Yo ho Yo ho a solo trip frip for me About This Page:

[Shawn d]

The next morning I set my alarm and wake up call extra early so that I could make my way to MK, and get there early. I grabbed a paper and asked the front desk if they could please, PLEASE fix the soaking area in the carpet before I got back. "yep yep yep no problem". I sighed and caught the bus.

Bugs, why did it have to be bugs

As I waited for the bus there was an enormous amount of those little insects that are always fly around. Finally the bus arrived and we were off to the Magic Kingdom. I have to say this, I am an adult male but believe me, when I saw the castle again, believe me, I just become a big kid at heart. First stop was Tomorrowland where I vowed to conquer Space Mountain yet again. Just as the ride was about to start, I heard a small "SNAP" and felt something hit my arm. I looked down and naturally my bad luck continued. The watch snapped in two. it wasn't a expensive watch but i muttered curses as I held onto the pieces and the rail. After Space Mountain, was in need of my spirits being lifted, so I wento Buzz lightyear. Didn't score very well, but got a few chuckles when I "inadvertently" shot the riders around me *and scored points*. After I stepped out of Buzz, I decided to get my laugh on with Stitch and the monsters Inc . After a good laugh with the "churros guy". i went out and examined my watch. noe, the pin was gone which meant replacing it was needed. I went to the main store on Main street and noticed the deal they had on "get a limited edition lithograph (POTC 3) and a watch. What the heck I thought. The lithograph was really nice and the watch was adequate. With a new watch on, I decided to head to the new POTC

Sigh, the Dole Whip stand is still not open...c'mon, hungry people are lining, ok, so just me, but still, open you crazy fools open!! I had to settle for a Mickey Bar with my snack credit

The weather is really warm as I duck into the POTC building..ahh, the cool air feels really nice. I get in the boat, and were off!! I have to say it is very cool seeing all of the new changes with Barbossa, Davey Jones, and Jack Sparrow updated with the movie. As I am leaving, somebody reminds me that the new pins come out the next day. I am a bit of a pin nut. First time I went, I collected pins from the major rides, ToT, Mission Space. etc., plus one from each of the four parks. i mentally jot it down and grab a FASTpass to Big Thunder and make a U turn to Splash Mountain. After getting soaking wet, and loving it, I decide to go to head back to Big Thunder. While waiting in the FASTpass line I met a family from England and we talk about life on the other side of the pond. I was there in 1998, and I am really hoping to go back there ASAP. After having a blast and conquering the triple mountains, I make my way to Peco Bill's. I went in and decided to have the BBQ Pork Sandwich($7.59), a sprite(2.39) and a PB Chocolate Mousse(3.59). The meal was ok, but I think the crowd and the heat made me lose my appetite a bit.

As I made my way to Liberty town, i passed by a vendor with those little water fans. Was it really worth it, but one of the spritzers caught my eye. Hmm, pump and spray...what the heck, i handed the clerk and tested it out...It was refreshing!!!! Sadly, I lost it later that night oh well, grin and bear it I then made a sprint to Hall of Presidents before walking over to the Haunted Mansion. I took a lot of pictures in MK as I did for the entire trip (only about 1500 Most were doubles and triples ) The grave stones were classic as well as the parts at the exit. From there, I made my way to PhilharMagic which as always was a blast and I decided to go to Snow White, which I hadn't gone to before.

With a few hours to go till my meal at CRT, I turned towards Mickey's Toontown. I will say this, as an adult, I saw a lot of adults with no kids wanting to go thru the area. This really surprised me. As I made my way through Mickey and Minnies Houses, snapping up pictures(why, oh why didn't I buy a camcorder. Oh, thats right, use it once and forget about it..sigh). I saw the Judge's Tent. Holy cripes, the line was long..But I wanted to get some pictures of me and Mickey..did I mention I was a big kid at heart. Once I made my way through, it was nearly time for my ADR at CRT

Most people would say prior to the trip, "Shawn, you're an adult male. why oh why are you going to CRT for a meal, particularly solo". Well, like I said before, when I saw the menu options, I was blown away by how "adult" the CRT meal really was. As I walked into the castle, I took pictures of all the murals,, nooks and crannies of the Castle. As we waited, a beautiful figure came down the stairs. it was Cinderella.

I blushed. Mentally my mind was going into "word salad" mode. wow oh wow she was beautiful. When my name got called, i kind of hopped up and asked the photographer if he could take a picture with my camera as wellHe obliged, and I felt like a prince as he snapped the picture.

