A Solo Trip: Is It Spring Or Winter? Feb. 25-Mar. 3, 2018! *COMPLETED 6/9/18*

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Hi everyone. Just checking in to let you know that more updates from this trip report will be posted tomorrow. Also, the updates from this trip will start becoming more consistent. I have been trying to finish the trip report that I have had going since late December.

Thank you so much for your patience. I can't wait to get into more of the awesome things that happened on this trip! This trip has made me begin to call it one of the best Disney Trips I have ever done!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 2: Animal Kingdom - Part 1!

Hello everyone and welcome to day 2 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World. This would be an exciting day for me, because I was going to my favorite Disney Theme Park! That is Disney’s Animal Kingdom!



I would arrive to the park bright and early, and it was also an Extra Magic Hour morning.

Hooray for the classic long line for Flight of Passage! I was not even in Pandora yet.



It felt great to see the floating mountains again. The details in Pandora are amazing.







I was getting closer to the actual queue for Flight of Passage.



Finally made it in the queue.





We did not walk through the whole queue. They actually cut the queue short and send people through the fastpass area until the park gets closer to opening for the actual day. So, I was in the first video room rather quickly.



After riding Flight of Passage, it was time to go on a safari!



Enjoy the many pictures I took of the animals.











This is the first time I have ever seen 3 male elephants in the “male elephant” area. I usually only see one.



We finally got to the female elephants, and I got to see Stella!!!



Simba!!!



I like how the rhinos like to get close to the safari vehicles. At least I have had that experience on several of my most recent safaris.





After the safari, I decided to take a picture of one of my favorite spots in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That spot is the bridge heading into Africa, because you get an unique view of Expedition Everest.





I would then make my way towards the front of the park, because I was on the hunt for some merchandise!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 2: Animal Kingdom - Part 2!

I would make my way to the Tree of Life where I would go on a hunt in the nearby stores for some new Lion King merchandise.



There was a specific shirt that I was wanting on this trip. Long story short…I was not able to get it. That is because they decided to have all the sizes besides mine. I guess XL was the popular size in these shirts. The shirt I really wanted was a bright yellow t-shirt with the Tree of Life on it, and it had the Lion King characters on it. Anyways, that would pretty much be the only disappointment I had from this trip. I would buy some other merchandise in the store that I was also wanting.

It was time for my first fastpass of the day! That means I was on my way to ride Expedition Everest!



After a ride on my favorite rollercoaster at Walt Disney World, it was time to get wet on Kali River Rapids! I also had a fastpass for this attraction, but it wasn’t needed.





I would then decide to go see my favorite show for the first time, but while I was on my way, I walked by some construction. Here are some photos of the theater where Flights of Wonder used to be.







I would then walk by the Tree of Life.



It was finally time! It was time for me to see my favorite theme park show! That is Festival of the Lion King!



I would see the show from the warthog section.

Enjoy pictures of the show:



















After a great show, I would adventure to the Maharajah Jungle Trek to see the baby tiger cubs, but they were asleep.



I would then use my final fastpass at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and that was for Dinosaur!



At this point, I would leave Disney’s Animal Kingdom, because I had a lunch reservation at another Disney Theme Park!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 2: EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

I would then board a bus for Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.



On the way, I got a good view of the new tower being built at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.



I also came across some gondola system construction by the Boardwalk Resort.





I arrived at the Boardwalk!



I was on my way to EPCOT, and I realized a Friendship Boat was pulling up as I got to the Boardwalk. So, instead of walking to EPCOT (which would have been faster), I decided to rest and take the boat.



I would arrive at the International Gateway Entrance.



My main reason for coming to EPCOT was to eat at one of my favorite table service restaurants on property. That is Teppan Edo.



Teppan Edo is a restaurant where you sit with other guests, so it might be uncomfortable for some that don’t like to be sitting with strangers. The restaurant is located in the Japan pavilion, and it is a hibachi grill. I really like this place, because you get food and a little show.

Due to some recent health concerns I had, my food was made first so I got it really quickly. I ordered the shrimp and chicken combination.



Now, it was time for the chef to show what she could do!



VOLCANO!!!



My food was really good. I like asian food a lot, and I prefer Teppan Edo and any food in the Japan pavilion over any of the food in the China pavilion. I highly recommend this restaurant if you would like to give it a try.

