My Very First Solo Trip - In Random Order ... New October 29 (Completed)

[DeterminedOne]

This won’t be a play by play trip report. It will be highs, lows, random thoughts - that kind of thing.
My very first solo trip. Something I've wanted to do since at least 2006.

Earlier this year I went to Disneyland for the first time. I met up with my sister and niece. As it turned out, they wanted to spend
time sleeping in, so I essentially spent my time at Disneyland Park alone. And thanks to American Airline’s mechanical problems,
I made it to LAX nearly 24 hours later than scheduled. Therfore, waiting at the airport(s) ended up being a lot of alone time, too.
All confirmation that it was finally time to pull the trigger on a solo trip to WDW.

I was there Thursday through Sunday - a few days before the official opening of SWGE.
Glad to have (mostly) missed the Star Wars crowd, and thankfully, Hurricane Dorian. It was my first time at Coronado Springs.
I originally planned to stay at one of the Values - even though I don’t care for the Values. But cost wise, CSR was only slightly more
than AOA and Pop.

My stay at CSR was fine, in general. I didn’t stay in the new Tower, which is beautiful, BTW. Reminded me of Vegas ...

Room was clean, and appeared to be recently updated (I think.)

However, I probably wouldn’t stay there again unless it was the Tower. The resort is huge, and very spread out. I knew that going in. But the thing I didn’t consider was just how far some of the rooms are from the Tower and El Centro, where the restaurants are located. The clerk said if I didn’t mind the walk - when the room was ready she would put me in Ranchos. Ranchos is the farthest away from everything, but she convinced me by saying how pretty it is.

I didn’t mind the walk, but what I soon started to mind was the INCONVENIENCE of the walk. It was a good ten minutes to the refillable mug station. That was a real pain as a solo traveler because if I wanted coffee it meant I had to wake up at least 30 minutes early. That’s if I wanted to enjoy a cup while getting ready. If my husband had been with me, one of us would have gone for coffee while the other got dressed. There was a Keurig in the room, but I’m sorry, I don’t trust hotel coffee pots. I’ve known of people doing some nasty things in hotel rooms, so I just don’t trust them. But the coffee thing wasn’t my biggest beef about the location.

My MDE ride back to the airport was super early. I had to be at the Tower at 4:00 AM. It was dark! Had I known in advance I could have called someone to come and get me from way back there, I would have done it. My bad for not knowing that because walking that property alone at that time of the morning was intimidating. It was very dark in spots, and I was scared. Not so much afraid of human predators - I was afraid of critters ...

I looked around the room to see what I could use as a weapon. I settled on one of their wooden hangers.
When I made it almost to the tower, I of course had to snap a victory pic.

I was sure the clerk would question or give me a strange look when I returned the hanger to him. But he said it was a good thing I had it because there is a LARGE raccoon that roams the property at night.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t the one who told me I could have called to be picked up at the room. I learned that out on FB when I got home. No knocks on CSR overall, I just wouldn’t stay there again as a solo traveler. But then again, perhaps I will if the price is right ...

We were the first resort to be picked up by MDE, and I forgot we were going to make stops at some others. We stopped at a couple of the Values, and I was surprised by the number of people waiting there at 4AM. I didn’t think we were going to fit everyone on the bus, but we did, and it was ok. The folks who sat down in front of me got me to thinking, though. What the heck do people do with these balloons on the plane?

Can't say I’ve ever seen one on the bus or the plane, and it got me to wondering ...
How did they even get this through security? Tie it to one of the bins? What about on the airplane? Under the seat? Overhead compartment? Surely the flight attendants won’t allow it to be on their lap, right?

 

[tundra1]

How were the parks as a solo traveler? Thanks for the insight into CSR!

 

[DeterminedOne]

How were the parks as a solo traveler? Thanks for the insight into CSR!

The parks seemed busier than predicted. Ranging from 40 to 60 minute waits on some of the non-headliner rides. But then again, I put myself smack in the middle of some high crowd situations. Rope drop MK on an EMH day. Rope drop AK and straight to FOP. MNSSHP parade/fireworks.
But I was amazed (and impressed) how easy it was to navigate the crowd solo - especially for fireworks.

