Please Don't Try to Sleep Here - A Summer 2018 Solo Trip Report - Updated 3/10

[Where'sPiglet?]

I binged your review tonight and love it! The good thing about binging is you don’t quite how long it’s been since the last update(for my still learning-the-Dis-ropes-brains anyways)but I’m glad you’re back! I second(and 3rd & 4th) all the others that have applauded your photo skills, and writing!

Awww, thank you! I also love binge-reading trip reports. Sometimes people will put the date for the most recent update in the title, so that can help. The date the thread was started is under the title, which can be helpful too, along with the page count. It's hard to tell from the page with the list of threads how many of those posts are trip report or commentary. Some trip report writers are practically famous on the DIS and have a large following.

Updates should keep coming on this. I had the first few and last few days pre-written in a Google Doc. I was missing some days in the middle. Yesterday I went and wrote out all of July 30th. All that's missing now is July 31 and the first part of August 1, and I have so many photos that I can piece it together pretty well.

My next trip is in about 6 weeks, so I need to finish this one to move on to the next!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Monday, July 30

Original Plan:
FP+ 10:00 Kilimanjaro Safaris
FP+ 11:30 Festival of the Lion King (12:00 show)
Lunch: Pizzafari? Flame Tree?
1:30 Caring For Giants Elephant Tour
FP+ 2:25 Flight of Passage

Revised Plan:
Pondered 7a EMH DHS rope drop

What Actually Happened:
This morning was very humid. It even looks humid in this photo from the morning:

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I started my day with a bagel from Riverside Mill.

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Then I stopped in to Fulton’s General Store to buy another SD card. This was kind of ridiculous, I should have packed a second card, because Disney prices on SD cards are much higher than most other places. I contemplated buying one from Amazon, but I needed it today.

I finally made it to one of my favorite parks, Animal Kingdom. I LOVE this park, and it’s crazy that I hadn’t been there yet this trip. I love to meander through the trails and really take the time to enjoy watching the animals and taking in all the beautiful details.

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I entered the park right about 9:00, even though they had morning EMH. I didn’t make it to the 7a EMH at Hollywood Studios OR the 8a EMH at Animal Kingdom! I saw DiVine near the entrance. She’s amazing!

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It was so hot and humid that my park map was transferring the color to my arm - at 9 a.m.!

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I had the map in my elbow because I was walking through the Oasis and taking pictures of the Macaws, Wallaby, and the Rhinoceros Iguana. The Macaws are so fun to watch; they have very strong personalities.

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The time stamp for me arriving at the park was 8:59, and this Tree of Life picture has a time stamp of 9:34!

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I walked around the Discovery Island Trails, which are behind the Tree of Life. I saw the Giant Galapagos Tortoises and the African Crested Porcupines. I also saw this fantastic bird.

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I made my way into Harambe and walked around and bought a refillable popcorn bucket.

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I then caught a performance by the Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe. One of the performers caught me watching from the side while I was eating my popcorn.

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[Where'sPiglet?]

I made my way to Kilimanjaro Safaris and used my Fastpass. I love this ride! It’s so challenging to get clear photos on the moving vehicle, especially with the bumpy terrain.

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After the safari, I got a quick lunch at Pizzafari after seeing this Gorilla on the way out of the Safari:

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Then I went to the Festival of the Lion King. I just love this show. It has a great energy as well as very talented performers. I try to watch it at least once every trip.

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After the show, I went to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail. I saw an Angolan Black-and-White Colobus Monkey.

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Then I saw an Okapi.

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I went into the building with the small animals and tried to get a photo of the Naked Mole Rats, but they are elusive little buggers. They move very quickly, which is difficult to capture in their low-light setting. I did, however, get photographs of a Flamboyant Flowering Beetle and Cairo Spiny Mouse. (Pro-tip: Take a photo of the sign immediately after the animal, so you know what animals are in your photographs when you get home!)

