A Solo Trip: "The Heartbeat of Freedom!" July 2-9, 2018! *COMPLETED 10/14/18*

[wnwardii]

You say you've seen it all at WDW but I am sure something else will surprise you on a future trip

You know, given the # of trips he is taking to WDW and to DLR, things like this are bound to happen. The law of averages is probably just catching up with him and giving him all of the "whammies" at a single time. But like I told him, even with these incidents, at times i would rather be having these issues at WDW/DLR than having to deal with work and other real life stuff.

 

[rteetz]

You know, given the # of trips he is taking to WDW and to DLR, things like this are bound to happen. The law of averages is probably just catching up with him and giving him all of the "whammies" at a single time. But like I told him, even with these incidents, at times i would rather be having these issues at WDW/DLR than having to deal with work and other real life stuff.

Very true!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Interesting, usually they are on top of the ride photo stuff. I myself witnessed this on Space Mountain a few years back.

You say you've seen it all at WDW but I am sure something else will surprise you on a future trip

- That's what I thought. So, I was very surprised to see what had happened.

- I am well aware that I will see many more things that will catch me off guard. I just feel like or I hope that I don't have a day where I have 4 negatives happen in one day.

You know, given the # of trips he is taking to WDW and to DLR, things like this are bound to happen. The law of averages is probably just catching up with him and giving him all of the "whammies" at a single time. But like I told him, even with these incidents, at times i would rather be having these issues at WDW/DLR than having to deal with work and other real life stuff.

Keep in mind, this is a "slow" year for me compared to last year.

I do agree that I would probably rather experience these issues at two of my favorite places than dealing with real life issues.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 5: EPCOT, Resort Time, And Disney Springs!

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 5 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World! I was really hoping I would have a much better day than Day 4!

My day would start by sleeping in and enjoying the morning while sitting on the balcony of my guest room.



I would eventually make my way to the bus stop and get a bus to EPCOT!



I would eventually make my way into EPCOT and to my first fastpass of the day which was for Spaceship Earth!





I would then make my way to my 2nd fastpass of the day which would be for Test Track!



I would then get to make a car which I actually enjoy doing while waiting for this ride.



After testing my car, I would walk all the way to the Japan Pavilion for my lunch reservation. I would be eating lunch on this day at Teppan Edo.



Here is the menu for Teppan Edo:



You get a salad before your meal which is actually refreshing especially on a hot day. I also enjoy the dressing, but I do not know what dressing they use.



Teppan Edo is a nice restaurant where you get a show, as well as, eat with other guests.





I would order the chicken and shrimp combo. This entree comes with noodles which are delicious!



You also get a side of white rice.



Both of those items are given to you before you get your meat.



The shrimp is absolutely delicious. Definitely one of my favorite places to get shrimp on property.



The chicken has been hit or miss for me. The chicken was good when I applied the sauces, but it felt dry to me when I would eat it without the sauce. I would still order this though.



You get two separate sauces with your meal, but I can’t remember what they are.



So, Teppan Edo is one of my favorite places to eat on property. However, this was not one of my favorite meals here. I have eaten here solo before, but on this trip, I was placed with a party of 6 that didn’t necessarily care that I was sitting at the table with them. I was perfectly ok with that since I was content with sitting there and watching the cook. Just be aware if you ever want to eat here, you might not get the best “table-mates.”

After lunch, I would make my way to the American Adventure to listen to a Voices of Liberty performance. Shockingly, I would only listen to one performance on this day.





I would then walk by the France Pavilion where I would spy some Ratatouille attraction construction.



At this point, I decided to head back to my resort room. It was very hot, and I just wanted to sit down and relax. I also wanted to avoid the afternoon storm that was getting ready to roll in.

So, I would make my way to the bus stop and head back to Saratoga Springs.

STORY TIME!

So, I would show up to my room and I would have the same exact thing that happened the previous day occur.

I would try to open up my guest room door and couldn’t until I realized that my door was left ajar like the previous day. I WAS ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS!

So, I would quickly go into my room and make sure all of my belongings were still there which they were.

Then it was time for me to make another phone call. Instead of calling housekeeping (because I knew they had been in the room since some of my drawers were left open in the kitchenette area), I would call the front desk and immediately ask for a manager.

I would talk to the manager for a few minutes saying that I was promised that this wouldn’t happen again the previous day. I would also start complaining asking if the hotel truly believes in the safety of their guests and their belongings. That is because I have now had 2 straight days with my door basically being left ajar to then let anyone come into the room and take my stuff. Luckily, the doors have looked “closed” the the human eye if you were to just walk by the past couple days.

So, after talking to the manager for a couple minutes, he would offer to have me change rooms. Obviously, it is difficult for them to give anything and this was definitely a reasonable option. I would actually decline the offer. That is mostly due to where I was in the trip, and that it would waste even more time for me to pack my belongings and move them to another hotel room. Plus, I really loved the location of my room.

