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Thread: Tinkinparis flies solo to Neverland

  1. #1

    Tinkinparis flies solo to Neverland

    Monday April 15-Friday April 19, 2012
    Me: Tink, Age 34
    Resort: Coronado Springs
    Transportation: Drive to Baltimore, Southwest Airlines, BWI to MCO
    Experience: Veteran with WDW and Disneyland Paris

    Plan:
    Monday, a.m. pool time and check in, nap, get AP in order, dinner at Chefs de France and Flower and Garden Fun, Illuminations and wine.
    Tuesday: Early a.m. rope drop at MK, monorail to Epcot for pictures, p.m. nap, dinner at San Angel Inn and a margarita.
    Wednesday: AM at AK, afternoon pool and sangria, evening MK Fireworks, parade, close
    Thursday: AM at MK, then afternoon pool. Dinner at California Grill with wine, MK fireworks
    Friday: AM at the Pool, shower and check out, lunch at Gasparilla Grill monorail to epcot for last few hours of flower power. Try drinks in England.
    Back to hotel for DME at 6:00 p.m.
    Land, get car and drive back to hotel to re-check in and get ready for the conference.


    Planning and Long-winded back story

    Ever wonder how you ended up where you are in your life? I seem to be knee dip in some sort of limbo in my personal and professional life lately and I cant bring myself to really make any big changes and overall just am left feeling kind of meh about everything right now. I guess I just always pictured myself in a different place by now and it looks like some really tough decisions are lurking around the corner. I decided that I really needed to get back to my place of zen, which of course, is in Disney World. So I am planning my first solo trip. It is actually kind of neat how life seems to fit all the puzzle pieces into the right places some times and this certainly turned out to be the case with several aspects of this trip. The first being that my niece has decided to go back and work for Disney again and she starts a few weeks before I arrive so I hope to be able to spend some time with her and hopefully have a sleep over or 2 at Coronado, doing our nails and talking about boys ; )


    The second has to do with transportation. When I finally made the decision in January that the trip was a go, I checked for flights out of my local airport which is 10 minutes away and apparently all of Connecticut is going away for spring break because there were no direct flights left! I totally panicked. Once I recollected myself I started to think, well, where else could I fly out of? The answer lies with the third piece of the puzzle that fell into place. I had wanted to go the New England Conference for Teachers of Foreign Languages in Baltimore this year which falls on the weekend of my spring break. So I put 2 and 2 together and BAM! BWI airport! I figured it was perfect since I had to drive down to Baltimore anyway for the conference so I moved my trip dates from Sat-Wed to Mon-Fri. I was super excited to find out that BWI-MCO departs regularly throughout the day and with some crafty points and a SouthWest rewards credit card, I booked a free flight.


    But wait, thats not all! Come to find out that my other niece just accepted a management position with Marriott Hotels in Washington DC and will be able to come and see me in Baltimore! Hopefully her work schedule will allow her a little get away that weekend.

    Since I make my annual trip with my sisters to WDW in August every year, I am debating on whether or not to get an annual pass. I figure I could get 5 days out of it this trip and 8 days on my August trip. With tickets being so expensive, I figure this should save me at least $100. Of course the real reason for splurging on the AP is that then Ill have an excuse to do a quick Food and Wine weekend or maybe even a February break tripthe possibilities are endless 
    I have my nights booked at the Spring Hill Suites near BWI for the night before my flight and for the conference and thankfully I can leave my car there all week for $6 a day, which is about .70 cents cheaper than the Park and Fly lot. It also looks like the drive to the Marriott Inner Harbor for the conference is only about 18 minutes! Score on some big savings there!


    The last piece of the puzzle that I am working on is the food! I am debating on whether or not to purchase the dining plan or pay for the Tables in Wonderland card. The TiW card is very tempting and as you see, I have planned in some time for adult beverages throughout the trip and the card would certainly offset those costs. I am just not sure that when I come with the whole family in August that we wont do the dining plan. In this case, I am not sure that paying the $60 would make sense her for these 3 dinners. I received some great feedback from all of you in regards to the perks of the TiW card and it certainly is going to be a tough choice.


