Solo Trippie - Living through 4 seasons at Disney in a Week

[iluveeyore]

Well, I'm back Going through my post-Disney depression, and what better way to heal than to re-live it here on the DIS! I have some pictures, some thoughts, and I promise not to bore you with unnecessary details. First let me tell you how this trip came to be and its importance to me.
My Grandma, who was my favourite person in the world, passed away two weeks before Christmas unexpectedly. She was 84, and seemed like she was 64. This is the Grandma who rode Space Mountain with me when I was 10, and then re-visited the World with us in 2005 when my daughter was 10. Anyhow, I miss her terribly, and was very upset after the holidays. While cleaning out her house, my sister and I found a tin of Pot of Gold chocolates, and inside Grandma had stashed some cash. My Dad told us to split it, she had obviously meant for us to find it. He said to do something special for just us, not for our kids, home repairs, bills or anything like that, just for ourselves. My sister bought herself a beautiful diamond ring since her husband never spoiled her with things like that. I, on the other hand, have jewellry from my hubbie, so I didn't want a trinket. I thought long and hard about what would make me happy using this money, and I found the 4/3 deal on the Disney website after seeing countless television commercials. Cue the lightbulb moment, and I was booking a solo trip! Now, I had been on one last March just for five days, and I had suffered through a bum knee and a bad chest cold so I didn't do too much that trip. This trip I had higher hopes for, so I booked it for sooner rather than later since I was feeling fine and I was sick of looking at three feet of snow outside. The minus thirty-six degree wind chill helped me decide as well. It was January 11, and I booked it for January 20-27. Now I just had to break it to my hubbie who doesn't understand these solo trips of mine. My kids are older and go to Disney every year, so they always support my need to get away from it all. DH however gets upset when I leave him behind since he loves WDW too. He tried his best to be understanding, but it was difficult for him to take me to the airport in the snow on the Tuesday morning I left. Especially when the border crossing guard is questioning why I'm going alone and he's not going!
Anyhow, the trip was a tribute to my Grandma, to thank her for the small gift she left behind for me to be selfish with, and to go somewhere I could reminisce about her being with me. I felt great about my decision, and my sister was questioning herself about her purchase since a trip away appealed to her as well. But I was going alone!
On to the trip!
I had checked the 10 day forecast, and the first couple of days said low 32 degrees, high 48 degrees - brrrrr, but still not as cold as home, plus no snow to deal with! Florida sunshine is better for my health no matter what temperature it is!
My flight was on time (got a cheap flight with Airtran for $79 down, and a cheap return flight with SWA for $82 coming home), and I was on the Magical Express a half hour after landing, on my way to All Star Sports (I didn't have a lot of choices for resorts since I booked only a week and a half in advance). I was solo, so I really didn't care where I stayed, since I had the whole room to myself!
Checked in by 5:00 pm and got my $200 gift card - asked for a room close to the main lobby since I was alone, and that wasn't a problem - I was in the Football hotel on the first floor facing the playing field, and a quick walk to get my tea every morning - great! I was hungry, so I wore my sweatshirt, zip-up fleece hoodie, scarf and mini gloves to Downtown Disney (it was 32 degrees F by 8 pm), and ate at Wolfgang Puck Express - yum! I wandered around some shops, and then over to West Side to check out Virgin Megastore and some movie times. But it was 7:30 p.m., and I was tired, cold and had to unpack, so I waited for my bus at the Pleasure Island stop. Here's a tip - do not sit on a metal bench when it's in the low-30's outside!! Anywhooo, back to my room to unpack, iron some shirts, and tried not to sound too happy and excited when my family called to say goodnight.

Day two - Jan. 21 - Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom!

Good morning sunny Orlando! Too bad it's only 32 degrees out when I ran in my flannel Eeyore jammies & hoodie to get my tea
No matter, the sky is blue, I'm on my own, and I'm going to Hollywood Studios. Here's me when I got there.

Cold, but oh so happy! Had to ride Tower of Terror first thing - 20 minute wait, but I stood in line anyhow. After that, went to Toy Story Arcade Mania ride - already 60 minute wait (isn't this supposed to be the slow season????), so I got a fast pass which wasn't good until 2-3 pm (and it was only 10am). That was fine - my main goal was the Tower of Terror and to have used my 7 day MYW pass to activate it so I could upgrade it. That's what I did at Guest Services by the front gate of HS - I had my $200 gift card, and I was using $50 of it to upgrade to a hopper. I thought I would ask what it would cost for an annual pass upgrade using my DVC member discount - $151.00 and I can use the gift card - so I got my $400 annual pass for my trip in August with my family & friends for free practically compliments of Disney! Plus, I could use my discounts for this trip as well.
So smiling very big, I took the bus from DHS over to AK by 11 am. The safari was a 20 minute wait, but I didn't mind. Here is the hippo, who I've never seen out of the water - the guide said the water must be colder than the air!

