Hippos and Tigers and Flowers, Oh My! - A Solo March '18 TR - COMPLETED 7/13 - Final Thoughts+New TR

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Are you able to eat that BB-8 or are the Star Wars chocolate bars inside?!?!

Cont...Whats on the menu for lunch, and who do I get to meet up with? ​

Hmm...?

 

[Lesley Wake]

Are you able to eat that BB-8 or are the Star Wars chocolate bars inside?!?!

Hmm...?

Well they say it’s made out of chocolate, but I’ve seen pictures for a while, so it’s probably not very fresh! They had stacks of Star Wars chocolate bars next to him though. I considered getting one, but maybe next trip!

 

[PlutosRHM55]

All your AKL pics are making me miss it so much. That resort is so gorgeous and unique. I'm sorry that you were in the worst spot imaginable for a balcony. I remember on my first trip to Disney, we had a standard view and on our last day saw a ton of hot air balloons from our balcony. Talk about MAGIC.

Wow, an uber driver not in their uber when you arrive... never had that happen before. I guess it was a preface to what happened next.

I love those photos you got by the little lagoon near D-Luxe Burger. Whoever took them for you, really knew how to frame a photo well. LOL @ the "PP doesn't pay enough" bit. Oh gurl.

Mmm those homemade smores they sell at the Ganachery sound delicious. I think I might have to hop over to WDW from DLR this summer just to get those. Sounds like a good idea hehe

 

[Lesley Wake]

All your AKL pics are making me miss it so much. That resort is so gorgeous and unique. I'm sorry that you were in the worst spot imaginable for a balcony. I remember on my first trip to Disney, we had a standard view and on our last day saw a ton of hot air balloons from our balcony. Talk about MAGIC.

Wow, an uber driver not in their uber when you arrive... never had that happen before. I guess it was a preface to what happened next.

I love those photos you got by the little lagoon near D-Luxe Burger. Whoever took them for you, really knew how to frame a photo well. LOL @ the "PP doesn't pay enough" bit. Oh gurl.

Mmm those homemade smores they sell at the Ganachery sound delicious. I think I might have to hop over to WDW from DLR this summer just to get those. Sounds like a good idea hehe

Wow, that'd be awesome to have such a great view! I mean, yeah, my view sucked, but at least the location worked well. I think if I had a savanna view I probably would have spent more time at the resort than I did! Fingers crossed for December (I have a DVC room booked in the standard category, which means either savanna or pool view; all parking lot views are "value")!

I know it was weird-like I saw the car and walked over there, but no one was there, so I just had to chill for a bit!

I know the S'mores sounded soooo yummy! I think she said they had them over the holidays, so another thing to cross my fingers for in December! This is what they looked like:

But, for yourself, you'll need to check out Smokejumpers Grill at DCA-they have an awesome HUGE s'more, with like 2 layers of thick marshmallows, plus a brownie! It's super messy but worth it!

 

[DLo]

For some reason , I am craving a s’more right now. I am going in May and hope to fine one of those. I s’mores

 

[missangelalexis]

Those postcards are so cute!! Love the Kingdom of Cute one!

Nice of that woman to take some pics for you, they came out great!

 

[amazingact21]

I don't know how, but I somehow missed the start of this report. I'm here now, though, and just caught up. Sorry you didn't get a good view from your room at AKL, that's a bit of a bummer.

I was living vicariously through you when you were recapping all your Disney Springs shopping. It sounded wonderful! I think you spotted a lot of cool merchandise, it's a shame they didn't have those shirts in your size.
Glad to hear your chocolate from the Ganachery held up once you returned home and started feeling better. Hopefully the S'mores will be there when you go back in December!

 

[ichabody]

I loved my solo trip to Walt Disney World a few years back. Really enjoying following along and staring at your lovely photos of AKL. Love the Wonderground Disneyland postcard set...did I spot the old Tomorrowland World Clock on there?

 

[DVC LindsayC]

Great trip report so far! Love all the pictures, especially of the food. Everything looked delicious!

~LindsayC
#dvcrentals

 

[Lesley Wake]

For some reason , I am craving a s’more right now. I am going in May and hope to fine one of those. I s’mores

Good luck! They do look awesome!

Those postcards are so cute!! Love the Kingdom of Cute one!

Nice of that woman to take some pics for you, they came out great!

I know-I love the Kingdom of Cute line! I have the backpack, which is my park bag. And last weekend I finally got all 8 of the pins!

I don't know how,

but I somehow missed the start of this report. I'm here now, though, and just caught up. Sorry you didn't get a good view from your room at AKL, that's a bit of a bummer.