    Officially this is going to be my first stay at CSR since last year it didnt go so wellremember the flooded fridge? I am looking forward to spending time there and especially swimming in the pool and maybe using the gymmaybe not. I am going to have to pick a building that is close for my morning coffee walk.

    Formerly tinkinparis

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  3. #2

    I took my first solo trip in 2010 and had a blast. I'm thinking about a second solo trip in the fall. I can't wait to hear about your trip.

    Past Trips: January 2009 - First Trip!
    January 2010 - The Florida Freeze
    September 2010 - Eat, Pray, Disney- SOLO
    April 2011 - Kati, Michele & Ciara Strike Back
    March 2012- Occupy Disney!

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by krazykt82000 View Post
    I took my first solo trip in 2010 and had a blast. I'm thinking about a second solo trip in the fall. I can't wait to hear about your trip.
    That is great to hear krazykt. I am hoping that I don't mind too much riding all the rides alone. I'm thinking this might be more of a lounging trip
    Formerly tinkinparis

  5. #4

    Good for you! You should always treat yourself to something special every once in a while, especially when it all comes together like your trip has. But if I were you, I'd check that fridge closely when you check in . Have a blast!

    TulaBelle
    Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.

  6. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by TulaBelle View Post
    Good for you! You should always treat yourself to something special every once in a while, especially when it all comes together like your trip has. But if I were you, I'd check that fridge closely when you check in . Have a blast!
    HAHA!!! That was funny Tula! I don't think I could ever reproduce those circumstances even if I tried, it was crazy!
    Formerly tinkinparis

  7. #6

    solo trips are fun you can go at your own pace see what YOU want to see ride what you want to ride .
    just 3 more working days for me until THE GUESS WHO , pam brody , british revoulation , & my buddy bob jackson .


  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by relaaxedwheniamthere View Post
    solo trips are fun you can go at your own pace see what YOU want to see ride what you want to ride .
    just 3 more working days for me until THE GUESS WHO , pam brody , british revoulation , & my buddy bob jackson .
    OOOH 3 Days!!!! Have fun. I am certainly looking forward to going at my own pace and hope to do some new items as well
    Formerly tinkinparis

  9. #8

    UPDATE
    Yesterday was quite the emotional day for me because it hit me that in less than 3 weeks I would be in Disney. I totally had a moment in the car driving down to the outlets where I wanted to buy shorts. I am so excited for this solo adventure and very proud of myself for planning it!
    Last minute yesterday I decided that I would rather stay at the Caribbean Beach Resort so I re-booked the trip. I made this decision because I feel that overall Coronado was just a hair to impersonal for my taste and I really want to feel like I am “in” Disney for my few days there.

    After studying the map, I have decided to request either Aruba or Jamaica. I chose these because it looks like their pools look over the lagoon and it must be very pretty. I also chose them because it seems that just by crossing a bridge, I could get to their quick service for my morning coffee. I am going to call today because I don’t know if CB has been totally refurbed to queen beds like Riverside and CSR? I’ll keep ya’ll posted.

    It also looks like I will doing dining out of pocket and have decided to use all of Disney Visa Rewards points and Christmas gift cards. This should cover my 3 sit down meals.

    Formerly tinkinparis

  10. #9

    I'm so envious!!!!! I keep trying to find the money to run away for a few days too! My only escape will be to New York City for the night. There I will be sure to spend to much time and money in the Disney Store (which is right across the street from the hotel!!)

    _____________
    Jenni

  11. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by jennibell View Post
    I'm so envious!!!!! I keep trying to find the money to run away for a few days too! My only escape will be to New York City for the night. There I will be sure to spend to much time and money in the Disney Store (which is right across the street from the hotel!!)
    A night in the city sounds great! Of course, spending money in the Disney Store is always great

    Only 9 Days to go until I'm there! I'm so excited and I am hoping to start packing this week once I unpack my summer clothes Definitely bringing a sweater for the evenings and I plan to buy a sweatshirt hopefully there.
    Formerly tinkinparis

  12. #11

    Almost there!

