Don't Pet the Sweaty Things. An Aug Solo Birthday Trip. Updated 12/4!!

Glad you enjoyed the dessert party! This is the only one I have done and would do it again.
 
Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip and we had an amazing time!

Glad to hear it! Welcome home.

I spotted a lady in an awesome Princess Leia outfit and had to snap a stalker photo. She was harassed quite a bit that evening by the storm troopers.

As she should be!

There was a separate line for the party guests so I just had to show my lanyard and I walked right in, past the fairly short stand by line.

Did you laugh at them all as you walked past?

I will say this was the only thing I was disappointed in during the whole party. This meet and greet was super rushed. I entered the area, Kylo pointed at me and then at the floor, ordering me where to go and stand. I stood there, they snapped a picture and then ushered me out. There was zero interaction with him at all.

Well, that stinks. Boring!

They had a boy maybe around 5 who had a severe egg allergy. He got one of the special boxes of allergy safe treats and he was so excited about them. He was showing them to everyone around and counting how many were in the box. I think the total count was somewhere around 10. I think the poor kid was so used to being super restricted in what he could eat that he was amazed with how many options he had.

That's sweet.

This next one isn’t really a good photo but it shows the intensity of the fire they shoot off. It totally overwhelmed my camera and it felt like we were standing on the sun for a few seconds.

I couldn't believe how hot those flames felt, even standing so far away!

But almost immediately, a bus pulled up at the All Star Sports stop and it was one of those big comfy ones like the DME buses. The driver waived me and the four or five people from the All Star Music line over and said he had plenty of room and would drop us off at our resorts also.

Wow, that was nice of him!
 
I actually have my Elephant figurine collection at work. As of right now I just have five so they don't take up a whole lot of room. I still have a few shelves I can expand onto.

You're going to need a new office, then.

;)

Actually, I'm pretty sure you are correct here. They have a lot of different Elephant figurines ranging from $10 to about a gazillion $ (OK I may be exaggerating there but there are some pretty pricey ones).

Of course. I totally knew that.


:rolleyes1

But I already bought one in China in February and wanted one from a different pavilion. I'm sure I'll end up buying another one from there someday.

ah

Yep, just in case you are wondering (and even if you aren't, I'm telling you anyways), my sorority mascot was an Elephant so that's the main reason I love them.

I completely understand. My fraternity mascot was... I didn't go to a frat.
But my high school mascot was... we didn't have one.
But my College mascot was.... I don't even know.


So there's that.

Those ice cream martinis are a pretty good value. Probably about the most alcoholic drink for the price. Last time I had one I was flying for about an hour afterwards. Of course, I am a serious lightweight.

:laughing:

I do agree on this one. I don't get why people rush into the theaters. I always try to hang back towards the middle of the crowd so you end up in the middle of a row.

::yes::

No, I was nice. I tried to talk to him to distract him from the ride. But he didn't speak much English so I don't think it was much help.

Oh....

I actually recognized him. That's Mansiri Okabenwa. And you're right, he doesn't speak much English.
I'm sure you were telling him "Everything will be okay". Except in his language, "O" and "K", are phonetic equivalents to "Death" and "Awaits".

So you were basically telling him he was going to die.
 
Hello everyone! I'm back from my trip and we had an amazing time!

Welcome back! Glad to hear it was good! :)

I had the privilege of meeting @FastPasser. who is a regular poster here on the DIS and a CM (retired now).

:) Always nice to get a DISmeet in.

I didn’t know at that time but my table was #18 right next to the pole in this photo.

I know a lot of guys who always try to get near the pole.


But I think we may be talking about different things.

I spotted a lady in an awesome Princess Leia outfit and had to snap a stalker photo.

Nice outfit. :)

She was harassed quite a bit that evening by the storm troopers.

:laughing:

I knew being a solo traveler I would be seated with another group which made me a little nervous.

I can understand that. I really can.

In the interest of this TR and also some friends who asked me for pictures, I took photos of most of the food before getting a plate myself.

