The "I've Waited Forever to Go Solo" Mom's Leaving Everyone Behind Trip! Updt 3/11

[AussieAngel]

Hey Allyson!!

I read your last trip report and really enjoyed it! I've been a very bad reader because I didn't even know you were going again! Wah!!!

Luckily, I've found your trippie and I'm all caught up.

I think it's fabulous that you went by yourself and had a great time!! Not so fabulous that you had to hear all the nasty swearing people. Boooo. Lucky your kids weren't there with you this time, hey!?

Can't wait to hear about the rest of your trip!

 

[Dr_Finkelstein]

Hi Allyson,
Scary, scary people! That sort of thing just makes me so mad! I think I would've had to say something - much to DH dismay, he thinks I'll get punched or shot (but they don't allow guns in WDW!) - but that sort of behaviour is just not acceptable!
I definately agree that CM should be able to deal more effectively with that sort of behaviour - if we let them off with it it just encourages them!
We have names for those sort of people in the UK: 'neds', 'hoodies', and more so in Scotland: 'jakies' and 'scufflers'.
Di x

 

[AZMickeyfans]

Wow those people were nuts. So glad your children were not around to hear them. Those are times when I like to say to my kids just loud enough for the offender to hear "kids, this is a great example of how NOT to act. You dont want to end up looking like this guy do you?"

Other than the rude people and Fay sounds like your trip is off to a great start.

Love the toes? Did you do them with a regular brush that comes with the nail polish or did you use a smaller tip brush? I would love to do that for DD8 and I when we go next month!

 

[HeatherN]

I am loving your trip report.I wish I had the guts to do something like this by myself.You may just inspire me!

 

[O_Jr71]

hi! I just got back from disney 2 days ago and that storm was sooo annoying! And i have to agree with you 100% that a lot of people this trip were extremely rude for me too!!! It was really irritating.

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

hi! I just got back from disney 2 days ago and that storm was sooo annoying! And i have to agree with you 100% that a lot of people this trip were extremely rude for me too!!! It was really irritating.

I wonder if the pissy attitudes had anything to do with the weather? Obviously, some people let it ruin their vacation (pity for them).

I am going to butcher this, but I know there is a quote from someone, somewhere, and not to hijack your thread completely... but maybe someone can correct me on it...
"You can really tell what a person is like by how they handle two things... lost luggage and bad weather"....

 

[MomofCKJ]

So I settled into my room and watched a bit of the news. Boy was Florida just getting whollaped by Fay. It really was bad, some of the towns on the coast, so much flooding. Nature is a powerful thing.

I went to bed and planned on getting up early for rope drop at DHS.

I didn’t sleep all that well. I never really do the first couple of nights in a hotel. It takes a few days to get used to a new place I think. I didn’t experience noise though, not from the pool (it was raining so that cut down on the folks in it but there were still some) nor from my neighbors. The phone rang on schedule and woke me up. I answered and heard some music but not Stitch. Sounded like things weren’t working right. Anyhow I got up, showered and got dressed. I watched a little news and ate a Kellogg’s bar. I had packed a box of them in my suitcase. I made sure my bag was packed and then I peeked out the window. Rain. More rain.

Poncho on and off to the bus. I got in line for DHS. This was when I had my first LGMH sighting. I saw a woman and a boy coming in the queue behind me. She had a LGMH and a TGM tag on her bag. Wow! As they approached I said “A Lime Green Mickey, you must be a DISer!” and in fact she was. We chatted a bit about TGM and the plans and such. She was here with her grandson for the week. It was nice to spend a few minutes chatting with someone from the boards. We sat near each other on the bus and continued the conversation.

Once at DHS we went our separate ways. I got in line and called Tigger to chat a bit as I waited for the ticket takers to open. Once it opened I think everyone had Toy Story Mania on the brain and all made it up to the rope with the intention of making a beeline for it once the rope dropped. It was raining pretty good and was pretty miserable just standing in a poncho, feet already soaked, waiting for the rope to drop. A few people around me grumbled that they hoped they would drop the rope early considering the conditions. I have to agree, it would have been nice. But they didn’t.