    Seems that I have been able to finalize my plans somewhat since my niece knows her work schedule now. Monday and Friday are going to be catch up time and pool days

    I cancelled all my ADR's except for California Grill. I'm not sure why but I just don't feel like locking into a firm dining schedule since I'll be solo and wanting maybe to lounge more at lounges or maybe even grab a dinner at a restaurant bar.

    Tomorrow I start my drive down to Baltimore since I am going to a conference there next weekend and it was cheaper to fly out of. I am really excited to get back to WDW and I can't wait to share it all with you when I return!

    Formerly tinkinparis

  13. #12

    Have a great trip ~ going solo is fun and you will have a great time!

    [
    Followed by Mother/Daughter trip: POP Century - May 13-18

  14. #13

    I'm back! Well kind of...still in Baltimore at a conference but I'm getting my notes together for a trip report that I will start with Monday! Quick preview....lots of crying, first time foods, a career announcement and wonderful people meeting I can't wait to relive it all with you guys and hopefully combat these Disney blues!


  15. #14

    Can't wait to hear all about it!


  16. #15

    Solo Tripping

    It is amazing when you travel alone how you become keenly aware of everyone around you. You hear snippets of conversations, you watch how people interact, you notice people’s emotions and you start to imagine a back story to it all in your mind. This characterizes exactly how my trip played out. Being alone, I was forced to be reflective and quiet and just enjoy my own thoughts and surroundings. I wasn’t expecting to meet and be exposed to so many wonderful moments in people’s lives as they travel to Walt Disney World. It turned out to be an amazing experience that I am going to try and retell with as many details as I can remember.

    Formerly tinkinparis

  17. #16

    Day 1 Monday

    I was up at 4:00, out of bed, and all packed up out of my hotel room at Baltimore Washington Airport. I decided to take the 4:30 am shuttle to the airport since I had never flown out of it before and I wasnt sure what to expect. Needless to say, I could have taken the 5:30 am shuttle and still made my flight. In the end I guess it didnt matter because I wasnt sleeping anyway since I was too excited. On my way out of the hotel, I grabbed a coffee, muffin and Special K cereal with my in purse to eat later since it was just too early to eat.

    This was my first time flying Southwest. The boarding procedure is certainly interesting. As a teacher, we strive to give concise directions as quickly as possible so that you dont lose the students, Southwest certainly tried its hardest to complicate the directions for a 10 minute spiel on boarding. Lining up to the left and right of tall numbered structures was just annoying to me at 6:20 in the morning. 2 women were fighting everyone in the line to make sure no one was cutting them in numerological order. I didnt see the benefit since after Group A, they board all families with children and anyone needing assistance, which turned out to be the entire plane. Having a Group B boarding didnt get me anything and I guess I just dont understand how this is better than having assigned seats. The plane and crew itself were fine and it definitely feels more low cost than flying Delta but I really cant beat the price, since it was free and I paid with points for signing up for their credit card. I noticed an army military father dressed in fatigues with his son, also in fatigues and his wife and father. It appeared that somehow they all reconnected and surprised the son with his dad and a trip to Disney at the airport. It definitely brought a tear to my eye and I wish I had been there for the initial reveal but it was neat to have them on my flight.



    We landed and I guess I was disoriented after exiting on the opposite side of the airport with Southwest than from Delta. I walked down to baggage claim and enjoyed my muffin and cereal after picking up milk at the airport newspaper store. I claimed my suitcase and headed down to ground level to head over to the Disney Magical Express pick up. I was walking, walking and walking, and then it dawned on meDME is in the other terminal! I laughed to myself, took the elevator back up, crossed the terminal and finally was on my way. I really shouldve just put the DME tag on my suitcase, I dont know what I was thinking. Much to my surprise, the military dad and his family were on my bus! Thankfully we all walked right on and turned out that Caribbean Beach was the first stop. The video is still hilarious to me. I love how everyone is instructed to walk calmly to check in at their resorts. We all clapped as we drove under the welcome to Walt Disney World sign.

