Solo Planning Trip for my 40th Birthday - Nov. 2014 (updated 8/15/2015)

[dreamseeker9]

Hi all! I'm Amanda.


Welcome to my second Trip Report!

This trip was my 2nd solo trip. My first solo trip was March-April 2014 for 5 days, but I had the worst cold I've had in years the entire time I was there, and I was in bed most days by mid-afternoon, shivering and taking as much cold medicine as I could. Not good. So in a way, this solo trip was a do-over for many things I had wanted to do on that first trip but just didn't feel up to doing them.

I was really stressed out over work last October. I knew I was going to WDW for my 40th birthday this September 2015 with family and friends, but I needed my Disney fix before then. So I decided to do a quick 4-day solo trip, partly to plan for my 40th and partly to just have some fun, and I planned it in just 3 weeks! Here's my Pre-Trip Report in case you're interested in that planning. I am a planner, I love to plan! I wanted to see if I could still have an excellent WDW vacation that was rather last-minute, and guess what - I did!

And now, on to the fun part - let's go to Disney World!

 

[dreamseeker9]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pre-Trip Report

My Wish List

The Basics

Arrival Day, Part 1 - A Beautiful Day to Fly to Florida!

Arrival Day, Part 2 - Home Again

Day 1 - An Afternoon of Firsts

Day 1 - AOA, Ups and Downs

Day 1 - Taking my Time in EPCOT

Day 2 - As the Weather Turns

Day 2 - Soaked Down to My Socks

Day 2 - The Magic That Is Chakalaka

Day 3 - A Lovely Morning of MK Resort Hopping

Day 3 - When I break down and buy winter gear at WDW!

Day 3 - The Best Last Night in the Magic Kingdom!

Day 3 - My Practically Private Parade

Day 4 - It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

 

[dreamseeker9]

MY WISH LIST

I had a wish list that I posted in my PTR, but I wanted to post it again here since I'll be referring to it as I write my TR.

My wish list for this trip:

RESORTS

• Swim in the AOA pool, and enjoy a beverage at the poolside bar!
• Eat at AKL at Sanaa, Boma or Jiko.
• Watch the Electrical Water Pageant from one of the MK resorts.
• Check out Christmas decorations at GF, Contemporary, BWI, BC, YC, and AKL.

MK

• Liberty Square Riverboat at dusk - I've never been on it. Can't wait!
• Tom Sawyer Island - never been!
• Swiss Family Treehouse - never done it!
• Splash Mountain, my 2nd favorite attraction behind DHS' Tower of Terror. I want to ride it at night!
• Winnie the Pooh - I discovered it on my last trip, and I felt like I was 5 years old again (in a great way). I can't wait to hop into that hunny pot again!
• Enchanted Tiki Room - last trip, some idiot answered his phone - twice! - during the show. I need to replace that memory with an uninterrupted show!
• Dole Whip - sooooo good!
• Wishes - I've only seen it from the California Grill (I know, poor me). I want to see it up close and personal!
• Main Street Electrical Parade - I've only seen it while riding Splash Mountain.
• The Kiss Goodnight - I've read so much about this magical way to end the night at MK. Now I just have to stay awake long enough to make it to closing time!

EPCOT

• Soarin' - I didn't ride it last time and wish I had.
• The Seas - I absolutely love water, the ocean, the animals - you name it! The dolphins weren't around last time, so I want to see them this time.
• IllumiNations - it's been a very long time since I've seen it, not since 2000.

DHS

• Tower of Terror - my favorite!!! I want to ride it at night.
• MuppetVision 3D - love my Muppets!
• Beauty and the Beast show - I've never seen it!
• Animation Academy - I've never done it, but I know it takes some time, so this one may have to wait for another trip.
• Fantasmic! - I've never seen it! I know, it must be rectified.
• Osborn Festival of Lights - I've seen it once before, but I want to really take it all in this time (we'd had a few cocktails before seeing it 2 years ago). And I hear it's gonna move next year and may not be quite as elaborate.

