No right,no wrong, no rules for me - I'm free *First solo trip 4/30-5/6* updated 8/29x3 *complete*

[buddha112]

Wow. A solo trip. My DW would never let me go alone, which I guess is a good thing. LOL Looks like you are in for a fun trip

 

[pucknasty]

I'm here!

I've had a long semester of school and i'm debating on taking a solo trip! Interested to hear your stories and take on things!

 

[Sailormoon2]

i'm debating on taking a solo trip!

I'm obviously not the OP, but I did 3 days solo (not counting travel days) and absolutely loved it!!

 

[xlsm]

I'm here.
I recall all of the warnings before your departure day. I didn't know you were from MO. I lived in Springfield between 1988-1991. I have several family members in the Waynesville area and several had friends in Devils Elbow loose there homes to flooding, literally floating down the river. Sad spring for them my heart goes out.

YAY

We stayed at AK our last 2 times.....LOVE it.

How could you wait, first thing I did was run out to the balcony.

I know right miss them babies.

Fell hard very hard.

Yep, born and raised in southern MO, moved out of state 5 years ago. I do not miss it, LOL!! This weekend we drove up to the northern part of the state for my cousin's graduation, and many of the fields were still very wet and all of the rivers/ponds/etc were still up so high. It's crazy. I feel so bad for everyone who had to deal with it, it's so destructive!

I loved AKL so much, I understand why people go back - it's how I feel about Wilderness Lodge!!

I'd like a bunch of zebra domes right now...it's been a LONG day!

I have to laugh about your Nemo experience because we saw the show once-ONCE. Back in 2011. The boys don't even remember it but Steve and I sure do. It felt incredibly long and as you said, the puppetry is great and it's so colorful but the singing..... Oy. So maybe not just a bad performance you caught? Or maybe the 3 onus have very sensitive ears??

I love your first solo day!!

I knew I couldn't have been the only person to have a bad Nemo experience! I really felt like something had to have been wrong - how could it look so pretty and sound so bad??

I think the three of us must just have a very good ear for music
or the z team was on the field, one or the other, LOL!

Our daughter lives in the St. Louis area, just north of some of the worst flooding and she had a lot of closed roads to deal with. I would have been scared about making it to Florida, too. The flooding was terrible.

It sounds like you didn't get a room text.

I love your room at AKL, espcially the wallpaper. I would love to be able to watch the animals from the balcony.

We have friends and family in the St. Louis area as well, it was a mess up there!! I'm glad your daughter was north of the worst part. One of my friends' husbands is a police captain in south county and she was terrified for him out and working during it all. I would have been too.

I did not get a room text...in fact, I never have on any of my trips since it became a thing. I learned the trick about checking the app here on the Dis. The bad thing was, the person at the desk was just not very helpful. When I went back later, I picked up a map and things worked out...of course, by that point I'd figured out where my room was and didn't need it

Having the animal view was the BEST!!

We were 2550! And it was a little maze like to get there.



Yikes!

Oh, I can imagine it was like a maze! That would be on the next section from my room, so that's pretty far. Who designs these Disney hotels to have such crazy hallways, anyway??

Womp womp

I looooooooove the ToL!! It's so beautiful and photogenic!

Saaaamsies. I used to not like DAK much but I have grown to love it more and more the older I get. Aesthetically I think it's the MOST beautiful of all the parks!

I love Giraffes, they are the cutest They got pretty close on our safari too!

Yaaass! I love Expedition Everest! Jacob loved every ride in WDW EXCEPT this one. I was so sad because I love it! He didn't like the backwards part...it IS pretty intense. Oh well, can't win them all I guess

Yeah I am with you on this. Both times I have tried to watch it, I dozed off. I wanted to love it but I was just very underwhelmed. Maybe I am just going at the wrong times? I know so many people who love it but I just...didn't. I think we are in the minority though!

Hahahahaha!! That gif cracked me up!
The baby deer was soooo cute, but not at all what I thought people were getting so excited about. It wasn't up and moving or even where people could see it well, so I have no idea why they were all crowded around like it was wearing a top hat and doing a jig.

I was really lamenting the forgetting of my camera while in AK. I could take pictures of ALL THE THINGS all day long. So, so beautiful.

X is kind of on the fence about Everest. He likes it, but doesn't love it. He's just not much of a roller coaster guy (although he is getting better about it). We have a deal that he doesn't have to ride it every time, but he DOES have to do it every OTHER time. It works out pretty good. Maybe Jacob will like it better in a couple years! It's one of my top 5 favorite rides, so I want to ride it as often as possible.

