It's a direction.
Left.
It's something I don't get to do with my family.
As we always typically go right.
To ride Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, of course!
And if that didn't give it away, yes, my first park of my solo trip was the Magic Kingdom! I may have done a little bit of this
but I kept it all inside.
One of the things that was so weird to me was how much later in the day it felt to me than it actually was. One of the hazards of the ridiculously early flight. After the pixie dust of a room being ready, I headed to MK with a little bounce in my step, sure good things were headed my way.
:::ahem:::
So I went left! To Adventureland! Because that's where pirates belong, and that's how I tour alone. I barely have a plan. I might figure out where I want to eat beforehand, but when I'm alone, I love to go where the wind takes me.
Ironically though, the first thing that I did in the MK was not ride POTC.
Dang stomach. I was STARVING!!!!
And I had a date with destiny, or Columbia Harbour House, to be exact. I'd be dying to try the Light House Sandwich.
It's listed on AllEars as hummus with tomato & broccoli slaw on toasted multigrain bread. And it sounded SOOOOO good.
So I walked with a purpose, got to CHH, and placed my order. It was moderately busy, nothing crazy, and the queue moved pretty quickly. So I was thinking, easy peasy lemon cheesy, yes?
No.
I waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And watched at least 5 if not more orders that were placed after mine come out before mine.
I'd like to point out, for your own ha ha let's laugh at TK pleasure, that my sandwich is just that. A sandwich. It doesn't have to be grilled or fried or any of that fancy schmancy cooking stuff.
No joke...they'd run out. And had to make more, apparently. And somehow wires got crossed. But you know what?
Although I poke fun, and joke, I actually did not care.
Not. One. Bit.
I was alone. It was funny. The CMs kept apologizing, and I kept saying no problem, I'm here alone. ALONE? Yup, alone. Good for you!
Indeed.
Finally, it arrived.
And was wrong.
Finally, I got the right sandwich. And made my way upstairs to enjoy. Let me tell you, keeping calm through that whole episode was a big deal for me. Let's just say that when I get hungry, my blood sugar tanks, and crankiness ensues. It's not a pretty sight. I was proud of myself.
So, in all its glory:
Look, folks. I don't know if I was starving or it was that good, but I believe it was THAT GOOD. I LOVED this sandwich. It was refreshing, and healthy, and tasted sooooo good. Exactly what I needed at that point. The bag of chips was small enough that I didn't feel guilty about eating them, and I believe I may have a diet soda there.
Refreshed and fed, I was ready to go.
And captured this little chestnut on my way out -
Like I said, I really had no plan. But pooh'smate had pointed out to me before I left that previews of Belle's Enchanted Tales were being done in New Fantasyland, and I thought, what the heck. Might as well take a gander and see what's doing.
So I wandered my way over there, and took lots of photos for your viewing pleasure.
I just want top pause for a moment here and say how much I love the detailing of Disney parks. I've got an artistic background, and to think that some Imagineer sat down and said, you know, to make it even better, let's put hoof prints and carriage tracks embedded in the ground...I mean I know it may seem like such a simple thing, but when you add all those simple things together, it creates this immersion into a whole new world (no pun intended).
And it's not just when I'm alone that I have time to appreciate these things. I'm aware of them when I'm with family, maybe less so, but still aware. It's one of the many myriad reasons that I love Walt Disney World. It's not just about the obvious escapism, it's about the ability to lose yourself for a while in Belle's village.
Or to stroll down Main Street and note the windows paying homage to various people important to the parks, including Walt.
I know that Disney has become a brand and that it has an incredible marketing machine. But you will not be able to convince me that it doesn't have heart, even still. Even as we move forward, and sometimes away from Walt's ideas or the spirit of his intentions, his purpose lingers there, and his vision is carried in these romantic ideals.
And I love it.
Up next - Would I see Belle's Enchanted Tales?
