The Airline Ruined My Trip To Disneyland, So I'm Doing A Solo Trip to Disney World ... Updated 8/11

fyi Saana isn't in AK the park. It's in one of the resorts. It's fantastic though, if you have the time to do it outside of the park. Be sure to go during the sunlight hours or you can't see the animals.
 
Rethinking it: based on what you wrote about your other trip I think you might enjoy Tusker House at AK. And I agree with the person who said to consider Yak and Yeti. The food there was great.
 
Hey friends! This pre-trip report update is inspired by a surprise gift I received in the mail from my sister.
Isn't it totes adores???
And for those of you wondering what the heck is it -- it's a charm for a handbag. Same concept as a charm
one would put on a charm bracelet. It's so stinking cute I squealed when I opened the box. I didn't even know
Disney Coach was a thing. Where have I been?


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There is a story behind why she chose this charm in particular.
She relocated from the midwest to Texas 15 years ago.
Since then, she has developed a crazy aversion to even the slightest hint of cold. Upon arriving in California
(when I was stuck at the airport), she was contemplating buying a pair of the big Mickey Mouse gloves to keep her hands warm.
And the thing is -- she was serious!
I convinced her that while those gloves might succeed in keeping her warm, her actual hands would be completely useless.



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By the way, this is not my sister, or her hands. :tongue:

And as any true shopaholic would have it - that wonderful gift from her catapulted me straight to shopping mode.
:rolleyes1

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I've had several items in my Disney cart for quite some time, but lo and behold, those items were not what I ended up purchasing.
Let me go back two years for a moment ...
Just ahead of our 2017 trip I found a bunch of Disney movies on VHS at Goodwill. Seeing as how I still have a VCR, and the movies
were only a dollar, I promptly scooped them up. As you will learn about me, I'm a bit of an impulse shopper. Actually, impulsiveness is kind
of my personality. So any who, I had never seen the movie Toy Story and it was one of the ones I found on VHS. Up until that time, I was
not a fan of Disney movies. Those VHS tapes changed my life!

Toy Story was amazing, of course, and led me down the rabbit hole to purchase the more modern version (DVD) of every Disney movie I
could get my hands on. I became an instant fan of the Princess and the Frog. That movie is hilarious. And Frozen was way better than
I imagined it would be. Who knew? LOL! And Toy Story 3 - OMG am I the only one who cried when the Toys were heading toward the
incinerator and their little plastic parts were melting. Sniff. Sniff.
I am so excited about Toy Story 4!! This little guy is the cutest, and I just had to have him.

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Oh, and they had this t-shirt in V-neck, so I couldn't NOT buy it.
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And then I had to add something else because to get free shipping I had to spend $75 or more ...
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I decided to get the jacket because as I discovered while at Disneyland, ponchos don't work for me.
I need something more functional. This beauty has pockets, and the detail is so cute. Mickey & Minnie snacks,
It's a Small World Clock, Jose from the Tiki Room, and more. I'm sorry to keep saying this - it's so stinking cute!
Just my luck, it won't rain at all during my trip, but I will probably wear it on Splash and Kali River Rapids.
I can totally see it being a cute jacket in real life as well. As far as the two items still left in my shopping cart,
I've decided I no longer want them. At this time ...


Actually, I'm waiting for some cool Dumbo merchandise to come out - like at least a Magic Band, or something.
I don't recall seeing one when the upgraded bands came out last week, but then again, I wasn't fast enough to get
a good look at them. I might try and find one on Etsy, but it's a shame that Disney doesn't have more stuff for that guy.
 
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Hey Dis friends! It's 61 days to my solo trip, and you know what that means ...

Tomorrow is my FPP day!!! :scared:


Oh my gosh! I’m so nervous. Mainly because I don’t know what to expect.

My arrival day is also my Hollywood Studios day, and now that every ride in Toy Story Land

is tier one - things are sooo complicated. I’m guessing my arrival time to DHS to be

Around 11AM, but air travel and all, I’m just not sure. And I question if I will be able to get a
Slinky Dog FP at all with such a late arrival. I pretty much want to ride everything in Toy Story Land,
but not everything at the Studios itself. So that helps, I guess.

I won’t even bother with Rock n Roller Coaster. It beats me up too badly, and I regret riding it every time.
Cool ride, but it gives me a headache.

And Star Tours was a one and done for me. (I’m relieved to have accidentally planned this trip one week before Galaxy’s Edge opens.

I don’t feel like dealing with that mess. I’m not a Star Wars fan, so I don’t much care. Sorry not sorry.)

Thank goodness for the Touring Plans site. Best $14.95 I’ve ever spent.

Not only has it helped score some difficult ADR’s (Storybook Dinner this trip), it was a Godsend reminding me that my FP window is tomorrow.
(Got this pop-up upon logging on to the site, and they sent an email.)