I will say this about CRT, they honestly make you feel like noble lord or lady when you sit down to eat. As I sat down I was presented with the menu, and I made my choices. To start with, I ordered a pink lemonade, and ordered the Castle Salad, no bluecheese, and it surprised me how good it was. For the entree, I chose the Prime Rib, which was a little undercooked , but was satisfactory. Finally, for the dessert, I had the poached pear on Angel food with mango sorbet. wowzers. The meal was excellent. As the dessert was being served , the floor show got underway. The crowd got involved, and I snapped up a few pictures. I was seated nexted to the windows facing Fantasyland, and I noticed the rain starting to fall...Nooooo. The day was looking to end so perfectly, and maybe, just maybe I could catch a night show. As the waiter handed me the bill ($37.99), I handed my DDP card. CRT for all its crticism from others would be a meal I will seriously consider coming back to, even with the 2 Table Service credits needed. When I stepped outside, the rain fell harder, and glancing at my light jacket knew I was out of luck. Still, with a picture of Cinderella and I stowed safely away in my backpack, I made my way back to the hotel.

When I stepped back into my room, I saw the light on my phone flashing, meaning I had something at the gift shop. Bugger, I lost it. Still I was hoping that they would have my room # and not create too much of a fuss. Next, I checked the wet area next to the bathroom. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy(this is a family site)!! Nothing was done. This was ridiculous. I put on my heavier coat and made my way to the main building, first to get my package and then to get someone, anyone who could get this looked after.

First stop was the Gift Pick up. I knew i would be raked over the coals for not having my little slip. I calmly explained that I lost it but showed some ID and thought it would just take a little longer than normal. Well, they hemmed and hawed and were adamant and then resorted to saying it wasn't there. Good grief, I got the phone call, so I knew it was there. Then they resorted to the whole "you don't have your slip, you're not getting it". Finally after 20 minutes...they miraculously found my package, but not before lecturing me about remembering my slip. I know they technically were in the right, but after all I was going through with the resort, a little help wan't out of the question.

With packages in hand I went to the front desk in person. No more Mr. Nice guy. I angrily told them that i had a problem with my room and they had not resolved it. They radioed a plumber *what a novel idea* (sarcasm on). Within 5 minutes she would be at the room. I welcomed her in, and explained the situation. After 5 minutes she found the focus of the problem, One of the pipes next to the sink had been leaking incrementally and led to the puddle. She fixed the problem in 15 minutes. I tipped her and thanked her for her help. Well, with the weather tapering off and the hour growing late, I set the alarm early. There was a premiere of some movie starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley (whatever could that movie be??) the next day and some kind of mania around some limited edition merchandise. There was also Epcot and a packed day with the granddaddy of the ADRs Le Cellier *cue choir of angels*

Coming up: Day 3 Epcot known as Oh Canada, or There be pirates

[Colexis Mom]

Sounds like a great day in the parks! Sorry you still had issues with the room, but hopefully that's the end of it More please

[DyanKJ130]

Sounds like you had a wonderful day at MK. to hear it rained at the end of it. Glad you were able to get your package and that the plumber was able to fix you puddle! Can't wait to hear about Epcot

[Shawn d]

I awoke very early to make my way to MK to get my hands on some of the POTC pins, I turned on the TV to the info screen. Gack!! MK had the EMH, DEFINITELY didn't prepare for this. I booked my ADRs based on an idea of *insert park on a particular day* So, with a rush out the door, , I made my way to MK.

When the doors opened to MK, I rushed towards the pin shop. My jaw dropped the doors had just opened and the line was nearly outside the door. Are you kidding me? So, I ran inside and made my way to the line. As i waited , I talked to some of the other customers. i couldn't believe the amount that some people would go to to get these pins. There were 3 main pins to collect, On one end of the scale there was a 15 dollar one with Jack and Barbossa, 25 for a large Jack pin, and 125 for the pirate lord set. The pirate lord set was in a beautiful wooden box, but I was also taking my luggage into account. My budget was only for the Jack/barbossa one, but people in front and behind, the sky was the limit. I also grabbed a Goofy 75th Birthday Pin and it was off to Epcot.