I'm relieved to hear you didn't love Nemo either! I almost feel guilty that I didn't care for it since so many seem to love it.

Wow. A solo trip. My DW would never let me go alone, which I guess is a good thing. LOL Looks like you are in for a fun trip

My husband was a little sad to be missing out, but he knew I needed some time to recharge. Disney was perfect for a solo trip because it's not isolating - I don't know if I'd have had as good of a time anywhere else by myself. It ended up being really fun!

I'm here!

I've had a long semester of school and i'm debating on taking a solo trip! Interested to hear your stories and take on things!

Hi!!

I'm so excited to share!! I am definitely an advocate for solo trips now, and Disney was the PERFECT place for my first ever trip anywhere alone.

 

[xlsm]

Hello hello!!

I will have my next chapter up tomorrow morning!!

My little cousin graduated from high school this weekend, so we made the long trip up to northern Missouri for that. On the way, while going 80 on the interstate, in the left lane passing another car, we ran over a nail or something and got a flat tire. Luckily we were able to quickly get back to the right lane and pull off on the side of the road.

Watching DH change to the spare while semis whooshed past was terrifying. I kept preparing myself to shove my children out of the way and throw myself in front of any car that might leave the road and crash into us. Since it was Sunday, and Mother's Day on top of it, every tire shop was closed. None of the Walmart tire centers that were open had tires to fit my car. Apparently my tires are a specialty size. There are Acura MDX's everywhere I look, so I never would have guessed my tires were anything out of the ordinary. Anyway, we ended up making it home late last night on the donut spare. My spare is about the same size as a normal car's tire, so maybe that helped things?? Even here at home, with an Acura dealership and a couple of Honda dealerships, I can't get my tires until tomorrow afternoon

I think it's my car's way of getting back at me. I spent Saturday test driving jeeps and plan to trade in my Acura right after we get back from Michigan in a couple weeks. I have never been in love with my car after buying it last year, and I'm super excited about FINALLY getting my jeep.

Anyway, yesterday was the longest day ever, and today I'm barely hanging in there (and I chaperoned a field trip) so no update today!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, a perfect Mother's Day if you celebrated, and a productive Monday

 

[Raeven]

So I think it was a totally different hallway because one night I got lost and ended up near the 2400's and had to go back to the lobby and down a different way to find the 2500's? I was so confused

Happy belated Mother's Day!

 

[MeghanEmily]

So sorry to hear about your tire troubles! Keep hanging in there, and hopefully things will feel different in the morning. And yay for Jeep shopping!! Happy Belated Mother's Day to you and yours <3

 

[Wood Nymph]

Watching DH change to the spare while semis whooshed past was terrifying. I kept preparing myself to shove my children out of the way and throw myself in front of any car that might leave the road and crash into us. Since it was Sunday, and Mother's Day on top of it, every tire shop was closed.

We had our tire blow out on the way to my brother-in-law's house on Christmas Day. My husband thinks that a snowplow had dislodged a reflector from the highway. Anyway, I was terrified of someone smashing into us, too. You hear about a lot of accidents where people swerve into cars that are pulled off to the side. It is almost as if the disabled car is a magnet for idiots. I'm glad your family was alright,

 

[xlsm]

So I think it was a totally different hallway because one night I got lost and ended up near the 2400's and had to go back to the lobby and down a different way to find the 2500's? I was so confused

Happy belated Mother's Day!

The next update to MDE will be gps tracking for finding rooms!! (I started out writing that as a joke, but it actually kind of makes sense...)

So sorry to hear about your tire troubles! Keep hanging in there, and hopefully things will feel different in the morning. And yay for Jeep shopping!! Happy Belated Mother's Day to you and yours <3

It was such a pain! Luckily this afternoon it'll be back to normal.
Driving the jeep was the first time I have ever enjoyed anything related to car shopping. It's in my top 10 most hated things.

We had our tire blow out on the way to my brother-in-law's house on Christmas Day. My husband thinks that a snowplow had dislodged a reflector from the highway. Anyway, I was terrified of someone smashing into us, too. You hear about a lot of accidents where people swerve into cars that are pulled off to the side. It is almost as if the disabled car is a magnet for idiots. I'm glad your family was alright,

That's scary! I'm glad your tire situation worked out ok, too. All I could think about was all the news stories about people hitting stopped cars! Most of the people pulled into the left lane, but you can bet I was giving death glares to everyone who didn't, especially the semi trucks. Not that they could see me, but it made me feel better, LOL!

 

[xlsm]

Good morning!!

Fair warning...I pulled out some of the pictures for this update yesterday evening after my last post. There were around 100 and I'm not even finished yet! This is going to be a long chapter with multiple parts.

