This Report Has Only One Photo, but It’s Still Worth Reading… (May 2019)

Joined
Jul 23, 2017
I’ve been trying to move away from vacations where I’m constantly glued to my cell phone camera the entire time. Yes the memories are wonderful to preserve in picture form, but by documenting everything I find that I don’t really get the opportunity to enjoy the moment.

I challenged myself to visit Disney World without taking a single photo. I know this might sound crazy to some people, but I’ve never been big on characters and I’ve been there before, so I actually found it to be pretty easy.

I did break down and take one photo during my trip. Here it is:

IMG_3499.jpg

I just felt like eating something so extravagant had to be documented.

(And yes, I did eat both eyes.)

More to come shortly…
 
About Me

I'm Frank. I've been to all 6 Disney resorts around the world. I've done Disney with family, with friends, and solo. There are great things about each.

This trip was mostly solo. 5 nights at Pop Century. 4 park days solo, 1 park day with friends.

I had a Deluxe Dining Plan. For me the best thing about Disney World as a solo traveler is the food. Second is taking in all the little details you'd never stop to notice if you were in a larger group. Third is the rides. I am not big on characters or parades, and I skipped the nighttime shows because I saw them all during a trip in October 2017.

I tried to do a lot of things I'd never done before, but couldn't help revisiting some old favorites.
 
Day One

The Arrival and Transportation:

I arrived at MCO and waited for my bag because I like unpacking as soon as I get to a hotel room. First time taking the Magical Express and everything went smoothly.

I was on the top floor (as requested) of Building 2 in the 50s. Perfect location away from everything. My last stay at Pop was right on the cusp of the renovations, and I was thrilled by the new rooms. Not so thrilled by the fact that nothing was done to dampen noise between rooms. I could still hear basically everything going on in the adjoining room.

First time relying solely on Disney bus transportation. I thought it was fine, although I wish there was more frequent service to/from Disney Springs. If they want people to go there the buses should come more often than every 25ish minutes at peak times.

Not to be shady, but I live in NYC and I think a lot of the problems with the buses stem from the fact that people are inconsiderate/not used to riding public transportation. There were several times when I thought to myself "Is this everyone's first time on a bus except for me?" It's not hard to fold the stroller in preparation for boarding, or to know how to drive your scooter into its spot, or to move all the way to the back and fill in any available space. At least, it shouldn't be hard...

EPCOT:

I arrived around 7 PM, so there wasn't time for much. This was my first time visiting during Flower and Garden, so I took the opportunity to leisurely wander the gardens and look at the topiaries before the sun went down. I was a little creeped out by the smooth, green plant "skin" of the characters, but maybe that's a me problem.

Beyond the topiaries, I didn't see anything unique about the festival. It just seemed like Food and Wine with fewer booths and (thankfully) fewer people on a Friday night.

I ended up waiting nearly 30 minutes past my ADR time at Le Cellier. At first I was annoyed, but then I realized getting out around 10:45 meant I had a super cool almost private walk back to the buses. I enjoyed the appetizer that was Clams Casino but with oysters, and the lemon cheesecake was killer.
 



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