Well, I can’t go to EPCOT without seeing the Voices of Liberty. So, I would sit in the American Adventure for a couple hours listening to my favorite singing group. The Voices of Liberty would also sing one of my favorite songs that I hadn’t heard in a long time on this day (video further down).



I had a cool experience happen while walking into the American Adventure for the day. As I walked in, I noticed someone who I had gotten to know while sitting for several performances of the Voices of Liberty on many trips really well was also in town. Normally we have told each other when we would be in town, but this time we didn’t. It was definitely a pleasant surprise, and I was happy that I got to see a friend on my solo trip. This wouldn't be the only friend that I saw on this trip as well.

It was then time for me to leave EPCOT. I would exit out of the International Gateway, because I was on my way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I decided that I would enjoy one of my favorite walks at Walt Disney World, and that is by walking to Disney’s Hollywood Studios from EPCOT. Walking is a lot faster than taking the Friendship Boats. With my long legs, it is about a 20 minute walk for me.



I would arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.





It was now time for dinner so I made my way to the Backlot Express.



After enjoying a nice dinner, it was time to get a spot for my first nighttime show of the evening.

I found the sunset on this particular evening to be really nice.



I would make my way down Sunset Blvd, because I was going to see my least favorite show at Walt Disney World. That is Fantasmic!



More updates from day 2 will be posted at another time.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

VIDEO: Voices of Liberty - “Battle Hymn of the Republic!"

Here is a video of the Voices of Liberty singing one of my favorite songs in their repertoire called “Battle Hymn of the Republic!.” It had been a long time since I had heard this song, so I was really excited to hear it again. The soloist is amazing!

Side note…Look up the "Voices of Liberty Battle Hymn of the Republic Echo” if you ever get a chance. They do a special version of this song on the 4th of July only. I’m not going to give anything away, but I get chills every time I hear it. I have only heard this particular version of the song once, and it was amazing!!!

Voices of Liberty: “Battle Hymn of the Republic!”

I hope that you enjoyed the video!

 

[Lesley Wake]

We did not walk through the whole queue. They actually cut the queue short and send people through the fastpass area until the park gets closer to opening for the actual day. So, I was in the first video room rather quickly.

That was good at least!

After the safari, I decided to take a picture of one of my favorite spots in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That spot is the bridge heading into Africa, because you get an unique view of Expedition Everest.

Wait until you see my early morning photo from this very spot - sun rising over Everest!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

That was good at least!


Wait until you see my early morning photo from this very spot - sun rising over Everest!

It was good until every time I went on FoP this trip was either during EMH or FP. I never got to see the cool animatronic in the queue at all on this trip.

I am looking forward to seeing that photo.

 

[Disneylover1970]

It was good until every time I went on FoP this trip was either during EMH or FP. I never got to see the cool animatronic in the queue at all on this trip.

I am looking forward to seeing that photo.

Thanks for sharing your trip. How did you like the All Stars Resorts? Which one? I’m thinking either All Stars Music? Or Pop Century next trip.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Thanks for sharing your trip. How did you like the All Stars Resorts? Which one? I’m thinking either All Stars Music? Or Pop Century next trip.

You are welcome! Thank you for reading along.

I will have a pretty extensive overview of All-Star Music at the end of this trip report. However, if you look at my other trip report in my signature, I just posted my overview of All-Star Music in that trip report if you would like to read it.

Now, Pop Century and All-Star Music are my favorites in terms of the values, but I haven’t stayed at AoA and AS Movies. Century is my overall favorite if I had to pick between the two. I would also give Pop Century a try before the gondola system opens, because I’m sure that resort will see a bump in hotel rates. I like the Pop Century food court more than any of the All-Stars. Based on theming, I’m biased to music themes so AS Music wins in this category, but I enjoy the theming of Pop very much.

One other thing to note is Pop is now renovating their rooms. So, if you stay there, you might be able to get a new renovated room that looks really nice. I recommend checking out the 7 in 7 that the DIS Unplugged just did. They did a review on Pop Century.

I hope this helps!

 

[Lesley Wake]

It was good until every time I went on FoP this trip was either during EMH or FP. I never got to see the cool animatronic in the queue at all on this trip.

I am looking forward to seeing that photo.

Yeah I think next trip I want to do standby at the end of one night so I can spend time seeing the full queue!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Yeah I think next trip I want to do standby at the end of one night so I can spend time seeing the full queue!