    The Caribbean Beach resort was very nice and the differences in design between the resort and the moderates that came after it are very noticeable. I checked in and they were able to give me both requests for a second floor room and in ArubaI would find out however, that Aruba is much bigger than I expected.




    My niece arrived shortly after and we put my suitcase in the back and drove around to our new home for the next 5 days. The check in area is separate from the room building, which is separate from the pool and food court. Because of this, you absolutely need to use bell services, drive or take the resort shuttle to get your luggage to your room. I didnt realize that the Aruba section is made up of 6 buildings and that building 50 was near the bridge to the food court and not building 54, which is where we were. Oh well. More exercise for me in the morning. The room itself was really cute! I loved the subtle Nemo theming throughout and the green furniture and carpet look very good in real life. The TV is huge and there are more than enough drawers for a familys clothes. We took some pictures and decided to go get a snack before doing any unpacking since it was almost 12. On a side note, when I am in Disney I only watch the resort information stations, bedtime stories with Duffy, Stacey or the Disney Channel, I really immerse myself in Disney and totally remove myself from real worries for as long as I can. I remember hearing a complaint before that the Disney resorts didnt offer any good channels so out of curiosity I decided to channel surf. I am not sure what the complaints are about because I found every channel imaginable, more even than my previous nights stay at the airport. The have CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, ESPN, Bravo, HGTV, TLC, and too many more to remember.






    We walked over to the food court from our room which turned out to be a pleasant 8 minute walk. We walked through Aruba, over the bridge and through the island play area and over to Old Port Royale. We settled on a grilled chicken sandwich, apple, banana and worms in dirt.



    The weather was absolutely beautiful and even slightly cool, compared to the usual August oppressive heat weather I am used to. We quickly found a table on the terrace in front of the pool and caught up on her recent move down to Florida and some of her plans with Disney. It was great to hear about what we are both up and to just be at Disney. The chicken sandwich was good but I wish they had put some mayo, lettuce and tomato on it because it needed some sprucing up. N had to go get some errands accomplished so we planned to meet in the evening at the Wave in the Contemporary. I decided to explore the area a little and checked out the souvenir store and the pool after grabbing a refillable mug filled with yummy sweet green tea. The pool looked really great, with several slides and an entire children play area with slides and splash zones. The vegetation on the island which you cross to get to the buildings was beautiful and impressive.


    I got lost trying to find our room but when I did I unpacked and sprayed myself with enough sunscreen for 4 people since it was my first time in the sun since last summer and headed back to the pool. It was the middle of the afternoon and unfortunately the pool area doesnt have any shady spots like Riverside. I knew I shouldnt spend more than hour out in the sun so I took a dip in the pool and decided to try the slide. The pool is set on a pirate fortress that is totally awesome! I had to climb a set of stairs to get to the top of the fortress and the slide. Unfortunately I couldnt try the slide since it is an enclosed tube slide which looked super small and I had visions of myself getting stuck right in the middle. Of course I know that wouldnt happen but I just couldnt do it so I settled on the Jacuzzi. After drying off, I headed out on the trek to my room. After wandering around the second floor for a while, I finally found room 5434. I showered, got ready for dinner and headed out to the bus stop which was literally right outside our room because it had a parking lot view. Because the resort is so large, the bus makes 6 stops on property so it can take time either to get home or get going sometimes.

