"Is it more fun to go by yourself?" "Well, I sure think so!" August 2014

[amandaw]

Sounds like a fun time in DHS!

I didn't realize Characterpalooza had moved to the Streets of America so I'm so glad I read that in your TR.

I'm also happy to see that Sorcerer Mickey is still meeting in the same spot. My son loves Mickey but especially Sorcerer Mickey. I know that will be a must do for us in October.

 

[Elevationist]

I was dragging by this point. I hadn’t been able to move my RnRC FP+ to a later time, so I missed it. Headed in to ToT and had almost no wait at all. Please excuse my face (second row on the right), I have no idea what happened!

That girl in the back row center totally just won the Internet.

I love the video too! I got Memory Maker for my solo trip next month, so I was super excited to hear about this!

What I have NOT heard of is the Characterpalooza. Is this just once a day, in the evenings?

 

[geckodani]

Yay solo trip report! I've got my first one coming up, so I'm stoked to read about yours!

How fun is that video, LOL! I have a hard time paying for Memory Maker, but this is almost enough to get me to change my mind!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Thanks for sharing your solo trip! My B'day is next month and told Dh and my girls I want a solo Disney trip as my gift!

I hope you get a solo trip!

Happily following along! I loved your Disneyland TR and am enjoying this one very much.

Welcome! I don't know if this one will be as awesome as DL was, but I'll sure try!

Sounds like a fun time in DHS!

I didn't realize Characterpalooza had moved to the Streets of America so I'm so glad I read that in your TR.

I'm also happy to see that Sorcerer Mickey is still meeting in the same spot. My son loves Mickey but especially Sorcerer Mickey. I know that will be a must do for us in October.

Mickey typically has the longest line of the characters, so I would go shortly before he ends his day or first thing when he starts.

That girl in the back row center totally just won the Internet.

I love the video too! I got Memory Maker for my solo trip next month, so I was super excited to hear about this!

What I have NOT heard of is the Characterpalooza. Is this just once a day, in the evenings?

Character Palooza is somehow related to Fantasmic. It typically happens once per day, but the time is in relation to the first Fantasmic show. Kenny the Pirate has some wonderful info, including times, which is how I found out about it in the first place.
http://kennythepirate.com/category/character-palooza-2/

Yay solo trip report! I've got my first one coming up, so I'm stoked to read about yours!

How fun is that video, LOL! I have a hard time paying for Memory Maker, but this is almost enough to get me to change my mind!

I hosted a MM share for this trip, with five families, so the cost was lower. In December I'm doing it with 10 families.

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Hi Gretchen! Count me in for this trip report!

You totally scored with an awesome room at CBR! What an awesome view. And I totally agree... I love the bright colors of Jamaica

Can I ask how you worded your fax that you sent in? I subscribe to Touring Plans, too and I know exactly what room requests fax you're talking about it, but I always wondered how to word it.

Great pictures at Character Palooza!

 

[Elevationist]

Character Palooza is somehow related to Fantasmic. It typically happens once per day, but the time is in relation to the first Fantasmic show. Kenny the Pirate has some wonderful info, including times, which is how I found out about it in the first place.
http://kennythepirate.com/category/character-palooza-2/

Oh, man! It sounds awesome, but sadly the times don't line up for me! On 9/24, it happens well after I plan on leaving HS for the day, and on 9/26 it happens well before I plan on getting to HS for Fantasmic. Oh, well! Maybe next year!

 

[missangelalexis]

After reading your DL trip report and loving it, I am definitely in for this one!

Love all the room pictures! Looks like such a nice resort.

Such cute TL pics!

You met some great Characterpalooza characters!

The Frozen photos are adorable, I hope they keep those around!

It's so cool that you get a video now at TOT.

Sounds like a good evening filled with many character meets!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Hi Gretchen! Count me in for this trip report!

You totally scored with an awesome room at CBR! What an awesome view. And I totally agree... I love the bright colors of Jamaica

Can I ask how you worded your fax that you sent in? I subscribe to Touring Plans, too and I know exactly what room requests fax you're talking about it, but I always wondered how to word it.

Great pictures at Character Palooza!

Welcome! Jamaica is definitely my favorite section visually, although Aruba looks better in person than in pictures. Barbados and Trinidad are kind of bland, and while I like Martinique (after all, growing up, that was the section used in promotional photos), there were hardly any king bed rooms in that section.

I'll send you a PM about the fax.

Oh, man! It sounds awesome, but sadly the times don't line up for me! On 9/24, it happens well after I plan on leaving HS for the day, and on 9/26 it happens well before I plan on getting to HS for Fantasmic. Oh, well! Maybe next year!

Darn! It really is a fun time and I wish I had known about it before.

After reading your DL trip report and loving it, I am definitely in for this one!

Love all the room pictures! Looks like such a nice resort.

Such cute TL pics!

You met some great Characterpalooza characters!

The Frozen photos are adorable, I hope they keep those around!

It's so cool that you get a video now at TOT.

Sounds like a good evening filled with many character meets!

