Miss Independent takes on the World, a May 2014 Solo Trip

[lauren_elizabeth]

I love It's Tough to be a Bug, but I must admit, I scoot forward and lift my feet up every single time. Even though I know it's coming, it still freaks me out! LOL!

Looks like both of your safari trips that morning were awesome! Lots of animals out and about

Yay for getting to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pooh & Tigger with no lines! AND for the CM's thinking you were a CM as well. Wooo!

Oh my gosh, that BBQ Chicken Salad looks absolutely delicious! Yum!

What are your September dates? We'll be there 9/13-9/20!

 

[pirateprincess1976]

I just found your TR. We were both solo at Pop at the exact same time, both on an AP; I was next to the bowling pin pool and you were next to the Hippy Dippy pool! It was such a short walk to the main building; I paid for a pool view this fall so I'm hoping for the same walk on my upcoming this trip in October!

My trip was 4/29 - 5/2; all that rain was such a party pooper for me because I wasn't prepared for it and got soaked. My last day I went to Epcot (you were there too I think for Illuminations) and left EVERYTHING but my magic band with the baggage handlers - my credit cards, my driver's license, my phone, everything. I was just tired of being worried all my stuff was going to get ruined in my "water resistant but not water proof" travel purse!

I looked very closely in your backgrounds of your photos to see if I saw myself, but I didn't! I always wonder if any Disers catch other Disers in their photos.

Anyway, joining in for the rest of the TR now!

Welcome! Thanks for joining!
That's so cool you were there at the same time at Pop! I wonder if we passed each and didn't know it?
Yeah, the rain was a bummer sometimes. I got lucky though because the last couple of days were beautiful.
hahaha I always wondered if anyone sees themselves in the background of someone else's pictures

I love It's Tough to be a Bug, but I must admit, I scoot forward and lift my feet up every single time. Even though I know it's coming, it still freaks me out! LOL!

Looks like both of your safari trips that morning were awesome! Lots of animals out and about

Yay for getting to meet Mickey, Minnie, Pooh & Tigger with no lines! AND for the CM's thinking you were a CM as well. Wooo!

Oh my gosh, that BBQ Chicken Salad looks absolutely delicious! Yum!

What are your September dates? We'll be there 9/13-9/20!

Awwww I just miss you in September I'm 9/8-9/12. One more little trip before the AP expires. But I'm super excited for MNSSHP and Frozen summer being extended!
My safaris were the best I've had. If it rains, I highly suggest people head over to Animal Kingdom. The animals love the rain!
I got super lucky with meet and greets this trip. It was awesome.
I think CMs thinking you're a CM is the best compliment. It means you really get Disney.

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 4 5/3 Part 4:
Princesses Galore!​

I hung out at Pop for awhile. Called my family and caught them up on my adventures. I changed out of my wet shirt into my super cool Tangled shirt from Hot Topic, put on my tiara and headed to the Magic Kingdom.
I got there around 4:30 and headed back to Fantasyland.



Dream Along with Mickey!
I was hoping to catch Gaston's set but I just missed it
That's ok, though. There were plenty of other things on my agenda.
First off... a snack!



A cake cup from Cheshire Cafe! Holy smokes was this good. It was the strawberry shortcake one. I had been dying to try one for a while. Once again, it did not disappoint.
As I ate I figured out my new game plan. Aladdin and Jasmine's next set was over in Adventureland at 5:30 so I decided to head that way.



But first I had to do a selfie with the castle. I really need a castle, a girl's gotta live somewhere
I made it to Adventureland just as Aladdin and Jasmine were finishing their current set and jumped in line for the next one. I was 3rd for the next set. As we waited I chatted with the people in front of me. One was a very sweet British girl on a solo trip. She only had one more day and was on a mission to meet as many characters as she could (a girl after my own heart LOL) and the other was a mom and her adorable little daughter all dressed up as Jasmine. She was so cute!
Soon Aladdin and Jasmine were back and it was time to greet my fellow royals



See! Aladdin recognized I was a princess and bowed to me



I was fangirling a little bit LOL I can't help it! I love Aladdin. He was my cartoon crush. My favorite prince <3 (Although Flynn Rider is a close second...)



Overall it was a great meet. They were super chatty and fun. They asked if they could take the magic carpet and come visit me in my castle and I told them they were always welcome!
I headed back to Fantasyland. Since I was in a princess kind of mood I figured I'd go and ride Under the Sea and then head over to Ariel's Grotto and meet my favorite little mermaid.



