My Solo Supercalifragilistic Sabbatical at SSR UPDATED 9/6 Final Thoughts

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Let the Hopping Begin

After wandering around the park I stopped to watch Voyage of the Little Mermaid and cool off. It was already blazing sweating hot. I just love that show, how cool would it be to be Ariel!? Just about any time I see the shows at WDW I wish I would have stayed in dance longer as a child and had some voice lessons. After I cooled off a bit Under the Sea I headed toward Muppets 3D, on the way I passed:

I hadn’t been in a long time and since other waits were starting to grow tremendously I decided to take a spin. I walked up right into the next water show. We watched some people get drenched, I jumped at the gunfire scene, and then we were off to our trams. One of the best parts of the Backlot Tour for me is the prop wharehouse. I know it used to be bigger but what’s left is neat and they do a good job of swapping the stuff out every once in a while. Timothy Green is evidentially their next big thing and all of the TV’s are playing scenes from it and there were props and movie posters about advertising it.


On to the real tour, I do miss the live narroration on this tour and overall think it’s a scrapper and should be put out of its misery but I do ride it for 2 reasons. To get shots of 2 parts of WDW history.

Then we entered Catastrophe Canyone and well you know the rest. If the DHS is getting Cars Land rumors are true at least I got one last spin on the BackLot tour. DH isn’t a fan either but as we went thru my trip pictures he said he wants to to ride it again next trip so I guess that won’t be my last ride on it.

My tummy was starting to gruble again and I was hot. Hot hot. Needed a break hot. So I headed toward the exit. It was about noon. Here is what you can expect at Hollywood Studios when you sleep in and enter at noon.

On my way out the door I decided it was time for one of these:

I only eat ice cream at Walt Disney world. I’m just weird like that. I don’t really like it at home, its ok but not something I ever am sitting around the house and go hmm I’d like some ice cream. But at Disney I can devour my fair share of Mickey Premiums, Mickey Cookie Sandwiches, Dole Whips (technically not ice cream), and my new favorite the Sleepy Hollow Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich.
So I said by to Hollywood Studios and realized that I spend a lot of timer there anymore. Last trip we spent several half days there, we claim it isn’t our favorite park but our schedule doesn’t agree with that anymore.

I headed out and saw the boat coming to Epcot so I thought hmm Fish and Chips sounds good for lunch and I want to play the Agent P game so I grabbed a ride. I enjoyed my Mickey bar and sat back and enjoyed the relaxing boat ride. Some complain about the time the boat takes but I love it, I’m off my aching feet, its shaded and it’s a nice view. Very relaxing. DH sleeps on the boats every time we get on one when we are there.
I headed into the International Gateway and stopped to get my mission assignment for Agent P’s Wolrd Showcase Adventure. We are huge Phineas & Ferb fans at our house and we loved the Kim Possible missions, we were so bumped that neither was open during our May trip, so I was excited to try it out. Then I walked right by Alice, with no wait, so I stopped to get a picture. We had a lovely chat about tea that afternoon.

I got my lunch from Yorkshire and found a great seat down by the water. There was a small covered area with 4 tables behind the Rose and Crown but not in their outdoor seating. There was no one around so I grabbed a table with a view of the lagoon and enjoyed my lunch. I sat for a while and another family came down and joined me. When their kiddo was asking what there was to do in Epcot. That was my que. I started talking to them and explained the Agent P adventure. Kiddo was super excited and mom and dad looked like they could kiss me. Their kiddo agreed to trudge on thru the World Showcase if they could play.

The view from my new super favorite spot at Epcot:

I bid my new friends farewell after I shared a few more tips and headed out. It was time to join the Agency. I got out my PHONE and waited for my instructions.

I was headed to France:

I had to take a break mid mission b/c DH called. When he left we had no idea if I would hear from him at all after he landed at the airport and left Billings. So while I had talked to him one they landed I didn’t know if they made it to the reservation, I didn’t know if he was ok, what type of accommodations they would have and didn’t even know if they would have plumbing or running water. That’s how little of info they had before the trip (again this type A would not have survived that). We knew for sure they would have a 3 hour drive to the reservation and had the option of staying in teepees and that no cell service worked at their camp at all, but that was about all we knew at that point. So when they went out to church that morning he realized he had signal he called me. We had swapped his phone to a Nextel phone which tend to pick up in places where regular digital service doesn’t. I was thrilled to hear from him, hear he was safe, and a little bit about their camp. Since this isn’t a trip report for him I won’t bore you with the details. In a nutshell he says it was awesome, it sounded liked misery to me. But after I hung up with him I was a little mopey and sad. I missed him. We have never been apart more than a night (and that was this past May for a boy scout camp out) since we have been married, we work together, ride to work together, have lunch together most days and are just together a lot. We do have separate hobbies and stuff but in general we are best buds and even do a lot of hobbies together.
But enough moping around I was at Disney! I sat and watched a super lucky little girl get a greeting with both Aurora and Bell and Beast since they were swapping off. It was really cool and I just love that unplanned things still do happen at Disney. I’d love to have that picture. Then I got the magic fuzzy feelings and remember I was on mission! It was time to get back to work. In no time I foiled Dr Doofensmirtz’s evil plan and saved the day!
It was blazing hot and I was headed to my next mission but as I headed toward Morocco I noticed he World Showcase players setting up so I stopped to watch. They insisted I take a seat in one of the chairs for the show so I had a great view.

