Please Don't Try to Sleep Here - A Summer 2018 Solo Trip Report - Updated 3/10

You have such an amazing photographic eye! I have been looking for a camera that is easy to carry/use but still take great photos. I'll have to check into the one you got. Thanks for the tip about pre-ordering food at BOG!
 
following! loving your TR so far! Also extremely jealous that you bought DVC at the Poly- congrats on that!
 


thank for sharing! Definitely going to look into them!

You're welcome! Good luck deciding!

Lovely!I don't even think I saw that room when I ate at BOG last summer. I was in the West Wing which was really neat, if dark!

Must check that out next week!

That is awesome!!!!

Really cute! :)

Congratulations and welcome home!

This is such a beautiful picture!

Thank you!

The west wing is the only room of the three I haven't eaten in. It's hard to find seats in there because it's so small, but I'm not sure I want to eat in there since it's so dark! I've eaten in the ballroom I think twice and the music box room I think twice - maybe three times.

Love your pictures and I'm enjoying your trip report!

I want those Minnie ears! I've almost bought them a 100 times.

Thank you! I enjoyed wearing my Minnie ears on my trip, and I'm wearing them as I write my trip report too. :earsgirl:

Very nice! Following along, l feel like I am there in person.
Thanks for taking us along! :tink:

Thank you!

Great pictures and report. Thank you!

Thank you!

So enjoying your TR:love: I love your mini ears...I hope they have them when I head back in March!:earsgirl:

Thank you! I hope they have them for your sake, although I suspect there's a good chance they will. The sparkly headband style seems to be very popular right now and there are many options, so my guess is they'll be around for a while.

You have such an amazing photographic eye! I have been looking for a camera that is easy to carry/use but still take great photos. I'll have to check into the one you got. Thanks for the tip about pre-ordering food at BOG!

Thank you!

You're welcome about the pre-order tip. It's one of the best things!

I'm waiting......LOL!!!

It's coming...sorry for the delay. I was working on lesson plans and sending things to the print shop so I'll be ready for the kids when they show up next week!

following! loving your TR so far! Also extremely jealous that you bought DVC at the Poly- congrats on that!

Thank you!

Really enjoying your report! Thank you!

Thank you!
 
Saturday, July 28

Original Plan:

New Orleans
Fly to MCO and get in at 5:35
FP+ 7:25 Space Mountain
FP+ 8:30 7 Dwarfs Mine Train
9:15 Happily Ever After
FP+ 9:30 Jungle Cruise
10p-1a Disney After Hours


Revised Plan:

Change resorts to Riverside
Take it easy
Follow the original plan for the evening


What Actually Happened:

I was up early and heading to the bus around 6:30. This was my check-out day, but I figured I had enough time to hit the 7a EMH rope drop at Hollywood Studios before returning to finish packing and check out by 11.

I got a bus fairly quickly and would like to say it was an uneventful ride, but it wasn’t. I was sitting near the front and chatting with the lady next to me when there was a commotion. A mom was screaming in panic “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” while holding her limp child, who was probably around pre-school age. Her sister, who looked to be around 6, was quietly sobbing. The bus pulled over and at about this same time, the child regained consciousness. I’m not sure if she had a seizure or what. Some people speculated she hit her head on the metal window frame and passed out. I think the bus driver offered to have EMS meet the bus and the family may have declined since the child was awake. We rode the rest of the way to the park in awkward silence and the family rushed off the bus. It appeared that security may have escorted them to first aid, which fortunately is at the front of the park at DHS. I hope the child is okay. What a horrible way to start a day, especially on a family trip to Disney. A lady, who I believe was unrelated to the family, was consoling the sister and praising her for how brave she had been. I was impressed.

I got into the park right around 7; my time stamp for Slinky Dog shows 7:08 at the time I entered the line. I believe it was already about a 25 minute wait, but I didn’t expect it to get any shorter.

I loved the details in the line. I have a dachshund and the phrases were pretty funny. “He’s a short dog and a long dog.” “Slinky Dog’s bowl is the goal!” - Dachshunds LOVE to eat!

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I also really liked that the ride sounds like the slinky dog toy, which has a metal slinky and makes kind of a funny sound. It sounded like a metal slinky, AND the tail was wagging from the slinky at the back, just like the toy does!

I have the slinky dog toy and my dogs are kind of terrified of it. I don’t know if it’s the big eyes or the funny sound it makes, but they are not amused. Here’s a picture of my dachshund Brownie with Slinky Dog, and a picture of my not-dachshund Anabelle grinning about something.

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As for the ride, I enjoyed it, but it’s relatively tame for a coaster and isn’t my favorite ride. I was seated near the front; someday I’ll have to try it again from the back.

