The Double-and-a-half Trippie ** COMPLETED **

[SeptemberGirl]

Great pictures! I love your stop and smell the roses Disney experience.

 

[abitt]

Sounds like so much fun---to go to WDW all by yourself. I love my family but it would be nice to do things at my own pace. I have just read your whole trip report today and I have enjoyed every word of it. Keep us posted

 

[lamagique]

I can't believe I caught this TR so late! Anyway, I spent today reading it and enjoying it very much. I think my favorite part is that YOU'RE FRENCH! That part definitely caught my eye... seeing as how I studied there this time last year (Rennes) and I am a French major. Your English is amazing... how is it so good??? Anyway, I can't wait for the rest!

 

[marivaid]

That tree is amazing, right? It was still up when we were there in early January.

The tiger is super cute! You got great pictures of him!

The tree is breathtaking. Better than MK's in my opinion. There are so many original ornaments on it, I could have looked at it for hours.
Tiger oh gosh he was soooo adorable. It's a good thing they're behind a window because I was dying to go scratch his nose

Great pictures! I love your stop and smell the roses Disney experience.

It was really nice. DM has no patience when it comes to me taking pics. It makes her nuts that I stop and take several shots of the same thing. I took more pics in 3 days by myself than I did in a week when we were together.

Sounds like so much fun---to go to WDW all by yourself. I love my family but it would be nice to do things at my own pace. I have just read your whole trip report today and I have enjoyed every word of it. Keep us posted

thanks for reading my TR !! Yes it was really nice to be solo and do what I wanted, when I wanted. But I have to admit that after a few days I was more than ready for my mom to get there. It does get a little lonely.

I can't believe I caught this TR so late! Anyway, I spent today reading it and enjoying it very much. I think my favorite part is that YOU'RE FRENCH! That part definitely caught my eye... seeing as how I studied there this time last year (Rennes) and I am a French major. Your English is amazing... how is it so good??? Anyway, I can't wait for the rest!

LaMagique !!!!! I read your TR a few months ago, it was amazing. Do you miss being a CM ? I wish I could do the international program but I think I'm too old for it
How did you like Rennes ? Thanks for complimenting me on my English My mom's an English teacher and I've been going to the UK since I was a few months old.
Tu parles Français ? Quand est-ce que tu reviens nous voir?

 

[DisneyTabby]

I love your pictures! What kind of camera do you use? Can't wait to hear more.

 

[marivaid]

I love your pictures! What kind of camera do you use? Can't wait to hear more.

Thank you !! I use a Canon S3IS

 

[marivaid]

I overnapped a little, and didn't wake up until 7. And was still sleepy, so at first I thought, nevermind I'll go to Magic tomorrow. Then I literally yelled at myself, forced my lazy butt out of bed and got dressed.

Gloves were still needed that night, and I wouldn't have minded a coat either.

I got to MK just as SpectroMagic was coming out on Main Street.
I watched a little but was more interested in the shop windows!

But because Spectro was still going on, of course no one was allowed to cross the street.

Somehow I found myself close to the bridge to Tomorrowland. I don't even know what that area is called. But I looked up, and saw that it could be quite a good spot to watch the fireworks. Watcha think of that view ??

The castle all made up with the lights is INCREDIBLE. It changes colors, and I think I took about 50pics while waiting for Wishes, trying to have a decent pic of each different color.

Spectro was still going on, and I tried to get a few pics from my spot, which was pretty far away. These are actually some of the best Spectro pics I've taken... granted, they all kind of stink

One last pic of the amazing castle.........

.. and soon Tinkerbell was flying right over my head !!

I had never seen Holiday Wishes until that day. Not sure how that happened since we were in WDW last year right after Christmas, and saw Wishes twice. Maybe they only do Holiday Wishes until Christmas Day ?

