A Solo Trip: Is It Spring Or Winter? Feb. 25-Mar. 3, 2018! *COMPLETED 6/9/18*

Wow! What a fun day, must be fun writing it all for us too, reliving it. Your trip reports always get me excited for my solo trip and this best Disney day ever does even more. Not sure this is even in proper English, lol, but ,wow, again thanks for sharing!
 
ToT might just be one of the coolest rides to get evacuated from! And what a bonus with the FP:thumbsup2
That is probably true! The only ride I can remember being evacuated from was the Great Movie Ride. Now I'm just waiting to ride Space Mountain with the lights on! :D

Wow! You really did have an amazing Disney day.
I really did. It's probably a day I will remember for a long time.

Wow! What a fun day, must be fun writing it all for us too, reliving it. Your trip reports always get me excited for my solo trip and this best Disney day ever does even more. Not sure this is even in proper English, lol, but ,wow, again thanks for sharing!
I really felt like I was reliving it. I even sent a text to another DISer while I was typing it out saying that I feel like I'm reliving that day. I feel like the only way I was able to have a day like this was because I was going solo. So, in my opinion, solo trips are the best! :)
 


I'm glad you had such a great day! So many fun experiences and pixie dust!

This was really a great view of Illuminations and an added surprise. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to see the show since I was seated inside the restaurant.
That is good to know! It's on my list for my February trip, so I'll probably be able to make a later reservation and use that viewing area!
 
I'm glad you had such a great day! So many fun experiences and pixie dust!


That is good to know! It's on my list for my February trip, so I'll probably be able to make a later reservation and use that viewing area!
Pixie dust is always fun when it happens. :D

It was nice not having to wait for a spot and enjoy a good meal at the same time. I don't know what it is like watching from the patio, but the inside viewing area wasn't far from some of the patio seating. I feel like I would enjoy it better if I was to get an outdoor viewing spot.
 
Hi everyone! I am here letting you know that I have started my next trip report! This trip report is a little different, because it doesn’t include live reports. If you would like to follow along on my updates from my favorite Disney Theme Park, follow along at…

When Pixar Invades The Disneyland Resort!

You can find my trip report by clicking the title above, or in my signature.

Updates have already started from this trip, and I hope to see everyone following along!
:)
 


Day 4: A Beautiful Day At Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

Welcome to day 4 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World! Today brought another first for me, but I will get to that in a little bit. It was time to start my day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios though!



I would arrive a little after rope drop. I didn’t really have a lot planned since I only had about 2 hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios before I would have to leave.

So, I made my way down the main pathway towards the Chinese Theater. When walking down, I remembered that I received 2 extra fastpasses the day before for when I got evacuated off the Tower of Terror.





I didn’t have fastpasses booked at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so I decided to use one of my extra fastpasses for Toy Story Midway Mania!



I would achieve the “Best In Vehicle” score once again.



I would then get some Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge construction pictures. Walt Disney World is moving pretty quickly on this, but Disneyland’s is really far along.









The next attraction I would do was see Muppet Vision 3D!



After seeing the 3D show that seems like it has been around forever, I made my way to Walt Disney Presents. Before I would make my way inside, I decided to stand on a curb outside the Toy Story Land construction and get some pictures over the wall.





Now I would make my way into Walt Disney Presents.



It was around the time of the Oscars, and they had an Oscar setup inside here that you could take your picture with.





R.I.P. Paradise Pier… :( I’m still upset about this being changed to Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure!



It was then time for me to see the Wrinkle In Time Preview. I really wish it was the One Man’s Dream movie though.



I found the preview to be really strange, so I actually decided from the preview to not see the movie.

After the preview, I had enough time to use my 2nd extra fastpass of the day. So, I made my way to Rock N’ Rollercoaster!



It was then time for me to leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios! I would call for a Lyft, and I was on my way to an experience that I have never done before!

More on this day in my next post.
 
Day 4: Spring Training! Isn't It Winter?

It was now time for my first ever experience seeing a Spring Training baseball game!

