'Dace with me!' A 2 week September 2015 TR, Updated MNSSHP

[buttercup14]

Hi!

I’m Louise, 23, from Australia, just got back from a four week Disney trip, two of which I spent and WDW! This was a solo trip but I’m glad to say that not once in the whole 4 weeks did I feel lonely (though on occasion I did feel self-conscious, mainly when I was running around a playground all by my 23 year old self!) I like having my last trip report to read over when I’m feeling Disney deprived, so here I’ll venture to remember as much and I can from my trip and form it into a nice report to read back on and hopefully share some tips and memories with everyone!

To give you an idea of what’s coming in this TR, I visited all 4 parks, both waterparks, Downtown and DisneyQuest, was on the DDP so did quiet a few TS meals, went to MHSSHP twice, a little bit of resort hoping, a lot of character meet and greets and not that much riding considering how long I was there for!

Hope you enjoy my trip report!




Planning/ Getting there

I started planning my trip about 6 months prior to leaving (just after I got home from my last trip! Clearly I just couldn’t wait to get back!) If you happen to have read my last TR, you’ll have seen that I am quiet the OCD planner, this trip was no exception. I knew I would be going around free dining time, but at the 180 window hadn’t quiet decided on my dates, so I took a guess and made some ADR’s (including a BOG). For any solo travellers, most places seem to except 1 person reservations, the only places I couldn’t seem to get them where trail’s end and beach & cream, I just booked for 2 people and there was no issues. I ended up re-booking a few of my ADR’s once I had my dates with no trouble. At 60 days I got all my FP+ no issues, which is one of the advantages of going solo!

I did a lot of planning out days, more just for fun than to have a plan to stick to! I also went to some ‘more extreme’ measures to be fully prepared to enjoy my vacation, like practising snorkelling in the bathtub so I could do shark reef at typhoon lagoon!

Here's a video that outlines some of my planning and getting over to the USA:

 

[buttercup14]

Sunday 6th September, Day one: Downtown Disney & The Boardwalk or Lose my camera on day one, check!

Check in day! I got to my resort (All star sports) around 10.30am, I’d done the online check in and was glad to find my room was ready! You’re not going to hear me talk about my hotel a lot in my TR mostly because I didn’t really spend anytime there unless I was sleeping, and that’s why I choose it! Bed was comfortable, shower worked fine, no noise issues, no complaints!

Being the long weekend I didn’t want to do a park this day, I’m also an arrive for opening person, so after getting myself settled into the room I headed out to Downtown Disney, where i tried to do some shopping, but actually didn’t find that much I was interested in! But that meant more money for later, so I didn’t mind! I did manage to trade my first pin (I’ve had a small pin collection since 10 but never traded or expanded it until this trip).

I had a lunch reservation at T-rex so I went to check in for that, and boy it was crowded! Trying to find somewhere to stand while I waited for my reservation was near impossible! To their credit, they called my name within 10 minutes of checking in. This was probably the only meal I felt awkward going solo to, probably because it’s so geared towards family’s and I was right in the middle of a seating area instead of next to a wall which I feel is a more comfortable place to be when dining solo. My server was lovely and helpful with the DP (this was my first time on it), I had a burger and gelato, really yummy but surprisingly filling, I was so full the rest of the day!

After lunch I hopped on a bus to the Yatch club and walked over to the boardwalk area, unfortunately I think I got to the area too early, it was pretty but not much going on yet. I did buy a cute Alice in Wonderland tea towel from the boardwalk shop. The weather was looking like a storm was coming and coming fast, I tried to wait for the ferry to HS but there was already a large line and after 15 minutes still no ferry, so I decided to walk and made it onto the bus at HS just as the storm hit.

When I got back to my hotel room I realized one of the pockets on my bad had been open and my camera was gone! I’m not sure if it fell out or someone took it, but it means the photo’s I had from this day are missing! So no photo’s for this part of the TR, but they’ll be plenty for the rest of it!

 

[buttercup14]

Monday 7th September, Day two Animal Kingdom or ‘Who’s leading here?’

After a quick breakfast at the hotel I was off to my first park, Animal Kingdom. I arrive just before they started letting people in, and took the 15 minutes before rope drop to stroll around, see a few animals and take some photo’s:

Once the roped dropped I headed towards the safari, which It didn’t take me long to realize almost everyone else in the park was doing too! There was a back up to the bridge entering Africa of people trying to squish into the line for the safari, having no desire to be squished and pushed around first thing in the morning I changed plans and went over to the far less crowded (actually, pretty much deserted) Kali river rapids. I hadn’t been on this for a while, and thought it was far too short. Somehow (luck?) I managed not to get very wet at all. I then spent a while pushing the button that spurts water from the elephants trucks at the victims, I mean, guests on the ride. I find these buttons highly amusing.

Then I headed over to Expedition Everest, single rider, got right on. Perhaps it was simply too early in the morning for a roller coast, but I found myself getting a bit motion sick. Just a bit. Then it was on to Dinosaur, followed by a fun meet and greet with Donald duck who greeted me with an abundance of cuddles, then tried to help me out when I told him my little Goofy toy was a bit clingy:

I rode dinosaur again because I had a FP, which gave me chance for this photo opportunity:

Followed by going to see Pluto and Goofy:

By this time it was 11am, I headed to Africa where I got a Simba Cupcake and went to see Festival of the Lion King. I love this show so much! It’s my goal to one day lead the Giraffe section! Once the show was over I had about 40 minutes until my lunch ADR, so I went over to meet King Louie and Balloo, walked a bit of the animal trail in Africa then came back and checked in for lunch at Tusker House. I really enjoyed the food here, they had a good variety of familiar and new to me items, and nothing that was too spicy thankfully! The salmon and chicken were particularly yummy!

I also really enjoyed the character interaction here, Daisy came and sat down with me and was discussed why I didn’t have a daisy soft toy, Goofy gave me lots of cuddles (as well as lots of cuddles for his mini self) and Donald was the first one of the day to notice me ‘dance with me’ button! Minnie and Mickey were also there but I left before I got to see them (when you’re only one person eating happens quickly!).

After lunch I took the Wildlife express over to Rafiki’s planet watch where I met my favourite chipmunks! They were quick to act on my ‘dance with me’ button, I must say they are quiet good dancers!

I headed back on the train and went to it’s a bug’s life, my favourite because I can watch everyone else freak out when the bugs leave the theatre! Somehow I even managed to find a seat the bugs didn’t crawl under! I went to meet Dug and Russell, they were lots of fun! Russell tried to dance with me but I don’t think either of us knew who was leading so really it just ended up being awkward!