AK

• Kilamanjaro Safaris - I love seeing all the animals!
• Expedition Everest, multiple times single rider
• Festival of the Lion King - I've never seen it!

Miscellaneous

• Sleep in one day, and make an ADR for brunch.

OK, let's see how I did in making these wishes come true!

 

[dreamseeker9]

THE BASICS

A quick intro to me and the trip details!

I'm 39, single, and I live in New York City. Growing up, my grandparents lived in Southwest Florida, so my parents took us a few times to Disney World. We lived in Indiana, so we usually drove down to Florida and stopped along the way. t was always so magical to me! In high school, I was fortunate enough to march in the noonday parade with my high school marching band in 1990, and then we had the rest of the day free in the MK - woohoo! In 1997, my brother's high school choir sang at the pavilion across from the American Adventure in EPCOT, so my family tagged along for the trip - this was my first time staying on property, at All-Star Music, and it was my first time at the World where I could drink, and I enjoyed a pint at the Biergarten in Germany with my parents! Then in 2000, I went to WDW with my two best friends - we stayed at POFQ, what a beautiful resort! It was a wonderful trip, though bittersweet because my grandfather had recently passed away. Fast-forward 12 years (how did I let that happen?!?) to my next trip with 3 buddies in November 2012 at AOA (my first TR, link below in my signature). We had THE BEST TIME. And that's how I found the Disney spirit once again.

My Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom
My Favorite Attractions: Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain (don't make me choose just one!)
My Favorite Characters: Mickey Mouse, Kermit the Frog, Winnie the Pooh
My Favorite Disney Eats: Dole Whip

As I mentioned in my first post, I did have my first solo trip in March-April 2014, but I was so sick the entire time, so this trip was a do-over in many ways! Also, I will be the big 4-0 this September, and I will be staying for the first time in a deluxe at the Yacht Club! I am beyond excited. Right now, I have 8 family and friends coming with me, so it will be quite the trip! I plan to start a PTR for that trip as well.

So on to this trip! I decided to go Sunday-Wednesday so I could take advantage of lower room rates on the weeknights, and also so I could still have a few days to catch up on some stuff at home before I had to return to work. I picked the dates of November 16-19 after looking at crowd calendars, and I was hoping some Christmas decorations would be up at the parks and resorts. I looked online for rooms every day for a week, debating, until I saw that a Little Mermaid room opened up at AOA, and the price was very reasonable - so I went for it! I bought my ticket from Undercover Tourist and saved a few bucks, and I used points for my flight on JetBlue. I made my FP+ reservations and didn't have any issues, even though it was only 3 weeks before my trip - no doubt it helped that I was going solo.

So that's me, and that's a summary of my PTR! On to Day 1 of 4!

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay! You (finally) started a TR! I'm here and excited to read all about the trip!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Yay! You (finally) started a TR! I'm here and excited to read all about the trip!

Thanks Sarah! I'll start on Day 1 this evening!

 

[guestswithoutbags]

Hi! I'm new to the Dis but love solo trips, so I can't wait to read about your adventures! I have the Kiss Goodnight on my list every trip as well, and I always seem to crash. Will you make it? The suspense is killing me. ;-)

Also, happy birthday!

-Lauren

 

[dreamseeker9]

Hi! I'm new to the Dis but love solo trips, so I can't wait to read about your adventures! I have the Kiss Goodnight on my list every trip as well, and I always seem to crash. Will you make it? The suspense is killing me. ;-)

Also, happy birthday!

-Lauren

Hi Lauren! Have you done a lot of solo trips? I do like them, but I'm also really looking forward to this upcoming trip with family and friends. We will see how I feel, though, after trying to make ADRs and coordinate FP+ reservations for 9+ people!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Arrival Day, Part 1 - A Beautiful Day to Fly to Florida!

