Survived my first solo trip!!!!!! About This Page:

[Disnygirl]

Hi fellow Disney fans!
I made it back from my first solo trip. All in all it was a great trip. I'll start posting about it sometime this week. As always, it was hot, hot, hot!!!!!!

Disnygirl [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Brant]

DisnyGrl,
Congrats! I can hardly wait to hear about it and find out your take on the solo trip. I know I loved mine, and I'm glad to know you had a good time on yours.

-Jose Carioca

[Disnygirl]

Solo Trip Day One

My flight was leaving at 7:20 a.m., so at 4:30 I was up and at'em to get ready to go. Of course, I didn't sleep much if at all the night before, so I was pretty much wide awake before my alarm went off anyway!!!

At 5:30 my boyfriend and I set out for the airport. We made a quick stop first to get coffee and bagles first. The poor guy was not used to having to be up so early, so I decided he need a jolt of caffine!!!!

We are now on our way to Chicago's Midway Airport. Very little traffic, so we were there by 6. As we neared the airport, the tension began to grow. "I'm going to Disney and I'm going ALONE!!!!!!" was the thought that kept running through my head. Would I like it alone?How would I like being on the plane alone? These questions and many others kept running through my brain!!!

Tom dropped me off, we said our goodbyes and I'll miss yous and all and I was off on my adventure. I checked in and went to find the gate. At 6:40, they began loading the plane, I had row 6F so I had to wait a bit before boarding. I finally boarded the plane and found my seat and got ready for take-off. Well, I sort of had a feeling there was a bit of a problem when at take off time the pilot and copilot got off the plane. Now, I'm not the world's greatest flyer, so at this point I'm trying very hard not to panick!!!! I'm thinking of asking the flight attendant to serve me a libation to calm my nerves, but think better of the idea!
They finally announce that there is a problem with the cargo door, but that they were working on it and hoped to have it fixed quickly. Well, an hour later we are still sitting on the plane waiting!!!!
[img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img] Finally, around 9 we are able to take off!!!!!
We arrive in Orlando about 45 min. later than we should have, but I'm happy now because I'm only minutes from the mouse!!!!
I make my way over to baggage claim and as I'm coming down the escalator, there is my Tiffany Town Car driver waiting for me! I felt very important when I saw my name on that little cardboard sign! I have nothing but good things to say about Tiffany's service. If you have a chance to use them, do it!!! It leaves so much stress and hassle out of your trip.
Thankfully, my luggage was among the first to come off the plane, so by 12 we are in the car and on our way. My driver was Daniel and he was from Brazil, so we had a nice conversation as he drove me over to WDW.
My excitment is building during the ride and I'm just beginning to get anxious, when hooray, we are on the property!!!!!!!!!!
We drive through the gates and make a turn, and there it is:the Wilderness Lodge!
I can't wait to get out of the car and get into my favorite hotel!!! I thank Daniel and settle up my bill and I make my way into the beautiful lobby! I stop to look up at the massive log columns and totem poles and get the feeling that I've come home. I just love this hotel. I walk up to the desk to check in. My room is not ready, but lo and behold this is because they are meeting my request for a specific room!!!!!!! They kept apologizing for it not being ready, but I was so excited that they met my request that I didn't care, and hey, I'm at the happiest place on earth!!
I decide to hang around the Logde until my room is ready. So I head of the Roaring Forks to get something to eat and then explore a bit.
About an hour later, my room is ready and I make my way up there. I have room 6087, which is faces the lobby but has a view of the Contemporary and Grand Floridian. I'm now in heaven! After jumping around on the bed a bit and yelling, "I'm here, I'm here," I decide to take a quick nap. All this excitment is seeming to get to me, so I take a nap and then go to Artist's Point for dinner. This is one of my favorite restaurants, it's expensive but well worth it. I only have one bit of advice at this point and that is please don't stare at us single eaters. I felt like Yogi Bear at a picinic!!! People kept walking past my table and staring at me, like I had green horns or something growing out of my head!!!!!! Have people never seen others eating alone?? Other than that my meal was wonderful. I decided to forgo desert and instead went to Roaring Forks and had my first, yes Fortissimo, you guessed it, Mickey Bar [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]!
Yummy!!! I'm tired so I head back to the room, to rest up for my next day!!!