I arrived at Epcot a little later than expected, but i quickly made my way to Mission Space..Eep, would my nerves, and more importantly, my stomach handle the G forces. After selecting the Orange Mission (the normal mission I believe)One thing I learnt the first time was not to eat breakfast or anything for that matter until AFTER the big rides. With MK, Space Mountain didn't throw my stomach for a loop(pardon the pun, but Mission Space was a BEAST. Once i strapped in ( I was an Engineer again, curse that Commander spot that eludes me ) I watched as we took off. I punched the buttons and my stomached cringed with the landing. I wonder why it is that up until the last 30 seconds I am fine, and then that bit I am a mess. I never got sick again, but I needed some air. After I got out, I made my way to Test Drive. I looked up at the single line..30 minutes..argh...well, I could grab a FAST pass and try to get in Soarin' but as Ilwould learned, that would be a foolish venture. I waited in line and when we got into the cars, it was refreshing to be indoors where it was cool. It was also a treat to see GMs involvement in their production. We made it to the cars and I have to say that Test Drive is always a treat, gives a fast ride and raises the adrenaline. After the ride I took alook at the new vehicles in GMs lineup. it was interesting to see the hybrids, and SUVs, but I miss the sports cars!!!

From There, it was off to Soarin'. I will say this, after Mission Space, this is quickly becoming a favorite of mine not only in EPCOT, but in all of WDW. The line was getting loner as the day grew on, and due to renos, there was a partition that led to a lot of bottlenecking. As I strapped in, and tucked my bag under my seat. I finally began to relax at Disney. As we were flying over California though, I noticed a small glitch, I couldn't smell the scenery around me. Meh, still the views were amazing, and the ride feels realistic. After Soarin, I had lunch inside the Soarin' building, and I had my first taste of the Chocolate Croissant...heaven!!I decided to take a look at the Flower and Garden Show exhibits before heading to Epcot. When I first entered Epcot, I noticed the amazing Peter pan and Hook on the Pirate ship with the crocodile and Stitch close by.On the Entrance to World Showcase. I spotted Donald, Goofy and Mickey dressed in pirate gear. From thereI grabbed a passport to get stamped and wrote in( I noticed a lot of adults have gone and did this).With not a lot of time to waste. I made my way around the world. At Canada, I watched Off Kilter , who were very good, and I made a point of finding any Saskatchewan workers, and ribbing them about the total lack of Saskatchewan Roughriders merchandise (they said the only sports teams were the Canadian NHL teams) in England, I caught the perfomers, who were hilarious. As I was making way from England toFrance. I was approached by amember of the EPCOT staff.. I'm not sure whether it was an OFFICIAL YOAMD gift, but they gave me a private viewing seat for the Illuminations show on one of the exclusive patios. woo hoo. Soon after, it was time to get to my ADR at Le Cellier

Le Cellier

I sat in the Yukon section , as there were not a whole lot of single seats. I started off with the bread which was delicious, the appetizer was the seared salmon, which was ok, but not great. For my drink, I had a chocolate rasperry shake. Verry good but a little sweet( ironic, as I would choose the maple creme brulee as my dessert. For my entree, I had the filet mignon with yukon potatoes instead of the cream cheese. The steak was a little undercooked but overall very excellent meal. Just for kicks, I took a peek at the bill before handing my dining card. Holy schnikes, it was pricey, but if I did all over again, Iwould go for that again. Looking at the menus now, the took out the creme brulee and the seared salmon for supper. What gives?? After my meal, I was stuffed and ready for Illuminations. Hopping outside in the flowers were tiny (baby?) rabbits, which brought a smile to my face.

With the sun setting I made my way to the exclusive patio. About 15 others were seated down there and one gentleman took offense when I sat down. he claimed the spot was his, so I stood by the railing. When others got up to do the same He got annoyed as it was "blocking his view for the camcorder. Sorry buddy but people wanted to get a good view of the show As always the show was excellent and I had a little trouble hearing with all of the fireworks. After the show, I made my way to the hotel for another long day and another long day to come with MGM

Coming up: Day 4 MGM or "Walk This Way" to Fantasmic

[lucretziathevagabond]

Excellent report so far. I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience at POP. I have been really lucky thus far with my rooms at WDW. I hope things continue to improve for you.

Thanks also for doing a solo trip report. I travel almost exclusively by myself (my choice), and I love to read of other solo travellers having a good time.

Have fun! LV

[Colexis Mom]

Today was a much better day! Glad you got to do all the thrill rides, had a great meal at LeCellier, and got a special VIP invite More please

[DyanKJ130]

Can't believe how long the line was at the pin shop in MK! Sounds like you had a wonderful day at Epcot! LeCellier! Can't wait to hear more

[GoofyMom]

In all my trips to Epcot, I've only seen one CM from Saskatchewan, and she was from a really small town that nobody's ever heard of... which was only half an hour from where I grew up, so she nearly fell over when I said I know where that is! Saskatchewan is sadly under-represented in the Canada pavilion and movie. Epcot's loss.

[RobDVC]

I just caught up. Great report so far.
Can't wait to hear about MGM.