It was a cute show, I am just amazed at the talent they have in Epcot. All the little shows and such are really a great addition to the park. After the show I requested a photo with the performers and chatted a bit with them. They were very friendly and love to meet their fans.

I wondered thru Morroco a bit into the shop and then pressed on. My plan was to ride Maelstrom and meet Mulan in China. The line was insanely long when I got to her so I opted out and headed on. About Germany I decided I was sweltering and it was pool time. So I grabbed the boat over to the Future World side. And then I saw Duffy. Duffy and I are BFF’s. I had the best interaction with him at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party last year. I swore I wouldn’t buy into the marketing scheme of Duffy but at Food and Wine they had a Chef Duffy that was adorable. And since I’m a cook (I would like to say Chef but I have no formal training) I was smitten. I resisted the urge to buy but seeing him in his Pumpkin outfit at MNSSHP was just too much. And he was a hoot. I was Agent P, DH was Dr Doof and Duffy played secret agent with us! The pictures are great. Then at MVMCP I had a rough day to say the least. Our dog passed away at home while we were there and the party was that night and Duffy was great for cheering me up. I told Duffy I loved his Santa outfit and that I was so happy to see him again and he remembered me. It was great. So I am a Duffy fan. Big time. I have a Duffy and a few outfits now. And want them all. But I’d never met Sailor Duffy so I had to stop for a picture.

After my picture with Duffy I headed out for a break but passed by

With no wait so I went in. I just love that ride. The interactive elements they added a few years back are a hoot. I finally really did leave Epcot this time and headed toward the bus stop. I walked up and it pulled up. It was great and I had this bus all to myself. I chatted with the driver on the way back. Being solo Disney CM’s seem to go out of their way to be nice and chat with me.
I got to the room and changed quickly with the intention of heading to Blizzard Beach. I actually had time to sit down and wait for this bus it took about 5 minutes. And off I was. I headed for the lazy river first and took a few spins. Then off to the wave pool, I like the BB pool better because the waves are more gentle. Then I did a few slides, I don’t remember which and hopped back in the lazy river for another spin around and to get off at my stop close to my chair. Halfway thru my spin this time they called for park closing due to lightening. It didn’t look nearly as threatening as the day before but they pulled us all out of the lazy river and I hiked back to my towel to head out. I was about 4pm and I knew there was no point in sticking around for the 8pm close since I wanted to head to the parks that night. It was EMH at MK till 2 am and I was planning on making the most of it.

Up Next: Late nights, short lines
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[PIRATEGIRL007]

A quick trip back to the room, I chilled for a few minutes on the balcony checking some work emails and doing a little catch up work. Then I changed into my swimwear. I decided to head to a water park. Blizzard Beach bus pulled up so I hopped on and off I went. I had enough time to chill in the lazy river for 2-3 spins before they shut it down for lightening. I headed back to SSR and it poured rain while I was on the bus. When I got to my bus stop it slowed to a steady drizzle so I ran for cover and wound my way thru our building to avoid getting soaked. The buildings at SSR are huge and you can easily get turned around and end up at a dead end, which I did a few times before getting back to the room. I sat out on the balcony and watched the storm roll in over downtown Disney and just chilled. I loved sitting out on the balcony hearing the music drifting across the lake and watching the boats scurry back and forth. I also saw a lot of birds flittering about at the waterfront.

I headed inside to rest some before my big night at Magic Kingdom. We travel a lot during off season and Magic Kingdom is rarely open past 11pm, having Extra Magic Hours till 2am would be a treat for me. During off season EMH are a waste of time for us because the hours are early and most people can stay up and out in the parks that late. I watched some more TV land and became addicted to watching episode after episode of King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond. When I got back home I checked and we get TV land so now I have 2 DVR recordings set for those shows and we have started watching the reruns again when we have time.

After my vegging out in front of the TV I noticed the skies had cleared and the sun was starting to set. I got ready and headed to Magic Kingdom. This was my longest wait for a bus. I waited almost 14 minutes for a bus! But while I was waiting I met another DIS’ser from Pennsylvania (on an ECV w/ hubby, teen daughter, and younger daughter, your son had already gone back home that day). I’m sorry I don’t remember the name if you are out there reading Hi! She and I had a great chat they are hard core fans like I am and visit a few times a year. Her kids and husband were super friendly too. I enjoyed waiting with them and the time flew by. And off to MK we went.

When I arrived I was blown away at the crowds already lined up for the parade it was at least an hour before the parade was to step off and Main Street was packed with tour groups taking up 20 yards or so on each side. It was wild. Mickey had a 10 minute wait so I decided to hop in and say Hi. I haven’t actually seen Magician Mickey, he was Christmas and Holiday versions the last time I was in there so with that short of wait I figured why not. I made friends with some Mass Disney fans in line and nearly laughed myself into stitches because the dad was acting so excited to see Mickey that he was starstruck to embarrass his teenagers, the more embarrassed they were the more he laid it on. It was a hoot. The girl behind me was also solo, here as part of the college program from Nebraska. We chatted a few minutes; she said part of her Traditions course was to come meet Mickey so she was excited to have the chance (why can’t my job have a cool requirement like that!). She was touring the parks solo that evening for the first time too, she said normally her other college program friends were with her. She was a bit apprehensive about it, and since my 2 days of experience made me feel like a pro I gave her a pep talk.