Chapter Two: Awkward Selfies Around the World
May 1
​

It was the morning of my first full day!! After going to bed super early the night before, getting up wasn't too bad. I was ready to get this trip started!

I got up and showered, hair and makeup as done as they were getting that day, and then I went to see what my savanna view had to offer this morning.



A wild, dangerous...bunny rabbit. Can you see it there, the little black lump above the puffy bushes and to the right of the branch? I thought it was funny, and I saw more over the course of the week.

I went down to the bus stop and didn't have to wait long...I was on my way.

Where was I going??



Epcot!!

I couldn't wait to get to the Flower and Garden Festival.

I had allowed a lot of travel time, so I ended up being very early and had to stand around for awhile. A note for AP holders - if you rope drop, depending on how early you arrive, the AP line is used for breakfast reservations and tours. There wasn't much of a crowd yet, so I just texted DH and enjoyed being at Disney World. Only a few people were ahead of me:



When we finally were let inside I was ready to start my picture taking extravaganza!



Awkward selfie #1: Me and Pluto's...southern end



How long will my hair stay down?? Wanna make any bets on that?













I told you there'd be a lot of pictures! If you're not into that, this will not be the update for you!!

Like I'd mentioned, the crowd wasn't bad at all, but I did still have to dodge around other guests taking pictures. I had to stand my ground a lot during this trip, because as just one person, others seemed to think that meant they could shove past, step in front of, or sometimes even just bowl right over me and elbow me out of the way to get to what they wanted. That was probably the most frustrating thing I encountered all week - people sort of deciding that whatever they wanted to do was more important because I was by myself.

We gathered around the fountain in front of Spaceship Earth and waited for the park to officially open up.



Awkward Selfie #2: Me and...the bottom of Spaceship Earth



There was an older gentleman and his wife sitting next to me on the edge of the fountain, and he kept talking to all the kids, and doing these little magic trick things. His wife leaned over to me and said, "I can't take him anywhere, he's a giant kid", and rolled her eyes, LOL!

We heard the Jamminators start drumming, and when they were finished up, they let us start going inside. I kind of held back because people were running, holding hands and making a chain and literally running inside. It was a little excessive because there weren't even many people going in.

My first stop was to visit the Figment topiary behind SE:



Awkward Selfie #3: Me and Figment!





I love this little dragon

So many pictures and I'd only just entered the park!



My goal was to head toward the Seas/Land area and check out all the gardens...That's what I'll get to next!

I plan to get another update or two up today around all of my activities. Have a wonderful Tuesday!

 

[Raeven]

​

selfie #1: Me and Pluto's...southern end

How long will my hair stay down?? Wanna make any bets on that?

I play that game at Disney too.

Like I'd mentioned, the crowd wasn't bad at all, but I did still have to dodge around other guests taking pictures. I had to stand my ground a lot during this trip, because as just one person, others seemed to think that meant they could shove past, step in front of, or sometimes even just bowl right over me and elbow me out of the way to get to what they wanted. That was probably the most frustrating thing I encountered all week - people sort of deciding that whatever they wanted to do was more important because I was by myself.

Yes! People do this all the time. In the butterfly tent an older gentleman literally shoved his phone under mine to take a picture of a butterfly. It was on top of the butterfly! I never got my picture because well the butterfly didn't like having a camera on top of it and flew away.

I kind of held back because people were running, holding hands and making a chain and literally running inside. It was a little excessive because there weren't even many people going in.

That sounds like something people do in middle school Picturing giant chains of people running in holding hands is kind of funny.

I love this little dragon

Me too! Josh doesn't get it

 

[coloredimage]

How long will my hair stay down?? Wanna make any bets on that?

I say like 5 minutes lol.

I love this shot!

I told you there'd be a lot of pictures! If you're not into that, this will not be the update for you!!

This should be on the top of every single one of my updates lol

 

[Sailormoon2]

Your selfie's aren't nearly as awkward as mine!. At least most of your face is always in the frame

 

[MeghanEmily]

Yay for updates! Your "awkward selfies" are making my day! They're actually mostly not awkward and quite lovely.

I couldn't wait to get to the Flower and Garden Festival.

F&G Wooh! I'm so excited that we will be able to catch some of this, ever so briefly. I didn't think in my wildest imaginings that we'd get to it this year.

Awkward selfie #1: Me and Pluto's...southern end

Ohmygoodness.

How long will my hair stay down?? Wanna make any bets on that?