 

[MaggieBags]

Hangers to the rescue! Great recap!

 

[DeterminedOne]

Preparing for An Epic Day At Magic Kingdom And My Very First MNSSHP

I was beyond excited to learn my solo trip would happen in time for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Another one of those things I’ve always wanted to do, but our visits never lined up right. Almost immediately
I decided to make it an epic day - meaning I would arrive at 8AM (EMH) and stay until midnight when the party
was over. Days, or maybe weeks later I came to the realization that my body might not be prepared to walk around
a theme park for 16 hours. So I decided to put myself on a diet and exercise program.

Cardio five days a week, calorie counting, and no alcohol. I did this faithfully for 68 days. The goal was 80, but
something happened and I ended up having a drink with my husband on day 68. I continued on with the exercise
and calorie counting, though. I even managed a three day fast where I had nothing but water. That was in the beginning
of the program when I wanted to detox my system. I had read and heard about a lot of different detox drinks, shakes etc,
but I decided that water was the most natural way to go. I never in my life thought I could go three days without eating,
but I did, and it was fine. The first 24 hours were a breeze. The second 24 hours, when I decided to mow the grass to
keep my mind off food, was killer. I learned that physical activity is a lot harder when you don’t have food in your system.

All that for a day at Magic Kingdom? Yes! I’m the type who is super motivated when there’s a goal in mind. And an
epic day at Magic Kingdom was my goal. It’s my favorite park. I fell in love with it after doing the Keys to the Kingdom
tour in 2004. And I didn’t expect to love Disneyland Park at all, but I did. Magic Kingdom is still my favorite, probably
because it’s most familiar, but DP is pretty awesome as well. I swear Walt Disney’s spirit lives at both places.

I started this book right before the trip, so I guess you could say I’m on a Walt kick right now.

The park opened at 8 and I wanted to get there early, like 7:00 but it didn’t work out right. I really struggled with
Coronado, the layout and just the overall timing of things. I should have forgone filling up my mug because getting
there and doing it took way too much time. Mainly though, it was my overall failure to plan that was the problem.
I decided to take an Uber, and I’m glad I did because it was much faster, and something magical happened.

I failed to realize until the exact moment that it happened that when you take an Uber to Magic Kingdom, you don’t
get dropped off where the buses drop you off. You get dropped off in the parking lot where the non-resort folks and
people with their own transportation get dropped off. Then you have to take a ferry over to the park. Well, you could
take the monorail too, but it wasn’t operating and everyone had to get on the ferry. The one and only time I didn’t
stay on Disney property and had to ferry over was in 1994, so upon exiting the Uber I was highly confused and didn’t
know where I was. I asked my driver where to go, and he didn’t know. So I followed the other people, and pretty soon
saw the signs directing us where to go. There was a construction wall up, so I couldn’t see anything related to the park.
It was like we were in a tunnel.

And whenever I go to Disney, there is a certain moment in the trip, and I never know when it’s going to happen - when
I get the Disney feeling. It’s like an overwhelming happy emotion that almost brings me to tears. It’s difficult to describe,
but I know folks on this forum know what I’m talking about. So up until this point in my trip (day two), I really hadn’t
had that feeling yet. I’d had something like it, which I will share later, but not the real thing.

So I’m walking through what felt like a tunnel, heading toward the ferry. I rounded the corner, and there in the distance
was the castle. I wasn’t expecting to see it, and all of a sudden that feeling I described completely overwhelmed my
entire body. In fact, I have tears in my eyes as I type this.

