"If I Was Any Better, I'd Be Twins!" - A Diabolical, Divalicious September '24 Solo Trip *UPDATE 09/28*

[Paulaparm]

Sounds like a great meal!!

 

[nherbert]

Hi Kait, what a great TR! I am a late follower, had a tough week with illness so now living vicariously through trip reports, this cheered me up immensely. My one and only food n wine festival was over 20 years ago, sounds like you had a great time. I also love AKL, we have stayed twice and my very first visit was like yours because my favorite animal is a giraffe and my only request for my view was to be able see giraffes, and when we walked in the room there were three outside the window, so very very close! Thanks for reawakening these memories

 

[Newsies]

Interesting read about your dining experience. It seems very fair and should help prepare people planning to dine there. How lovely you could chat with the other solo diner. Sitting at the cooking class sounds pretty perfect!

It was such a great dinner! Loved just sitting and chatting with Shannon.

Appreciate your detailed review of Jiko, it has always been my go to restaurant. I'm a solo traveler and enjoy sitting at the bar and having a glass of wine and an app or 2 (love those South African wines!). I'm staying at the Dolphin next month, so I think I will give Shula's a try!

Jiko was so perfect for solo dining, I can absolutely see why it would be a fav for you! Highly recommend Shula's, that was the best dining experience I've ever had at WDW!

Awww sorry you didnt get your evac! I got stuck on Splash many years ago on a hill and had to be evaced! It was not a comfy wait, they made three adults sit in the one row, we fit, but barely!

Oh nooooo! I would have gone crazy Hope you enjoyed your special walking tour of Splash Mountain anyway! I did an evac once (?) when I was working at Pan/Small World in 2016, it was during a Halloween Party which is no fun for the guests involved and we had to get them off of Small World. I remember Peter Pan also had to be evacuated once during my program, but I wasn't involved in the evac, just had to stand outside and tell people we were closed/they could use their FP+ at a different attraction. Still waiting for the day where I get to experience the guest side of an evac!

I noticed this with the carpets. I walked down a DVC hall this week and noticed how worn out the carpet was compared to the carpet in our hallway!

YES. The carpets are the #1 tell-tale sign of hotel condition, you can see a very big difference between DVC buildings/hallways and Resort buildings/hallways just in the carpet alone.

Not bad at all! We also had one issue, and it was one that stumped EVERYONE! Somehow our door got deadbolted from the inside! Facilites could not figure it out. Management could not. We had 4 people trying to open our door at one point! They had to go get a master key to open it! I am jealous you had a tub! We just had a stand in shower, so it was tough for my little guy. He was scared of the shower head.

That's CRAZY. I've never heard of that happening before! Poor kiddo with the shower We've never been assigned an accessible room before without a tub, but I can imagine that would be frustrating with little ones!

Also, you can definitely see a difference in your journey with your shirt! I have been taking Zepbound since NYE and have dropped about 30 lbs and hit my goal weight, so I am right there with you on the healthy living path!

Thank you so much for noticing. I didn't want to comment about this in the TR, but seeing those photos with Asha was a different kind of "wake up" moment for me. I had the "wake up" moment about myself that encouraged me to start my weight loss journey, I think that's something a lot of people have before they start losing weight. But this was a new kind of "wake up" moment where I was like, "oh wow, the difference in the way my clothes fit is not insignificant, I need to start sizing down in my clothes." It's not always easy to see the progress in ourselves at first!

Congratulations on 30 lbs and hitting your goal weight! NOT an easy thing to do. I don't think I've actually said this on the boards yet but I am also on Zepbound -- it has transformed my life and I'm so happy it's helped you, too!

I’m really enjoying reading along! You’ve got me seriously considering another solo trip Looking forward to your next update

Thank you so much for being here! I'm on Team Take-The-Solo-Trip!

I really appreciate your Jiko review. I am planning on doing it with DD18 on our arrival night at AKV. I thought about possibly doing the cooking table but now I wonder if we should do the cooking table or a regular table.

Glad you liked the review! FWIW I definitely recommend the cooking place, it's unique to Jiko and it's a lot of fun to talk to the chefs and watch them prepare food, plus you might get additional "snacks" from them It just might feel a bit fancier if you sit at a table instead!

I am enjoying your trip report!

Thank you so much for being here!!!

Sounds like a great meal!!

SO good. And so different than other meals I've had on property!