If you’re after good character interactions I highly recommend character’s that come in two’s, which AK seems to be great for! I didn’t really think of AK as a place to meet characters until after this trip, but basically all the characters I met this day were really fun, and the lines not too long either!

It was around 4pm by this time, and I had a FP to meet Mickey and Minnie:

Then took a wonder around Dinoland so I could take some silly photo’s:

And play in the boneyard (playground) of course! I had wanted to see Finding Nemo but it’s too hard to fit 2 shows into the day without losing a lot of time! It’s on the list for next time. Last up for the day was the Safari, which, had it not have broken down, I would have got on in 5 or so minutes, but it still only took about 15 (probably the longest line to the day) so I was happy with that! Lots of Animals were out and about and at one point there was a Giraffe walking right alongside the truck, which was amazing!

By the time I got off it was closing time, I poked around in the shops a bit before heading off and having an early night, seeing as I had to be on the bus to MK at 6.30am the next day!

 

[buttercup14]

Tuesday 8th September, Day three Magic Kingdom/Key’s to the Kingdom or ‘I promise not to take any photo’s video’s or mental sketches of anything I see, hear or smell’

I woke bright and early, wait, scratch that, I just woke early it was still dark outside, to be on the bus to Magic Kingdom at 6.30am, I walked over to the Contemporary for breakfast before heading back to MK where I was doing the 8.30am Key’s to the Kingdom. They let me enter the park as soon as I got there (around 8) and I went to sign in for the tour at Town hall, they gave me a name tag, headset and bottle of water. I’d heard people say being in the park before open was really unique because it was empty, I can say this was defiantly not the case! At least not this day, there was plenty of other’s in there for tours and breakfast, in the past I’ve seen the main street less crowded after open!

Here’s a quick run down of the tour without too many spoilers: Our tour guide meet us outside town hall 5 minutes before our tour, showed us how to use out head sets and then we were off! She took us down Main street, giving us a bit of park history, pointing out little bits and pieces you might miss as we walked. She then took us through adventureland and over to Jungle cruise, where we went through the exit and took a cruise but with a different kind of narration, facts and history about the ride rather than the usual jokes. We walked over to splash mountain where we got to see out first off stage area, where the parade floats are kept, this was probably the part I enjoyed most.

As we exited the Off-stage area we were instructed we now all had to smile and be fully animated. We then went for lunch at the Columbia Harbour House, I had fried shrimp with Broccoli, very nice! After lunch we went over to Haunted Mansion, were told some facts/stories then entered through the ‘servants quarters’ to ride. Then we walked back to main street for the final part of the tour, the utilidors, which I actually found to be the least interesting part of the tour. After this we were taken back on stage and bid farewell to our tour guide. By the time we finished it was about 1.15pm. I really enjoyed the tour and highly recommend it perhaps is a better thing to do later in your visit or after a few visits.

After the tour I headed to Fantasyland, took a quick picture with The White Rabbit (who I was surprised to see out still) and The Tremaine family:

Clearly Lady Tremaine is just over it

Got a citrus swirl (these are really nice) and went over to get a spot for Festival of Fantasy. I’ve always maintained Fronteirland or Liberty square are the best places to watch the parade, and this trip completely confirmed it. I got there 20 minutes before on a high crowds day and there were plenty of spots. In particular sitting opposite the Country bear Jamboree worked well as no body could sit on the opposite side which meant all the character’s attention was on our side rather than being divided between two sides. After parade I rode splash mountain (always go towards the way the parade came from after, it’ll be the least crowded area of the park), then up to Fantasyland to ride Winnie the Pooh and meet Cinderella and Rapunzel:

It might be because she’s my favourite Princess, but I always have a good experience when meeting Rapunzel, she always (no matter when I see her) spends plenty of time talking with me. Then I went to try and see Hoedown happening (a flash mob style hoedown in Frontierland). If you want to see this check Kenny the Pirate’s schedule the week for your visit for times, it’s really fun and the character’s wonder around a bit beforehand, no autographs and didn’t see anyone doing picture either, but they’ll come around and interact, Brer Bear came and sat next to me for a while when I was waiting for the hoedown.

After hoedown it started to pour, i mean really pour! Thankfully i was prepared with rain shoes, poncho and umbrella! So i ventured over to meet Merida, i thought it was pouring before, while waiting in line it got worse! To the point the inside of my poncho was getting wet! So after meeting Merida (who told me she had to left feet and would like a hat like mine) i decided to call it quits.

 

[buttercup14]

Wednesday 9th September, Day 4, Typhoon Lagoon and 1900 Park Fare Dinner

This was a day I was looking forwards too, I hadn’t been to the waterparks in a long time! I had planned to go to blizzard beach but when I got to the bus stop at 9.30am the line for Blizzard beach was bursting and the line for Typhoon Lagoon near empty, with a bus just arriving, so I changed plans and this worked out very well, I didn’t have to wait for a ride once. I had all the rides done and had eaten lunch by 1pm, giving me some time to take some photo’s before I left. I really enjoyed all the slides and all but one catered for single riders.

I would like to mention for anyone else reading this who’s petit/ has thin legs/arms, the keys they give you for the locker are on a band that I wouldn’t have exactly called fitting snugly, I had to tie it into my swim top to make sure I didn’t lose it.

I also finally managed to do shark reef (in the past I hadn’t been able to feel comfortable using the snorkel, so practising in the bathtub paid off!). I was a bit freaked out when one of the sharks started to swim right up towards me! I wasn’t anticipating that! But you’ll all be happy to know I survived

I headed back to my hotel and the bus ride back was actually the highlight of the day, i spent the whole trip playing hide and seek with a little girl using nothing but our hair to hide behind! They say kids have short attention spans, but i think that little girl could have played all day! It was really awesome hearing her giggling and knowing that i helped make some magic for someone else too! I had a bit of a rest before heading out for dinner at 1900 Park Fare. I arrived about 30 minutes before my reservation so took a walk around a did a bit of shopping before I checked in. I was seated up the back of the room and told by my server which direction the characters would be coming from (first time someone actually stopped to tell me this, it was very helpful to know!). The food was reasonable but in terms of food alone not the best buffet in my opinion. The character’s that were there that night were Cinderella, Prince Charming, Lady Tremaine and Anastasia, unfortunately Drizella wasn’t there that night and they didn’t add anyone in to replace her.