[arielsmom]

So Far So Good....Keep 'em coming!! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[tikibird]

Hey Disnygirl,

Thanks for the report so far! Glad you had the opportunity to go solo. I'll bet it was great to get to do exactly what you wanted to do when you wanted to do it.

Looking forward to the rest of your report.

[Disnygirl]

Day Two

I should explain that my prime reason for coming to Disney, is a First Grade Teachers convention that is being held at Corondo Springs. I have to be there by 8 this morning, so this poses a bit of a problem because I'm not sure if the buses will get me there on time, so today I decide to take a cab. Big Mistake! The 10 min. ride cost me 12.00! Yikes!!! But I arrive early and am able to grab breakfast with friends that are staying at Corondo. We ate a Maya Grill, they have a breakfast buffet. Very good and I highly recommend the breakfast burrito. Very yummy! They also have scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, waffles with lots of toppings, fruit, and rolls and such. It was very good.
Conference time now and I won't bore you with details. We are done around 1 and are supposed to meet my friends husband and take in Universal this afternoon. Well, at 3 we are still waiting his return from the ocean! My friend doesn't know whether to be worried that he's at the bottom of the ocean or angry that he's over an hour late on returning. We finally decide to head over to Market Place and shop and look around. She's addicted to the rice krispie treats they sell that are covered on top with chocolate. She's in total heaven when she finds them in Mickey's Gourmet Shop. I have chocolate coverd almond preztles instead. Yum! Market Place is pretty crowded but we have fun looking around anyway. Finally, around 4 or so, my friend calls to see if her prodigal husband has returned. The first thing he says when he answers is "I'm so sorry!" After the ocean, he went to Kennedy Space Center and took a tour. He didn't bother to ask how long the tour lasted, which ended up being 2 1/2 hours!!!
We decide to do Universal Studios anyway, so we finally arrive there around 5. All I can say is it was fun, but not Disney. Not as clean and friendly. And the walk from the parking garage to the park is killer! The best ride there was Men in Black which is similar to Buzz Light Year. Will Smith makes an apperance and talks you through the ride as you try to save earth from the disguised aliens. There are 2 tracks that run parallell to each other. Each car fits I think 9 people. You actually are in a contest with the car on the other track to see which car gets the highest score. They average each score to come up with the highest. Our car won, whoo hoo!! We ate at Mel's Diner which is from American Graffiti. The burgers were pretty good and the shakes were really thick. I was glad I went but I guess I'm just a Disney Girl at heart. We got back to Disney around 10 or so and I hit the sack after watching the fireworks at the MK from my balcony!! This is the reason I requested room 6087. A magical end to a long day! Tomorrow my friend and I are skipping the conference and heading over to the MK, it's an early entry day, so it's time to hit the sack!

[Disnygirl]