After this, I happened across a Fast Pass kiosk that was having some sort of computer problem. I was amused by this, although I wouldn't have been if I was trying to use it!

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Computers apparently don't play favorites and are equal opportunity nuisances!

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I then rode Toy Story Mania three times. I got best in vehicle one of the times, but I still didn’t break the 200,000 mark! The last time I got in line, it was 8:09, so I guess going to DHS for an hour was worth it!

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Really?! 586,100?!

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I consistently got the electrocuted cat icon. :thumbsup2

After my third ride on TSM, I went back to Pop Century. I had intended to maybe take a short power nap, but that didn’t end up happening. I stopped to get some breakfast. I got the Mickey Waffle meal, which came with sausage and bacon. It was at this point that I realized my phone was not saving all the photos I was taking. I realized it when I was looking back through my photos while eating. I knew I had take a photo before I started eating, but the photo wasn’t in my gallery. I took another one, and realized it wasn’t saving when I was leaving the camera app too quickly.

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I walked back to Pop through the 90s section and took a few photos of the buildings. I like the old 1990s phone and computers. The computer is actually pretty interesting because it is a really bulky laptop like from the 90s, and it has images from the internet at the time Animal Kingdom opened. Again, Disney with the details.

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Before I left the room, I put the Edna Mode bobblehead back in the middle of the safe. :rotfl:

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Day 1: Wednesday, July 25

Original Plan:

New Orleans

Revised Plan:

Arrive at MCO at 4:35
FP+ 5:00 Spaceship Earth
FP+ 6:00 Pixar Film Festival
FP+ 7:40 Soarin’
9:00 Illuminations



What Actually Happened:
My dad picked me up to go to the airport at about 3:45am, and I was ready to go, which is kind of an anomaly. I’m usually scrambling around trying to finish things up. I had a 5:10a flight and I was dropped off at 3:57a and through security by 4:05a with my TSA precheck. I didn’t check any luggage, but I did bring my yellow DME tag in my carry-on in case they were looking for people to check their luggage at the gate through to Orlando. This has happened before, and I was glad to have the yellow tag. This time, they weren’t even doing the ala carte service when the plane is too small for the carry-on luggage and they collect it plane side and put it under the plane and then you pick it up again plane side "because we had a big plane." See:

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I flew first to Seattle and the flight was uneventful. The flight is so short that they weren’t even serving coffee on board. The only drink option was orange juice. I was glad I had made some coffee and drank it at home! The best thing about this flight to Seattle is the view, and it was made even better by the sun rising over Mt. Rainier this morning.

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The food lines in Seattle were quite long this morning, but I wanted to have Second Breakfast before the flight since it is so long. I ended up just getting a toasted bagel with cream cheese. Clearly I was not yet in Trip Report mode, because I do not have a picture of the bagel. You'll have to do your best to imagine it. :upsidedow

The flight was great. It was very smooth and I had paid for the premium seat upgrade with the 4 extra inches of legroom. On a prior flight, perhaps on Delta, I had not even been able to open my little Chromebook in the regular economy section, so I wanted to make sure I would have enough space to use the time in the air to get some assignments done. This was a good choice, but I really noticed the smaller legroom on the way home!

My flight landed on time and I went straight to Dunkin Donuts for dinner, because we don’t have Dunkin where I live, but I just love them. I got the sausage, egg, and cheese on a croissant and an iced coffee.

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Then I went to catch the Magical Express to Pop Century.

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I had intended to go to Epcot and ride Soarin and then watch Illuminations. You’ll see I had three fastpasses for this evening, and I knew I couldn’t even make the first two, but my thought was that just maaaaybe I could get an Illuminations fastpass after using my Soarin one. Soarin and Illuminations are both Tier 1, so I think you have to use or time out of three fastpasses before getting a 2nd Tier 1 FP. In hindsight, I feel a little bad having fastpasses that I ended up not even using. I think I might have canceled the ones I knew I wasn’t going to use.

I got to Pop Century and got settled into my room, which was in the back of building 7, in the 80s section, room 7337. I always take a photo of the room with the number in it in case I forget after getting back to my room after the first day in the parks. However, with the new room-ready texts, this isn't really necessary anymore!

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The nice thing about this room was that it was in a very quiet location and I did not have any trouble with the WiFi, which was great considering my online classes. The room was recently renovated and included a coffee pot, which was the main reason for selecting Pop over my go-to value resort of All Star Sports. I really liked the new features in the room.


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The built-in toiletries were fine, although the nozzle was broken on one. I didn’t realize how easy it was to fix, so I called and they said maintenance would come. They never did, which is how I realized you just pop it back in.

