Let the Magic Begin! PTR for my solo trip 3/2-3/16 ~ UPDATE 2/18

[alwaysadisneykid]

Hey everybody! I figured it was time to start my PTR. I have just under three weeks left until the magic begins and I am SO EXCITED. This will be my second solo trip and I'm counting the days!

So, let me introduce myself.

Hello! My name is Becca. I'm 19 and I live in England. I've been an avid Disney fan since I was a toddler, and I'm not alone in my family. My sister Marisa (33) and niece Eva (4, almost 5) and I are the Disney Princesses of the family. I'd love to go again with them one year but for now, I'm solo!


ANYWAY.

Fave characters: Stitch, Chip and Dale (I have a tattoo of these two on my wrist), Mickey, Flynn Rider, Jack Sparrow. (I met Jack at MNSSHP and he was amazing!)
Fave movies: Lilo and Stitch, Tangled, Aladdin, Hercules, A Goofy Movie.
Fave rides: Splash Mountain, Pirates, Tower of Terror, Test Track, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor.
Fave resorts: Now, I've only ever stayed at AS Sports and SSR. I really liked them both, and I dream of staying at the Poly. Maybe a future trip with bf.

I'll make another post soon with my restaurant plans and fastpass selections. This is my first time with the Deluxe Dining Plan, and my first time using fastpass+ and using a magicband, so any advice/tips/food suggestion would be lovely!

Hugs to all!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

Plan for arrival day and day 1!
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I gotta wake up at 5am because I live 1.5 hours way from London, and that's where I'm headed. I fly at 11:30ish local time, so I aim to arrive at London Gatwick around 8am. My super kind sister is giving me a lift to the airport because I'm flying premium economy ( ) and it'll be a struggle with my hand luggage and two checked bags. I figured I'd take advantage of the extra checked luggage allowance, because I struggled to fit gifts and souvenirs into my bag last time! I have a serious plushie addiction... plus it's my niece's 5th birthday the week after I get home, so she'll be getting some nice surprises. She's Frozen obsessed, like many other four year olds across the globe. It'll be a struggle to fit all of that into one case, so I'll take the extra one! A

ANYWAY.

Fast forward 9-10 hours, and we have a tired, aching but VERY EXCITED Becca in Orlando! I arrive at 4:15pm local time. I'm not sure how long it'll take to get through customs given that I'm British, but I had huge delays last time and it took about 3 hours to get back to Disney. So, I'm expecting to arrive at All Star Sports around 7pm. I've checked in online, so that'll be fast. Then I'll go check out my room, take a shower to wash off a full day of travel, and get changed into something comfortable for the evening. I'll go check out the food court, since it was under refurb when I was last there. I'm pretty excited to see it! I really do like the All Stars resorts, they're my fave Value. I could've stayed at Pop, but I picked Sports again because I stayed there last time and I really enjoyed it. I have a preferred room, too, so I'm close the the food court and transport.

Once I've eaten a QS meal or a couple of snacks depending on how hungry I am, I have plans to skype with my best friend. She's in North Carolina so we'll be in the same time zone for once. I'll show her the resort and the gift shop and then I'll try to get an early night because the next day I'm off to...drum roll please...

THE MAGIC KINGDOM! It's tradition for my family (and many others!) to do MK on the first day. Plus, it's my favourite park, and for me, it's Disney. I expect I'll cry as soon as I hear the music and see Main Street. I hope I'm not alone in that?! Anyway, here are my plans.

ADRS

Kona Cafe @ 2pm- I adore the food here! It's a must do for me, and I'm coming back for breakfast another day.​

Cali Grill @ 7:30pm- Heard great things, never been, so I'm trying it!

FASTPASS+

Thunder Mountain 1pm- I'll ride this before I head off to Kona.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train 3-4pm- first time riding so I wanted a fastpass!
Space Mountain 4:30-5:30pm.

I chose Space over Splash because it's a long line and I have problems with my back, it's painful to stand for too long. No idea why standing affects it but it does. I realise this is going to cause major problems on the trip but oh well...DISNEY. I did consider getting a Splash fastpass but I really love the queue line for it. It makes me happy!

So, that's what I have booked in. I plan on using one snack credit on a Starbucks large coffee for breakfast, because these normally fill me up and I have lunch at 2. I'll probably use the other snack credit on a pretzel or cinnamon roll or something. Not sure. What are your favourite uses for snack credits? And if anyone can offer food suggestions (or even restaurant switches?!) then please post!

I am super excited to meet characters on this trip. It's always a highlight. On day one, I'm hoping to see Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Daisy, Pluto (if he and Marie still greet at the park entrance?), Chip n Dale, and Stitch if he's out. I'm leaving face characters for another day.

Ride wise, I'm honestly just going to wing it. I'll probably ride Pirates and Haunted Mansion a few times each, because I do love them. I'm going to do It's A Small World simply because I feel like I can't do Disney without it- and I regret it every time! Monsters Inc is a fave of mine, I like doing that when I need a bit of a rest. I have a Monsters U hat and a Chip hat that normally get me picked on

I've never been on the Mine Train, so I'm super excited to see it! It was under construction the last time I went. I'm skipping Wishes that night, because I doubt I'll be done with dinner in time for it. I do have a fastpass+ later in the trip, though.

So, that's the plans I have! Knowing me, I'll change my mind a little, but my first day will be mainly ride and character focused!​

 

[Kristi391]

Hi Becca! Sounds like you have a great start planned for your trip! I also have never ridden the Mine Ride and cannot wait to do so next week. When I was there last April with my cousin we were really hoping for a soft opening, but alas, it wasn't to be so I cannot wait to ride this trip!

