"Uno Más!" A "Gran" solo tour of WDW in January! - updated on 4/15/12

[ZehnJahren]

I headed over to Sci-fi to see if I could get in as a walk-in diner. I thought if not, I'd head over to the Backlot Commissary for some chicken nuggets, but otherwise I'd seen a turkey sandwich listed on the Sci-Fi menu that had my name written all over it.

I walked in and said "Do you by ANY chance have room for a solo diner sometime soon?"

"Yes indeed," the very friendly CM said. "Are you on the Disney dining plan?" I was surprised and told him no, I was paying out of pocket, and asked "how long of a wait?" I was skeptical.

"About 5 minutes," he smiled. He took my name, but then asked if I was staying onsite and then asked where I was staying. I told him, but wondered - why does that matter? Why was he asking? Oh well, already told him.

I sat down, taking a photo of the front of Sci-Fi. I'd never eaten here before, and I was excited.

But this was also my first non-counter service meal going solo - I was a bit nervous about this!

Within just a couple of minutes, they were calling my name.

I was seated in the back of a six-person car. I ordered (from the menu): Smoked Turkey Sandwich - Smoked turkey, crispy bacon, lettuce and tomato with an Avocado mayo on mulitgrain bread with Black Bean Relish - $12.99. Of course, I changed this all around and ended up with the turkey, bacon, no mayo, and fries.

The place was empty - this pic was taken at 2:35 in the afternoon.

Everything was going along well, and then the alarm started.

I guess someone hit one of those speakers in the wrong way, because the alarm started going off. It was LOUD. And it kept going, and going, and going... After the first 10 minutes, my head started hurting - and my waiter had not been by at all. I finally looked at my watch and decided that if it didn't stop in 5 minutes I was leaving, with or without my food.

Five minutes passed, and I gathered my stuff, looked around for my waiter one more time. I had to get outta here, I started to slide out of the seat with my purse in hand, and then...

Then they set down my sandwich. Ok, dang it, I can't just ditch this food. So I resign my aching head and ears, and take a bite of the sandwich. Hmm, something's missing in my sandwich - and that's everything but bacon. Let me make this clear: They sat down a plate that contained a sandwich entirely composed of bacon. So now this alarm is going off, I have a bacon sandwich, and I'm getting a headache. This is not the best trip to Sci-Fi.

Shortly after, the alarm stopped blaring; my waiter came by and was quite surprised by my bacon sandwich and it was replaced. The turkey sandwich was delicious and my stomach was very satisfied; the fries were very good and I enjoyed it all.

I left Sci-fi finally and it was raining. I thought about another spin on TSMM or ToT, or maybe a run over to Muppet Vision, but the rain had considerably dropped the temperature. I was diagnosed with a severe sinus infection a week before I came down to Florida (was still taking the antibiotics), so I thought the time for a nap in my dry room had come.

I headed to the bus stop in the rain, which was slowly increasing. I saw the boat for Epcot had a long line, so I knew the bus was for me. At the bus stop, I had a laugh when I saw that this was the only line without a cover - we would all be standing in the rain until a bus came. Oh man.

Finally:

I got a seat.

Alright, back to Epcot, and the car.

 

[marDgreen88]

They seriously gave you bread with bacon on it? That's just weird. Glad they corrected it and you were able to enjoy it!

 

[ZehnJahren]

They seriously gave you bread with bacon on it? That's just weird. Glad they corrected it and you were able to enjoy it!

Yeah it was pretty weird. They just sat it down and left; and then my waiter didn't come around for awhile, and when he finally did make it over, he was just as flabbergasted as I was! He asked twice "it just has bacon on it?" like he needed to confirm it before he took it off the table in front of me.

I did think about eating the bacon sandwich. I love bacon. But a full-on thick bacon sandwich is a little too much for me.

I DID like the turkey, and the bread. All in all, I was happy with my choice.

 

[nidasbourne]

Best places of WDW :-
1. Zoo places
2. Big gardens
3. Big shopping centers

 

[ZehnJahren]

After a wonderful and fulfilling nap at AKL, it was time to head back to Epcot for the night. I hadn't ridden one of my all-time favorites, and it was beckoning to me to return and enjoy, and who was I to say no? After all, I was only there for three nights, so vamanos!

When I got out of bed, my legs were VERY tight. I noted it, but put it in the back of my mind. I stretched a little, but I had plans and rides to ride - so there was no time for feeble excuses!