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When I opened the safe, I found that someone had left a bobble Edna Mode toy sitting right in the middle of it. I wasn’t expecting that! :scared1:

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By the time I got settled, I was pretty much toast. I decided to stay in and work a bit more on some school work. I did go back over to the food court around 9 in the evening to get a burger, and I was struggling to stay awake while eating the mountain of waffle fries, so I think it’s good I decided to take it easy this evening.

Food Spending 7/25: $49.07

Breakfast: SeaTac Great American Bagel - $6.30
Lunch?: MCO Dunkin Donuts - $7.64
Pop Century (Refillable Mug) - $20.23
Dinner: Pop Century food court - $14.90


Souvenir Spending 7/25: $0

None yet!
Gorgeous pics of My. Reanier
 


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Before I left the room, I put the Edna Mode bobblehead back in the middle of the safe. :rotfl:

I wonder how long this has been going on for LOL.

Your dogs are sweet. I grew up with mini Dachs. We now have whippets but I have a special place in my heart for the dachsies still.

And I’ve been debating heading off to HS EMH on our trip next year while hubby is running the half marathon. I think the number of times you were able to do TSM has swayed me
 
Thank you for the updates! I enjoy your style. We'll be there around this time next year. How did you deal with the heat?
 
I'm so sorry for the delay! School started back up and I've been exhausted! I also might have planned my next few trips. :surfweb:

Cool. Looking forward to more.

It's coming!

Gorgeous pics of My. Reanier

Isn't it beautiful?

Joining in. I'm impressed with your ability to get schoolwork done on vacation. I'm not sure I would have been able to pull that off.

I was not happy about it, but I would have earned an F otherwise, so that was definitely some motivation.

I wonder how long this has been going on for LOL.

Your dogs are sweet. I grew up with mini Dachs. We now have whippets but I have a special place in my heart for the dachsies still.

And I’ve been debating heading off to HS EMH on our trip next year while hubby is running the half marathon. I think the number of times you were able to do TSM has swayed me

Now that you mention it, I too wonder how long the Edna Mode in the safe has been going on. :rotfl:

I love dachshunds - so loyal and cozy and cuddly.

Hopefully you'll have success with multiple rides on TSM! On a prior trip, I was able to ride Everest multiple times in a row while Pandora was trapping everybody in lines during EMH.

I'm just checking in... Missing the updates!

Awww. It's coming!

Well done. I appreciate your writing style with just enough detail to get your points!

Thank you!

Thank you for the updates! I enjoy your style. We'll be there around this time next year. How did you deal with the heat?

Thanks! It was pretty rough. I'm used to high heat but NOT high humidity since I have been gone from New Orleans for a while. I didn't pack any cotton clothing aside from pajamas and plane clothes. I brought primarily athletic wear, and perhaps TMI, but Under Armour makes seamless non-cotton underwear. This was a very wise decision. Additionally, I could wash some things in the sink with Tide sink packets and it would dry very quickly since it wasn't cotton.

The other key thing is to stay on top of the hydrating. I packed a Hydroflask and that thing was amazing. I'd add ice in the morning and it would stay ice. I'd top it off throughout the day with free ice water from the counter service places around the parks. I also packed Nuun electrolyte tablets - they dissolve in water similar to Alka Seltzer and they're like Gatorade with less sugar and they travel well. They come in 10 packs in a container similar to the mini M&M tubes.

Fun trip so far love your writing voice, pictures and details!

Thanks!
 
Saturday, July 28 continued

At some point before I left Pop, I purchased a Pop pin for my collection. I’m trying to eventually stay at all the resorts, and I like to get the pin for each one I’ve stayed at. Some of the resorts, mainly the deluxe class, will have multiple options. Pop only has one, and it’s actually pretty ugly. Anyway, jaundiced Mickey has joined my pin collection.

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I continued taking photos around Pop as I was walking my luggage over to bell services. If you have a split stay, they will move your luggage by doing a transfer. You simply drop your luggage off with bell services at your first resort and then later, when you arrive at your next resort, you can pick up your luggage from bell services, or possibly they may deliver to your room.

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Well, the Pop luggage room was under construction and all the luggage was sitting around outside. I was uncomfortable with this. My two bags ended up on the sidewalk in the sun. I went to take a photo of my favorite icon at Pop, the Play-Doh giraffe and elephant. When I walked back by the luggage, it was all still sitting out. Now, I’m sure the bell services people had this under control, but I was still not comfortable with this. I had my Chromebook in my backpack and it was sitting out in the sun. I was surprised they did not have mini fences of some sort to better control the access in this area.