I was living vicariously through you when you were recapping all your Disney Springs shopping. It sounded wonderful! I think you spotted a lot of cool merchandise, it's a shame they didn't have those shirts in your size.
Glad to hear your chocolate from the Ganachery held up once you returned home and started feeling better. Hopefully the S'mores will be there when you go back in December!

I certainly like shopping (well at least for Disney stuff; regular clothes or shoes or whatever doesn't interest me as much)!

I loved my solo trip to Walt Disney World a few years back. Really enjoying following along and staring at your lovely photos of AKL. Love the Wonderground Disneyland postcard set...did I spot the old Tomorrowland World Clock on there?

I think that is the clock! I liked the postcard because I could finally see all of the icons; with the bag it takes a while of looking all over to catch them all!

Great trip report so far! Love all the pictures, especially of the food. Everything looked delicious!

~LindsayC
#dvcrentals

Thanks!

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 1, Part 2: Lunch and a mission with a friend!

About a week before the trip I was checking the disboards and noticed one of my disfriends was asking about new things to do on a solo trip, with dates that would coincide with mine. We ended up getting in contact with each other via text (we've met up at Disneyland before), and compared plans to see there were a lot of overlaps, meaning our solo trips were no longer completely solo!

So, I'd like to welcome Zach, @AMusicLifeForMe to this trip report! He will make several appearances over the next little while. (You can also read his TR here: https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...inter-feb-25-mar-3-2018-updated-3-24.3666673/)

Now, back to Thursday around noonish:

Zach was still at Animal Kingdom getting his Lion King on, but I was hungry, so I stopped to grab my lunch at Daily Poutine! ​

​

I went with Classic Poutine [French fries, beef poutine gravy, and cheddar curds]​

​

Overall, I liked it. I wished the gravy had been hotter, because it was warm, but not hot enough to melt the cheese. And I lived in Montreal, so I know poutine! But I did like that they had actual curds; most places just use grated cheese. So I liked it, but didn’t love it; it’s not a must-do every trip for me, but I'm not opposed to getting it again! I did compare notes with @Raeven, who tried it in December, and it seems like maybe because I ordered it right after they opened, there wasn't enough time for it to get fully hot enough? ​

Zach was planning on getting D Luxe Burger for his lunch, so I went to save us a table on the patio (D Luxe is on my list of food places for December, but Daily Poutine had a higher priority for this trip). I ended up finishing my food before Zach arrived , but we were still able to catch up and I found out more about his trip so far. I considered getting a shake from D Luxe, but knew I had an early dinner, and wasn't especially hungry, so I skipped it. ​

We relaxed on the patio a bit; it really was lovely weather. Yes, a bit windy at times, but sunny and warm. Around 1pm we headed out to our next stop, but first came across a commotion…​

​

Baby ducks! So cute! There were a bunch of Plaids hanging around, and I think one of the babies may have fallen down into the flowerbed behind that fence, so the CMs were trying to figure out what to do! We decided to leave it in their hands…

Because it was Star Wars time!​

​

Zach and I have both done the Void before (him on a previous WDW trip, and myself in Anaheim), but we’re also both SW fans, so had been wanting to do it again. It’s a bit awkward to do it alone (you’ll probably get put into a group with a group of 2-3 who know each other and be the lone stranger), so when he suggested it while we were coordinating plans, I said Sure!​

Both of our previous times was soon after each one opened, so there were long lines. Not this time, we basically walked right in! Awesome! We completed our mission (though decided not to bother with the $15 team photo, since it’s just you wearing the computer gear and helmet).​

Afterwards, Zach and I split up, he was heading to Epcot, while I was heading to Magic Kingdom. I had already decided to take an Uber to Poly and get the monorail over, but before the car could arrive, Zach called me and asked if we wanted to share, since he could easily just walk to TTC from Poly. Zach showed up right before the car did, and we were on our way… driving right past the Poly… um, wait, what ? The driver apparently didn’t know the directions well enough, so he tried going in through the employee entrance and had to make a U-turn. Then, Zach said, just go to the Grand instead. I felt pretty bad, because it worked out fine for me-one monorail stop, while Zach got stuck having to take the monorail over to TTC, then another Epcot monorail!

I ended up getting to Magic Kingdom around 2:40pm, where I finally entered my first Disney park of this trip!

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 1, Part 3: Feeling a bit flustered! ​

Once I got into Magic Kingdom, I actually started to get a bit flustered. I originally hoped to get there by 2pm, but I was about 40 minutes "late" (I honestly don't know what I was thinking about that time, as it probably would not have worked out no matter what). This feeling actually happened several times during the trip, usually when I just had a lot going on, and it was weird, because being solo meant I didn't have to think about anyone else's priorities, so I don't quite know why I got so flustered! And in the end, everything worked out great, so, really just weird. But I just wanted to let people know who also go on solo trips and start to get overwhelmed at times - you are definitely not alone!