Sunday, November 16, 2014 - I had gone to bed just after 9:00 PM, but I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep until nearly 11:00 AM. So that 3:59 AM alarm was harsh! But I had already showered and packed almost everything. I was ready and out to my car service by 4:16 AM. Because even at 4 in the morning, I was so excited - I WAS GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

I lucked out and somehow got the TSA pre-checked line at JFK's JetBlue Terminal 5. I stopped at Starbucks for a skinny latte and bagel & cream cheese to eat on the plane, then arrived at my gate just as they announced boarding for my row - phew! The 6:00 AM flight was fairly full, but the seat between me and a nice lady was empty - more room! Yay!

I'd been having trouble with my ears while flying, so I was trying out this brand of earplugs called Earplanes for the first time - in order for them to work, I had to put them in before the cabin door was closed. Then I could take them out once we reached maximum altitude, but then I had to put them back in again once we started descending. So basically they were in the majority of the flight, but they worked! Well, once I put them in, Nice Lady started talking to me. I took an Earplane out and explained that I had them in because of ear issues. I put it back in, but Nice Lady kept talking to me - I just nodded, I could only hear bits and pieces of what she was saying. She stopped talking to me after awhile. I hope I didn't seem rude, but after my last solo trip when I was sick the entire time, I wasn't taking any chances with my ears hurting!

It was a beautiful morning to fly.

I love JetBlue's interactive map, being the control freak that I am.

We were getting closer! And then I saw the Florida coast!

So beautiful.

For the very first time, I managed to not make any wrong turns and found DME on my first try! I arrived at the DME line at exactly 9:00 AM. There were a few families in front of me. All the DME lines were short but one, with several buses outside. We boarded DME at 9:07 AM, but we didn't leave until 9:23 AM. They ended up combining lines 5 and 6 inside - Line 5 is for AOA and POP; Line 6 is for AKL. On the DME, there was an adorable young couple sitting in front of me taking selfies. She had color-coded their itineraries and printed them out. I wanted to be their friend, a planning gal after my own heart. She was quite the photographer, so it was hard for me to get this photo, but that's okay...

Yes, that's her hand. It's all good, because we had arrived at WDW! I noticed that my credit card already had a hold for the remainder of my room cost while I was still on the DME, Disney didn't waste any time!

The first stop was AOA - yay!!! A CM greeted me by name as I stepped off the DME, didn't I feel special! He handed me my welcome packet. i had done the online check-in and had requested an upper floor room with a lake view. My room wasn't ready yet, which I took as a good sign. I had come prepared for this possibility, so I changed into shorts in the restroom off the AOA lobby, stored my carry-on bag with luggage services, and got in line for...

It just had to be my first park, it's my favorite! I got in line at 10:07 AM. Two DHS buses, 2 AK/BB buses, and 1 EPCOT bus came before the MK bus came at 10:25 AM - I was so happy to finally see it! It was a packed bus. I gave up my seat to 2 kids.

I have to say, throughout the trip, I often gave up my seat for kids, parents holding kids, and older people. I didn't mind at all, I live in NYC, and I stand more often than not on my commutes on the subway or bus, so I'm used to it. But I was floored at the number of people who didn't offer to give up seats to little children or parents holding kids. It just didn't seem right.

OK, rant over - let's go to the MK!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Arrival Day, Part 2 - Home Again

I reached the MK at 10:45 AM - not too shabby, 4 hours and 45 minutes from NYC to the MK! I had my first glimpse of Main Street USA with the new holiday decorations instead of the garland...

It was pretty, I didn't really miss the garland.

And then I zoomed in on this beauty...

It was welcoming me home!

I spotted the Dapper Dans, traveling in style...

This is one of my favorite things about going solo - I don't have anyone rushing me, and I can stop and take photos like this and appreciate the moments that are often missed when people are touring commando-style around the parks. Don't get me wrong, sometimes that's the only way to fit it all in, and that can be a lot of fun, but I needed a more relaxing trip, so this worked out perfectly.

My first attraction was one I hadn't experienced in 15 years...

Buzz Lightyear! I forgot how much fun this ride is! It was a little hard to navigate by myself, spinning around and shooting, but I managed a decent (at least in my standards, LOL) score.

I really have no idea if that's good or bad, but I had fun - that's what counts! And I looked like I was having fun, too, though for some reason I look a bit posed for the picture:

Next up - Space Mountain! This was one of my FP+ selections for the day. I ended up with the back seat - kinda rough, but still very fun! I felt it, though!

