favorite rides: Soarin’, PeopleMover, Haunted Mansion, Dinosaur, Great Movie Ride
Favorite park: Epcot
Where: All-Star Movies Resort. This was my first time here and I had a good experience. Since I mostly just use my room to store my clothes and sleep, it got the job done. I had a preferred room which was reasonably close to transportation, which is all I really wanted. It also felt closer to the parks than Pop, which is where I typically stay.
When: Saturday, August 19 – Friday, August 25
Why: Well, we’re all here on the Dis, so no need to go into the “why” but I will say that I chose this particular time because it was in between semesters at school and I figured the later I went in August, the better crowd-wise.
So… in an ode to my beloved Great Movie Ride… Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.
Day 0
I worked a half-day this day and, and after throwing together a few last-minute items, was off and running (or rather, driving) to my sister’s place which is about 2.5 hours from mine. I often fly out of this airport because American Airlines doesn’t fly out of my local one and I had miles to use! I had successfully convinced my sister and brother-in-law to go out for their anniversary and let me watch the kids (2 year old niece and 4 year old nephew). I managed to do a reasonable job and Dominic managed to get away from me only once, to run through the neighbor’s lawn sprinkler.
By the time we all settled into bed, it was late, and I had to get up around 5am for the airport (as did my brother-in-law, bless his heart). After a brief stop in Charlotte, I had arrived to this glorious sight around 1:30pm: a near-empty Magical Express queue! 
Also around this time, I got a text from Su-Lynn (@chunkymonkey) – woohoo, vacation had officially began!
I was among the last few on the bus so I had a somewhat crappy view of the sign, but a crappy view of this beauty sure beats the view from my office, right?!
Since I’d done online check-in, I was able to go straight to my room (Fantasia, building 8) immediately upon arrival after receiving a text with my room number about halfway there! The resort was really well-themed.
I was the only one in line for the bus to Magic Kingdom around 3pm and was quickly en route to the Happiest Place on Earth! Once there, I went straight to guest relations to activate my Annual Pass and away I went!
My first stop was Casey’s Corner as I was starving but didn’t want to fill up too much as I was having dinner later that night with Su-Lynn and Steve! I opted for corn dog nuggets, apple slices, and water. I hauled it across Main Street to eat, grabbing a table at the nearly empty Tomorrowland Terrace. Yum, I love me some Casey's Corner.
I’d wanted my first ride to be the PeopleMover but it was down and I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to waiting it out behind the growing line. Instead, I headed straight for Frontierland to ride my childhood favorite, Big Thunder, with my first FP! From there, I went towards Jungle Cruise for my next FP but stopped at Pirates first as it was about a 30 minute wait and I was happy to have a bit of a break from the heat.
Before long, I was joining my skipper for a fun trip on the Jungle Cruise. I wandered a bit more… soaking up the castle, before heading to my dinner ADR and meeting up with Su-Lynn and Steve!
Up Next: A Lovely Dinner!
Following along! 