 

[iluveeyore]

After the safari, and lunch at Pizzafari, I had to ride Everest. The single rider line rules (except when groups of 4 or 5 people that seem to know each other use it). I got off with my face froze in a smile ( it was only 40 degrees at 1pm). Now it was time to head back to DHS to use my Toy Story fast pass (I love to park hop!). Browsed through some gift shops on my way out to warm up.
Did Tower of Terror again, with only a ten minute wait. Toy Story Arcade fastpasses were gone for the day when I got there at 2pm, and even the fastpass line took 15 minutes. Still fun (my score was 91,300, probably not great, but better than zero!). Grabbed my first Mickey ice cream sandwich for an afternoon snack - I really miss the Nestle Toll House cookie sandwiches in the parks though, so I was happy to find them at Goofy's Candy store in DTD on my last trip.
Caught the beginning of the Block Party parade as I was leaving, then went back to my room to unwind and thaw out while I decided what to do for the evening. This is the joy of solo at Disney - whatever I decided to do for the evening - no one to consult with, no one to give their own suggestions, no pouting, arguing, just me, myself and I. So I got a cheese pizza at the All Star eatery with a mug of pop, then layered my wardrobe for an evening at Magic Kingdom. Wore my flannel pj bottoms under my jeans, thick socks, a t-shirt, long sleeve t, sweatshirt and fleece hoodie, scarf, gloves, and put my plush Eeyore and friends throw in my bag. And here I am waiting for Wishes

I found it so nice that whenever I offered to take a photo of people for them, they would return the favour! I love Wishes, and cried through most of it (don't worry, just a couple tears, not open sobbing ). Grandma had stood here with me just three and a half years ago in amazement, and she kept saying "I can't believe I'm standing here in front of it", meaning the castle. I think the same thing every time I'm here.
I rode Space Mountain, and surprisingly found myself getting teary-eyed remembering my Grandma giggling and screaming behind me. I'm so happy I could do this, it would just be so much better with her! As a side note, I lost my Mom when I was 27 (now 40, yikes), and my Grandma lost her Mom when she was 25, so we were really close.
But no crying allowed in Disney (tell that to all the screaming, tired kids I saw!).
After that, I took the bus to Saratoga Springs, then a quick bus ride to DTD Pleasure Island. I was in the mood for a movie - missed Marley & Me, so I saw Yes Man - kind of funny, good end to my evening. All the parks close early, so Downtown is the only late entertainment. In bed by 12:30 am, after my first full day on my own!!

 

[bukappadelta]

Sounds like a really special trip.
Thanks for posting the pics. I'm trying to figure out what to pack for my trip tomorrow and scarf and gloves are definitely on my packing list now.
On a totally unrelated note, my DBF is from your neck of the woods, St. Catharines/Niagara Falls. He'll be excited to see this TR too.

 

[iluveeyore]

Sounds like a really special trip.
Thanks for posting the pics. I'm trying to figure out what to pack for my trip tomorrow and scarf and gloves are definitely on my packing list now.
On a totally unrelated note, my DBF is from your neck of the woods, St. Catharines/Niagara Falls. He'll be excited to see this TR too.

Have a great trip - and check those 10-day forecasts, really helped with my packing. I noticed a lot of people wearing brand new 2009 hoodies, so I know some didn't check the forecast! Enjoy yourself and thanks for reading - make sure you report when you get back!

 

[iluveeyore]

Today I slept in until 8 am - waaay better than 6:30 am like at home! Still cold this morning, but it's supposed to try and achieve 60 degrees out today, so I'm layering hoping to lose some layers later in the day. No rush this morning, as my plan was Epcot, and WS doesn't open until 11 am. Out into the balmy 40 degree temps at 10 am and off to Epcot - was the last one on a bus just getting ready to leave, love it when my day starts off with pixie dust! Another cloudless, sunny day too!
Did the Living with the Land boat ride first to kill time until WS opened. Didn't feel like freezing my face off on Test Track, so I was in Norway by 11 am when Maelstrom opened. That's always a fun ride, very relaxing too. Saw this sign outside of Norway.