As I walked onto Main Street, there was a minor delay from a school band marching the parade route, but I wasn't upset, as it gave me a moment to chill. It also was a good reminder that the Festival of Fantasy Parade was starting at 3pm (when I visited in September it was a 2pm start).

I did a quick stop at the Emporium, where I was able to find those shirts I wanted in my size! Yippee! I ended up getting them sent back to AKL so I wouldn’t have to bother.
Something I also wanted to mention was t-shirt sizes. So, obviously, I'm definitely Pooh-sized (maybe more like Eeyore if I've had a big meal). When I've searched for Disney shirts (well any clothes, but we're just talking Disney now), I always have to go to the back of the rack, and for years I knew if it was "Disney Parks" branded, I could only wear an XXL, which was actually rare to find (meanwhile other shirts like Her Universe Star Wars ones I can get away with an XL); that meant I have seen many shirts I loved but knew I couldn't fit into. It seems like Disney has started getting more understanding that they have larger fans (especially women) who want shirts that fit. So, they've started stocking more shirts in XXL, as well as have a whole different size chart, 1X, 2X, 3X, in the same designs (I think the prices are the same, but I can't remember). So, it's actually worked out that I now have 2 sizes that fit, because an XXL is a very similar cut to a 1X. So... lots of Disney shirts make their way into my closet these days!

With the parade reminder, I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to head up main street to get to my first FP at Big Thunder (which was already well within it’s window)! So…train it is! ​

There was a delay leaving the station, which I later realized was because they had to wait for FoF to pass the train tracks in Frontierland. We almost had a delay before getting to Frontierland station, but thankfully we were just on time (I didn’t have my camera ready, but it was cool seeing the backside of the parade). ​

So, now it was finally time for my first ride this trip! Fastpass for the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness! (Also, I had totally scanned in welll into the 15-minute grace period, since the FP was from 2-3, and the FoF parade had already all gone through into the park.)​

​

Turns out FP wasn’t needed at that exact moment, because Standby was also a walk-on (the crowds had shifted to watch the parade, which was just finishing). I did get held up after the merge point because first there were 2 women and a big gap, which is where I entered. Well I guess their boyfriend/husbands were delayed and I separated their party, so the women glared at me (though the guys weren’t exactly hurrying to stay up with them…). When we got to the split left/right, the women of course went in the shorter line, which I would have done too, but I was finished with that drama, so I just went to the longer side; of course the annoying men then made comments about laughing at everyone in the longer line – like dude, seriously, I did it so you could stay with your group. Whatever… [sorry if I sound negative, it’s just sometimes peoples inconsiderate behavior bothers me and I remember it]​

Anyways, did the ride, which is fun, but Disneyland is better . I can't wait to try out Disneyland Paris's version in about 2 months! But I think they really should add ride photos to it (at least at Disneyworld; Disneyland may be harder since there is no easy place to display the screens for people to take down the download code; with WDW they can just do the Magic Band scan like for 7DMT).​

​

Next, FP for Splash Mountain! I was pretty excited about this one, since it was closed on my previous trip. ​

​

There was a lineup at the FP scan point, which was due to a common thing on this trip. There were many international tourists visiting-European, South American, even Quebecois-and they didn’t understand the FP system. Many thought to go on any ride with a FP they would need to scan the ticket and the CM would tell them to go to FP queue or standby queue, so a lot of unnecessary scanning. Another guy tried to buy a FP at the ride with a credit card! Most CMs would just try to direct them to the nearest FP kiosk…​

Anyways, once I got past the FP scan point, it was smooth sailing. I attempted to take some dark ride photos with my new iphone camera (I just got upgraded to an 8). Turns out the dark photos are ok, its just the moving photos there were issues with! ​

​

Don’t go into the light!​

​

And Splash (this is after I wiped away my face)! Thankfully I closed my mouth JUST in time to avoid a mouthful of Splash Mountain water (I think someone is writing a TR with that title, which I remembered as we were dropping).