If you are going to DHS you must be at Rope Drop if you want to avoid the long lines for this ride. It is insane. The rope drops and this huge wave of people start walk/running towards Pixar Place. I walked at a healthy clip and was passed by many. I have to say, again being alone, you are much more intune with things around you. What a mob mentality. This sea of people, all rushing to this thing because they have been told it is wonderful and new and you must be there. They have little disregard for anything else around them. What stands out in my mind was this Mom holding the hand of a girl, maybe 4 or 5. She is walking so fast and literally dragging the girl behind her. The girl is crying because she dropped something along the way. I heard her saying “Mom I dropped it, Mom” and the Mom in her oblivion just kept pulling her along trying to get there as fast as she could. I called Tigger a little later to share this scene with her. She put it so well “Have to hurry up and have fun!”. That was totally it. I saw a lot of this behaviour over the week. The whole “I’ve paid a lot of money and waited a long time and darn it you are all going to have fun. Now hurry up and have fun!”. It really is twisted. And I know I’ve pulled the “I’ve paid a lot for this trip” card in past trips with my kids. I think a Disney trip sets you up often times with unrealistic expectations and it is just too hard to match up with perfect trip in your head. When things don’t go the way you envision you tend to pout/get angry/do things like pull your crying preschooler through a park on the way to a ride. So that was my Sociology 101 observation of the day.

So I get to TSM and in line for my FP. It really is a chaotic scene there. The FP lines are long, the standby line grows fast and it just seems like there isn’t enough room for it all. It took a few minutes to get my FP and it seemed like some machines were having difficulties. I got one with a return time of 10:20am.

I made my way out of line and went over towards the FP line. I asked the CM where the single rider line was and was told it had been discontinued. What a bummer! Apparently they were having trouble with this line and just decided to do away with it. I contemplated the standby line for about a minute and nixed that idea. It was like 40 minutes or something like that (my notebook with exact times is downstairs) and I didn’t want to wait.

So off I went and found myself going into One Man’s Dream. I had never been in here before and I was very much looking forward to it. When I first entered I was the only person walking around. I really took my time, reading the information and looking at the items and pictures. Some things I knew from reading books about Walt, some things I learned. It is a wonderful exhibit and I wish that everyone would take some time away from the rides and shows to come spend some time in here and learn about the man who made it all possible. You know when you get asked “If you could invite 3 people to dinner, living or dead, who would you pick?”, well I’d be sure to have Walt. What a creative genius he was.

I took several pictures having charged my battery and then watched the movie at the end which I thought was really great. Doesn’t he just look like the perfect grandfather? There were maybe 12 of us in the movie. Again I wish more people would take the time to come through this exhibit.

So I exited and Friday as I recall was a very wet day but it had moments of stopping too. So I know the poncho came off a few times but for the most part it was a rainy day again. I decided to head over to RNR and ToT. I went to RNR and decided to try the Single Rider Line.

It was a breeze and great to just waltz past the people in line. Once to the end I probably waited maybe 10 minutes till I got sent in with a group of 10 single riders. While waiting I was texting Tigger and guess who walked by me in the FP line? Well I told you last installment, crazy IASW man!! He was with a few of his kids. I think I might have gasped. I couldn’t believe my luck running into him again. Ick.

Anyway RNR is one of my favorites. I was seated with a British man. Side note: lots of British travelers here I noticed during this trip. I just love their accents, love them! I had a wonderful encounter with two British children on ToT at a later time that I’ll share with you later. They were just charming! So back to the moment, I sit down and say to this man that I’m apologizing now in case I scream too loud. He laughs. 3-2-1 and off we go! What a fantastic ride, so fast, so loud, just love it! I looked around the Dump Shop a bit before heading out.

I went over to ToT and it had a 15 minute standby wait so I got in line.

It moved quickly. I just love the theming on this. So many details! This would be the first of like 4 ToT rides this trip and it was the best one. We had so many ups and downs, it was a ton of fun. On the way out I grabbed an FP for later on.

I decided it was time to grab an ice cream. It was 10:45 or so and why not! I got myself my favorite Frozen Banana (2.50). I ate as I wandered down towards TSM. I finished up and noticed that FPs now (at about 11am) were pulling for 7:45pm and the standby line was like 80 minutes. Crazy. I won’t stand in line for anything that long. Really I think anything over 20 minutes is pushing it for me. Once you’ve gone with TGM you are spoiled and while TSM is a great ride, not great enough for wasting over an hour in line. So I handed in my FP and went on my way through the queue. Now when you FP you don’t see all of the cool things that you do in the standby queue from what I am told. I did like what I saw though, it is very imaginative and well done.