I got a good parking spot, and marked it for my return. It was right after 7 p.m. at this time.

I actually wasn't parked too far:

This was my view as I walked in. I was in heaven at my favorite park.

I hadn't ridden much of anything in Epcot (just a little SE!) so I went right over to TT.

I went through the single rider line and rode my first time through - I actually was happy to miss the preshow. Pictures of the line from that night:

I was through and in line for my car in a matter of moments.

After my ride, which was a lot more fun than I remembered, I decided to run through again - and I got through fast!

Two rides on TT in less than 20 minutes! Score!

I thought I'd head towards my old favorite. I saw this on the way through:

I figured I'd take a little detour and enjoy a childhood favorite - FIGMENT! My trip with DBF, I had been very very ill on this ride and couldn't remember it - and mom and I had missed it completely on our October trip - so I hadn't ridden it in over a decade.

However, it was shut down for some reason. The guy out front didn't tell me - they just let me walk right up and see for myself. *sigh* So I turned and trudged on.

Getting closer...

Closer.....!!!!

ESTUPENDO! The GRAN FIESTA TOUR!

Yes. I admit it. This is one of my favorite rides in all of WDW. I loved it beyond belief when it was El Rio del Tiempo, but I am an old skool lover of the Three Caballeros (would you believe I have "Os Quindins de Yaya" as my phone ringtone??). This ride is bliss for me, and I would spend a lot of time here on my trip. As it was, it had taken me ALL DAY to get on this ride! And so I settled in.

And, of course,

Yay!

Ok, moving on - I haven't been on the Norway ride in many years (probably around 12, to be exact). Let's go see if the line is short, shall we?

It is! I literally walked right on with a family of three in front of me.

I didn't take any photos, because I was enjoying this ride. I really liked it! Very unusual, and different from other rides at WDW.

Next up, back to SE. And why not? The park was closing soon and I love this ride.

At this point, the park had changed from open to closed; it was time to head back to AKL. I took a quick walk through the resort, thinking about hitting the hot tub for a bit. It was occupied by a family and honestly, I wasn't interested in sharing. I took some time to take a few pictures of this pretty resort.

It was now almost 10 p.m. and I planned on an early morning the next day. So I headed to my room, chatted with DBF on the phone, and watched a little Stacey - it didn't take long, and I was dreaming of my second day at Disney - EMH at AK, due to Obama being in town. EE here I come!

There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of the rolling world can be turned away
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through....​

 

[ZehnJahren]

wow. Toy story that quiet that late in the day?? The joys or traveling in the quiet season hey?? And please fill me in on this "See Mr. Potato Head" business b/c I havn't heard of that?? Is it a character that you can visit while waiting in line?? Is it a video to watch while in line?? I'm confused

We LOVE ToT!!! that's so funny that they were so freaked out. it sounds like you really really enjoyed setting them straight too
When we took my mom and DH's mom with us we tricked them and told them it was not scary at all - you just go through the mansion and then go up in the elevator and they open the doors and you are up high and get a view of the park. They went on it and unfortunately I watched dd who was too young to go at that time so i missed seeing them but it was a bit of surprise for them and i just get pleasure now thinking of it. haha. I'm so glad the went on it b/c you just HAVE to experience it - it's such an awesome ride/experience.

We loved SciFi too - the food wasn't the most exciting but we are not huge food people anyway and the shake was GREAT!!! and the environment is so cool!! Can't wait to hear about it.

I missed your comment! Ha, Mr. Potato Head is the giant animatronic in the TSMM line - he's supposed to be really cool, but I only ever saw him while going past at a sprint right after rope drop. Go look him up on youtube; I'd like to see him, but I ain't waiting an hour to do so!

I can't believe you didn't prep your mom and MIL for ToT!! Oh my goodness, my mom would have never spoken to me again! Then again, she was looking forward to the ride being a little crazy, and she really liked it. Didn't they wonder why everyone was screaming and disappearing so quickly out of the door frames / window when they saw the tower from the outside?

 

[marDgreen88]

Oh wow, I've never been in the Epcot parking lot so it's a little weird to see Spaceship Earth and a bunch of cars.

TEST TRACK BABY! Ah, I wish that was going to be open this summer. So cool that you got to ride it back to back like that!

AKL is just gorgeous! I would love to stay there someday! (I say that about pretty much every resort hahaha.)