And non-Disney people don’t understand, but I know you do. I was so overwhelmed with emotion by the beauty of the
castle in the distance, that my mouth let out an involuntary sigh. Not a negative sigh, but a sigh of pure joy. And when
I got on the ferry - it was about 7:30 at that point, there was only one other family on the top deck. One!
And here I was so worried about getting there early, not knowing where I was, etc, and I practically had the top deck
to myself. It was such a magical experience. I can’t even describe the happiness in my heart, and it brings tears to my
eyes just thinking about it. And that is why Disney World can have all of my paychecks.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was when we made it to the park, there was a WHOLE lot of people. And the reason
I wasn’t expecting it was because the last time I was there, it wasn’t an EMH day, and we had a PPO ADR at
Be Our Guest. I think we got there at 7:00, and it was empty. To the point I was able to snap this pic with zero people in it.

I was still really happy inside. I simply wasn’t prepared for the crowd. Back in the day there was such a thing as low crowds.
I can remember riding Space Mountain four times in a row with no wait. I think those days are gone. The last two times I’ve visited I have been shocked by the amount of people there. For you folks who go all the time - is there truly a slow season anymore?

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[DeterminedOne]

I can’t say that I had a plan of what I was going to do when I got to Magic Kingdom. I really wanted to ride 7DMT,
but 60 days out when I made FP reservations I couldn’t get one. In fact, I didn’t get most of the FP’s I wanted at 60 days,
and I wasn’t too happy about it. But folks here and on the Touring Plans site told me to not worry about it, and to try
for same day FP when I got there. And so the fact that I didn’t have a plan for most of the stuff I did this trip made for some super magical moments.

Upon entering the park I decided to stop for a PhotoPass shot.

The family in front of me had a baby and it was her first birthday. They came prepared with a blanket to sit on and a
cake from Amorette’s. They posed her for a castle shot. It was the most beautiful thing. By now you’re starting to see
that I am a huge sap, and a solo trip made me even sappier. I paid attention to things in a different way. I guess the way
I should describe it is that I simply paid attention to things, not paid attention to things in a different way. That’s one of the reasons why I think this trip was so great. It allowed me to live in the moment, and mindfulness is a wonderful thing.

After my photo opp I walked back to 7DMT and it was already a 55 minute wait. I didn’t want to waste my EMH time on that,
so I decided to use the touring plan that was created for me on the Touring Plans site. I used it for the first part of the morning, and it was very efficient. I highly recommend it. According to TP, it didn’t want me to do 7DMT until way later in the evening, which is what ended up happening. It was so efficient that I ended up moving my lunch ADR at BOG to 11:05.

I didn’t take a lot of pictures this day, mostly videos. And for the first time ever, I rode Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan.
And if it hadn’t been for Touring Plans, I probably wouldn’t have done that. I don’t have kids, and have never been to WDW
with kids, so I guess you could say I undervalued that part of the park. And when I got off those rides I saw a CM with the big bundle of balloons, and it was such a beautiful site.

One of the things I really wanted to do, and thought for sure I would before I got there, was grab a pineapple upside down cake with dole whip and eat it in the Tiki Room. But I was too full from my lunch at BOG, so that didn’t happen. The Tiki Room did, but not the cake. Sometime in the early afternoon while I was on Jungle Cruise it started to rain. This excited me because I was going to get to wear the expensive raincoat I’d purchased ahead of the trip.

It was so stinking cute, and Disney had free shipping, so ...

Was it hot in a raincoat in Florida in August? Yes! But it was so much easier than dealing with a flipping poncho.
And my raincoat has pockets, and that was a major plus. So while everyone else was hiding in the gift shops, I was out
walking around the park in the rain. And it felt awesome! I don’t think my husband would have been down for that, so another perk of a solo trip.

It was during that walk I noticed they were setting up for the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I’d never seen it, so I decided
to grab a prime spot right outside of Country Bear Jamboree. I waited almost an hour in that spot, but I didn’t care.
I was alone and calling all the shots.
And get this - I HAVE NEVER WATCHED A PARADE AT MAGIC KINGDOM.

Can you believe that? Never. I hate the crowd of people it creates, so I have always stayed away from the parades and the fireworks. But I had such a relaxed attitude on this trip, I did things I’d not done before. What a beautiful parade!

