The "Solo is a Verb" WDW TR: Who knew DIVAS could represent like this...6/7 UPDATE!

[LaLalovesWDW]

Oooo...a cliff hanger!

I really want to stay at AKL one of these times. It just looks so beautiful!

hehehe... I wish I was that smart to plan a cliffhanger... I just had to take a nap after my last update after my early morning flight back this morning. If you ever get a chance to stay there, I would suggest it at least once. It had its drawbacks since the food selection is limited and so far from everything, but I think that is all a part of the "theme."

 

[nutz2notz]

Loving your trip report so far. I'm looking forward to more.

My kids and I stayed a AKV Kidani in January and we just loved everything about it. We were lucky to have a Savannah view and enjoyed the giraffes each morning and evening.

I was fortunate enough to get to go back for my first solo trip in March, staying at OKW for the first time. Had a wonderful solo trip, spent a lot of time relaxing and enjoyed a tour.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Arrival of the [not so] fittest at MK

So, I decided against taking a nap, or touring the Village grounds, or going for a spa treatment, or something else relaxing and adult-like (which is what I was supposed to be doing), to, instead running as fast as my cankles could carry me to Magic Kingdom. I just could not see me being at Disney for a whole day and not going to the park.

Just before noon, I arrived…I parked my car and decided to take the Monorail to the park, and figured I would take the boat on my way back. It always irritated me the drama that has to be done to get to the front gate of the park – that was, until I did the “Keys to the Kingdom” tour on Wednesday… then, it all made perfect sense. That was actually one reason that I wanted to come to MK today because I knew that after doing that tour, much of the “magic” I had grown to be amazed by was going to quelled after the 5-hour tour.

Ok, as I entered Main Street, I saw my favorite PhotoPass CM. I took a picture of him and he asked if it was going to be on FB. I said, "No, but it may end up on DISboards." He says "oh thats even better!" LOL. So here he is...

The park was amazingly light as far as crowds go. I could actually really enjoy browsing the shops without feeling rushed, as I usually do, to get down Main Street.

I was leisurely with looking in almost every shop, checking out just about every second-floor window, and even going down the little nook and cranny streets that are many times neglected as we make our dash down Main Street to our favorite rides.

Since my goal on this solo trip was to really experience Disney in a different way, for the first time since I can remember I did not ride on my favorite rides – Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. Surprisingly, I didn’t miss not going on those rides. However, I did ride a few that I had not been on since they had been renovated.

Just a few attraction notes I jotted down:

Carousel of Progress – love you, Walt, but this attraction is still just as boring as it was the first time my Mother forced me to do it as a child. I know its historical and probably will never go away, but just not for me.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Nice renovations and remix to the song… also enjoyed the various Captain Jack cameos throughout the ride. During my update for the Keys of the Kingdom tour, I will share a few of the little “secrets” I learned about this ride and other things. I promise not to give it all away though since its really something many will want to experience on their own.

Jungle Cruise – I haven’t been on this since I was about 9 or 10 but just as entertaining and had a few nifty upgrades as well. Our “Skipper” was really funny this time, also. From what I was told, it’s always hit or miss with them.

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor – what a cute and interactive show! I had not seen this before, so I decided to catch it.. and who ends up on the TV screen?? Yep, ME! LOL If you’ve done the show before, there is a bit where the pink monster thing comes out and does the mind reading thing. So they put me on the screen (I was thoroughly embarrassed – especially since I was alone) and he asked me to think of a number between 1 and 50 and “tell” the audience… well, I tricked him and held up 10 fingers instead of saying it out loud. He made some faces and asked me to repeat some mantra he sang, so I did.. everyone laughed and somehow he still guess my # correctly. It was much fun.

I am so ashamed to say that in my years of going to MK, I had never took the time to walk through the Rose garden… wow, how beautiful this area is:

I took more pictures but don't want to totally bore everyone to death here, but I will post my photobucket link at the end of my report once I upload all the pictures for anyone interested in viewing more.

For some reason, Frontierland is probably my favorite "theme" area of MK. So I just walked through, enjoyed the background music, the ambience, and decided to stop at one of the quick stop areas (forgot the name) to grab a chicken sandwich for lunch.