Cinderella and Prince Charming stopped for a quick photo and chat but all in all were relatively un-interesting (well, for me, I imagine not for the kids), Lady Tremaine stopped to talk for a good amount of time and was the only one to help me find someone to find a character host to take a picture rather than disturbing the dinner of the table next to me. Anastasia seemed to miss my table but thankfully one of the character host’s came over to check If I had met anyone and Anastasia promptly came over just as the character host was talking to me. I had made some balloons for Anastasia and Drizella but I had to entrust both of them with Anastasia

 

[accountingbabe08]

Looks like a fun trip

 

[buttercup14]

Thursday 10th September, Day 5, Magic Kingdom/Epcot or That day I met Wendy Darling and freaked out

I got up and ready to head to Magic Kingdom for extra magic hours. I arrived to find it quiet crowded, when I’d been to EMH in the morning on past visits it had been relatively quiet, thankfully i’ve been enough times that crowds no longer bother me too much as I’ve done most things in the park at least once. So instead of rushing to a ride, I took a wonder after rope drop and got a picture in front of the castle:

I was Disneybounding as Alice in Wonderland so I made seeing Alice my first stop, but she and the White Rabbit were, guess what, running late! So I took a wonder into Fantasyland, rode the Carousel and came back. Alice was lovely and helped to make sure we got some nice pictures while I was matching:

After seeing Alice I had a FP for the Seven dwarfs mine train. I enjoyed this more than last time now that I knew not to expect anything ‘thrilling’, but still it’s not something I would wait in the long line for or stop to do if I only had one day in the park. After this I headed back towards the front of the park, stopped by to see TinkerBell (who at this time of the morning, about 9.30am, had basically no line) then hopped over to Epcot on the monorail for the rest of the day.

The plan for Epcot was to ‘eat, meet, greet and dance’ my way around the world. The bag line to get into the park was gigantic and very messy looking, but with some patience I got through it without to much hassle. I popped into club cool to grab a drink sample (free soft drink samples from around the world for those who don’t know), I learnt from my last trip it’s best to go in and out of club cool to try the samples rather than trying them all in one hit, as the soft drinks and surprisingly filling! I took my sample with me to world showcase which had just opened and walked back towards France, I knew that while I Epcot I should keep my eyes peeled for Surprise meet and greets and along the way I spotted the gates open just after Canada and some character’s meeting, so I went back and got to meet Wendell (country bears) and King Louie. In France Belle was out with only a few people in line so I stopped to meet her followed by stopping in England to see Alice again.

After meeting Alice I went over to France were I got a Croque Glaces (coconut ice cream with raspberry sauce at the CM’s recommendation in a pressed brioche bun). Very nice but very filling, my first snack of the day and I couldn’t even finish it! Then I headed over to Germany to meet Snow White, it was a long line and she hadn’t even arrived yet, but she very lovely:

I also got some German Mac&Cheese which was nice but a bit heavy on the mustard sauce they put in there, I wouldn’t be inclined to give it to kids. This was followed by a waffle in Norway, and after only 3 snacks I was feeling incredibly full! So I went t the front of the park where the Character Spot had an advertised wait time of 15 minutes, but much to my delight, turned out to have no line at all, which gave me plenty of time with the characters, I meet Mickey, Goofy and Minnie:

Followed by meeting Chip ‘n’ dale outside and Pluto near the front of the park. By this point my feet were SO SORE! And I was super hot and exhausted, which made it the perfect time to ride universe of energy! Despite the half hour respite I got while riding, I was still fairly exhausted once I got off the ride, so I headed over to Journey into the imagination for some more air conditioning! As I was walking over noticed a line down the side of the building, I walked over to investigate and found Rapunzel and Flynn doing a meet and greet! I postponed my prior plan and got right in line! The line was also quiet short as most people hadn’t noticed so they took plenty of time with everyone they were meeting, the little girl in front of me was scared of Flynn and they both spent so much time trying to help her feel comfortable! I was so great to get to meet them together! I loved how Rapunzel, even though I had no evidence of it in my outfit that day, seemed to be able to tell I was a big fan of her!

After meeting them I headed back and rode Journey into the imagination then spent some time playing around in the air conditioning after. Once I felt I could deal with sunlight and heat again I headed back towards the world showcase (stopping via Club Cool for another sample), I did a bit of window shopping and found some really neat Alice in Wonderland merch which I had to fight myself not to buy because I’d have nowhere to put it! I noticed the gates after Canada open again and stopped in to see Eyeor. As I was wondering along near the international gateway I noticed some people lined up near the entry gates, this was another spot I knew there were sometimes surprise meet and greets, so I wondered over to see who it was. As I walked closer I saw a hint of a blue bow, then some brown hair, and then the blue dress, and then, I completely lost it, it was Wendy! I’d been wanting to meet Wendy for years! If I was with family/friends I probably would have screamed, instead I just stood mouth open for a second and then walked as fast as I possibly could without running over to her, my hand covering my gaping mouth! I tried very hard not to freak out a Wendy, of course I had to tell her that I was so excited to meet her! She talked to me about sewing and didn’t even think to ask her anything I had wanted to, but to be honest, she could have just stood there and not said anything and i probably still would have delighted to see her!

So after having my serious 5 year old moment I re-composed myself and went over to Japan where I got the Japanese shaved ice, which was really nice and about the only thing that would fit into my already full belly (seriously, if you plan to eat around the world, bring a friend!). I noticed another surprise meet and greet where I met Baloo, who was lots of fun though seemed to want some of my shaved ice, but I told him I didn’t want him to get any on his fur.

I then met Mulan followed by Donald Duck then back to the front of the park where I rode test track (Single rider, no wait), upon exiting test track I became very aware of the fact that I didn’t feel very good, at all. I felt overheated to the bone, dizzy and tired. At which point it occurred to me that I’d been out in the sun basically all day, walking around constantly, and had probably not being drinking enough. Normally I’m really good about these things, but today I hadn’t been paying attention and now I was paying for it. As soon as I realized I was probably heat exhausted I went right back to the hotel room, bought a salad to eat for dinner, had a cold shower and spent the evening crashed out with the A/C on. I should have known better than to let myself get to that point, thankfully after cooling down, drinking plenty and getting a good nights rest I felt much better, and made sure I didn’t happen again!

 

[buttercup14]

Friday 11th September, Day 6, Magic Kingdom/Epcot/Hollywood Studio’s or Almost 4 parks in one day

The original plan for the day was to head to Epcot for the morning then HS for the afternoon, but when I got to the bus stop I just had a feeling I should jump on the bus to Magic Kingdom, and so I did, and it was defiantly the right choice as I got some special magic that morning, alas I’m not going to say any more than that here (sorry). I got to the park half way through open show, the crowds looked big but they spread out and I didn’t seem to notice them for the rest of the morning, it was the least crowded I saw MK the whole trip and if I hadn’t have had an ADR I would have stayed longer.