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[Nancyg56]

Your pictures are stunning!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Your pictures are stunning!

Thank you! I really enjoy taking photos at WDW, so I'm glad some of them turn out nicely.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Next, it was time for my Caring for Giants tour! I was surprised to learn I was the only one on the tour at my time slot! What an amazing thing, to get a private tour, especially at the price point of Caring for Giants! I paid $25.50 with my AP discount. The tour is an hour long and you meet at at the Curiousity Animal Tours booth, near the Kilimanjaro Safari entrance.

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The tour begins by going backstage. You ride in a mini-bus through some backstage areas to get to a location next to the elephants.

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The location you are taken is on the other side of the elephant enclosure from what you see on the Kilimanjaro Safari. That is one of the trucks in the background:

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They told us the names for all the elephants, but the only ones I remember are the baby, Stella, and her mother, Donna. Stella is adorable!

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There is a hierarchy in the elephant group, sort of like an alpha with dogs. It was interesting learning about elephant behavior and their names. My favorite part was just to savor being able to watch them from one shaded spot.

Stella's ears!

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One of the cast members, Mandipa, is from Botswana and she she shared some images and information about what they are doing in Africa to help save the elephants.

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This was a fantastic experience and I would not hesitate to do this again!

 

[Nancyg56]

I wanted a review of the tour. It sounds amazing!

 

[nicolebridget22]

I'm really enjoying your Trip Report, and the composition of your photos is always so wonderful! As I read your TR it seems so peaceful and relaxed, exactly how I always wish my Disney vacation would be!

 

[portocall]

Yay. Updates. Cool tour. Glad you reviewed it. Like the pictures also. I'm sad there aren't chicken and waffles anymore. Those looked good. I'm off to dream about this summers trip.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

I wanted a review of the tour. It sounds amazing!

Yay! It really was amazing!

I'm really enjoying your Trip Report, and the composition of your photos is always so wonderful! As I read your TR it seems so peaceful and relaxed, exactly how I always wish my Disney vacation would be!

Awww, thank you! I love taking Animal Kingdom at a relaxed pace. Magic Kingdom always feels a little more hectic to me. I think the solo aspect helps with the relaxing feel; I can go whatever pace I want, and with the July heat, it was a bit more relaxed than some of my prior trips. (Exhibit A: The 2010 Princess trip in my signature.)

Yay. Updates. Cool tour. Glad you reviewed it. Like the pictures also. I'm sad there aren't chicken and waffles anymore. Those looked good. I'm off to dream about this summers trip.

Thanks. I don't understand why they removed a Star Wars-themed item when they are advertising their new land. Also, Hollywood Studios seems to have a poor reputation for food choices. Incidentally, both meals I ate at HS are now gone - the entire PizzeRizzo restaurant is closed, and the Backlot Express menu changed.

 

[d-train]

Love reading your trip report!
Thank you for sharing!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Here are some portions of Happily Ever After from July 28, 2018.

How Far I'll Go/Moana segment:

Multiple segments, including the finale:

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Here are some clips from the Dapper Dans from July 29, 2018:

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Here are some clips from Festival of the Lion King from July 30, 2018:

 

[PadfootnProngs]

New to your TRs & following! I am taking my first solo trip this September, so definitely taking notes.

Also, your pictures are gorgeous!

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Love reading your trip report!
Thank you for sharing!

Thank you and you're welcome! Now that I've gotten back into it and remember where I left off, I'm really enjoying re-living my trip through my pictures and enjoying writing about it.

New to your TRs & following! I am taking my first solo trip this September, so definitely taking notes.

Also, your pictures are gorgeous!

Thank you!

Solo trips can be amazing. There may be a bit of an adjustment at first, to get used to being by yourself, but I love them. There will be times you wish you had a friend with you to share your joy, but overall they are lovely.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

July 30th continued...

After the tour, I went to use my Flight of Passage Fastpass before getting an ice cream sandwich on my way to Rafiki’s Planet Watch.