To this day, I'm pretty speechless about my experience with this sandwich. The menu just said "Chicken Sandwich" and somehow I got a salad on top of the sandwich. It was actually tasty, and what I ended up doing is eating the salad off the sandwich with a fork, and then about half of the actual sandwich. But for the fact that the CM who initially screwed up my order and gave me some wrap with a whole bunch of bacon on it, was totally rude and probably needs to retire, I probably would have enjoyed it a little more.

One thing that I had NEVER done in the last 25 years of my Disney excursions, is visit the Shooting Gallery. I don't know anyone that has visited this either, and I don't even remember seeing it in any of the tour books. I had fun. I should have taken pictures of this but the CM and I just had a ball shooting targets. I asked him if I was his only guest in there all day... he just chuckled and said "I was his favorite" LOL. This tells me that I probably was his only, so far.

I walked through Liberty Square and as I was about to emerge over to Fantasyland, there was a little parade of Marching Bands coming through. So, I bought my favorite MK treat (a Churro) and stopped for a while to enjoy them.

It started getting late and remembered that I had originally made a 7:40pm ADR at Sanaa that evening, but I cancelled it while at MK because I was really enjoying my day there and didn’t want to rush back. By the time I got back to my room at about 10pm, I was in pain and starving! I checked my pedometer and had logged over 12,451 steps - which translates to over 7 miles!

I walk down to Sanaa to see if they would still have dinner, and told me I could go to the Lounge (which was just the bar) so I started to do that. But immediately felt uncomfortable ordering a drink when there was a 5-year old swinging around in the chair next to me. Just something didn’t seem right with that…LOL. So, I took my drink back to my room and told them I would order room service.

Dinner: Potato and Pea samosa with a Mango chutney (appetizer)

Beef short ribs w/Basmati Rice (dinner)

Honestly, I was not amazed by this dinner. I know it was late, maybe they were low on good stuff, but the rice was undercooked and the samosas were a little stale. But they could have been made of cardboard and I would have eaten it. I was starving…

After dinner, I soaked in a hot bath with my H20 Mickey bath gel, put on my Tinkerbell PJs and climbed into bed with a huge smile on my face.

Yes, this was going to be a fantastic week.


Day 2, Part I

 

[heaven2dc]

Fun TR! What an inspiration you are - you have accomplished so much and are such a loving daughter and wonderful mother! I can't wait to read more

 

[leshunlenese]

im joining in! can't wait to read more!

 

[AckermanPartyof6]

I'm so in!

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Fun TR! What an inspiration you are - you have accomplished so much and are such a loving daughter and wonderful mother! I can't wait to read more

Thanks so much, heaven. Of course, some would dispute your impression of me that I would dare to go disney without my child. Welcome aboard!

im joining in! can't wait to read more!

I'm so in!

So glad to have a few join me... coming up is my Day 2 spent at Hollywood Studios and my 4-hour DVC-a-thon.

 

[clayfolks]

I love your trip report so far!! Thank you for writing.
Sue

 

[nutz2notz]

Great update on your report.

I am looking forward to hearing about your Keys to the Kingdom tour. I took one on my solo in March and thoroughly enjoyed it, and hoping you enjoyed yours as well.

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

I love your trip report so far!! Thank you for writing.
Sue

Thank you, Sue. I'm learning as I go.

Great update on your report.

I am looking forward to hearing about your Keys to the Kingdom tour. I took one on my solo in March and thoroughly enjoyed it, and hoping you enjoyed yours as well.

Thanks for joining in... our tour guide, Aaron, was fabulous!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

I'm in! Loving your report! good for you for going solo!
I'm a libra as well....and I can't make a decision to save my life!! LOL

My dad also gave me my love of Disney...he passed last October, I wish he worked at Disney!!! Lucky you!
It must be so tough for you with his Alzheimer's, be strong

Can't wait to read more.
Christine

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

I'm in! Loving your report! good for you for going solo!
I'm a libra as well....and I can't make a decision to save my life!! LOL

My dad also gave me my love of Disney...he passed last October, I wish he worked at Disney!!! Lucky you!
It must be so tough for you with his Alzheimer's, be strong

Can't wait to read more.
Christine

Christine, thanks for joining... finally, someone that truly understands the Libra style of procrastination, indecisiveness, and game-changing. Basically, we're great!