It moved quickly and soon I was getting seated. I shared a car with a British boy, his parents were behind us. I asked if he had been on already and he had and told me it was really fun. On went the 3D glasses and off we went.

It is very cool and a lot of fun. The technology is really neat and I do encourage any of you going soon to get there early and ride it. It did make me think “Poor Buzz Lightyear”. It really leaves it in the dust with how much more advanced it is than old Buzz. The boy beat me on a few screens and I him on a few. Like all great rides it ends and you wish it were a little longer.


Next up…..lunch!

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about lunch and the afternoon and reply to your comments!

Allyson

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

I agree, it is crazy how some people act at rope drop, like it is life or death getting to be first on the ride.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

I just made a note to go into ONe Man's Dream next month.

Rope drop is crazy isnt it? I dont get it. When they opened the Nemo subs at Disneyland they routed everyone around the Matterhorn to get into the queue and it was NUTS. We were trampled and by the time we made it there it was already a 90 minute wait by all of the people who ran us over.

Maybe I'll send dh back with the tickets to get the FP's so I dont get the kids in that mess

Dh feels so sorry for anyone with a British accent if I bump into them because I usually try to engage them in conversation just to hear their lovely accent. As a whole I have never encountered a more friendly group of travelers who are such a joy to talk to. So polite and always upbeat and happy to chat with me.

I love hearing all the details you are noticing on your own.

 

[ILuvCrush]

Great installment Allyson!! I'm really enjoying your report. I'll definately have to make sure I see One Man's Dream next month.... It sounds great...and your pics of it were wonderful.

Paula

 

[If U Had Wings]

Glad that you had a wonderful time on your solo trip! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[retiredkid]

great update and pics
One mans dream is now on my list, too. thanks

 

[goofygal531]

I have so much to do today... We just returned from a month stay at our home in the Poconos, my son starts school tomorrow and I can't get away from the computer and stop reading your trip report!!

I love the way you tell a story, it's so detailed. You really have everyone waiting for more.

I also admire you going alone. It was something I never thought of before, but now you put the thought in my head and it's so tempting.

Thanks for the great report!
Mare

 

[jcc0621]

So I settled into my room and watched a bit of the news. Boy was Florida just getting whollaped by Fay. It really was bad, some of the towns on the coast, so much flooding. Nature is a powerful thing.

I felt really bad for some of those towns on the coast

I answered and heard some music but not Stitch. Sounded like things weren’t working right.

It was like this the first couple of days we were there.

If you are going to DHS you must be at Rope Drop if you want to avoid the long lines for this ride. It is insane. The rope drops and this huge wave of people start walk/running towards Pixar Place. I walked at a healthy clip and was passed by many. I have to say, again being alone, you are much more intune with things around you. What a mob mentality. This sea of people, all rushing to this thing because they have been told it is wonderful and new and you must be there. They have little disregard for anything else around them. What stands out in my mind was this Mom holding the hand of a girl, maybe 4 or 5. She is walking so fast and literally dragging the girl behind her. The girl is crying because she dropped something along the way. I heard her saying “Mom I dropped it, Mom” and the Mom in her oblivion just kept pulling her along trying to get there as fast as she could. I called Tigger a little later to share this scene with her. She put it so well “Have to hurry up and have fun!”. That was totally it. I saw a lot of this behaviour over the week. The whole “I’ve paid a lot of money and waited a long time and darn it you are all going to have fun. Now hurry up and have fun!”. It really is twisted. And I know I’ve pulled the “I’ve paid a lot for this trip” card in past trips with my kids. I think a Disney trip sets you up often times with unrealistic expectations and it is just too hard to match up with perfect trip in your head. When things don’t go the way you envision you tend to pout/get angry/do things like pull your crying preschooler through a park on the way to a ride. So that was my Sociology 101 observation of the day.

IT really is scary how some people will do anything to get to the line first

So I exited and Friday as I recall was a very wet day but it had moments of stopping too. So I know the poncho came off a few times but for the most part it was a rainy day again. I decided to head over to RNR and ToT. I went to RNR and decided to try the Single Rider Line.