I have always done that. Just for some reason this trip, I never had the opportunity. HOWEVER, I was planning on doing that until you gave me a “Magical Moment.”

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 2: All Three Disney’s Hollywood Studios Nighttime Shows!

Hello everyone and welcome to the continuation of my updates from day 2 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World!

I am picking up my trip report on the evening of day 2.

So, I walked down Sunset Blvd, because it was time to see Fantasmic!



I would get a pretty good spot for the show despite showing up about 30 minutes before the show began.



The show would begin, and I am known for disliking this version of the show. My opinion hasn’t changed with this performance. Every time that I go, I really hope that I will enjoy it. That just hasn’t happened yet. I just feel like the actors don’t give 100% to the show (I’m sure they do, but it doesn’t look like it). The choreography is never together, and there are some other aspects that really annoy me.

So, we would get towards the end of the show, and I never knew that Moana was now on the boat. You can see her in the front on the 2nd level.







So, Fantasmic ended, and I still believe that this show is in need of a massive refurbishment/update. Disneyland has always beaten Walt Disney World’s version in my opinion.

I would then leave the theater, because it was time to get a spot for Disney Movie Magic and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular.



So, Disney Movie Magic would begin, and something strange happened. We sat during the whole show. I don’t know if I have ever experienced sitting for a nighttime show.

Enjoy pictures of the show:











I noticed A Wrinkle In Time was added to the show on this trip.











Can you name the movie below?







So, Disney Movie Magic would end. I actually really enjoy this show. Part of me wishes it was actually the nighttime firework show, but Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular continues to be popular.

Speaking of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, that was next!

So, everyone would remain seated again for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. Part of me really started to think I wasn’t in a Disney Theme Park, because I had never experienced sitting for a show.

So, let the show begin!

































So, I really enjoyed this show a lot more than normal. Again, that was probably due to the reason that I was sitting and not standing. The technology is really cool in this show, and I like how Disney keeps adding things to the show from the new movies.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 2: A Short Trip To Disney Springs!

So, I would then leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I decided to make a short trip to Disney Springs.



So, I made my way to the Disney Springs bus stop, and I would arrive at Disney Springs within a half hour of leaving Disney’s Hollywood Studios.



The main reason for this trip was to go to the Art of Disney Store to get a print that I really wanted. However, I would take the time and explorer the rest of Disney Springs since I was there. I also was able to see the changes being made to the World of Disney Store.



After a while, I would make my way back to All-Star Music. I would get back to my room to the surprise of having two Mickey rice crispy treats! Lets just say that these didn’t last long!



Day 3 updates will be coming soon! Stay tuned!

 

[Capang]

Somehow I missed this TR. Always enjoy following along!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Somehow I missed this TR. Always enjoy following along!

Glad to see you are joining in! Thanks for being a loyal follower of my trip reports!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 3: The Best Disney Day Ever - Part 1!

Welcome to day 3 of my trip to Walt Disney World! This day would end up being one of the best Disney days I have ever had at a Walt Disney World Theme Park. For those of you who know me, you know how many times I have been to a Disney Theme Park, so for me to say that, it takes a lot. So, lets dive right into it!

My day would start by going to the Magic Kingdom!





“Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.” I always like looking at that sign when I enter the Magic Kingdom.



I can’t wait for me to enter the Magic Kingdom and NOT see any refurbishment to the Main Street buildings.



The view of Cinderella’s Castle will never get old.





The park had just opened so I made my way to Frontierland to ride Big Thunder Railroad!



In my opinion, the best spot to ride this attraction is in the back.





Up next, it was time to ride Splash Mountain!



I would then take the Walt Disney World Railroad to the Storybook Circus stop where I would make my way to my first fastpass of the day.



My first fastpass was for Peter Pan’s Flight!



It was time for my next fastpass, but it wasn’t just any fastpass. This was a special fastpass given to me when I booked my trip. Here is more on that…

When I called Disney to book my trip, I was really wanting to go. It was also getting to the point where it was getting really difficult for me to find a room. I would eventually get transferred to Guest Services where that Cast Member would try his best to make my trip work by staying in one resort. He eventually got it to work, but then he also just decided to make my fastpasses for me over the phone. So, he made a lot of my fastpasses for my trip, but I would eventually go in and rearrange them. However, I kept the fastpasses today the same. That is for one reason. I started the day with 4 fastpasses. That is because the CM decided to give me an ANYTIME fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. So, that is where I decided to go next.