    I got to the Magic Kingdom and walked over to the Contemporary. This turned out to be a nice walk and not as long as I thought it would be. I wanted to try the Wave for dinner and settled in at the bar. It was still pretty early in the evening and I was the only woman at the bar for a while. Per the bartenders recommendation, I chose the Fes Parker Riesling from California. It was delicious and surprisingly light and not too sweet. I was quickly joined by couples waiting for table and several other solo diners at the bar. I started talking with the gentlemen next to me and come to find out he lives about a half an hour from me. He told me all about his trip and how he is visiting his daughter in the college program. It was great to see how proud he was of her. The bread service at the Wave was the best of my entire vacation. It is an earthy hearty bread with oats and various seeds in it and the salted butter just went so well with it. Im pretty sure I ate 5 pieces by the end of the night. I chose the skirt steak for dinner which had a chili pepper and sweet soy noodle. The steak was very tender but not overly flavorful and the noodles were delicious but I think would have been better with chicken. The wine really stole the show that evening. My niece N joined me and she had the shrimp and crab appetizer which she said was good. We decided to head on over to the Polynesian to watch Wishes on the beach. Unfortunately it was absolutely chilly that evening and I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt. I did not pack correctly at all for these temperatures. Of course we have our priorities straight and the chilly night air did not keep us from having a dole whip. We headed over the beach, snagged 2 lawn chairs and had some more girl catch up time. We finally called it a night a half hour before Wishes started because we were too cold and very tired from the entire day. We headed back to Aruba for a restful nights sleep in our own paradise island room.



    Formerly tinkinparis

  18. #17

    Looks like your trip is off to a great start and I am enjoining the pictures. We loved our stay at the Caribbean Beach resort in 2011. That cool night could be a great excuse to buy an expensive Disney sweatshirt!

    Michael and Kellis August 2016 Trip with 25 Friends and family
    http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?234828
    Common Walt Disney World Wild Birds http://bochnik.com/disneybirds/disneybirds.htm
    Our other Disney Trips (including our Disneymoon): Kelli and Mike's Adventures http://www.bochnik.com/

  19. #18

    Day 2 Tuesday


    I was up before sunrise thanks to Mickey and Stitch and snuck out of the room with my mug, a cereal bar and room key without waking up N. I headed over the island to OPR for my morning coffee. It is definitely better than it used to be and I really have grown to like the coffee. It is not Dunkin Donuts but it just tastes like Disney. I asked the cashier for skim milk and she poured some for me in a cup. At the Grand Floridian and Riverside they would just put a little milk container in the refrigerator for us to use but I didn’t see a refrigerator here. Anyone else now just get a little pour in a cup? Anyway, I sat outside and had a cereal bar and enjoyed my coffee. The resort is very beautiful and I ended up taking quite a few pictures. It was quite cool that morning and I decided I just needed to buy a sweatshirt ; ).

    I bid N a great day at work at got to Epcot around 8:30, just in time for the last 30 minutes of Extra Magic Hours. I of course headed straight for Soarin’ to get a fast pass. The flowers for Flower and Garden Festival really add a lot of color to Epcot and the atmosphere was very fun and cheery. I think that the floating topiaries should be an all the time addition. I walked over to the Land Pavilion and got my fast pass and decided to Listen to the Land. I love this ride and all of the smells that go along with it. Once I got off the ride, the entire pavilion smelled so good that I decided I had to buy a snack at the food court. I don’t know how but I settled on barbecue potato chips. I exited towards Nemo and enjoyed that ride as well. I probably should’ve stopped and spent more time but I really just felt like exploring all of the plants and additions. I went back to the Spaceship Earth area to get pictures of the Mickey sorcerer topiary that I beelined past in order to get fast passes and took quite a few pictures.