After saying Hi to an old friend (and his gal pal). I headed off for a spot to see Wishes. I had arranged to meet up with some friends from another online Disney community I’m apart of after the Dessert Party so I watched right outside that area. My camera is not all the for fireworks, DH’s SLR is what we normally use but I grabbed a few shots from my spot so you can see what its like from back there. Not bad for walking up 10 minutes before in July, I was at the rail and only had one tree blocking a few fireworks on one side of the castle. But I got to see Tink fly right toward me so that was worth a tree or two in the way.

Afterwards I headed to our meet up spot and met 2 new friends. Ironically we live about 20 minutes apart from each other, we had found out a few months back we lived nearby and we came all the way to WDW to meet. One of them also taught at my DD’s school until about 3 years ago. Cue the It’s A Small World music here………

I headed off into the park for some nighttime touring. I hit up Peoplemover which is one of my favorite. If you are a people watcher this is the ride for you. I just love zipping along at night with the lights of Magic Kingdom and watching people below scurry about. It’s great. I grabbed a FP for Buzz Lightyear and headed to Carosel of Progress before it closed. CoP is one of my favorite attractions because of Walt’s involvement with it. We did the Marceline to Magic Kingdom tour back in May and rope CoP as part of the tour. I was already a CoP fan but that took it to new heights. I hit a few more rides before deciding I was starved. I headed off to find something to eat.

Cosmic Rays was still open and since I’d never eaten there I thought why not try it. I saw a tour group heading over so put a skip in my step to beat them inside. Oh boy was I wrong there was already another group inside ordering. Snot. My choices were limited at this hour so I got in line and thought this won’t take too long. 10 minutes later I ordered. 15 minutes after that I stood crammed in a corral with 20 other annoyed adults while the poor Cast Members yelled # blah blah over and over to the foreign teen tour group while the teens ignored them. It was a mess. Finally a Spanish (assuming I am not good with languages) CM came over and started grabbing the tickets out of the teens hands and shoving trays of food at them. While annoying it was a neat people watching experience. I can’t imagine going in somewhere to eat and just not listening for my number or think it was normal to stand there and no one get food for 10, 15, 20 minutes. Finally I got my food and headed outside for a table. I got a prefect view of the castle and could see some of Main Street Electrical Parade passing. For dinner that night I tried the vegetarian sandwich with the cucumber salad.

I can’t find a good menu description now but I remember it had eggplant, red peppers, green peppers, onions cheese, and a sauce (which I had to check the ingredient/allergy list for, it was vinegar based and had eggs but mission many other mayo components so not sure what it was but it wasn’t mayo). I added lettuce tomatoes and pickles to it. It was a great sandwich, a good sized portion and plenty of heartiness to it. I didn’t miss the meat at all. I am a veggie lover and I would definitely order it again. The cucumber salad was good too your basic cucumber with vinegar based dressing, red onions, and herbs. I would also get it again.

Then I headed off into the park I don’t remember everything I did but off the top of my head before EMH was over I was able to accomplish with little to no wait: Buzz Lightyear’s SpaceRanger Spin, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s A Small World, 2 rides on Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Mickey’s Philharmagic. I was tired and heading to the exit when I walked by Haunted Mansion with no wait so I had to do that too. I was so sleepy I might have nodded off in the graveyard. I headed toward the exit but then I walked by Pirates with no wait so I had to do it too. Then I headed for the exit about 10 till 2. But I had to stop for a photopass picture first:

I had almost made it still closing but I couldn’t last another minute. Out to the bus stop and saw about 20 or so sleepyheads yawning in the que. I thought oh well I’m standing on this bus that’s probably good it will keep me awake. I hopped in line nad up came the bus! Wohooo! And I got a seat. It was great. The bus was so quiet you could hear a few people snoring softly but it was peaceful and relaxing. I loved the ride back nad managed to stay awake because I was afraid I would miss my stop! I hopped off in Congress Park and headed to my room to crash. I decided as soon as I stepped off the bust that rope drop was out of the question for Monday morning. I walked in the room barely changed into pjs and was out like a light.

Up Next:
Working in the World Day 3​

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

My alarm went off before 9 the next morning. I groaned and rolled over to kill it. But I had to get up I had some work to do before my conference call at noon that day. I underestimated how much prep work I needed to do and ended up scrambling all morning trying to get it done. BTW the wifi in SSR worked great I used it every day and it was great. I was starved and realized my 3 hour conference call would be during lunch and if I didn’t get some food I would be about passed out before it was over. I got debated running over to DTD to grab a sandwich from the Earl, but decided that may take too long and head to Artist’s Palette instead. I practically jogged there afraid I wouldn’t make it back in time for my call. I couldn’t decide between a veggie flatbread and Toga wrap so I got them both. I figured I could save half of one for snack. I ordered no slaw but as you see got it anyway at least I wasn’t charged for it this time. I opted to walk (ok run) back to the room instead of wait for the bus for fear I would be late for my call. I normally don’t do a lot of important work but this was mandatory training for my fun 2nd job and being new still I didn’t want to leave a bad impression like I was a slacker.