Day Three
Today I skip the convention and meet my friend in the lobby of the Lodge bright and early to get to the MK for early entry. We arrive at the MK at about 7:45. We enter the park and there right before me is the most beautiful sight in the world:Cinderella's Castle! It looks as pretty as I remember it especially with the early morning light rising above it. I take a moment to compose myself since this sight always brings a tear to my eye. There are a bunch of Official Disney photographers waiting to take your picture in front of the castle, so I decide to splurge and have mine taken. It really turned out cute. They superimpose Mickey and the gang onto the photo as well, so it really turned out great.
I'm glad I went for it.
After this we head on over to Tomorrow Land, there is already a wait for SM, so I get a Fast Pass and we head over to Buzz Light Year. I don't know what it is, but all I have to do is hear Tim Allen or Tom Hanks and I lose complete control and am overcome with laughter! I love those guys! We have a very short wait and board the ride. Here we are trying to foil Emporer Zoigs attempt to steal all the batteries of the world. We aim, we shoot, we score!!!!! Whoo hoo, we are having a grand old time, I think we are having more fun than the kids are!!!!!!!
After Buzz, we ride the Tomorrow Land Transit Authority. This is a good way to get a very nice view of Tomorrow Land and also is a good way to just sit and cool off a bit from the heat. There's never a wait for the ride and it's a good bet anytime of day. We then head over to a couple of shops where I purchase a very cute denim hat with Mickey on the front. I check my FP and realize it's time for me to blast off on SM, so I head over. I have about a 10 min. wait and then I'm aboard. I get the last seat in the train, and I'm ready to go. I love this ride and am smiling from ear to ear! Blast off!!! Yah Hoo!!!!! If you like to get whipped around, be sure to ask for the last car, because I had one of the roughest rides I've ever had on SM, but it was great!!!! I'm still smiling as I exit the ride!
We decide to head over to Peter Pan's Flight, there is a line, but it seems to be moving so we enter. We wait about 15 min. and then we board the ride. This is another one of my favorites and my friends as well. I love the London night scene with all the twinkling lights. We continue on toward Liberty Square. I have to stop here and explain that my friend is making me go on the next ride. I'm not too sure I want to but don't want to be a wimp so I find myself in line for the Haunted Mansion! Gasp!! Ever since I was a child I've hated this ride. Now I know it's only Disney and it's not meant to be scary and it's all tounge in cheek, but I still get a shive up my spine when I think of this ride!!! We make it into the room with no doors or windows and my terror begins! Then out go the lights and it's total darkness and there it is the dead body hanging from the ceiling! Oh when will this ride end?? We board our Doom Buggy and off we go into the bowels of the scariest house in the MK!!!! I'm doing okay so far and feel I'm conquering all of my fears! But, alas, I jump a foot when a ghoul pops up from behind one of the tombstones! I can feel my blood curl!! But soon we come to the end and I realize that I've survived and I feel like I'm King of the World, Walt Disney World that is!!!!!!
We continue on to Frontier Land and check out Splash Mountain. We decide to get a FP and check out the shops and stuff. When we return to SM, we wait about 10 min. before boarding. We get the second row, but a lady and her daughter who've never been on before as us to switch with them and we end up in the front row. I'm in an excellent mood and am joking and laughing and yelling "hello" to the people down below watching the boats go by. Being the nice person that I am, I serve as a bit of a guide for the lady and her daughter and warn them when the "big drop" is coming. Little does she know that I have an ulterior motive!! Heh, heh, heh! As we plunge down the drop, my friend and I duck sending all the water behind us!!!!!!!
The lady and daughter are drenched and she laughingly says now she knows why I didn't mind switching seats! But, it's all good natured and everyone is happy!
We head over to BTM and I grab a FP. My friend doesn't ride this one, so I'll be on my own.
We head back to Cinderella's Castle for our PS time of 11:55. As we enter, we are happily surprised to see Cinderella and her Prince inside! I let out a squeal of delight and get out my camera! This day is going great so far!! We are seated right away and enjoy a very nice lunch. I have the Chicken Ceaser Salad and my friend has Major Domo's Pie. We then head back to BTM for my FP time. I'm very upset to find that the ride is broken down!!!!!! What happens to the FP?? Well, they said that we could come back anytime during the rest of the day and use it. We head back and see Country Bears Jamboree and then find a spot in Liberty Square to watch the 3:00 parade. We sit outside the Christmas Shop on the cement flower box and have a very nice, shaded view of the Remember the Magic Parade. Again, I'm in awe of the magic hear and find myself tearing up now and again during the parade. After the parade, my friend has to get back to meet her husband and I decide to head back to the Lodge for a nap. I head for the boat back to the Lodge and as it's pulling away from the dock I look back at the MK and see a bride and groom getting ready to enter. I mean a actual, dressed in formal wear, bride and groom!!! How much more magical can things get????
I take a nap and wake up to find it storming outside so I decide to stay at the Lodge and have dinner at Whispering Canyon. Now, I'm a bit apprehensive to eat here alone, because of the "entertaining" waiter and waitresses here. I'm hoping I don't find myself having to perform some ridiculous task! But all is well and I enjoy a very nice dinner. I order the special which is blackened tuna. Very good! I then browse around the gift shop a bit and get another Mickey Bar and head back to my room. I get another great view of the fireworks and drift off to sleep dreaming of castles and mice and brides and grooms!

[figment1]

Great report! More! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Fortissimo]

Wow, 2 Mickey Bars already!

Do they have Mickey Bars at the resorts now? If so, then next time I'm not going to pack breakfast food!

I would have been tempted to follow the bride and groom to see where the go.

You are so lucky to have a convention at WDW. Is this a yearly convention held at WDW, or does it rotate? Maybe I'll have to be a first grade teacher some year!

Awesome reports, keep them coming!

[Disnygirl]

Yes Fortissimo, the Wilderness Lodge had them at the Roaring Forks snack bar. Hmm, never thought of having one for breakfast, have to remember that!