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I wanted to see the goats, and they also had Alpacas, Miniature Donkey, Sheep, and some other animals out there. I enjoyed my time in their petting zoo. Rafiki’s Planet Watch closed at 5:00, but the rest of the park was open until 10.

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I then went to Flame Tree Barbeque for dinner before heading over to Dinoland.

I love the view from some of the seating at Flame Tree:

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On the way, I got swept up into the Viva Gaia Street Band dance party. I think this is the first time I have not been successful in avoiding being dragged up into the show.

I then saw Chip & Dale at Donald’s Dino Bash before riding Triceratop Spin and maybe Primeval Whirl.

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Then, I crossed the park to use another extra Fastpass that I had gotten for Kilimanjaro Safari.

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I rode this just before 8, and the sun was setting. It made for a really beautiful safari, but the light was not as good for taking photos. Due to the low light, almost all my photos came out blurry. I do have this picture of a giraffe that came very close to our truck, which was awesome, because I love giraffes!

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After the safari, I made my way back across the park to watch Rivers of Light. I love the soundtrack to this, and think it’s a beautiful show. I actually watched the show twice this night. I think I had a fastpass for one of the shows but did standby for the other. I had a seat on the left side of the theater for the 9:15 show and then was on the right side of the theater for the 10:15 show. I love all the unique lights hanging from the boats, and I really like how the shadows of the people on the boats are projected onto the sails.

Video of the last 90 seconds of the show; sorry it starts out shaky:

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On my way out, I watched the Tree of Life Awakenings; this is where the lights projected onto the tree show movement. For example, one of the carvings would look like it was getting up and running around the tree before setting back into its spot. This image shows two elephants.

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The park officially closed at 10, but the last Rivers of Light show began at 10:15. I took my last photo for the evening at the Tree of Life at 10:45 before heading back to Riverside.

Food Spending 7/30: $49.59
Breakfast: Riverside Mill: $3.51
Snack: Popcorn bucket: $10.01
Lunch: Pizzafari: $14.68
Snack: Tamu Tamu ice cream sandwich: $6.17
Dinner: Flame Tree: $15.22

Souvenir Spending: $34.07
SD card: $34.07

 

[Nancyg56]

I have been on the fence regarding ROL, and since my December trip was cold and rainy, it was off the table, however now I really want to work this show into my itinerary. Your pictures are stunning.

I was able to see the Tree come to life a few years ago and it was a highlight of the trip.

 

[mkmomto2]

Love reading your review! I am getting ready for my first solo trip in April, so you have given me some things to think about. I'm a little nervous, but excited as well. Hopefully I will navigate half as well as you did!

 

[luvmychaos]

Next, it was time for my Caring for Giants tour! I was surprised to learn I was the only one on the tour at my time slot! What an amazing thing, to get a private tour, especially at the price point of Caring for Giants! I paid $25.50 with my AP discount. The tour is an hour long and you meet at at the Curiousity Animal Tours booth, near the Kilimanjaro Safari entrance.

​

The tour begins by going backstage. You ride in a mini-bus through some backstage areas to get to a location next to the elephants.

​

The location you are taken is on the other side of the elephant enclosure from what you see on the Kilimanjaro Safari. That is one of the trucks in the background:

​

They told us the names for all the elephants, but the only ones I remember are the baby, Stella, and her mother, Donna. Stella is adorable!

​

There is a hierarchy in the elephant group, sort of like an alpha with dogs. It was interesting learning about elephant behavior and their names. My favorite part was just to savor being able to watch them from one shaded spot.

Stella's ears!

​

One of the cast members, Mandipa, is from Botswana and she she shared some images and information about what they are doing in Africa to help save the elephants.

​

This was a fantastic experience and I would not hesitate to do this again!

I had *just* bookmarked this for our trip in Nov! I am so excited to see how it goes and it looks awesome! Well worth the $25 in my eyes!