Can't wait to hear what else you have planned!

 

[Newsies]

Joining in

Looks like you're in for a fun trip! I've always wanted to try the Kona cafe and Cali grill. I've never been to the Poly, so you'll have to post a bunch of photos to go along with your meal

Your FP+ are totally justified. The lines at Space Mountain are ridiculous. Just walking through the FP+ line for it gave me a headache when I went in August

If I may make a suggestion if you still want to see Wishes after dinner- when you finish up with dinner at the Cali, you can totally watch Wishes from the CR beach. It's a lovely view

For Snack Credits, I loooooove bakery treats. There's something incredibly fun about having a vanilla cupcake with pink frosting at 10:00 in the morning when you're in the Magic Kingdom Although, my favorite use of a Snack credit has to be the humble dole whip. Disneyfoodblog has "snack manuals" for all the parks that tell you all about snacks for every park and if they're on the DDP or not. And I have to say, I'm very pleased that Starbucks coffee is on the DDP. I had a grandiose time using one on a frappuccino as a little pick-me-up this year.

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

Woo! Hello both of you!

Already starting to change my mind. I think I'll go to Downtown Disney the evening I arrive for dinner, because the QS stuff there is much nicer! I'll probably pop into World of Disney, too, and get myself a new plushie to snuggle with

Thanks Kaitlyn! That's an awesome idea, and I would love to see Wishes. Makes me cry every time. Thank you! I ate at Kona last time, because I thought it'd be nice to escape the rush of MK and go over to the Poly. Best idea EVER. The Poly is gorgeous, and the food was great. Plus, it wasn't busy at all. Cali Grill looks amazing, I hope I'm not disappointed!

DAY 2
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ADRs

Tusker House: 8:25am. One of my favourite character meals, plus I love being in AK at opening.
Yak & Yeti: 12pm. I've never eaten here before, but my sister recommended it to me.
Rainforest Cafe: 6:30pm. I wonder how many days it'll be before I realise the Deluxe Plan is too much food...oh well

FASTPASS+

Kilimanjaro Safari: 1:45-2:45pm. If it wasn't already obvious, today is an AK day. And how can you do AK without doing the safari?! Fastpass: check.
Everest: 3:35pm-4:35pm. MY FAVE RIDE! I did this 9 times in a row last trip, thanks to a rainy day and the single rider line.
Dinosaur: 5:05pm-6:05pm. Last ride before heading to dinner.

I really like this park, especially solo. My family always want to fit it into a half day, but I adore animals, and I like taking my time. I think I spent about an hour with the gorillas last time

I did Donald's Safari Breakfast the last solo trip, and I really loved it. The characters were adorable, the food was nice, and it was awesome being in the park early. I'm not sure if I'm going to want to do a full day, though. I might skip my Everest fastpass, because I doubt the single rider line will be very long in the morning after I eat. If I do, I'll probably head back to my room and relax a bit. My family back in the UK leave for Egypt on this day, so I'll probably try to message/call them when they land. Time zones, though...I'll have to figure it out. I also want to skype with my boyfriend at some point and show him AK, because he loves animals as much as me.

I've never eaten at Yak and Yeti, but the menu looks pretty nice! My dad decided to upgrade my DDP to Deluxe, but I don't think he realised just how much food it is. Still, I'm not complaining. I like eating... I can see it getting a bit much, though. But I like the idea of having two snacks per day. Maybe I'll play around with my ADRs a little more, especially towards the end, and try to do more two credit dinners so I have lunch free.

Rainforest Cafe is always fun, though I've never done it solo. I like the food here. I'm not sure what my plans after dinner are, though. Depends if I break during the day. If I do, then I might head back to AS Sports to get changed, then maybe try to catch Wishes. If I stay the full day at AK, then I'll probably head back and chill, maybe go for a swim, or watch something on Netflix. I don't know. If anyone has ideas for things to do in the evening when I'm not at parks, then feel free to share!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

DAY 3- FIRST DISMEET!
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ADRs

Beaches and Cream: 11:05am
Garden Grill: 7:15pm

I'll start the day by grabbing a snack at my resort, then taking the bus to Epcot. This will be my first ever DISmeet! I'm meeting Carolyn at the International Gateway around 10:30am and we're going to walk to B&C, then head back to Epcot! I'm super excited! I had some fastpass+ arrangements for Test Track, Mission Space and something else, but we'll probably just standby, I guess.

In the evening, I have my second character meal. CHIP AND DALE. I LOVE these two, I have a tattoo of them on my wrist!

Any excuse to show that thing off it doesn't look quite so fresh, it's 2 years old now, but I love it. Anyway, back to my PTR. Yeah, I'm very excited for that meal. I really love the food at Garden Grill, and my server last time was amazing. I tipped him about 30%, he was just fantastic. After I eat, I'll probably go and do some more rides in Future World, or maybe head to the World Showcase if my feet aren't too tired. I do have a day and evening planned for the World Showcase, though.

So, my main focus is the DISmeet. It'll be great!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

Just called WDW's UK line and asked about my travel documents- they normally arrive in the mail about three weeks before you go, and I still hadn't got anything. The woman said they had clearly forgotten to mail them as they'd been printed she said she'd get them sent out today and I should have them Saturday morning at the latest. YAY! Unfortunately because I'm in the UK, I won't get my beautiful pink magicband until check in.