 

[danimaroo]

SO! I'm finally caught up! Looks like you had a great day one! It is funny how I was sitting here thinking, "okay so if she's there, then we wereeeee... HERE!" I was kind of hoping our days overlapped! But it looks like tomorrow they sure do, as we hit up AK first thing on Thursday morning like you did. We avoided MK like the plague due to Obama that day, same as you!

Now I'm really excited to see how our days are similar in your TR!!!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Oh wow, I've never been in the Epcot parking lot so it's a little weird to see Spaceship Earth and a bunch of cars.

TEST TRACK BABY! Ah, I wish that was going to be open this summer. So cool that you got to ride it back to back like that!

AKL is just gorgeous! I would love to stay there someday! (I say that about pretty much every resort hahaha.)

I remember being in the Epcot parking lot when I was 5 years old and thinking it was the coolest thing ever! The monorail going overhead and the "big golf ball" looming over everything, the trams rushing back and forth, I loved it!

I did get quite a few trips on TT - I could use the single rider line, so I was rushing through every time. It's funny, because I rode it in 2010 and was like "eh"; then mom and I didn't get a chance to ride on our trip in 2011. This time, I was loving it! Wonder what the refurb will do; hope it doesn't change up too much.

SO! I'm finally caught up! Looks like you had a great day one! It is funny how I was sitting here thinking, "okay so if she's there, then we wereeeee... HERE!" I was kind of hoping our days overlapped! But it looks like tomorrow they sure do, as we hit up AK first thing on Thursday morning like you did. We avoided MK like the plague due to Obama that day, same as you!

Now I'm really excited to see how our days are similar in your TR!!!

Ha, I was reading your TR and looking very closely in the backgrounds, just in case. I'll definitely go look closer on that date, since we'll be on a similar time schedule then! All my photos have the exact time and date as their names - so I know exactly when I was where, and how long it took me to get from point A to point B.

I do wish I'd have gone to MK on Thursday, though, after I heard about how low the crowds were. I went Friday to MK, and it was TERRIBLE with crowds!

 

[danimaroo]

Ha, I was reading your TR and looking very closely in the backgrounds, just in case. I'll definitely be looking closer tomorrow, since we'll be on a similar time schedule then! All my photos have the exact time and date as their names - so I know exactly when I was where, and how long it took me to get from point A to point B.

I do wish I'd have gone to MK on Thursday, though, after I heard about how low the crowds were. I went Friday to MK, and it was TERRIBLE with crowds!

Haha it's really fun to do! I will laugh if we somehow see each other in a photo though, seriously.

AND I AGREE SO MUCH WITH THURSDAY! Ugh, Friday was the only day where I was so overwhelmed by the crowds in MK that we were NOT having a good time whatsoever, so we left and came back later that night (when we experienced the Splash incident).

Not sure if you caught that day's chapters but we were NOT happy with those crowds. It was just unbearable, and when we figured out it was from Obama and the day before, we were like "Ohhh okay.. time to leave. Bye." But the crowds were way better that night at MK, so that was nice.

 

[wakica]

You know, I really don't completely know how we tricked them into falling for it. LOL. Maybe they weren't that observant. They did stay aways away with dd who was like 5 at that time while dh and i rode it so maybe they weren't close enough to see it??

anyway, lucky you to do TT We are SSOOOO sad it'll be down for our trip. and thanks for the info on Mr. Potato Head. I'll youtube it when dd is home so we can watch it together.

I'm looking forward to Grand Fiesta Tour b/c last tiime it got shut down RIGHT when we were the second family in line and it never reopened before we left so we havn't seen it since it changed.

 

[ZehnJahren]

Haha it's really fun to do! I will laugh if we somehow see each other in a photo though, seriously.

AND I AGREE SO MUCH WITH THURSDAY! Ugh, Friday was the only day where I was so overwhelmed by the crowds in MK that we were NOT having a good time whatsoever, so we left and came back later that night (when we experienced the Splash incident).

Not sure if you caught that day's chapters but we were NOT happy with those crowds. It was just unbearable, and when we figured out it was from Obama and the day before, we were like "Ohhh okay.. time to leave. Bye." But the crowds were way better that night at MK, so that was nice.

Ugh, I wouldn't have done well being stuck for that long on a ride. After a half hour, I probably would have gotten out of the boat. Well - I don't know about probably; but I would have been freaking out by that point. I'm not good being "forced" to be somewhere.