After a nice extra fastpass, I made would make my way to my lunch reservation. I would first get a picture of the Fantasyland side of Cinderella’s Castle.



My lunch reservation today was for Be Our Guest Restaurant!



I always try to sit in the ballroom, and I was successful today.



I decided that I would try something new on this trip. I usually always get the french dip sandwich, but I would decided to get the Braised Pork on this trip. This was absolutely DELICIOUS! I didn’t leave a thing on the plate.



The stain-glass mural as you exit is always cool to look at.



It was time for my 3rd fastpass of the day, but the 2nd fastpass that I actually booked. it was time for me to see some ghosts in the Haunted Mansion!



*PLEASE NO POLITICS IN MY TRIP REPORT!*

The next attraction I would go to is the Hall of Presidents. This attraction means a lot to me for personal reasons, so I always make a stop here on every trip unless it is closed.









I really like the new show a lot. There are some aspects I miss about the old show, but I find the new screen to be really nice.



It is always an awesome sight seeing all of the animatronics for all of the U.S. Presidents once they are revealed.





*PLEASE NO POLITICS IN MY TRIP REPORT!*

I would then make my way into Tomorrowland!



I had to take a ride on my “10 minutes of rest.” That is the PeopleMover!





I got the front on the PeopleMover!



I would then make my way to the Carousel of Progress. This is when things would start to get a little crazy since I had a fastpass expiring in about 20 minutes. I figured that would be plenty of time to go through the Carousel of Progress and get to my next fastpass within the “grace period."



The Carousel of Progress started, and after the 2nd scene, a Cast Member came over the intercom saying, “Ladies and gentleman, due to a guest getting up and leaving during this portion of the scene, we are forced to reset the system. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will continue your rotation in 5 minutes.” So, I had to watch an entire scene all over again. I figured I would still be ok if I would speed walk to my next fastpass.

We would go to the next scene. After that scene was over, a Cast Member came on the intercom saying the same thing as before. At this point, I just thought about getting up and leaving, but I didn’t want to be “that guy.” So, I stayed.

I would finally get off the Carousel of Progress within 5 minutes until my next fastpass. Lets just say I never walked faster to the Jungle Cruise in my life.

So, I showed up to the Jungle Cruise about 2 minutes after the “grace period” ended. I explained to the Jungle Cruise skipper standing outside what had happened, and she was more than happy to let me still use my fastpass. I wish I caught her name, but I was really happy.





I would then see one of my favorite Walt Disney shows. That is the Enchanted Tiki Room. Is it sad that I can almost quote the entire show as it is going on?



It was time for a parade!!!

More about my best Disney day ever in my next post.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 3: Festival of Fantasy Parade!

It was time for me to make my way to Main Street to find a spot for the Festival of Fantasy Parade! I would eventually settle on a spot in front of the Main Street Train Station for 2 reasons.

1. Shade!!!
2. I was leaving the Magic Kingdom right after the parade.

I know Town Square is the end of the parade, so it isn’t the most ideal location. I just really wanted to see the parade from somewhere on Main Street.

Enjoy pictures of the parade…







































My favorite float in the parade is the Dragon float!































After the parade, I would make my way to the exit of the park, because I was on my way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

More on my best Disney day ever in my next post.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 3: The Best Disney Day Ever - Part 2!

I would arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios where I would make my way down Sunset Boulevard.



I had enough time to get a good spot for the next performance of Beauty and the Beast.



Enjoy pictures of the show:











It was then time to see if I could do something for the first time ever at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!



I would get in the front row…





I WAS SUCCESSFUL!!! I GOT TO BE AN EXTRA!!! I got to do the "evil laugh" part.



Here is my crazy costume.



So, we would eventually go down to the stage, and I noticed the guy who does most of the Disney Parks Live Streams was the guy doing the show. Eventually he came up to me which is never a good sign. Anyways, I agreed to do my very own scene that would be called…

“Zach’s Death Scene!”

Shockingly…I agreed. So, for the next minute, I had all of the spotlight on me.

I would magically come back to life and the show continued.

Being an extra was really cool, because I got to be up close to all of the stunts that I had seen many times. It was also a lot of fun to be apart of the show.

We would eventually go back to the top of the area where I would watch the final scene.