I didn’t expect to learn anything about myself because of a solo trip to WDW, but I did.
And one of the biggest things I learned is just how rigid I can be at times. I am just way too serious sometimes, and
I impose a lot of restrictions on myself. Like being all worried about not being able to get FP at 60 days out, and not getting to MK at 7:00. Damn, I need to relax! So I'm not even mad about those random people in my shot in front of the castle. LOL!

 

[DeterminedOne]

I didn’t end up spending 16 hours at Magic Kingdom because I left for a few hours to have dinner at The Wave.
I left there and headed to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and to my surprise the vibe of it was just like a party.
I know the word party is in the name, but I didn’t expect for it to actually feel like a party. To hear pop type music
blasting from the speakers as I headed down Main Street was wild.

I always wondered how they got people out of the park for special events. They had CM’s everywhere checking
to make sure you were supposed to be there. I didn’t read up much on the party, so I really didn’t know what to expect.
I didn’t end up doing any trick or treating because I didn’t need all that candy. I had just a few goals for the party -
ride some rides, watch the parade and the fireworks. The only rides I ended up doing were Haunted Mansion and 7DMT.
And the vibe at Haunted Mansion was awesome. It felt super spooky. I loved it!

The other thing I really wanted to do was ride Splash Mountain at night, but I didn’t get to do that because shortly after the fireworks they shut it down. And they were being super hush hush about the reason why it was shut down. They wouldn’t
allow us anywhere near the entrance, and I never did find out what that was all about.

I staked out a spot for the parade pretty early, so I spent a lot of time waiting around and watching people. I was
close to the same spot where I watched Festival of Fantasy. Waiting was a cool experience because the Dapper Dans
were walking around, and I love those guys. Except for the party they are referred to as the Cadaver Dans.
They were so awesome, and it was cool to see them away from Main Street.

I was really looking forward to the Boo to You Parade because one of the Disney blogs live streamed it on Instagram a few weeks before my trip, it looked awesome. And thanks to my positive experience watching Festival of Fantasy,
I was so psyched. And it did not disappoint. It was great!. Again, I type this with tears in my eyes because I was
soooooo happy the whole time I was watching it. And I love the song. It’s so cute.

After the parade I went over to the castle to watch the fireworks. The crowd to get there was a little intimidating, but
I’m glad I didn’t let that deter me. I ended up doing a FB live video of the fireworks, and my friends could not believe it.
Neither could I. They were beautiful, amazing, awesome - I can’t even think of enough good ways to describe it.
Disney World is horribly expensive to visit, but the reason is because they do everything so spectacularly.

In the book I’m reading about Walt, he was meticulous about details, and took great pride in what the finished product
looked like. He lost lots of money, and failed many times because he put quality over revenue. And watching those
fireworks I felt like he would be so proud to see what they have put together in Florida.

It wasn’t easy being in the park that long in the hot weather, and my ankles swelled so big and stayed that way for a week. Something else I learned about myself is when I’m on my feet that long I really need to wear tennis shoes,
or something with ankle support. But I’m not a tennis shoe gal, and I love a cute pedi ...

It was nearing 11 when I walked all the way back to Splash and it was closed. My ankles hurt so badly, and I couldn’t
stand the idea of leaving at park close and waiting forever and a day for a bus, so I headed out of there.
I stopped at Main Street Confectionary to use a couple of my snack credits, and finally got my hands on one of those
chocolate covered pineapples. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would because I didn’t like the chocolate.
Glad I got to try it, though. Oh, and while I was over at the Contemporary eating at The Wave I did a quick outfit change to commemorate my epic day.

 

[DeterminedOne]

Before the trip, I had it in my head that I was going to be at Animal Kingdom at 6:30 to be ahead of the pack to
ride Flight of Passage. Another one of those fast passes I couldn’t get at the 60 day mark. It was an EMH day and
the park opened at 8. But after my epic day at MK I knew there was no way I was getting up early enough to be there
that early. So I committed myself to get there by 8, and even that was hard but I made it.