After my jog over and back with a bag full of food I made it with about 5 minutes to spare before my call. I set up shop and sat back to work and chow down.

The flatbread was good, warm and soft, not too crispy or chewy. The veggies were seasoned well and cooked to a good firm but not underdone texture. The wrap was good but not anything to write home about, your basic turkey and cheese wrap. I ate about half of it and ended up finishing the flatbread and tossing the rest of the wrap in the fridge for later. About halfway thru the call I grabbed the laptop and headed out to the balcony. I thought this is the life, working while on vacation can be tolerated when I have a view like this. Lucky for me the call went quickly and I was off in about 2 hours. I was thrilled to be getting some time back during my vacation.

After staying out of the parks all morning I was ready for some park time. I headed to the bus stop and MK bus pulled up so I hopped on. I arrived at MK just as the parade was passing. I cut up thru the shops and headed toward Adventureland.

So how crowded is in July is a question that comes up here often. This is around 3pm after the parade passes you tell me what you think:

I noticed Ariel and Eric’s line was just starting. Eric and a few fairies are the only characters in the parks currently I haven’t met so I hopped in line. I knew it would be 30 minutes before they came out but I was getting a spot up near the front in the shade so it was worth it. The line quickly filled and the CM cut it off. Then people started lining up for the 430 greeting. It was not even 330 then. And they were out in the full sun, in July! No way José. I was pushing my limits with 30 minutes. But I got my picture and autograph. Ariel and Eric are very chatty and the line creeps even after they come out. I thought Rapunzel and Flynn were chatty but they have nothing on these 2. Ariel must still be making up for losing her voice for those few days.

After that long wait I decided it was time for a break and a refreshment. I grabbed my 2nd favorite WDW treat and a seat in the rocks nearby.

I sat and watched people for a bit, a nice gentleman from Boston sat down near me and we had quiet a chat. He was a chatter and we talked for a while. His girlfriend and kid were waiting on Tink and he needed a break from the pixie dust. Being solo really did give me an opportunity to meet lots of nice people in the park. I never felt alone and found myself chatting up strangers, stopping to take pictures for more people than normal and getting more attention from Cast Members than usual. The solo trip overall was great but meeting all these other people sharing in the magic was just a plus on top of Disney.

I toured Adventureland for a while, hitting up Tiki Birds, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Jungel Cruise using the FP I grabbed before getting my Dole Whip. Then I decided I was roasting. It was hot. Hot hot. And that standing under the porch waiting on Ariel with little to no breeze was taking its toll now after an hour or so. I decided to head out for a swim. So back to the bus stop and off to my home away from home I went. I swam for a while and read some of my book. The Congress Park pool had a gorgeous view and it was just peaceful. I never was there when there were more than 10 people at the pool and I loved not having to jump out of the way in the pool ever few minutes to avoid a kid hitting me.

When I was cooling off in the pool I thought ya know I havn’t been to Animal Kingdom at all yet. I want to ride Everest. It was already after 5 o clock though. I knew AK closed at 8pm and some stuff shut down before that. I hurried up to the room from the pool and got ready to go to Animal Kingdom. What?! You are going to a park with less than 2 hours left. Yes yes I am. I only wanted to ride Everest and maybe the Safari and see It’s Tough to Be A Bug so why not. By the time I arrived at Animal Kingdom it was almost 7pm. Do I get everything done on my wish list?

Continued in the Next Post​

 

[catinthehat35]

Hi! I just joined your trip report! I am so envious of you getting to enjoy Disney solo. It's something I have wanted to do for a while now. You look like you had a lot of fun in your pictures. I am also from Tennessee. Knoxville area. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your fun trip. I see you have another trip planned in less than a week. Awesome! Do you think you will post another trip report?

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Hi! I just joined your trip report! I am so envious of you getting to enjoy Disney solo. It's something I have wanted to do for a while now. You look like you had a lot of fun in your pictures. I am also from Tennessee. Knoxville area. I can't wait to hear about the rest of your fun trip. I see you have another trip planned in less than a week. Awesome! Do you think you will post another trip report?

DH would disown me if I didn't start with GO VOLS!

I am planning on doing a report for that trip too. Its just DH and I. My step kids cant travel during school with us and we always take a couple only trip every year. We have a few new/unusual things planned for that trip including staying at AKL savannah view, night of joy, and an Ultimate tour of DHS with some friends. I may try to throw up a pre trip for that next week.

 

[solana131]

I'm concerned next trip b/c we will be out at NOJ till 1am on Friday and Saturday so RD on Sat morning will be almost impossible.

We did evening EMH til 2 at MK, then were up for Epcot EMH the next morning Yes, we were tired, but we knew we didn't need to do much at Epcot (basically just Soarin) and then we could go back and take a nap. Oh, if only I could nap during the day But it was still worth it!

That Cosmic Ray's sandwich looks soooo good! I might have to try that next time.

