Hey all! Jess here! I figured I'd add in a bit of my first day. I arrived the earliest of the agents. I had a 6:50am flight departing out of Providence and scheduled to land at MCO at 10:10 in the morning. My husband was a dear and took the day off so he could drop me off at the airport that morning. Upon leaving the house he said "So you have 2 suitcases right?". Yes. Two suitcases. As he dropped me off at TF Green, I discovered he counted my carryon as a suitcase. Must be a man thing. A small carryon bag does not qualify as a suitcase. There was no way he'd be back in time with my bag (containing toiletries, chargers, makeup and such). Thankfully he works for FedEx and was able to ship it overnight for a reasonable fee. I stocked up on the necessary stuff for one night at the airport (deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste - the fun stuff).
Weather was good, had a nice tail wind and wi-fi to pass the time and landed at 9:43 am to a sunny, palm tree filled horizon. The weather was perfect. High 60's when I landed, and temps got up to the mid 70's in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the sun didn't hang out for the day. Showers moved in throughout the afternoon, but it was okay. I still made the best of it!
I made my way from the plane to DME and the bus pulled out at about 10:10. First stop Port Orleans Riverside, followed by Boardwalk, Beach Club (that's me!) and then Yacht Club. I was dropped off at Beach Club at about 10:55. I approached the lobby and the doors opened - Oh! What a lovely smell the Beach Club lobby has. Just wonderful. I'm now in search of a candle that smells similar. Check-in was a breeze. I got my room key and headed up to the 5th floor (Yay for Club Level!). I was so excited to see our room! Agent Heather (disneyheather) and myself were going to be roommates for the few days we were there. Heather was flying in later in the evening with Pam. We were put in room #5636. Our room was bigger - it had 2 queens and a sleeper sofa. It was gorgeous. Just gorgeous. Oh, and it was a Garden View. If you looked to the left, you could see the top of SSE peeking over the building, and straight ahead, you could see the top of the Eiffel Tower. And to the right was a wonderful view of the Boardwalk. It was just great.
I dropped my carryon bag in the room and headed to the concierge lounge for a snack - some kettle chips and red pepper dip, with a side of a chocolate chip cookie. So nutritious right? I grabbed a drink and headed back to the room while I waited for my AEP training packet to arrive. The packet included the itinerary (which revealed one surprise Pam had kept from us, but left a couple others a mystery still!), a 5 day ticket w/ Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More options, as well as some FastPasses (2 per park). I sat on the balcony, played with my iPad taking full advantage of the free wi-fi. Shortly after, my packet arrived and it was time to head to MK to meet up with my good friend Shalon (wvugeoggrad).
This was the first time I had been to MK by myself in a very long time. At least 6 years. Normally I have my husband with me, but this was an agents only training so he stayed behind. As much as I missed him, I must admit - it was so nice to be able to be at MK and do what I want at my pace. I think I walked the park 3 times. At least. Just to take in the atmosphere and look at the details. I didn't feel rushed to do certain attractions or be in a certain spot at a certain time. The feeling brought me back to my solo trip in 2005 and what an amazing trip it was. The first thing I did upon walking into the park (after taking photos for a few couples who needed a photographer) was walk to the top of the train station and just stare out. I hadn't done this in some time. It was such a wonderful feeling. So peaceful. Even with all of the people around me, I felt like it was my "me" time. I didn't realize how much I loved that feeling until that very second. My husband and I have so many wonderful memories at WDW, and even though I feel slightly guilty for thinking it - having that time for myself was much needed.
I just love it...
I walked down Main Street and through the shops. The crowds were low. It was refreshing after the unexpectedly high crowds we encountered on our trip this past October. I always walk to the Partners Statue. Always. And there was no one around. I took the time to snap some shots of the statue while I could without anyone getting in my way, or myself getting in the way of others.
