Thank you Scooby!
The last 2 installments are coming soon :)
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Day 4 Thursday
I slept in this morning and finally rolled out of bed at 7:15. I crossed the tropical island once again and ate my usual cereal bar and sipped on my Nescafé. I took the rest of the coffee back to my room and got ready. I still made it to Epcot a little before 9 and headed straight to the Land for my Soarin’ fast pass. This time, I just couldn’t escape all of the delicious breakfast smells and decided to try the Berry Croissant Pudding. It was delicious, sweet and buttery. I walked some more of the topiary areas including the Fairy garden and the butterfly garden.
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It was not busy at all so my time for Soarin’ was up already. I had a great flight once again and decided to take the first morning launch of the Friendship boat over to Morocco. I walked over to Japan and explored the new area of the counter service restaurant. It is very peaceful and serene and I ended up sitting outside enjoying the sun since I had a premonition that upon returning to Connecticut the temperatures would fall. The restaurant opened at 11:30 and I ordered the chicken teriyaki. The chicken thigh was pretty good and not too fatty. The teriyaki sauce was great and I wish I had asked for extra. The rice was great and the veggies were bland and tasted like they came right out of a steam fresh bag.
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I finished my lunch and headed around World Showcase to pick up a glass of Riesling in Germany. I think it was called 2 sisters or princesses or something. I sipped and strolled and ended up back in Norway. There was no wait for Maelstrom so I hopped on. I ended up staying and watching the movie since I hadn’t seen it in forever and it is funny because it is so outdated. You have to check out the computer in it. It was a bit of a comical moment because the only people in the theater were me and the over 70 contingent who were there for the day enjoying the Flower and Garden Festival. I couldn’t help myself and even though I wasn’t hungry, I got a rice cream. I love this dessert so much! I walked back to Future World and took another ride on Spaceship Earth before exiting the park. The bus came quickly and before you know it I was relaxing in the whirlpool because it was a little chilly out and the pool water was freezing.
I slept on the pool chair wrapped in 3 towels for about an hour and then headed back to the hotel room to get gussied up for my dinner at California Grill. As soon as I got back to the room, the heavens opened up and I had my first rain of the trip. The torrential rain was making me a little nervous because I didn’t have an umbrella and I was about to put on makeup and white pants.
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I got ready, called down to the front desk and requested a late check -out of 1:00 p.m. and headed out around 4:20 even though my reservation wasn’t until 5:50. The rain had stopped and I walked carefully to avoid the puddles and walked right on to an MK bus. I decided to do the walkway over to the Contemporary and actually was seated in the Outer Rim lounge at 5:10. I ordered a glass of Rosé and enjoyed the atmosphere. I checked in at the counter at 5:50 and was escorted up to the top floor. Tonight I was sat around the other side which I didn’t even know existed, and had an Epcot and Animal Kingdom view. It is not quite as magical as the Magic Kingdom view but it was still great. My server on the other hand was not good at all. He never de-crumbed my table, refolded my napkin, filled my water, offered coffee or give me a new fork after the appetizer. Even though, I still had the most amazing dinner! I decided to try the famous sushi. I ordered the Kazan roll which was tuna, spicy tuna and avocado. All of the rolls were assembled around the spicy mayo sauce which had scallops in it. I hate scallops but I loved them in this dish and after eating all 8 pieces, the mayo, the scallops and the cucumber salad on the side, I was full. I had also ordered the steak and asparagus flatbread which was very gross. It turned out to be a ham on bread with a drizzle that tasted faintly like asparagus. It was nothing how I had envisioned it to be. I did mention that what I received didn’t match the description and the waiter agreed but I still ended up paying for the flatbread which I left and didn’t eat. I wanted to try a new dessert and settled on the cherry crema which tasted like a non cooked crème brulee and it wasn’t good either. I should have saved my calories for a dole whip. The sushi I had was so good that it more than compensated for my lackluster flatbread and mediocre dessert. I am counting down the days until I have it again!
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On a side note, I was disappointed to see that Disney has stopped enforcing the business casual dress code here. More than half of the restaurant had clearly just walked in from the park with sneakers, cargo shorts and tank tops. There was definitely a weird contrast between the unenforced dress code diners and those that adhered to it. The little girls in dresses and boys in button down shirts were really adorable and it just looked sad to see that the standard wasn’t followed through on by everyone. I know that my family and I have always taken the time to bring a nice outfit for our California Grill night but this seems to be the exception and not the rule now.