Wait…It was February! How can there be Spring Training in February? It’s technically still winter in February. However, it did not feel that way today in Florida. It was in the upper 80’s!

I would arrive at ESPN Wide World of Sports, because the Atlanta Braves were playing a game this afternoon against the New York Mets.





When I entered the stadium, I came across the Atlanta Braves Saxophone Quartet! I thought they were awesome, because I’m a saxophone player.



I decided to walk around the stadium a little bit before getting some lunch.





My lunch choice for the day was the ESPN Wide World of Sports Grill.







I would get the smoked turkey sandwich. It was good for what it was, but nothing special.



After lunch, I would make my way into the stadium. This really is a nice facility, and I had a great view of the game.



I would find Goofy on the field for the first pitch ceremony! Sadly, he was the only Disney character to make an appearance.



LETS PLAY SOME BASEBALL!



Matt Harvey was pitching for the New York Mets.



Wait? I’m wearing a KC Royals hat and a LA Angels shirt. Am I at the wrong game?



The game was a lot of fun so far. There were definitely a lot of New York Mets fans at the game, and I was surrounded by them. So, of course I had to bring up the KC Royals winning the World Series against the Mets. :D

Up next, it was time for a pleasant surprise! I didn’t realize the rosters for both teams, but eventually all of the New York Mets fans started to cheer so loudly! Everyone was wondering why until we looked down at the on-deck circle. The batter on the on-deck circle was…TIM TEBOW!!!







It was now Tim Tebow's turn to bat!







Tim Tebow would line out, so I wasn’t able to see him get on base. I think it is awesome that I can actually say that I’ve seen him play baseball.

It was time for a snack, and I can’t go to a baseball game without getting Cracker Jacks!



The stadium is really nice, and it had a great crowd this afternoon.











So, the Braves were leading the game into the 9th inning, but the New York Mets would score 3 runs in the 9th inning to win the game!





I would then make my way out of the stadium, and I would catch a Lyft to my next destination.

Note for upcoming trips…I believe the Atlanta Braves will only be using ESPN Wide World of Sports as their Spring Training facility for one more season. So, February/March, 2019 is your last chance to catch a Spring Training game at Walt Disney World.

More on this day in my next post.
 
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VIDEO: Atlanta Braves Saxophone Quartet - “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!”

Here is a video of the Atlanta Braves Saxophone Quartet playing outside the stadium before the game. This is a video of them playing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!”

I found them to be awesome, because I’m a saxophone player.

Watch my video in HD.

Atlanta Braves Saxophone Quartet - “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!”


I hope that you enjoyed the video.
 
Day 4: An Evening At My Favorite WDW Theme Park!

I would make my way to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park for the rest of the evening!



The view of the Tree of Life will never get old for me. It is probably my favorite landmark at Walt Disney World.



I had pre-booked my fastpasses at Animal Kingdom today. When I arrived at the park, it was already time for my first fastpass at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. That means I was on my way to Dinosaur!



It was then time for me to see my favorite theme park show, the Festival of the Lion King!





My favorite Disney character…Simba!!!



I had decided on having something a little lighter or not as filling for dinner. So, I made my way to Nomad Lounge!





I would get my favorite non-alcoholic beverage which is the Hibiscus Henna.



For my food item, I ordered the ribs. These were DELICIOUS!!!



I would also get the churros, but I forgot to get a picture of them. The churros were also really good and the sauces that came with them were delicious.

It was time for my next fastpass which was to ride Expedition Everest in the evening! If you have not been on this ride at night, it is the best time to go on this ride.



My next fastpass was for Rivers of Light. I would then make my way into the theater to get a spot for the show.

I really like how the performers walk through the crowd beforehand now.





It was time for the show!

Enjoy pictures of Rivers of Light:























I know Rivers of Light gets mixed reviews, but I really like the show a lot. It is a great fit for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and I really like the soundtrack to the show.

After Rivers of Light, I decided to ride Expedition Everest one more time at night since it wasn’t a long wait.