I was surprised how many flowers survived the cold and frost though, saw many roses, geraniums and lots of greenery throughout World Showcase.
I watched the Voices of Liberty after noon - I'd never done this before, and their voices are amazing and beautiful.

I loved their period outfits as well. They mingled with the audience afterwards, it was really nice.
By 1pm, my goal was to be in the Toy Shoppe in United Kingdom to meet my favourite guy, the goal for every trip I take - and if you didn't already guess, it's Eeyore! I was third in line, and very excited.

As you can see, I'm not happy at all!
That accomplished, my day was complete - but I still had lots to do!
Wandered back to France to have my favourite, secret and cheap lunch - at the Boulangerie, I love the ham and swiss on a croissant, which they warm when asked, for a mere $3.25. It was still chilly outside to eat at their little bistro tables, and not many people realize if you continue into the gift shop, there's seating in there as well. So I happily munched down my sandwich and then ventured slowly through the gardens over to the Living Seas. I by-passed the Nemo ride, and went to view the aquarium. Got to see divers checking out the fish and coral and waving at the visitors.
My next order of business was a monorail ride over to Magic Kingdom. Today was the last day for the Disney Dreams Come True Parade, which I've seen several times, but wanted one last view for old times' sake. Notice how busy it is!

It was very congested after that, so I wandered through some gift shops, stopped to enjoy a Crispy Crunch ice cream, and enjoyed my favourite view of the castle.

Then back to my room for a mug of tea to freshen up and go to DTD for dinner and shopping. By 7pm I was back in my room with an ice cream sandwich for dessert and my shopping bags with some great finds. It was nice to just relax, catch some tv shows, do some reading and then fall into a deep and happy sleep!

 

[iluveeyore]

The weather channel promised 68 degree high today - woo hoo, I'm wearing crop pants! Still need my jacket though as the 40 degree temp greeted me on the way out this morning. It's already Friday - where is this week going???? Oh well, the sun is shining, I'm in crop pants, and off to Animal Kingdom I go at 10 am. I visited Camp Minnie Mickey to meet characters while the Festival of the Lion King was going on - saw Mickey, Minnie and Chip & Dale. Then off to Everest again - single rider line was 25 min. wait the cast member told me, but there was pixie dust for me this morning - a nice man with his daughter gave me an extra fast pass they couldn't use because she wasn't tall enough (had just given their other one away), so I got to use it. And the fast pass line took about 5 min. And my face didn't freeze today, bring on the summer temps!
Decided to park hop over to Magic Kingdom since it was the first day of their new parade - Celebrate a Dream Come True. Didn't want to go to the Transportation & Ticket Center by bus to get there though - it was easier to take the bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge, then catch the Magic Kingdom bus from there - only waited 5 minutes for each bus - awesome!
I grabbed a hot dog at Casey's Corner for lunch (what do you mean $5 for one hot dog????). That is why we bought DVC - when we're all here as a family, it saves us so much money to go buy groceries to stock up the full kitchen in our villa and eat all our meals there. But this trip it's just me, so a few bucks here and there for some food doesn't bother me as much.
Ate my hot dog on a bench in front of the castle - no restaurants on property can give you that view while you eat!
I had 2.5 hours to kill before the parade, so I rode the Liberty Belle boat, did the Jungle Cruise, did Haunted Mansion, then staked out a spot in Frontierland beside Liberty Square. Sat on the pavement right behind the rope so no one could stand in front of me. Had a few new cast members beside me that wanted to see the new parade (lots of "earning my ears" people here this week). Anyhow, here is the beginning of the new parade:

Still has some of the same floats from the other parade and not as many characters. More dancers that stop and perform a few times along the way to the new music. Still enjoyed it. And what time was the 3 o'clock parade - 3 o'clock!
Back to my resort to decide where to eat. I hadn't made any ADR's this trip because I was just living on the edge by myself. I got changed into jeans and more layers for the cooler evening and went to Epcot to scope out some grub. Everything was busy, and I didn't know what I felt like eating, so I opted for my cheap and safe food and got another ham and swiss croissant. But, just to be daring, I added a pastry stuffed with whipped cream (can't think of the name - it started with an "n" and had three words in french). It was sooooo yummy! So for $8 I was stuffed! I was going to stay for Illuminations at 8pm and extra magic hours were until 11pm, but it seemed really busy, and I felt like a bit of shopping and a movie. Made the quick walk from International Gateway over to Beach Club and took a bus to DTD from there. I was able to catch the 7:15 showing of Revolutionary Road, did some shopping at Virgin Megastore (got my daughter a Twilight t-shirt), and then to the bus. Had to wait for three buses, since the Brazilian tour groups were waiting and filled two of them before I could squeeze onto one - yikes! They weren't staying at the All Star Sports, so I almost didn't get off the bus before he left to drop off at the ASMusic because I had to try and get by all the standing members of the tour group. Made it though - wow, another day is done. This is going too fast for my liking!