Yeah, I saw your MK day. Those crowds were terrible, and it was compounded by something else that was going on - but I'll get to that soon enough. This was my last day - I was leaving at 8 p.m. for Chicago. It was sad that MK was so packed.

You know, I really don't completely know how we tricked them into falling for it. LOL. Maybe they weren't that observant. They did stay aways away with dd who was like 5 at that time while dh and i rode it so maybe they weren't close enough to see it??

anyway, lucky you to do TT We are SSOOOO sad it'll be down for our trip. and thanks for the info on Mr. Potato Head. I'll youtube it when dd is home so we can watch it together.

I'm looking forward to Grand Fiesta Tour b/c last tiime it got shut down RIGHT when we were the second family in line and it never reopened before we left so we havn't seen it since it changed.

That's so funny - that they weren't observant enough to notice all the screaming people plummeting in the tower! hahaha!

That is sad too that you're going to miss TT. I hope this refurb is something special to have it down for so long.

As for the Mexico ride, I really think it was better back as El Rio Del Tiempo - but I also love the new version. I always loved that pavilion best.

 

[katt789]

Yay another TR!! I've noticed that our trips are always so close in time frame! (In fact, I was at WDW for a quick solo trip Jan 29-Feb 1...also splurging for a deluxe!)
I'm liking what you've got so far! Love the AKL, so jealous! Although I'm staying there with my mom in Sept. I know what you mean about the cell phone pics! This most recent trip I had my iphone with me & some of the pictures turned out WAY better quality than my camera!

Excited to read more!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Yay another TR!! I've noticed that our trips are always so close in time frame! (In fact, I was at WDW for a quick solo trip Jan 29-Feb 1...also splurging for a deluxe!)
I'm liking what you've got so far! Love the AKL, so jealous! Although I'm staying there with my mom in Sept. I know what you mean about the cell phone pics! This most recent trip I had my iphone with me & some of the pictures turned out WAY better quality than my camera!

Excited to read more!

Ha, that's funny - I'm going in September as well! Don't know yet if I'll be solo for longer or if DBF will come along this time. I want to run the ToT race, but I don't know that DBF will be able to stomach the crowds and the heat. We're still "in discussions" - ha! I have an AP that expires October 8th, so if I didn't go for the race I'd STILL go in September - call me crazy but I miss going to Disney when it's blisteringly hot. That's the Disney I know and love. I can't wait.

AND you'll be at the AKL! I want to rent points and stay at an Epcot resort, but with all this indecision about if I'm going alone or with DBF I feel like it will be too late to get points by the time he makes a decision. If that's the case I might stay off site - I haven't decided yet.

That's nice about the iPhone - I almost went with the 4s instead of the Razr, mostly for the picture quality, but the Razr won me over. The pictures are good - not awesome, but definitely not bad - and the videos are VERY nice; I was so happy only having this one item to carry around.

 

[teekathepony]

I missed that you had started this TR! However I am here and caught up.
I'm so jealous about AKL!! I'm half thinking of renting points and trying that next time. I'm nervous though. But it just looks soooo worth it!
You got a lot done in a short space of time! I love getting to the parks early and having no lines!

 

[ZehnJahren]

A shining new era is tiptoeing nearer.....

It was morning EMH at AKL and I woke up groaning. I hadn't stretched at all last night before bed, and my legs were protesting fiercely. I did a little too-late calf stretching, took my stomach meds and some advil, packed my "just in case" bag, grabbed my jacket (because it was CHILLY out there), and headed to the car. Yes, I drove to AKL.

Early start! But EMH was already going on, so I was glad that I was so close already. And yes, I was ready to go!

Heading in; I do like this sign:

My daily pic of where I'm parked:

I left AKL at 8:04 and had arrived, parked, and taken this shot of the Unicorn parking lot sign by 8:13. I was making good time! Although, I definitely was noticing that I was missing 15 minutes of good solid EMH already.

Walking in:

First view of the Tree of Life. I'd skipped this park with my Ma on the last trip, so I was kind of excited to be here. My legs were still a little wonky, but I hoped all the walking would stretch them out. I stopped here and there to stretch a little, too - couldn't have those babies giving up on me!

I took some time to look around at the beautiful setting of AKL.

Such nice colors.

Then I found a Photopass guy and had him photo me here at the Tree.

Now, it was 8:22 a.m. and EMH time was wasting. Where should I go?

Rawr! Dinosaur! DBF hadn't been too impressed on our trip, but I liked it ok so I figured "I'm right here, let's pop on shall we?"

