How Many Times Did I Meet Pluto This Trip? A Dec Solo TR - New TR Link 11/30!

[purplelover88]

I've just now found your trip report but it looks like you had a great trip! It must be so freeing to take a solo trip; if you wan't to do something do it, if not don't. Can't wait to finish reading about your last day even if it is the dreaded one.

 

[Pluto0809]

Love the photos with Pluto- 7th meet, so impressive!

I'm glad your lunch was good

OoOoh I love that gingerbread house, very cool.

Aww bummer that they swapped characters right before you went in. The pics with Mickey & Goofy came out cute though!

Can't wait to hear about your fourth Characterpalooza!!

Yep meet #7 and I wasn't quite done yet!

Disney does such a neat job with the Gingerbread houses. I didn't even know that one existed till I went in to see VOL.

I was so bummed that Pluto was not at that greet but I did enjoy meeting Mickey and Goofy again.

Boohoo the last day.

Looks like a great day so far at epcot.

I've never seen the voices of liberty but I will one day.

I've done the disney visa meet and greet twice and it's been mickey and goofy both times.

Can't wait to hear about another character palooza.

Last days do suck, don't they?

Definitely try to make a VOL concert, they are excellent.

I've had Mickey and Goofy twice now, someday I will get Pluto in there!

I need to get a job there.. this PP didn't know how to work a camera...

Just cannot take a bad picture of SE.. well unless your that PP... LOL

you did a great job so far and your day before this? HOLY COW you were all over the place! I was tired from reading!!!

Love all your character interactions!!!

I think you would do better than 99% of those PP photographers! I still like to get it though especially when I'm solo so I actually have pictures of myself.

I had a wonderful time on my 4 park day and despite some tired feet, I really didn't feel rushed. It does help a lot though that I was solo. I didn't have to wait for others to decide, I could just go where I wanted.

Am enjoying your report, and have a question for you -- are you at all uncomfortable traveling solo at Disney? I am seriously considering it for December this year, as I need another Disney fix, especially at Christmas! My DH is okay with Disney, but not a huge fan, and he just went with me this past April and doesn't want to go again so soon.

Thanks, glad you are enjoying the trip! I LOVE traveling solo and have never really felt uncomfortable while by myself. That lady I met was a little odd but I was easily able to get away from her. That being said, I am perfectly fine being by myself. While I love my DH dearly I actually enjoy the few times a year he goes out of town because it gives me some alone time. So if you are fine being on your own, you will most likely love being solo.

I always book a value resort when I'm on my own since I'm never in the room and either do a preferred room or request a specific section close to the front. That makes me feel a lot safer than if I had to walk way back into a resort to get to my room. I did preferred on this trip but in 2013 I stayed at All Star Music and requested the Jazz section which was the closest building other than the preferred section.

I've just now found your trip report but it looks like you had a great trip! It must be so freeing to take a solo trip; if you wan't to do something do it, if not don't. Can't wait to finish reading about your last day even if it is the dreaded one.

Thanks for joining in even though we are almost to the end. It is extremely freeing to be solo and I really love doing it!

 

[Pluto0809]

Character Palooza #4

Once again the bus gods were with me and I was pulling into HS in record time. The bus from Epcot to HS really is faster than the boat especially if you are near the front of Epcot when leaving.

I stopped by the HS Christmas tree for some PP pictures. These turned out awful but I’ll share one any way. No idea why I look so mad in this one and the second one that was taken was worse.



I didn’t have dessert at Tutto Italia because I was quite full from the spaghetti plus the only thing on their dessert menu that I like is the Gelati. For some reason I just wasn’t feeling ice cream this trip. By now you all know what I was feeling and can probably guess my next destination at HS. Yep, I went to Starring Roles for a cupcake! I do love the chocolate peanut butter one but the icing is a bit heavy. I was in the mood for something lighter so I went with the Anna chocolate cupcake. They had several Frozen themed cupcakes.



I still had lots of time before the Character Palooza so why not go see my Pluto for the 8th time? Daisy was out at the moment but I know that they switch every half hour so I found a shady spot near the meet and waited. Daisy’s line was pretty short, I probably could have met her 3 or 4 times in the 15 minutes I waited for Pluto. As soon as I spotted Pluto coming around the corner, I hopped in line. He was completely in love with my bag and had to show it off for the camera.







Finally it was time for Character Palooza so I headed down Sunset Blvd one last time to the TOT exit. I decided ahead of time to only hit up the characters I had not seen yet so that I could head back to my room for an afternoon break.

The first new character to me (although not rare) was Tiana. She was quite lovely and I know we talked a bit. Who knows what the conversation was about at this point?