Those are tears of joy and laughter, not fear, down my cheeks. And I enjoyed the two young women in front of me.

Side note - I admit it, I was too cheap to buy all of my PhotoPass photos, so some of these are screencaps of the photos. They are ridiculously expensive! I will definitely buy MemoryMaker for my big 40th birthday trip.

After Space Mountain, I was really thirsty - it must have been from all the yelling! I stopped in the gift shop for a bottle of water. I was glad that I remembered my PIN for my MagicBand that I'd created in March, I didn't realize it stays the same - kinda cool! As I was leaving Tomorrowland, a CM stopped me for a survey about my gift shop experience, kinda odd but kinda funny, I didn't mind.

I decided to stroll through Fantasyland. I walked past the Cheshire Cafe and was glad to see they still had the cake cups. I had one of those last March, they were amazing! But I wasn't hungry yet. Another day!

I love Winnie the Pooh, but the wait was 30 minutes, so I skipped it for that day. I moved on to Mickey's PhilharMagic! I so enjoy this show.

I was trying to eat fairly healthy on this trip. I'd already scoped out my dining options for the MK and had decided before my trip to try the Columbia Harbour House. It was nearing 12:00 PM, my first mistake. It was very busy and almost full. I got the grilled salmon, broccoli and cous cous. But I couldn't find a place to sit (and I went upstairs and back downstairs twice)! Finally, a CM helped me find a table, but it was a table for 6. I could feel some families giving me the evil eye as they walked by, looking for a big table, and here I sat, taking one up. I wouldn't have minded sharing, but no one seemed in the sharing mood. The food was fine, nothing special. All in all, it was a stressful experience, and I'm in no hurry to return. When I left, the line was out the door, and CMs were still helping people find seats.

I walked along Liberty Square and came across this gem...

It was on my wish list to ride, but I decided to wait. I made a pit stop in the restrooms where yo ucan cross between Frontierland and Adventureland - they are always stinky, but there is hardly ever a wait because they are big. And then I had a hot date with a pirate!

When I rode POTC last March, the woman next to me was texting on her cell phone the entire time - it really ruined the experience for me. It's supposed to be a DARK RIDE! Why would you come to WDW and be on your phone while on this amazing attraction?!? Luckily, this ride had all well-behaved people, except for the occasional flash from someone's camera or phone - I still hate that, but it's more tolerable. And of course, the ride itself is so enjoyable!

Next Up... Two firsts for me, an item on my wish list, and one of my favorite attractions!

 

[hokieinpa]

Joining in! I LOVE solo TRs!

I'm planning a solo trip. It might be 2 years away but that doesn't stop me from starting to plan (pre-plan) and making my wish list! I'm waiting until my sons are a little older and easier for someone else to care for but it just gives me more time to plan!

I love that you went from NYC to MK in less than 5 hours - total magic!

Fun rides on Buzz and Space to start off your day! I'm sorry your lunch at CHH was stressful. We didn't make it there last trip but I always felt rushed/stressed at QS. Waiting in line, finding a table!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at MK!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Joining in! I LOVE solo TRs!

I'm planning a solo trip. It might be 2 years away but that doesn't stop me from starting to plan (pre-plan) and making my wish list! I'm waiting until my sons are a little older and easier for someone else to care for but it just gives me more time to plan!

I love that you went from NYC to MK in less than 5 hours - total magic!

Fun rides on Buzz and Space to start off your day! I'm sorry your lunch at CHH was stressful. We didn't make it there last trip but I always felt rushed/stressed at QS. Waiting in line, finding a table!

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your day at MK!

Hi and welcome! Thanks for joining in! I love that you are pre-planning - I think planning a trip to WDW (or DLR) is just about half the fun of the trip!

I agree about some QS locations especially, feeling rushed and stressed, especially when I was alone and no one was saving a table for me and it's crowded. I had a good experience on my first solo trip dining QS at AK's Flame Tree BBQ, it wasn't crowded, and I found a lot of empty tables down by the water - it was actually quite tranquil! But yeah, most QS's are stressful.