First I rode Peter Pan, stand-by but it hadn’t devolved a line yet. I had wanted to stop to look at the line but I was given the wait time keeping card as I ended to I felt obliged to not just stand around so they got an accurate wait time. In passing it did look like an interesting line. After I rode the tea cups then wondered over to meet Ariel and also around the undersea adventure.

I’d only spent an hour in the park but didn’t want to be late for my ADR so I left and got on the bus to Beaches. When I got there I had just short of an hour until I needed to check in, so I popped over to Epcot where I met Tiana and Rapunzel who were greeting at the international gateway, I also went over to England to see Mary Poppins and Alice (again, can you tell she’s a favorite?), I also found Max greeting on the way out. It was far more crowded than the previous day, so I was glad I’d changed plans and headed to MK for the morning.

About 10-15 minutes before my booking I headed out the gateway and towards beaches and cream. I thought it would be relatively easy to locate, but I was wrong! After wondering around for 10 minutes I finally asked someone for directions, turns out I had been heading the right way (around Cape May Café and out the door towards the pool) but was put off by the lifeguards who looked like they were blocking the path, turns out the restraunt was just before were they were standing, the front of it wasn’t particularly obvious. If you havn’t been before just ask for directions right off the bat. I had a burgar and rainbow sunshine to drink, very yummy but the rainbow sunshine was a lot! It could easily be shared, also counts as a dessert on the DDP.

After lunch I hoped on the ferry over to Hollywood Studio’s. On the boat ride the Captain floated the idea by us of putting the boat on a truck and taking it over to Animal Kingdom, just to change things up.

If I was to pick a least favourite park, this would be it, however for some reason this day I was very excited to be going, I have no idea why. First stop was meeting Goofy, who was lots of fun and loved his mini me:

Next was muppet vision, which I love greatly and personally think is the best 3D show ever, followed by Beauty and the Beast stage show, I got there about 20 minutes early and got a seat near the front just fine. I then rode Tower of Terror (no wait really), where my dinosaur terry made an appearance:

(bottom right corner at the front)

I considered riding rockin rollercoaster but just wasn’t in the mood despite the short wait time, so I went to play on the Honey I shrunk the kids playset instead. All the CM’s inside the playgrounds are always so nice, to both little and big kids! They never mind at all if adults play too, just so long as you’re being safe and mindful of the little ones!

I did a bit of window shopping then checked in for my ADR at Hollywood & Vine. This was the one meal of the trip I wasn’t impressed with, not that it was terrible, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the food or find there was a large selection available, it was also very crowded. My server was very friendly and explained exactly how my Fantasmic reserved seating worked, where the restrooms where etc. I always appreciate when the server tells you these things rather than having to ask. They also have a pin trading board just inside the door.

After dinner I headed back to muppet vision, this time getting a seat in the front row so I could see things from a different perspective. I did a bit of shopping in the muppets store then went over to get my seat for Fantasmic. Having only seen it in Disneyland before I was feeling cautious, having heard the DLR version is much better. What I found though was the WDW seating arrangement was so much better and more well equipped that it had a great impact on my enjoyment of the show. The amphitheatre style seating made it so much easier to see and was so much more comfortable than sitting on the ground! I also found the atmosphere before the show to be much more enjoyable, they had a DJ playing music and you could see everyone dancing in their seats and singing along, and ever now and then the whole theatre would do a wave, it was the most fun I’ve ever had waiting for a show! It also meant that when the show began everyone felt really happy and excited. I think it was for this reason that I really enjoyed the show. After the show ended I looked in the shops for a bit and managed to find a not so crowded bus back to the hotel.

 

[buttercup14]

Saturday 12th September, Day 7, Magic Kingdom or Enjoy the storm!

Today was my planned MK day and I arrived just for rope drop. My first stop was to see Rapunzel and Cinderella as I was Disneybounding as Rapunzel that day. I was first in line (which was kind of neat) and asked both princesses to twirl with me.

I tried to see a bit of the Trolley show which I had been wanting to do, but it was pretty crowded and I had trouble finding a spot where I could see but wasn’t in the way. I was surprised to see the park so crowded as even though it was a Saturday the park was closing at 7pm for night of joy. I did manage to catch Move it Shake It Dance it Play it. This was something I tried to see/participate in whenever I could, I felt a bit strange jumping in by myself to dance, particularly with all the little kids, but it’s been a goal of mine for a while to dance freely whenever I wanted, regardless of if I was by myself/with other/people were watching, so I tried always tried to jump in and dance.

I had a FP for the speedway (does anyone else get a cramp in their leg from driving those things?) and on my way out saw the Mad Hatter and White Rabbit meeting by the teacups, trust the one day I’m not wearing my hat or something AIWL he’s doing a meet and greet. I got lucky and got in the line just before it was cut off.

After I met them I noticed instead of heading backstage they wondered around, yelling at people on the Seven Dwarfs mine train, I so wanted to follow them to see what else they got up to but thought better of it. By this time is was getting very crowded so I stopped for lunch at cosmic’s rays, half chicken half ribs (or you can re-name this meal a whole lotta food!) but I go through most of it, followed by a mostly melted tub of Gelato for dessert. After this I went for a ride on the peoplemover and used my FP to meet Ariel.

I then headed over to frontierland where I rode the riverboat, in my personal opinion the very best thing to do in MK on a crowded day. I love spending half the trip waving at the people by the river, I love it even more when they wave back!

I then got a spot for the parade, where Flynn Ryder tried to send me some kind of message via hand signal but I still have no idea what he was trying to say. After parade I went against the crowd to Splash Mountain then hopped on the railroad and rode it to Main Street, where a large crowd of night of joy’ers were waiting to get it, so I decided it was as good a time as any to leave.

I got on the boat over to Fort Wilderness where I had a dinner reservation, one of the nicest boat trips at WDW I’ve taken. Upon my arrival I took a walk around then check in for dinner at Trail’s End. This was probably my favourite meal of the whole trip. The Chicken and Ribs were both amazing, I was trying not to go back for seconds at buffets so I didn’t explode but this time I had to, they probably had the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted! They also had peel and eat shrimp, pasta salad, mac n cheese, corn bread, mashed potato’s, veggies and a few other things. The dessert was also amazing, I remember strawberry shortcake, some sort of s’mores cake, cookies and there was more but I don’t remember what!

After dinner (and digesting!) I took the bus down to where the chip n dale sing-a-long was. I was quiet early so I went to sit on a bench by the water and relax, and then it started to rain! It was looking threatening all evening so I wasn’t surprised by this, so I moved to under a porch to wait it out, presuming it would pass before the sing-a-long started. The thunder and lighting started, but sitting on the porch it was all surprisingly peaceful and I really enjoyed just sitting there for half an hour just watching the rain. Except then it started to get really bad, I was joined by other’s trying to hide from the rain/wanting to go to the sing-a-long. We’d heard it still happens in wet weather but none of us could find out where. After waiting for 1.5 hours in total and no loner being able to find a spot under cover that was dry, I gave up and made a mad dash for the bus stop, where it was a very long trip back to the hotel, having to take 3 different buses , but the evening did feel like an adventure of sorts!