Thanks! And everything looks yummy, too.

I really liked everything on my plate except for the Dark Chocolate Mousse Dome. It was very bitter and I just prefer sweet.

I'm the same. I like milk chocolate, not dark.

There was a separate line for the party guests so I just had to show my lanyard and I walked right in, past the fairly short stand by line.

Hope you waved as you passed them. :laughing:

I will say this was the only thing I was disappointed in during the whole party. This meet and greet was super rushed.

:( Sorry to hear that.

I entered the area, Kylo pointed at me and then at the floor, ordering me where to go and stand. I stood there, they snapped a picture and then ushered me out. There was zero interaction with him at all.

Wow. So... then you didn't really meet him, did you.
Just because you're solo or an adult, doesn't mean you should be rushed like that.

I also talked a little bit with the family at the table behind me.

:laughing: Nervous about being with strangers... so talks to strangers instead.

They had a boy maybe around 5 who had a severe egg allergy. He got one of the special boxes of allergy safe treats and he was so excited about them. He was showing them to everyone around and counting how many were in the box. I think the total count was somewhere around 10. I think the poor kid was so used to being super restricted in what he could eat that he was amazed with how many options he had.

:goodvibes

The Stormtroopers did walk through a few times and spent some time harassing guests. At one point one of them stopped at my table. He just stood there and stared at me and finally I got a bit flustered and said “What?”. He replied “I’ll ask the question here” and then turned and left. Not sure what that was all about.

:lmao:


I like that! Cool!

I felt bad for the people right behind the raised area who probably thought they had the best spot in the house until the dessert party people arrived.

Oops. Oh well...

This next one isn’t really a good photo but it shows the intensity of the fire they shoot off. It totally overwhelmed my camera and it felt like we were standing on the sun for a few seconds.

:eek: Whoa!

We were definitely a bit close for the show but in all honesty I’m not sure there is an ideal place to watch this show from. If you are far enough back to see all of the fireworks, you won’t be able to clearly see the projections. I think the current dessert party area is probably the best because the show really is more about the projections with a few fireworks thrown in.

Huh. I've never seen it. And I won't on my upcoming trip, either.

But at this point, between the heat and lack of sleep the previous two night, I was done with a capital “D”. D.O.N.E. I couldn’t believe it but all I wanted at that moment was a shower and my bed.

:hug: Ya hit the wall. It happens.

It was a teeny bit crowded that day!

Just a bit.

But almost immediately, a bus pulled up at the All Star Sports stop and it was one of those big comfy ones like the DME buses. The driver waived me and the four or five people from the All Star Music line over and said he had plenty of room and would drop us off at our resorts also.

Nice! I bet, considering how tired you were, that you were pretty happy about that.

Pin trading was horrible this trip, there was nothing good on any of the CMs lanyards. I only managed to find one I liked all day.

Bummer
 



I had thought about riding Test Track but the line was really long, something like 80 minutes, when I checked the App and I didn’t feel like waiting.

Great report so far! Did you know that there is a single rider line for TT? It is typically even faster that Fastpass!
 


Glad you enjoyed the dessert party! Great pics of the projections!

Thanks! It was a very nice dessert party.

Hey! I have been missing from the Dis so much so that I am sure my readers think I have fallen off the face of the Earth (I finally updated today after forever). I am so glad that I found your report. There's simply too much to comment on so I'll just say I'm all caught up.

Hi Lisa! I do think I have your report bookmarked. I'm still trying to play catch up from my Disney trip but I'll definitely get to your report soon.

The dessert party looks nice, I like all the savory options you can have now. I have never done a dessert party! I love Star Wars but I agree, I think the first SW’s fireworks were better!

I think you are joining us for the MK one in May, right? So you will get to experience one! I love both this one and the MK one but there weren't as many savory options at the MK one last time I did it. But I normally don't care about anything but the sweets.

Thank you for the dessert party review. We are going to it in a few days and I wasn't really sure on what to do.