I don't think I waited more then 10 or 15 minutes. After my Under the Sea adventure I headed over to meet Ariel. It was posted at 20 minutes and I think I waited 25.
Ariel was cute and bubbly. She was very intrigued with my pin collection and she got super excited because I had a Prince Eric pin.





I bid Ariel farewell and headed over to Princess Fairytale Hall. I had a FP+ for Rapunzel and Cinderella at 7:10.
I didn't wait too long before I was lead into the room. Rapunzel was first and OMG, once again she did not disappoint. I always have the best meets with Rapunzel.



First we were checking out the walls for places for her to paint.
As we chatted, my meeting Aladdin and Jasmine came up and how they were going to take the magic carpet and come visit me. Punzie didn't want to miss out so we examined the carpet to see if it might make a good magic carpet.



Then she hollered (actually hollered!) over to Cinderella to ask if Fairy Godmother could make the carpet fly!!!!!



Seriously, I was dying and so were all the Character attendants and Photo pass CMs. It was hilarious.





OMG BEST GREET EVER!!!!! I seriously love Rapunzel. Belle is still my favorite princess because I can relate to her but Rapunzel is my BFF.
Next was Cinderella and she was sweet but bland compared to Rapunzel.



She's always so regal.
​

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 4 5/3 Part 5:
Paging Mr. Morrow, Mr. Tom Morrow
​

I headed over to Storybook Circus.





I was thinking about meeting Daisy and Minnie and Donald and Goofy but decided against it and never ended up going back. Whoops lol
A little flight on Dumbo was in order.







I was getting hungry so I headed over to Cosmic Rays and got some chicken nuggets and fries and the chocolate cake for dessert.



It was good. But I can't believe I went to Cosmic Ray's and didn't take a picture of Sonny Eclipse. I love Sonny Eclipse. I'll do better next time, I promise. LOL
Once nourished it was time to explore Tomorrowland. There's just something about Tomorrowland at night. And what better way to start off my Tomorrowland tour then a relaxing spin on the Peoplemover.









I caught some of the Incredibles Dance Party







Next I headed over to Stitch's Great Escape. I know everyone hates on it but I think it's funny. It's not as good as Alien Encounter (my sister and I loved that, it was so creepy) but Stitch makes me laugh.



Speaking of laughter, I headed over to the Laugh Floor after and I made it onto the screen! There was a monster behind me hahahaha
When I got out it was pouring again (surprise, surprise). I shuffled my way over to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.



I answered the call of duty and helped save the galaxy from the evil Emperor Zurg,
It was finally time for my 9:05 FP+ for Space Mountain.



I threw on the poncho and headed out of the park and back to Pop.
I wanted to make sure I got some rest because tomorrow was a big day. It was my 4 parks 1 day and EMHs at Magic Kingdom till 2am. Will I make it? Stay tuned to find out



Today's pin trades. It was a pretty good one. The Soarin' pin is AWESOME. I really like the Nemo too.


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[Britbrie]

Great report so far! Can't wait to read more, sucks about all the rain but looks like you definitely made the most of it!!

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Great report so far! Can't wait to read more, sucks about all the rain but looks like you definitely made the most of it!!

Thank you! Yeah, the rain can definitely be a bummer if you let it. The nice thing about the rain is it keeps a lot of people out of the park so it a great time to explore with out the wait

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 5 5/4
4 Parks 1 Day Part 1:
"These are not the droids you're looking for."​

Today was the day! The Epic "4 Parks 1 Day" day!
When I'm on a week long trip I like to take one day and try to visit all 4 parks. It doesn't work as well for me on a shorter trip, but a week long one is perfect.
I got up around 6:15 and got ready and headed to the food court for breakfast. Another bacon, egg and cheese bagel.
After breakfast I headed back to the room, dropped off my mug, grabbed my park bag and put on my special ears and headed to the bus. I got in line and while I was waiting for the bus I chatting with the couple in front of me. It was the first full day of their vacation and they were super excited. The wife was admiring the pins in my lanyard and asked if I traded. I told her I did and she asked if I would trade my Ariel pin for one of hers. I said sure and snagged a Jasmine pin for my Ariel. She was pretty excited because her sister was a huge Little Mermaid fan and she is always on the hunt for things for her LOL. I also ended up pin trading with the hubby. I love making friends in line
By 8 I was headed to my first park of the day, Hollywood Studios!
My main agenda was to hit up Star Tours and to snag the limited edition "May the Fourth" and "Revenge of the Fifth" pins because it was Star Wars Day!!!!!!