This video cover's this day and the day before:

 

[buttercup14]

Sunday 13th September, Day 8 , Blizzard beach or When the Blizzard beach story line got a bit too real!

Today was Blizzard beach day, a water park I love greatly! The weather reports had said storms for today, but it had said this all week and I was used to them just passing by within half an hour, so I thought nothing off it, popped my swimmers on and headed out, but before I could hit the park I had a character breakfast booked at 1900 Park Fare, so I jumped the bus followed by the monorail over to the Grand Floridian. Last time I did this breakfast I was in a grumpy mood and didn’t have a very good time, so I was looking for some redemption!

I’ve always been told to go for a later sitting for the least crowds, this hadn’t worked for me in the past so I gave up on it, presuming there were no ‘less crowded time’ anyone. What I found this breakfast, and consistently throughout this trip was the earlier seating’s seemed to be less crowded, go figure. I got my breakfast, staying away from the ‘fancy/more unique’ food as i didn’t enjoyed them here last time, and first to come around were Pooh and Tigger. I gave them both hugs and let them move on, since they weren’t the ones I was there to see. Mary Poppins came by and was very lovely, I asked her a question about her Nanny bag, I wanted to know if it was heavy, and if not could I have one, she told me I could but only if I put things in it that are completely necessary.

Hatter came to see me next, he was his usually mad self, he did say I was his favourite table when I told him I don’t do autographs.

As soon as Hatter left Alice came right over, she asked me if I had my tea yet, I told her just half a cup and she asked how I did that, I told her by cutting the cup in half. We had a good talk and she didn’t seem in a hurry to move on to the next table like I feel sometimes happens at character meal:

So all in all, 1900 Park Fare breakfast was redeemed in my books, I even enjoyed the food this time and thought of going back for more!

After finishing breakfast I took the bus over to Blizzard beach in perfect time for opening. Must like Typhoon Lagoon they give you a key on a band for the locker which didn’t feel secure on my arm or ankle. I was glad to see the chairlift had a single rider line, I went up and did a ‘practise ride’ on slush gusher before heading back up again the tackle Summit plummet. This was my first time on this. While I was waiting it started to rain, and you could see storm clouds coming in. It looked like a long way from sitting at the top, but you go down so quickly you don’t really notice, I didn’t even notice any weightless-ness on my way down.

I knew they were going to have to shut the rides down soon since the storm was coming in, so I jumped in the wave pool not wanting to wait in a line just to have the ride shut down. About 10 minutes later (which was longer than I expected), we were all told to get out of the water and the rides were shut down. I went took a walk around in the rain, then went to sit down and wait the storm out. I thought 30 minutes or an hour tops until they could open the ride again. Except 1.5 hours later they still hadn’t opened the rides, it was still raining, and it had gotten a bit cold! I opted for an early lunch so I could do something with my time rather than just sitting there waiting. Finally after 2 hours the rides re-opened. I spent about an hour more in the park, riding what I could find that didn’t have to big of a line, before I got too cold and decided it was best to leave. The cold and rain meant I didn’t get the chance to take any photo’s.

Back at my hotel I had a shower and relaxed for a little bit before heading out to dinner. I went to dinner via Epcot, riding Nemo and doing a bit of window shopping along the way:

Dinner was at Cape May Café. If you like seafood and you’re on the DP, this is one I defiantly recommend, they had crab legs, 3 different kinds of shrimp, salmon, mussels and clam plus sides. The Crab was particularly nice and I was glad to find that all the shrimp had been de-veined, eve the peel and eat one, something which I hadn’t found at other places and hated having to do myself! I didn’t find I enjoyed the dessert section as much, but I hadn’t come for dessert so that didn’t bother me!

By the time finished dinner it was only 6.30pm and I was feeling awake for a change, so I went over to Magic Kingdom to (finally) see the parade and fireworks! I had several evening planned to see these from different places, but this was the first time I’d actually been awake enough to stay out! I got a spot for Electric light parade in Liberty square (20 minutes before official start time, front row). This is, and always has been, and probably always will be, my favourite parade. I can’t hear the music without jigging from side to side with a big goofy grin on my face! I also had a family next to me who were super enthusiastic and cheered for clapped for all the character as they came by! I had put my phone sticking out of my belt bag to film, but I can hardly use any of the footage because I’m dancing from side to side and the image is moving all over the place!

After ELP I went over to The Hub area, where I got a spot just fine to the side of the castle. It had been a long time since I’d seen the fireworks over the castle, I generally prefer to avoid the crowds and watch from somewhere else. But I hadn’t seen Celebrate the Magic before, so over the castle it was for tonight! Of course I cried during the fireworks, but I always do! There was an hour left of park open after the fireworks so I headed back into the lands and rode for an hour, I really don’t remember what. I left just as the second ELP was coming through town square. Not too much issues with the buses or crowds either.

 

[buttercup14]

Monday the 14th of September, Day 9 DisneyQuest or A mostly un-eventful day

Today was a planned ‘quiet day’, I had a late breakfast reservation at Boma so actually got the chance to sleep in before heading out for the day. I took the bus to AK then changed over to a bus to AKL, where I arrived about 20 minutes early. I had a look around the gift shop and tried to find some animals out back but they were all still asleep I suppose. I checked in to a rather crowded Boma, guess everyone else was having the day off too! I’d heard folks rave about Boma, I thought it was good but there wasn’t anything to cause me to rave about it, seemed a fairly standard Disney breakfast buffet with just a few African inspired dishes. At any rate I enjoyed my breakfast then headed out to the buses to go to Downtown Disney, where I got to see for the first time a custodial artist at work:

I arrived in Downtown and walked down to DisneyQuest which I found to be, still closed, despite it being past opening time. I waited around for about half an hour and just I was about to give up and change plans for the day they opened up. First thing I had was attempt to play Fix it Felix, which was astoundingly bad at! But I’ve never being particularly talented at video games so this did not take me by surprise.

I walked around playing some of the games, mostly enjoying the section with games more aimed towards children, I found one particular game which displayed a variety of virtual scenes, giving you a whole bunch of ball pit balls to through at the screen and break items in the virtual scene, for example one scene was of a kitchen and you threw the balls at the screen to break the pots, glasses etc. I found this highly amusing and sat there pelting balls at the screen for a good 15 minutes. Perhaps I had some un-known anger towards something at the time?

