Ridin' those rides and Trekking thru Africa, a Solo TR! FINAL UPDATE 10/28

[mickeystoontown]

You and I would get along fabulously! I'd love to do the back to back to back safari rides and wander around the Tree of Life trails. You got some amazing shots of the tree and of the animals.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

You and I would get along fabulously! I'd love to do the back to back to back safari rides and wander around the Tree of Life trails. You got some amazing shots of the tree and of the animals.

Thanks! That is one of the things I live about AK. There aren't as many attractions as the other parks, but there is so much to see still. And since you get different drivers and the animals can roam around, KS can be very different even riding back to back. I may do more updates this afternoon, and you'll see how different the end of this current KS was!

Maybe once I move down to FL (sometime next year is the plan) I'll be able to come to WDW while you guys are there. I'll be living less than 2 hours away, so I could even just make a day trip one day. I hate that my dates keep just barely missing Kathy (by a couple weeks in Feb and one week in Dec) and right now with my current job I can't get off the time you go. I have to go to the DISmeet board for December to see if I'll be able to see anyone I 'know' this trip.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Hi there!!! I am very late to your TR, but I am enjoying reading it all, along with the amazing pictures you had taken. I wonder if I might pose some questions to you. I was thinking about taking a solo in Feb and staying at the Pop's as well. CBR is my first choice but Pop's is pretty reasonable and seems very nice.

My questions are: Did you enjoy doing a solo at all? I am very independent but wonder if I would miss not having my brother and his family around to enjoy wdw as much. How was the weather in Feb? I hear and read conflicting reports, that it is 70 to mid 50's som day.

Last but not least, how did you enjoy staying at Pop's. Was it a nice place to stay at? I have stayed at Wilderness Lodge both times, so I know they are very different lol Well, I am on page 11 of your trip report and look forward to finishing it. And please except my condolences on the passing of your friend. I was sorry to read that.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Hi there!!! I am very late to your TR, but I am enjoying reading it all, along with the amazing pictures you had taken. I wonder if I might pose some questions to you. I was thinking about taking a solo in Feb and staying at the Pop's as well. CBR is my first choice but Pop's is pretty reasonable and seems very nice.

My questions are: Did you enjoy doing a solo at all? I am very independent but wonder if I would miss not having my brother and his family around to enjoy wdw as much. How was the weather in Feb? I hear and read conflicting reports, that it is 70 to mid 50's som day.

Last but not least, how did you enjoy staying at Pop's. Was it a nice place to stay at? I have stayed at Wilderness Lodge both times, so I know they are very different lol Well, I am on page 11 of your trip report and look forward to finishing it. And please except my condolences on the passing of your friend. I was sorry to read that.

Better late than never! And you're not that late anyway, as I'm only about 1/3 of the way into it. And I can certainly help you with any questions!

First, yes I do enjoy solo trips. I better, as I'm taking a third one in 2 months! I enjoy going with friends/family too. I think the biggest perk is that you can do whatever you want to do, skip anything you don't want to do, and no one will complain or make you feel guilty about it. You're free to have exactly the trip you want. And WDW is a great place to be solo as it is safe and if you do get lonely there are tons of CMs and other guests to talk to. Never once did I feel weird being there alone.

As for the weather, it is a toss up. I had good weather with 50s overnight and 70s during the day most of the week. I needed a jacket when I first got up and late at night, but had short sleeves and pants during the day and was very comfortable. I hope you get good weather for your trip.

I love POP! It's got a Disney feel and is very fun. I've stayed there twice and will be again in 2 months. I've never met a rude CM, they have lots of activities, the food court is the best on property, the grounds are gorgeous...I could go on. Have you checked out the official POP Century thread yet? It has tons of great info and pictures. I will post a link once I'm back at my computer.

If you have any other questions, please ask!

 

[captaindavidhook]

Better late than never! And you're not that late anyway, as I'm only about 1/3 of the way into it. And I can certainly help you with any questions!

First, yes I do enjoy solo trips. I better, as I'm taking a third one in 2 months! I enjoy going with friends/family too. I think the biggest perk is that you can do whatever you want to do, skip anything you don't want to do, and no one will complain or make you feel guilty about it. You're free to have exactly the trip you want. And WDW is a great place to be solo as it is safe and if you do get lonely there are tons of CMs and other guests to talk to. Never once did I feel weird being there alone.

