My Laid-Back, Stress-Free, Solo Trip (REFLECTIONS)

[MOmousefan]

It's 71 degrees and a little past 7:00PM as I walk down Main Street. People are already staking out their spots for the 9:00 parade.

I walk through Adventureland and take a ride on POTC. The evening is so nice it feels good just to walk around the park as I look for a good spot to see Wishes. I get a water and pretzel at the Lunching Pad and decide on the path that runs between shortcut to Tommorrowland and the main entry.

The castle looks good in the fading sunlight...

The parade comes and goes, and then the Memories show on the Castle takes me totaly by surprise. What a neat experience. Finally Wishes takes place and I enjoy the show. My photography skills are sorely lacking again and there are few good photos...

I stay and watch the second parade. The crowds thin out and you could stand anywhere you want in the Hub during the parade.
It's been another long but satisfying day and I had back to Pop around midnight. Tommorrow.....DHS.

 

[GoldenAfternoon]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! Your pictures are great, as well. Thank you for sharing with us

 

[MOmousefan]

I'm really enjoying your trip report! Your pictures are great, as well. Thank you for sharing with us

Thanks a lot! I appreciate you reading this TR. I am starting the Friday page shortly.

 

[MOmousefan]

Friday, my last full day. There is no EMH so I decide to do DHS to see the new Pixar Parade. I must also remember to do Southwest at the 24 hour mark.

I arrive at the park and there is a small line at the gates. There is no skit before they lower the rope and lead us to TSM. This is the FP return 15 minutes after opening:

I need to get my TOT fix, so off to Sunset Blvd. As I approach the entrance I see CMs turning people back, this can't be good. Indeed TOT is down for an indefinite period of time. I get a FP and as I'm leaving, they open the ride!

It's still an awesome experience. I have to you about my preshow experience. You know the first room that you enter to hear the story about the hotel? I happened to be the first one in so I moved to the extreme corner. Five teenage girls followed and they were looking all over the floor. One of them asked what part of the floor dropped! Without saying a word I stepped off the carpet and onto the hardwood trim by the wall. They all spread out around the perimeter to get off the carpet. They thanked me profusely calling me sir, so I felt bad and told them how the attraction worked. We all laughed and enjoyed the terror.
There seemed to be a commotion in the courtyard by the hat, it turned out to be the Disney Channel Rocks show.

Next up One Man's Dream...

Followed by The Muppets..

The GMR..

Indiana Jones...

And TOT using my FP. I wander around the Animation Courtyard and enjoy the characters and seeing the sights.

It is getting close to the 24 hour mark so I head over to Guest relations where a CM prints out my boarding pass. I get B16 and wonder why the low number. As I wait for the parade I talk to a CM who is pulling weeds in front of Sid Cahuenga's. She arrives at 4:00AM to water 300 hanging plants.
While waiting for the parade I people-watch and see some sights..

At last the parade arrives and I video it for my DGDs.

The old Block Party Bash parade was my all time favorite, so this parade had a lot to live up to. It is OK, but a poor replacement IMHO.
The sound system on Hollywood Blvd is awesome and I notice that the speakers on the roofs extend out for the parade.

It is time to leave DHS and see EPCOT for the last time this trip.

 

[MOmousefan]

I arrive at EPCOT around 6:00 and realize I am hungry, so off to Sunshine Seasons and a chicken ceasar salad, my favorite.

I proceed around the World Showcase taking lots of pictures. I have left my big camera bag in the room with DSLR and only carry my P&S, a Panasonic FZ35 and my 6" collapsable tripod in my pocket. The sun is starting to set as I fire away...

I stake out a spot in front of Mexico to view Illuminations and visit with those around me..

I am sort of pleased with the photos, but these were taken hand-held.
During Illumnations one of the most ackward/embarassing/frustrating things happened: I was the first one at the fence before the fireworks. On one side was a very polite group of kids on their senior trip, the other side two guys, and behind me a family of four. We talked about WDW and things in general until the show started. I proceeded to take photos and someone yells "Down in front!" I look around and I am the only one standing for 30 feet in each direction. As far as the eye could see people were standing, something we have always done. I could'nt sit and still take pictures so I just stood there and listened to the complaints. I was there first and decided to ignore them. Needless to say I was relieved when the fireworks ended.
The night is still young so I decided to wander around looking for more photo opportunities..

