Trip Report Forget about your worries and your strife. 🌞 Live trip report.

Quick recap of my pre-trip report to refresh memories or as just as catchup.
I (Mimi) am going on a solo trip to Disney World, 14 glorious days at AKL to do what I want, when I want.

This morning I woke up excited and ready to go, I threw the last things into my suitcase, double checked everything and happily went out in the rain to catch the bus to the train station. I gave myself plenty of time to get to the airport incase of delays etc. but luckily everything went smoothly and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to share.
I looked around the shops a bit and took some photos to kill the time.

These cups in a cafe don't spin but are cute none the less.

Finally it was time to board my first flight.

This add made me smile as it was spot on.

The flight from Amsterdam to London was only 50 minutes and kind of boring except for the 2 Dutch ladies sitting in the row behind me. They were very unhappy that none of the flight attendants spoke Dutch,keep in mind that this was a British Airways flight, and complained loudly that it shouldn't be allowed for airlines to fly out of Amsterdam without at least one Dutch speaking crew member and the ladies refused to speak English to the crew. I didn't understand their logical at all and was happy the crew members didn't understand what they were saying. I was tempted to turn around to point out their stupidity but refrained.

Soon enough we landed safely at Gatwick, my hotel was easy to find and the check in staff were friendly and professional. My room is as expected, small and modern.

The shower is right in front of the toilet without a barrier not the best layout but fine for just a night.

No view as my room doesn't have a window.
Now I am just watching some TV, wishing it was tomorrow.

 

[12in12]

I had some time till my first FP of the day so I set off to circle the park and focus on the music in each land and how it changes to match the theming. It is incredibly clever how Disney does this and it enhances guests experience yet few people notice.
Something hard to miss were the Main street Philharmonic. Their Frozen medley was a big hit with the crowd.

After a full lap of the park I was ready to do another first for me. This one was inspired by @Longers, reading of her love for BTMR I had to try it for myself.

It was super fun! And spoiler alert this was not the last time riding it this day.

I went into the Briars Patch because I miss my SM.

I sat in the rocking chair for a bit watching people play checkers. Sadly lots of kids had never even seen a checkers board let alone know how to play.
I did see this very tempting mug. I❤Robin Hood

Having rested my feet I was ready to meet my host, my ghost host.

My doom buggy stopped right in front of here. I loved seeing all their facial expressions and hearing their individual parts.

 

[12in12]

By now I was getting a little hungry but only wanted something light, a few taps on the app allowed me to order my food while walking to Pinocchio Village Haus.
I had ordered a bowl of tomato soup and it was waiting for me when I arrived , it was surprisingly good with a tiny bit of a kick to it.

I managed to get a windowvtable overlooking IASW. These were laying on my table.

I hadn't planned on holding them up but clearly people on IASW knew about them and kept gesturing me to hold them up.
My soup finished I made my way over to my dining reservation and the reason I had such a light lunch.
Knowing @Tuvalu is never wrong I had to sample a Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I didn't want the full meal at LTT so just went for dessert with coffee. Behold the gooey goodness!

I was happy I just ate the soup for lunch because this was delicious and I ate every last crumb but was very full afterwards.
What to do when you have a tummy full of cake and coffee?
Bounce along with Tigger of course, my last FP of the day.

It was getting close to 5pm so I headed out of the park and boarded the resort monorail to the GF. Walking into the lobby is quite impressive and it smelled wonderful courtesy of the Basin shop.
The band was playing when I arrived.

An amazing chocolate egg in the lobby.

I checked out the other shops and the beach and concluded that although it is a beautiful resort I am much happier staying at AKL.