I hope to post more later today, after I finish work.

 

[SarahDisney]

Yay for getting pre-check - I've had that at JFK T5 too, it makes things a little easier (although I find that security there is a little hectic either way)
I think they combine the AoA/Pop & AKL lines a lot ... at least they did it when I stayed at AOA in November and when my parents were at Pop a few months later. But it doesn't really matter because AOA is the first stop anyway

Sounds like a great morning! For the first time in 15 years, that's a pretty excellent score on Buzz! And the Space Mountain picture is hysterical.
What a bummer about the text-maniac on your last POTC ride, but I'm so glad this experience was better. The flash on dark rides thing bothers me too, but I've gotten used to it.

I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of the day!

 

[guestswobags]

Have you done a lot of solo trips? I do like them, but I'm also really looking forward to this upcoming trip with family and friends. We will see how I feel, though, after trying to make ADRs and coordinate FP+ reservations for 9+ people!

Hi again! I've done one big solo trip (July 2012), but then I ended up living in Orlando for work between October 2012 and April 2013 ... which meant near-daily "solo trips". One of my favorite things to do was park at DHS, then walk over to Epcot via the Boardwalk path and then wander around World Showcase for a while. One of the first things I figured out about Orlando was there weren't many great places to just go walk - except for Disney, where you've got water, beautiful landscaping, the best people-watching, and you can walk pretty much forever. Plus I had a total evening MK routine. Pop over for Columbia Harbour House dinner, ride Splash and Mansion, catch some fireworks and then back home. It was an awesome six months.

I cam empathize with your big family planning! My sister-in-law decided to get the whole family together for a Christmas trip last year. My husband and I have been a bunch, but it was a first trip for all of them. There were 10 of us (Josh and I included). It was kind of an odd trip. Everyone seemed happy, but there also seemed to be a lot of confusion about what was going on around them. I kept trying to encourage people to just go with it, but ... for example, I booked a reservation for all of us at Whispering Canyon at WL, because SIL has young kids, the grandparents were there, big group, I thought everyone would get a kick out of it. Instead they all seemed to just not understand why the waitress was being so weird. And I'm not sure they figured out FP+. There was a lot of aimless wandering. Not the fun kind through Epcot, either. ;-) Not to distract from this solo trip, but now I'm really looking forward to hearing how your big group trip turns out! Have you guys all traveled together before?

 

[guestswobags]

4 hours and 45 minutes from NYC to the MK!

That is an awesome sentence. Practically next door!

 

[jundland]

 

[dreamseeker9]

Yay for getting pre-check - I've had that at JFK T5 too, it makes things a little easier (although I find that security there is a little hectic either way)
I think they combine the AoA/Pop & AKL lines a lot ... at least they did it when I stayed at AOA in November and when my parents were at Pop a few months later. But it doesn't really matter because AOA is the first stop anyway

Sounds like a great morning! For the first time in 15 years, that's a pretty excellent score on Buzz! And the Space Mountain picture is hysterical.
What a bummer about the text-maniac on your last POTC ride, but I'm so glad this experience was better. The flash on dark rides thing bothers me too, but I've gotten used to it.

I'm looking forward to reading about the rest of the day!

I remember reading in your last TR t hat you got the pre-check at JFK T5, so I was glad to get it, too!

Good to know about my Buzz score, thanks!

 

[dreamseeker9]

Hi again! I've done one big solo trip (July 2012), but then I ended up living in Orlando for work between October 2012 and April 2013 ... which meant near-daily "solo trips". One of my favorite things to do was park at DHS, then walk over to Epcot via the Boardwalk path and then wander around World Showcase for a while. One of the first things I figured out about Orlando was there weren't many great places to just go walk - except for Disney, where you've got water, beautiful landscaping, the best people-watching, and you can walk pretty much forever. Plus I had a total evening MK routine. Pop over for Columbia Harbour House dinner, ride Splash and Mansion, catch some fireworks and then back home. It was an awesome six months.

