The Who: Just me for my first ever solo trip
The When: November 7th-10th
The Where: Walt Disney World of course!!
The Why: To get a much needed escape to the World, enjoy the Food and Wine Festival and finally get to experience Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party!
Day One- Friday November 7th:
I went to bed super early so I would be well rested, but I was just too excited to sleep and I ended up falling asleep at 1 am and woke up before my alarm at 3 am. After getting ready and getting the last of my things together, my husband and I drove to Philadelphia International. After a short but sweet goodbye, it was off to airport security since I only had a carry-on and I did online check in the day before my flight. It was still really early so getting through security took all of 5 minutes and I was sitting at my gate a few minutes after 5 am. Thankfully one of my friends works at the airport and she came up to chat until it was time to board, which made the time fly by! My flight departed on time and the captain said we would arrive in Orlando early, woo hoo when does that ever happen?!? We ended up arriving in Orlando a half hour early at 9:22 am, I made a quick pit stop at the restroom on the way to Disney's Magical Express to take some of my layers off as it was already getting hot. After a quick check in I hopped right onto a waiting bus and we were off at 9:35 am. Our first stop was Art of Animation, followed by Pop (my home for the next 3 nights) and then the bus was going to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I arrived at Pop at 10:11 am and got in line for the online check in where I was helped right away. The wonderful cast member told me my room was ready so I was off to the 70's section, building 6 third floor. Not only was I surprised that my room was ready so early, but they also were able to accommodate my two requests, a water view room on the 70's section! I quickly dropped off my bags and headed to grab a bus to Magic Kingdom, where wouldn't you know one was just boarding!
I arrived at Magic Kingdom at 10:50 am, I couldn't believe that it only took an hour and a half to get from the airport to my hotel to the park!!!
I took some pictures of the beautiful Christmas decorations and headed to Adventureland. It's a tradition to start the trip riding Pirates of the Caribbean, and thankfully there was only about a 15 minute wait. As much as I love POTC, I was a little disappointed, the mist and projection were not working and the mermaid effect was down as well. Also, during the scene with the fighting pirate ship and cannons I got completely drenched! The rest of the ride was great as usual. After Pirates I headed to Frontierland where Splash only had a 10 minute wait so of course I jumped in line! Most of the effects seemed to be working, the bee's nest, the jumping water and the final riverboat scene. I managed to stay dry, which was nice since my pants were still soaked from Pirates. After Splash I decided to make my way towards Fantasyland since I had a FastPass for Be Our Guest. I made a quick detour at Haunted Mansion since there was only a 15 minute wait, my doombuggie stopped for a few minutes in the party scene, which I didn't mind because it gave me some extra time to watch the ghosts and see some details I've missed before. I checked out the haunted mansion store where I could have spent some serious $$, there were a ton of people in the store and it was a little claustrophobic for me so I made a quick pass and left. I walked through Fantasyland and arrived at Be Our Guest at 12:41, I had made my meal selections beforehand so I was able to bypass the ordering screens and went right in to find a table. I really wanted to eat in the West Wing but there were no tables available so instead I picked a seat in the music box room. When I was in Disney in 2012 I was able to get a sneak peek at BOG during one of the MNSSHP nights but this was my first time eating here. I had the roast beef sandwich with fries and the masters cupcake and it took 23 minutes from the time I check in until I got my food, I really think they need to get a better system going as the food took forever!
My sandwich was delicious, but I would have liked the sauce to have a little more of a kick to it, and I thought the cupcake was very light and delicious. I liked the little carts that the servers use to bring out the food, I thought they were cute and fit well with the theme, and I'm sure its easier than carrying a tray since the crowds in there were massive and kids were running around. After I was finished eating I took a look around the ballroom and the west wing, I loved that the ballroom was decorated for Christmas with a tree and garland hanging from the balconies around the room. I plan on eating here on my future trips for lunch and I really want to try their dinner. When I left BOG I headed over to Under The Sea to use my first fastpass, my clam shell stopped twice during the ride, the first time was during the backwards going under the sea part, and the second time was in the Ursula room. I wish the ride went a little slower, especially during the "Under The Sea" section, there is a lot going on in there and I would like a little more time to look around. After leaving Ariel, it was time to see another princess, Snow White! I had my second fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so I was able to bypass the 100 minute stand by line. Since I was a single rider I was seated next to another adult, and I must say, it was a very tight squeeze, our knees and elbows were touching the whole time. Overall I really enjoyed the ride, the swinging cars were pretty cool and I think there was just enough of a thrill factor for a kids coaster. I also really enjoyed the mine section and I was happy that the carts slowed down to give you a little more time to look around. The only downfall to the ride was that it was very short, almost too short. After 7DMT, I headed over to Storybook Circus where I met Donald and Goofy since the wait was less than 5 minutes, then I explored some of the details that I often run right past, like the elephant footprints and peanuts in the cement by Dumbo and the animal markings near Casey's splash area. I love all the little touches that Disney does even tho most guests will never notice them.