The manager would assure me that the issue wouldn’t happen again, and he would have maintenance come back to the room. So, about 15 minutes later, guess who showed up to my room! I got to see Terry the Maintenance Guy again!!!

Terry was absolutely awesome on this trip. He is definitely a great Cast Member! He would loosen up my door even more to the point that I wouldn’t have another issue with my door for the rest of the trip.

So, it is rare for a negative to happen twice on a trip, but I was truly going to try to not let this effect me.

End of the story.

So, after all of the drama of doors being open and dealing with maintenance, the clouds decided to open up with a typical Florida summer rainstorm.



I would then wait in my guest room for the storm to pass before I would decided to make a spur of the moment change. I would make my way to Disney Springs for dinner where I would walk up to Homecomin and grab some dinner. I didn't have a reservation. I just walked in and sat at the bar.





I would order the fried chicken and donuts. This was absolutely delicious!



I remember I was indifferent about Homecomin the first time I tried it, but this was a much better experience. I will definitely go back to this restaurant!

I would then make my way back to Saratoga Springs and catch a bus to my theme park of choice for the evening.

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 5: Disney’s Hollywood Studios And Extra Magic Hours At Toy Story Land!

I would make my way to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the evening! I was mostly just going to take it easy this evening with not a lot of plans.



My first stop would be Walt Disney Presents! This is probably my favorite location inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I usually try to stop in here several times a trip.



One of my favorite pictures of Walt Disney!



R.I.P. Paradise Pier! My review of Pixar Pier will be coming up in my Disneyland Trip Report which can be found in my signature.



I would get some pictures of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge display.

















I loved seeing this Dumbo inside Walt Disney Presents!



I’m waiting patiently for Mickey’s Runaway Railway to open!



I would have a fastpass for Star Tours so that is where I was off to next!



I would then make my way to Fantasmic which I was not able to pick up a fastpass for which is surprising. So, I would sit in the stand-by viewing area for the first time ever!





The wave was going strong before the show began!







I don’t think I have ever watched this show from the side. It was actually a pretty cool view. Especially getting to see things getting ready to make their appearance.



I would then make my way to the Chinese Theater to watch Disney Movie Magic and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular. This is also when rain decided to start falling. I’m just happy it didn’t start raining during Fantasmic.

Disney Movie Magic is a great projection show!



We would have to wait 10 minutes for Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular to begin.





The show would finally begin! It really feels like the longest 10 minutes ever!









After a great show, it was time for the reason why a lot of people were in Disney’s Hollywood Studios this evening. That is because it was the first Evening Extra magic Hours that Toy Story Land was open. So, I would make my way there.





Welcome to Toy Story Land during it’s first Evening Extra Magic Hour. This was the line for Slinky Dog Dash where I was standing. Disney had closed the line early to make it more of a benefit for Resort guests when the park closed so the line was literally going all the way to the entrance to the land by the time Extra Magic Hour began.



Finally, it was time for Extra Magic Hours to begin!



I would wait 45 minutes from the time Extra Magic Hours to the time I got on Slinky Dog Dash. If you want to enjoy a quicker line for Slinky Dog Dash, i advise going on an evening that it isn’t Extra Magic Hours.

Story Time!

So, as I was getting up to boarding Slinky Dog Dash, I would reach the merge point which has a Cast Member splitting people into a line of evens and odds. With me being a single, I was placed in the odds line.

So, I would get up to the area where I am placed in my row and I was placed in a row with a family of 3. 2 people in 1 row and 1 person in the other. So, I was in the line with 1 person from this specific party.

Well, as I was waiting to board, this family started to play "musical rows.” One member of the family didn’t want to be in the front row and the child wanted that person to be with them but wanted to be in the front row. So, they probably switched rows about 4-5 times within 30 seconds causing me to switch which row I was in.

They finally settled on their rows as the gates opened and as I began to enter the car, I heard the family member say out loud, “Do I get my own row. Oh…I guess not.” The guest said it in a very snarky tone. I really wanted to say that maybe you should have paid attention to the television screens saying that you will be placed with other guests as you were in the line, but I stayed quiet.

I enjoyed my ride on Slinky Dog Dash though.

End of the story.

I was hoping to get on Alien Swirling Saucers at night, but that was also a 45+ minute wait. So, I said that it wasn’t worth it. Due to the crowds inside Toy Story Land and how my day had gone, I decided to leave and head back to my Resort for the evening.



I would make my way to the bus stop and back to Saratoga Springs I would go. I would not make an evening stop at Disney Springs this evening since I had been there earlier in the day. I was really hoping I wouldn’t have a negative experience the next day.

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

VIDEOS: Voices of Liberty!

