A Whole New SOLO World: A July 2015 WDW TR - My 1st! (complete)

[bamacmac]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part 4

Pics from my first ride aboard the Liberty Belle!










I really loved the BTMR pics I got from the river!










Haunted Mansion was closed for a little while (not sure why), but how weird to see a completely empty queue in the middle of the day!

On to Neverland….Peter Pan’s Flight! Another favorite…although I kinda wanted to do this one without a FP so I could check out the new queue, but not quite enough to want to wait in line for an hour.



Next…the bitter taste of disappointment. I had a FP for Jungle Cruise and was really looking forward to that one! But then it was closed because of weather. I will say though that I found it great that because of that, they automatically gave me a FP to use anytime that day at several indoor attractions. It didn’t work out for me to use it, but it is a nice way for Disney to handle sudden closures.

I had a little bit of time to kill until my lunch reservation at Be Our Guest (and this would be my first time there!). The wait time for the Little Mermaid attraction was posted at 20 minutes, so I decided to do that.




Well it was definitely not 20 minutes. It was closer to 40 or maybe even more. So this made me a little late for my lunch reservation. Which made me late for the next “first” on my list, the Festival of Fantasy Parade. I was frustrated somewhat…mostly with myself and my poor planning. Oh well.

(to be continued....)

 

[bamacmac]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part 5

I did enjoy Be Our Guest, just had to enjoy it much faster than I would have liked. This place is stunning though in detail and theming. Wow. I was so glad I experienced it. I had the roast beef sandwich. It wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, but it wasn’t Arby’s either. Ha. For dessert I had a chocolate cupcake topped with the grey stuff. I can confirm that it is, in fact, delicious. Lumiere knows his stuff.














So I ate very quickly and then hurried towards the parade route. I found a spot where I could somewhat see, behind all the kids on shoulders and iPads (ugh!), in Liberty Square. I caught about half of the parade, walking up as Peter, Wendy, Hook and Tink passed by. But I was at least glad I got to see Maleficent…how cool is that fire breathing dragon?









After the parade, I was standing directly in front of Hall of Presidents, so it made sense to go with that next. Yet another show I like. Not a must do every time, but it’s such an impressive one. So after that I spent some time looking around shops in Liberty Square and Frontierland and people watching. Fun times.

At this point, I all of a sudden completely changed my game plan for the rest of the day. The plan WAS to have dinner at BOG (yes, I know, twice in one day, but I knew the QS and TS experiences there would be different enough…plus Beast…lol) and then get some more FP’s and hang around until after Wishes. BUT, it wasn’t to be. I decided to cancel the dinner reservation and go get another Nutella waffle for dinner. Yep I sure did. Don’t judge me. When you discover a little bit of heaven on earth, you let yourself experience it more than once in a day if you can. And I could. Because I was alone. And when you are alone, guess what? You get to do WHATEVER you want to do!

While I was enjoying my 2nd waffle of the day, I decided that next I would take a ride on the Walt Disney World Railroad. On the way there, I realized it was almost time for the Flag Retreat Ceremony. This was something I had never watched! I was excited to get to see this.

(Almost there...continue on to Part 6!)

 

[KingLlama]

You're KILLING it, C.

 

[bamacmac]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part 6

After watching and singing along with our national anthem, I was so moved that I decided this would have to become a regular even for me. I loved that they have a “Veteran of the Day” to carry the flag away. It was a beautiful, touching ceremony.




How awesome is riding the train y’all?? It’s just…well, awesome. One thing though….why is it so hard for some people to keep their hands and feet inside the train? There were people sitting near me that couldn’t handle this. So the CM had to remind them of this rule many, many, many times. People like this are just idiots. I don’t care for idiots.

A quick picture before I got on the train...



After my trip around the kingdom, it was time for an oldie but a goodie! Carousel of Progress. I love this attraction so much. If you truly love all things Disney, then you love CoP. I love the history involved in this one. It’s so purely “Walt” and that makes it special to me. And it’s one of the attractions that make me wish I had been around to experience the parks many, many years ago.




A quick ride on the Peoplemover and I decided it was time to go!



(Wow..this one is going to get a part 7!! Don't stop now! )

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Interesting approach, to let the "public" choose where you have breakfast! Looks like it turned out really well for you. I was inspired by another Dis'er's comment in a trip report (shout-out to ElenaJane), to have a bananas foster waffle at Roaring Fork, also on July 21. So glad I did.

Did you get charged for cancelling your BOG dinner reservation the same day?

 

[bamacmac]

Day 4: Tuesday, July 21st

Part SEVEN!

That night would be my last at Caribbean Beach, so I thought it would be great to have some resort time. I got back to the room, changed and headed to the main pool for the evening. What a great night this turned out to be. This pool is amazing. There were plenty of people there, but it wasn’t crazy crowded. I enjoyed a couple of pina coladas, spent some time in the water and even got to watch some of IllumiNations AND the Frozen fireworks FROM the pool! That was pretty cool. I was excited when they started a movie on the patio, then lost that excitement when I realized it was High School Musical. Ha. What an evening for some great pictures though!!! In case you couldn't tell by now, I really love pictures.

