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  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

  2. #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!

  3. #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

  4. #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.

  5. #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

  6. #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 .


  7. #7

    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!


  8. #8

    Can't wait to hear all about it!


  9. #9

    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

  10. #10

    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

  11. #11

    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/

  12. #12

    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

  13. #13

    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)

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by scoobydooby View Post
    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.
    Thank you Scooby!

    The last 2 installments are coming soon
    Formerly tinkinparis

  15. #15

    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 Nescaf. 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.



    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.





    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.




    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 Ros 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 crme 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!



    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.



    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.

    Formerly tinkinparis

  16. #16

    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.




    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.



    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.

    Formerly tinkinparis

  17. #17
    Gravity release me... tappenfeat's Avatar
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    What a wonderful report! I truly enjoyed it....and can't wait to read your final thoughts.




    Stephanie

  18. #18

    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


  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by EJ4Disney View Post
    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 Ellen, It was just as much fun to write as it was to live through
    Formerly tinkinparis

  20. #20
    Registered User kuchfam's Avatar
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    Aug 2009
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    Arnprior, Ontario Canada
    Quote Originally Posted by tinkaparis View Post
    Thank you Ellen, It was just as much fun to write as it was to live through
    .
    Life is magical at Walt Disney World!

  21. #21
    Registered User kuchfam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Arnprior, Ontario Canada

    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.

    Life is magical at Walt Disney World!

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