​

Wow! This one is so much better than Disneyland! Better animation and more of it, and more of a splash! Although, even though I was sitting on the left side, I still got the splash of the waterfall, since no one was there to absorb it! ​

​

I next headed to Adventureland. The crowds weren’t too bad this afternoon, with the view down Frontierland: ​

​

I passed by Pirates, which had closed a few days earlier to switch up the Redhead. I know I’m in the minority, but I don’t have an issue with the change. I think a female pirate is way more badass than a sexy slave! Though, I originally wrote that before the videos came out with the actual change, and it's, well, not very impressive. Anyways, the CMs had set out games in front of the ride, which I think people were having fun with! ​

Onto my next FP-Jungle Cruise! I was also happy to give this another shot, since I only got to ride it once in September (it was closed after the hurricane due to tree damage). I also ended up getting the seat right next to the skipper, which was fun​

​

When the skipper started to make the joke about “if you don’t believe me you’re in de…” I finished with denial. Well she finished with despair! She knew I was going to say denial and totally was messing with me! ​

After a cruise, it was now time for an early dinner...

Cont... Where do you go for dinner after debarking from Jungle Cruise?
​

 

[Raeven]

Overall, I liked it. I wished the gravy had been hotter, because it was warm, but not hot enough to melt the cheese. And I lived in Montreal, so I know poutine! But I did like that they had actual curds; most places just use grated cheese. So I liked it, but didn’t love it; it’s not a must-do every trip for me, but I'm not opposed to getting it again! I did compare notes with @Raeven, who tried it in December, and it seems like maybe because I ordered it right after they opened, there wasn't enough time for it to get fully hot enough?

Mine was lava hot Maybe it was because I ordered it on a cold night too?

Baby ducks! So cute! There were a bunch of Plaids hanging around, and I think one of the babies may have fallen down into the flowerbed behind that fence, so the CMs were trying to figure out what to do! We decided to leave it in their hands…

They're so cute

 

[missangelalexis]

Aww the baby ducks!!

Glad you could have a DISmeet and enjoy the Void together! Sounds like a good afternoon and a great time at MK!

Hmm, are you on your way to Skipper Canteen??

 

[StarWarsMomofGirls!]

Love the chair! Too bad you had smokers outside your room.

I love the view from the Train Station. I always forget to go up there, but it is def worth going up.

Another guy tried to buy a FP at the ride with a credit card!

oye!

Wow! This one is so much better than Disneyland! Better animation and more of it, and more of a splash! Although, even though I was sitting on the left side, I still got the splash of the waterfall, since no one was there to absorb it!

I wish we could have tried the one in Disneyland when we were there. But I like to think that World is better, anyway! You seem to be getting wet alot lately...

When the skipper started to make the joke about “if you don’t believe me you’re in de…” I finished with denial. Well she finished with despair! She knew I was going to say denial and totally was messing with me!

Ha! Do you find the skippers funnier in Disneyland? Or do they make them stick with the script, most of the time?

 

[Lesley Wake]

Mine was lava hot Maybe it was because I ordered it on a cold night too?
They're so cute

I got luck with baby animals that trip!

Aww the baby ducks!!

Glad you could have a DISmeet and enjoy the Void together! Sounds like a good afternoon and a great time at MK!

Hmm, are you on your way to Skipper Canteen??

It was fun breaking up a solo trip with a Dismeet! And we would meet up a bunch more times! Zach and I are actually competing to see who gets to a certain point in their TR first!

Love the chair! Too bad you had smokers outside your room.

I love the view from the Train Station. I always forget to go up there, but it is def worth going up.
oye!

I wish we could have tried the one in Disneyland when we were there. But I like to think that World is better, anyway! You seem to be getting wet alot lately...

Ha! Do you find the skippers funnier in Disneyland? Or do they make them stick with the script, most of the time?

At least the smokers were far enough away I couldn't really smell them, but it was just weird knowing all these people are just sitting/standing nearby.

Yeah, Splash is definitely better at WDW! Not that it's bad at DL, but I really liked WDW! I think it's up there in my top rides (maybe #6, can't quite crack the top 5).

I don't know if I noticed funnier at DL or WDW. A lot of the same jokes.

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 1, Part 4 Adventurous Dinner

Ok, now I was done with my cruise, it was time for dinner! It wasn’t too long after lunch, but I knew I had an early dessert, so wanted to have time to digest dinner!

And where do you go after Jungle Cruise? Why not Skipper Canteen?

I checked in a few minutes early but they sat me immediately; I ended up getting a spot in the main room against the windows, which was actually nice because I could see everything but was out of the way. My appetizer ended up coming out before my actual ADR time!

The menu:

I ended up getting the Schweitzer Slush [Frozen apple juice and passion fruit topped with bursting green apple boba balls] in a souvenir mug (if you were reading my September report, you'd remember I collect souvenir mugs).