I took a left into Liberty Square. I met a wonderful Cast Member (and totally forgot to look at his name tag) who worked at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe. He gave me a personal tour of Liberty Square and pointed out the details of the store and Liberty Square telling me stories of the details and such. It was sweet. Next up I headed toward Adventureland. I checked the wait time for the Jungle Cruise. 10 minutes. I had missed this on our trip in October. I was sitting with our friends' sleeping toddler so they could enjoy the ride. The wait wasn't even 10 minutes. Maybe 5. If that. Our Skipper was good. I think the group we had just didn't "get" some of the humor. After JC I headed to PotC. That was also a walk on. There was myself, and maybe 5 other people on the boat. The boats in front of us were empty. And so were the 3 behind us. Blackbeard was missing in the beginning of the ride. His voice lingered around, but no visuals. This was that way for the 4 days I was there. I came out of PotC and the rain was starting. Just a light drizzle, no big deal. I headed for the Enchanted Tiki Room. The doors were opening when I walked in line so I got right in. I love it. And I sure don't miss the new management. By the time the show was over the skies had opened up. The crowds of people were making their way toward Main Street to leave. Me? I went and got myself a Dole Whip. Another thing I missed on our last trip. Any bit of covered space was taken by those who didn't feel like braving the rain. I scoped out a pretty dry spot under a tree branch by the smoking section next to Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. There were no smokers, so I was good to go. I had my Dole Whip and realized that my hair would soon be a mess. My brushes were still in transit in my suitcase being shipped, so I bought a baseball cap at Bwana Bobs. After that, I made my way down Main Street in search of a sweatshirt. The temps were dropping and I knew I'd be cold in no time. Before I knew it, I was exiting the Emporium, no sweatshirt in hand. Nothing I really, really liked. I walked back up Main Street toward Tomorrowland. Crowds werereally thinning out. Most people on Main Street were making their way toward the exit.
As I approached the Partners Statue, I noticed a little addition since I had stopped to take pictures earlier in the afternoon. He seemed to be content where he was. (I love the guy I captured in the back staring at the castle with his ears on.)
I also snapped this one...
I headed over to Tomorrowland. Took a ride on TTA. This confirmed that I needed a sweatshirt. WAY cold. But, before I continued my sweatshirt search, I walked on to Buzz for a Space Ranger Spin. I got my highest score to date - 946,600. Of course, there was no one to battle with. I took a picture to send to my husband for proof that I did that well.
I made my way up through Fantasyland to head to Sir Mickey's. I always find something there. Nope. Not this time lol. The rain was not letting up and I had to get dry fast. My dinner time was fast approaching. I went back to the Emporium and found something I liked. Finally. Dry and warm! Shalon texted me to let me know she was on her way. I sat on a bench in front of Town Square Theater while I waited for her. She made her way in about 10 minutes later and we headed toward LTT, while doing some shopping along the way. We were seated immediately for our 6:30pm reservation. It was so empty!
We had a delicious dinner and headed out behind LTT to see if Tiana and Prince Naveen were out. I'm character crazy and hadn't met them yet. There was 1 person in front of us. We walked up, got our pictures taken and were on our way. I adore Tiana's dress. So, so beautiful!
Stopped for a few photos of Cinderella Castle looking so gorgeous at night.
We walked out on the Main Street and the Magic, the Memories and You was beginning. We watched the show and planned to exit before Wishes started so we could beat the crowds. I really could watch MM&Y over and over and still get goosebumps every time. There wasn't much of a crowd on Main Street, so we were able to get a clear view.
I didn't want to watch Wishes (even though it's my favorite) because I knew it would make me miss DH. We were engaged during Wishes, so every time we see it, I choke up. And I didn't want to be sappy without him lol! So on our way out of MK we stopped to see Mickey. We were the very last ones to see Mickey for the night so we got a little extra time with him and Minnie. Love them!
We hopped the monorail to the parking lot. Wishes was playing and our monorail driver slowed down the speed so we could watch while we were on the monorail. It was sweet. I couldn't hear the music which helped me from missing my husband lol. After we got to her car, Shalon was so super sweet and drove me back to the Beach Club. Thanks Shalon!
I went back up to the room to get changed in to some dryer clothes and get myself together. I grabbed the ipad and headed to the lobby. I waited for about 45 minutes and finally Pam and Heather arrived. I was so happy to see them! I hadn't seen Pam since Earmarked Conference in 2009 and Heather I got to see briefly in October. It was so nice to see them and the excitement level was super high at this point!
So that's my first day! I'll update more soon! Stay tuned!