I headed toward FOP, as did most of the people. They were an aggressive group. They weren’t running, but they were
walking really, really fast. At one point I stopped because I dropped something, and if I hadn’t anticipated the crowd
being so aggressive, I might have been trampled. At least that’s how it felt. The line was intimidatingly long and wrapped
all the way back near Harambe. But I didn’t let that bother me because it was an absolutely beautiful morning, and the
scenery was so pretty.

By the time we made it the actual entrance to the ride, the wait was already 165 minutes. My wait ended up being about
an hour. It was only my second time riding FOP, and the first time I was scared, so I really didn’t understand the story and what was happening. I enjoyed it so much, and get this. I rode it three times that day. Three!!! Because I know the secret to fast pass drops. Those poor suckers who waited 165 minutes for one ride …

I really enjoyed AK in a way I never have. It’s so rich in detail, and the area of Africa and Harambe has a wonderful vibe.
It feels so authentic. I shared an experience in my dining report about how wonderful it was to eat at Harambe Market.
Truly one of my favorite experiences of the trip. I had one of the best safari rides, too. The animals were very active at 11AM.
The only down side to my AK experience was I waited in line way too long for Kali, and it was so hot. Is it me, or does AK
feel hotter than the other parks?

Oh, wait. That wasn’t actually the only downer of that day. I went to the aviary in search of a certain Hidden Mickey.

When I got there, I noticed this crazy looking thing on the building.

You have to understand. I have a ridiculous fear of bugs, and critters and such. So once I saw that bug I took it as a
warning that maybe I shouldn’t go inside. It was just a feeling I had, and I almost didn’t go in. But I talked myself into
it, and noticed that most of the people coming in walked through really quickly, and didn’t take the time to look up.
Most of the birds were in the trees. And I lingered in there for a while, looking up at all of the beautiful birds.
And then it happpened …

A bird pooped on my arm!!!
That crazy bug really was trying to warn me.

I’ve never been pooped on by a bird before, and I didn’t imagine it being as traumatic of an experience as it was.
And the reason it was so traumatic was when the poop landed on my arm, it was warm. Ugh!!! So my first reaction
was freakout mode. I started saying OMG, OMG, and the CM came over to see what was wrong. He looked at me
and said in the sincerest way “I’m sorry, ma’am.”
And that struck me as funny. My freak out turned into full on laughter, and I decided to commemorate the experience
with a picture. Good thing I had handy wipes, and then I went to the restroom and scrubbed my arm. Looking back,
I’m glad it got my arm and not my clothes.

I left AK around 8:00 because it had been a really long day, and my ankles were killing me. As much as I wanted to
stay around to see Pandora at night, I just couldn’t do it. Cheers to you, Animal Kingdom. You are amazing!

 

[Ecomommy09]

You are just so funny. I’m crying I’m laughing so hard. Thanks for the trip report

 

[Daisy1940]

Enjoying your trip and dining reports looks like you had a great start to your trip!

 

[DebiPT]

I just love the sight of those balloons!

 

[DISDiversion]

More threads like this! I loved hearing about your adventures, and it gave me some great ideas for future solo trips.

 

[tundra1]

I love reading this trip report! You keep it real, and point out that it is possible to slow down and enjoy the moment! Thanks for sharing!

 

[DLo]

Read your dining reviews and just found this TR . Love your writing style and sense of humor . Looking forward to reading more

 

[DeterminedOne]

Let It Go!

First day there, it was early in the morning and my room wasn’t ready. ME was taking care of my luggage, but I had some stuff in my carry on that I didn’t want to take to the park. I actually had to talk myself into leaving those items with Bell Services. That’s how much of a control freak I can be. Nothing of major value, the most expensive item an i-pad. Finally said to myself - “Come on girl, these people are not trying to steal or rifle through your stuff.”

And then I met one of the CM’s, John Mancini, who has huge fan following on the Coronado Springs' Facebook page.
Mainly because he’s a super nice man who exudes the Disney spirit. I went all fan girl on him, and asked if he knew how
famous he is on FB. (His coworker literally rolled his eyes when I said that.)
John’s response was “I’m just here for the guests.” ❤

He put my twisted mind at ease, and I gladly handed over my loot. I headed to HS with an attitude because I couldn’t get the FP’s I wanted. I had RNRC, Muppets and TSM. I don’t even bother with RNRC anymore. It's a fun ride, but I feel nauseous and beat up afterwards. And I love TSM, but having ridden it several times earlier in the year on my trip to DP, I could take it or leave it. I wanted a FP for SDD (which I had never ridden) and Tower of Terror.

