Trip Report Springin' Into WDW Solo! March 2016

I just got back from my second solo trip a couple weeks ago. I was there from March 19-24. It was a fabulous trip.

A little back story, I'm a teacher and my husband is a pastor, and since this year's Spring Break fell during Holy Week there wasn't anyway he could come with me. So I decided to travel solo again, first solo trip was last March. I want to be home for Easter so my plan was just for a Saturday-Thursday trip, in the end I wish I had spent the whole week there, but I always want more time in WDW.

Before I move on to the report here a couple links to the other two trip reports I've done recently and ever.....
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/...ts-wdw-november-2015-lots-of-pictures.907613/
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/back-to-disneyland-ringin-in-2016.909039/

So Saturday March 19th came and my husband drove me to the airport early for my 8 am flight. I had been wide awake since 1:30am, I was so excited I just couldn't sleep. The flight was pushed back an hour because of supposedly icy roads. The pilot told us the flight crew was delayed because of icy roads; I didn't quite buy that story as even though it had been lightly snowing the roads weren't bad at all. My flight was on Spirit so I was a little nervous as I had heard bad things about them, but I had a big seat in the first row and my flight, even though delayed, was very nice.

Okay, finally in Orlando and I made my way to the Magical Express. It seems as if delay was the theme of the day, we were on the bus ready to go and then we were delayed because the driver got sick. Luckily it wasn't a long delay, 5 minutes later a new driver was there and we were on our way.

And it was raining so it put a bit of a damper on arrival! Sorry for the pun, nothing could dampen my excitement!

My resort this time was the All Star Sports, mostly because it was the cheapest. To be honest for years, I have avoided the All Stars like the plague, but I stayed at the Movies last year and enjoyed it and my stay at the Sports was enjoyable too. I have a stay booked for the Music in June, so I hope my luck holds out!

My room at the Sports, a little sparse in decoration. But it was clean, very close to the bus stop, and the bed was comfortable.

I had done online check in and I got a text about 10 minutest after leaving the airport that my room was ready. I really like just being able to go to my room.

 

[betty rose]

I'm glad this is a nice stress reliever for you. I know a lot of people are on a Disney bash kick but I try to look at the positives. I have enough other negatives, Disney NEEDS to be my happy place (that includes this forum).

I do feel bad that you can't have dairy it is so tasty, I couldn't do without. Although, I suppose I could learn to survive. For now I'll eat your share.

Be my guest, I at least know how good it is .

 

[betty rose]

So I went to explore the Pangani Trail. Up until a few year ago I had never done the trail, I balked at the idea of more walking. But I now love the trail in Africa and Asia. I find that they are gorgeously themed and provide a relaxing journey with some great animal views. If you have never done them you really should.

On the Pangani Trail, I found this beautiful flower.
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And waterfall
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The hippos were in good view too.
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And the gorillas were pretty active too.
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Once I was done with the trail I still had about 10 minutes to wait until Harambe Market to open. I found a sunny spot and relaxed.
I ended up getting the curry battered sausage. It was good. It needed a little more spice, a little more zip, the mustard provided that though. It came with a chilled tomato salad with black eyed peas and a carrot slaw. Both were good, I wasn't expecting them to be. I'm not a big fan of raw carrot so I didn't eat a lot of the slaw.
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I wandered back to Asia, and to be honest I was still hungry. So I stopped at the Yak and Yeti and got a side dish of fried rice. It was delicious and for $3.99 a real bargain. The Yak and Yeti has a nice seating area and after the rice I was stuffed.
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I decided to jungle trek it on the Maharajah Jungle Trek, I was hoping the tiger would be active and it was. I really don't like bats at all so I walked VERY swiftly through that area (that is the only flaw of this trek). Although there were some nice carvings on the door leading into their enclosure and this was as close I wanted to be to observing the bats.
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One of the tigers was active so that was nice to see. I usually see them sleeping.
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I love the trails in Animal Kingdom. I love seeing all the animals. To me we have seen more on the trails then the safari, as it's usually warm when we go on that. I'm glad many people skip the trails, it's nice to have time alone, with the CM's. You can learn a lot.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

It was then time for my fast pass for the Character Spot. I wanted some pictures with Characters and with my AP photopass pictures are included so that was perfect for meeting characters solo. I was a little nervous about meeting the character solo, I thought maybe it would be awkward to be by myself but in the end it was fine. The characters were lovable as always, and I didn't have to deal with Minnie Mouse flirting with my husband! I haven't downloaded the pictures with the character yet, but perhaps I'll include a few at the end of the report.