Either way, mind blowing. I still love regular Wishes the best, but this is a close second. It turned out my spot was perfect !!! Much better than standing on Main Street with all these people sneaking in front of you at the last minute. The only thing is that the fireworks were a little off to the side instead of being behind the castle, but that was no problem for me.

After the fireworks ended, most people were trying to go to Fantasyland or Frontierland. So I went to Tomorrowland instead

The first ride I chose was Stitch. Yep, Stitch. Why ?? Because I love the character. Even though the "ride" kind of stinks - literally. Well, I liked it this time ! I was sitting in the front row and could see the animatronic a lot better. It's really well made. I really like the preshow too. No, it's not anywhere close to being one of the best rides in WDW, but it's not as bad as some people make it out to be,either.

After Stitch I crossed the street and walked in Monsters,Inc. I just LOVE this show. Grumpy doesn't care for it at all, IMO because she doesn't get most of the jokes. Once again "THAT GUY" was sitting right in front of me so I moved a bit because I didn't want to see myself on the screen again. The audience was great and the show hilarious.

No wait at Buzz ??? Oh yeah baby !!!! I went on it three times in a row. It's kind of weird by yourself because you're not competing against anyone. On the bright side at least I couldn't lose.

For a while I thought about doing Astro Orbiter, but I chickened out. I don't have a fear of heights, per se, but I am afraid of falling out of rides. So many reviewers said that they felt they were going to fall out of their rockets on Astro Orbiter, I think it'll be a while until I get the guts to go on it.

It was SO cold outside and I was dying for something hot. I wanted to try Cosmic Ray's but had no idea where it was. I must have looked really lost because a CM came to me and asked me if I needed help.
I told her I was looking for Cosmic Ray's but it must have been abducted by aliens because I'd been EVERYWHERE in Tomorrowland and it was nowhere to be found.
She laughed, turned me around and pointed right at it.

After apologizing and calling myself an idiot and thanking the CM again and again, I walked in. The place was half empty - it was past 11pm after all.
I got in line behind a group of 3 adults who were on the DDP and ordering a TON of food.

When they left and I got to the CM to order, he gave me a big smile and said
"Have a great night, enjoy your food !!"

Errr.. thanks. But I haven't bought anything yet.

"You're not with these people ? Oh, wow. They bought enough food for 6. I thought for sure you were with them."

Okay, dude, what's that supposed to mean ? Am I supposed to take this the wrong way ? Are you saying that the group of 3 bought food for 6 because I was with them and since I'm fat therefore I eat 3 times as much as a regular person ? Could I be paranoid ? Yeah, quite possibly.

I ordered my chicken and soda and found a table at the far end of the restaurant, facing the wall.

Oh yeah I have a major problem with eating in public. Especially by myself. All through high school I'd either starve from 8am to 6pm or hide in the bathroom to eat.
Have you ever been to the bathroom in a public high school ? Would you like to eat there ? Me either.

For a split second I considered taking my chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes to the bathroom at Cosmic Ray's.

Oh, come on. Grow UP !

So I ate, facing the prettty wall. It was really good and mostly HOT.

I cleaned up and went over to Fantasyland where I walked in on Winnie the Pooh, Snow White and PhilarMagic. Peter Pan had a small line so I passed and went into Small World instead.

It's a small, small, world....

(Continued in next post as I'm over the pic quota!)

 

[marivaid]

As I left Small World I checked my cell phone - it was almost 1am already. Only one hour left in the park

I'd wanted to do Big Thunder Mountain and Haunted Mansion and also window-shop on Main Street before going back to the resort and didn't think I'd have time to do it all. I chose to pass on Big Thunder Mountain.

Did I ever mention I get scared on Haunted Mansion ? I just don't do dark, at all. Yet it's one of my favorite rides in all WDW.
I was a little apprehensive when we got in the stretching room.

One of the CMs, a guy , was REALLY in character. He was giving me the creeps and I went on the other side of the room to avoid him. I took a pic of one of the "paintings" to give me something else to think about.

