Okay, I'm really gonna do it. Solo trip January 23

[denygold]

Day 1 January 23. Saw the best and worst of Southwest Airlines today. Flight from San Jose to Austin was nice. Boarding was organized and there were empty seats, so a lot of open middles. Austin airport was great- live music! But then, yikes. First off the Austin-Orlando leg was delayed half an hour, not a big deal. It was sardine- full though and a smaller plane than the first one, less leg room. Lots of people boarding at the end and just standing in the aisle because they didn't want to separate. I paid the $25 bribe to SWA to board earlier, and I probably wouldn't use them unless I did. Definitely a bad idea if you have kids to board late on Southwest. Arrived in Orlando at 7:55 pm- it is a journey from SWA gates to Magical Express, but it was smooth and I arrived at All Star Music at 9:20. Check in took about 20 minutes, at first the computer and my band had different opinion on whether my room was ready, but then they agreed. I got my requests, top floor and non pool side. My bag arrived at my room at 2:30- yes that's 2:30 am.
For me , not a huge deal, but be forewarned if you are going to stress about your luggage. I have no idea whether SWA or DME played around with it, but someone did. The food court at All Star Music was PACKED at 10 pm. Had to sit outside in 40 degree night. I think WDW must run promotions in South America, I would estimate 70-80 pct of people here are speaking Portugese or Spanish. By the way, have yet to encounter anything other than polite families, no large groups so far. I wish I knew some Portugese so I could converse.

[denygold]

Friday January 24. Slept late (bellhops at 2:30 am have that effect on me). Got to bus stop at 11:30 and jumped on first bus to pull up (Epcot). From there I took monorail to Magic Kingdom. LOTS of people, but the wait times never seemed to be terrible. My longest wait was 20 minutes for Mansion- and I wanted to see the new queue anyway. I did Mansion twice, Hall of Prezs, Pirates (Disneyland has ruined the MK's Pirates for me, it's so much better in Cali). It's A Small World (this was they only ride all day that I felt weird going on alone), Spectromagic, TTA Twice, Carousel of Progress and Buzz (15 minute wait at 4pm). I also rode Peter Pan, but I had FP+' basically walked on. Pan and Space Mt were 40-50 minutes for standby in the afternoon which doesn't seem horrible. I wished again that I knew some Portugese, again nothing but positive vibes so far, lots of nice people, just can't talk to them. Caught bus to TTA and monorail to Epcot- I love riding the monorail into Epcot in the evening! Arrived about 6:30 on an evening that was advertised to be very busy at Epcot due to EMH til 11pm. But, I found out that when it is 45 degrees or so, lots of people leave. Did Spaceship Earth twice, Listen to the Land, Imagination, ate at Sunshine Seasons and then did Ellen's Adventure ( forgot how much I liked it, love the dinosaurs although I got spit on!) At 8:45 there were spaces on the railing between Future World and Norway for Illuminations. After, I did Maelstrom and SSE one more time. On a EMH night- don't be put off by a long looking line, Maelstrom looked bad, but the backup was scanning the bands to make sure you were supposed to be there, it was a walk on after that five minutes. My bands have been pretty flawless. FP+ worked great for me today, I am a caveman that doesn't have a smartphone, so I had to write down the times on a slip of paper- archaic! Since I will be here until next Friday, I intended to take it easy the first two days, sit and sniff the roses. Failed today, got caught up in the excitement of being here and I am feeling it!
Got to try and slow down at Epcot tomorrow because I want to be out late again and see Electrical Parade at MK later.

[Katzateer]

Hope the rest of your trip is fun and it gets a little warmer!

[mickclub1955]

Sounds like your rough start is starting to smooth out. I agree about the tour groups, they must promote heavily down there. Joined one in the Magic Kingdom when they were doing all of their hoopin' and hollerin'. (if you can't beat em', join em'). Never got to communicate with any though. Can't wait to hear how the rest of your trip is going to unfurl.

[faline]

Fun start to your trip - though I suspect a little bit warmer would have been nicer!

[yjgirl32]

Great reports. Thanks for sharing.