As for the weather, it is a toss up. I had good weather with 50s overnight and 70s during the day most of the week. I needed a jacket when I first got up and late at night, but had short sleeves and pants during the day and was very comfortable. I hope you get good weather for your trip.

I love POP! It's got a Disney feel and is very fun. I've stayed there twice and will be again in 2 months. I've never met a rude CM, they have lots of activities, the food court is the best on property, the grounds are gorgeous...I could go on. Have you checked out the official POP Century thread yet? It has tons of great info and pictures. I will post a link once I'm back at my computer.

If you have any other questions, please ask!

Well thank you for all the great information I have bene on the pop resort thread. The people there are amazing. My true passion is to stay at CBR but the price at Pop's is quite amazing and to be honest. I am much more of a park person who uses the hotel just for the main purproses ie sleep, eat, shower etc lol

Another question I have is, did you do a dinning plan at all? If so, did you stick with just cs meals and did you do a character meal at all? I see you have the Photo pass. Would you recommend that for a person on a solo trip? Just wondering.

Not sure yet as of planning a solo just yet but really considering it. The Pop's does look like a fun place. I saw some of the videos on them. You have me thinking thou, a solo might be fun. Thank you again!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Well thank you for all the great information I have bene on the pop resort thread. The people there are amazing. My true passion is to stay at CBR but the price at Pop's is quite amazing and to be honest. I am much more of a park person who uses the hotel just for the main purproses ie sleep, eat, shower etc lol

Another question I have is, did you do a dinning plan at all? If so, did you stick with just cs meals and did you do a character meal at all? I see you have the Photo pass. Would you recommend that for a person on a solo trip? Just wondering.

Not sure yet as of planning a solo just yet but really considering it. The Pop's does look like a fun place. I saw some of the videos on them. You have me thinking thou, a solo might be fun. Thank you again!

I used the Quick Service Dining Plan in February, and will be again in December, but only because I got it for free with the Free Dining promotion each time. I stick with counter service meals usually, though I did eat at Mama Melrose in February for the Fantasmic Dinner Package. I have never done a character meal.

I didn't actually do Photopass, though I did have the photographers take the pictures and use my camera for pictures too. I thought about ordering some of the PP ones, but the ones they took with my camera were great so I didn't really need to spend all that extra money.

POP is great, especially if you are only using it for sleep, showering, etc. But there are lots of things to do there if you have an off day too. And the saved money is nice! But you can't really go wrong staying at CBR either. I've never stayed there, but I have visited and it is quite nice too. I hope you decide to do the solo trip, I'm sure you would like it!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 4, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14TH, PART 14


When I left off I was on my 4th ride on Kilimanjaro Safari. After passing the flamingos and going over the "tire cleaning" chains (if you don't know why I have that in quotes, ask) we stopped. I could easily see why:

The White Rhino quickly just crossed though and we kept going toward the cheetahs

Then......we stopped again. This time for 2 White Rhinos that were eating the grass on the side of the road, not wanting to move out of the way. It took about 5 minutes before they moved, and we had quite a line forming behind us. Our driver had to radio to get them to stop sending vehicles since it was so backed up. Finally one went on one side of the road, while the other kept eating, but swung his body so he wasn't blocking the road anymore. Here are the best pics I got of them before they moved, and as we passed the one still eating. You can see how close that one was, as parts of our ride vehicle are visible in the picture.

We moved for a bit by the cheetahs, lions and warthogs....

Around the corner we could see ANOTHER animal blocking the roadway. Anyone want to guess what it was???






































An ostrich!!! (bet you thought it was a White Rhino, didn't ya?) Actually there were 2, the one in this picture, and another that was blocked by that rock so you can't see it in this pic.

Thankfully they just crossed right away...

but we didn't get far because we had to stop again. This time it was 2 more White Rhinos!!!

We were once again stopped for a while since they didn't move. Our driver had to radio again to get vehicles to stop being sent. About another 5 minutes passed and they moved.

So, our 2-week-but-seems-like-20-minutes really did feel like 2 weeks! Actually I think (since I don't have my notes to confirm) it took 35 minutes. The line was pretty bad when I got off from them having to hold up sending vehicles twice. But it was pretty cool to see the White Rhinos that close. And the driver answered a lot of questions while we were stopped. And it's rides like that one that are why I ride it so many times each day, it's never the same ride twice. I did back to back rides and they were SO different.