I would have loved to know where the bride and groom were going, especially since it was a Tuesday afternoon!!

This is the first time this convention was held in Disney. Unfortunately, next years will be in Orlando, but not in Disney.

Disnygirl

[Disnygirl]

Day Four

I get up around 6:15 to be ready to catch a bus over to Animal Kingdom where I can catch a bus to Coronodo Springs for the convention.
I want to get to the convention early because I want to get a good seat for the first session which is an author meet and greet. I'm going to see Laura Neumeroff, she is the author of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." I meet my friend we grab a quick bite and head over the the room where Laura will be. The session is great and I am able to get 4 books signed by Laura and my picture taken with her.

After this, I head over to EPCOT. I arrive around 11:15 and head over to Norway for lunch. I find this to be one of the best vaule meals in the World. It's a buffet and at lunch time it is $11.95 for all you can eat. There is a cold section which has traditional Norwegian salads and foods. If you like herring, which I do, there are 3 or 4 different kinds. The other salads are excellent also and don't contain fish.
The hot section includes lamb, Norwegian meatballs, a noodle dish, a couple of veggies and the special when I was there was turkey with potatoes. I also believe there is a child's menu that has traditional American food.
Desert is extra, but don't pass it up if you have room. They have an excellent selection of Norwegian and tradiontional deserts. My favorite is a rice pudding which is mixed with cream and served in a glass dish with strawberries on top, yummy!!!!!!
After lunch I quick double back to Mexico and take the boat ride, there is no wait. I look around in the marketplace a bit and decide to head over to the American Pavillion to catch the American Adventure. This is one of my favorite shows! When I arrive I'm disappointed to find that the Voices of Liberty are not performing, it's a doo wop group. I have nothing against doo wop, but don't really think it fits in a building designed to look like Independence Hall in Philidelphia. It's hard to picutre Benjamin Franklin snapping his fingers and tapping his toes, but I know that things change and everyone seems to be enjoying the group. I don't know if the Voices of Liberty peform at other times or not. We now head up to the theater and I pick a row toward the top, every seat in the house is a good one. The show begins. I'm enjoying it and getting into it as I always do. My favorite part is when they play the video montage of pictures from our past and present with the song "Golden Wings" playing.
As soon as the song begins I tear up, this part of the show always does that to me. Unfortunately the people sitting next to me must have found humor, because they begin to laugh hysterically. Oh well, so much for patriotism.
After this I head over to Germany to get a T-Shirt for my dad. It's a tradition, we always get him a T-Shirt from the German Pavillion. Oh, in case you are wondering why, we are of German descent.
The weather seems to be changing fast, so I decide to head back to Future World. As I walk it gets very windy and I see lightning in the distance, so I decide to head back to the Lodge. I don't mind rain, but I hate being caught in a storm. Luckily, there is a bus waiting. Just as we pull into the Lodge, the storm hits. Good timing!!!
I'm hoping it stops because I have and E-ride pass for the MK and was planning on going over around 6:30 for dinner and then the 9:00 Spectromagic parade. The $12.00 I spent on the E-ride pass was the best money I spent the whole time I was there. If you stay at a Disney resort, I strongly suggest purchasing one. You practically have the whole park to yourself! It is great. I rode Buzz Lightyear 3 times in a row along with Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. It is great!!!!!
I had dinner at Tony's and around 7:30 I grabbed a spot right across the street from Tony's for the parade. One thing I love about Disney is how perfect strangers just strike up conversations. I had a man and his wife next to me who were from India so we passed the time talking about our respective countries. I do like Main Street Electrical Parade better than Spectromagic, but I was still amazed by all the lights. It was, of course, magical. When the parade ends, I follow the route over and stand in front of the castle to catch the fireworks at 10. I'm still in awe of how Tinkerbell flys across the "sky." I can't imagine doing that!!!!! After the fireworks I head over to Tomorrowland, the park closes at 11 and it's around 10:15. In case you are wondering, people were getting in ride lines right up until 11. After that, you could only stay if you had the wristband for E ride night. It is the coolest thing to stay in the park after closing!!! at about 1:30 I've had enought and I head back to Main Street. All shops are closed, except the Emporium. What a great time to shop, there was no one in there!! So I shopped a bit and then head over to the monorail. The boat to the Lodge doesn't run this late, so I have to take the Monorail over to the Ticket and Transportaion Center to catch a bus. Thankfully, there was a bus waiting so I didn't have to wait. Another great day!!!