Of course I took a selfie while I was waiting for the Studios to open. I was ready for Star Wars Day with my Darth Vader tee shirt and new R2D2 ears.
They soft opened at 8:45 and I headed straight back to Soundstage 1 to buy my limited edition pins. The line wasn't to bad and by 9am I had these little babies in my hand



Ahhhhh I love them!
Special merchandise in hand, I headed over to the main attraction today... Star Tours.













I love me some Star Wars. Unfortunately. I was, once again, not the rebel spy
We got the scene with the stupid pod race. Ugh, I hate the Phantom Menace. The movie should just die.
After Star Tours I headed over to Muppet Vision 3D.









As always, the Muppets were hilariously funny. It was around 10, so I decided it was time for a snack so it was time to venture off in search of that one special snack that would satisfy my hunger.

​

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 5 5/4
4 Parks 1 Day Part 2:
Breakfast of Champions​

I set out in search of the most scrumptious snack known to man. Of course I took a few pictures along the way.













As you can see, it was finally a beautiful, sunny day.
I arrived at my snack destination. Starring Rolls!!!
I know you're all dying to see what treat my self proclaimed breakfast of champions is. Drum roll please....



Red Velvet cupcake!!!!! OMG this is so amazing! I love cupcakes and this one is just perfection. The cake is moist, the frosting isn't too sweet and the pieces of Heath bar... mmmmmm
With my tummy full and happy, I decide to head over and take another animation class. Hopefully it would go better than my Snow White attempt.
As I was walking by the hat I caught a glimpse of some of the Citizens of Hollywood out and about and mingling with the crowd.







I got over to the Animation Building and made it into the next class. We drew a new member of the Disney family. We drew... Princess Anna of Arendelle!
It went a little bit better this time. Not sure you can tell it's Anna, but it's definitely a person this time.



I looked around at some of the animation art work.









I decided to make my way out. I had 3 other parks to visit today.



Bye Hollywood Studios! Thanks for a fun morning!


​

 

[1Grumpy9]

I just found your TR...Love your posts and pictures!! I would love to do WDW solo some time. Just to relax and on my own schedule. Maybe some day...LOL!!

You mentioned about HS bands marching down Main Street...I can say from experience, it was some of the best experiences I had in HS Band. I also was in color guard, but we had to watch the tracks so we didn't twist ankles.

 

[Debbyt28]

Awwww I just miss you in September I'm 9/8-9/12. One more little trip before the AP expires. But I'm super excited for MNSSHP and Frozen summer being extended!

Hi
Just found your trip report loving all the good tips for solos
I will be there 9/8- 9/18 I'm at the dolphin but 2years ago I was solo at Pop it was my first solo and amazing just hope the Dolphin will be as good haven't for the QSDP so may miss out on all the cupcakes as snack credits
I will look out for you in lines as it looks like we do the same stuff i.e. character meets

 

[IheartDDuck]

Oooohhhh, I've had that cake cup from the Cheshire Cafe, it's awesome! My favorite is the funfetti one they used to have. Now they rotate flavors, but that one was good too.

I haven't met Rapunzel in quite a number of years, so I'm excited to see her in November! She's always so awesome for everyone.

I'm with you, I find Stitch's Great Escape funny too! I mean, it's not my favorite, but I don't think it's as horrible as everyone thinks it is.

Jealous that you got those two pins! They're pretty awesome.

Agreed. Phantom Menace is terrible and should never have been.

Red velvet!!!! Best cupcake of life.

 

[SkubaDis]

Just read your whole trip report to date. I LOVE those Star Wars pins! And cupcakes are totally breakfast food.... they are just muffins with icing!

 

[pirateprincess1976]

I just found your TR...Love your posts and pictures!! I would love to do WDW solo some time. Just to relax and on my own schedule. Maybe some day...LOL!!

You mentioned about HS bands marching down Main Street...I can say from experience, it was some of the best experiences I had in HS Band. I also was in color guard, but we had to watch the tracks so we didn't twist ankles.