I got back on the monorail to make my way to BLT where I was meeting @Big Hair , @Pardonmypixiedust and cohorts to watch HEA from the Top of the World lounge. We talked Disney over some drinks and watched the fireworks on the viewing platform. I now love HEA! It took me awhile but after just seeing the fireworks while listening to the music I am fully converted from a Wishes lover to HEA.
It was EMH in the MK so we went and rode BTMR in the dark, I liked it even better then during the day! Next we all faced our inevitable demise in HM, after a lengthy discussion about the Tangled bathroom while waiting for HEA to start we had to stop there. @Pardonmypixiedust will post pictures of the men's room in his trip report. It was 9.55pm after our Tangled break so we only had time for one more ride and it had to be close by, so we chose Peter Pan. That que might be my favorite of all the rides.
Sadly that was the end of our park time together, it was such a blast hanging out with people that get it. On our way to the bus stop the electric water pageant came floating by. A perfect ending to a wonderful evening.

 

[21stamps]

By now I was getting a little hungry but only wanted something light, a few taps on the app allowed me to order my food while walking to Pinocchio Village Haus.
I had ordered a bowl of tomato soup and it was waiting for me when I arrived , it was surprisingly good with a tiny bit of a kick to it.

View attachment 259127
I managed to get a windowvtable overlooking IASW. These were laying on my table.
View attachment 259124
I hadn't planned on holding them up but clearly people on IASW knew about them and kept gesturing me to hold them up.
My soup finished I made my way over to my dining reservation and the reason I had such a light lunch.
Knowing @Tuvalu is never wrong I had to sample a Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake. I didn't want the full meal at LTT so just went for dessert with coffee. Behold the gooey goodness!
View attachment 259123
I was happy I just ate the soup for lunch because this was delicious and I ate every last crumb but was very full afterwards.
What to do when you have a tummy full of cake and coffee?
Bounce along with Tigger of course, my last FP of the day.
View attachment 259130
View attachment 259129
It was getting close to 5pm so I headed out of the park and boarded the resort monorail to the GF. Walking into the lobby is quite impressive and it smelled wonderful courtesy of the Basin shop.
The band was playing when I arrived.
View attachment 259137
An amazing chocolate egg in the lobby.
View attachment 259126
I checked out the other shops and the beach and concluded that although it is a beautiful resort I am much happier staying at AKL.

I got back on the monorail to make my way to BLT where I was meeting @Big Hair , @Pardonmypixiedust and cohorts to watch HEA from the Top of the World lounge. We talked Disney over some drinks and watched the fireworks on the viewing platform. I now love HEA! It took me awhile but after just seeing the fireworks while listening to the music I am fully converted from a Wishes lover to HEA.
It was EMH in the MK so we went and rode BTMR in the dark, I liked it even better then during the day! Next we all faced our inevitable demise in HM, after a lengthy discussion about the Tangled bathroom while waiting for HEA to start we had to stop there. @Pardonmypixiedust will post pictures of the men's room in his trip report. It was 9.55pm after our Tangled break so we only had time for one more ride and it had to be close by, so we chose Peter Pan. That que might be my favorite of all the rides.
Sadly that was the end of our park time together, it was such a blast hanging out with people that get it. On our way to the bus stop the electric water pageant came floating by. A perfect ending to a wonderful evening. View attachment 259132

I’ve never seen those signs. Fun!!

 

[Figgy1]

How was the Ratatouille? My daughters a vegetarian and she's running out of things to eat at MK.

I love Rivers of Light. I know a lot of people leave underwhelmed but just love the message and images on the water. I'm a tree hugger, maybe that's why I love it so much.

The ratatouille was nothing special but nice enough. The waitress also said that the chefs can make a vegetable pasta dish that is not on the menu. I am not a vegetarian but don't like eating a lot of meat so if there is a decent veggie option I prefer to get that.
The AK has the best vegetarian options in my opinion of all the parks, Nomad Lounge's menu had 3 really tasty options alone.

^^^^This I like lunch better and always get the quinoa salad.

 

[Sillysidewalker]

View attachment 259113
I sat in the rocking chair for a bit watching people play checkers. Sadly lots of kids had never even seen a checkers board let alone know how to play.
I did see this very tempting mug. I❤Robin Hood
View attachment 259119

Having rested my feet I was ready to meet my host, my ghost host.
View attachment 259112

My doom buggy stopped right in front of here. I loved seeing all their facial expressi
View attachment 259122

My 7 & 4 year olds know how to play checkers. Their mama was the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade school champion. I just had to pass on my prowless.