 

[Corrine 1973]

Great update. Looks like you had a great time at MK. I agree with you, I wouldn't be able to be at WDW and not go to the parks. I couldn't be one of those people who took a non-park day. The parks would be calling my name and I would have to go even if it was only for an hour.

Don't worry I wont eat any more popcorn in front of you.

 

[CastleGazerMom]

What a great start to a TR! Looking forward to seeing how your solo trip went! What a wonderful Disney legacy you have with your father - - that is truly magical!

I am so incredibly in awe at the amazing accomplishment in losing the weight! Maybe I should move closer to you so you can push me to exercise because that is my weakness for sure! I want to lose weight before my 4/2012 trip and I really need someone to jumpstart me!!

BTW - daughter...adorable!

I envision that someday when everyone who has been tolerating my WDW trips finally ditch me, I will have a solo trip and soak all of the things I have missed because we are going so fast to make everyone happy!

Keep those TR entries coming!

 

[KCSherri]

Over 12,000 steps??! Holy smokes - I'm doing good to get my 10,000 in! What a great idea - wearing a pedometer to the parks. I may have to do that. Or maybe not. It would probably freak me out to know exactly how far I've walked during the day.

I love the AKL. We've stayed there a few times, and it's a pain the patootie because of transportation, but the theming is incredible.

And don't you love the freedom that solo trips offer? I did my first one last November - and I'm now hooked on an annual solo trip just for me. If Mama's happy, then everyone's happy!

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

May 2, 2011
Please forgive my Day 2 report.

It is a little anorexic in the picture department and my words may not be as witty or descriptive as I intended. Let’s chalk it up to a themeparkarosis (or in layman’s terms - a good ole Disney hangover).

My body and mind went into total exercise/ heat/culture shock over all I had attempted to do the day before. I woke up this Monday morning feeling like I had just run the NYC marathon and then had my ankles clipped by a hummer after crossing the finish line. I couldn’t believe how out of shape I really was. Whew!

Yet, the true Disney addict in me was determined to get my big behind out of bed, put on the sexiest Wal-mart brand short and tee shirt set I had (lol) and enjoy the day at Hollywood Studios.

Soooo, I dipped into the mini-fridge to see what was on the menu at Chez LaLa's for breakfast. I put together a nice gourmet feast of granola cereal with French Vanilla soy milk, with a side of imported seed-free grapes. Let’s not forget the imported Tropicana orange juice.

Now that I have had a nice breakfast (that cost less than $5), I grabbed my Tink backpack, pedometer, and was ready to go!

Three exit ramps (and a couple of wrong turns) later, I finally pulled in to HS just a few minutes after 9am. I was a little disappointment with myself because I had never been to a rope drop at anywhere else other than MK, but none the less I got there very early. Its funny, because I got a parking space in the 1st row, but I was waaaaaaaaay at the end of the row on the far right side of the lake, so it was a bit of a walk to the maingate. It was a nice walk through because I climbed over the little barrier and decided to walk on the path that belts around the river. You can see the boats coming in and out from the other resorts… and of course, I had to take my daily duck pictures.

I have been to HS many times and can easily do all of the attractions in less than a day. In fact, when I brought my daughter in December, we did a total speed round of every attraction (that she was interested in) in the place and were still out of there by 5pm. So, I decided I wanted to take a “Secret Window” view of HS today. For all of your Stephen King fans, you will know exactly what I mean, but in the preface to his novella, Secret Window, he explained that he came up with that title after discovering an attic window in his vacation home that he had not known was there. After unveiling the window and looking out of it for the first time, he saw his garden below, that he’d seen many, many times before, but never from that view. So that was my goal today, to view HS from my own secret window.

As I entered the park, again, it was surprisingly a low crowd day. I mean just beautiful to be able to walk around so leisurely.

I snapped a few pictures of the topiaries. I was actually surprised to see such beautiful ones there. I thought all of them would be at Epcot.