I liked this one. It was a bit hard to get the bobas, but if I just picked up the straw and sucked them through first, I could grab them. But it was nice and refreshing! The waiter also offered to take my mug back and clean it before I left.

SLUSHEE COUNT: 1

I didn’t really need an appetizer, but I wanted to try the S.E.A. Shu Mai [Pork, Shrimp, Edamame Beans and Spices wrapped in Gyoza Skin then steamed].

This ended up having a teeny tiny kick to it, which if anyone knows me, I cannot do spicy at all. Like at all. So, while I could tell it was made well and I’m sure other people would love it, it wasn’t my favorite.

For an entrée I got the “Tastes like Chicken” Because It Is! [Crispy fried chicken with citrus and ginger-scented rice, chili glaze, and seasonal vegetables].

Another that was a bit too much kick for me, though I’m sure a normal person would find it perfectly mild! It was also hard for me to eat because it still had bones in, but with it being fried, I couldn’t really tell which was bone!

So in all, while I can tell Skipper Canteen is a wonderful themed and I think it provides great food options for MK, it’s a bit too adventurous for me. I would recommend to anyone interested in the menu, but for me, it's one and done.

After paying I did check out the restaurant a bit, and loved everything about it! Especially the little red/green lights at top! Just the little details really bring everything together! (Though I wish I had taken more time to look at all the book titles.)

​

 

[Lesley Wake]

Day 1, Part 5 Fastpass Fastpass Fastpass!

After dinner I went to use my next fastpass at Haunted Mansion. It was a decent standby line, but fastpass let me get up pretty close to the entrance quickly. I was excited though because I caught Leota with her eyes open!

I attempted some low-light photos on the ride, but most were pretty blurry. I do love this area (we don’t have it in DL), with the stairs everywhere

And the ghost decided to switch faces with me! I do love the hitchhiker area here and it improves on DL's version.

I don’t think I had noticed Mr. Toad before in the cemetery.

There also was a photographer out front, so I stopped for my first Photopass pictures of the trip and was able to get a hitchhiker magic shot (though I was hoping for all 3 ghosts, not just the little one)

On my way over to Fantasyland I also spied another PP, so got a nice shot with the Tangled tower

And then, it’s a small world, where I had picked up another FP that let me walk-on. I ended up getting the front row, which was nice. I still prefer the Disneyland version, but did like how this one felt very open and un-claustrophic! Though no one from my boat got their names on the screens

I headed back down to Liberty Square, as it was time to get my Disney After Hours lanyard, which I was able to pick up from Guest Services there!

There was a decent line at GS for people asking about FPs and whatnot. I was able to help the guy behind me who was trying to decide between whether his family would like Hollywood Studios or Epcot to visit the next day. I definitely advised Epcot especially because of the Flower and Garden festival and showed him some photos from the various twitter accounts I follow. I also happened to have a park map (I had gotten it at the Disney Springs Guest Services before lunch to help prepare for F&G), so I gave that to him, which he very much appreciated.

And then out to the Hub, for some photopass pics! Including the Mickey Bar magic shot, which I was pretty excited to find! Though I had to curl my arm and hand in a very awkward position, but it looks good! Like literally my fingers were going in a totally unnatural position which the PP had to help push them into, but she knew if my hand wasn't right the magic shot wouldn't show up!

I headed up into Fantasyland, with a view of the awkward carousel scrim (though it isn’t as bad as the Main Street walls were this January/February)…

And time for my final FP-my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom-Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! I originally wasn’t going to fastpass this one, but after people were reporting long lines at 7DMT during DAH, I thought I should get at least one ride in without much of a line!

The odd-numbered group line was really backed up for some reason, with no one in the even-group line! But I ended up getting the front row, without even asking!

Cont.. Desserts & Weird Lesley-Stranger Interaction #1!​

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Yay! I’m famous (jk ).

It was great getting to see you on this trip, and I am looking forward to seeing you again soon!

That Uber driver was definitely crazy!

Zach and I are actually competing to see who gets to a certain point in their TR first!

You are going to beat me.

 

[UrsulaTime]

like dude, seriously, I did it so you could stay with your group. Whatever… [sorry if I sound negative, it’s just sometimes peoples inconsiderate behavior bothers me and I remember it]

I get this. I'm glad you included it. And anyway sometimes it's important to tell someone (or several people via trip report) about an encounter with random jerks - it's therapeutic. #THEY'RE THE WORST

Next, FP for Splash Mountain! I was pretty excited about this one, since it was closed on my previous trip.

I didn't realize you didn't get to do Splash in September!! It's my FAV. Did you know it was different before you got on the ride??

Cont.. Desserts & Weird Lesley-Stranger Interaction #1!