Because Soarin' was down I fast passed Test Track. I haven't done the normal Test Track since it was refurbed with the new design. I have only done single rider, and with single rider I haven't ever gotten to design my car fully. I think my design rocked and I was first the tests in my car.

So after Test Track I headed into World Showcase for some Flower and Garden eats. I went to the Lotus House and got the Gaoli beef bun. It was good, the beef had a nice spice. I did pick off the onions because I'm not a big raw onion fan.

Then I saw a few of the topiaries lit up at night as I made my way to the Smokehouse.

Giant sandcastle to promote The Jungle Book.

 

[betty rose]

Ok, so I headed off to Epcot for Flower and Garden Festival. The topiaries at the front entrance were fantastic. I thought the Donald Duck and the Huey, Dewey, and Louie figures were super cute.
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I also really liked the tribute to the 100 years of the National Parks was pretty awesome.
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Beautiful pictures, the best of the trip, as I'm partial to flowers and topiary's.

 

[betty rose]

It was then time for my fast pass for the Character Spot. I wanted some pictures with Characters and with my AP photopass pictures are included so that was perfect for meeting characters solo. I was a little nervous about meeting the character solo, I thought maybe it would be awkward to be by myself but in the end it was fine. The characters were lovable as always, and I didn't have to deal with Minnie Mouse flirting with my husband! I haven't downloaded the pictures with the character yet, but perhaps I'll include a few at the end of the report.

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Because Soarin' was down I fast passed Test Track. I haven't done the normal Test Track since it was refurbed with the new design. I have only done single rider, and with single rider I haven't ever gotten to design my car fully. I think my design rocked and I was first the tests in my car.

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So after Test Track I headed into World Showcase for some Flower and Garden eats. I went to the Lotus House and got the Gaoli beef bun. It was good, the beef had a nice spice. I did pick off the onions because I'm not a big raw onion fan.
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Then I saw a few of the topiaries lit up at night as I made my way to the Smokehouse.
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Giant sandcastle to promote The Jungle Book.
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Thanks for all the pictures, we are getting to Disney in May, and will get to see Epcot. Now, I'm really excited!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I made my way to the Smokehouse and I couldn't decide between the burnt ends hash and the ribs, so I had both. I had eaten the hash last year and it has okay but I decided to give it another go this year and I LOVED it! It was just perfection. I really should have gone back and had it again. The ribs were good but I've had better, they needed a little more dry rub. I did put a strip of Carolina sauce on one (you see that in the picture), and the sauce was good. I didn't want to sauce the other because I wanted to try one as they had prepared it. The ribs came with a corn salad and I had high hopes for it but it wasn't really that great. @donaldtoo you might appreciate the smoked meats.

I also stopped at the France booth and I got the onion tarty and out of the three Flower and Garden foods I had this was the best. The picture may not make it look that appetizing but it was. The crust was buttery and flaky, and the onions were perfectly caramelized and had nice herb flavoring. On another day I bought two of these to take home, one for me and one for my hubby.

Then a look at a few more topiaries.

.

 

[donaldtoo]

I made my way to the Smokehouse and I couldn't decide between the burnt ends hash and the ribs, so I had both. I had eaten the hash last year and it has okay but I decided to give it another go this year and I LOVED it! It was just perfection. I really should have gone back and had it again. The ribs were good but I've had better, they needed a little more dry rub. I did put a strip of Carolina sauce on one (you see that in the picture), and the sauce was good. I didn't want to sauce the other because I wanted to try one as they had prepared it. The ribs came with a corn salad and I had high hopes for it but it wasn't really that great. @donaldtoo you might appreciate the smoked meats.

