I didn't get married, but I won the lottery and took a walk on the wild side at WDW!

To make a long story short, I was supposed to get married on September 21, 2012, but that didn't work out. I had planned part of my honeymoon to be at Disney World so when the engagement fell apart I knew I still wanted to go to my most favortie place in the world at what I knew was going to be a very difficult time. My friend Autumn agreed to go with me. For the longer version refer to my pre-trip report and when I figure out how to, I'll post the link.

Dates: September 21- September 26, 2012

Cast of Characters: Autumn, 34 and Me (Ty), 27

Hotel: Port Orleans French Quarter, Free Dining


September 21,2012
Autumn lives in Pittsburgh and I live in upstate NY, so we agreed to meet in Florida. Only bad thing is there was a 6 hour lapse between our arrivals. My flight landed at 10:31, I was on line for DME at 10:52 and on a bus at 10:55. I was slightly disappointed to get on a Cruise Line Bus, I have yet to be on an offical DME bus.Not that it really matters cause they all go to the same place.

French Quarter was the 3rd stop after Old Key West and Saratoga Springs. I checked in just before noon. I thought I made pretty good time. I quickly dropped my stuff off in the room.

View from just outside our room...

We got an excellent location. We were in building 4, 3rd floor right behind the bus stop. Before I headed to the bus stop, I picked up out resort mugs and bought a Disney bookbag to lug all our stuff around in. That thing was the best $30 I spent the whole trip.

As always my first stop was of course...

I just took my time taking in the atmophere as I slowly made my way down Main Street USA. Now, this was supposed to be my wedding day and the week leading up to the day had its fair share of ups and downs. I'm not ashamed to say I did some crying. Now I'm walking down Main Street alone and I see a show up on the castle and I see Mickey and Minnie dancing and holding hands on this platform and I get all teary eyed.

I think it was a combination of saddness and shear joy, but I quickly pushed back those tears and kept moving. I headed towards Frontierland and stopped to get a pretzel and water.

Sorry his ear is gone, I hadn't eaten all day and I couldnt wait.

While I was eating, I sat next to this elderly couple sitting in rocking chairs and holding hands. I couldn't help but smile at how cute they were, but I was sad too, hoping that I'll have that one day. Soon the rest of the family joined them, they had just gotten off splash mountain. They too thought grandma and grandpa were adorable, they took pictures and helped them back into thier matching scooters and drove off. People watching is quite fun sometimes.

By that time the birds that hangout in Frontierland and Liberty Square were starting to get a bit too close so I wrapped up the rest of my pretzel and threw my water in that handy bookbag and headed towards Pirates. Pirates was having technical issues and was closed, so I hopped on the line for the Jungle Cruise instead. It was a nice ride, but nothing fantastic. I did have a great skipper though. She tried to get everyone invovled, but no one was really responding. She told the most corny jokes that few laughed at. They were so bad they were funny, which was actually the best part of the cruise.

Afterr the cruise I was starting to get really hot. I didnt realize it would be so hot in late September. I still had a few hours before Autumn was set to arrive so I just wandered around in and out of air conditioned shops and ended up on Main Street again headed towards the exit. Before I left I took a leisure ride on the MK railroad. I caught the end of the 3:00 parade and lef the park about 3:30.

Autumn texted me she arrived at MCO about 4:30 and I went down to meet her bus about 5:30, just as a storm was about to roll in. I sat on a bench out front enjoying the nice breeze and trying not to think about the fact that at that very moment I was supposed to be walking down the aisle.

 

[YoungNY]

Wow, what a great report! It looks like you definitely experienced some pixie dust magic this trip. Winning the free trek is awesome. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

It was great cause I never get anything like that. I never win anything. So getting picked for that was awesome. Definitely made me feel special.

 

[YoungNY]

Super cool TR! Getting a free Wild Africa Trek is awesome. It sounds great too. Definitely something to look into next time. I also agree with forgetting what's "wrong" with WDW and focusing on the good - makes for a heckuva great time that can't be beat.

Thanks for sharing!

I highly reccomend it. It was an awesome experiance. The guide said it was even better than the morning safari one or the one offered at AKL.

 

[PrincessMandi]

I loved your trip report! That was an amazing surprise! I am glad that you had a great time! I will be headed there in 8 more days

P.S. I loved all of your pics!

 

[Allie_Marie]

I could've sworn I wrote on this! I love your TR, it was amazing! I'm so glad you conquered some of your fears and got the amazing opportunity of to do the safari experience!
You are such a beautiful girl and will find your true love one day!!

 

[Alison1975]

I wanted to dress up as Princess Tiana, but I could only find an adult costume online. It was 50 bucks and I wasn't sure if either of the 2 sizes they offered would fit and it was non-returnable. So instead I opted to make my own costume. I chose to be the queen of hearts.



Ignore the mess in the background. Autumn chose to be Esmerelda. It totally suits her presonality.