    Of course, then I went on Spaceship Earth. Unfortunately seated directly behind me was an older man and his son who were using flash to take pictures of everything in the ride. I mean everything. It started with the mammoth projection. I was so infuriated but then I started laughing…I mean these guys literally were taking pictures of the prop car before you see the garage with the Steve Jobs look alike. I know this is kind of mean but I actually took several flash pictures of them when we were turned around on purpose to see if they flinched. They didn’t. Oh well…

    Next up on the to-do list was the festival center. They were playing funky flower power music as you entered and the pavilion itself felt empty. I actually got really sad and remembered Wonders of Life. At least during food and wine the pavilion is somewhat alive with all of the demonstrations and people but during Flower and Garden it was like crickets. It was such a downer that I left and decided to go see if I could find a sweatshirt at Mouse Gear. I love the merchandise they have now! There were so many trendy tee-shirts that I would consider buying! Of course I didn’t because it would’ve been a small fortune. I found a sweatshirt that I just loved and seemed to be a new version of my favorite Disney sweatshirt back home. It is white with a v-neck and grey stripes, in hot pink embroidery it says Walt Disney World 1971. I decided to purchase it in the evening when it got colder since it was absolutely gorgeous outside in the low 70’s still. I headed over to hop on Figment really quick and then back to the Land to use my fast pass. I sat for a few minutes and charged my phone while I polished off the rest of my morning chips. It was my turn for Soarin’ and I was behind a family whose grandma was really nervous about riding, she was practically shaking. I remember how I felt before I tried it and I suggested that she try my tip to look to the right or left of your ride vehicle because you can actually see how little you are moving and it tends to lessen any movement sensations. I love this ride! I most love the orange smell because for a moment in my mind, I am rounding the corner in my space time vehicle entering the orange groves as I watch the daughter from Horizons monitor the incoming storms. That really was the best ride ever and I will always love it.

    I was feeling a little hungry so I decided to stroll over to Morocco to grab lunch at my favorite quick service because I get to practice my French ; ) On the way to Morocco, I noticed that Snow White was just hanging out in the shade between 2 trees near Imagination. Guess who I had on my shirt that day? That’s right! Snow White! Of course I stopped because there was no line and as I walked up to her she beamed, “Oh my, your shirt is so beautiful!”. I replied, “Not as beautiful as you.” Snow White quickly proclaimed, “Well I am sure that you are the fairest in your kingdom.” I had to laugh at that. She was great and I don’t know how quickly they think of witty comments to say. It really made my day.

    Back in Morocco, I enjoyed the chicken platter with cous cous and lentil salad. I ate every last morsel of food on my plate! YUMMY!
    It was now mid afternoon and I was getting pretty tired so I figured that I needed to find the Hatian rum drink to combat my fatigue ; ) It was very sweet and good but I think I prefer the berry margaritas in Mexico. I continued my way around World Showcase and decided to stop and explore China. I browsed through the shops as I finished my drink and headed to Norway to the Kringla Bakery. I ordered the rice cream. I love this dessert and it is under $2.50! It is rice in whipped heavy cream with strawberries on top. I could eat it for every meal for the rest of my life and be totally content.

    At this point my phone was pretty much dead after taking a ton of pictures and uploading them to Facebook, Twitter and Snapbucket so I decided to find a charger in Innoventions. I found one next to Storm Ready, some type of 3D film which I didn’t go see. I sat there for about 40 minutes, taking trip notes and people watching. I decided that I was just exhausted and that I really needed a coffee so I decided I would try a latte from on the kiosk carts around World Showcase. I ordered a small iced latte which actually was quite large but is was $4.95! It absolutely did the trick and within 20 minutes I felt great and decided to walk the entire promenade again, this time stopping and shopping in the countries I missed the first time around.

    The merchandise in Canada is so cute! I love stuffed animals and the bear and owl absolutely wanted to go home with me but I put them back. I stopped into the purse shop in France and decided to wait for a summer sale on the one I like hopefully in August. In Japan I browsed through all of the Hello Kitty merchandise and watched people look for pearls in oysters. In America I stopped and watch the fife and drum corps performance which made me cry. I then stopped and watched the Ziti sisters in Italy who were hilarious! I stopped in Haiti again and this time had a great conversation with the woman from Haiti in French as well. This browsing and enjoying performances continued all around World Showcase up through Mexico where I walked onto the ride.