Awwww I just miss you in September I'm 9/8-9/12. One more little trip before the AP expires. But I'm super excited for MNSSHP and Frozen summer being extended!

Hi
Just found your trip report loving all the good tips for solos
I will be there 9/8- 9/18 I'm at the dolphin but 2years ago I was solo at Pop it was my first solo and amazing just hope the Dolphin will be as good haven't for the QSDP so may miss out on all the cupcakes as snack credits
I will look out for you in lines as it looks like we do the same stuff i.e. character meets

Oooohhhh, I've had that cake cup from the Cheshire Cafe, it's awesome! My favorite is the funfetti one they used to have. Now they rotate flavors, but that one was good too.

I haven't met Rapunzel in quite a number of years, so I'm excited to see her in November! She's always so awesome for everyone.

I'm with you, I find Stitch's Great Escape funny too! I mean, it's not my favorite, but I don't think it's as horrible as everyone thinks it is.

Jealous that you got those two pins! They're pretty awesome.

Agreed. Phantom Menace is terrible and should never have been.

Red velvet!!!! Best cupcake of life.

Just read your whole trip report to date. I LOVE those Star Wars pins! And cupcakes are totally breakfast food.... they are just muffins with icing!

HI!!!!! Thanks for joining!
I totally think cupcakes are breakfast foods. Actually, occasionally my mom would let us have a piece of cake for breakfast (you know, like when we had birthday cake left over) and she would say that it's like having a donut only its better because it's baked not fried

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 5 5/4
4 Parks 1 Day Part 3:
Lunch and Crowds​

I headed out of Hollywood Studios and made my way over to the Animal Kingdom bus stop. I took my phone out and turned it back on (I had turned it off when I was in the animation class) and there was a missed text from Angela asking me if I was still at Hollywood Studios and if I wanted to ride the Tower of Terror with her (Dave apparently is not a fan of it). Of course I text her back saying I just walked out but I could come back in. She texts me back saying they switched their FP+ when she didn't hear back from me. Doh! lol
Anyways, I waited for a bit and the Animal Kingdom bus came along and we were soon on our way.





An anteater!
Since it was finally a nice, sunny day, everyone decide to go to the Animal Kingdom. It was super crowded, everything had a good size wait. But I was worried. I had no real plans here other than lunch.
I made my way back towards Asia.



See! Pretty crowded.



A little selfie action with the Tree of Life.



The Tree of Life is amazing to look at.
I made to Asia and stopped at a new place for me, Yak and Yeti Local Foods Cafe (the Yak and Yeti quick service). Back in September, Allison and I had had lunch at the Yak and Yeti table service. I had the honey chicken and it was delicious so I was dying to try the quick service version. It was super busy but I finally made it up to order. I got the Honey Chicken (which came with the honey chicken, white rice and carrots and broccoli in a chinese take out box), the triple chocolate mouse and a coke.
I don't have any pictures of this because it was so busy and there's not a lot of seating in the area. I spent quite a bit of time walking around looking for some place to eat. I finally found a place to balance and ate. The honey chicken was just as good as I remembered. Yum.
It was super hot at this point and the sun was beating down so I browsed in the stores and pin traded. I figured since everything had a wait, I would go see It's Tough to be a Bug and head out and that's just what I did.
I jumped on the bus back to Pop and get there around 3.



Star Wars trivia, anyone?
I made my way back to the room. I still had to more parks to visit but I decide I was going to take a little nap. I know, I know, No Sleeping in Disney, but Magic Kingdom had EMHs until 2am and I was determined to make it till the end so a little mid day break was in order.
I set my alarm and got up around 5. I changed and got myself ready for the evening.



I love the pool view.



Ready to go, Epcot or bust!



​

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 5 5/4
4 Parks 1 Day Part 4:
Park #3
EPCOT

So I made it to my third park of the day, Epcot!
I got there a little before 6 which was perfect because I had a FP+ for Soarin' at 7:10.





Spaceship Earth is so perfect.



Me and my sister's Leave a Legacy tile. We're always in Epcot
I was getting a little hungry and I had some time to kill so I headed off to grab dinner at....



The Electric Umbrella!
My sister and I always loved this place. We always found their upstairs seating area a nice, quiet break from Epcot.
I ended up getting the chicken nuggets and fries with the strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Yum!



When I finished, I made my way over to the Land. Of course I took some pictures along the way. I also cut through Tink's Butterfly Garden where I finally did see some butterflies. It was pretty cool.

