You're 28 years old for Pete's sake. Oh, carp, 29 now. Gosh I'm old. Really old. Old enough to not be scared on Haunted Man...
GAH!

when I turned around after taking my pic, I was face-to-face with Creepy CM. I actually yelled and jumped back. Everyone else in the room was cracking up but the guy didn't blink. Then he walked to the other side of the room.

I laughed nervously (that was embarassing!!) and soon the lights went dark. When they came back on, what do you think ?? Yep, I was back face to face with Creepy CM, looking even creepier. And he was inches from my face. If I hadn't been so scared I would have been worried about him smelling my post-Cosmic Ray breath.
Re-GAH!

"Oh gosh please stop it you're seriously creeping me out. It's not funny!"
"No it's not. But you can go out, I'm stuck here forever."

Okay dude, you're on your own.

I went in my buggy and sat right in the middle, keeping my legs together. Why ? I read reports on the DIS that sometimes the CMs grab guests' legs on Haunted Mansion to freak them out. And Creepy CM had this look in his creepy eyes as if he wasn't quite done with me yet.

The ride was great, except we got stuck about 5mns at the graveyard scene. Maybe they were loading a guest in a wheelchair or something.

Well, it was over and apparently Creepy CM had found somebody else to creep out. I was relieved. I came out and not one second later
BOO!!

I was about to yell at the creepy CM but it wasn't him. It was a couple a little older than me that had been with us in the stretching room.

I didn't yell but I did gasp and jumped a few steps back.

"I'm so sorry sweetie !!! He made me do it !! But you sure scare easy!"

What, me ? Nah, I was just kidding around. Not scared one bit. Ah-ah. Funny.
But next time I come here by myself, I'm wearing Depends. Just FYI.

Liberty Square was deserted. I took a couple more pics of the Castle and headed to the Emporium for some shopping.

The shops were kind of busy and I just looked around but didn't buy anything. I did see the CUTEST baby Pluto in a blanket and made a note to buy it for my sister. Not tonight though. The lines to pay were out the door.

Instead I slowly, very slowly, walked out of the park, stopping once in a while to take pics of shop windows and Holiday decorations. My mom would have gone bersek. She hates walking slowly and has no patience with me taking pics.

Almost out

One last look behind me before going to catch my bus

The ride back was uneventful, although the bus was packed. I had carried my mug around all night for nothing, when I came back to the resort I checked the beverage island but it was all cleaned and covered up.

Just before I crashed in bed, I realized that my 3rd bag had still not been delivered.

 

[CPer'sMom]

Great pics! That one of Tink is the best I've seen. Thanks for the update ~ It's fun to go solo every once in a while, isn't it?

 

[marivaid]

one of Tink is the best I've seen.

Really ?? It's pretty bad. I was trying to zoom and check if she really was TinkerBill, but couldn't get close enough

Yes going fun solo was pretty cool. But I'm REALLY looking forward to our "group" trip !!! Just started a pre-trippie here :
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1726493

Pretrips help me keep the planning stuff in order

 

[Hedy]

Ooh, late night EMH's sound like fun.

 

[my3disneygirls]

Those pics of the castle gave me the chills. It's sooo wonderful.

 

[marivaid]

Those pics of the castle gave me the chills. It's sooo wonderful.

It was really gorgeous. It'd change colors every few minutes, plus during Wishes they had snowflake lights showing too. I wish they kept the lights all year round!

 

[marivaid]

I wasn't in a big hurry the next morning and took my time getting ready. I called Luggage Services to ask them if they knew anything about the whereabouts of my bag but they had no clue. They told me they'd check the luggage room today and to call back in the evening if it hadn't been delivered.

Today I wanted to go to MGM but didn't have to be there early. I mostly wanted to see the parade and maybe Little Mermaid, plus the Osborne Lights.