It felt a little awkward at first being here alone because I really didn’t have a plan for HS. I had one for MK, Epcot, and AK, but not really for HS.

My first thought was to see the time for the first Beauty and the Beast Show and then do some other attractions while I waited. That went totally out the window. When I saw the wait time for ToT at 5 minutes, I couldn’t resist. It’s my favorite ride at HS and I wouldn’t have slept that night if I hadn’t taken that chance. I let a bunch of people go on line in front of me so I could actually enjoy the imagineer’s creation (and hunt for Hidden Mickeys). It is SUCH a beautifully detailed attraction. The random drops were weird today, though. I wasn’t crazy about the coordinates of this one. For the first time, I came off the ride a little queasy… so, what do I do to ease my tummy? I jump right on over to the RnR which was another easy 5 minute wait! LOL. Ok, so after that, I sit down for a few.

The 1st beauty and the Beast show isn’t until 11:30am, so I decide to go do some other things and come back.

I did the backlot tour, which I had never done before and it was really neat to see a lot of the special effects that go on on in the movies. When we got to the part on the Tram, I got to sit next to these two little cute ladies from Vietnam or possibly the Phillippes who thought it was safe to curl up so tight next to me during the Catastrophe Canyon scene.

On this plane, featured on the tour, there is supposedly a hidden mickey but I couldn’t find it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without a picture of the former icon of DHS – Earful Tower…also the Topiary version.

After the tour, and of course viewing my favorite exhibit, Villians!, I took a stroll through one of my favorite areas, Streets of America, while I waited for my lunch ADR reservation to come.

The fake NYC cracks me up every time… and the San Francisco one. It never fails that people I show these pictures to really think that’s where I was… just love it!

I took a break and found my way over to Sci-Fi Diner for my lunch ADR. This place was cool! Wow, all the old school dining cars, and the big movie screen just had me in awe. Only Disney could have thought of this. As the hostess escorted me to my “car”, she asked me if I was a CM. I said no, just enjoying some alone time at Disney. She looked at me suspiciously, but smiled and seated me in the back seat of a dining car. I didn’t think anything of it, until I was asked the same question 3 more times before my week was up.

Anyway, before my entrée came (Cheeseburger and fries.. nothing fancy), I HAD to get the Onion rings as an appetizer. I had posted a thread on here a little ago looking for suggestions and Sci-Fi Diner kept coming up, so although I couldn’t get through the whole thing, I was oh so glad I got them…

yummmmmo!

Next

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Over 12,000 steps??! Holy smokes - I'm doing good to get my 10,000 in! What a great idea - wearing a pedometer to the parks. I may have to do that. Or maybe not. It would probably freak me out to know exactly how far I've walked during the day.

KC, I had to read the damn thing twice... I didn't even know mine went up that high! So I know I have been slacking, but I was so hooked on it after that.

I love the AKL. We've stayed there a few times, and it's a pain the patootie because of transportation, but the theming is incredible.

I totally agree!

And don't you love the freedom that solo trips offer? I did my first one last November - and I'm now hooked on an annual solo trip just for me. If Mama's happy, then everyone's happy!

You are so right about that. I almost felt awkward at first like... wait, I don't have anyone to please but me right now? LOL But it took me a half of a day to really set myself free.

What a great start to a TR! Looking forward to seeing how your solo trip went! What a wonderful Disney legacy you have with your father - - that is truly magical!

I am so incredibly in awe at the amazing accomplishment in losing the weight! Maybe I should move closer to you so you can push me to exercise because that is my weakness for sure! I want to lose weight before my 4/2012 trip and I really need someone to jumpstart me!!

BTW - daughter...adorable!

I envision that someday when everyone who has been tolerating my WDW trips finally ditch me, I will have a solo trip and soak all of the things I have missed because we are going so fast to make everyone happy!

Keep those TR entries coming!

Thank you so much for your kind words. Listen, we may need to move halfway because I need some motivation for sure. I have lost soo many workout partners over the years because everyone falls off and leaves me high and dry.