I hope you had a wonderful time at the party!

LOL I love that..."WHAT?!"

You know me, I got totally flustered and that's what came out of my mouth. :rotfl2:

This one looks way cooler than that crazy faced Chewbacca one they were giving out before!

We have the Chewbacca one too and he is a bit creepy. I guess the are handing out Darth Vader ones now.

We had the same issue with Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam dessert party at DHS. Everybody standing with their kids on their shoulders...not really necessary when you're already so close. Ugh.

I didn't have the kids on shoulders thank goodness. That would have really made me mad.

Oooooh, what a bonus!!!

It was so nice of that bus driver to take us all!

Glad you enjoyed the dessert party! This is the only one I have done and would do it again.

I definitely plan on doing this one again in the future! I really like the MK one too and want to try the Frozen one at Epcot someday.

As she should be!

I think she had a really good time with the Stormtroopers. They were seated a few tables away so I was able to watch a lot of the fun.

Did you laugh at them all as you walked past?

No I was nice, just gave them a superior smirk.

Well, that stinks. Boring!

It was a horrible meet and greet, one of the worst one I've every had.

That's sweet.

He was a very cute little boy!

I couldn't believe how hot those flames felt, even standing so far away!

It was definitely hot up close too. Not the most welcome on a muggy August night!

Wow, that was nice of him!

I was very appreciative of that bus driver. Who knows how long I would have waited otherwise.

You're going to need a new office, then.

Maybe eventually! I do have lots of shelf space yet so I'm good for a few years especially if I limit the elephant purchases to Disney trips.

Of course. I totally knew that.

I believed you completely. ;)

I completely understand. My fraternity mascot was... I didn't go to a frat.
But my high school mascot was... we didn't have one.
But my College mascot was.... I don't even know.

I thought, how could you not know? And then I tried to remember what my college mascot was. Huh, total blank. :confused3

I actually recognized him. That's Mansiri Okabenwa. And you're right, he doesn't speak much English.
I'm sure you were telling him "Everything will be okay". Except in his language, "O" and "K", are phonetic equivalents to "Death" and "Awaits".

So you were basically telling him he was going to die.

:rotfl:

Always nice to get a DISmeet in.

Definitely! I can't wait till May and the epic DIS meet. I think you are going to be there at that time too. We will have to see if there's a quick moment to say hi again.

I know a lot of guys who always try to get near the pole.
But I think we may be talking about different things.

:scared1: :P

Nice outfit.

She was definitely dressed for the party!

I can understand that. I really can.

Personally I don't mind sitting with other people as long as they are pleasant. I mostly worry about getting someone who is annoyed or angry with having to sit with strangers.

Thanks! And everything looks yummy, too.

It was! I want a few of those peanut butter/chocolate cupcakes right now.

I'm the same. I like milk chocolate, not dark.

Yep, milk chocolate all the way for me. I'm not a fan of white chocolate either.

Hope you waved as you passed them.

No I was nice although I might have had a bit of a superior smile going.

Wow. So... then you didn't really meet him, did you.
Just because you're solo or an adult, doesn't mean you should be rushed like that.

I think it was the worse meet and greet I've ever done.

Nervous about being with strangers... so talks to strangers instead.

Ha! Actually the little boy initiated because he wanted to show everyone his box of sweets.

I like that! Cool!

They give out some nice gifts at the end of that party. We have a Chewbacca stein from a few years ago and I read that it's a Darth Vader stein now.

Huh. I've never seen it. And I won't on my upcoming trip, either.

I don't think it will be a priority for me going forward either although I do like the dessert party. It's definitely not on the schedule for next May.

Ya hit the wall. It happens.

It definitely happened to me that night!

Nice! I bet, considering how tired you were, that you were pretty happy about that.

I was! Not only for the quickness but also for the nice cushy seats on that bus.

Great report so far! Did you know that there is a single rider line for TT? It is typically even faster that Fastpass!