I cam empathize with your big family planning! My sister-in-law decided to get the whole family together for a Christmas trip last year. My husband and I have been a bunch, but it was a first trip for all of them. There were 10 of us (Josh and I included). It was kind of an odd trip. Everyone seemed happy, but there also seemed to be a lot of confusion about what was going on around them. I kept trying to encourage people to just go with it, but ... for example, I booked a reservation for all of us at Whispering Canyon at WL, because SIL has young kids, the grandparents were there, big group, I thought everyone would get a kick out of it. Instead they all seemed to just not understand why the waitress was being so weird. And I'm not sure they figured out FP+. There was a lot of aimless wandering. Not the fun kind through Epcot, either. ;-) Not to distract from this solo trip, but now I'm really looking forward to hearing how your big group trip turns out! Have you guys all traveled together before?

How awesome to live in Orlando for 6 months and walk around WDW. I'd do that in a heartbeat, especially during the winter months!

Interesting to hear about your big family trip. It's a combo of various friends, my parents, and my brother, so some of us have traveled together, but not all. And some of us are familiar with the new FP+ system, but not all by far - I'm explaining to people why they need to set up the MDE accounts, what MagicBands are, etc. So it's going to be interesting! I'm going to make a few ADRs, but it's hard because I don't know yet the final total, so I'll make it for a few more people than we have now.

I didn't get to write the next part of the TR tonight because my brother is in town from LA, so I really wanted to see him. I'll see him and friends tomorrow night as well, but hopefully I can sneak some time away from work tomorrow to write more!

 

[guestswobags]

It's a combo of various friends, my parents, and my brother, so some of us have traveled together, but not all. And some of us are familiar with the new FP+ system, but not all by far - I'm explaining to people why they need to set up the MDE accounts, what MagicBands are, etc. So it's going to be interesting!

Okay, that sounds like a fun group. Like camp or something. The other part of this was that they were going through a travel agent that put them offsite. Husband and I were like, Uh, no thanks, and stayed at the WL. The outcome of that was minimal awareness of things like MDE and FP+, so we just booked some FP+ for the kids and let them borrow our bands. It all worked out. I'd love to be the planner for a big group trip. Maybe if my family ever goes. My fam is way more Disney-oriented; they have favorite rides and are really into the hotels and character breakfasts and experiences like that, so all the planning would probably go over a little better.

 

[dreamseeker9]

Thanks for being patient! My brother was in town visiting last week, and I had to travel for work, which meant not much free time at all! I'll be back on the road for work for 4 days this week, but I'm going to build in more down time in the evenings - that's my goal, anyway.

Day 1 - An Afternoon of Firsts
I left off at POTC. I had a FP+ booked for a special ride next on the Jingle Cruise!

This was my first time on the Jingle Cruise version. I was excited to see it all decked out for the holidays. The standby was quite long, so I'm glad I had the FP+ for it!

I thought overall, the holiday layover was very clever. We had a great skipper, she had just that right amount of deadpan delivery in her jokes. Several jokes were made into holiday jokes.

After a very enjoyable Jingle Cruise, I walked back to Frontierland for another first, something I've been wanting to do for a very long time!

How have I never done this before? It was absolutely amazing! I felt so removed from the rest of the MK, and transported into Tom Sawyer's story. The details, per usual Disney fashion, were perfection.

I mean, really - the horse's tail swishes! Amazing.

I really let myself be a kid again. I wandered into one cave that was so dark, I was beginning to wonder if I'd find my way out! But I made it.

The views from the island of Frontierland and Liberty Square were terrific, especially the Riverboat, Haunted Mansion, and BTMRR in action!

I am seriously in love with this island! Beyond the great views and the fun caves and the fort, the landscaping was beautiful.

I even braved the barrel bridge - twice!

If you haven't yet checked out this gem, I really encourage you to take a little time and go. It's great for kids, but it's not just for kids. I saw people of all ages checking it out. Some were simply relaxing in rocking chairs on the shaded porch overlooking the Liberty Riverboat landing.

(continued in next post...)