You make me want to try Disney solo sometime. I am a very shy person, and I don't normally even like to go shopping by myself....but if I could do it anywhere, it would be Disney! Looks like you had a great couple of days (wow! Lots of updates)

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

We did evening EMH til 2 at MK, then were up for Epcot EMH the next morning Yes, we were tired, but we knew we didn't need to do much at Epcot (basically just Soarin) and then we could go back and take a nap. Oh, if only I could nap during the day But it was still worth it!

That Cosmic Ray's sandwich looks soooo good! I might have to try that next time.

You make me want to try Disney solo sometime. I am a very shy person, and I don't normally even like to go shopping by myself....but if I could do it anywhere, it would be Disney! Looks like you had a great couple of days (wow! Lots of updates)

It's amazing what you can do when that Disney adrenaline kicks in. Earlier this year we drove down overnight I didn't sleep a wink we arrived about 10am to DHS and we kept going all day. Finally hit the room at 8pm. Now I felt it the rest of the week though, but once I walked thru those gates it was like I had a new push of get up and go.

If someone would have told me 5 years ago I would be going to WDW solo I would have called them crazy but I really loved it. DH is talking about going to Montana again next year so I'm already forumulating a plan to go to WDW and stay the full week this time!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

A park in one hour? Are you serious?

You are heading to Animal Kingdom for an hour? Really? That’s a waste of time you say, well just see what I did in an hour. I was on a mission. Expedition Everest is one of my favorite rides in all of Disney. Even with the dead Yeti (RIP) I still love it. I planned to hit the single rider line a few times and then head to the safari. I saw the last safari was at 645pm. Sweet more time than I thought I’d have. I stopped for a few photopass shots and then headed on toward EE. I always go thru Asia because I just love the clearing where you can look across the lake and Everest is rising out the ground into the sky. DH and I always have our picture made there on every trip.

I arrive at Expedition Everest and single rider is closed! No! I look at standby it says 15 minutes I get in line and fly thru the corral. 15 minutes? Ha Disney it’s time to update your wait times. I was on EE in less than 3 minutes and that’s how long it takes to walk back there. I rode, got off and went around again. Walked right thru. And again. And again. 4 times later I was getting a little tipsy because I wasn’t getting enough down time from the ride so I dawdled in the shop a big decided on one more ride and then I’d run over to Safari. One last ride tell the Yeti goodbye and I was on my way to Africa.

I stopped for some photopass along the way. I love this view, it used to be more of a hidden find it yourself thing but a few years ago Disney started assigning photopass photographers to it and we usually stop for a shot or two.

My tummy started rumbling along the way and I had visions of Jalapeno Cream Cheese pretzels dancing in my head. I knew there was no way I could get one when I got off the Safari so I put a spring in my step hoping the Harambe fruit cart would still be open. It was! I got a pretzel and a diet coke and sat down with 5 minutes to spare. I was closely watching the CM at the head of the line for KS to make sure if they were cutting off the line I could jump over there. He saw me eyeing him and came over to chat. I told him I wanted on the last safari of the day he said no problem we could make it happen.

So I finished my pretzel and headed down the path to my safari jeep. Along the way a CM or two would smile and say last safari loading soon. I got in and only the 1st and 2nd rows were full. We waited till almost the whole car was full maybe 5 more minutes and took off. We had done it, we were the last safari of the day! I wasn’t expecting much this was just a personal bucket list kind of thing. Off to our two week safari we went.

And we saw the ever elusive birds! And some ducks.
Our guide had us ohh and aww before we moved on.

Then we finally saw a real treat:

The hippos were out of the water. I have only seen this once before and it was freezing and sleeting and snowing Animal Kingdom that day. I’m assuming the water was too cold for them, but today they were up waiting to be led back to their houses for the day. If you don’t know the animals on the safari are all led back to their backstage houses in the evenings and each responds to a special call just for them. I would love to be backstage to watch this procession, that should be the next tour that Disney offers. I’m sure its beautiful with all the calls and sounds and the animals shuffling back to go to bed for the night.

Onward we pressed thru one of the grassy areas. We saw a few hooved animals roaming about but very few. Our guide was stopping every few feet to look for animals and nothing. They must have been tired and were all waiting at fences. We caught a few glimpse here and there of animals near their gates.

On to the red clay pits where this little guy was having a blast:

He was galloping back and forth and just living it up. He was the only elephant not standing at the gate ready to go in. He reminded me of a kid that doesn’t want to come in at dark. He was really cute, if my memory serves me this guy is about 4 years old now( I had to look it up I guessed 3 so the old memory did fail me). We saw him as a baby too since we were at WDW shortly after his birth. His name is Tsavo.

The rest of the safari was very uneventful we saw almost nothing on the Savannahs but it was nice to see the Zebra savannah new area coming along nicely since our last trip in May.

By the time I got back from my safari Animal Kingdom was closed I wandered toward the exit stopping to check out a few Oasis exhibits on the way. I also managed to get a few photopass magic shots but didn’t get the tree of life shot. What was I thinking?