Around 11am I made it to the food court and had a "breakfast" of chicken penne pasta, then got on the bus to MGM. We'd gone to MGM a few times with DM and were not impressed. Today I went with an open mind, determined to find at least one attraction I'd enjoy.

I took some time to look at the Christmas tree outside the park which, while not as beautiful as Animal Kingdom's, was still pretty impressive.

When I got into the park, still holding my camera, somebody grabbed my attention.

"Email me this one, lady, this is gonna be a good one!!!"

If this guy is a DISer, sorry, you forgot to give me your email addy!

I had heard of "Streetmosphere" in MGM but had never witnessed it. At first I didn't even clue in that this guy wasn't a real guest

Took a while, but the policeman kind of gave me a hint

I walked towards the hat while reading my map and timesguide and snapping pics every now & then whenever I saw something that caught my eye.

It was character central in front of the hat !!! The first ones I saw were Chip & Dale, who were having a very lively conversation..

Then I looked around and who do I see, but my man Stitch !!!!

The characters were getting ready to leave and so I didn't get in line. Instead I stood off to the side and snapped some pics in-between greetings.

I turned around and saw Holiday Goofy and Holiday Minnie. I had been in MGM for less than 10mns and already was changing my mind about this park. Maybe it isn't so bad after all ??

They had a nice topiary of Snow White and Dopey that DM'd have liked (even though she calls Snow White "the esclavagist").

I went around the hat taking pics and remembered we'd missed out on The Great Movie Ride, so I put my camera away and got in line.

I couldn't see an approximate wait time anywhere, but the line didn't seem so bad. Like Jungle Cruise, that queue is very misleading. I got to see the movie previews 5 times before finally boarding... but, it was a very nice ride. I really liked the Wizard of Oz part, and enjoyed the "scary" alien as well.
I made a note to take Grumpy on it.

After exiting that ride, I went towards the Animation Courtyard. Went past Little Mermaid, but didn't stop because I had something else in mind.

I'd read on my Times Guide that the Ratatouille characters were supposed to be there. Actually they were inside the "Magic of Disney Animation" attraction so I went in there. The attraction was cute and I discovered Mushu !!!

Remy and Emil were doing greetings in the next room and again I just snapped some pics in-between guests. They didn't come out that well, however, because as usual my inside pics stank.

It was about 2pm and I decided to go get a spot for the parade. On my way, I grabbed a FastPass for Little Mermaid. The CMs were asking people why they were getting FPs instead of going inside since there was no wait. I said I wanted a front-row seat for the parade and they'd be gone by the time I came out.

I found a seat on the stairs under the hat, and looked at my map. I couldn't quite figure where the parade was coming from, where it was going, and why no one else was trying to grab this perfect spot half an hour before it was due to start. To kill time, I took photos. For some reason I'm fascinated with the bunches of balloons in the parks. I have no idea why but to me they really scream "VACATION" !! Because we've always done split stays I never buy balloons - too much of a pain to carry from resort to resort.

After a while I noticed a bunch of people sitting on the floor a little further down the street and went to check. Apparently those were the prime spots fo the parade, and there was still room right behind the line !!! For once I was going to be FRONT ROW to see a parade !!

 

[SeptemberGirl]

Front row!!! Cool!!!

 

[marivaid]

Finally seeing a parade from upfront was really great. The little boy next to me had green face paint (I think he was a Power Ranger) and got a lot of attention from the characters, including the villains. He was beaming.

I chatted about Hannah Montana with a little girl while waiting for the parade. We both agreed that Miley has been a little mean lately, but we still love her. She was going to see Hannah in concert soon and I have to admit, I was a little jealous !!!

Now, for the most part, I have no idea who these characters are. My knowledge of characters is limited to the classics, a couple princesses, and Stitch. I recognized Mike from Laugh Floor,Inc at the MK but don't know who the big blue thingy is.

It's picture time !!