Everyone still with me (anyone with me??) or am I boring you to tears.

 

[distherapy]

This is great! We were there at the same time - it's like reliving my trip too!!!

 

[iluveeyore]

Saturday morning - supposed to be sunny & 70 degrees today - hurray, crop pants and sandals! Little cool at 10 am when I headed for the buses, so I was glad to have my zip up hoodie - about 50 degrees this morning. Went to Hollywood Studios first - boy, are Saturdays busy, especially since it was warming up today. At 10:30 am ToT was already 40 min. wait, so I grabbed a fastpass, and headed for Voyage of the Little Mermaid. The show was packed, but I was lucky to get into one just starting. Used my ToT fastpass after that, did some shopping, then went out to the buses at lunch time. I decided to go to Old Key West and have a nice, relaxing lunch at our favourite resort. It's so laid back, and not crowded at all, so I had a nice lunch while I caught up on my journal. Browsed the gift shop, got a pop with my refillable mug, then took a bus to Animal Kingdom. By now I didn't need a jacket, which was soooo nice.
Did the Maharajah Jungle Trek and watched the beautiful, huge tigers for a while, then caught the 3pm Festival of the Lion King show - love this show. By now it was 3:40, and everyone was lining the streets for the parade. Thought it was a good time to hit the exit before everyone else did, so took the bus back to my resort to change and decide on dinner later. This is what greeted me at my room, compliments of my Mousekeeper - cute!

I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat, so I went to the concierge desk to see what was available. I really wanted to try Cape May's at the Beach Club, but of course there was nothing. He told me to just go and they would take walk-ups, I just might have to wait longer. Sounded fine to me. I took the bus to Epcot and walked to International Gateway, enjoying the scenery as I went. It was quite busy, probably because everyone was scrambling around trying to decide where they should eat.
Once at Beach Club, I checked in at the podium. She said it would be at least an hour, so I took my pager, grabbed a tea from the refillable mug station and settled on a couch in a nook with my book (sorry for the rhyming, wasn't intentional!). At long last, an hour and a half later at 7pm my pager went off. I was starving. It was a really nice buffet, all my food was warm if it needed to be, lots of selection. The best part was the desserts; there was an oreo cheesecake that I should have eaten first so I could have more - after all, I'm on vacation, who would know I had dessert first?? Oh well, I got to enjoy almost a whole piece. I was stuffed, and enjoyed a relaxing pot of tea before leaving.
Next, off to DTD to catch a movie - saw Underworld 3 at 9pm, then lights out when I got back to my room at 11:30pm.


Sunday, January 25 - this week is flying by. Another sunny, beautiful day worthy of my crop pants, sandals and (gasp!) no jacket! It was already 60 degrees at 10am, supposed to be 78 degrees later today. It felt like an Animal Kingdom kind of morning (this has actually become my favourite park to wander around by myself). First order of business - a photo ALONE with my guy Eeyore. So here it is!