Great update. Looks like you had a great time at MK. I agree with you, I wouldn't be able to be at WDW and not go to the parks. I couldn't be one of those people who took a non-park day. The parks would be calling my name and I would have to go even if it was only for an hour.

Don't worry I wont eat any more popcorn in front of you.

hehehhe... I swear I think I really am addicted to Disney. It was crazy...like I could really hear it calling my name.

 

[LaLalovesWDW]

Whew… ok, 1200 calories later, I was ready for part 2 of my day at HS. Since I had already planned to make it a short day, I decided to check out the DVC display since I had been toying around with membership for like 10 years back when it was super cheap and only selling OKW and SSR at the time. I figured since it was going to be an early day, I could schedule my “1-hour” appointment for around 5pm. So I did that and made arrangement to meet the CM at the backlot at 4:45pm to head over to SSR. That still gave me a few hours to experience HS through my “secret window.”

I walked by the Star Tours attraction and I swear, I could feel the tears well up in my eyes. My stomach was in knots like I had just been kicked in the stomach. I knew it was closed, but I was in serious denial. I took one last glance back as I slowly walked away, as I mouthed the words “I’ll be back for you, boo” and walked towards Animation Courtyard.

Hold on, I need a moment…

Ok, so I head over to Animation courtyard and head into the Magic of Disney Animation gallery. Ahh, it was very interesting. Of course, most of the tour was geared towards promoting the Winnie the Pooh movie coming out this summer. If nothing else, Disney knows how to cross-market their brands!

I am not an artist in the least. I earned my bachelor and Masters degrees in Music Performance and now work in entertainment, but I just could never get into art. However, animation has always fascinated me. As I walked through the gallery, There was a glass office, of sorts, where an animator was in there drawing a picture of snow white with two dwarves. I stood there for the 15 minutes it took for her to draw out and color the images. Very cool.

Next, I viewed the movie hosted by a CM about how Disney designs their characters.

After the presentation, I decided to man-up and participate in the Animation class. The instructor was REALLY good… and if you can recognize what I drew, you will think so, also.

I was amazed that my daughter immediately recognized this, too. There really is magic in Disney, because seriously, I can’t draw at all!

Finally, I went to experience the “One Man’s Dream” attraction. This, hands down, made my “secret window” experience for me. Not only for HS, but for Disney in general. I mean, to learn from beginning to end how Walt and Roy Disney truly hustled to make Disney an entity that could basically take a life of its own into what its become today, is really unheard of nowadays. Just to see all the first cartoons he did, and see his home life, inspirations for Main Street, and how they came to start this “Florida Project” just really gave me a new found respect for Disney that far surpassed just simply being a theme park.

Thus, this technically ends my day at HS. I walked over to the AI attraction to meet my DVC rep and we walked out to the van that took me to SSR. I had never been to SSR before this day, and I instantly fell in love with it. I had some treats and soon after met Robert. He probably earned the easiest commission he had to all day. Even though I ended up being there over 4 hours, it was mostly just discussing family, and me planning my next two trips… LOL. Anyway, long story short.. I am now a DVC member! They gave me a nice "Member since..." button that I wore the rest of my trip. I was so proud.

I got back to my room around 9pm and once again, totally mentally and physically exhausted. Even still, I still had an ounce of energy left in me and, since I had snagged a sweet parking spot, decided to walk over to Jambo to get some dinner at The Mara instead of driving. It was a nice 15-minute walk and brought back a nice dinner of baked chicken, couscous, vegetables and a salad. It was really tasty.

Now that dinner is done, once again, I soaked in a nice hot bath of lavender bath salts and H20, crept back into my Tink PJ’s and just had a couple last thoughts before turning in just after midnight:

Pedometer reading: 13213 steps = 10.6 mi

Overheard CM quote of the day: (Two cast members walking, one is seemingly frustrated by being lost or not being able to find something) “See, this is the problem when you work for a mouse. They make you stay lost in a maze.”

Day 3

 

[Snickals]

I love reading your report and seeing your photos! I did a solo trip last year and love reading others experiences. Thanks for sharing

 

[ChattaAlley]

You are hilarious. I am enjoying your TR. Congrats on becoming a DVC member, I am sure your daughter will thank you