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By the time I had walked over to the Magic Kingdom it was 8:30 so I decided I would ride the train around to the new Story book Circus train station. It was really beautiful and people really are not exaggerating when they say that those are the nicest bathrooms on property. They are gorgeous! The sink counter tops are beautiful!
The park was not too busy and I walked right onto Snow White’s Adventures and the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I checked Peter Pan and the wait was still 30 minutes and my feet just couldn’t stand that long. I ended up watching the mid portion of the Main Street Electrical Parade as I walked over to Splash Mountain. I was able to walk right on and I had my own boat! Thankfully without the weight of the added passengers I didn’t get wet at all. I exited through Adventureland and watched Wishes from the hub for easy access to the exits. I sneaked away before the finale and shed a little tear.
Day 5 Friday
Well it finally arrived, my last day. I slept in until about 7:30 and quietly went down to get a morning coffee. Instead of sitting on the patio this morning I actually went back to the room and quietly packed in the dark room while I let N sleep in. I packed all my clothes and essentials except what I would be wearing on the plane and my shower essentials. I then put on my bathing suit and headed out to sleep by the pool around 9 am. It was chilly this morning and the sun was playing hide and seek so I kept my shirt and yoga pants on while I napped in back of the fortress next to the whirlpool. This is a nice quiet area with only a few chairs and since it was so early the sun wasn’t hitting the area yet. Once the sun started to peek through I hopped into the whirlpool and N came down to say goodbye and leave for work. We said our see you soon’s and hugged.
The forecast today was fitting to my sad mood and the overcast skies were supposed to open up later to some pretty big thunderstorms all the way up the east coast. I was a little apprehensive about my flight being on time and I wish I had not rushed quite so much during the day and I wish Southwest would give you a little more advance notice of delays. Anyway I left the pool around 11:30 and headed back to the room for final packing, showering and getting ready to leave the resort. I put Stacey on blasting loud while I went through my final preparations. Stupidly, I decided to walk around the resort on the walkway to get back to the check in building instead of calling bell services. It was about a 15 minute walk pulling my suitcase. I guess I could consider that my exercise.
I waited in line for the airport check in for about 15 minutes and of course I was the last person in line. Oh well. After I checked my bag and confirmed my DME time, I took the bus over to the Marketplace. I figured that I could have a good lunch and pick up a dinner to go. I spent most of the time just walking around and enjoying the shops. The merchandise at Trend D is great and once again I could have easily bought an entire cool wardrobe to wear in Disney but I restrained myself.
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I really enjoyed the adult t-shirts for Mickey and Minnie. I had lunch at Wolfgang Puck Express and enjoyed my BBQ chicken salad outside on the patio. It was delicious! I decided to splurge and try Ghirardelli ice cream since I had never had any before. I got the butterscotch sundae and it was great but I would prefer just ice cream with fudge and whipped cream. I need to remember next time that less is better there. I did have a moment though while eating my ice cream because I noticed a very elderly couple over in the corner of the patio, having a great time. The gentlemen had a WWII veteran hat on and they were clearly enjoying their ice cream and their afternoon. Sitting next to them, were a group of teenagers. The woman asked the one of the young girls to take a picture of them because it was their anniversary. She obliged and it the entire interaction was very touching and I thought how long this couple must have been together and all that they had lived through. I couldn’t help but well up.
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On my way out of the marketplace back to the resort, I stopped by Earl of Sandwich and picked up a cobb wrap. I got back to the hotel really quick and realized that I had an hour still until my DME departure so I headed over to the pool bar. It was really freezing because the rain had brought through a cold front. I sat at the bar in my sweat shirt and met the couple sitting next to me who had just arrived and were visiting for the weekend. I shared some tips with them since it was their first time there and we shared some laughs together. It started to pour so we all headed inside. I ended up grabbing one last sweet tea in the food court and waited out the rain.
As the bus was pulling out of the parking lot, Southwest called me and informed me that my 8:50 flight would now be departing at 10:15. I was most upset because I could’ve stayed at the Marketplace until much later and enjoyed a dinner out. Oh well. I actually met a newlywed couple at the gate and we talked for almost 3 hours and they told me about everything they saw so time passed very quickly. By the time my bag made it off the flight, I walked out of Baltimore Washington Airport at 1:00 a.m. I thought to myself, what an absolutely wonderful trip.
Still to come some final thoughts.