It was then time for me to head to Pandora. I had about 30 minutes left until the park closed for the evening.





This is when I had a magical moment happen from another DISer. Some of you might know @Lesley Wake from the boards and have seen her on one of my other trip reports. Well, we eventually found out that our trip would coincide dates. Anyways, she let me know early on that she might not make a late Flight of Passage fastpass that she had booked since she was flying into Orlando that evening. So, as I was sitting at Rivers of Light, she informed me that she would not be using her fastpass. Therefore, she was graciously willing to transfer her Flight of Passage fastpass to me so I could use it.

So, thank you @Lesley Wake for your generosity! I am grateful that I didn’t have to wait 90 minutes to ride one of my new favorite rides! :D







I got the card!!!



I was number 7.



After a great ride, I noticed that I was in the exit with the 3 handprints of Joe Rohde, James Cameron, and Jon Landau!



By the time I got off the ride, Disney’s Animal Kingdom was closed. So, I would travel back to Earth from Pandora.





This was another awesome day, but I was tired. So, I would make my way to the bus stop and head back to All-Star Music for the evening.

Stay tuned for more updates!
 
It was time for my next fastpass which was to ride Expedition Everest in the evening! If you have not been on this ride at night, it is the best time to go on this ride.
I loved doing EE at night! It was so much fun and totally worth it!

So, thank you @Lesley Wake for your generosity! I am grateful that I didn’t have to wait 90 minutes to ride one of my new favorite rides! :D
Of course! Better a friend use it than just go into the ether!
 
Really loving your updates! We are going the same week next year so o keep scanning all your pics for crowds. How did you feel it was crowd-wise? We have been at the beginning of Feb and it was decent.
 
Really loving your updates! We are going the same week next year so o keep scanning all your pics for crowds. How did you feel it was crowd-wise? We have been at the beginning of Feb and it was decent.
Thanks!

Crowds were actually what I would consider light for most of my trip. The only day I thought crowds was a big deal was the day I left. I think I hit the Spring Break crowds just right.

I hope you enjoy your trip. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :)
 
Hi everyone! I’m just letting you know that updates from this trip will continue in a couple days. However, I just need to say what I got to do today...


I got to cross off a Disney bucket list item. Several DISers and I got to go to Marceline, Missouri and walk around the small town that Walt Disney called his “hometown!” We got to tour the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, and we got to meet the person that is currently living in Walt Disney’s boyhood home! We also got to walk down the street that inspired a lot of Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland! The main highlight of the day was we got to go inside a replica of the barn that Walt Disney spent a lot of time located on the farm land that his family owned. We got to sign our names in the barn as well!


I had a great time with many people from this website!


Stay tuned for more about this day trip coming in May!
 
Hi Zach....I am considering a stay at an All Star resort and have a few questions Do they still share busses? if so do you know what order they are in? I may just try Music since it is you’re fave.
 
Day 5: Good Morning From Africa And Asia!

Hello everyone and welcome to day 5 of my solo trip to Walt Disney World!

It was time for another early morning for me, and I was off to my favorite Walt Disney World Theme Park, Disney’s Animal Kingdom!





I just had to get a selfie with the Tree of Life.



Instead of going to Pandora this morning, I decided to see what I could get done without going to Pandora.

I had to wait about 15 minutes before the park opened. When the park did open, only about 30 people were heading towards Asia/Dinoland.

My first stop of the day would be to get a picture with Mickey and Minnie! I would have one family in front of me since I wasn’t quite fast enough. However, that is easily the shortest line I will ever see for Mickey and Minnie at Walt Disney World.









It was then time to make my way to Expedition Everest which is one of my favorite rides at Walt Disney World. This was a walk-on.



Next, it was time to get hurt while riding Primeval Whirl. Someone please remind me the next time I’m at Walt Disney World to NEVER ride this attraction again.



The next walk-on attraction I would go on is Dinosaur!



I would then use my first fastpass of the day which was for Kali River Rapids! The fastpass wasn’t really needed since this was a walk-on as well.