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I decided to collect my luggage and take a cab over to Riverside instead. I had used Lyft only once before, but I re-downloaded the app and tried that. It was $8.21 + tip. Totally worth it for my peace of mind. Additionally, I had asked about changing my credit card on file with Riverside. I thought you would be able to do that through the app, but you can’t. Pop Century told me I had to go to the front desk at Riverside to do that, so this way I was able to also do that.

The funny thing about using Lyft was there were multiple people standing around at Pop with their phones out, waiting for Lyfts or Ubers. I was the 4th one to get picked up, and ALL FOUR CARS were Toyota Corollas. It’s a good thing they give you the license plate number too!

It was a pretty quick ride over to Riverside. I was able to update my card and check in. My room was even ready, which was nice! I had a king bed room and got a second floor corner room overlooking the pool in building 17. I liked this room and the location. It felt far, but one day I timed it to the bus stop and it took 4 minutes.

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I had requested Alligator Bayou because I have stayed at Riverside twice before, and both times I was in the mansions, which I had requested at the time. I prefer the interior decor of the mansions compared to the bayou section, but I love how lush the bayou section is, and I wanted to try it. It was pretty cool that I felt like I was both in a familiar place, yet trying something new out.

They are just starting renovations at Port Orleans Riverside, and I’m not sure what they look like yet. The interesting thing is that because Pop had just undergone massive renovations, some parts of the room were actually nicer at Pop, even though it’s a value resort. I liked how many outlets and USB ports Pop had, and they also had a very nice bathroom. The space between the sink and the beds had an actual door, which is nice for added privacy. Riverside still had the curtain. I did like that Riverside had the individual toiletries still, although I missed the fantastic sea salt body wash that Pop had in the dispensers!
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The room is larger than at Pop. I think the value rooms are 240 square feet and the moderates are 314. I suspect they're about 2 feet wider and a couple feet longer. Regardless, it was more spacious and it had a ceiling fan, which really helps in the humidity.
 
I am really enjoying your trip report.
I was there July 27-Aug 2, and I can't believe how many empty photos you have! (no people)
I did not see empty anywhere! We were there about the same time! I'm never able to get photos without people in them.
 
Day 2: Thursday, July 26 continued

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I went and did the walk through of One Man’s Dream, which is now called Walt Disney Presents and then watched what they now have for the video, which is the first ten minutes of Incredibles 2.

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I then did Star Tours which showed a wait time of 10 minutes, but I think it was closer to a walk-on, and then Muppet Vision 3D. You can see how crowded it is near the Muppets; everybody was either at the headliners on Sunset Blvd. or Toy Story Land.

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I was able to get a photo of the statue with nobody in it.
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I then walked to the other side of the park to use my Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster fastpass. One cool thing was there was a custodial cast member who was making the water drawings on the ground near Sci Fi Drive In.

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They're a little hard to see due to the shadows from these beauties:

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This really is a beautiful park. The architecture on both Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards is quite amazing.
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I then walked BACK across the park for PizzeRizzo, which opened at 10:30. The cast member was still making character images on the ground with water. They were evaporating quite quickly, so I'm glad I got to see them. This time he also had Goofy and Donald.

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Since I didn’t have much to eat at 6:00, I was really hungry by this point and was standing outside waiting by 10:25, so I went in this Christmas store. I expected it to smell like Christmas, you know that cinnamon-y scent, but it smelled like garlic since it's between PizzeRizzo and Mama Melrose restaurants.

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The pizza box the cast member is holding at the front door is actually covered with pins for trading. I like the details of the restaurant; they tried to make it look authentic.
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For some reason, I do not have a food photo. I realized part way through my trip that sometimes, my camera wasn’t storing the photos I was taking. I think this was one of them. I think it was happening when I left the camera app too quickly after taking the photo. This restaurant has upstairs seating. It was not crowded at all, even by the time I left, but the downstairs area was bustling. I do like the New York memorabilia on the walls.

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After lunch, I left the park, and just in time. The sky opened up right when I got to the bus stop, which is fortunately covered. An Art of Animation bus came first, so I hopped on that one because I wanted to walk around the resort to see it, and I was hoping the rain would stop by the time I got there.

As it turns out, the rain DID stop, but it looked like it was heading in my direction, so I didn’t do much wandering around. They are working on the gondola system on the Generation Gap Bridge between AoA and Pop.

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However, I did beat the rain back to my room, so that was a win. My room is where the blue dot is.

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I spent some time working on schoolwork, which wasn’t too much of a let down because I was hoping to swim at the resort. The lightning had the pool closed pretty much all afternoon anywa
 
We loved PizzeRizzo when we were there in July. We went without kids this year and loved it! We loved it last year also though with my 10 year old.
 

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