Then I made my way over to Tomorrowland and rode one of my favorites, the People Mover! There was, as usual, no wait so I hopped right on and gave my back and legs a much needed rest. Right after the Space Mountain section our car stopped for a good 5 minutes, they turned the lights on and I was stopped right next to a Space Mountain employee access door, thankfully our car started moving again and there were no more stops. It was about a half hour before the Festival of Fantasy parade so I decided to head over to the hub to find a spot. I was able to grab a seat right next to two young girls from Brazil, who were super nice! They had been in Florida for 2 weeks and it was their last day in the Magic Kingdom, they were surprised to find out I was there alone and even more surprised to hear it was my 15th trip to Disney! They said they can't wait until the next time they can come back because they fell in love with Disney World. Soon I heard the music for the parade, and I must say I was in awe at the beautiful floats and dancers, it was so amazing that I actually started to cry a little
After the parade it was time for my Anna and Elsa fastpass!!! I figured the meet and greet would be quick since the wait was over 80 minutes and I was a solo adult, but Anna and Elsa spent a ton of time with me, which was awesome! Anna was very funny, when I first got into the room she was hiding behind the piano and jumping around just being goofy and playful. I brought 2 photo mats with me for the characters to sign for my 2 nephews and Anna was joking saying that its perfectly normal to talk to pictures on the wall as long as they don't talk back, we took some fun pictures with the frames around our faces and she sent warm hugs to my nephews. Both of them were very sweet and interactive.
I decided to stay in Fantasyland and I ran into Mickeys Philharmagic since the next showing was about to start. When I came out they were beginning to hand out the MVMCP wrist bands so I jumped in line and grabbed mine, I'm glad I did because as the day went on the lines got HUGE! I then went over to Small World, which was pretty uneventful, and the song got stuck in my head as usual for the rest of the day. Then I went back through Liberty Square and headed to Country Bear Jamboree since the next show was starting in 2 minutes, it was sad that there were only a handful of people in the theater, its such a classic and its always good for a few laughs. I noticed that there was a lot of noise coming from the heads on the wall, you could pretty much hear every movement they were making and it was pretty distracting. Other than that the show was good. After my visit with the bears I made my way back to Adventurland so I could ride the Jingle Cruise. The wait time said 25 minutes, but it was closer to 40. I didn't really mind because it gave me a chance to look at all the Christmas decorations the skippers put up. I got on my boat just as it was getting dark, which I was a little bummed about since it made it harder to see some of the Christmas things. Our skipper was great and I really enjoyed the new jokes mixed in with some of the classics. After we got back from our 2 week adventure I made my way over to Main Street, my friend Anna wanted me to grab her the special card they were giving away for the SotMK game since I don't play. Then I went into the Emporium to grab my MVMCP shirt and pin, it was a mad house in there so I made my purchase then made a quick exit!
People were already lining MSUSA for the parade, so I headed up closer to the castle and found a good spot right past the ice cream parlor. Since it was only 6:30 I had quite a long wait for the parade so I started talking to a very nice family next to me. They watched my spot so I could go grab some cookies and hot coco from Tomorrowland and I grabbed them some too. I thought the hot coco was good, but I wasn't a big fan of the cookies that were at that location. Another family squeezed in behind us and that's when it got interesting. The family thought they would be able to stay for the party even though they didn't have tickets, they of course got caught the second pass that the cast members made and were asked to leave. The mother started freaking out at the cast member saying she spent a lot of money to come to Disney and she was not made aware that they would have to leave the park early that night. The cast member was very professional and apologized that she was unaware but that it was a special ticketed event and if they did not have tickets for it they must leave. The woman started cursing and said she was not leaving because her family had a right to be there since they purchased tickets for the park. The cast member remained calm and said there was nothing he could do, but if the woman wanted to speak with a manager she could go to Town Hall and speak with someone there, but since the party was sold out they were going to have to leave. The woman cursed a little more then finally grabbed her kids and husband and left. I thought the cast member did a wonderful job handling the situation and I felt bad that he had to deal with these angry guests since he has no control over these types of situations, it made me very grateful that I no longer work in the customer service field!! Finally it was time for the parade, which was absolutely amazing and for the second time today I found myself crying
I waited for some of the crowd to clear out and then I made my way up closer to the hub to watch the fireworks, which of course were awesome, the songs they played were perfect and again some tears trickled down my face. Before the fireworks started there was the celebrate the magic show, which was amazing and I loved the change from the first time I saw this a few years ago.