Friday was fine...until that night

 

[earthfaries]

Great update So sorry about all the rain, not so fun, but you still had lots of fun and rode some great rides. I can't wait to try TSM, and I LOVE RRC and TOT!!! Can't wait for the next update!

 

[Muffinygood]

Hi Allyson!

I agree about the people all hurrying to "Have a good time." Crazy. The first trip with our boys was probably like that, as we did have the "spent alot, gotta get our money's worth" attitude. Fortunately, we quickly did away with that and now when we visit we actually pick a day for each person to ONLY do what they want. At their pace!

Loving your pics.

We also did One Man's Dream and the Animation Studios this trip (it was the only thing we did in DHS this trip, actually....) and we LOVED it. Walt was a genius and it made me tear up to watch the movie at the end. Can't wait to share this with my boys when we go back!

MEL

 

[KatGarcia]

I def agree with you on One Man's Dream, we went through last trip and it was really interesting and the movie was well worth it too!

Oh and I love me some frozen bananas too!

 

[askelton]

As soon as we are all seated they are all laughing and giggling and oldest son, maybe 12 or 13, is high fiving Dad.

How disgusting!

Poncho on and off to the bus. I got in line for DHS. This was when I had my first LGMH sighting. I saw a woman and a boy coming in the queue behind me. She had a LGMH and a TGM tag on her bag. Wow! As they approached I said “A Lime Green Mickey, you must be a DISer!” and in fact she was. We chatted a bit about TGM and the plans and such. She was here with her grandson for the week. It was nice to spend a few minutes chatting with someone from the boards. We sat near each other on the bus and continued the conversation.

How neat an impromptu DISmeet!

So off I went and found myself going into One Man’s Dream. I had never been in here before and I was very much looking forward to it. When I first entered I was the only person walking around. I really took my time, reading the information and looking at the items and pictures. Some things I knew from reading books about Walt, some things I learned. It is a wonderful exhibit and I wish that everyone would take some time away from the rides and shows to come spend some time in here and learn about the man who made it all possible. You know when you get asked “If you could invite 3 people to dinner, living or dead, who would you pick?”, well I’d be sure to have Walt. What a creative genius he was.

Another thing to do next time we go!

I decided to head over to RNR and ToT. I went to RNR and decided to try the Single Rider Line.

The single rider line rocks! Last week we rode EE twice in 10 minutes. Someone had conveniently parked their stroller in front of the single rider sign. Not me!

Anyway RNR is one of my favorites.

I love it too, but I hate those shoulder restraints. Makes my head hurt. Hi, I'm old.

It moved quickly. I just love the theming on this. So many details! This would be the first of like 4 ToT rides this trip and it was the best one. We had so many ups and downs, it was a ton of fun. On the way out I grabbed an FP for later on.

ToT is definitely my favorite. You're right about the theming. Very cool.

It is very cool and a lot of fun. The technology is really neat and I do encourage any of you going soon to get there early and ride it. It did make me think “Poor Buzz Lightyear”. It really leaves it in the dust with how much more advanced it is than old Buzz. The boy beat me on a few screens and I him on a few. Like all great rides it ends and you wish it were a little longer.

During the pass holder preview, we got to here, and the ride broke down. Still haven't made it.

 

[LurrrvtheDuck]

Rude Disney people, I've heard my share both in good weather conditions and bad.

I've also seen the whole dragging the kids to do stuff I can me Nazi-ish in my touring, but when your with kids you kinda have to go at their pace and yes you paid a lot of money, but sometimes the magic happens when you least expect it in the most un-Disney of things but it makes it special just because you are in Disney.

TSM is very fun though! I was able to actually ride it twice without a FP and the standby line went pretty smooth. Right before Fantasmic and park closing is a good time.

 

[jcc0621]

I've also seen the whole dragging the kids to do stuff I can me Nazi-ish in my touring, but when your with kids you kinda have to go at their pace and yes you paid a lot of money, but sometimes the magic happens when you least expect it in the most un-Disney of things but it makes it special just because you are in Disney.

:yes: It is amazing how our touring style has changed since we have had Jimmy. We do everything at a much slower pace, but we really enjoy it!