Never Mind The Clever Title, Here's My Trip Report! December 2014 Solo Trip (Completed)

[PrincePluto]

I stopped at Backlot Express for lunch:

Apparently, everyone in the park decided to have lunch at the same time. Luckily there were plenty of cashiers so the line moved. I ended up ordering a chicken sandwich with fries, and a large fountain drink. I then had difficulty finding a table, but finally found a 2-seat table, and then after I sat down, someone bothered the other chair for their party of 5 at a table that normally sits 4. I enjoyed my meal, then stopped by the soda fountain for a refill of my coke before I left.

I then passed Wandering Oaken's Trading Post, which is in the vicinity of the mermaid statue.

I then saw the sign for High Octane Refreshments, which is the bar attached to Studio Catering Co., which listed several frozen and non-frozen signature drinks.

I thought about the possibility of "freshening" my Coke. I went up to the bartender and asked her if I could buy a shot. She said "Of course, this is a full-service bar. What would you like?" I said rum, to add to my Coke. She said "Captain Morgan or Bacardi?" I said Bacardi. She said "You can get a single shot for $8 or for $10 you can get a double shot." I settled for a single shot, which was pretty generous, which I added to my Coke. I drank it in the next 20 minutes, then headed to Toy Story Midway Mania for my FastPass+ window. I have a feeling that the cocktail did not help my reaction speed as I got about the same score on Toy Story Midway Mania this time as I got the first time, in the morning.

When I came out of Toy Story, I saw a Green Army Man leading a parade of young girls. For some reason, there were no boys marching.

I thought I'd head over to the Great Movie Ride.

Next: Walk of Fame

 

[darrenf67]

Great photos - I have never seen those busts before - will look for them on my August trip for sure

 

[PrincePluto]

I have not posted any updates in several days, as I was visiting my parents over New Years'. I am at work tonight, and will upload some more pictures to my online cloud account tomorrow afternoon, then create a couple of entries tomorrow night featuring these pictures.

 

[PrincePluto]

I decided to head over to the Great Movie Ride, but when I saw it had a standby time of 15 minutes, I decided not to ride it.

Instead, I decided to take pictures of the various hand and foot prints on the Walk of Fame in front of the "Grauman Theater".

Charlton Heston:

Neil Diamond:

Annette Funicello, one of the original Mouseketeers; sadly, two years after she made these handprints, she passed away due to complications of her multiple sclerosis.

Macaulay Culkin, the loveable lad from Home Alone who later became a party animal:

Fictional actors were represented too, including Roger Rabbit:

Stars of the 4-legged variety were not unrepresented - Masie, the dog that played Perdita in the live-action version of 101 Dalmatians, had her pawprints here, as well as her trainer's signature.

Star Wars was represented, as well, including the footprints of C-3PO and R2-D2:

Daryl Hannah, from "Splash", had her footprints immortalized, as well as her "tail".

Ray Liotta's handprints:

Everyone's favorite goof, Goofy:

Carol Burnett:

Next: More handprints and footprints, and I end my day at DHS

 

[PrincePluto]

Jackie Cooper, who started as a child actor in the 1930s, but is probably best known for his role as Perry White in the Superman movies of the 1980s:

Carol Channing:

Pat Morita:

Samuel L. Jackson:

Harry Anderson and George Kennedy:

Kate Jackson, from Charlie's Angels, and Patrick Wayne, John Wayne's son:

Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke, who were costars on the Dick Van Dyke show, had squares next to each other:

Ann-Margret:

At this point, I decided to head over to Art of Animation as it was time for Hero and Baymax from Hero 6 to be out. I got there after several dozen people, and the line got longer after me. I waited 35 minutes, then the characters went on a 15 minute break right when I got to the front of the line! I decided I didn't want to wait another 15 minutes on line, so I got out of line and started heading out of the park.

As I got towards the exit, a cast member stopped me and asked if I would be interested in filling out a dining survey. I said, sure, and was led to a (slightly) off-stage area where there were four electronic touch screens set up on a table. I had had two dining experiences, one at Pacific Produce where I had bought a cider, and one at Backlot Express, so I answered questions about both of these experiences. Once I completed this, I left the park.

I drove back to my timeshare, where I hung out until I decided to go get something to eat. I was tired of fast food by this time, so I headed in the direction of Old Town (an amusement and shopping area on 192) to find a place to eat. I found a pizza place named Flipper's, and thought it sounded interesting, so I went inside. It wasn't crowded, so I was immediately seated and ordered a coal-fired personal Margherita pizza. It was done to perfection and was delicious! If you are in the Kissimmee area and want pizza, I recommend Flipper's.

After this, I drove back to the timeshare, watched some TV, and went to bed.

Next: Park Day 3: Magic Kingdom

 

[PrincePluto]

Today, Tuesday, December 9, was my Magic Kingdom day. Many people see the Magic Kingdom as their favorite park at Walt Disney World, especially if they have small children, but for me, while it will always have a special place in my heart, it is my third-favorite, after EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Which is not to say it is chopped liver!

I woke up at 7:00, got ready and had breakfast, and drove over to the TTC parking area. I parked in the Heroes section, in Simba 13. I took the tram over to the TTC and decided to take the ferry; the one I happened to be on was the Admiral Joe Fowler, which turned out to be the same boat I took to the Magic Kingdom one year ago, in December 2013:

We didn't have avian hitchhikers like the last time I rode this ferry (there had been a trio of loudly cawing blackbirds sitting on this sign):

I realized I was not in enough pictures, so I took a selfie as the boat was pulling out of dock:

The Polynesian Resort:

The Richard F. Irvine going the other way:

I *did* say I was a Disney transportation nerd, didn't I?