It is now after 11:00 and I decide to get my picture taken with the Big Five. I can't believe how many youngsters are still up but I wait my turn.

Time to head for the room and get ready for tommorrow, my last day.

 

[MAGIC...itis!]

Thanks for your trip report. Yes, I also appreciate chapter indexing.

Your concise reporting was very refreshing and perfectly complemented your wonderful photos. I really feel like I took a trip to Disney just now.

Thanks.. I needed that!

 

[MOmousefan]

Thanks for your trip report. Yes, I also appreciate chapter indexing.

Your concise reporting was very refreshing and perfectly complemented your wonderful photos. I really feel like I took a trip to Disney just now.

Thanks.. I needed that!

Your welcome... And thank you.

 

[MOmousefan]

I awake to my last day at WDW. I have mixed emotions as this has been the best trip ever for me but after 5 nights I am ready for home. I have my first breakfast at the PoP dining hall as I don't know when I will eat lunch. I have the breakfast platter of eggs, potatoes, french toast, sausage and bacon. It sounds like a lot and it is, I can't eat it all. My bus leaves at 11:45, so I only have several hours and DHS is having EMH. I was just there yesterday but decide the extra hour is needed. On the bus I hear people talking about the "surprise" EMH at the MK yesterday (Fri) and wonder how you find out about these things.
At RD I head to TSM and enjoy my second favorite attraction.

The park is far from crowded as I head to TOT and it is a walk-on.
The story behind this shot is the T-shirt is a Speed Racer Poker run team shirt. My son put this boat together so I wear this shirt and try to get pictures wherever I am at.

This is a Star Wars Weekend so I want to see what is going on and they are having an academy?, Darth is teaching young jedi how to use light sabers.

I walk by Voyage and they are just starting another show, so in I go. The lasers used in this show are the highlight as far as I am concerned.

It's around 10:00 and I take a break with a diet Coke and some popcorn. I sit at a bench on Hollywood Blvd right by the statue of Walt with his movie camera. Here it is...

If you notice in the picture there is a rope across the street. They are blocking off the area around the Hat. I ask a security guard and he say there will be a Disney Channel parade in a few minutes and I can stay there if I REMAIN SEATED! I stay rooted as the kids pass by.
Looking at the guard it dawns on me that I have not seen Officer Percival Peabody, one of my favorite streetmosphere people. I had a run-in with him in 2008 but it ended well.

One last look toward the Hat

It is getting close to the time to leave, so I wander down near the entrance and see a woman pulling weeds.

I stop to talk and she tells me she is a certified horticulturist who comes in at 4:00AM to water 300 hanging baskets. I will never look at these the same again...

I leave the park and wait for a PoP bus.The buses have been great all week and I hope this continues. Another family joins me at the stop and apparently have little english as they talk to one another. After an eternity (Not really) a bus arrives and this family rushes the bus's door before the driver can get the passengers off. The driver has to actually push these people back and all the while they are saying Bleezerd Beeech. He tries to tell them the bus is going to PoP but they having no part of this. I am still waiting to get on the bus and make sure the driver knows I am not a part of this family. He finally said he would take them to BB. I asked if we would go to PoP first and he said of course. This part of the story is my favorite part; We pull up to PoP and the driver announces "Blizzard Beach" and we all get off. As I exit the front the driver has a big smile on his face and I tell him he is awesome. They were standing in the sun looking around as I go to bell services for my bag. What a fantastic way to end my vacation!

Is this a sad sight or what?

The crowd slowly builds and a bus pulls up that is nearly full. They asks if there is a single and on I go. I get through security and have a snack before boarding the plane. There is a fmily of three two rows up and the little boy is screaming at the top of his lungs. The plane is full so someone gets to sit behind him and enjoy the concert. It reaches a point where the gate agent comes on board and can be seen talking to a FA and pilot. The parents try to hold the kid down out of sight, but he keeps boiling up to the surface and screams nonstop. We eventuall take off and he calms down or is in a headlock for the rest of the trip.The rest of the trip home is uneventful which is just the way I like it. I arrive home around 8:00PM. I cannot believe that this morning I woke up in WDW. This has been an awesome trip and I will do one last post as a reflection of my experience.
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. Oh BTW, This is what I brought home for my wife.....