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I also stopped at the France booth and I got the onion tarty and out of the three Flower and Garden foods I had this was the best. The picture may not make it look that appetizing but it was. The crust was buttery and flaky, and the onions were perfectly caramelized and had nice herb flavoring. On another day I bought two of these to take home, one for me and one for my hubby.

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Then a look at a few more topiaries.

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.

Oh my...all looks sooo delicious!!!
Thanks for tagging me! So very sorry, still so far behind, and your report got lost in the mix...
Following now...!!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I made my way out of Epcot as people were getting ready for Illuminations. I am not a huge fan of Reflections of Earth (I would love to see the Illuminations I remember from the 1990's), so I didn't hang around for Iluminations.
I did grab this picture as I headed out.

Then a few more pictures as I headed back to the sports.

Coming up next a Magic Kingdom morning!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Oh my...all looks sooo delicious!!!
Thanks for tagging me! So very sorry, still so far behind, and your report got lost in the mix...
Following now...!!!

No problem, I figured you would enjoy some BBQ pictures.

 

[donaldtoo]

No problem, I figured you would enjoy some BBQ pictures.

Indeed, thanks again!
Actually, I'm enjoying all your pictures and your report...just awesome...!!!
Will do some more ketchup tomorrow...!

 

[littleroo]

Great trip report. I just love all the pictures and details!! Following along!

 

[disneypearl]

The Flower & Garden Festival is always so pretty to see. Your pictures of it are fantastic! I am enjoying following along on your report!

 

[joshsprincess921]

Loving your report!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Start of a new day...today would be the day of all four parks (and I close down 3 of them!) I started the day with the Magic Kingdom, there was a fog over 7 Seas Lagoon. It looked mystical. I love watching the Welcome show at the MK and this time the fire chief welcomed us and the gang was in their spring attire.

The castle looked lovely in the early morning light.

As the crowds veered to Fantasyland and 7 Dwarfs mine train I headed for Big Thunder Mountain. Turned out to be a good decision, as not many people headed there and I got to ride Big Thunder mountain four times, and three of those I never had to get off the train!

After my fourth time on Big Thunder I wandered towards Fantasyland.

And basically walked onto Dumbo.

Then headed for Buzz.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

After Buzz I headed to the hub and took some pictures. I was really diggin' the flower color scheme.

I thought this detail was interesting on the bridge over by the Crystal Palace.

Next time I will eat here. I didn't this time because I knew my husband wants us to do this together.

Then another ride on Big Thunder.

Then I relaxed on a rocker and took in the view until it was time to head to 7 Dwarfs Mine Train, and then I met up with my sister and my niece for lunch at Be Our Guest.

 

[MinnieM123]

Your photos just get better and better all the time! You've got some real photographic talent.

 

[PacNWTigger]

I feel like I'm late to the party, but I'm sooo enjoying your trip report. I am loving all of the topiary and food pics. I really shouldn't read your trip report when I'm hungry...LOL! I'm looking forward to seeing more!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I feel like I'm late to the party, but I'm sooo enjoying your trip report. I am loving all of the topiary and food pics. I really shouldn't read your trip report when I'm hungry...LOL! I'm looking forward to seeing more!

Better late than never! Welcome to the party!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

So I had lunch at Be Our Guest and I've eaten there a couple times but this time was really disappointing. I have liked the croque monsieur in the past so I got that again. It was dry, very little bechamel sauce and was served a little cold. The triple chocolate cupcake was good, but I don't think I will be rushing back to this restaurant on my next trip.

Anyway, after lunch I said goodbye to my sister and niece and I rode Peter Pan and then made my way out of the park. I ran into the Dapper Dans and they (as always) had a great show.

I wanted to check out the Easter eggs at the Grand Floridian. I decided to take the boat, as I saw it was approaching the dock. So here are some shots from the boat and dock at the GF.

The Grand Floridian Easter eggs were just gorgeous! It was my first time seeing them in person and it was awesome to see all the detail that went into these art pieces.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

More Easter eggs....