I located the create section and attempted to ‘make a toy’ but the screens just weren’t working for me, so I went over to the virtual picture drawing were I immaturely drew up this scene:

Sorry Ariel.


They had a ‘make/write a song’ booth so I spent a while in that writing the strangest song I’ve ever heard:

I’d been there for a few hours and had run out of things to do, I was glad though that I came in the daytime when it wasn’t crowded. I went in search of lunch (I think I found some but I’ve no idea where!) Before heading back to the hotel for a swim and a relax for the rest of the day.

 

[luckylady]

I love your drawing of Ariel. Too funny. I'm sad DQ is closing so it's a good thing you spent time there. How long is your flight over? Sounds like your having a great time.

 

[buttercup14]

I love your drawing of Ariel. Too funny. I'm sad DQ is closing so it's a good thing you spent time there. How long is your flight over? Sounds like your having a great time.

To go direct from Sydney to LA takes about 14 hours, then another 5 from LA to Orlando, except i had a stopover on my way to LA so it took me a full 24 hours just to get to LA!

 

[buttercup14]

Tuesday the 15th Of September, Day 10, MNSSHP or Chaos. And not the good kind.

Today was MNSSHP, the day I’d been looking forwards to all trip! (little did I know what was really in store, more on that later). Other than the party and a lunch ADR I had no plans for the day, and decided to keep it that way! I woke up, ate breakfast, then did a whole lot of nothing, but after all the crazy running around the parks I had been doing for the past 3 weeks, it was nice to just d nothing (that said, had you have given me an extra day on my ticket, I’d have been at the parks in a heartbeat!). As it approached lunch time I took the bus(es) over to Animal Kingdom Lodge for my lunch at Sanaa. I had to wait quite a while for my table to be ready, and this was the only time at an ADR they seated me late. But I was worth waiting because I got a nice seat right by the window, with a bird to keep me company.

I ordered a Mango Lassi to drink (included as a drink on the DP if anyone’s wondering, which I was prior to my arrival), the Potjie Inspired with butter chicken and dhal, which was very nice and looks deceivingly small when brought out, but it filled me up very quickly! For those not familiar with Indian food the server is great at explaining what things are and the menu also has a section explaining different terms (eg dahl, tandoor), one might not be familiar with.

For dessert I had the Kulfi, Indian style ice cream with, which was coconut and coffee flavoured and served up very fancy looking:

Again, it looks deceivingly small but it was very rich! During lunch I got to see a variety of animals, including tow giraffes which casually came strolling by:

This was another one of my favourite meals of the trip, and somewhere I will certainly be going back to, also great for a ‘break’, the whole atmosphere of the place was very relaxing!

I had got myself set up to head to MNSSHP straight from lunch, I had some extra time so I took the scenic route, taking the bus to Epcot then the monorail to MK. Once I started spotting other’s in costume I put on the final pieces of my costume (Hat, bow tie…can you guess who I was going as?) and a bit of makeup. I arrived at MK at around 3.45pm, and though it wasn’t quiet 4 yet they were already letting guests in. I got my arm band and picked up my candy bag and map. Being, like many, surprised by what looked like a lack to meet ‘n’ greets on the map. I was also surprised by how many people where in the park, it was supposed to be a low crowds day right? Wrong! The early closing hours hadn’t seemed to have deterred any day guests, and the party guest were staring to pour in, this made it hard to do the thing I had wanted to, ride! So already, right at the start was the party, I was wondering around a bit clueless. I really didn’t want to spend my time waiting in line even outside of party hours, so this ruled out the Seven dwarfs and Jack & Sally (and in hindsite I’m super glad I didn’t try to wait to meet them, I cannot justify standing in line for 2 hours for anything). So I took a walk around and checked out everyone’s costumes (good job everyone, by the way, glad to see people getting so into it! Lots of creative costume from both kids and adults!), rode the people mover, saw the laugh floor show and got some dinner. Like many others, I saw very surprised when during dinner, our ghost host told us the party was sold out! On the first night! That explains why the park was already looking so crowded.

I finished dinner just as the party started and my first priority was to see Hatter and Alice (I’d dressed as Hatter, if you hadn’t guessed that earlier), so I went over to the teacups where I found their line was already gigantic! I’m talking all the way around the garden bed, the CM was already telling those getting onto the back of the line they’d have to wait for the next set (a whole hour later) to meet them! Regardless of who I was dressed as, there was no way I was waiting an hour to see two characters who’ve I’ve met numerous times with little more than a 15 minute wait!

So I rode the teacups instead, and found the candy line next to the speedway without too much of a wait, so I got myself some candy then got lucky and spotted The Queen of Hearts just as see was coming out, and managed to meet her with a 5 minute wait:

By this point It occurred to me, with the crazy crowds, that if I wanted to see the parade at all that’s probably were I should head. So I went to frontierland where I was able to find one of the last front row spots (as I shorty I just can’t watch the parade from anywhere but the front), if I’d have been with other people I’d have had to forget about seeing the parade that night. I was left with an hour wait, which I spent watching the crazy mobs of people trying to find a seat, pushing and straight out sitting on top of people to get a spot, I actually saw someone take someone else’s spot who was standing up, to be told by the person the spot was taken, to which they responded ‘it’s ok, I’ll move’, then they stayed right where they were! 20 minutes later I heard them say to their kids ‘this is taking too long, let’s go ride something then we’ll come back’. Seriously?

The parade eventually came and we squished shoulder to shoulder to watch, I’m sad to say this particular day I saw very little character interaction, and was sad to see the parade shortened. I tried to shake the night so far off, and head on accepting that in order to meet characters, I was just going to have to wait in some long line. So I headed to Adventureland and got in line to Meet Tarzan, Jane and Terk, the line looked long, but manageable, maybe 30-40 minutes. I could deal with this. Except 20 minutes later I hadn’t moved. Not an inch. Not half an inch. I kid you not I was standing in the exact same spot I had got in the line in the first place. I could see them getting through people at the front, but we weren’t moving, at all! I gave up. By the time I got there Tarzan and Jane would probably have left anyway.

I tried to head back to Hatter and Alice, via a very chaotic hub, where I found their line to be lightly shorter so I got in. It took me about 40 minutes to get through it, half the line was made up of other’s dressed in AIWL costumes, I was one of the very last guests of their set. Thankfully Alice and Hatter were wonderful! They played with my teacup, gave lots of hugs and were generally wacky:

I feel this photo very accurately portrays my relationship with The Mad Hatter

I was coming up to fireworks time and there was no way I was even thinking about going to the hub to see them. So I rode the people mover and watched them from there, which was cool. Then walked into fantasyland near the teacups with the fireworks still going, all of a sudden I was completely surrounded by the fireworks going off! I wondered though fantasyland trying to get some candy, then went over to frontierland to ride splash mountain. There was still an hour left of the party, but the crowds had tired me out, and I’d spent so much time walking around looking for things to do and getting squished in crowds me feet were so sore! The one advantage of leaving early was not having to wait in a long line to the bus.