A lot of people started leaving after the fireworks but I was planning on staying until the end, so I headed back to Fantasyland and jumped in line to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Again the character interaction was wonderful and they spent a great deal of time with me. Rapunzel commented on my magic band which I painted to look like the stained glass from Beauty and the Beast and me and Prince Charming were talking about how my prince was back at home and he feels his pain since us women always go out and leave the men behind.
I decided to check out the Enchanted Tales with Belle, mostly because I wanted to see in her cottage and check out the special effects, but it was pretty cute. I'm not sure I would do it again tho unless I have a child. I noticed the stand by line for 7DMT was about 10 minutes so of course I took advantage of this. This time I was able to see the interactive elements since earlier in the day I used the fastpass line. Again I got seated with another adult and again I was squished, but I must say, riding it at night it really cool and more thrilling because you can't see the turns or drops. After my ride I decided to stop in and see Gaston's, I was debating getting a sticky bun and try LeFou's Brew, but I was still pretty stuffed from lunch and the hot coco and cookies. It was a little after 11 so I decided to start making my way to the front of the park, on my way I met Mary Poppins, Bert and a penguin. The only downfall to this meet and greet was that there was no photopass person and since I was by myself I had to ask someone in line to take my picture so it didn't come out great.
I left MK about 10 minutes before midnight and there was a huge line for Pop, a bus had just left so we were stuck waiting about 20 minutes for the next one. By time I got back to my room it was close to 1 am, I quickly unpacked, showered and was in bed around 2, at this point I was up for 24 straight hours so I had no problems falling asleep quickly.
The When: November 7th-10th
The Where: Walt Disney World of course!!
The Why: To get a much needed escape to the World, enjoy the Food and Wine Festival and finally get to experience Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party!
Day One- Friday November 7th:
I went to bed super early so I would be well rested, but I was just too excited to sleep and I ended up falling asleep at 1 am and woke up before my alarm at 3 am. After getting ready and getting the last of my things together, my husband and I drove to Philadelphia International. After a short but sweet goodbye, it was off to airport security since I only had a carry-on and I did online check in the day before my flight. It was still really early so getting through security took all of 5 minutes and I was sitting at my gate a few minutes after 5 am. Thankfully one of my friends works at the airport and she came up to chat until it was time to board, which made the time fly by! My flight departed on time and the captain said we would arrive in Orlando early, woo hoo when does that ever happen?!? We ended up arriving in Orlando a half hour early at 9:22 am, I made a quick pit stop at the restroom on the way to Disney's Magical Express to take some of my layers off as it was already getting hot. After a quick check in I hopped right onto a waiting bus and we were off at 9:35 am. Our first stop was Art of Animation, followed by Pop (my home for the next 3 nights) and then the bus was going to Animal Kingdom Lodge. I arrived at Pop at 10:11 am and got in line for the online check in where I was helped right away. The wonderful cast member told me my room was ready so I was off to the 70's section, building 6 third floor. Not only was I surprised that my room was ready so early, but they also were able to accommodate my two requests, a water view room on the 70's section! I quickly dropped off my bags and headed to grab a bus to Magic Kingdom, where wouldn't you know one was just boarding!
I arrived at Magic Kingdom at 10:50 am, I couldn't believe that it only took an hour and a half to get from the airport to my hotel to the park!!!