 

[MOmousefan]

Thanks to all who have read and responded to this long-winded TR. This is the best trip I have ever had to WDW and I enjoyed sharing it with you. Looking back, there are a few things I would have differently and many more things that went exactly as I anticipated.
Travel - I used a park-and-fly service near MCI (Kansas City) and it was great. They loaded my bags in both directions and showed me a shortcut to checking my bags at the airport. Southwest delivered exactly as promised and ME was fine except for a slow driver (Mears) from MCO to PoP.

While I have only stayed at PoP, it is perfect for my travelling style. The buses were always prompt and the food court is good.

My plan for this trip was to take it easy and take lots of photos and videos. I ended up with 5300 photos and vids totaling 55GB of hard drive space on my laptop. By going at a slower speed I experienced things I missed on 6 previous trips.

AK - I have come to enjoy this park more just by sitting and watching. The Africa area is greatbecause it is not crowded but there is lots to see. Things seem to travel at a slower pace in this park and the CMs will spend time talking to you. In fact I spent more time talking to CMs and they are the real jewels of WDW.
ALL and I mean ALL CMs were very gracious in allowing me to video them sending a greeting to my Granddaughter. The final video is 27 minutes long, but HERE is a condensed version with just the CMs. Again thank you CMs!

By adopting the non-commando touring style, I did miss a few things. I didn't see Dinosuar, TT, Oh Canada, RnR, BTMRR, and Mickey's Philharmagic, and attractions I normally must see. I guess next trip I can look forward to seeing them.

About the only negative experience I had was the crowding to get into Fantasmic! I had to have been in the first 1000 people in line and still people were pushing through the crowd. It holds 7500 people! But that is human nature not Disney's fault.

I plan on another trip next year, maybe to the F&W festival, something I have never experienced. I also hope my granddaughter will be ready to go. Every time she visits we watch her video, sometimes more then once.

Thanks again to all on this board, I will now read current TRs with envy and continue to glean information for my next trip.

 

[donaldsgal]

I just read your TR tonight. I'm 95% certain I'll be taking a solo trip next May for 4 days before my sister and niece join me for two days. Then, we'll all head off on a cruise on the new Disney Fantasy!

That said, this addition of 4 days of solo touring has me interested in solo TRs. I really enjoyed yours. I usually get to do everything I want on trips, but I am looking forward to making my priority to be soaking up Disney, not focusing on rides and shows (my typical approach, though not commando). I really liked your TR because your attitude seemed to be to enjoy the atmosphere of the parks. I also think it is VERY COOL that you're a granddad and took a solo trip. If I was your granddaughter, you'd be my Disney hero.

Anyway, thanks for the TR. I hope your future trips are as fulfilling as this one was for you!

 

[MOmousefan]

donaldsgal - Thank You. Solo trips have been fun and I will continue to enjoy them in the future. I also want to enjoy them with my granddaughters, so future trips should be a mixed bag. I hope that you enjoy your solo trip and get to do whatever you wish.

 

[jwhtewolfd]

Thanks for sharing your pictures and adventures. That CM video is so adorable.

 

[MOmousefan]

Thank You!

 

[heaven2dc]

So sad to see your journey end I had a great time following along with you each day - I love solo trips and hope to do one soon (but doesn't look too promising). Thanks for sharing!

P.S. Love the final pic of you holding your granddaughter

 

[MOmousefan]

So sad to see your journey end I had a great time following along with you each day - I love solo trips and hope to do one soon (but doesn't look too promising). Thanks for sharing!

P.S. Love the final pic of you holding your granddaughter

Thank you for the comment. I have enjoyed my solo trips, but look forward to taking these two ladies to meet Mickey. Lily, the oldest, knows who most of the characters are as well as the Castle and the Princesses. Elizabeth will be one year old next week and her Disney education has started.