    As it was getting darker and colder, I decided to head over to Mouse Gears to pick up my sweatshirt for the rest of the evening. Snuggly and warm in my sweatshirt I thought it would only be appropriate to end the evening with a glass of wine and more dessert! So I headed to France First I watched the movie and cried as usual and then I picked up a chocolate mousse and a glass of white wine, all while practicing more of my French. Then I sat on the fountain and enjoyed them both. I didn’t seem to write down when during this day but I actually did Kim Possible France since it is changing over this summer to Agent P and I had never had that mission. It was cute. I love Kim Possible but Phinneas and Ferb makes me laugh.





    At this point Illuminations pre-music started playing and I settled in comfortably to my viewing spot on the bridge in between France and England. It is such great music! I watched Illuminations and cried again and finally headed off the buses. I actually didn’t wait at all and made it back to my room before 10. I have no idea how that happened since I was walking slower than a snail because I was so tired. I waited for N to come home from work and finally got to bed around 11. It was a totally phenomenal day!

    Formerly tinkinparis

  20. #19
    Registered User kuchfam's Avatar
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    Aug 2009
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    Arnprior, Ontario Canada

    Loving your trip report and photos!!! Totally envious of you and your solo trip!! Sounds like you enjoyed yourself!!!! Keep filling us all in!!

    Life is magical at Walt Disney World!

  21. #20
    Gravity release me... tappenfeat's Avatar
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    More! More! I feel like I'm there with you on your solo trip!!! The photos are beautiful!!! Can't wait for your next segment.




    Stephanie

  22. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by kuchfam View Post
    Loving your trip report and photos!!! Totally envious of you and your solo trip!! Sounds like you enjoyed yourself!!!! Keep filling us all in!!
    It was great! Another installment tonight
    Formerly tinkinparis

  23. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by tappenfeat View Post
    More! More! I feel like I'm there with you on your solo trip!!! The photos are beautiful!!! Can't wait for your next segment.
    I have another installment tonight
    Formerly tinkinparis

  24. #23

    Day 3 Wednesday

    Once again I woke up before 7 and started my morning with my new feathered friends. It took them a while to figure out that I had no food, but thats ok because it was cute to watch them while I drank my coffee on the patio. When I got back to the room N was already ready in her safari colors and as it turns out I had planned to wear the same colors that day! We really looked to fit the part for a great morning at Animal Kingdom.



    We got to Animal Kingdom and head over to the safari to pick up fast passes. I just love the feeling in this park and it is extremely enjoyable in this weather! It was in the low 70s and for me it was a noticeable difference from my usual August trips where after 3 hours there we are just exhausted from the heat. That morning the air was electric thanks to the African drummers performing. It was still pretty early so we made a stop at the Tea shack.




    I got an Iced Earl Grey. It was yummy! We even passed Devine on our way to Dino Rama. We decided to go on Dinosaur even though neither of us can open our eyes at the end. I had a chuckle during the pre show, I love the part where he overrides the lockout. I think what gets me on this ride is that it is just soooo loud. It terrifies me and I close my eyes. I also screamed so loud that I pulled a muscle in my chest. That hurt. It was all worth it in the end because the picture that ensued is an instant classic




    It was time for our safari so we headed on back. We got to see all of the animals except for the lions. It must have been the time of day but every animal was going to the bathroom as we drove by. It was really funny. As we were exiting our safari, N received the phone call she was waiting for in regards to a new job opportunity and of course she got it! We happened to be walking by the Dawa Bar area near Tusker house so we stopped for a celebratory sangria. It was very good and I had never even gone back there before. It was really a cool place with people enjoying drinks and food and with the performers in front.