Welcome! Another Disneyland reader. It was a very nice resort and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. I imagine the Frozen pics will be around for awhile, particularly if the festivities are being extended as the rumors say. I think the ToT video was more hyped up than it was actually worth-I was expecting a full video of the entire ride, not just five seconds of my elevator.

This trip was pretty much full on character meets, at least for the first few days. Then I just got too tired and hot to keep up with that schedule.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Thursday morning I was up very early, excited for my day at Epcot. I was ready and at the food court by 7:45am, where I ordered a kid’s meal to start the morning.

Loved this colorful section of the dining room and ate in here every day!

Then it was off to Epcot, where I arrived stupid early, like 8:15. In fact, I was there so early that I was parked in the first non-handicapped row of the Journey lot! There was no line at bag check that early in the morning and as I made my way towards the touchstiles, there was a sizeable crowd at the center section. Forget that nonsense-I used to work at that very location and knew that eventually, the breakfast reservation touchstiles would become regular ones shortly before opening. So I sat on a bench, in the shade, for about 25 minutes, and basically managed to sweat off all my sunscreen in that time period. It was that hot and humid already!

One family came up and asked the CMs if they could stand off to the side, which they were told they could, so I got in line behind them. Another family got in line behind me, and I passed the time talking to both of those families as well as some of my former co-workers. The families were so intrigued by the fact that I used to be one of the CMs. And while our line remained reasonably short, the crowd at the center became more and more massive.

I believe they let us in about 10-15 minutes early. Since my first stop was meeting Pluto and he wouldn’t be appearing until 9, I got a few photos taken while everyone else was rushing off to the rides.

I was the only person waiting for Pluto, and he appeared precisely at 9, rubbing his eyes, yawning, and stretching. He was happy to sign my book and take a photo, but it seems the photographer’s camera fell victim to the humidity!

My first FP+ for the day was Soarin’, beginning at 9:10am, so that was my next destination. The line moved fairly quickly. Normally I request B1, but they were looking for a party of 3. When no one immediately volunteered, I piped up with, “I’m a party of 1, so if you can find a party of 2…” Well they took me right away and placed me in A3. Not my favorite location, but the party of 2 they found more than made up for it. It was a British mom and her young son, probably about 8 years old. They had never ridden Soarin’ before. I told them that since they had to leave their shoes on the floor, the urge to dip their toes in the water would be overwhelming. They thought it was the coolest ride ever! I love moments like that, sharing my love of something particular with someone who’s never experienced it before.

Then it was out to meet Chip and Dale…or in this case, just Dale. His line had only a few families in it. I asked what happened to Chip and the handler said he went on a scavenger hunt for some acorns for breakfast and hadn’t returned yet!

Next up was Turtle Talk with Crush, which I hadn’t seen in over four years. I walked in less than minute before they opened the theater for my group, and the audience was pretty sparse. It was just as cute as I remembered!

Dory got smushed by a whale:

After the show, I spent some time roaming the aquariums. First I visited the manatees.

Then I went into the little “Finding Nemo” room with the smaller tanks. I’m pretty proud of this first picture:

Some eels:

Lionfish:

A seahorse!

There’s Dory:

I found Nemo!

Just about that time, there was an announcement made that it was feeding time in the big tanks so I made my way upstairs. Pictures of that to come in the next post!

 

[KelleyK75]

Just found your TR and subbing in. I've been thinking about a solo trip so I am excited to read yours. Love the Frozen pictures and characterpalooza. I stayed at CBR a few years ago in Trinidad North and loved it. It's such a great resort.

 

[bellebookworm9]

In the upstairs observation rooms, the fish and the rays were swarming for food!

That’s a shark back there:

Hidden Mickey!

Just look at this happy face!

A turtle friend:

The dolphins were feeling shy and stayed in their other hidden room.

Another visit to the manatees, upstairs this time.

And then I asked a nice family to take my picture at this photo spot, but the flash kind of ruined it.

It was just around 10:20 when I left the Seas and time to head over to the Character Spot for my FP+. The wait was pretty short, about 7 minutes for the first character.

First up was the big mouse himself.

Then Goofy, who loved his autograph page.

Finally, Minnie.

I decided to head back to World Showcase to wait for 11am to be among the first to meet Belle. On the way, I encountered a Photopass photographer.

I made my way back to France and sat on the ground near the rope, in the shade. Shortly before 11, a character attendant came out and said that the Beast was sick with a cold so Belle had to stay home and take care of him. Booooo. So I headed back to the UK to sit until Alice started meeting at 11:30. I chose a table outside the Rose & Crown Pub, and just a few minutes later, I saw a bunch of characters emerge from World Showplace! I jumped up so fast that I forgot my marker and had to run back and get it from the table!

There were hardly any people there and I got photos with Gideon and Foulfellow from Pinocchio.

And Eeyore too!

Mickey and Goofy were there as well, but since I had just met them a little while before, I didn’t need to get another picture. What a great and totally unexpected meet!

Then I caught the World Showcase Players, who were doing a performance of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. It was quite a lot of fun to watch and join in with the cheering and shouting.