Continued in the Next Post
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[PIRATEGIRL007]

Sorry this one has no pictures I’m not sure what I was thinking or if the camera was dead. So put your imagination caps on:

When I arrived at the bus stop I saw that the SSR stop was right across from the Port Orleans stops and the TTC bus. I was hungry but undecided on dinner. I decided whichever bus pulled up first was my dinner destination. And along came Port Orleans Riverside! Yeah they have one of my favorite dishes in all of Walt Disney World, create your own pasta. Yumm. It’s so good. I hopped on the bus and enjoyed the relaxing sounds of the bayou on the bus. I just love the theme music for POR, I think it one of my top soundtracks in all of Disney. But I hate banjoy music and crickets get on my nerves in the real world, its kinda weird I love it so much. We stay at Riverside often and it just relaxes me and reminds me of those awesome trips.

I arrived at Port Orleans and headed to the pasta station. Ahh it just felt right, like I was at home. I ordered and while I was waiting on my food DH called. He had a few minutes in town where they had signal and he filled me in on some of their trip. Then he said he would call back before leaving town. My battery was getting low on my phone so I got my food to go and thought I’d head to Saratoga to charge a bit before he called back.

I went to the boat dock and arrived just as the boat pulled up I was lucky and one of the last few to fit on that boat and off to DTD we went. I love the boat to DTD, it is nice and relaxing and its pretty. It really makes the experience of staying in Riverside authentic to me. Just meandering down a flowing river oozes bayou. But I digress, about the time we passed the Treehouses DH called back. I was afraid my phone would lose signal on the river but it did fine. We talked most of the way to DTD and I was a little upset again after getting off the phone with him. His sleeping arrangements had changed and he was sleeping in a teepee (a real one) outside alone at the camp. The guys had split up their sleeping and went off in different directions. I was not happy, the thought of him sleeping alone in the wilderness in a glorified (but not as safe) tent did not sit well with me. Anyway we got off the phone as we were pulling up to Downtown Disney. I tried to shake my foul mood but decided to head to the resort and mope around a bit. Then I thought well while I’m here I’ll check out TrendD. My favorite store at Downtown. I just browsed thru for a while and saw a few things I wanted but my bad mood was seriously dampening my shopping urge. I headed to the resort and then I saw Goofy’s candy company beckoning me with all its lovely treats. My foul mood vanished when I stepped inside and smelled all the goodies.

Half an hour or so later I left with a bag full of create your own rice krispie treats. One for me and DH and 3 for my mother in law. She had called in her order when I landed. Mine was white chocolate dipped rolled in Reese’s Pieces, DH’s was the same but milk chocolate. DMIL had a variety, one reese’s, one Butterfinger and I can’t remember the other one. As I started toward Saratoga with food in hand Earl of Sandwich beckoned me. I just love that place and I thought hmm while I’m hear I’ll grab a sandwich for later.

My pasta from Riverside was tucked away in my bag and I thought maybe I can eat half a sandwich and some of my pasta. If your interested I get the penne with marinara and add kalmata olives, spinach, pancetta, onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes and parmesan. So with all that good yumminess waiting in my bag in I went and I ordered not one but two sandwiches. Heck while I was there why not. I figured I could have one for lunch tomorrow and one for dinner. I got the Full Montagu - roast beef and turkey with sharp cheddar ceese and aged Swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, roma tomato and Earl's mustard sauce and the Italian Italian - salami, capicola, roasted ham, mortadella, mozzarella cheese, roma tomato and Zesty Italian dressing. (Thanks to allears for menu descriptions).

This time I really was headed to the resort. My stomach was growling loudly and I was ready for a break. I considered walking I wasn’t sure how far it was and it was dark out. I looked and there was no one on the path. I will admit that I considered the safety factor for a split second then looked toward the busses and thought that would be nuts to take a bus that far I’ll just walk. A Disney security officer was walking back and forth near the start of the path so I felt better about it. As I stepped onto the path a family of 6 jumped in front of me and headed that way. I sighed a breath of relief and thought good I won’t be alone. Then they started dawdling so I just passed them up and strolled over to Saratoga. The path is lovely only a little bit of it is what I would consider wooded but that clears quickly and you are out on the path along the lake/lagoon whatever that is called. I felt safe the entire walk even in the wooded area. I cut toward my building and ended up right at the door at the stairs next to my room. I took the stairs and was there in minutes. My total walk time was less than 5 minutes and that was behind the pokey family for a bit of it.

I settled in for dinner and had some pasta and half of my Montaque. The smell was just too much to pass up. After I stuffed myself I still had a ton of pasta left. DH and I usually split and I can see why this is a lot of food! I packed it up in the fridge and headed to the balcony to check some email and watch DTD. I set the clock to get up for rope drop and then I drifted off to sleep watching TV land.

Continued in the Next post Day 4 My Final Day​

 

[tiffrobyn]

Just meandering down a flowing river oozes bayou. ​

I was with you until you mentioned OOZING. Then I started picturing snakes and ooey gooey swamp slime!

I'm enjoying your trip report! Can't wait to read more!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Day 4 ~ The Running of the Strollers

I woke up before the clock went off and got ready to head to Magic Kingdom for Rope Drop. I ate the other half of my Montaque and I actually think it was better heated up the second day if that is possible. If you have never done a rope drop at Magic Kingdom you should put it on the bucket list. Not even taking into account that the rides are mostly walk on the show is fabulous. I tear up everytime. I got there in plenty of time probably 15 minutes before the show and got into the corral with all the other Rope droppers.

Some of these pictures look fuzzy/hazy. That’s how hot it as already before 9am that’s the humidity you are seeing.