After the parade I went to see Little Mermaid with my FP. Wow, what a beautiful show !! I always thought it was just a movie but it was much better.
I love the bubbles part

Next on my agenda was a ride on Star Tours, some kind of dinner and the Osborne Lights. But I walked in front of One Man's Dream and decided to go in. I really enjoyed the exhibits, especially the part about animatronics.

As for the movie, well, I bawled. There were maybe 20 of us in the theater and everyone was scattered around, so it didn't feel too awkward. I never knew much about Walt Disney until I saw that movie, and it was sad because he never got to see his biggest dream realized. I wonder how he'd like today's Disney World. Is it the way he wanted it to be ?

I almost stayed to watch the movie a second time but remembered that the Osborne Lights were all the way to the other side of the park and I wanted to ride Stars Tour first.

 

[marivaid]

Of course, I got lost, and somehow ended back in front of the hat, close to Brown Derby. They had a really nice Fantasia topiary scene there and I stopped to take some pics.

Then I asked a CM for directions to Stars Tour....

There was no wait time and I walked right in. DM & I had gone on Star Tours before but I'd been very disappointed because I could barely feel us move at all. Some DISers reported that there are non-moving seats in that attraction and I thought maybe that was it ?? This time I got seated towards the front and center and it was a very different experience. So, my guess is that we were in non-moving seats back in July.

I browsed the shop a little, trying to find a shirt for my sister but they didn't have her size.. as usual. I made a mental note to email Disney and ask them why it's so difficult to find shirts in 2X or 3X in the parks, especially in the themed shops. God knows, they have a market for it !! So why are they making it so difficult for us Pooh-Sized folks to buy nice shirts ??

It was too early to go to the Osborne Lights so I went into Backlot Express and had some sort of turkey sandwich for dinner. I didn't stay long, because I knew I'd get lost again if I had to go to the Lights in the dark.

Did I mention today was a beautiful day ? No need for gloves anymore, and sunshine all day long. Perfect !!!

Once I got to the Streets of America, I sat on the curb and waited. And waited. And waited. I was BORED !! Calling France from my cell is too costly, but texting is cheap. So my sister & I texted each other for about half an hour until it started getting dark outside.
"im bored"
"ur in disney and ur bored?come here & clean cat litter instead.fun."

Then it was dark. And they announced that the lights would be up soon. Everyone stood up. When they turned all the lights on, a collective "WOW" came out of the crowd.

Gosh, it was breathtaking. I found a spot under the snow and got teary-eyed again. There is nothing better than Disney World at Christmas time.

They were doing something new this year where the lights "danced". Personally I didn't care for it. The lights display is over-the-top impressive as it is. I liked it better when they left the lights alone. Thankfully, they don't "dance" all the time, only every 10mns or so.



(Gotta get ready for work now but I'll try & finish this day tonight!)

 

[SeptemberGirl]

It wasn't until I went with my friend this Jan that I started to like DHS. There's something fun about it when you're allowed to do as you like!

I would love to know why WDW's sizing is so off. I am a large at places like Old Navy, XL if they size small, but in WDW I'm XXL!!! Come on! Now, this is in those clingy tee's, but still.

You know, I saw all those light up and had NO IDEA what they were for! So pretty!

 

[marivaid]

You know, I saw all those light up and had NO IDEA what they were for! So pretty!

That's SO funny !!!!!! The first time we went to WDW was at Christmas time and I spent hours trying to figure out why Ozzy Osborne gave his lights to WDW

 

[marivaid]

I stayed and watched the Lights for a while then started walking towards the Fantasmic theater. I didn't expect I'd be able to get into the first show, and wanted to go listen to the Gospel choir. But when I got there, they were still letting people in.

All the way to the left, all the way up, but I got a seat at Fantasmic less than 5mns before the show started

I had a nice chat with the lady sitting next to me. She'd been having a great time, she'd been there for a week already, but the crowds were coming and it was time to go. I told her I'd be there at Christmas and she went "Whatever you do, DO NOT GO to Magic Kingdom that day !!!"