You're already beating me, mine would be up already. Our first couple's trip I underestimated what late April and early May would be like and wore my hair down...only to find it sweaty and disgusting within an hour! Not this time. Lol

That was probably the most frustrating thing I encountered all week - people sort of deciding that whatever they wanted to do was more important because I was by myself.

Gah. I get so frustrated with people on vacation who are all entitled and think their experience is the only one that matters. People are funny.

 

[missangelalexis]

Yay Epcot! You got so many great pics, especially the ones with the monorail in the background!

The Figment topiary is so cute!

 

[RoliePolieColie]

Following along! I was going to go on a solo trip this past March for my birthday, but then my mom said that she wanted to tag along, which was definitely awesome, but I still want to go solo one day! I can't wait to hear about all the fun things you were able to do by yourself!

 

[xlsm]

Chapter Two Part Two

A couple million pictures in, and I was finally moving deeper into the park.

I had a 9:10 - 10:10am Fast Pass for Soarin', so I wasn't in much of a hurry. My plan was to start with Nemo and Friends and look around at my fishy friends for awhile. L, my 11 year old, had requested a specific souvenir that comes from the gift shop here, so I figured I'd get that taken care of right away.

On the way, I checked out the gardens in the area.









At this point I was really disappointed that my mother-in-law wasn't with me, because I knew she would have loved all of this.








When I got over to The Living Seas (that's what I will always call it!!), I noticed that the CM wasn't letting anyone in yet. I took a few more pictures:









I checked back over at the Seas, and they STILL hadn't let anyone in and a line was growing. I didn't want to mess with that! I changed directions and went on over to The Land pavilion.

The plan was to go ride Living with the Land, but out of curiosity I went over to check the wait time for Soarin'. I knew I'd be writing this report and wanted to have all the info!

Imagine my surprise when the posted wait was only 10 minutes!



I went ahead and went through the standby line...why not, right?? There was no wait, just the time it took you to get all the way through the queue area and to the first CM. I was even pulled out to ride early because they needed a single rider.

Soarin' has never been a big deal to me. I didn't understand all the fuss about it. I know this ride is beloved by many, but I just never got it! I had ridden the Soarin' Around the World version the week it opened last summer at California Adventure, so we skipped it on our trip in December.

All that being said, for some reason, this might have been my favorite ride of the trip! I was lucky enough to be seated toward the middle, so the distortion I'd noticed so prominently in California wasn't an issue.

The scents as you soar over the landscape are awesome. Disney needs to develop their own line of licensed candles or home fragrance. I know a few etsy sellers make them, but I've had pretty bad luck with those. The Anthology candles (renamed Spireside now) I have are terrible. I wish Disney would team up with Bath and Body Works candles because those are my favorite. I'd buy Disney scented things in bulk!!

I flew over the world's landmarks, celebrated in Epcot with fireworks, and put my feet back on solid ground.

By the time I got back to the entrance area, the standby line had grown to a 50 minute wait. I had gotten there just in time! Instead of getting right into the fast pass line, I decided to...



...Live with the Land.

It was a walk on, and I ended up with a row to myself. I admired the orchids:





And watched this guy pick a peck of pickled peppers (while wearing gloves! Hot, hot!)



I decided to enjoy the ride and not worry about pictures, but I couldn't help but take a couple you know!

Once I disembarked from my boat, I briefly thought about changing my fast pass to something else, but ultimately decided to get back on Soarin'!

The standby line was still long, but the fast pass line wasn't at all.



The woman in front of me was also solo. She had brought a book, which was a really good idea, but I went bagless all week...it made things move so much more quickly when getting through security.



Another exhilarating flight around the world complete, I said goodbye for now to the Land pavilion.

 

[missangelalexis]

Woah a 10 minute wait on Soarin! That's awesome!

I'm with ya on the scents. I already spend enough money at Bath & Body Works; if they made Disney scents I'd go totally broke!!

Sounds like a very productive time in the Land!!

 

[pucknasty]

i experienced the same thing on my trip in late february...the Soarin' gods blessed us with a 15 min wait.

i love the scents as well. I hate the smell of Evergreen but for some reason i LOVED it in Soarin. Polar bears are also my favorite zoo animal so that was a pleasant surprise!

Can't wait to see what you are doing next! Hopefully you eventually got on the Nemo!

 

[coloredimage]

(that's what I will always call it!!)

SAME! Always and forever

Imagine my surprise when the posted wait was only 10 minutes!

That's only ever happened to me in DCA! That's pretty great - a 10 minute wait for anything is always awesome!

I wish Disney would team up with Bath and Body Works candles because those are my favorite

Same! Or Yankee Candle (because I'm selfish and they're everywhere up here and I'm only an hour from their main store lol)