Here are some videos of the Voices of Liberty singing at the American Adventure Pavilion in EPCOT!

Make sure you watch my videos in HD.

Voices of Liberty - “You’ll Never Walk Alone!”

Here are the Voices of Liberty singing one of my favorite songs that they sing called “You’ll Never Walk Alone!"

Voices of Liberty - “Railroad Medley!”

Here are the Voices of Liberty singing their “Railroad Medley!” The soloist is awesome!

I hope that you enjoyed the videos!

Stay tuned to see what happened next on my solo adventure to Walt Disney World!

 

[Micca]

Knock knock
AMLFM: Who's there?
Answer: Terry
AMLFM: Thank goodness you're here, my door is still broken. Great report!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Knock knock
AMLFM: Who's there?
Answer: Terry
AMLFM: Thank goodness you're here, my door is still broken. Great report!

This is an awesome comment!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 6: A Relaxing Morning At The Spa + Disney Springs!

Hello everyone and welcome to Day 6 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World!

I would have a relaxing morning this morning. That is because I was spending the morning at my resort!

At Saratoga Springs, they have a Senses Spa. So, I had scheduled a Swedish massage to relax for a little after a few stressful days in the parks. After some of the previous days I had experienced, I was in desperate need in some relaxation!



I would check in and go down to the men’s relaxation area before making my way to the area that you wait for your treatment. I didn’t take a lot of pictures due to privacy things and not necessarily having my phone with me.

My treatment would eventually start, and having a massage a little over half-way through the trip was very much needed! Definitely relaxing and worth the cost!

After my massage, I would head down into the men’s area where I would relax for about an hour in the jacuzzi tub and the heated lounge chairs.





This Spa was definitely very nice. It wasn’t crowded at all. So, I definitely felt like I could lounge and relax and just enjoy the peace and quiet.

I would then walk to Disney Springs since it was time to experience a lunch that all of you voted on at the start of my Trip Report!

It was a beautiful day at Walt Disney World!









I would eventually arrive at Disney Springs!



The lunch location that all of you voted on was Polite Pig!



Ordering would not take long at the Polite Pig, and I was able to find a table.



I would get the USDA Prime Brisket Sandwich with a side of potato salad.



I know all of you are wondering what this person from Kansas City thinks of this barbecue location. I will say what I had was really good. However, it’s not home. The sandwich was very good and the meat was tender. The potato salad was good, but it’s not my favorite style of potato salad.

I did ask a waitress what kind of barbecue the place tends to lean towards, and she said that they encompass many different styles of barbecue. I only asked, because I couldn’t really pinpoint what type of barbecue I was eating.

Overall, I would definitely eat at Polite Pig again, but I prefer Kansas City barbecue.

After lunch at Polite Pig, I decided to get some dessert at Ghirardelli. I really was going to this place way to many times on this trip.



I would then make my way back to Saratoga Springs where I would catch a bus to my favorite Disney Theme Park!

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 6: An Afternoon in My Favorite Walt Disney World Theme Park!

I would arrive at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!



I would make my way to Expedition Everest which would be my first fastpass of the day.



Supposedly I think Snowmen Treks is the “most expert trekking experience” in the world. I really enjoyed roaming with the snowmen!



I would then have a fastpass for my favorite Theme Park show which is Festival of the Lion King! I would sit in the elephant section.











After seeing my favorite show, I noticed Burudika was performing in Africa. So, I stopped to listen to them for a minute.



I would then make my way to Pandora through the back entrance.



I got to experience the “moving walker” for the first time! Honestly, this was just strange and weird.





I would have a fastpass for Flight of Passage! The floating mountains never get old.







After riding Flight of Passage, it was time for me to leave Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

I would make my way to the bus stops where I would be making my way to Wilderness Lodge for dinner.

While on the bus, I was able to get a few photos of the Coronado Springs Resort construction!











I would then continue to enjoy a relaxing bus ride in the air conditioning on my way to Wilderness Lodge.

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

VIDEO: Festival of the Lion King Finale!

Here is the finale of my favorite Disney Theme Park Show called the Festival of the Lion King! This show is located at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and this show should not be missed!

Make sure you watch my video in HD.

Festival of the Lion King - Finale!

I hope that you enjoyed the video!

Stay tuned to see what happened next on my solo adventure to Walt Disney World!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 6: Wilderness Lodge And Dinner at Geyser Point!

I would arrive at Wilderness Lodge and the rain would decide to begin once again!



I would walk around the resort for a bit before making my way to dinner.



My dinner location of choice this evening was Geyser Point!



This is a very nice bar and grill right off of Bay Lake, and I was able to get a table with a water view.





I would order a non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiri.





I would order the Crispy Chicken Sandwich. This was very delicious. I enjoyed the sauce that came on the sandwich and the waffle fries are awesome!