I do know about the single rider line but they don't give the times on the APP and I was too lazy to walk over to the ride so see how long it was. I also knew that we would be riding TT in October so I wasn't too worried about getting on during this trip.

Thanks for posting! Enjoyed the read.
I've enjoyed reading your trip reports. Thanks!

Welcome! Thanks for joining in.
 
A Pandora Kind of Morning

I was up and out the door on Saturday 8/11 a little after 6 am. I was surprised I managed to do that because once again I didn’t sleep too well. But I guess the call of FOP was strong enough to get me up and moving. There was morning EMH that day that started at 7 am and I’m pretty sure I got on the first bus to Animal Kingdom but still ran into this.




Yep, that was the FOP line almost backed up to Africa! The time stamp on this photo is 7:05 am so I definitely made it to the park early. Lots of people apparently got there before me! But I really wanted to ride FOP more than once so I decided to stick it out.

I decided to be that annoyingly loud person and used the time in line to call and talk to my Mom. We had been texting a lot but I wanted to give her more details about my trip so far. We talked for about a ½ hour which is about the time it took to get into the regular line. I was handed the warning card they give out now on the ride. This was the first time I got one of those.




Once Mom and I hung up, I took a few line pictures to pass the time.









I think overall I waited about 50 minutes for the ride. Still worth that wait and this was the 5th time I’ve ridden it!

EMH was over when I was done with FOP so I took a few more pictures in Pandora and then headed out to other areas of the park.






My next destination was an old favorite, Dinosaur. It was still a walk on so it wasn’t very long until I was headed into the past. Like I said earlier, I kind of ran out of ride photo ideas this trip. The lady in the back seat really owned this photo. I can't figure out what the two guys in the middle seat are doing if anything.



When I finished up on Dinosaur I realized I was a bit hungry. Once again, the Cheerios I had a few hours before did not fill me up enough. Well AK sucks for breakfast spots so I ended up grabbing a cookie and bottle of water in the Dinosaur dump shop.



I sat at a picnic table near Primeval Whirl and enjoyed the cookie. Probably not the most healthy morning snack but calories don’t count at Disney, right?

After that I headed back towards Africa and got in line for the Safari. I had a FP for later that day but decided I wanted to ride it twice. On the way there, I walked through the Africa store and I finally spotted an elephant I wanted to buy. I already have one from Animal Kingdom but I really liked this one and it was very different from the first one I bought. I decided to get it after the Safari which as you will see in a minute was a very good idea.

I don’t remember what the posted wait time was but I took this photo at 9:15 am right before I got in line.




And my first shot on the Safari was taken at 9:42 am so just under a half hour wait.



The main thing I remember about this Safari was our crazy driver, Zach. He talked a mile a minute so you could barely understand him and also drove like an absolute mad man. I’ve never been thrown around so much on the Safari before! Thank goodness I didn’t have the breakable elephant figurine with me! Needless to say, my photos aren’t the best but here’s what I did get.























I was pretty happy to get off of that Safari truck at the end of the ride!

I wanted to hit up the 11 am Lion King show before heading out of the park to my lunch ADR at the Boathouse but I still had a bit of time before I had to get in line. So I headed to the Gorilla Falls trail to visit my favorite baby Gorillas.

The Colobus Monkeys were mostly inside except for one that was half way there. I don’t blame them for staying out of the heat!




A few pictures from the aviary.









Meerkat.



When I made it to the Gorilla enclosure only one of the little boys was out. I think the one in the middle might be Lilly but she’s 7 years old now and has gotten so big it’s hard to distinguish her from the other females.





I only spotted one of the Bachelor males before heading out and towards the Lion King theater.





On the way to FOLK, I stopped and picked up my Elephant (or rather Elephants) for the trip.



And here they are on a shelf at work with my previous elephant purchases. From left to right, stone elephant from Venice Beach (Disneyland trip), faux jade elephant from the China Pavilion, animal prints elephant from AK, new one purchased on this trip.