This man and boy had been behind me in line, but when I stopped to take a pic of the T-Rex I waved them past me. As it was, there were only about 15 people in this room with us before they let us through to the ride vehicle. I rode in the front row and it was SO MUCH FUN! I really had a good time on this one!

Why won't you look at me?!?:

Got off the ride, walked right back on.

Still fun! Redneck ride photo here:

Look, they moved everyone but me away from the scary dinosaur. I'm all by myself on the dino side! Well!!

Ok, I had to run on ONE more time.

Then, my dino pic.

Now, the park was about to open to the public. I'd better get over to EE and ride before the line starts building, yes?

On the walk over, I considered riding this one:

But I decided I wasn't interested in the spinning.

Very pretty.

Hm, that's odd, no coasters are coming down the hill... And, it's 9 a.m.

Aw, it's broken. There had been one run-through of a coaster car this morning and the ride had broken down, so everyone was sent out of the line and they were trying to fix it (and trying to get the car back to retrieve the people off of it!).

While I paced in the gift shop, I heard EE running so I came back out. Sure enough, the line was open. I momentarily questioned the intelligence of getting back on this thing after it had just been down, but it was only momentarily.

Once I got off this excellent ride, I went right back in line.

Aaaaaaaaaand - uno más!

This time I was sat next to a foreign man and not on my own as the line was filling up. He didn't speak any english, and I definitely was a little put off by having a stranger up against me on the turns. I didn't really feel like I enjoyed it as much - this was the last ride for me!

Once I got off EE, I decided to stroll over to ITTBAB. I love 3D shows (even the ones with spiders), and it was one of the last things I REALLY wanted to do at AKL, so away I went!

Continued in next post!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Continued from previous post

I strolled over to ITTBAB, weaving in and out of shops on my way over. I managed to find a few other hidden places and get some pictures.

So much color!

So few people!

It was now 9:31 a.m., and I'd ridden Dinosaur 3 times and EE 3 times. Really, that's all I cared to ride, so I was ready to go see ITTBAB and head to my next park.

Another show was starting soon (or so they said), and I headed through the VERY interesting line.

I grabbed my glasses and waited. And waited. And waited.

After about 10 minutes, the place was filling up but there was no sign of a show "starting soon". And very shortly thereafter, we were told there was an issue in the show area and that we would need to leave the line and come back later.

So we all dumped our 3D glasses sadly and left the line. Most of us (me) were mumbling under our breaths. I wanted to see the show, dang it!

Oh well. That was enough for me. I'm outta here.

I was abnormally tired. After getting to my car, I decided to go find something to eat and possibly go back to my room for a quick nap.

Aw, I love Subway. I grabbed an oven roasted turkey sandwich and then took the back road to AKL. I pulled the blinds, ate every piece of my sandwich and chips, and again (without stretching my poor legs out) fell soundly asleep for an early nap. Up next? Another park!

 

[katt789]

Yay for morning EMH!! They are so amazing! I love how much you can do in such little time! That sucks that ITTBAB was down! I personally don't think I'd ever actually be able to go on it!! haha!

 

[danimaroo]

I was SO looking for us in the background of your photos at EE! I'm pretty darn sure we were riding EE at the same time you were! So funny.

Yeah, I'm not sure how I'd feel about riding EE with a random person next to me. I can totally do TT and RnRC single rider, but EE would be weird. Then again, it's my favorite attraction and Matt and I like riding it together, so there you go. I had to deal riding single rider RnRC with a kid from a Brazilian tour group... That was fun, especially when the kids couldn't make up their minds on which line to go into.

ANYWAY! You got a lot done that morning! I am really not a big fan of Dinoland at AK so I basically avoid it like the plague. It just gives me this weird cheap vibe, like carnie land, and doesn't feel Disney to me soooo I don't deal with it. Plus I think Dinosaur would scare the crap out of me.

 

[marDgreen88]

ANIMAL KINGDOM! Yay. Ooof... your poor legs.

THREE times in a row on EE? I WANT TO!!! Yeah, I'm usually with an odd number of people, so I've ridden with a random stranger on Everest before. It's a little weird, for sure. I personally feel like I can't hoot and holler as much, and that's part of the fun! Haha oh well.

I think I would have been super upset if I couldn't do it's tough to be a bug. I'm deathly afraid of bugs and insects but I LOVE that show!

Yay for the next park!