I was starting to feel hungry from eating an early lunch, so I headed to Flame Tree Barbecue.

I got the Barbecued Chicken Salad. It was delicious. I got the Key Lime Mousse with it, which was okay.

I sat out on the outside deck on the water.

I got some pictures across the water at different parts of Asia.

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST.



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[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 4, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14TH, PART 15

I took a couple pictures of the interior of the deck, before realizing I had some guests.

The guests? Why hungry birds of course!

The female duck was especially pushy. She actually stood beside my chair the entire time I ate and quacked at me. She wasn't aggressive at all though, and I felt kinda bad for her as she was actually kind of sweet!

While I was eating I kept trying to get a picture of one of the cars going thru EE, but didn't see any. As I was finishing eating I saw empty cars going thru, so I guess it broke down! I did get close up pics of the ride though.

It was getting close to closing then, so I made my way back toward the Oasis, where I checked out those animal exhibits. There were only a few animals though.

There was a CM next to me while I was taking that last picture, of the Giant Anteater. He saw the picture I took and commented on how good it was. Apparently that animal never stops moving, so it is difficult to get a good picture of him. After that picture I headed out to the bus stop for POP Century.

I headed back to my room, and took some pictures of the construction over at AoA on my way.

I changed, then headed to the bus stop to head to DTD. It didn't take long for one to come, and I was on my way.

I took a picture on the bus of one of the cute ads they have with Timon and Pumbaa.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST.



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[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 4, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 14TH, PART 16


I was soon at DTD Marketplace.

I walked around in World of Disney for a bit, but didn't buy anything. Shopping wasn't my reason for coming to DTD. I headed across the old Pleasure Island to West Side. Along the walk I took a picture of another of the live statues out there.

Why was I in DTD? I wanted to ride Characters in Flight at night! I had done it during the day in 2010, but wanted to see the view in the dark, with all of the lights.

It was a little windy, so that limited the number of people they could take up each ride, so there was a line. Thankfully there was a reggae-type band right next to the line performing, so we had entertainment. I took some picture of them, and apparently the Harley-Davidson store, while waiting.

The band actually performed several songs while I was waiting for my turn, including Under the Sea, from The Little Mermaid.

I also took some pictures of the balloon as it was up for the other rides before mine.

Finally it was my turn. I was a little nervous since I knew it was moving a lot due to the wind, but it was great. Unfortunately most of my pictures are rather blurry since the balloon was moving around non-stop. But here they are anyway! Shots of DTD from above first:

This one is very blurry, but that bluish-purplish blur in the right-middle is Spaceship Earth.

After about 6-7 minutes of being up we began our descent back down. I did get a picture of the landing platform as we touched down.

I headed back over to Marketplace and wandered in some shops, but still didn't buy anything. I got on the bus to POP Century and, after stopping 20 minutes for a shift change in Pleasure Island, I was back Home!

I was pretty hungry, so I stopped by the food court and got chicken tenders with fries, and an Oreo Cupcake. It was all very yummy.

After eating I watched a little TV and went to bed.



UP NEXT: HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS!!


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[mickeystoontown]

Very very cool safari ride! Isn't it great when the animals are so close that you could reach out and touch them. We had a giraffe stick his head into our ride vehicle once and that was one of the neatest safaris ever.

I don't know how you could go up in that balloon like that. I just don't think i could do it because of my fear of heights.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Very very cool safari ride! Isn't it great when the animals are so close that you could reach out and touch them. We had a giraffe stick his head into our ride vehicle once and that was one of the neatest safaris ever.

I don't know how you could go up in that balloon like that. I just don't think i could do it because of my fear of heights.

It was cool. And that giraffe story is cool too! I'll spill some secrets when I do my updates on Wild Africa Trek about some of the things they do to keep the animals close to the road so they can be seen.