I’m so sad to hear they’ll no longer be performing after next month. Even more upset that Off Kilter and Mo’Rockin, two groups who I’ve heard great things about but never got to see, in addition to the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps, will be disappearing forever also. I meant to see OK and Mo’Rockin on this trip and it just didn’t work out. Really regretting that now.

Anyway, it was now 11:20 and Alice would be meeting soon, so I headed over to wait by the little cottage where she typically appears.

 

[bellebookworm9]

Around 11:20 I was over by Alice's cottage. There was a mom already there, and her daughter Charlotte was playing nearby. Another family joined us a bit later. The dad in that family asked if he could take a picture with Charlotte, dressed up as Cinderella. I took a picture with her too. Her family was going to lunch at Akershus.

Charlotte had her turn with Alice and then it was my turn; by that time, quite a line had formed behind us. Charlotte's mom was kind enough to take some photos of me with Alice, since there wasn't a Photopass photographer.

Alice looked at me and said, "Why do you have your spectacles on top of your head? That's a rather peculiar place to put them! Do you have eyes on the top of your head?"

Then I continued on to France for lunch, but encountered two more photographers on the way. The first was at the top of the bridge, by the UK.

I am IN LOVE with the magic shot. Never had it before! And I didn't know who it was until I got on the website.

There was another photographer closer to France.

I walked into Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie around 11:40 am and there was no line at all. I ordered my typical meal: Fromages (cheese plate), half a baguette, and Frises (strawberry tart).

It was delicious as always. And I was glad to find a seat inside because it was still very, very hot!

Aurora was due out around 12:30, so I went out to her gazebo by 12:15ish and was the first in line. Other families started gathering behind me and we spent some time chatting. Sleeping Beauty came out right on time. There was a big moth in her gazebo and she politely excused herself to go look at it before it flew away, as she "loves to admire the nature around her".

After that, it was time for a break. I trekked back up to Future World, and tried to set up a FP+ for Test Track for later in the evening, but they were all gone. So I walked out to the parking lot, found my car, and made the short drive back to CBR. I took a nap and went for a quick swim in the Jamaica pool, which was just a little too warm to be refreshing. But hanging out in the air conditioning was just the trick to get me ready to head back in the evening for dinner, more characters, and fireworks!

 

[heathsf]

I'm here from the FB group! Going to go back and read now

 

[Elevationist]

Oh my goodness, the Chip magic shots are adorable! I hope I get to do one of those during my trip in 3 weeks!

 

[amandaw]

You really got to meet a lot of friends that morning!

The magic shots with Chip are just adorable!! I've never seen that one before.

If I ever take a solo trip, I will be doing all sorts of meet & greets like you. My DS barely cares about meeting characters (except for a few of the main ones). And he certainly never wants to meet the princesses.

 

[bellebookworm9]

I'm here from the FB group! Going to go back and read now

Hey Heather! Hope this helps you get your Disney fix!

Oh my goodness, the Chip magic shots are adorable! I hope I get to do one of those during my trip in 3 weeks!

I think they just started doing them, but I've heard of other people getting them near the Beauty and the Beast show at DHS, as well as near Be Our Guest. Apparently they're also in training to do Lumiere shots as well, but you have to request him specifically.

You really got to meet a lot of friends that morning!

The magic shots with Chip are just adorable!! I've never seen that one before.

If I ever take a solo trip, I will be doing all sorts of meet & greets like you. My DS barely cares about meeting characters (except for a few of the main ones). And he certainly never wants to meet the princesses.

Oh yeah, my first four days were just a non-stop character hunt! How old is your son? No one is ever too old or cool to meet characters!

 

[LindseyLou2222]

Awwww! The Chip photos are so cute! Love the one of you looking at him!!

 

[KelleyK75]

Love the Chip shots! Too cute! The character greets were great. You are getting a lot done in a short amount of time.

 

[missangelalexis]

Cute PP pics and pics with Pluto!

Sounds like it was a great trip on Soarin!

Love all your aquarium pics.

Bummer about Belle not meeting but awesome that you stumbled upon some character training!

Sounds like you had some more fun character interactions. Can't wait to hear about your evening!

 

[bellebookworm9]

Awwww! The Chip photos are so cute! Love the one of you looking at him!!

Thanks The one with my "surprised face" is actually my Facebook profile pic.

Love the Chip shots! Too cute! The character greets were great. You are getting a lot done in a short amount of time.

People are amazed at the amount of stuff I get done, but in part it's because I go in with a plan. Then it's another part that I know the parks like they're my home, so there's no stopping to look at park maps or whatever. And lastly, because I go by myself, I'm able to easily duck and weave around strollers and bigger groups, plus I only need to stop for one bathroom break or a snack, rather than dealing with two or three other people!

Cute PP pics and pics with Pluto!

Sounds like it was a great trip on Soarin!

Love all your aquarium pics.

Bummer about Belle not meeting but awesome that you stumbled upon some character training!

Sounds like you had some more fun character interactions. Can't wait to hear about your evening!

Thanks! Every trip is a great trip on Soarin'! I forgot how much I liked hanging out in the Seas, but I'm sad the dolphins weren't feeling a bit friendler, since they're one of my favorite animals (along with elephants).