Hi Kait, what a great TR! I am a late follower, had a tough week with illness so now living vicariously through trip reports, this cheered me up immensely. My one and only food n wine festival was over 20 years ago, sounds like you had a great time. I also love AKL, we have stayed twice and my very first visit was like yours because my favorite animal is a giraffe and my only request for my view was to be able see giraffes, and when we walked in the room there were three outside the window, so very very close! Thanks for reawakening these memories

Nicole, it is so nice to see you here! Thank you so much for following along. s to you -- so sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well and I hope you're doing better this week. I always feel so honored when people tell me they're "living vicariously" through my reports! The comments are so appreciated.

AKL was a really great resort! How special that the giraffes were waiting for you when you walked into your room! I love these types of memories from Disney

 

[Woth2982]

"oh wow, the difference in the way my clothes fit is not insignificant, I need to start sizing down in my clothes." It's not always easy to see the progress in ourselves at first!

Congratulations on 30 lbs and hitting your goal weight! NOT an easy thing to do. I don't think I've actually said this on the boards yet but I am also on Zepbound -- it has transformed my life and I'm so happy it's helped you, too!

That first visual is real! I did not notice until I saw some photos of myself! My dad didnt even realize it was me in one he saw posted by a friend on FB! It was a meet and greet photo with New Kids on the Block (Im also a boy band junkie) and my dad was like why arent you in this picture with your friends? I was like uhhh I am. I am wear the NEON YELLOW security shirt and NEON PINK shorts! You CANT miss me!

Between Zepbound and my major spine surgery, which is probably what triggered my insulin resistance, my life is so much better! I was never in the obese category, but my BMI was higher than it should be and no matter WHAT I did I could NOT drop weight! So I saw an obesity doctor who asked if I had been through any physical trauma after looking at my blood work. I was like uhh two c-sections and a spine surgery. I guess trauma to the body can cause insulin resistance so no matter what you do, your body won't release weight! My body thought I was starving myself so it would hold on to whatever I put in it. So crazy how modern medicine is finding new things all the time! I am super open about it too which has helped some friends and family take action too. My friend Jackie is very similar in size to me and had the same issue. She was also just diagnosed insulin resistant! She started Zep this week and is already seeing results! It is so motivating. As a former runner/swimmer/dancer, I love seeing people succeed in their health journeys no matter how they get there!

 

[Newsies]

World's Quietest Epcot Morning
​

First full day of vacation!

I'm pretty sure I set my alarm for 7:00 on this day and snoozed until 7:30 or so The plan was to not go crazy and stress if I didn't make it to rope drop, so I gave myself a few extra minutes of sleep before I decided I was ready to hit the buses.

I got ready for the day and ended up at the bus stop and on the bus at 8:35. I know I said this in the intro post, but one thing I wasn't prepared for at AKL was how empty the buses were, particularly around rope drop. It was a lot different than what I'm used to at the Poly. In general, I think there are just more adult-only parties at DAKL and more people who would rather drink in the resort than visit the Parks. Staying on the monorail, you're surrounded by families who are very, very aggressive about getting to the Parks for rope drop every day, no matter what Park. It's just different at DAKL. A bus to Epcot pulled right up, the bus was barely full, everyone got a seat, and by 9 AM, I was back at the Epcot gates.

First order of business: visiting my favorite Joffrey's stand right outside the tapstyles. And that's where I had this absolutely diabolical Figment Cold Brew.

​

I don't quite remember what this exact formula was, but it was a peanut butter cold brew coffee with caramel drizzle at the very least. I'm always down for a peanut butter flavored coffee, when Gideon's introduced their PB Cold Brew however many years ago it changed my life forever. It's sweet and salty and creamy and rich-- if you're headed to Epcot before the festival ends, this is not a bad way to start your day!

I tapped into the Park and honestly, I had a pretty quiet morning. With 40 minutes until my GotG ILL window, and having done most of the attractions in World Discovery the day before, I wasn't in a huge rush to do anything. I got some pictures taken in front of Spaceship Earth that didn't turn out great, then I decided to say good morning to the manatees at Seas again.

​

He just makes me SO happy!!!

I really did just kind of walk around for a little while and assess the crowds. I ran into my ex-roommate from my second DCP totally by surprise and I went through Journey of Water for the first time. It was just okay, it's really just a spot for kids to play with water and influencers to make shocked/excited faces for TikTok.

​

Then I walked through Creations again. I really just had a chill morning and took everything in!

Finally, at 9:40, I tapped into my ILL for GotG and was brought into the ridiculously long pre-show area without delay, then it was time to buckle in. I have to say, I have become quite the big fan of Cosmic Rewind in the past few years. I love the music and I just love that split-second moment where everything goes dark and it's time to finally find out what song you're getting for your ride!

In the past, I've gotten "Conga," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and "One Way or Another," and today was...

​

SEPTEMBER!!!