Up Next: I Finally Crash on a Soggy Afternoon
 
We have the Chewbacca one too and he is a bit creepy. I guess the are handing out Darth Vader ones now.
Guess you'll have to go back!! :darth:


IMG_0728-L.jpg
Ooh, I haven't seen these before either. I do like that it says specifically your whole party needs to be together; however, I wonder if/how they really enforce it if people do get out of line for bathrooms or whatever.

I can't figure out what the two guys in the middle seat are doing if anything.

I like your face--it's like, Oh, hello old friend? :)
I think those guys look like they're just holding on their glasses! LOL Not sure what they were going for otherwise!


Yum!! I LOVE those cookies! I'm usually using up snack credits on those to take home with me!

I was pretty happy to get off of that Safari truck at the end of the ride!
Yuck, I imagine you were!! I "get" being bounced around a bit, but it sounds like you were really tossed!!

Nice little collection there :) And I LOVE the pic of you and your Mom with the Osborne lights and cracked up at you, Jim and Gaston LOL
 
Maybe eventually! I do have lots of shelf space yet so I'm good for a few years especially if I limit the elephant purchases to Disney trips.

I give it 6 months, tops.

I thought, how could you not know? And then I tried to remember what my college mascot was. Huh, total blank. :confused3

SEEEEE?????

Definitely! I can't wait till May and the epic DIS meet. I think you are going to be there at that time too. We will have to see if there's a quick moment to say hi again.

Hope so. :)
I'm thinking I'm going to have to post... something?
"We'll be in _____ park on this day, so if you're there, shoot me a text."

Something like that?

Personally I don't mind sitting with other people as long as they are pleasant. I mostly worry about getting someone who is annoyed or angry with having to sit with strangers.

Ugh. Yeah, that wouldn't be fun.



Heh. Just to mess with you, if we meet, I'll be a real jerk. Well, more of a jerk. ;)

It was! I want a few of those peanut butter/chocolate cupcakes right now.

well.... yeah! Who wouldn't!?!?

Yep, milk chocolate all the way for me. I'm not a fan of white chocolate either.

I'll eat white... but not much. I get sick of it pretty quickly.

No I was nice although I might have had a bit of a superior smile going.

:thumbsup2

I think it was the worse meet and greet I've ever done.

Not cool, Disney!

Ha! Actually the little boy initiated because he wanted to show everyone his box of sweets.

Awwww.... :)

It definitely happened to me that night!

:hug:

I was! Not only for the quickness but also for the nice cushy seats on that bus.

mmmm.... cushy seats...
 
There was morning EMH that day that started at 7 am and I’m pretty sure I got on the first bus to Animal Kingdom but still ran into this.
:faint: Wow, that is nuts! I only did FoP once, but I am glad I had a FP for it.

I think overall I waited about 50 minutes for the ride. Still worth that wait and this was the 5th time I’ve ridden it!
Of course on the other hand, I would gladly wait that long for this ride. One thing I regret about FP is that you miss so much of the queue, and it looks pretty amazing. I think 50 minutes would go by fairly quickly in a queue like that.
 
I was surprised I managed to do that because once again I didn’t sleep too well.

:( Too bad. I've always said "No sleep like a Disney sleep."

But I guess the call of FOP was strong enough to get me up and moving.

::yes:: That'd do it. :)

I’m pretty sure I got on the first bus to Animal Kingdom but still ran into this.


:eek:

Yep, that was the FOP line almost backed up to Africa!

Holy crap!
I may have to revise my plans with my DD for this May.

I decided to be that annoyingly loud person and used the time in line to call and talk to my Mom.

What did you do when people were turning and staring at you?


Huh. Hadn't heard of that. I guess they must have had.... issues.

I took a few line pictures to pass the time.

This is what one does. I've never actually been in the non-FP line.

I think overall I waited about 50 minutes for the ride. Still worth that wait and this was the 5th time I’ve ridden it!