I adore that mug. We love Robin Hood it is on constant repeat in our car DVD player.

 

[Longers]

I had some time till my first FP of the day so I set off to circle the park and focus on the music in each land and how it changes to match the theming. It is incredibly clever how Disney does this and it enhances guests experience yet few people notice.
Something hard to miss were the Main street Philharmonic. Their Frozen medley was a big hit with the crowd.
View attachment 259116
After a full lap of the park I was ready to do another first for me. This one was inspired by @Longers, reading of her love for BTMR I had to try it for myself.
View attachment 259109
It was super fun! And spoiler alert this was not the last time riding it this day.

I went into the Briars Patch because I miss
View attachment 259113
I sat in the rocking chair for a bit watching people play checkers. Sadly lots of kids had never even seen a checkers board let alone know how to play.
I did see this very tempting mug. I❤Robin Hood
View attachment 259119

Having rested my feet I was ready to meet my host, my ghost host.
View attachment 259112

My doom buggy stopped right in front of here. I loved seeing all their facial expressions and hearing their individual parts.
View attachment 259122

Glad you loved BTMRR - back row? I hope you managed to fit in some ice cream too?
In truth I have many favourites or rides with special memories. BTMRR had to have special attention in Nov last year as it was closed the year before. FOP is certainly high up on that list now too!

 

[Songbird76]

That show is scarier than most parents realize, pretty sure the US is full of children traumatized by it.

My son was one being taken out screaming. He was still crying half an hour later. But the one he was most traumatized by is still Tower of Terror...he doesn't even like us to say the name.

 

[Longers]

Love that you got to hang out with other WDW Magic friends - they are the best - it’s great how the love of Disney brings people together.

Quick question are you able to just go to BLT to watch fireworks or do you need to be having dinner somewhere over there etc? Just curious as I’ve never reallythought about it as we normally just stay in the park to watch them.
I love HEA fireworks more than Wishes now too - some things do change for the better

 

[12in12]

EPCOT today but I got a late start and it then took the bus 40 minutes to arrive so by the time I got to the park it was 11am and I had missed my first FP at SSE.

I wasn't too sad about missing SSE as I'm sure I will get to ride it again later this week. I set off for a stroll around WS. Crowds are light so far today, so perfect to just wander. I did have another FP for FEA which was nice but I hate how wet I get on that ride. My bum was soaked before we even rounded the first corner.
I decided to skip my next FP for LWTL and just continue on in WS.
I wanted to try some festival food and settled on the Hummus Trifle.

Luckily I liked it because it was a large portion for one person.

I get walking around WS until I came to the International Walkway and left the park. It was time to hit up a Magic board favorite located here

It was great to look around the resort and see the pool that gets so much lo
ve on here.
Soon it was time to check in at Beaches and Cream.

I would have loved to order the No Way Jose but I hate wasting food and No Way that I could eat that on my own, so I settled for an old fashioned sundae. One scoop of Cookies & Cream and one butter pecan with peanut butter sauce, whipped cream and for that delicious crunch that really makes a sundae, toasted almonds.

I struggled to even finish this but I was determined and succeeded.
I got a coffee to go and walked around the boardwalk a bit.
I enjoyed the view and the sun on the beach while drinking my coffee.

The wind was a bit chilly so forced me to get going again.

 

[krisri18]

That show is scarier than most parents realize, pretty sure the US is full of children traumatized by it.

We went on it once back in 2008, my son was so freaked out that the woman next to me asked if he was having a seizure! We've never been to see it again!

 

[Figgy1]

We went on it once back in 2008, my son was so freaked out that the woman next to me asked if he was having a seizure! We've never been to see it again!

I'll swap kids mine like to ride it once in the morning, once at night and that's between ST and RNRC all day

 

[Dory71]

Love that you got to hang out with other WDW Magic friends - they are the best - it’s great how the love of Disney brings people together.