We took the bus to MK and arrived about a quarter to 8. Before our trip I was concerned we'd be the only adults wearing costumes, but by the time we got to MK I felt underdressed. I think next time I'll invest in a real costume. Autumn wa most excited for the trick or treating so I found a place near the rides we hadn't done yet. We hit up the trick or treating next to buzz first. Autumn had no interest in meeting buzz, but she loved the ride. She kicked my butt.



Oh I wish I had gotten a better picture, it was so funny. We were so competitive and it was really reflextive in our picture. I had one eyed and was making a funny face like a pirate. It was great. Damn, my crappy camera.

We did the laugh floor next and wandered over to the tea cups. I had to ride the tea cups dressed as the Queen of Hearts.



I was trying to look mean like the Queen. I actually love the tea cups, but these don't go spin very fast and just as we got a good spin going the ride was over. Oh well, it was still fun.

I wanted to see what was open in the new fantasyland, but I just saw Dumbo. Autumn thought it dumb to have two of the same ride right next to each other. Dumbo has always been one of the rides I wanted to ride along with the flying carpets, just because they are MK classics to me anyway. But I'd feel strange being an adult getting on those rides alone. Guess I'll just have to wait til I have kids.



Not sure how much I like the theming here, I''l have to see once everything else opens. He hit the trick or treat trail starting at the fantasyland train station. There were 3 stops ending back in tomorrowland.



Again trying out my mean Queen look. It was about this time that we noticed the fireworks starting. We made our way to the bridge to the castle and watched from there. It was a good show, but we missed half of them while walking around and the only place we could find on the bridge was behind a tree. It was after the fireworks were over that things got worse. I'm a pretty easy going person, I don't let much bother me so the crowds aren't a real problem for me. Autumn is a different story. It was so crowded on that bridge with people trying to go in every which direction and some not moving at all, it was chaos. Autumn yells to "I thought this was supposed to be a not so scary halloween party." I said what's scary. She pointed at all the people around us and said "This!" I felt bad for her, I really had no idea of her crowd phobia. We finally found a place right in front of main street that had enough space for two. We figured we weren't going to find a better place for the parade so we decided to just stay there. I left Autumn there to fight the crowds and save our spots while I got us some waters. She was so happy when I came back. We sat down and waited for the parade for about an hour.



Don't let that smile fool you. She was already ready to go.

We were there the same night..but on totally opposite sides of the park and we left after the fireworks because of the crowds!

 

[Alison1975]

The take away:

The Resort: Port Orleans French Quarter was nice. The beds we comfy, the themeing was great. The pool and hot tub were great. I thought the food court was a little small and didn't have many choices. I thought the food court at the POP was better and bigger. The Jazz Lounge was nice, but the location was weird. I thought it should've been a more private, intimate place. The people were extremely nice.
We agree.. the rooms were great..beds were nice ( the ones at Boardwalk messed my back up bad)..the food was great but there wasn't enough variety..by day 5 I was sick of it! We didn't go to the lounge...
The parks: Fun as always. I did notice a lot of construction, even outside of MK. That can only mean things are improving right? I'm glad I got to experience things I've never done before. Maybe next time I'll get up the guts to ride Splash Mountain. I didn't get to do everything I wanted, but that's just my excuse to go back. Though I probably wont get to experiance it for a while, I'm excited for the new fantasyland. And if the rumors I hear about Avatarland are true, I think that would be awesome. I'd like to spend a little more time exploring the countries in Epcot and try to tackle drinking around the world again.

The Wild Africa Trek: It was by far one of the greatest experiances of my life so far. That might be lame, but it was. Getting picked to be in a promotional shoot for Disney just made it even better. I can't wait to see the pictures from the shoot and I'll be sure to share them with you all when I get them in the mail in a few weeks.

The Not So Scary Halloween Party: It was a great experiance. It was fun. I was also a lot of money. I don't think I would pay to go if I had a big family or pay to go every year if I lived close, but I'm glad I did it once and I might do it again. It wasn't much different than a normal night, except everyone was dressed up and it was halloween themed. I don't think the quarter bag of candy we got and 5 minute parade was worth the $60 a person. I think we got more out of the Chirstmas Party than the Halloween Party. I'd do the Chirstmas Party again in a heartbeat.
We loved the party..I just wish they didn't sell so many tickets. I felt the $400 we spent on 7 of us was a too much overall..BUT my kids loved it and want to go again next year. I am hoping we can experience more the next time.

Food: I can't say there was anything this time that stuck out for me. There was nothing over the top amazing. It was all good food with the exception of Hollywood and Vine which I will never visit again.

Future trips: I'd like to do a 5k next year and later a half marathon in 2014. We'll see if my finances will allow that and I'd have to get medical clearance first to start training. My hip is getting worse and I might need a new replacement first. But my next trip I'd like to try a deluxe hotel. I have my eye on the Boardwalk and Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Overall: I know a lot of people here are tired of WDW or upset with the upkeep, mantience and lack of production. While there I did notice several things mentioned on these boards, but honestly if I hadn't read it here I wouldn't have noticed. I don't visit often and while there I'm not trying to look for things that are wrong and if I happen to spot something, I can overlook it. It's just not important. Sure Disney is cutting back on stuff and trying to save money where they can. I don't blame them, the rest of us are doing the same thing. As long as Disney continues to make me feel special and the level of service doesn't decline, I'm a happy girl. I tell everyone, "Yes, Disney is expensive and you could probably stay at a five star hotel on a tropical island for half as much as you'd pay at Disney, but the level of service you get at Disney is far better than anywhere." I still feel that way, they made everyday feel magical and special and that's all I can really ask for. Anyway, I had a fantastic time at Walt Disney World. I look forward to many more adventures and new experiances in the future. I'm also looking into the cruise line and Disneyland in California and Disneyland in Paris. I guess with all these plans, I need to hit the lottery for real.
Agreed!
If you're still here, thanks for reading. It was fun sharing my trip with you.