The second one was a character that used to be out and about a lot but is no longer available. It was Donald Duck in his original outfit! There is currently no regular spot where you can see him in this costume so I was excited.





All the rest of the characters were ones I had met earlier in the week so I left after Donald. The other characters were Genie, Aladdin, Jasmine, Mulan, Evil Queen, Pocahontas, Mary Poppins and Bert.

As I was exiting, I started thinking about the Princesses I had met. I went through the original 11 plus Anna and Elsa in my head and I realized there were only two I still had to meet, Belle and Rapunzel.

Oh and anyone who is holding their breath over the number of times I met Pluto, you can breathe again. The meet at HS was my 8th and final one of the trip. The mystery of the TR title is finally solved!

Goodbye TOT, see you again someday!



I made it back to my room and tried to take a nap. Unfortunately I’m not really good at naps so I packed for a bit and then watched an episode of Law and Order on TV. At least I was off of my feet for a few hours. While I was packing, I took a picture of the only pin I traded for so far that day.



I headed back out of the room about 6:30 and despite a very large line at the bus stop I still managed to get a seat on the way to MK. I really didn’t want to start off my night nauseous. When I got to MK I realized it was going to be a very crowded park when I ran into this at bag check.



But I didn’t care, I mean how could I when I was greeted by this beautiful site?







Oh and I forgot to mention that I did have three FPs at MK during the afternoon for BTMR, Dumbo and 7DMT but I ended up skipping them to do the Character Paloosa. I did try to go on the mobile app and cancel at least the 7DMT but I never did get MDE to work all week. I’m hoping it was just my old iPhone 4 and now that I’ve upgraded to the 6 I’ll have better luck next time.

I was headed to the Plaza for a 7:50 pm ADR but Main Street was a massive sea of people. Then I noticed that they were directing people to the right to go backstage to get to Tomorrowland. So I headed that way. The area back there is pretty dark and spooky and I feel pretty bad for the CMs that have to stand along the route to make sure people don’t take pictures. I stopped for a minute to talk to one of them and pin trade with her. A little further along, I had a bit of a surreal experience. Now I’m a pretty practical person and don’t really believe in ghosts and the sort. But back there it was pretty dark and I ran into a CM that I swear was the ghost of Walt Disney himself. Now it was probably just the lighting but this guy could have been his twin. He smiled at me as I passed and then I continued on my way.

I was too early for my dinner ADR but there was no point trying to get on any rides at that moment. So I went up to the Tomorrowland Terrace and sat at a table for a while. I had a friend starting her WDW vacation that day and we were going to meet up that night. She and her daughter had arrived at their resort and were on a bus to MK. I sent her a text warning her about the crowds on Main Street so she decided she would take the train around to Fantasyland and have dinner at Pinocchio Village Haus. I told her I would text her again when my dinner was over.

I checked in and it wasn’t long before I was lead to my table. It was very cold in the restaurant but luckily I had a sweatshirt with me. I didn’t get to sit in the room with a view of the castle this time. Instead I was at a table near the kitchen that was booth on one side and chairs on the other. I sat on the booth side so I was looking out at the rest of the restaurant. The booth seat ran along the whole wall and shared with another table. There were two little girls sitting on the booth side and they were a bit bouncy. I did get bounced around for a bit but they were almost done and left not too long after I sat down. They made a huge mess of the booth and floor and I felt bad for the CM who had the job of cleaning that up.

For my meal, I ordered my usual which is a burger with just ketchup and fries. I did get a little wild and had a soda with my meal. I never drink soda for dinner because the caffeine keeps me awake. But I was determined I was going to close MK that night (3 am!) so I needed all the help I could get.



Ah, now I remember why I didn’t want to have ice cream with lunch! I was looking forward to a chocolate milk shake for dessert.



That’s only about ½ of what you actually get. See the silver cup in the back? That was also completely full of ice cream. Needless to say, I was quite stuffed when I left the restaurant.

I texted my friend again and she said they were in line for Dumbo. I said I would meet them by the exit and headed out. Main Street was still packed so I cut through to Tomorrowland. The sky was beautiful that night so I stopped to take a few photos before continuing.





Up Next: Being a Kid Again

 

[rteetz]

What a great day! 8 times meeting Pluto. I wonder if there is a meeting Pluto record you could go for.

Donald is probably my favorite character.

I have never eaten at the Plaza but that milkshake looks good.

I can't wait to hear about being a kid again.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Oh, man, I can't believe we've reached the last day of your trip! Exciting that you got to meet your main dog 8 times!! I'm excited to read the rest of your EMH at MK to find out if you rounded out your Princess meet-ups, too, by getting to Belle and Rapunzel!!!