What a wonderful report! I truly enjoyed it....and can't wait to read your final thoughts.
It is funny how after a 5 day getaway you fall into a very comfortable routine. I have to say that the Caribbean Beach really did become my home and the hotel room itself was very comfortable and roomy. I enjoyed waking up with the sun and enjoying my coffee on the patio with my baby ducks. It is unfortunate the resort is so spread out that it does become a bit of an issue. I can imagine that navigating the resort with a young family would be taxing if you don’t get either buildings close to the food court or close to the bridge that connects to the food court. I also missed having an indoor adult lounge area.
I have once again reconfirmed by love for Disney. I can get away from all of my problems for a moment and enjoy everyone else’s happy times as well. You are truly treated with respect and in turn, you see all kinds of wonderful moments. Since I was on my own for most of my park days, I was able to be a simple observer and I saw so many wonderful moments that it is hard to count. I actually saw a mom at Animal Kingdom use a wipey to clean up a bag of chips that her child had dropped on the concrete floor. We all know she didn’t have to do that but it just goes to show that when you feel respect, you give it back. I am happy that I was open to trying seared tuna and scallops. As you can see in my sushi picture, I first pushed all of the scallops to the side :)
The weather and crowds during the 3rd week in April were wonderful! I have been going in August since 2004 and it was refreshing to not have to wait in long lines and endure what felt like 100 degree temperatures with daily torrential downpours.
I love Epcot. I really do. I have my fondest memories in this park going all the way back to when I was 8. I’m not saying that change is bad or that nothing should change however, I am just truly sad with Future World today. I understand that Test Track is under refurbishment but I just feel that compared to their predecessors, some of the attractions are just shells of what they used to be. Literally for the Wonders of Life pavilion. With that being said, I really do enjoy spending time in Animal Kingdom. When it is not too hot outside, the park is just engrossing for the senses and you are whisked away to far away places in mind and spirit. I am confident that whatever happens with the Avatar influence will be a good fit for the park since it is so enveloping and Avatar seems to lend itself to that.
As for solo tripping, I had a great time. I know it is not for everyone, but I found the quiet reflection time to be a great opportunity to just be, relax and watch and appreciate others experiences along with my own. I definitely suggest it to any super Disney geek out there :)
Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for my next installment coming late summer 2012 :
Everyone’s off to Neverland! A 4th family trip of the 3 sisters and their children!
Lovely! Lovely! I give this trip reort an A plus! Thank you for sharing your magical moments.,
First I have to say it sounds like you had a really great trip. I am happy that you did. I am SOO very jealous though. One of these days, after my kids are out of high school and basically on their own, I am determined to take a few solo trips to Disney World and Disneyland.
Thank you for sharing it all with us. I really enjoy your report and your pictures.
I just loved your trip report Tink!!! Thank you so much for sharing! Your pictures were lovely too! I'm leaving in 9 days for my first trip to WDW in many many years and it will be my son's first trip. I am so excited!
What a fabulous trip report! I just love your pictures, and all the details. Thank you so much for giving us the perspective of flying solo. I think that would be a blast. I'll be there next month. I can't wait!!!
Wonderful trip report! Thank you for sharing! I have only ever done two solo trips to DL. Haven't braved WDW yet alone.
Did you get to do everything you wanted to?
Our trip is coming up though and we are all super excited!
Thank you houseofmouse :)
I actually only had 1 reservation and that was for California Grill which was fabulous. I didn't have any plans or schedule really. I knew I had 3 park days and that I wanted to experience the flower and garden festival. I was able to do that and it was great. I also was able to spend a great morning in the Animal Kingdom which really is a great solo park!!!!
Have a great trip :)
WOW!! Thanks for a wonderful trip report. Your solo trip sounds like it went good.
Thanks so much for finishing it - I REALLY enjoyed it.
Ellen
Thank you Tink once again for your trip report. Just loved it!! Envious too. You are so right, sometimes you just need to get away from everyday and just be you, reflect, relax and enjoy. Congratulations on achieving just that! Looking forward to your next trip report later this summer.
Also, loved your photos too.
Aw, I knew you were going to have a good time! I KNEW IT! Fantastic trip report. I could feel the relaxation between the words. I want to see the dinosaur pic!!! LOL.
oh, and this is totally off topic, but you'd appreciate this: Mitch took his placement test for French, and in French IV (he has one more year next yr in HS), he still tested into his Sophomore year in college! YAY!