    We were feeling hungry so off to Flame Tree BBQ we went. We split the barbecue chicken and rib combo which came with cole slaw and beans. We ate the whole thing and tried the 2 different barbecue sauces they have to dip in. I preferred the original and N preferred the sweet and sour. Sadly, N had to leave to go to work so I walked her out of the park and then continued to explore on my own. I strolled through all of the stores I passed and I really liked the Animal Kingdom sweatshirts. Had I not purchased one the night prior I would have splurged on one. I dont like using a map to get around so I just walked and as I came upon something I wanted to try, I would just do it. First encounter ended up being the Maharajah jungle trek. There were a ton of the tigers out and I took many pictures.


    I dont have the order of my next few endeavors but I ended up having a veggie eggroll, walking the Pangani Forest trail, and seeing the flights of wonder show. I wasnt expecting to like the show but I really did. The humor was corny but the birds were impressive. The entire time I kept thinking how great this park is when it is not 90 degrees out.


    I exited the park in the afternoon and headed back to the resort. I spent about an hour in the pool and hot tub just relaxing. The pool is very crowded in the afternoon but it is very fun to watch the activities cast member interact with the kids in all kinds of pool games. They were very funny and she really engaged the kids in the water. I grabbed a sweet green tea and headed back over the island to the room to get ready for some evening park hopping.
    I bussed it over to Hollywood Studios and did a ride on Star Tours. I dont know the names of the movies so I cant tell you where I went but it was GREAT! I sat front row center and it was the best ride Ive had. I still laugh at the pre- show. I love the little robots that are trying to fix the star speeder. Watch what they are doing it is really very funny.



    I ended up meeting N for a quick bite to eat at the Backlot Express. I had the southwest chicken salad. It was OK. The chicken didnt really taste like real chicken. A couple actually gave me a fast pass for Rock n roller coaster but I totally chickened out and gave it to another family with a teenager who looked like he would try it. I wasnt feeling the love at the studios so I decided to go the Magic Kingdom for the evening to see Wishes.

    I took a bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center and then the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. First up for the evening was to go see the return of the orange bird and to get a citrus swirl. In the ice cream cone category I think I would actually rank the citrus swirl below the dole whip, which I actually rank below the Anandapour ice cream cart. In terms of sheer size the citrus swirl is the smallest and the citrus part is real orange juice so it is quite tart. The dole whip is better because it is sweeter, but nothing beats the vanilla swirl at the cart



    I walked over and on to Pirates and then walked around the entire park soaking in the energy and over to Tomorrowland. I was really exhausted. I think that just being on vacation I was just winding down from work finally and it really hit me. Thankfully, I stumbled upon a dance party! Im pretty sure Ive seen this going on before but Ive never really stopped to see what it was all about. Tonight various characters were dancing to music while a cast member on stage led the entire dancing audience in doing specific steps. The great thing about tonight was that it really was mostly adults, so I joined in. I did 90s dance, 70s dance and all of the usual line dance songs they play at weddings. I was laughing so hard and before you knew it, I felt energized. I decided to dance out of the crowd and rode Space Mountain. I think the first turn adjusted my back my neck snapped so hard. The ride was fun but I cant seem to find a good seat lately where I dont snap my neck.




    I took a ride on the TTA and then headed over Storybook Circus. It is really great! I forgot how far out Toon Town was and it is a bit of a walk. Fantasyland is going to be huge. I took a spin on Dumbo and tried to take some nighttime pictures. It definitely has a great feeling and I am really excited to see the rest of it. I cant help but hope that they next pay some attention to Tomorrowland.


    I exited via the noodle station walkway down to Main Street, watched Wishes and cried. I love the Magic Kingdom at night. Of course, it would be perfect if they brought back Spectro Magic I fell into bed pretty late after waiting for 2 buses and decided to sleep in tomorrow a little, my last park day.

    Formerly tinkinparis

  25. #24






    Formerly tinkinparis

  26. #25

    I'm so pleased your first solo trip went well. It sounds like you had a great time. Thank you for taking the time to share your fun with us, I enjoyed reading it very much.

     

    If no-one out there understands, start your own revolution and cut out the middle man (Billy Bragg)

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