I arrived around 10 and my first FP wasn’t until 12:50. So me and my attitude decided to go with the flow. I stopped for the obligatory pics in front of the theatre.

Listening to the family in line behind me, and the kids complaining because they wanted to go back to the hotel and swim.
It started to tick their dad off, and he proceeded to tell them how he should have left them at home, and that they were never going on another vacation again. The way he was saying it was so hilarious I had to turn around and get a look at him.
I locked eyes with his wife, and she just shook her head. I told her I was on a solo trip for reasons such as that.
She nodded, as if to say - next time I’m leaving these kids at home. Such a comical exchange.

From there I walked aimlessly and for whatever reason made a left. That is when I saw Mickey and Minnie were doing a greet. Because I had such an attitude problem with HS, I wasn’t aware that the Mouse himself was going to be there. And I didn’t have anything else to do, so I got in line. Minnie was first.

Mickey was in the next room, and when I saw him I turned into a freaking child. My arms jerked into the air, and I screamed
“Oh my gosh, it’s Mickey!” As if I didn’t know I had just stood in line for 20 minutes to see him. Whoever was in that suit must have thought I was an absolute nut. But then this happened …

My ENTIRE day was made, folks!! How could I possibly have an attitude with HS after that?


The Moment I Thought I Was Going To Die. Literally!!
While at HS I decided to have lunch at ABC Commissary. I had the Dining Plan and I ordered ribs, fries and a beer.
I knew it wasn’t a wise choice because sometimes when I eat pork it makes my heart race. The beer and the heat certainly wasn’t going to help the situation, but if you’re going to make bad decisions, you may as well go all in.
I noticed the standby line for TOT was decent, so I booked it over there. And of course my heart was racing because of the pork. It was terribly hot, and I was walking quickly. Not a good combination.

Let me go back for a second and add - I have an anxiety disorder that I should take medication for, but don’t. By the
time I made it to TOT, my heart was really pumping. And thanks to my Apple Watch, I was well aware of just how fast my heart was beating. Standing in line, I began to think how dangerous it was to ride TOT with my heart rate so elevated.
The idea of getting my heart rate down caused a panic attack. And it didn’t help that my watch kept telling me to Breathe.

I considered leaving, but at the same time I was still in bad decision making mode. TOT is one of my favorite rides, I didn’t have a FP, and gosh darn it - I was riding it! I started in with a breathing exercise, and my heart rate started to go down, but not as quickly as the line was moving.

When we sat down, the guy next to me grabbed my seatbelt. Except I didn’t know that was what had happened. All I know is that I couldn’t find my seatbelt, and anxiety had me convinced the ride was going to start before I got belted in. My heart rate shot through the roof! All I could think about was how I was going to actually die on TOT. I was so scared that I said out loud - "Help me Jesus!" That is when I came to my senses and realized the seatbelt thing was just a mix up, and that they weren’t going to start the ride without ensuring everyone was belted in.

My heart was still beating really fast as the ride went up, up, up. Then the first drop happened.
It took a second to realize that I was still alive. I put my hands in the air, but not for the same reason as the other folks.
My hands were in the air because I was saying “Thank you, Jesus! I’m alive.”

But then I had another panic attack because I was sure I wouldn’t survive the rest of the drops. I was ready to get off.
I was freaking out!! And when the ride was over, I swear I heard the guy next to me say - “But did you die?”

 

[DeterminedOne]

I loved Toy Story 4! Fell in love with Forkie because his face cracks me up. I found a super cute plush I thought would be great to take with me on the trip. You know, for silly pictures. Turns out I was right. Forkie plush was a huge hit with my friends on social media.