Old Port Royale



A stunning sunset....(and a gorgeous fountain of course)






The pool at night was beautiful!





And yum!





It was a great, relaxing end to a very fun day.


As the song says…there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day, there’s a great big beautiful tomorrow…just a dream away!


That beautiful tomorrow would include loading up the car, a Mickey waffle for breakfast, most of the day by the pool at Caribbean Beach, another hotel change (back to the Fairfield Inn!) and another evening in a magical kingdom. Stay tuned for Day 5!

(Also, I think it is safe to say that the rest of the trip report won't consist of 6 or 7 posts per Day. Ha. The rest of the trip I only spent a few hours in the parks each day, so there shouldn't be quite as many pictures to share. OH except for that Orlando Eye day! LOTS of pics from that!!! But we shall see...)

 

[bamacmac]

You're KILLING it, C.

Do I want to be, as you say, "killing it"? So violent.

 

[KingLlama]

Girl, quit your playin'. You know that was a compliment.

 

[bamacmac]

Interesting approach, to let the "public" choose where you have breakfast! Looks like it turned out really well for you. I was inspired by another Dis'er's comment in a trip report (shout-out to ElenaJane), to have a bananas foster waffle at Roaring Fork, also on July 21. So glad I did.

Did you get charged for cancelling your BOG dinner reservation the same day?

Haha...maybe on my next trip I should let the public vote whenever I can't decide what to do next? Could make for an interesting trip! Hahahaha.

That sounds like a good waffle! Now I'm getting hungry.

Yes I did. Boo to that. So that nutella waffle and bottle of water ended up costing me close to $20 with that cancellation fee. BUT oh well. It was worth it!

 

[bamacmac]

Girl, quit your playin'. You know that was a compliment.

Hahaha...I'm SO funny.

(And thank you!!!!!)

 

[DaisyDuck001]

How good was your view of Illuminations and the Frozen fireworks, from the Caribbean Beach pool? When you said you got to see some of them, is that because the rest weren't visible from there, or is it that you got there after it was already in progress?

 

[bamacmac]

How good was your view of Illuminations and the Frozen fireworks, from the Caribbean Beach pool? When you said you got to see some of them, is that because the rest weren't visible from there, or is it that you got there after it was already in progress?

Trees were blocking most of IllumiNations. You could some of the lower stuff, but for the most part the best view was of the much higher fireworks. For the Frozen show, you could just about see all of the fireworks. It was a good enough view to be fun and to enjoy, but probably not something I would plan to do, if that makes sense. And I meant that some of it just wasn't visible.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Yes, that makes sense. Then I won't necessarily put that on the agenda for my next Caribbean Beach stay. But glad you had a great evening at their pool!

 

[bamacmac]

Yes, that makes sense. Then I won't necessarily put that on the agenda for my next Caribbean Beach stay. But glad you had a great evening at their pool!

Yeah, I think it's more of a "if you just happen to be there, then it's cool" thing.

Thank you!!

 

[stacielyn]

I love this report! I'm now considering trying to convince my January travel buddy to do breakfast at Akershus with me so we can get into EPCOT early, haha. And I haven't been to Caribbean Beach since I was 6, but I know I looooved that pool!

 

[bamacmac]

I love this report! I'm now considering trying to convince my January travel buddy to do breakfast at Akershus with me so we can get into EPCOT early, haha. And I haven't been to Caribbean Beach since I was 6, but I know I looooved that pool!

Thanks for joining in! It was so beyond worth it. Those moments of walking through both FW and WS with no one ahead of me were priceless! And it's something I will definitely try to do again! And the food was good there too...I was so full when I left and just snacked some the rest of the day until dinner that night!

Amazing pool! I was going to stay at a value resort, but I am so, so glad I went with CBR! I would love to stay there again when I can do more than 3 nights!

 

[stacielyn]

Thanks for joining in! It was so beyond worth it. Those moments of walking through both FW and WS with no one ahead of me were priceless! And it's something I will definitely try to do again! And the food was good there too...I was so full when I left and just snacked some the rest of the day until dinner that night!

Amazing pool! I was going to stay at a value resort, but I am so, so glad I went with CBR! I would love to stay there again when I can do more than 3 nights!

Yeah, I would love to walk through EPCOT early! Normally on trips, I'm with only adults so we kind of sleep in and move slowly and just stay out later at night, which is fine. But I tagged along with my sister's family in February and made it to rope drop at MK one day and loved that, so I think this time (especially if I end up solo) I want to try some early mornings. I did book a BOG breakfast reservation for before the park opens one day. I don't know how on board my friend will be with booking a princess meal, though! And that is something I don't think I would do solo since even with other people I am awkward with the characters, haha. But your experience at Akershus looked so nice!

CBR is definitely on my list of resorts to stay at sometime soon. I've stayed at a ton but it's been so many years since I've been to this one, and it was my first.