Wow! I've got a long ways to go to catch up with you. :)

The lady in the back seat really owned this photo.

::yes::

I can't figure out what the two guys in the middle seat are doing if anything.

I think they're just adjusting their glasses.

Once again, the Cheerios I had a few hours before did not fill me up enough.

Well... no. It's Cheerios. And there's an entire World of Disney snacks at your disposal, you know.

Well AK sucks for breakfast spots

It does?
Hmmm.... not a Cinnamon roll fan?

I sat at a picnic table near Primeval Whirl

Ugh. Please Disney, take out this monstrosity and replace it with something that people might actually enjoy.

calories don’t count at Disney, right?

Right! :thumbsup2

After that I headed back towards Africa and got in line for the Safari. I had a FP for later that day but decided I wanted to ride it twice.

Why?
Not questioning your desire, just that's a one and done per trip for me.

On the way there, I walked through the Africa store and I finally spotted an elephant I wanted to buy.

Ah ha! I told you! Six months! Tops!

And my first shot on the Safari was taken at 9:42 am so just under a half hour wait.

Not bad at all!

The main thing I remember about this Safari was our crazy driver, Zach. He talked a mile a minute so you could barely understand him and also drove like an absolute mad man. I’ve never been thrown around so much on the Safari before! Thank goodness I didn’t have the breakable elephant figurine with me!

Ouch. I don't think I would've been overly happy with that.


Giraffe clotheslines itself at Disney Park. News at Eleven.


Clotheslined giraffe pukes up its food. News at Eleven.


I think they missed the best chance to name these guys. They should've called them KoolKats.

Just sayin'.

I think the one in the middle might be Lilly but she’s 7 years old now and has gotten so big it’s hard to distinguish her from the other females.

They grow up so fast. Soon she'll be asking for the car keys and demanding her own cell banana.


Nice. :)
 
When I made it to the Gorilla enclosure only one of the little boys was out. I think the one in the middle might be Lilly but she’s 7 years old now and has gotten so big it’s hard to distinguish her from the other females.
I love to follow the Gorilla families at AK, so fun to see each trip.
I’m glad you found an elephant you liked and good thing it wasn’t with you on the bumpy Safari!

FoP is worth a little longer wait in my opinion
 
The SWAGS dessert party seems like fun. I wanted to try it again since they switched it from my previous trip, but I won't have any opportunity in May.
 
Yep, that was the FOP line almost backed up to Africa! The time stamp on this photo is 7:05 am so I definitely made it to the park early.

Holy cow. People don't mess around with that ride.

I think overall I waited about 50 minutes for the ride. Still worth that wait and this was the 5th time I’ve ridden it!

50 minutes! That's more than I'm usually willing to take. I regret not being able to see the queue area, though.

I can't figure out what the two guys in the middle seat are doing if anything.

Maybe the dinosaur is stinky?

The main thing I remember about this Safari was our crazy driver, Zach. He talked a mile a minute so you could barely understand him and also drove like an absolute mad man. I’ve never been thrown around so much on the Safari before!

I could see this making the ride better! :woohoo:
 
Hope you had a wonderful time at Disney - I'm excited to read about it :thumbsup2

I knew being a solo traveler I would be seated with another group which made me a little nervous.
I hadn't even considered that possibility for the one I went to solo. There weren't any assignments when I went in May - it was actually quite a light crowd and maybe that's why. It was pouring rain the entire time so when they brought us out to the designated spot, almost no one even went out. It was miserable! :sad2: I need a redo ::yes:: Should have joined you ;)

This meet and greet was super rushed. I entered the area, Kylo pointed at me and then at the floor, ordering me where to go and stand. I stood there, they snapped a picture and then ushered me out.
What a bummer! This would have been super frustrating for me - after all, it's one of the reasons for going!

I sat at a picnic table near Primeval Whirl and enjoyed the cookie. Probably not the most healthy morning snack but calories don’t count at Disney, right?
Calories definitely do NOT count at Disney :thumbsup2
 

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