Perfect start to my day!
Next was a fastpass for the safari, then off to the single rider line for Everest.
When I used the fastpass for the safari, I noticed that when it's warmer, you don't see as many animals - the morning it was freezing I saw all of them up close, and now that it was warm, they must all be napping where we couldn't see them. It was so beautiful, I wanted to keep wandering, so the Pangani Forest Exploration trail was perfect - I stood and watched the gorillas for quite a while - the big one was just sitting looking at us - guess he was people watching while we were gorilla watching.
Another ride to Everest, and I was satisfied with my time spent at AK. Took a bus to Saratoga Springs to check out their gift shop for DVC shirts, and grabbed a diet Coke refill while there. Then I took a nice, relaxing ferry boat ride to DTD marketplace to have a late lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express. Had the rigatoni alfredo pasta & chicken - it was soooo good. Did the rest of my shopping so I could start packing it up (tomorrow would be my last night ). Back to my room to change and off to Epcot for the evening. Beautiful night - high 50's. I went on Spaceship Earth - walked right on with no wait. Then off to Test Track - single rider line took 25 minutes, again with lots of people that knew each other. Shopped in Mouse Gears for a while, then wandered around World Showcase starting in Canada. Got a bottle of diet Coke in United Kingdom, then went to the bakery in France and waited in line with many people for a treat. Picked a lemon tart - huge and yummy - and found a bench across from Germany to enjoy my snack and wait for Illuminations. AFter the fireworks, I sat for a while just taking in the beauty of the evening, all the twinkling lights around the lake, and then wandered slowly out to the bus. Since I waited for it to clear, I actually got a seat on the bus. Got a call from home in my room around 10:45 pm - miss them all, but am really enjoying my 'me' time. Lights out - darn it, tomorrow's my last full day already!


Monday, January 26 - last full day - boo hooo!
Another warm, beautiful day, no jacket necessary. Waited 25 min. for a bus to Hollywood Studios - all the stops were busy. Tower of Terror was already 30 min. wait, but the fastpasses were for two hours from then, so I decided to just wait. Got some lunch after that since it was already 11:45 am (just had a large McDonald's fries), caught up on my journal while I ate. It was warm (high 70's), and there were a lot of people milling around, so I decided I'd had enough of Hollywood Studios. I was going to visit some other resorts, but changed my mind (without asking anyone!) and went back to my room with a tea and some shortbread cookies from the gift shop. On a side note, this is what I had left for my Mousekeeper:

and this is what my Mousekeeper left for me

The tv was on the Disney channel.
I had my snack, then left for DTD at 1:40 to catch a movie - saw Marley and Me (I had read the book and really wanted to see it). So me and a handful of other women met up in the bathroom after the movie to dry our eyes and re-apply make-up, and then I headed over to the Marketplace to try and solve my daily dilemma of where I wanted to eat. It wasn't busy at all, so it was a nice stroll in the warm sun around to Earl of Sandwich. I had never eaten there before, but had heard good things. I got an Earl of Cob wrap to take back to my room - it was really quite good.
My last evening was at Magic Kingdom, no question. Changed into jeans and grabbed a sweater for later, and at 6:10 pm I was waiting with a lot of people to go to MK - it was extra magic hours, and Spectro Magic was at 7 tonight. Once there, it was ten to seven, so obviously you couldn't move at the entrance to Main St. - luckily, I ran up the stairs right away to the train station and was able to catch the last train of the night just before it pulled away. I watched part of Spectro Magic from Frontierland, then went to Main Street to wait until I could cross to the bakery. It was so packed, I could hardly move - I was finally able to get my favourite cherry turnover, and then try and find somewhere to watch Wishes. The only spot I could find was to one side behind the hub, squashed in between a bunch of people, holding onto my turnover for dear life.
When you wish upon a star.....

I love Wishes - could watch it every night. Afterwards, I shuffled over to the path towards Adventureland and found a spot on a bench to finally eat my turnover after drooling over it for the last hour. There were still a lot of people wandering around for extra magic hours, and I decided I wasn't in the mood to wait in line for all the rides, or to wait until later to see if it was less busy. I had waited long enough to not have to endure the park exit shuffle though, so that was good. I noticed that they had finally started to decorate the parks with their new signs for 'Celebrate Today' so I took a picture of one at the base of the train station by the entrance. A nice cast member saw me take the picture, and asked if I would like to be in it - so here's me leaving on my last night at WDW!

I was back in my room by 9:10pm to finish packing - I actually enjoyed relaxing in my room for the evening and watching some tv while packing. Finally gave in at 11:30pm.


Tuesday, Jan. 27 - good-bye sunshine, hello snow!

Thankfully, I had booked a later flight, so my Magical Express time wasn't until 4:30pm. It's a bit overcast today, but supposed to be 80 degrees. I checked out at 9:45am and had my luggage stored for the day. I spent the last of my time at Animal Kingdom, since it was closest to my resort in case I lost track of time.
I just spent a leisurely day wandering the trails, riding Everest as many times as I could, and catching a couple of shows. I had a nice, leisurely lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and soaked up all the warmth of the day that I could.
Back to my resort at 3pm to finish up my journal and have a tea and cookies while I waited.
This was a wonderful trip, enjoyed every minute of it.
Hope you guys enjoyed reliving it with me.