 

[Chicago Mo]

i love these pictures!!! and i had goosebumps over your Walt story... I believe!!!

 

[purplelover88]

Closing out Magic Kingdom at 3am! Love those nights; hardly any crowds towards then end. That's how I met Anna and Elsa in less than 10 minutes!

 

[hokieinpa]

Oh boo for the Magical Express notice!

Meeting Pluto 8 times is quite an accomplishment!

Lunch at Tutto Italia sounds really good- it seems like a great alternative to Via Napoli.

Magic Kingdom looks quite busy. That Plaza milkshake looks pretty yummy right now! Great pictures of Tomorrowland!

Excited to read about your late night at MK!

And I wanted to let you know that we just got back from a non-Disney Florida trip. We went to Legoland and Sea World - your TR helped me plan! Thank you!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Still reading along. Looks like a great last day!

 

[Pluto0809]

What a great day! 8 times meeting Pluto. I wonder if there is a meeting Pluto record you could go for.

Donald is probably my favorite character.

I have never eaten at the Plaza but that milkshake looks good.

I can't wait to hear about being a kid again.

I'm sure there are people out there that have met him many more times than I have. I do wonder how many times total I have met him, I should go back and figure that out.

I like Donald OK, but he's my husband's favorite.

The Plaza is really good especially for someone who is as picky as I am. The food's pretty simple which is great for me!

Oh, man, I can't believe we've reached the last day of your trip! Exciting that you got to meet your main dog 8 times!! I'm excited to read the rest of your EMH at MK to find out if you rounded out your Princess meet-ups, too, by getting to Belle and Rapunzel!!!

I know, this was a long trip but I guess it has to end sometime.

Stay tuned, I will definitely be answering the Princess question a few updates from now.

i love these pictures!!! and i had goosebumps over your Walt story... I believe!!!

Thanks, the Astro Orbiter pictures are some of my favorite from this trip.

Closing out Magic Kingdom at 3am! Love those nights; hardly any crowds towards then end. That's how I met Anna and Elsa in less than 10 minutes!

I've never made it past 1 am but I was determined on this night. We shall see if I really did make it all the way.

Oh boo for the Magical Express notice!

Meeting Pluto 8 times is quite an accomplishment!

Lunch at Tutto Italia sounds really good- it seems like a great alternative to Via Napoli.

Magic Kingdom looks quite busy. That Plaza milkshake looks pretty yummy right now! Great pictures of Tomorrowland!

Excited to read about your late night at MK!

And I wanted to let you know that we just got back from a non-Disney Florida trip. We went to Legoland and Sea World - your TR helped me plan! Thank you!

I know, that ME notice is such a downer on that next to last day.

Tutto Italia is a great alternative to Via Napoli if you are looking for good pasta dishes. I don't think they have pizza though.

MK was packed that night, probably the most crowded I have ever seen it.

Still reading along. Looks like a great last day!

Thanks for reading! The last two days of this trip were pretty epic.

 

[Pluto0809]

Being a Kid Again Part 1

So my friend that I was meeting up with does not like having photos posted of her family on the internet. So there will be no pictures of us together that night. Going forward just to make typing easier, I will refer to my friend as “F” and her daughter as “D”.

I made it back to Dumbo and waited till they were done. It was great to see them and hugs were exchanged. D is a big Pluto fan like I am so I brought her a stuffed Christmas Pluto. Truth be told, I accidently bought two of the same Christmas Pluto so this one was an extra. Yes, my collection is so large that I sometimes forget if I have an item. I also put together some Pluto pins that I had duplicates of for her. I had a few things for F and also for her other daughter who wasn’t on the trip.

D wanted to look through Big Top Souvenirs so we headed there. We walked around a bit and I did some pin trading. D picked up a Pluto pen from one of the shelves but F told her to put it back, she didn’t need to buy anything yet. But D whispered something into Fs ear and they ended up buying the pen. D then turned around and gave it to me. I was very touched that she would spend some of her souvenir money on a present for me. I brought the pen into work and it’s in my pencil holder (which of course is a Pluto mug) so I can see it every day.



F and D had a FP+ for Little Mermaid so we headed that direction. I really needed a restroom break after the soda I drank at dinner so I said I would meet them by Gaston’s fountain. I used the restroom and then took some pictures while I waited for them.





When we met back up, I saw a PP photographer by the Little Mermaid ride so we stopped for some. Sorry but as I said above, I won’t be sharing those photos.