Within the first hour of the park being open, I went on all of those attractions.

It was then time for my next fastpass. This is when I would finally enter Pandora, because it was time to sail along a river.





I would have a fastpass for Na’vi River Journey.



This animatronic is still amazing!





It was time to leave Pandora and make my way to Africa, because it was time to do a tour that I haven’t done before!

More in my next post.
 
Day 5: Caring For Giants Tour + My Favorite Show!

It was time for me to go on the Caring For Giants Tour!

This is a tour I had been looking forward to doing for a while since they first announced it. Elephants are one of my favorite animals, so I was very excited to look at them for a while instead of just driving by on a safari vehicle.

So, I would check-in for the tour very close to the Kilimanjaro Safari.

It wasn’t long at all before we would make our way backstage to our bus back to the elephant area. I thought it was cool to see several of the behind the scenes areas of Animal Kingdom again. I also found it interesting that we drove right by the Walt Disney Imagineering building on our way to the elephants.

We would eventually arrive at the elephants, and now I could start taking pictures.



We would have a bus driver that dropped us off, and we would have an elephant animal trainer take over once we would arrive.









As we were up on the viewing location, the animal trainer would give us some insight on elephants that we might not have known about. Also, we were able to ask many questions that we would have. We didn’t have to stick around the animal trainer though. We were free to walk around the viewing area to look at the different elephants.





I had been keeping my eye out for Stella since this was early in the morning. Eventually, Stella would make an appearance.



It was really cool to see these elephants in their area for a while.





I would have to get a picture with an elephant in the background.



Fun fact…Did you know the name tag is made out of elephant poop? :D













We would then meet someone who is from the area that these elephants could be found. This person would describe what it is like for the elephants in their natural habitat in Africa. It was really interesting to hear some of her stories from when she was growing up in her home country.

If I remember correctly, this elephant statue is made out of different things that have been found from poachers in Africa. If I am wrong and someone has done the tour, please correct me if you remember.



So, we had about 40 minutes at the elephant viewing area. We would make our way back to the theme park. This is when we would say goodbye to our bus driver, and we were now able to roam around Disney’s Animal Kingdom once again.

So, this tour was really nice. It doesn’t last that long, and the price is one of the lowest of any of the tours at Walt Disney World. If you like elephants and if you want to try something different while at the park, this is the perfect activity for you. I highly recommend it.

So, after the tour, I would make my way to use my 3rd fastpass of the day. That was for my favorite theme park show, the Festival of the Lion King!



Found this plaque on the side of the building in the fastpass queue that says the opening day of Disney’s Animal Kingdom!



Enjoy pictures of the show:















After a great show, it was time for me to make my way out of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I would get on a Saratoga Springs bus, because I was on my way to Disney Springs to meet a DIS friend! :)

Stay tuned for more updates from this fabulous day!
 
Hi Zach....I am considering a stay at an All Star resort and have a few questions Do they still share busses? if so do you know what order they are in? I may just try Music since it is you’re fave.
Hi Terry!

In terms of DME...You will stop at Sports before going to Music. Movies is last. Same with pick-up at the end of the trip...Sports, Music, and Movies.

For park busses...This is where it is hard to tell. I would say less than 10% of the time I have stayed at an All-Star Resort have they shared the busses. The only time I have seen it is if it is before the park is open and the bus isn't full. They might go to another resort. There isn't any definitive order, because I have gone Music, Movies, Sports before. I think each resort has different busses sent to it, but then they can determine if they are able to get more passengers or not. It's really hard to tell, but if they share the bus, it only adds about 5-10 minutes more to the trip with my experience. I have also done a lot of Lyft trips depending on where I am in the resort. I think it really just depends on how crowded the bus stops are as well. I hope this helps.
 
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This is a beautiful picture!!

I was so bummed we didn't get to see her on our trip in January! The day we had our FP the ride went down for awhile and when we were able to ride later that morning they had dropped the screen in front of her and were just projecting the video version.
 

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