Some people hype it up as the best song for GotG -- personally, I'm a big fan of "Conga," too! But out of every choice in Guardians, "September" is the only one I have a personal connection to -- it was written by the late, great Allee Willis, a fellow proud alumna of my college sorority. And now, the "21st Night of September" is also the wedding anniversary of my cousin/best friend and her wife. Many good memories of September, and now I've added it to my GotG Cosmic Rewind collection!

So then I visited the new Club Cool for some water (didn't get a chance to try any fun sodas this time around) and it was time to tap into my Spaceship Earth LLMP. It's in my PTR notes that the original window for Spaceship Earth was 10:40-11:40, but I actually was able to bump it up closer to 10:20 somehow because I have a timestamped photo of the mural from 10:22.

​

I was very surprised to see that after tapping into my Spaceship Earth LLMP (Tier 2), I was able to book a new LLMP for Soarin' (Tier 1). I don't know why I didn't expect to be able to book a LLMP from the higher category after tapping into a LLMP from the lower category, but If I had known that, I would have hustled to Spaceship Earth sooner or pushed for a 9:00 AM slot to try to book Frozen Ever After ASAP. By the time I had tapped in at 10:20, FEA was gone for the day. So I'll take that learning away for the next time I book LLMP for Epcot.

My Soarin' LLMP window opened up basically while I was mid-Spaceship Earth, but as I headed over there, I decided to stop and say hi to Moana.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Dance Moms, but while I was in line to meet Moana, Brooke Hyland walked by! I did a total double take I went to her social media to see if she had been in Florida recently, and she was definitely here in Orlando per her stories!

Then it was time for me to meet Moana, who always leaves me just as starstruck!

​

She asked what I was up to, I said I had been wayfinding. She said we should find Maui and go wayfinding together! I asked what Maui was up to and she said that he was finding new animals to transform into and asked if I had any suggestions. I said that he should turn into a manatee, and she was like "that would be so much fun because manatees don't have any enemies! so everyone would love him and want to be his friend!" (That's true, manatees don't have any natural predators! #TheMoreYouKnow)

​

Then it was time for me to get on Soarin' with my LLMP. No notes there.

When I got off of Soarin', the World Showcase had been open for a little while, so I figured it was time to check out some festival booths. I had a LLMP for Living With the Land at this time, but having already done it yesterday, didn't feel compelled to use it and cancelled it.

As I headed left towards Mexico, there was a Photopass Photographer on that little path behind the planter across from the Mexico booth. I know this photographer would have one of the magic shots I wanted, so I was really excited to see him!

​

LOVE those wild & crazy Muppets!!!

Finally, it was time to dig deep into the hot, humid, and food-filled world of the World Showcase.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

So happy to hear you enjoyed Jiko. It's one of my favorites and I agree that the Cooking Place is a fantastic place to sit. It's so fun interacting with the chefs and other guests. That wild boar tenderloin is out of this world good. I'm kind of surprised I ever tried it, but I am SO glad I did. The servers there are uniformly excellent, and I also have had fun trying different South African wines. How awesome that you were able to just head up to your room afterward! Fun morning in EPCOT. Love your picture with the Muppets!

 

[HappyGal]

Cool fact about September! Personally, it’s my fav! Now let’s go eat…

 

[Newsies]

So happy to hear you enjoyed Jiko. It's one of my favorites and I agree that the Cooking Place is a fantastic place to sit. It's so fun interacting with the chefs and other guests. That wild boar tenderloin is out of this world good. I'm kind of surprised I ever tried it, but I am SO glad I did. The servers there are uniformly excellent, and I also have had fun trying different South African wines. How awesome that you were able to just head up to your room afterward! Fun morning in EPCOT. Love your picture with the Muppets!

Agree with everything you said!! So nice talking to the chefs and the boar was something I never would have tried outside of Disney/if there hadn't been so many recommendations for it! I also loved the Pinotage I drank -- if I go back to Jiko any time soon, it'll be to try another glass of wine! Such an amazing collection!

Epcot was so much fun!!!

Cool fact about September! Personally, it’s my fav! Now let’s go eat…

They honestly just did a great job curating the playlist for that ride! Did you hear they played September for every ride on 09/21?

Let's go see what the Food & Wine Festival had to offer me today!!

 

[Woth2982]

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Dance Moms, but while I was in line to meet Moana, Brooke Hyland walked by! I did a total double take I went to her social media to see if she had been in Florida recently, and she was definitely here in Orlando per her stories!

ummm obsessed with Dance Moms! The OGs, not so much after Chloe and Christi left. I want to be besties with Christi and Kelly. They have so much fun!

LOVE those wild & crazy Muppets!!!

I have never seen this shot! How fun!