I'm not afraid of heights, which helps! And the fact that it is tethered with a VERY thick cable helps you feel a lot more secure. I will say I was a little more nervous this time that I might get queasy from all the movement due to the wind, but I didn't so it was all good. It does go up to 400 feet, so I can understand why a fear of heights would make you leery of trying it. Going up and down is the worst part. Once you are all the way up it is very stable. Even with the wind it never tilted or anything, it just kinda moved around, but was always level. They are very safe about it. While I was waiting I could see inside the booth where you pay and they have multiple computers with weather, wind at different altitudes, etc, constantly updating. I'll probably do it again in December, if I have time.

 

[captaindavidhook]

I used the Quick Service Dining Plan in February, and will be again in December, but only because I got it for free with the Free Dining promotion each time. I stick with counter service meals usually, though I did eat at Mama Melrose in February for the Fantasmic Dinner Package. I have never done a character meal.

I didn't actually do Photopass, though I did have the photographers take the pictures and use my camera for pictures too. I thought about ordering some of the PP ones, but the ones they took with my camera were great so I didn't really need to spend all that extra money.

POP is great, especially if you are only using it for sleep, showering, etc. But there are lots of things to do there if you have an off day too. And the saved money is nice! But you can't really go wrong staying at CBR either. I've never stayed there, but I have visited and it is quite nice too. I hope you decide to do the solo trip, I'm sure you would like it!

Great pictures and I finally have caught up to everything. The pictures of the rhino were amazing. I have heard that flame tree bbq was very good, I would love to eat there next time. I ate at restosauraus last visit. I think you would love a character meal. They are the best. I have done almost all of them at this point.

Mostly great interaction from all the characters. You defintely should think of doing it. I was telling my sister in law and brother about maybe going in feb. They seem to think it would be a good ideal. I did a quote from Pop's without airfare of course, but the price was really low. Gives me somehting to think about. I just wonder how much fun, I could have without anyone around. I like moving at my own pace but there are some rides, I wouldn't mind some friendly company.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Great pictures and I finally have caught up to everything. The pictures of the rhino were amazing. I have heard that flame tree bbq was very good, I would love to eat there next time. I ate at restosauraus last visit. I think you would love a character meal. They are the best. I have done almost all of them at this point.

Mostly great interaction from all the characters. You defintely should think of doing it. I was telling my sister in law and brother about maybe going in feb. They seem to think it would be a good ideal. I did a quote from Pop's without airfare of course, but the price was really low. Gives me somehting to think about. I just wonder how much fun, I could have without anyone around. I like moving at my own pace but there are some rides, I wouldn't mind some friendly company.

Thanks! That was the first time I ate at Flame Tree, and it was really good. I'd eat there again.

The thing about going solo is that you can do what you want, but you are never really alone. You can interact with other guests and CMs while on rides, especially ones where you ride with others right next to you, like Kilimanjaro Safari, PoTC, Mission:Space....and so on.

 

[Pluto0809]

I really enjoyed all the pictures from your safaris! I don't take nearly as many pictures as I should at WDW but everytime I go over half of them come from AK!

I've never been on a safari where we had to stop for an animal! I would love that. We did go to a little safari park south of Atlanta and had a giraffe stick it's head in the sunroof of my parents car. They have very rough tongues! Also had a buffalo put it's head in the window right next to me. That was a bit on the scary side! They are much bigger that you think especially that close up!

I am so jealous of your picture of the anteater! My boss loves them (long story) and I tried for 1/2 hour to get a picture when I was there in 2011. He (she?) just would not stop pacing. I had to settle for a picture of the sign.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I really enjoyed all the pictures from your safaris! I don't take nearly as many pictures as I should at WDW but everytime I go over half of them come from AK!

I've never been on a safari where we had to stop for an animal! I would love that. We did go to a little safari park south of Atlanta and had a giraffe stick it's head in the sunroof of my parents car. They have very rough tongues! Also had a buffalo put it's head in the window right next to me. That was a bit on the scary side! They are much bigger that you think especially that close up!

I am so jealous of your picture of the anteater! My boss loves them (long story) and I tried for 1/2 hour to get a picture when I was there in 2011. He (she?) just would not stop pacing. I had to settle for a picture of the sign.

Thanks! I take a TON of pictures, all the time. It's something I got from my mother, she has her camera handy at all times. I took almost 700 pictures on that day alone.

I have done KS about 15 times, maybe more, over 3 trips and have had to stop for animals in the road at least 3 times. And it's been a White Rhino involved every time too. A lot of the other animals cross, but they just quickly cross so you don't really have to stop for them, just slow down for a few seconds. The Rhinos either cross slowly, or stand there for a while, so they cause the most trouble.