 

[bamacmac]

Day 5: Wednesday, July 22nd

Part 1

I woke up a little sad I had to leave Caribbean Beach. I had really enjoyed staying there. It was like having the best of both worlds….a Disney parks vacation and an island/beach vacation all rolled into one. And with the summer discounts, it was a very affordable moderate resort. I would most definitely stay there again!





I packed up and loaded up the car and was ready for some breakfast. I headed over to Old Port Royale in search of a Disney breakfast must for me that I had not experienced yet….the Mickey waffle.(Yes, we have established that I like waffles. Now hush.) Luckily, I found one and very much enjoyed it, along with sausage and coffee.




Now I was ready for more pool time! The weather was great on this day. It wasn’t too hot. I could actually sit in the shade by the pool and read and was comfortable. And of course there were pictures.





Of course I have to share a daytime picture of that lovely fountain!












(On to Part 2!)

 

[bamacmac]

Day 5: Wednesday, July 22nd

Part 2


The day passed quickly and soon it was time to go. I headed back inside to use up the rest of my snack credits and refill my mug one more time before I left. This lead to another Mickey shaped must have treat. And some pictures of inside Old Port Royale.















Time to head back to the Fairfield Inn by Marriott, get settled and get ready for an evening at Magic Kingdom.

I had a reservation for dinner at The Plaza Restaurant for around 6ish. I made it to the park just a little bit before that…just enough time to wander through a few shops as I made my way down Main Street.

I had never eaten at the Plaza. I had been told that it was good, so I decided to try it. I ordered the meatloaf, which the waitress told me was their specialty. She brought out a plate with 3 slices of meat loaf and a side of corn. This was not my idea of good meatloaf. It wasn’t terrible and was edible, but I was not a fan. I ate about half of it, just so it wouldn’t be a total waste of money. I had an ice cream sundae for dessert that was very good. But then again, it’s kind of hard to mess up an ice cream sundae. I finished quickly and was out the door.

I had 3 fastpasses for the evening. Jungle Cruise, Wishes (this would be my first time doing a FP for Wishes!) and Haunted Mansion.

So I headed towards Adventureland. I had a little bit of time before my 1st FP, and realized I didn’t remember ever doing the Enchanted Tiki Room. I am willing to bet I did this with my family on that 1985 trip, but once again, I don’t remember. So I decided it was time to experience this classic. So glad I did! What a fun show. I very much enjoyed it.






(To be continued!)

 

[bamacmac]

Day 5: Wednesday, July 22nd

Part 3


Jungle Cruise time! I LOVE this one! Again, it involves a boat and water, which we have established are 2 of my favorite things. I love the corny skipper jokes too. Pretty excited for the new Skipper Canteen that is coming soon!




After this, I had nothing planned until the Wishes FP. As I was walking into Frontierland, I once again realized there was something I didn’t remember ever doing. Country Bear Jamboree. Another thing I’m sure I did as a kid though. So I headed into the Grizzly Hall and was ready to be entertained by some bears. And entertained I was! Fun little show. Perhaps a little bit odd if I’m honest? Yes. But I mean that in the best way possible. I liked it a lot and will likely be adding this one to the mix now and then.





Next I did some browsing through shops. Time to try on some Minnie Ears. I seem to do this every trip. And take pictures of myself with the ears. I’m not sure why, but now it’s a thing and I find it fun!



Sunset over Splash Mountain



Another stop into Memento Mori. Have to say again that this is a cool little shop.

How cool is this?




I had time a little extra time so I took the long way around the castle through Fantasyland. And decided to hit the tea cups while I was there.



Time to head to the Wishes FP viewing area! A lot of people told me not to do a FP for this. That it wasn’t a good spot, not good for pictures especially with some of the light poles in the way, etc. But, since it was something I had never done, I wanted to see it from there and decided for myself. So I headed to the area to get checked in. Hello MSEP crowd. It seriously took a long time to make my way through this crazy crowd. So much pushing and shoving and rudeness. It was ridiculous! Ugh. Finally got to the spot and was so glad to have some space to myself for awhile! I found a spot at the back of the area, by the fence, and sat down. There were other people near me, but not very close. And there was no one directly in front of me. When it was almost time for Celebrate the Magic to begin, I stood up. I really, really enjoyed watching this and Wishes from this spot. It was perfect! I had no one right in front of me, nothing blocking my view and I could lean against the railing some too. I think I ended up with some fantastic pictures! I would definitely do the Wishes FP again if it worked into my schedule!




Really love this one!!!




Does anyone else always get emotional during Wishes? Just me? Ok, nevermind then. Forget I said anything. The first time I saw it as an adult, I cried before it even started. Now I tend to shed a few tears every time. It just gets me. Love. Sigh.

A few more Wishes pics I have to share...head on to Part 4! (Ok, so I totally lied about no more multiple part posts. It's ok though. By now you have accepted me for who I am...long-winded and indecisive. )