Quick question are you able to just go to BLT to watch fireworks or do you need to be having dinner somewhere over there etc? Just curious as I’ve never reallythought about it as we normally just stay in the park to watch them.
I love HEA fireworks more than Wishes now too - some things do change for the better

You have to be a DVC member in order to gain access to the Top of the World Lounge.

 

[93boomer]

EPCOT today but I got a late start and it then took the bus 40 minutes to arrive so by the time I got to the park it was 11am and I had missed my first FP at SSE.
View attachment 259166
I wasn't too sad about missing SSE as I'm sure I will get to ride it again later this week. I set off for a stroll around WS. Crowds are light so far today, so perfect to just wander. I did have another FP for FEA which was nice but I hate how wet I get on that ride. My bum was soaked before we even rounded the first corner.
I decided to skip my next FP for LWTL and just continue on in WS.
I wanted to try some festival food and settled on the Hummus Trifle.
View attachment 259167

Luckily I liked it because it was a large portion for one person.
View attachment 259168
I get walking around WS until I came to the International Walkway and left the park. It was time to hit up a Magic board favorite located here
View attachment 259230
It was great to look around the resort and see the pool that gets so much lo
ve on here.
Soon it was time to check in at Beaches and Cream.
View attachment 259231
View attachment 259232
I would have loved to order the No Way Jose but I hate wasting food and No Way that I could eat that on my own, so I settled for an old fashioned sundae. One scoop of Cookies & Cream and one butter pecan with peanut butter sauce, whipped cream and for that delicious crunch that really makes a sundae, toasted almonds.
View attachment 259233
I struggled to even finish this but I was determined and succeeded.
I got a coffee to go and walked around the boardwalk a bit.
I enjoyed the view and the sun on the beach while drinking my coffee. View attachment 259237
The wind was a bit chilly so forced me to get going again.

Oooo yummy hummus and the sundae looks awesome!!

 

[Longers]

You have to be a DVC member in order to gain access to the Top of the World Lounge.

Thanks for confirming - I did think it was something like that but thought I’d ask anyway

 

[Longers]

Mmmmmmm. Now craving ice cream at 9.15pm in the evening!

 

[krause]

Love that you got to hang out with other WDW Magic friends - they are the best - it’s great how the love of Disney brings people together.

Quick question are you able to just go to BLT to watch fireworks or do you need to be having dinner somewhere over there etc? Just curious as I’ve never reallythought about it as we normally just stay in the park to watch them.
I love HEA fireworks more than Wishes now too - some things do change for the better

If you have dinner at California Grill you can watch fireworks from their balcony (even if you have an early dinner you can return at fireworks time). It is nice to have a different view! And they play the music so it still gives you all the feels

 

[Longers]

If you have dinner at California Grill you can watch fireworks from their balcony (even if you have an early dinner you can return at fireworks time). It is nice to have a different view! And they play the music so it still gives you all the feels

Thanks I knew we could go if we had dinner and I was sure you couldn’t just head up there but just wanted to check in case I’d missed something - thanks for the heads up.

 

[12in12]

My 7 & 4 year olds know how to play checkers. Their mama was the 3rd, 4th and 5th grade school champion. I just had to pass on my prowless.

I adore that mug. We love Robin Hood it is on constant repeat in our car DVD player.

I hadn't seen any Robin Hood merchandise before so it was extra nice to see.

 

[12in12]

Glad you loved BTMRR - back row? I hope you managed to fit in some ice cream too?
In truth I have many favourites or rides with special memories. BTMRR had to have special attention in Nov last year as it was closed the year before. FOP is certainly high up on that list now too!

I haven't done back row on BTMRR, maybe next time. I did have ice cream today but the weather hasn't been that warm so not the best for cold snacks.
FoP is now a favorite of mine as well.

 

[12in12]

We went on it once back in 2008, my son was so freaked out that the woman next to me asked if he was having a seizure! We've never been to see it again!

That's pretty bad but funny.