My overall opinion on the party like many other’s was it was chaotic, over crowded with not enough to do. If you had wanted to ride it would have been great. While I didn’t notice anyone without bands there, I wasn’t particularly looking at people’s arms. What I did notice was it was exceptionally crowded and impossible to move around. Trying to walk down Main Street was horrible, there were far too many people and folks were just stopping right in the middle of walkways blocking the path, there were nowhere near enough of the usual CM’s telling people to keep moving. So like many other’s I didn’t have a very good night, didn’t get that much candy. Writing up this part of the TR it sounds like I got far more done than it felt like it did, and I spent so much of the night walking around (or trying to) or standing in line (again, or trying to!). I do, however, have some good news to come. I went again to MNSSHP 3 days later, and had a MUCH better time. It was still crowded but being prepared helped so much. So stayed tuned for that!

This video cover's the past few days:

 

[luckylady]

Food looks good. I have heard a lot of good things about it. It's a bummer that Disney is selling a lot more tickets to MNSSHP that you can't have a good time. Glad your second one went better.

 

[buttercup14]

Wednesday the 16th Of September, Day 11, Magic Kingdom or Not really much of Magic Kingdom.

I started off my morning going in search of something I had lost the previous night, with no luck and unfortunately very little help, i’ll spare you the story of all the backing and forthing (those are words, right? Well, they are now anyway ) I did and just say this, if you loose something ask as many questions as possible to save you time and energy and frustration, how long does it takes items to and get sorted to the lost and found? How often do you get items in? What happens if my item is found after I’ve left? Who can pick up my item? Anything else you think might be relevant! I still couldn’t get answers to some of those!

Anyway, I digress. Point was I spent the morning in search of my lost item and arrived at Magic Kingdom for my 11am FP to meet Elsa and Anna. I’ve seen the movie though wouldn’t consider myself a fan, but I had the time and spare FP so decided to tick it off the list of things I’d done:

After meeting the sisters I was on my way through Fantasyland when something happened, which I’ve decided I am going to speak just briefly about incase it should help anyone else. Basically, I had an anxiety attach, right in the middle of Magic Kingdom, all by myself, and I hadn’t had one in over 2 years. Long story short I eventually found my way to first aid, which if where I should have gone in the first place. So please if this ever happens to you, go to first aid asap. It mightn’t be a flu to a cut, but still they can help. They gave me a quiet room and some water and kept an ear out for me and once I was in there I felt better in 10 minutes and was out of there in 20. This all did mean that I missed my ADR for Be out Guest, which I didn’t mind too much really, I was just glad I was feeling better. So I went over to Peco bills to get lunch and relax for a bit. I rode the railroad from critter country to MS then left my plans for the rest of the day, thinking it better to go back to my hotel, have a swim and relax so I could be sure I was ok. Thankfully I was just fine and happy, well that was until I woke up the next day feeling sick. Not flu sick, but sick enough that I had to spend the day in my hotel, and miss another ADR. I did catch up on some sleep, and was thankfully feeling better for my final day, good thing about me and colds, if I spend the first day resting I’ll be fine in 24 hours (on the flipside, if I don’t rest that first day I’m sick for at least a week, usually more.)

To try and add some cheer to this part of the TR, here’s some pictures I took with Mickey which I can’t quite figure out what day they’re from:

 

[luckylady]

Good thing you took yourself to first aid. Sorry your missed your two ADRs. Great pictures with Mickey.

 

[buttercup14]

Friday the 18th Of September, Day 13, MNSSHP or A much, much better time at MNSSHP

Good news! I woke up this morning feeling much better, still a bit of a sore throat but being an ex-singer does that to you with any cold! I had breakfast booked at Cape May Café. I really enjoyed the food here, they had lots of options to the point where I actually didn’t get to try everything I wanted to before I got too full! I loved that they had a make your own crepe station (unfortunately one thing I didn’t get the chance to try). It’s not a breakfast I heard brought up much when looking for recommendations, but I’m glad I went because it was great! The character’s were also fun, we had Minnie, Goofy and Donald in surf attire, one thing that impressed me is even though they were fur characters they all helped me find someone to take a photo!

Because I now had an extra day on my ticket I headed over to Hollywood studios, where I mostly saw shows (Little Mermaid, Muppets etc) and did some shopping before going back to my hotel for a light lunch, to pack up my things and do some serious getting ready for MNSHP. My costume was an all-out one for tonight, dress, wig, makeup and all! So it took me a full hour to get myself ready and I knew I was going to be way to hot this night, but it was so worth it because here was what I got to walk around in all night:

At 3pm I walked through the Lobby to the bus, feeling very odd, a little less so when I got to the stop and found some other folk’s who were dressed up too. I talked for a while to a little girl dressed as one of the descendants characters. I made my way to MK and arrived around 3.40pm, went through bag check and got my wrist band, map and bag like last time. As soon as I got on MS I rushed as fast as I could up to Fantasyland, it was a long shot, but I wanted to see if I could catch the step sister’s before the end of their last meet and greet. As I walked into Fantasyland I saw the Tremaines still out, but I was fairly sure they were leaving soon, there seemed to be a very large line though so I went over to look for a CM or someone in line who knew what was going on. Before I could do this however, I heard screaming coming from the sisters, they were both pointing at me yelling how great my costume was! Whilst I was totally delighted they had noticed, I also felt bad as I was interrupting someone else’s time, so I smiled and waved and tried to move towards the back of the line. A CM came up and told me they were leaving and the line was for Fairy Godmother, which was what I suspected. The CM went back to the Step family and I had a quick talk with someone in the line and the photopass photographer. I walked back over to the CM who was standing behind the family and asked him if it was ok if I just said hello to the girls as they were leaving, not photo’s or anything, just to say hi, but before I finished my question the girls had already come over to me and started to inspect my costume, the photopass CM even managed to snap some photo’s for me:

Drizella told me I had to get more candy for her side, and Anastasia said she’d never seen the two of them getting along so well, Lady Tremaine said I had to argue with myself over my shoulder ever now and again. Drizella even tried to walk me at one point. So 15 minutes into my second MNSSHP and it was off to an amazing start, better than I could have imagined!