After our warm welcome we were released into the park. I snapped a few ambiance shots of the running of the strollers. It really is amazing to watch.

My plan was to hit my favorite Frontierland attractions with little wait and meet Tink. I hightailed it to Tink and was 4th or so in line. Tink was one of the few charecters I didn’t have an autograph for. We waited to see her at Mickey’ Very Merry Christmas party last year and she wasn’t there. She was running late. I knew Tink didn’t come out for a few minutes but I was happy to wait in the nice cool air conditioned que. As I rounded the corner to meet Tink I quickly forgot about her when I saw Terrance! I have been hunting for him for a while, he also was MIA at MVMCP and I have stopped in several times to see if he was greeting and always skipped it if he wasn’t.

Terrance was a hoot, he was thrilled to meet me but was very upset with Tink for using some of their very valuable pixie dust on my autograph book. We chatted for a few minutes and he was fascinated with my solo adventure and wanted to know about it and dreamed one day he could travel solo without all the other fairies following him.

Terrance took me over to meet Tink and scolded her for giving up pixie dust to be used in the autograph books. She told him to buzz off and not worry about the dust supply.

I was in and out by 9:25am. I made a beeline for Big Thunder. I grabbed a FP for Splash on my way. Then onto Big Thunder I went, I walked all the way to the down ramp and was on in minutes. The wildest ride in the wilderness was wilds as always.

I got off and back on. Walked down to the ramp again. And then I did it again.
After the fourth ride I went over to Splash to use my FastPass but I didn’t need it so I rode standby it was the time it took me to walk back there. When I got off I went thru the FP line and rode Splash twice in a row.

Then I went back to Big Thunder for another spin and one more for good measure. I bid Frontierland farewell and headed to Fantasyland.
I grabbed FP for Peter Pan upon entering and then headed for Pooh. Standby was posted at 20 minutes but it wasn’t I could tell so I hopped in line for a ride in the Hunny Pot. I just love that ride, its full of little hidden treasures and stories from other rides (shout out to Mr Toad!). After Pooh I took a spin on It’s A Small World and then it was time to use my Peter Pan Fastpass. I happily headed into Neverland. Peter Pan’s Flight is such a simple ride but it is such an immersive story. I just love it. I was satisfied with my morning at Magic Kingdom and decided to hop over to Epcot for lunch. I was craving Tangerine Café.

Continued in the Next Post​

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

The busses love me, the monorail…………..not so much.

I headed to the monorail and got off to switch at the station. There was a big line I was wondering the hold up as I could see the monorail there and had ran over to catch it. The monorail was resetting. It was backing and out of place then they inspected it. Then it backed up again. I waited about 15 minutes and decided to find another route. I headed for the busses and asked a CM who said the monorail was coming back online now. I saw them backing it in again. I said no thanks I’ll take a bus. The Epcot back up busses were not there yet as the monorail had not officially been moved to offline but the Cast Member said he had just called for one so it shouldn’t be too long. I walked out to the bus stops and the DHS bus was sitting there. I hopped on and it took off. I figured I could take the boat to Epcot as quick as I could wait on the monorail or another bus. So I did. I just love the boat ride into the International gateway. And this put me much closer to my lunch destination.

Before I knew it I was in Morrocco. I decided to try the falafel wrap this time. It was new to me and it was great. I’ve not had any entrée at Tangerine Café that I didn’t like yet but I think this is my new favorite. I also subbed one of the sides for olive salad. I didn’t know this was an option it was great. I am definitely ordering it again.

I wandered thru the countries again window shopping in Morrocco and catching the show in America. Then I stopped to shop in the store and get some pictures in Japan and grabbed some sushi to try. I ate about half a roll it was good but not fabulous and I just wanted a little. This was the only sushi I had the whole trip, so much for my plan of trying sushi all over the world! (and I didn’t even get a picture of it!)

I drooled over the carmels in Germany and did a quick spin on Maelstrom and then said hello to my favorite duck in Mexico. I wandered over to my favorite bathroom in Epcot (in the Odyssey) and gazed at the empty Test Track area. I wanted to stay for an All Stars performance but it was just too darn hot. I stopped in Club Cool for some watermelon soda and decided it was time for a swim so I headed for the busses.

I got changed and headed to Typhoon Lagoon. On the way it started clouding up. I hit the wave pool as soon as I got there and then into the lazy river for a few spins. I went around 2 or 3 times before they made the call for closing. I gathered my things and headed for the bus. I got on the bus as the lightening started streaking. It was crazy lightening. I was glad Disney made the call to close TL and that I was safely on the bus back to my room. It started pouring rain before we even got out of the parking lot and poured all the way back. When I got off at my stop it was still raining so I made a mad dash for the cover of the building but still was soaked. At least I was in my swimsuit!

Continued in the Next Post​

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

The Disney Magic Mile

I lounged in the room for a while and had a snack (pasta). I really was in the mood to swim and it looked like it was clearing outside. When the sun finally came out I headed to the pool to relax. The pool was actually a little cool and refreshing, it had cooled off from the normal bathwater temperatures that is all summer long. I swam a little read some of my book and enjoyed the pool area.