This was us getting ready to drive down to our overnight stay near the airport.

And he seemed pretty excited about the idea of flying on a plane.

And even more so when we got to his hood.

A CM helped me take that picture. She must have been watching me from afar as I struggled with trying to hold Forkie up and take the picture at the same time. It turned out even better than I imagined thanks to an Instagram filter. My friends went wild for Forkie.

We had a fun day at Epcot as well.

I always wanted to try Drinking Around The World. But I didn’t want to just grab a drink and go. I wanted to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. There’s no way my husband would have had the patience for this ...

Started in Canada ...

It was early afternoon, and I suppose Forkie was concerned about day drinking.

The CM at Canada suggested I try the Cider with a shot of black currant juice at Rose & Crown. It was delicious! And it was super chill in this area of the UK pavilion. I sat there nearly an hour.

After that, I thought I should stop with the day drinking for a bit. I didn’t want to lose steam too early.
So I headed over to Les Halles in France. Bought some macarons and a shot of Espresso.

The Espresso pepped up my energy, so I charged toward one of my favorites - Mitsukoshi. I love that place! So many interesting and beautiful things. I purchased this beautiful fan to help stave off the heat.

Next stop was Germany. I spent a lot of time there also. It’s a great place to watch people. Lots of beer drinking and shenanigans.

I headed over to Mexico to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour, and to grab one of the margaritas I’ve read so much about. This is the Blood Orange one, and it was meh. Nothing special about it at all, and it was weak. For $14 I expected more.

Returned to Germany and watched the train for a while. Another one of my favorite things. I love the details in that exhibit. Drinking Around The World was awesome!

 

[DeterminedOne]

Oh my gosh, so excited! Just booked my next solo trip for March. Asked my husband if he wanted to go, and he said there's no way he wants to keep up with such a rigorous schedule. Lol!

Two things are happening in March that I'm geeked about:
Flower and Garden Festival - which I've wanted to do for years. I'm a wee bit obsessed with flowers ...

I can't wait to see Disney's horticulture work with my own eyes.

The other thing happening in March that has me so excited - my birthday. This lucky girl is going to get to spend
her birthday at Magic Kingdom. It will be a first.

I had been waiting the last few weeks for them to announce the dates for Flower & Garden and room discounts for 2020.
Room discounts were released yesterday, and I waited until today to book because the website was wonky yesterday.
The only rooms left at Caribbean Beach were the Pirate rooms, so that's what I got. Arrrgh!

I desperately wanted to stay at Yacht Club, but the prices are out of sight compared to the amount of time I will spend
in the room. Guess I'll save my Yacht Club dream for a longer stay, and for when my husband comes with.
I chose Caribbean Beach because it's the only moderate I haven't stayed at yet. And I'm pretty psyched about riding the Skyliner.

For my birthday I decided to treat myself to the Deluxe Dining Plan. The game plan is to do a Signature restaurant every night.
I debated whether to get Memory Maker again, and decided it makes sense for a solo trip. Surely I will get more out of it in March than I did in August. It was so hot in August that after being outside for more than an hour I was a sweaty mess, and loathed the way I looked in pictures. I liked the ride photos, though. The character greets were fun also.

Going to try really hard not to buy a bunch of merchandise ahead of my trip like I did last time. Two of my favorite buys include magic band skins from Magic Your Band, and a collection of clever buttons from Shop Disney.

And when I got home from the trip, my sister sent me these adorable pancake molds and spatulas from Pampered Chef.

She has an obsession with purses, and had no idea I had sent her this super cute Dooney & Bourke crossbody.

I'm trying really hard not to buy one for myself. I'm an addict, ya'll.

 

[Ecomommy09]

How fun!

 

[DLo]

You will love Flower and Garden . ( well , I think you will ) Congratulations on your new trip . I have gone solo in March and May and enjoyed both trips. .

 

[DeterminedOne]

You will love Flower and Garden . ( well , I think you will ) Congratulations on your new trip . I have gone solo in March and May and enjoyed both trips. .

Oh, yay! Thanks for sharing that.