A duck wanted some of my meal, but I refused to give it some food.



Sitting outside watching a storm was very interesting. Definitely relaxing at the same time.



*STORY TIME!*

My waiter here seemed to be in a hurry even though every time he came by he always said to take your time. The restaurant wasn’t busy at all, and I’m assuming that was due to the storm.

While I was eating my chicken sandwich, he probably asked if I was done about 5 times when I still had a lot of food left on my plate.

So, at one point, he had gone and cleared off a table near me. On his way past me, he proceeded to ask if I was done…again. Before I could respond to him, he put someone’s empty water bottle on my plate with still about 1/4 of my sandwich remaining. I gave him literally the darkest and confused look I have ever given a waiter. Within about 5 seconds, he realized what he had done, picked up the water bottle, apologized, and walked away. I was literally in shock.

Anyways, about 2 minutes later, the waiter came back and gave me a strawberry lemonade for free. So, at least I got a refreshing drink out of it, and I was still able to finish my sandwich.



*End of Story*

With the rain, you could barely see the end of Bay Lake.



After an interesting dinner, I would make my way to Boulder Ridge which is one of the DVC Resorts at Wilderness Lodge. I haven’t been over there yet so I was excited to check it out.





Inside the lobby area, they have models or actual railroad cars from Walt Disney’s Carolwood Pacific Railroad! This was really cool to see!





They also had a lot of pictures of Walt Disney and the railroad.















I would then make my way to the boat dock, but I would stop to check out the geyser at Wilderness Lodge.



It was time for me to take a boat to the Magic Kingdom for the first time!







I would get a spot in the back of the boat and the sunset was absolutely beautiful this evening!











My first time going above the road on a boat!



I would then arrive at the Magic Kingdom where I would have a fun evening ahead of me!

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Day 6: Happily Ever After!

Hello everyone. I am going to be doing some of this “time” that I spent in the Magic Kingdom out of order. That is due to going to the Magic Kingdom for the Disney After Hours Event. However, I did get on some rides before Happily Ever After, but I am including the rides that I went on in the “total number of attractions” for the event. So, I will get to those attractions in my next round of updates.

I would arrive inside the Magic Kingdom and would head on a few rides before getting a spot for Happily Ever After which is the firework show at the Magic Kingdom.







I would get a different spot than usual for Happily Ever After. I haven’t watched this show from the side of the Hub yet. So, I was interested to see what the show would be like from here.



The show would eventually begin.

Enjoy some pictures of the show:































































I have a video of the rest of the show below.

Happily Ever After is a great show. However, it is definitely noticeable that Disney changed fireworks in my favorite scene which is the “Go The Distance” scene. They replaced the bigger fireworks for smaller fireworks, and I found that really annoying. I still really like Happily Ever After though.

The show was really cool to watch from the side of the Hub, but I would definitely watch it straight on just in front of Main Street. I really wanted to watch the show from this angle so that I could see Tinker Bell fly right over me, but she didn’t fly this evening due to the weather.

I would then make my way into the Magic Kingdom, because I would get to experience the park practically to myself this evening. That is because I was attending the Disney After Hours event!

More in my next post!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

VIDEO: Happily Ever After Finale!

Here is the finale of the firework show at the Magic Kingdom called Happily Ever After. Tinker Bell did not fly during this performance due to the weather that was around the area.

Make sure you watch my video in HD.

Happily Ever After Finale!

I would like to point out the kid that thought Mufasa was Ariel at the beginning of this video...

I hope that you enjoyed the video!

Stay tuned to see what happened next on my solo adventure to Walt Disney World!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Hello everyone! I am announcing my next Trip Report to Walt Disney World! If you would like to follow me on my next solo adventure to Walt Disney World, click the title below:

A Solo Trip: “I Can Only Imagine” A Spooky Time At Walt Disney World!

I hope to see all of you following me along on my next adventure!

 

[wnwardii]

Beautiful pictures of Main Street and the Castle. The blues and the clouds are really breath taking.

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Beautiful pictures of Main Street and the Castle. The blues and the clouds are really breath taking.

Thank you. A nice storm rolled through and was still off and on at the time I took the pictures. So, it was nice that the storm allowed for those nice photos.

 

[Dentam]

Wow, you got some stunning photos of Happily Ever After!

Looks like we will both be doing solo trips to WDW next week!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

Wow, you got some stunning photos of Happily Ever After!

Looks like we will both be doing solo trips to WDW next week!

Thank you!

It does look like it. If you see me, make sure you say hi.

 

[disneyAndi14]

I wanted to chime in and let you know I have been reading along and really enjoy your reports! We also love the Voices of Liberty, just wonderful! Sorry you had a negative Day 4, you experience all kinds of weird sometimes on Disney trips! I will be joining in on your next report. Have a wonderful trip!!