The CM did say that anteater never stops moving. I got about 5-6 blurry pics before that one turned out decently!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I am a wee bit excited for this upcoming trip! I just paid it off with 61 days until I leave. I'm trying to decide if I want to do a whole journal like I did for the last trip, complete with maps, tables of hours, menus, etc. I think I will, but it will be a little less than the last one. Once I start working on it I will post pictures of it. I haven't decided if I will do a separate PTR or just put things here. I'm thinking I'll do a separate one as I don't want it to get confusing here as to which trip I'm talking about!

 

[PhoenixStrength]

Hope everyone is having a good weekend so far! I am pretty sore at the moment, but for a good reason. I ran a 5K this morning for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition in remembrance of my friend Cathy who passed away a few weeks ago after battling ovarian cancer for almost 3 years. It was a nice event and I did better than my last 5K by 9 minutes! I will probably never be near the front of the pack thanks to my asthma, but I'm proud of my time of 36:40.

I'm going to start uploading my DHS pics to Photobucket now, and will hopefully get an update done later.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 5, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15TH, PART 1

I woke up around 7:30am, courtesy of a wake-up call from Stitch, and was out the door to go to the bus stop at 8:10am. A bus pulled up as I got in line, and it took us 8 minutes to get from POP to Hollywood Studios.

I got into a line and was only a few people back. While waiting I took a couple of pictures.

Minnie showed up around 8:30am and there was an immediate line. I stayed in my line though, not wanting to wind up at the back of what was becoming a row of long lines. Instead I took pictures thru the gates of DHS.

They let us in at 8:50am, 10 minutes before official opening. I was expected to be taken up to a rope, but they just let us go. I got a few pictures as I quickly walked to my first attraction of the day.

TSMM!

I quickly got a FP for later and then got in line. There was almost no one in front of me, so I got a few pictures as I walked thru the line que.

I got on the second set of ride vehicles and started on my ride! I got an okay score. Best of the 3 people on my ride vehicle.

A few pictures as I left the line.

At this time it was only 9am. I got a ride on TSMM before the park even officially opened!! I headed to my next ride across the park, ToT!

There was no wait, as you can see in this picture, so I got right in the Stand-by line.

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST



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[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 5, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15TH, PART 2

A couple of line pictures.

And a redneck shot of my ride picture. I'm in the front row, right side.

You can kinda see that the girl next to me is grabbing onto my leg for dear life, and the girl on her other side too. She was hilariously terrified and held onto my leg the whole time. She apologized like crazy when we got off, and her friend was crying she was laughing so hard. I thought it was funny too, and told her not to worry about it.

I headed over to RnRC next. The Single Rider line wasn't open yet, but that was okay as there was almost no line. It took me 7 minutes from getting in line to getting on the coaster. I took a bunch of pictures along the way.

I was soon jamming to "Walk This Way" and cruising thru Hollywood. I hate that you can't take good redneck ride photos thanks to the lights they put there, but here is mine anyway.

I got a picture on the way out, then went over and grabbed a FP for ToT for later.

A Photopass photographer stopped me as I was walking back, so I got a pic in front of the Hollywood Hotel.

I headed back over to use my Fastpass for TSMM. It was only 9:30am, but the Fastpass Distribution was already up to 2:30pm for return time. I'm so glad I got mine right away! I got in the FP line and made it all the way up to the spot where they let FP in, and was ushered into the joined line. A few more pictures as I waited.

I was soon in my ride vehicle and trying to improve on my earlier score, which I did. Once again I got the best score in the vehicle!

CONTINUED IN THE NEXT POST


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[PhoenixStrength]

DAY 5, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15TH, PART 3

I decided to head over to Star Tours next, to ride it for the first time since the refurb. And, of course, along the walk I took some pictures.

I was soon there, and got right in line.

The sequence I got that ride was Darth Vader, the Pod Racers, then Naboo. Oh, I forgot to mention I had gotten a FP to get back on before riding the first time. By the time I got off it was only about 3 minutes before my FP time, so I waited around and then got in the FP line. I got some more pictures waiting in line to ride a second time.

CONTINUED IN NEXT POST


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