I took some pictures of the beautiful Christmas decorations and headed to Adventureland. It's a tradition to start the trip riding Pirates of the Caribbean, and thankfully there was only about a 15 minute wait. As much as I love POTC, I was a little disappointed, the mist and projection were not working and the mermaid effect was down as well. Also, during the scene with the fighting pirate ship and cannons I got completely drenched! The rest of the ride was great as usual. After Pirates I headed to Frontierland where Splash only had a 10 minute wait so of course I jumped in line! Most of the effects seemed to be working, the bee's nest, the jumping water and the final riverboat scene. I managed to stay dry, which was nice since my pants were still soaked from Pirates. After Splash I decided to make my way towards Fantasyland since I had a FastPass for Be Our Guest. I made a quick detour at Haunted Mansion since there was only a 15 minute wait, my doombuggie stopped for a few minutes in the party scene, which I didn't mind because it gave me some extra time to watch the ghosts and see some details I've missed before. I checked out the haunted mansion store where I could have spent some serious $$, there were a ton of people in the store and it was a little claustrophobic for me so I made a quick pass and left. I walked through Fantasyland and arrived at Be Our Guest at 12:41, I had made my meal selections beforehand so I was able to bypass the ordering screens and went right in to find a table. I really wanted to eat in the West Wing but there were no tables available so instead I picked a seat in the music box room. When I was in Disney in 2012 I was able to get a sneak peek at BOG during one of the MNSSHP nights but this was my first time eating here. I had the roast beef sandwich with fries and the masters cupcake and it took 23 minutes from the time I check in until I got my food, I really think they need to get a better system going as the food took forever!
My sandwich was delicious, but I would have liked the sauce to have a little more of a kick to it, and I thought the cupcake was very light and delicious. I liked the little carts that the servers use to bring out the food, I thought they were cute and fit well with the theme, and I'm sure its easier than carrying a tray since the crowds in there were massive and kids were running around. After I was finished eating I took a look around the ballroom and the west wing, I loved that the ballroom was decorated for Christmas with a tree and garland hanging from the balconies around the room. I plan on eating here on my future trips for lunch and I really want to try their dinner. When I left BOG I headed over to Under The Sea to use my first fastpass, my clam shell stopped twice during the ride, the first time was during the backwards going under the sea part, and the second time was in the Ursula room. I wish the ride went a little slower, especially during the "Under The Sea" section, there is a lot going on in there and I would like a little more time to look around. After leaving Ariel, it was time to see another princess, Snow White! I had my second fastpass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train so I was able to bypass the 100 minute stand by line. Since I was a single rider I was seated next to another adult, and I must say, it was a very tight squeeze, our knees and elbows were touching the whole time. Overall I really enjoyed the ride, the swinging cars were pretty cool and I think there was just enough of a thrill factor for a kids coaster. I also really enjoyed the mine section and I was happy that the carts slowed down to give you a little more time to look around. The only downfall to the ride was that it was very short, almost too short. After 7DMT, I headed over to Storybook Circus where I met Donald and Goofy since the wait was less than 5 minutes, then I explored some of the details that I often run right past, like the elephant footprints and peanuts in the cement by Dumbo and the animal markings near Casey's splash area. I love all the little touches that Disney does even tho most guests will never notice them.
Then I made my way over to Tomorrowland and rode one of my favorites, the People Mover! There was, as usual, no wait so I hopped right on and gave my back and legs a much needed rest. Right after the Space Mountain section our car stopped for a good 5 minutes, they turned the lights on and I was stopped right next to a Space Mountain employee access door, thankfully our car started moving again and there were no more stops. It was about a half hour before the Festival of Fantasy parade so I decided to head over to the hub to find a spot. I was able to grab a seat right next to two young girls from Brazil, who were super nice! They had been in Florida for 2 weeks and it was their last day in the Magic Kingdom, they were surprised to find out I was there alone and even more surprised to hear it was my 15th trip to Disney! They said they can't wait until the next time they can come back because they fell in love with Disney World. Soon I heard the music for the parade, and I must say I was in awe at the beautiful floats and dancers, it was so amazing that I actually started to cry a little
After the parade it was time for my Anna and Elsa fastpass!!! I figured the meet and greet would be quick since the wait was over 80 minutes and I was a solo adult, but Anna and Elsa spent a ton of time with me, which was awesome! Anna was very funny, when I first got into the room she was hiding behind the piano and jumping around just being goofy and playful. I brought 2 photo mats with me for the characters to sign for my 2 nephews and Anna was joking saying that its perfectly normal to talk to pictures on the wall as long as they don't talk back, we took some fun pictures with the frames around our faces and she sent warm hugs to my nephews. Both of them were very sweet and interactive.