There was one ride in Fantasyland that I had never been on. Well, I’m sure I rode it as a child but have no memory of doing so. So I asked D if she would ride it with me and she said sure. It was the Carousel so we headed that direction but they had just closed it down for Wishes. Instead, we headed into Mickey’s Philharmagic. D wanted to sit in the front row which was a bit of an odd experience since we were so close but we had fun.

When we finished with the movie, Wishes was over and the Carousel was open again so we got in line. One more ride checked off my list and I got to be a kid again!



Next stop was Gaston’s Tavern because F wanted a LeFou’s Brew. I’m not a huge fan of the drink and I was still stuffed from dinner so I didn’t have one. D also ended up not liking it but she had a great time playing in Gaston’s chair as the place was pretty much empty. The park had cleared out some now that Wishes was over.

F & D had a final FP for IASW but D was hesitant to go on it. F finally got her to admit that she didn’t want to ride it without me. Awwww, so sweet. I kind of figured the FP wouldn’t be necessary so we headed that way and I was right, the ride was a walk on. So guess what? You get even more IASW photos from me this trip!





















It was getting close to midnight at this point and D was getting a bit tired. But F wanted to catch one more ride before leaving. Like me, she is a huge Pirates fan. The wait time was 25 minutes but I think we waited less time than that. I’m not really sure because we were talking the whole time.

Unfortunately right before the drop, in the darkest part of the whole ride, we came to a complete stop. There were some teenage boys behind us and they started pretending they were scared which really did make D scared. Next thing I knew, she had her head buried in my lap. There were some young ladies, cheerleaders actually, right in front of us and they tried to talk to D and take her mind off of being scared. It was really sweet of them unlike the boys behind us. We ended up stuck there for about 10 minutes and once we got past the drop, D was fine again. I only got one good picture from the ride.



After that, it was time for F & D to head out. They still had their entire trip in front of them and needed to get some sleep. I was staying for EMHs so we said our goodbyes in Adventureland and they left.

I headed back down to ride the Jingle Cruise for the third time this trip. I was curious to see it all lit up for Christmas.



There was about a ten minute wait so I took some line pictures this time.





Even the spider had a Santa hat on.



Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Being a Kid Again Part 2





I only have one photo from the actual ride though because it was too dark. I thought Trader Samta’s sign was hilarious and was glad I finally got a photo of it.



Next I went and visited the Tiki Room birds again. There wasn't even enough people to fill the first row of seats.



















Despite riding Pirates just a little bit before I needed one last visit before leaving Adventureland. The only picture I took this time through was one of the hidden Mickey locks in the line. I did not know these existed. My friend had pointed them out to me earlier that night.



Next up was BTMR. This was my first official EMH ride as it was a little after 1 am at this point. I was getting a little tired but I was determined to close out the park that night.



After BTMR, I headed back towards Fantasyland, taking pictures as I walked.









Up Next: A Trip Through the Darling House

 

[rteetz]

That's so nice that she got you the Pluto pen.

IASW is great, but not something I would use a FP on.

Looks like you had fun with your friend which is good.

I know I've stayed in the MK until 1 but I don't know if I've stayed later than that.

 

[xlsm]

Was that a Santa hat on the tarantula?? LOL!! That's hilarious.

I'm glad you got to enjoy some park time with your friend and her daughter!

 

[Chicago Mo]

this was a FUN update!!! I just adore all the christmas decorations! I know most won't be up when we go.. One day i will get there for them all! So FUN to be with your friends too! and so sweet she took to you too!!!

 

[Denovagirl]

Look at this! I am finally all caught up and right as you're almost finished!!

I have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed this trip! Love all the character paloozas!! And I love all your ADRS, definitely helping me solidify my own plans.

How fun to stay in MK until 3am in your last night!!! Can't beat that!

Looking forward to the final updates from this trip, and I'll be scooting over to your non-Disney Tr!

 

[hokieinpa]

It sounds like a fun night with your friend and her daughter! Love the Pluto pen too!

Great pictures of the Jingle Cruise at night. Love all of the details!

That stinks about getting stuck on Pirates and those guys behind you. Teenage boys can be so clueless.

Excited to read about your late night at MK!

 

[purplelover88]

Your friend's daughter is so sweet. That's great you had someone to meet up with to spend your last night in the Magic Kingdom with.

 

[marDgreen88]

Glad you had fun with your friend and her daughter! It was so sweet of her to buy you that pen. How thoughtful.

Oooh I hope you didn't get too sleepy! There's nothing like closing down MK on your last night!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Fun night, except for being stuck on Pirates. Sorry that D was scared. Glad she was okay after the drop.