I always think of the last day of my trip as a kind of last wishes/to do list/Green Mile (RIP Michael Clark Duncan) type of thing.I try to fit in everything I can so this is my Magic Mile night at Magic Kingdom.

I knew my trip was coming to a close and I had decided I wanted to end in Magic Kingdom. It is my favorite park and I feel like I can never get enough of it. I headed back up to Magic Kingdom about 630. The crowds were already lining up for the parade. It was a site to behold. I just can’t imagine waiting that long on a parade. It was still really humid as you can see in the pictures.

I stopped in the jewelry store to drool over some bags and browsed a bit then off to Tomorrowland I went.

I grabbed a FP for Buzz and got on the TTA for another spin. I just love zooming over Tomorrowland.

I browsed in a few shops and it was time for my Buzz FP. After managing to let Zurg win and rule the Galaxy again (I stink at this game) I headed to Monsters Inc. This is one of the funniest shows I’ve been apart of. There was moody teen boy with a knit tabogon on (in July!) and he was not enjoying the show so of course the camera operators made him That Guy. He was getting madder and madder (or was acting really well) and it got funnier and funnier. His parents and siblings were in stitches and I was almost crying from laughing so hard. It was great.

I bid farewell to Tomorrowland and headed to Storybook Circus to check it out lite up at night. Dumbo is beautiful at night I think the water feature really has ‘plussed’ this ride. On my way back in to Fantasyland I noticed no wait at the tea cups. I took them for a spin and headed to Philharmagic. I just love this show and could watch it over and over. Then it was dinner time. I have been wanting to try Pinnhochio’s Village Haus for a long time and the flat bread menu looks great. So I decided to get a ….. salad!

It was actually really good. I also tried the tomato basil soup. My CM cashier said that he gest the soup and an order of breadsticks everyday for lunch. I couldn’t eat 4 breadsticks so I stuck with the soup and salad. He came over after I got my food and asked how I liked it and we chatted for a few minutes.
I sat and just enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere after I ate. From the windows I could see It’s A Small World boats coming by but the best part was the kids sitting at the windows. They were so excited to see the boats, squealing with delight when a new one would appear. One would get up and rum to grandpa’s table next to thiers and say “Grandpa, Grandpa it’s a boat, look a boat!” It was just adorable. I could hear Wishes going off over my head which was a surreal feeling too.

The kids inspired me to take one more spin on It’s A Small World. I got a yellow boat. I could swear all the boats the other day were the blue/green teal color but tonight I was seeing yellow, orangish, pink, teal, blue. Maybe I’m not as observant as I thought I was. I was starting to yawn and could see my night coming to an end. I wanted to beat the crowds to the bus and had waited long enough after Wishes for those waves of crowds to be gone. I had time for one more ride so I went thru my favorite shop at Magic Kingdom, the Yankee Trader and on to Haunted Mansion. It was fitting that it would be my last ride for my solo trip as it was my first ever ride at Disney 10 years ago.

Continued in the Next Post​

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I was with you until you mentioned OOZING. Then I started picturing snakes and ooey gooey swamp slime!

I'm enjoying your trip report! Can't wait to read more!

I hadn't thought of it that way, thanks alot now I'm picturing swamp goo and snakes!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Final Thoughts

I promised I’d finish before my next trip and we leave today in a few hours so I barely made it.

Well that’s it’s. I had a great trip and will definitely be doing a solo trip again if the opportunity every presents itself. I highly recommend it if given the chance and you are toying with the idea of a solo trip go for it! Although I missed DH some I didn’t feel lonely or awkward or left out like I thought I might. The Cast Member went out of their way to be welcoming to me and chat with me. I met lots of other guests that were fun to talk to and I just enjoyed doing what I wanted when I wanted. I didn’t get a fraction of my ‘to do’ list done and my plans were completely blown. But I still had a great time. My highlights were:

More swimming and water park lounging than ever before.

2am Extra Magic Hours in Magic Kingdom

Meeting Terrance and Eric

Back to back to back Expedition Everest and Big Thunder rides

Surviving (and enjoying) the Bazillion Tour Groups

Falling in love with Saratoga Springs

My favorite meal was: Hollywood Brown Derby Cobb Salad. Yummm. I am
craving it now. I will have one before the end of the week!

My favorite ride was: Expedition Everest, back to back to back was fabulous.

My favorite character interaction: Terrance, he was a hoot and I can’t wait to see him again

My favorite park was (and always is) Magic Kingdom. I felt like I actually spent enough time there this time to really be able to enjoy some of my favorites.

My favorite new thing: Pinocchio Village Haus, what a surprise, this little eatery is charming and the food was great. .

Thanks for reading I’ve enjoyed reliving my trip in preparation for the next one. I will try to put up a pre-trip for the trip we leave for today if you are interested in following along with that. We have some different plans including attending both nights of Night of Joy, the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and doing an Ultimate Tour (every attraction in the park, Touring Plans) with a group of internet friends. We are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for the first time. We also will be trying to get our money’s worth out of our Tables in Wonderland card and using our Annual Passes for the last time before they expire. ​

 

[tinkerbells mum]

I've really enjoyed reading your trip report the photos were great so glad you got to do so much and back to back to back rides sounds great enjoy your next trip I'm already looking forward to reading all about it xx