 

[ExtinctJenn]

DH, DS6 and I watched a video of the Boo To You parade and each of them said the same thing re: the Cowboys and them not seeming to fit the theme. My explanation was it's all about dressing up as something and Cowboys are always a popular costume choice for little boys!

Great report girl! Loved it and so glad you took advantage of some wonderful time with a great friend to get over a not-so-great situation! Keep your head up and show the world you're awesome!!

 

[popcenturylover]

Loved your costumes & your TR! We were at the party on the same night as you! Sooooo crowded that I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to other people & their costumes! Wish I had though then I might have met a few people but, it was hard just getting through all of the crowds.

 

[YoungNY]

I loved your trip report! That was an amazing surprise! I am glad that you had a great time! I will be headed there in 8 more days

P.S. I loved all of your pics!

Have a great trip and please tell us all about it when you get back.

I could've sworn I wrote on this! I love your TR, it was amazing! I'm so glad you conquered some of your fears and got the amazing opportunity of to do the safari experience!
You are such a beautiful girl and will find your true love one day!!

Thank you so much, I appreciate that a lot. I'm glad I conquered my fears too, it made for a much better trip. Next trip I think it'll be splash mountain. I'm still not ready for RnR yet.

We were there the same night..but on totally opposite sides of the park and we left after the fireworks because of the crowds!

Yep, Autumn was ready to leave after the fireworks too for the same reason. And $400 for the party, I just might have to plan on having a very small family if I plan on taking them to Disney. At this rate, I don't want to think about how much it'll cost me when I get around to taking my family to something like that.

DH, DS6 and I watched a video of the Boo To You parade and each of them said the same thing re: the Cowboys and them not seeming to fit the theme. My explanation was it's all about dressing up as something and Cowboys are always a popular costume choice for little boys!

Great report girl! Loved it and so glad you took advantage of some wonderful time with a great friend to get over a not-so-great situation! Keep your head up and show the world you're awesome!!

Don't get me wrong I didn't mind the cowboys. But yeah they didn't fit. Thanks for the great words of encouragement.

Loved your costumes & your TR! We were at the party on the same night as you! Sooooo crowded that I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to other people & their costumes! Wish I had though then I might have met a few people but, it was hard just getting through all of the crowds.

Yeah, I knew there were quite a few of us WDWmagicers there that night, but I would've been able to spot my own father in those crowds.

 

[WishIWasAtWDW]

great trip report! i'm so sorry that your wedding didn't work out but its for the best. you are a very strong woman for going on your honeymoon trip and it was so nice of autumn to join you! very sex and the city movie! it looks like you ended up having a really good time.

i can't believe that you got to go on the wild africa trek for free!! so jealous! that is AWESOME! i will have to keep an eye out for you in the promotional materials. props to you for saying yes despite your fear of heights. i agree that the trek is pretty expensive but if i had the money it looks like it would be worth it.

i'm so sorry that you didn't enjoy the halloween party that much. i actually love the halloween party more than the christmas part. and the halloween parade is my absolute favorite! to each his own, i guess. i'm so glad that you got to meet the queen of hearts! your costume was very cute.

thanks again for sharing!

 

[YoungNY]

great trip report! i'm so sorry that your wedding didn't work out but its for the best. you are a very strong woman for going on your honeymoon trip and it was so nice of autumn to join you! very sex and the city movie! it looks like you ended up having a really good time.

i can't believe that you got to go on the wild africa trek for free!! so jealous! that is AWESOME! i will have to keep an eye out for you in the promotional materials. props to you for saying yes despite your fear of heights. i agree that the trek is pretty expensive but if i had the money it looks like it would be worth it.

i'm so sorry that you didn't enjoy the halloween party that much. i actually love the halloween party more than the christmas part. and the halloween parade is my absolute favorite! to each his own, i guess. i'm so glad that you got to meet the queen of hearts! your costume was very cute.

thanks again for sharing!

We really did end up having a great time. I really enjoyed the trek dispite my fears. I keep looking it up to see if they have updated the pictures yet, but no. I did see some pictures that were totally photoshoped and fake on the Disney website though which makes me worry a bit. Oh well, I already signed my soul away so they can do whatever they like. I think part of my dissapointment with the halloween party was my over expectations, but I think it was also because I knew Autumn was uncomfortable with the crowds. I think Disney might do better by making those "special events" more exclusive and selling far less tickets. It was more crowded that night that on a regular day.