After the show we parted ways and I decided to go back to ASMU. I wanted to figure out what was going on with the bag thing. While at Fantasmic, I suddenly remembered that the bag holds ALL the presents I bought my dad... and his birthday is the day after we get back home.

The bus took a while to get there. From MGM, the buses are shared with All Stars Sports. It was over an hour from the time I got to the bus stop until I got back to the resort.

I went straight to my room and as expected, no bag. I called Luggage Services who told me to call Southwest. But first I had a problem. I'd given my luggage tickets to the guy at the DME counter, so I didn't have a "tracking number" for my bag.
Thankfully I hadn't taken the airline tags off my other bags yet. One ended in 89, the other in 91. It seemed logical that the missing bag would be 90.

I called Southwest who told me that yes, the bag was here, and it was about time I inquired about it. I explained that DME should have picked it up. She said that they wouldn't be allowed to pick it up now, that I had to come down. So I called the front desk again, explained my problem, and asked if I could possibly get on the Magical Express to the airport.

"We do not provide free transportation to the airport."

By that time I was getting a bit emotional. I did NOT have $100 to put towards a round-trip taxi ride to the airport. I told the front desk that I would be more than happy to pay a fee to be able to ride the DME. Not possible, she said. But ask Southwest if they'd be willing to deliver the bag.

Call back Southwest. I explain that I have no way to get to the airport without spending a hundred bucks. The girl on the phone is unsually sweet and helpful. Can she sense I'm about ten seconds away from crying ?
She finally tells me that yes, they can deliver the bag, however there is a fee. Twenty dollars. Would that be okay ?
Too bad you can't hug someone over the phone. Yes, I assured her, twenty bucks would be okay. Way better than okay.
"We have a delivery scheduled just now so I'll get the person to add your bag to it. It should be there in a couple hours. Bye-bye!!!"
"But, wait.. don't you need my name and resort and tag number?"
"Honey... I know who you are. I talked to you five minutes ago."
Duh.

She added that I was to go to the front desk and leave the delivery fee along with my name and tag number. So I went back to the main building, withdrew some money and explained it all to a manager at the front desk.

On the way back, I stopped at the food court and got some celery/carrot sticks with dip and chocolate cake. Because my usual response to stress is junk food. And frankly, I was surprised at my own self-control. I was so stressed by then, it's a wonder my binge didn't include a family-size pizza and a dozen pieces of chicken strips.
Yeah, I have issues.

Back in my room, I ate and waited. It was past 10pm when I got back. At 11, my cell phone rang.
"Miss, I am at the All Stars Sports and I can't find your room, they say they have no one by that name here."
"That's because I'm at All Stars Music."

I gave my room number but told him that I'd left the delivery fee at the front desk and they were expecting him.

It took another couple hours, but finally someone from Luggage Services knocked on my door and delivered the bag. I let out a huge sigh of relief.
It was here. It was the right bag. The gifts were still in it.

Unfortunately, so was a bag of dirty laundry that I'd stuffed in there last minute, three days ago.

Moral of the story : if you don't have DME tags for your luggage, take the 20mns or so to go pick up your bags and bring them on the bus with you.

When I told my "ordeal" to my mom & a friend, they both yelled at me for giving out so easily. DME should have picked up the bag. I'd done what I was supposed to by giving the guy my luggage ticket. I shouldn't have been the one paying for the delivery fee. The least they could have done was allow me to take DME back to the airport to pick it up.
I don't like making waves. I suppose I could have gone to the front desk and DEMANDED that someone go pick up that bag, or that they pay for the delivery fee. But to me, it was only 20 bucks and not worth the trouble.


I finally went to bed around 2am and set my cell phone to ring at 7. Tomorrow was my MK day and I wanted to see the opening ceremony!