The Grand Floridian:

The Magic Kingdom gradually getting closer:

Not sure if these were resort guests, or Cast Members carrying out some duties:

Getting even closer:

Passing the Contemporary Resort:

As we approached the Magic Kingdom dock, the third Magic Kingdom TTC ferry, the General Joe Potter, was pulling out:

At this point, I realized that the park had opened at 8 AM today, not 9, and thus had already been open for over 30 minutes, and I could kiss all hopes of a short wait for the Seven Dwarves Mine Train goodbye. Grrr! So, when I got to the park and went through the entrance, I found out that the standby time for this ride was already 45 minutes. I decided that this ride was not worth it to me to wait that long...

Next: Entering the Magic Kingdom

 

[PrincePluto]

Ya know, I write this report partly for myself, to record my memories and experiences of my trip, but also partly to see what other people think of my storytelling style, and to maybe reveal a part of the Walt Disney World solo travel experience that some may not have experienced for themselves. I was just hoping for a little more feedback - I see over 2300 views on my report, but less than 20 responses... maybe I'm doing something wrong...

 

[darrenf67]

Hi again
I've been reading your report and enjoying the details you include - I already have jotted down a few things to look out for when I return in August - so thanks for that! Looking forward to the next instalment

 

[Nuts4Dale]

How long does it take to get from TTC to MK on the ferry? I keep saying that someday I want to take the boat, but we always seem to be in such a hurry and the monorail seems quicker in my mind.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

I have subscribed to your report and look forward to reading every update.

I enjoy reading the solo trip reports because they seem more about the relationship between the writer and Disney. Family and group trip reports end up being more of a narrative of what each family member did while they are there.

 

[PrincePluto]

Thanks for your responses!

It takes about 10-15 minutes to get across on the ferry from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom. Probably not your first choice if you're in a hurry, but it's hardly ever packed, and if you see one in the dock as you're approaching the TTC, it's a nice change of pace, especially if you're a Disney transportation nerd, like me. It also provides great opportunities to take pictures of the "monorail resorts" from the boat railing.

 

[PrincePluto]

Before too long, the ferry had reached the Magic Kingdom dock:

I did not have any bags, so I walked past bag check, and through the RFID checkers, and took a picture of the Main Street Station:

There was taping around the park for the Frozen Christmas Celebration (Disney Christmas Parade), so this put a slight crimp in my touring plan for the day.

I asked a cast member if the portions of the parade that they were going to be taping were viewable by the general parkgoing public, but she said that it required an additional ticket, and they had already been sold out. So it looked like I wasn't going to see any parades, unless I decided to fork out extra cash for the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. I decided to mull this decision over while I walked up Main Street.

I approached Cinderella Castle, and saw that there were fences on each side of the sidewalks; I am not sure if these were due to construction, or had something to do with the taping...

At this point, I decided to check into the possibility of buying a ticket to the Christmas Party, so I walked down to City Hall to inquire about it. The cast member said that they did have some tickets left to the party, and did I want to buy one? I asked her how much they were, and she said $75. I decided that it would not be cost-effective for me.

I then decided to wander through the shops on the left-hand side of Main Street as you face the castle:

Next: More Main Street Shopping Pictures

 

[PrincePluto]

At this point, I will have to stop posting, as I have to upload more pictures on my online image hosting account... I will post more tomorrow or the next day, when I have access to the hard drive where they are located.

 

[vcjtx]

I am enjoying your trip report! The pictures are a great addition, thanks for sharing them. I'll be leaving in 2 weeks for a week-long stay!

 

[PrincePluto]

I am enjoying your trip report! The pictures are a great addition, thanks for sharing them. I'll be leaving in 2 weeks for a week-long stay!

to the report. If you've been reading for a while and just decided to reply, thanks!

 

[gogo]

Enjoying your report! I liked seeing the pictures of the shopping, especially at Animal Kingdom. Seems like we are always in a bit of a hurry but I'd really enjoy taking time to investigate more.

Looking forward to more.

 

[ElsasMom]

Just caught up! Thanks for the heads up on the delicious pizza! I'm going to go the Frozen Sing-a-long for my birthday, thanks for all the pictures of it. It's nice to know what I'm getting into.

 

[PrincePluto]

Just caught up! Thanks for the heads up on the delicious pizza! I'm going to go the Frozen Sing-a-long for my birthday, thanks for all the pictures of it. It's nice to know what I'm getting into.

The Frozen sing-along is fun, mostly for the communal experience of hundreds of (mostly) pre-teen girls singing "Let It Go" at the top of their lungs!

 

[PrincePluto]

Sorry I haven't posted an update yet, but my notes of what I actually did on each park day are in my desk drawer at work, so I post my updates from there. I have, however, uploaded over a hundred pictures to my image hosting server, so I will be prepared to publish several chapters of my trip report very soon...

 

[PrincePluto]

Goofy hat:

Christmas shop:

I went down to the Firehouse and got some Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom cards. The key card said my adventure would start in Adventureland. I headed in that direction, taking pictures of the facades as I went:

A post box on Main Street, which has actual mail pickup, and you can mail a letter or postcard and have it reach the recipient with a Walt Disney World postmark on it:

Casey's, for the tastiest corn dog nuggets in Central Florida...

The Crystal Palace:

I then noticed a Photopass photographer taking pictures in front of the Castle, so I got in line.

Next: Photos in front of Cinderella Castle