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They help make sense of how to tour the parks admist the FP restrictions. Which brings me to the thought - I don’t know how to feel about making
FP reservations 60 days in advance. It’s stressful. I kind of - sort of liked the system at Disneyland in which FP reservations can’t be made until
you enter the park. It rewards the people who get out of bed in the morning and get going. Not saying that’s fair. I’m just one of those people who
get out of bed and go, thus the bias.

So here’s a look at what Touring Plans suggests I do upon arriving at DHS. Slinky Dog first - assuming 1)I can get an 11:00AM FP
and 2) I actually get there by 11:00.


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My flight lands at 8:30, so barring delays like I had getting to Disneyland - it’s doable. Then, their plan has me leaving Toy Story Land
to do Walt Disney Presents, Tower of Terror, then lunch at Dockside Diner. If I follow their strategy, it would mean FP reservations for those three,
then heading back to Toy Story Land after lunch and assuming I can get a 4th FP for TSM or Aliens. Again, thanks to Touring Plans for this information
- crowd levels that day appear manageable, so standby shouldn’t be that bad. And what I mean by “that bad” is 45 minutes or less.
Given the August heat, and TSL’s reputation for having a lack of shade - I’m not willing to wait much longer. Worst case scenario, I skip TSM all together.
Don’t want to, and not hoping for it, but I rode it twice in March, so it won't be a complete disappointment.


As I mentioned - lunch at Dockside Diner. Totally tentative at this point, but I see a drink on the menu called the Kahlua and Cream Milkshake.
Yum!! Can I order this concoction as part of the regular dining plan?

In preparation for this trip I have been on a “get fit” kick. Mainly because I plan on doing 16 hours at MK, and I don’t think I could last that long
without getting my body in shape. (I'm not a total slug, but my muscles ache after working in the yard for a few hours.)
More on that later, but until my solo trip I have sworn off alcohol, sugar and fried foods.
I’m on a low calorie diet and doing cardio and Pilates five days a week. I’m four weeks in, and alcohol inside a milkshake sounds amazing right now. :tongue::tongue:

I will be back later to tell you my thoughts about Toy Story 4. I saw it today. In a few words all I can say is -- love, love, loved. I also want to share
my experience with the dining plan/ADR dance. And what a dance it is. Book it. Cancel it. Book something different. Read someone’s dining report. Cancel it. Book what they had…Swing your partner round and round, and do-si-doe.
And ... my mission to conquer MK -- EMH through MNSSHP ...

 
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Well, today was FPP day, and it turned out to be a joke and a half.
I was logged in at 7:00 and ready to go. After refreshing multiple times
in two different browsers, I was finally let in at 7:06 ...

Kept getting the message that it wasn't time for me to make FP's yet. Ugh!
I couldn't get a FP for SDD, FOP, 7DMT, or Tower of Terror. The ones I ended
up getting are laughable because the times are all wrong. What a joke?!
What's the point of reserving 60 days in advance if all the good ones are
already gone? I am off the fence now, and hope WDW changes to the system
they use at Disneyland. Sure, it costs extra, but it's not that much. $15 per day
and it includes PhotoPass. I would much rather compete against the folks who
are actually in the park ...

The Liner folks over on Touring Plans advised me to keep trying every day until then.
And no, I did not follow the strategy of scheduling the headliners for later in the trip. With just four days at the parks and no park hopper, it was necessary to tour based on my favorite parks as well as EMH. Oh, well. First World problems, right?

So, yesterday was super fun as I went to see Toy Story 4 and indulged myself
in movie theatre popcorn. Did you know that a bucket of movie theatre popcorn
has around 1200 calories - not including butter?
I knew going in that most of
my calories for this day would be wasted on popcorn, so I ate half the bucket. LOL!
For dinner I settled on a grilled hamburger patty, no fixings, no bun, and a few baby dills.

I missed not having a Frozen Coke to go with my popcorn, but I am determined to stave off sugar for the next 60 days.

Anywho - Toy Story 4 was super cute and super funny. I love how they introduce
new characters and keep the storyline fresh. And dear old Forky - I loved him the
moment I saw his face because it reminds me of mine. I'm one of those people who
is super reserved - even in the midst of chaos and drama. But my face ...
Dear Lord my face gets me in trouble. Oh ... the faces I make when I see or hear
something upsetting, outlandish, offensive, etc ... My facial expressions tend to speak
before my mouth. If there is one thing I was told growing up that turned out to be true -
"Don't frown or your face will stay like that." And now at close to 50, I have
the forehead wrinkles to prove it. Forky - with his scrunched brow, and mouth agape
reminds me so much of me. LOL!



This pose and expression, I imagine Forky saying
"Yeah, ok. Whatever you say, dude."

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The FP's I managed to get are TSM, SpM, PPF, FEA, KS, EE, SE and MS.
I didn't even bother trying to get two more FP's at DHS at this point. I need to regroup.
I'm not that concerned about FP's at MK. As mentioned, I will be doing EMH and
staying for MNSSHP until midnight. If I can't ride everything I desire in that timeframe,
then something is seriously wrong.