I went over to use my FP for Peter Pan, and was completely taken a back but the amount of complements I got in so sort of a space, I was so glad people liked my costume! So far the crowds seemed about medium, for sure not as bad as Tuesday had been at this point, but still more people than I had seen in the past and on my last trip, I’d say this was accurate of the whole night really, certainly the crowds were far more manageable, and walking around was not as squishy, but there was still long lines and more people then I remembered from past parties. After Peter Pan I went over to Haunted Mansion which was posted as a ten minute wait, so being a Halloween night I found it fitting to ride. I popped back to the front of the park to get a picture by the Pumpkin, but they were shutting the photo’s down for a while so I got some in front of the castle instead:

I then had a FP for Cinderella and Rapunzel. Cinderella was wonderful! She even insisted on getting a photo standing on both sides, and told me to watch out for people trying to talk to me on one side, then the other, and that I might have to walk twice as much during the evening, to which I told her true, but I also get to have twice the fun! Rapunzel also seemed impressed and asked if I could make her a matching dress.

I then went back to the Hub for Move it Shake it Dance it Play it. You have no idea how much I wish I had filmed the floats and character’s as they were coming into the hub, it was so great to watch so many of the performers dorking out over my costume just the same as I did when the costume was finished! Though I did find the dress particularly difficult to dance in for it was to tight near my ankles to allow much movement other than walking! Then I walked back to the pumpkin for a photo:

There was still an hour left until official start time of the party, so I went over to Tomorrowland and rode the peoplemover so I could spend some time looking at all the costumes around! Then I went to the laugh floor again for some…well...laughs! I’d already felt like I’d done so much more in the 3 hours I’d been the park than I had on the whole night of the first party!

At 15 minutes till the start of party time I went over to adventureland, I had really wanted to meet Jane, Tarzan and Terk last party so that was my first priority tonight! Except I wasn’t sure where they were going to be, they changed locations mid-way through last party. So I hung around and at 7pm they walked straight past me on their way out (Tarzan stopped to small me in passing), I followed them and found their line. This time thankfully it was moving! And in about 5 minutes I was at the front. When I came up to them Tarzan promptly exclaimed ‘Tarzan smell you before’. Despite having really wanted to meet them, I had no idea what to say! (This is unusual for me around characters too!) I found Tarzan strangely intimidating!

I hit up a few trick or treat stations so I could have some candy to eat during the parade. I tried to investigate the dance party, but only kids were dancing really, any adults who were in it were just trying to get selfies with the characters, so I left it, went over to Peco Bills were I carefully transported my tray of food over to the opposite side to sit and wait for the parade (this time only about 40 minutes before parade start and there was still plenty of spots around). I do warn you, fellow solo travellers, not to move from your parade spot even for a second. There wasn’t too many people around yet so I thought it would be ok to leave my bag (without valuables I should add) sitting in my spot while I took a measly 3 or 4 steps over to the bin to dispose of my tray, which was taking up space next to me and would make room if removed. Not more than a second from when I had gotten up, did a family appear out of nowhere and try to sit on top of my bag, luckily the person next me was paying attention and told them someone was sitting there already at the same time I swopped back to my spot to inform them of the same. Considering this was the worst the night got for me personally, it was a vast improvement from Tuesday!

The projection on Country Bear Jamboree

The parade was more fun this time, probably because I got more interaction this time, but I did find all the performers and characters seemed more energetic (or not, if they were a zombie) this time. Peter Pan seemed puzzled by my costume, Dale or Chip (didn’t have time to check the nose/teeth) came over and tried to cut me in half with invisible scissors, Aladdin came over and told me i looked like Iargo (spelling?) and the step sisters screamed at me, again.

Post parade I wondered through adventureland slowly then (once the parade has passed the hub) over to Fantasyland, were I met Hatter and Alice again, followed by Ariel:

I considered squishing into a last minute spot on MS or the Hub to see the fireworks, but had particularly wanted to meet Cruella De Ville, and thought during fireworks would be my best bet. I could see some of the fireworks from the line so that was good! I’m glad I made the decision to meet her, she was fabulous! She told me to go show off to all the princesses how much better than them I looked

Here she asked me to use my feather to fan her


In the next 45 minutes I: walked down the Candy Trail between The barnstormer and tomorrowland, which was a great was to get lots of candy fast! Walked over to Liberty Square via Fantasyland, did a treat station there, met the old hag (with zero wait):

Meet Tiana, again with Zero wait, she spent lots of time talking with me because no body else was in the building!:

Did the candy trail in the Tiki room and treat station near the jungle cruise, then walked down MS (with FAR more ease than the first night!), where I did one last meet with Aurora, who also dorked out over my costume, to my delight! She wanted me to do a half blue half pink costume of her for next year (though I think that already exists), unfortunately the photos from the meet and greet seemed to have disappeared, and last off meet Tinkerbell:

So in the last 45 minutes alone I was at the party I managed to do more candy trails and meet and greets then I did at the first party! I would LOVED to have stayed on until the end of the night, however I needed to get up at 4am the next morning, and I’m not an ‘all-nighter’ kind of person, so needed to obtain some level of sleep.

I have to say the best part of the party this night, however, was how many people I got into conversations with because of my costume, it was great, particularly as a solo traveller, to stop and talk with so many people in one night! And I’m so glad my costume was well received, lots of work went into it and I’ll probably have no where else to wear it for another year! (Certainty very few people here in Australia will understand it!) So dress up for the party everyone, be creative! Turns out, it’s a great way to make some new friends and have some interesting chats!

 

[buttercup14]

So there you have it! That was my two weeks solo in WDW. I had a great time and am glad to say didn't feel too lonely throughout my trip! Stand out days/ places for me were MNSSHP on the second night (obviously!), Trails end, Sanaa, Character meets in Epcot and the shows at Hollywood Studios. Things i wouldn't do again would be Hollywood & Vine and i'll try to avoid sold out event nights in the future!

I found crowd levels quiet (if i listened to crowd calendars for what day to go) at all parks with the exception of MK, which seemed constantly crowded no matter what day throughout my visit. I also found, if leaving my hotel for rope drop, the lines for the buses were a good indicator of the crowd levels for that day at each park. Next trip I think i'll try out a more relaxed style of touring, more trying to 'go with the flow' than plan everything and see how that works. While i don't regret having the DDP, i won't be using it again, i just can't eat enough to make it worth while and i think for solo travelers even who are planning a lot of ADR's OOP is still the way to go, also the QS desserts on the DP and pretty useless unless you really like chocolate or carrot cake every meal (though with the changes to the plan that's less likely to be an issues).

Feel free to ask for any tips/ if you have any questions that i might be able to answer based on my TR to help you plan your next trip

 

[luckylady]

Glad you had a much better party the second time. What a great costume. Wonderful trip report thanks for letting me live through it.