[Disnygirl]

Day Five

Today is the last day of the convention. I do my ususal bus hopping and arrive in plenty of time. Today I want to meet the author Tomie DePaolo. He's written and illustrated many children's books. "Strega Nona" is one of his most famous. Tomie is charming and funny. He has tons of stories that he tells from his childhood and is very entertaing. I get two books signed by him and my picture taken.
After this my friend and I have lunch in Pepper Market. The food is good, but I'm not sure why you have to pay a gratuity. Your server only brings you your drink, you do everything else. I have a chicken taco slad which is large and very tasty. I have desert, but can't remember what the heck it was!!!!
We head back for the afternoon session of the convention. It ends at 3. I need a nap and so does my friend. She and her husband are going to come to the Lodge and meet me for dinner around 5:30. Today the rain comes around 5 and lasts most of the night.
We have dinner at Whispering Canyon. We order the family style barbaque. It's very good. I warn my friends not to ask for ketchup. We notice a young girl at another table who did, and by the end of her meal she had about 5 or 6 bottles of it on the table!!!!!!!!!! Too funny!!!
Of course we have desert. I have a warm chocolate cookie with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce on top. I'm now stuffed and feel like I should be rolled from the table!!! After dinner, we wander the Lodge, since it is still storming, I had planned on going back to EPCOT to finish Future World, but never made it. Oh well, just another excuse for a trip to Disney!!!!
My friends head back to their resort and I head back to start to pack since I leave tomorrow. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[Disnygirl]

Day Six: Last Day

I wake up a little sad, this is my last day.
My flight is not until tonight at 8:30, so I do some last minute packing and check out around 10:15. The Lodge will store my luggage until I leave for the airport.
I head over to MGM Studios. I want to ride the Rockin' Roller Coaster, the line is long, so I get a Fastpass and head back for the 11:15 Beauty and the Beast show. It seemed different to me, but it's been a while and it was still good. I then head back for my Fastpass time. Because of how the coaster is set up, they only let in so many at a time because you are actually entering the recording studio where Aerosmith is recording. So this wait was more like 20 min.. If you like coasters, this is fun, but too short! But I enjoyed much more this year, since I knew what to expect. Last year the take off totally discombobulated me and it took me until the ride was over to recover. But this time I was just fine!!!
After the coaster I head over to the Brown Derby for a little lunch. I order the Cobb Salad, which is as good as I remember it to be. For desert, I have the Grapefruit Cake. Now you are probably saying, eww yuck!! Trust me, this is very good!!!!!! It is a white cake, very light and moist with a cream cheese frosting. It is sweet and does not taste like grapefruit. There are some slices of grapefruit between the layers and on top.
I now head over to Star Tours and grab a FP. I continue around to The Muppets and am in time for the next show. I, of course, sit and laugh my head off! I head back to Star Tours. I end up in the back row of the car and WOW, it is a much different ride from there!!! It's much rougher, but tons of fun!!
I now head over to the Great Movie Ride. Here I get the front row. We make it safely through Ganster Alley but are held up in the Old West scene. Mr. Cowboy hijaks us and takes us to the Indiana Jones scene where he becomes a tad too greedy and tries to steal the jewel only to be foiled and turned into a skeleton. Hooray, our driver is back on board safe and sound!!! We follow that old Yellow Brick Road and arrive back to the sound stage!!! Fun ride, but I like being hijaked in Gangster Better! Maybe next time!
I check the time and see I can do more, so I head over to the Backlot Tour. They have changed the Captain Duck sequence. It is now based on the film Pearl Harbor.
It's around 4 now, so I decide to head back to the Lodge and chill out in the lobby until Tiffany Town Car picks me up. The lines for the Millionare show have been incredible all day long and the FP times didn't work for me, so I have to save it for the next time I go, which is July of next year.
I've had a great trip. Going solo is fun, you can do what you want. The only thing I didn't like as well, was eating alone. But other than that it was great. I'm ready to get home though. Once again I'm reminded that there is no more magical place on earth that Walt Disney World!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Beast_fanatic]

Good reports!

Just what I needed to get me through a Monday!

Thanks for posting them! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[figment1]

Great report! Thanks!