Even though I have it in my head that I will be doing MK for 16 hours, I haven't
taken into account my 5:15 reservation at the Wave. I originally had Skipper Canteen
planned for this day. Then I realized the regular dining plan doesn't come
with an appetizer, and I won't be able to get my beloved S.E.A Shu Mai without paying
out of pocket. And after seeing Pete Werner's glowing review for The Wave
(I love him, by the way), I decided to change. Besides, that's a loooong day in the park,
and it might do me good to cop a squat in the Contemporary lobby after dinner.

I'm planning a full day at AK the next day as well, with EMH. I originally planned to
leave AK and head to Sanaa. Then I considered the precious time I will waste busing
it over to Kidani and back, and decided to go with Yak and Yeti instead. Their Kobe Beef Burger looks ahhhmazing!! Although, I'm not certain I will waste the experience on a burger.
But not to fear - I can always get the burger at the QS location for lunch.
Oh, my gosh!!! So ... much ... food... paw:paw:paw:
The bowls at Satuli Canteen look yumsters also. I am definitely doing a Casey's hot dog
for QS on MK day. My table service pick for Epcot was originally at Garden Grill.
It was a bright idea I got after reading a dining report that was pretty convincing.
My coworker is a Disney travel agent, and when I told her about TS at Garden Grill she just rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why I would pass up one of the WS restaurants to do that. I soon realized she was right, and changed my reservation to Restaurant Marrakesh.
Partly because I've always wanted to eat there, and partly because Tim Tracker seemed liked it, (and I love him, too.) MY QS meal for Epcot is still up in the air. I will probably just wait and decide when I get there.

The one thing that has always eluded me on the dining plan - snack credits. I'm not one for sweets really, and find myself at the resort gift shop on the last day trying to spend them all. Although, last trip I was turned on to Goofy's at Disney Springs and their fine selection of snack credit items. It was a mad dash, but at least I found more worthy snacks than at
the French Quarter gift shop. I know for sure that I want to get a Carrot Cake Cookie at DHS, and find a way to transport it back to the husband. And having given up sugar temporarily I find myself eyeing sugary snacks like never before. I don't partake, but I sure do notice. I saw these two items on Pinterest, and needless to say, it is my mission to find and eat both of them. :p



Red Velvet Mickey Cake Pop - Main Street Confectionary
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Carmel Covered S'mores - Karmell Kuche (Germany)
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Eleven more days, and here's something I didn't expect: I'm getting nervous. I've never really been anyplace by myself.
I've traveled for work, traveled to see family, traveled out to California earlier this year. But I've never been anyplace
where once I get there I won't know anyone. Certainly a feeling I didn't expect to have, but I'm sure it will go away when
I get inside the bubble.

I finally managed to secure a FastPass for FOP. Yay! Thanks to my subscription at Touring Plans, I was notified the park
hours had changed, and set to close at 9:30 instead of 8:30. As soon as I read the email I jumped on and tried for a FP and it
worked. Yay! The FP time isn't until 8:30 though, but at least I have it and can attempt to modify it same day.
I haven't had any luck getting one for Slinky, Tower of Terror, or the Mine Train. Again, hoping for same day drops.
The situation over at the Studios with all the good rides being tier one is maddening.

Have also been trying to modify my ressie at Storybook Dining. Thanks to Touring Plans reservation finder I was even able to get one,
but not until 8:40. I prefer not to eat that late, and have literally tried every day for two months to modify the dang thing.
I ordered the cutest t-shirt from Etsy that I'm sure Dopey will love, but I'm worried it won't arrive in time for my trip. Cross your fingers
for me, please.
Isn't this totes adorbs?
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I have several cute tees for the trip. Check this one out - to celebrate my 16 hour day at Magic Kingdom:
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Follow me on Instagram (Tasha_Tried_It) where I will be over-sharing my t-shirts, magic bands, buttons, and solo trip adventures.
You know, if you need a Disney fix starting 8/21.

I will spend the next 11 days desperately trying not to buy anything else for this trip. I have gotten so many packages from
Disney and other places the last few weeks I'm sure the UPS and USPS people think I'm a hoarder.

One of the ways I'm keeping busy is by organizing. In doing so, I found a $40 gift card I never used, and a pin my sister
gave me at Disneyland.


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I usually throw all my Disney stuff in bags - so imagine my surprise when
I called the number on the back of that gift card to find it was worth $40. And on top of that - it's from two years ago.
A consolation prize from them when they eliminated the vacation club service. It's a good their cards don't expire. :rolleyes1

I now have $325 in spending $$ for my trip. Again - mostly because I overbuy stuff. I buy Disney gift cards at Sam's Club f
or about 3% off the price. I know many people buy them with a Target card, but I don't have any credit cards. Because
I have a tendency to overbuy stuff. LOL! However, in my defense, $60 of the $325 is from a Visa gift card
my husband re-gifted to me. He got it for Christmas in 2017, and because it has gone unused they penalize it $5 a month.
It was a $100 gift card at one time. Ugh!

So that's what I'm doing the next 11 days. Just trying to stay organized and stop buying stuff ... :smooth:


 
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