I decided to stay in Fantasyland and I ran into Mickeys Philharmagic since the next showing was about to start. When I came out they were beginning to hand out the MVMCP wrist bands so I jumped in line and grabbed mine, I'm glad I did because as the day went on the lines got HUGE! I then went over to Small World, which was pretty uneventful, and the song got stuck in my head as usual for the rest of the day. Then I went back through Liberty Square and headed to Country Bear Jamboree since the next show was starting in 2 minutes, it was sad that there were only a handful of people in the theater, its such a classic and its always good for a few laughs. I noticed that there was a lot of noise coming from the heads on the wall, you could pretty much hear every movement they were making and it was pretty distracting. Other than that the show was good. After my visit with the bears I made my way back to Adventurland so I could ride the Jingle Cruise. The wait time said 25 minutes, but it was closer to 40. I didn't really mind because it gave me a chance to look at all the Christmas decorations the skippers put up. I got on my boat just as it was getting dark, which I was a little bummed about since it made it harder to see some of the Christmas things. Our skipper was great and I really enjoyed the new jokes mixed in with some of the classics. After we got back from our 2 week adventure I made my way over to Main Street, my friend Anna wanted me to grab her the special card they were giving away for the SotMK game since I don't play. Then I went into the Emporium to grab my MVMCP shirt and pin, it was a mad house in there so I made my purchase then made a quick exit!
People were already lining MSUSA for the parade, so I headed up closer to the castle and found a good spot right past the ice cream parlor. Since it was only 6:30 I had quite a long wait for the parade so I started talking to a very nice family next to me. They watched my spot so I could go grab some cookies and hot coco from Tomorrowland and I grabbed them some too. I thought the hot coco was good, but I wasn't a big fan of the cookies that were at that location. Another family squeezed in behind us and that's when it got interesting. The family thought they would be able to stay for the party even though they didn't have tickets, they of course got caught the second pass that the cast members made and were asked to leave. The mother started freaking out at the cast member saying she spent a lot of money to come to Disney and she was not made aware that they would have to leave the park early that night. The cast member was very professional and apologized that she was unaware but that it was a special ticketed event and if they did not have tickets for it they must leave. The woman started cursing and said she was not leaving because her family had a right to be there since they purchased tickets for the park. The cast member remained calm and said there was nothing he could do, but if the woman wanted to speak with a manager she could go to Town Hall and speak with someone there, but since the party was sold out they were going to have to leave. The woman cursed a little more then finally grabbed her kids and husband and left. I thought the cast member did a wonderful job handling the situation and I felt bad that he had to deal with these angry guests since he has no control over these types of situations, it made me very grateful that I no longer work in the customer service field!! Finally it was time for the parade, which was absolutely amazing and for the second time today I found myself crying
I waited for some of the crowd to clear out and then I made my way up closer to the hub to watch the fireworks, which of course were awesome, the songs they played were perfect and again some tears trickled down my face. Before the fireworks started there was the celebrate the magic show, which was amazing and I loved the change from the first time I saw this a few years ago.
A lot of people started leaving after the fireworks but I was planning on staying until the end, so I headed back to Fantasyland and jumped in line to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Again the character interaction was wonderful and they spent a great deal of time with me. Rapunzel commented on my magic band which I painted to look like the stained glass from Beauty and the Beast and me and Prince Charming were talking about how my prince was back at home and he feels his pain since us women always go out and leave the men behind.
I decided to check out the Enchanted Tales with Belle, mostly because I wanted to see in her cottage and check out the special effects, but it was pretty cute. I'm not sure I would do it again tho unless I have a child. I noticed the stand by line for 7DMT was about 10 minutes so of course I took advantage of this. This time I was able to see the interactive elements since earlier in the day I used the fastpass line. Again I got seated with another adult and again I was squished, but I must say, riding it at night it really cool and more thrilling because you can't see the turns or drops. After my ride I decided to stop in and see Gaston's, I was debating getting a sticky bun and try LeFou's Brew, but I was still pretty stuffed from lunch and the hot coco and cookies. It was a little after 11 so I decided to start making my way to the front of the park, on my way I met Mary Poppins, Bert and a penguin. The only downfall to this meet and greet was that there was no photopass person and since I was by myself I had to ask someone in line to take my picture so it didn't come out great.
I left MK about 10 minutes before midnight and there was a huge line for Pop, a bus had just left so we were stuck waiting about 20 minutes for the next one. By time I got back to my room it was close to 1 am, I quickly unpacked, showered and was in bed around 2, at this point I was up for 24 straight hours so I had no problems falling asleep quickly.