The show was over, and I made my way to my next fastpass of the day which was Tower of Terror!



This is when something I found to be really cool actually happened…

So, I would board the elevator and I started to go up to the top. As we moved forward, I noticed we were getting close to the door that opens for the drop sequence. Then, the lights turned on!!!



We never quite made it to the door, but it was really cool to see this part of the ride with the lights on. So, 20 minutes would go by and we would keep getting the speech from the Cast Member that said, “Look to your left. There is a camera.” We also heard the elevator that was probably in the drop sequence area singing “Let It Go” which was rather hilarious. Then the next best thing happened!

WE GOT EVACUATED OFF TOWER OF TERROR!!!

So, I got to walk across the area where the elevator goes straight which was really cool. Now, how do you get evacuated off Tower of Terror? Do you go down steps? That’s what I originally thought, but nope. You actually board another elevator to go down. This was rather scary, because we went down on a normal elevator with a Tower of Terror Cast Member that said we wouldn’t drop quickly. Many of us jokingly didn’t believe him.

So, we would reach the loading area, and we would actually go across to the other side of Tower of Terror where we would board another elevator to ride the attraction. I never realized that Tower of Terror was on two different ride systems.

So we got to ride again, and we also got 2 fastpasses that could be used that night or the next day at any park. So, I now had 5 fastpasses for the next day. How could this day possibly get better?

So, I had made a fastpass for Rock N’ Rollercoaster after I went in line for Tower of Terror so that is where I went next.



I would then leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios where I would find out something new. I decided to walk to EPCOT, but as I began my walk, I realized an EPCOT bus was pulling up to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I never realized that you could take a bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios before. I thought you could only walk or take the boat. So, it was nice to be dropped off at the main entrance to the park.



I would walk by the fountain which is always really nice.



My original plan was to go eat dinner at Katusra Grill in Japan so that is where I was heading. As I was walking through World Showcase, I had this strange idea to see if there was any way Rose & Crown could fit me in as a party of 1. I would arrive, and I was able to! I got really lucky since this is one of my favorite restaurants in EPCOT, and I was strangely in the mood for fish & chips.



This was about 45 minutes before Illuminations, and I would have to wait about 15 minutes to be seated. So, to pass the time, I went into one of my favorite stores in EPCOT. That is the store in England where they have a lot of English Premier League (soccer) merchandise.



I would finally get seated, and my food would arrive about 10 minutes before Illuminations.



The fish & chips are delicious! I actually didn’t get the chips part of the dish. I elected to get mashed potatoes which were really good.



More about my best Disney day ever in my next post.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 3: Illuminations: Reflections of Earth (Rose & Crown Viewing Area)!

So, right before Illuminations, I was notified that Rose & Crown had their own special viewing area for the show. So, right as the show was beginning, my server guided me to that area. This area was definitely a great view!

Enjoy pictures of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth:















































This was really a great view of Illuminations and an added surprise. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to see the show since I was seated inside the restaurant.

More about my best Disney day ever in my next post.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 3: The Best Disney Day Ever - Part 3!

So, I would make my way back into Rose & Crown to finish my meal, and I would leave the restaurant at about 9:40 p.m.

It was also evening Extra Magic Hours at EPCOT, so I decided to enjoy the park until it closed at 11 p.m.

I would walk the long way to Norway by going by France, Morocco, America, etc. That is because I was on my way to Frozen Ever After! I would wait about 30 minutes to get on this attraction which wasn’t bad at all.



Up next, I would make my way to Test Track!



Here is the car that I made while in line.



By the time I got off Test Track, I had about 15 minutes before the park closed. So, I decided I would hit all of the “Big 3” attractions in the park and make my way over to the Land. I was getting ready to finish my awesome day by riding Soarin: Around the World!





I would get off Soarin after the park was closed so it was interesting to see the Land so empty.





It was time to leave EPCOT.



So, this was really one of the best days I have ever had at any Disney Theme Park. I had so much good luck handed to me. That started with my anytime fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train given to me before my trip began. Then getting picked to be an extra in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. After that, I thought it was awesome getting 2 extra fastpasses for the next day while getting evacuated off of one of my favorite attractions and still getting to ride it anyway. Then to top it all off, being able to eat at one of my favorite restaurants without a reservation.

So, I was exhausted, and I was off to All-Star Music to get some rest.