Soarin' was fabulous as always. I just love the feeling of flying and the smell of the pine trees and the orange groves... I really do feel like I could dip my toes in the water.
Next I decided to head over to Test Track.



Fountain of Nations!!!!



Yeah... I'm just not a fan of the new Test Track. Designing a car doesn't appeal to me. The ride's ok but I just don't feel the same love I used to feel. If it wasn't for the Single Rider line, I'd probably be ok with skipping it all together.
With Test Track out of the way, there was one more thing I wanted to do before I headed to the Magic Kingdom.




​

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Day 5 5/4
4 Parks 1 Day Part 5:
Welcome to Your Future!​

I had a FP+ for Spaceship Earth at 8:30, so that's just where I headed next.





I can't even tell you how much I love the Flower and Garden Festival.







I love this go-go boot wearing chick lol





Welcome to my Future!



Me and my blue haired friend just cruising along...



And now we're scuba diving...



Now it was time to make my way out and head to my favorite park, via my favorite mode of transportation.







Bye Donald!!!!!!



Monorail Time!!!!!!!!





Please stand clear of the doors! Por favor mantengase alejado de las puertas!
Next stop... Magic Kingdom!!!!!!!
​

 

[marDgreen88]

Good job on your 4 parks mission! It's such a fun thing to do. Might need to try that again myself!

Okay, we were most definitely on the same monorail from TTC to MK! Because at one point I thought I saw someone who might be you, from the back, but I wasn't sure and I was pretty close to missing the monorail so I just forgot about it... but now I'm pretty sure it had to be you. Darn!

 

[Volkswagenphreak]

Im loving your TR great job so far! Cant wait to read more!

 

[pirateprincess1976]

Good job on your 4 parks mission! It's such a fun thing to do. Might need to try that again myself!

Okay, we were most definitely on the same monorail from TTC to MK! Because at one point I thought I saw someone who might be you, from the back, but I wasn't sure and I was pretty close to missing the monorail so I just forgot about it... but now I'm pretty sure it had to be you. Darn!

I highly recommend 4 parks 1 day! This one was awesome because I usually go in the fall so park hours are so short, the latest anything is open is 11. So having MK open until 2am was amazing. It makes me hope that next year they'll do another 24 day because I mean really, what's another 4 hours?
Awwwwww, we just kept missing each other and now we're just going to miss each other again by a couple of days!

Im loving your TR great job so far! Cant wait to read more!

Thank you! And thanks for joining along

 

[pirateprincess1976]

We interrupt this regularly scheduled trip report for some breaking news....

OK... So... In 5 days I'm going to Disney World!!!!!!!

Yeah.... I'm kind of excited

Anyways, I figured I'd do a little PTR update. I still have a couple of more days to finish in this report, but once this is done I'll definitely do one for this upcoming trip.
Now on to the who, what, where, when, why and hows
​

Who:​

Me!!!!!!!! Another solo trip for me. No one else could afford it because we're all saving for next fall and our birthday extravaganza trip (but that's another trip report in another year )​

What:​

A 5 day, 4 night trip with MNSSHP thrown in
​

When:​

September 8-12, 2014​

Where:​

All Star Music. Excited because I haven't stayed here since 2009. I have fond memories of ASMu. It was the first resort I stayed at when I went with my friends instead of my family.
​

Why:​

My Annual Pass is still good through September 12th and I got a really good room rate so... why not!!!!

As of right now my plans are
9/8 Hollywood Studios
9/9 Animal Kingdom and MNSSHP
9/10 Epcot
9/11 Magic Kingdom
9/12 Magic Kingdom
Of course, with an AP, I can't rule out a little park hopping thrown in, but we'll see

I will be dressing up for MNSSHP again this year. I found a sleeveless blue dress at Forever 21, so with a white shirt under it and an apron I will be going as Little Town Belle. My #1 Goal is a meet with Gaston. Other than that, we'll see what characters I can meet in between trick or treating, and the parade and Hallowishes... Can't wait!

If anyone is in Disney at the same time and you see me out and about, feel free to say hello. I love meeting Disney friends. Feel free to follow me on instagram @bruinz442 or PM if you want to add me on Facebook.

So that's the long and short of it. I'm hoping to finish up my 4 parks 1 day day before I leave. Bye for now!



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