[denygold]

Got to Epcot at noon- I know, I know, but I am only able to burn one end of the candle at my age. Headed straight to World Showcase and saw O Canada- very nice. Emerged from Canada into a lot of people! Ate Teriyaki chicken in Japan at Katsura Grill- food ok, service stellar. Saw American Adventure and then was over Epcot- too may people. So I monorailed over to Magic Kingdom, which pretty much made Epcot look like Siberia population wise. The wait times were never holiday-like, Space hovered around 50-60 minutes, Peter Pan the same, but holy moly there were a lot of people! For crying out loud, there was a 5-10 minute line for TTA! Anyway, I hung in, just sort of wandered, sat by the river in Frontierland and things started improving slightly around seven pm. Rode Mansion twice again ( love it), saw Monsters Inc Laugh Floor for the first time- It 's pretty cute. Did Buzz, TTA twice and Ariel ride.
This was the first time I had seen Wishes inside the park & I was amazed at the choreography of the music and fireworks. I also saw late Main St Electrical Parade, fully expected to be unimpressed, but I am a believer now- it's great.
Lots fewer people at the late parade too. Was able to walk onto Poo and the Mansion right at closing. Stayed til twelve trying to be last one in park, but failed- there were still some people shopping at midnight. Then was the only passenger on bus to AS Music- weird ride. You definitely don't have to worry about not getting a ride back to resorts, they are on top of it.
Lots of nice cast members, lots of nice park visitors, nice day and night even with the massive ( to me) crowds. OK, two rants before I forget. Spaceship Earth was my all time favorite ride last time I was here (2006). What nitwit green lighted that ridiculous end to an iconic ride? That silliness belongs in Innoventions, and if it was there, no one would do it. Rant number two- the American attention span is so dismal that they feel compelled to "short version" cartoons on the resort channel that were probably 7-8 minutes long originally. I guess they decide that kids can't focus for that long?
Tomorrow Studios- I am hoping for lighter crowds??? Maybe? Please? Pretty please?

[mickclub1955]

Sorry for the crowds and sorry you don't like the ending to Spaceship Earth. DW and I loved it. Made us laugh and we loved that it was interactive. Rode it more than once to choose a different ending. Hopefully the studios will be quieter for you.

[denygold]

Late start again (see the pattern?). Got to Studios at noon. I have decided that what I regard as massive crowds may be just medium sized. Even though there seemed like people everywhere- touring was not a big problem. Even Toy Story which had an 80 minute wait time at 3pm stabilized back down to 60 minutes which seems pretty normal. I basically walked on to Great Movie Ride twice, did Capn Jack experience (it's ok, glad they do the"appointment thing, wouldn't want to wait for it)' Muppets, spent a long time in One Man's Dream & saw the movie- highly recommend it to anyone interested in Disney history- for little kids, not so much. Used FP+ for Toy Story, Watched Mulch Sweat & Tears- very good and then got out of drizzle in 5:15 Indiana Jones show, good as always except that due to drizzle , the plane scene was cut out. Ate lunch at Min & Bills , had sausage & pepper roll, pretty good. Then took Friendship boat to Epcot, about 40 minutes. It is a little faster to walk, but I was glad to save the mileage. Saw Impressions in France (love it)' then hit a wall- three days, lots of people, have to get up early, I had enough. On way out had dinner at Electric Umbrella- meatball sub , ehhh, grapes, ok but a little past their prime, gluten free brownie, felt like a slab of granite, but was fairly tasty. Did Spaceship Earth , still trying to get on board with ending. It is "cute" , but I still don't think it belongs anywhere near that ride. I have had good bus karma so far, and it continued- quick ride back to AS Music.
Tomorrow I have Keys to the Kingdom tour & switch hotels to Coronado Springs- no sleeping in!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds like fun, thanks for the reports

[denygold]

Hopefully I have the date right this time!
Up early to check out of AS Music and head to MK'S for Keys to the Kingdom tour. Left my bags with bell services to send to Coronado. So last night I remarked that I was having good bus karma- well, I angered the bus gods! Arrived at bus stop at 7:45, then watched five Studios buses, three Epcot, two AK and even one that said Blizzard Beach that for crying out loud- is closed.
I had plenty of time, so it didn't mean much to me, but the people next to me had breakfast reservations and were freaking out. I would guess that the MK's buses were filling up at AS Sports and not even stopping at the others?
Keys to the Kingdom tour was marvelous, highly recommended. You do see lots of cast members "off stage" which I thought was interesting, but maybe not for everyone. Lunch is at Colombia Harbor House (mmm great tuna sandwich), we rode Jungle Cruise and Mansion- got to go into Mansion thru cast member door. It is five hours and you are on your feet the whole time except for half hour lunch. Magic Kingdom looked pretty populated when I left, but I didn't see any wait times.
Checked into Coronado Springs this afternoon, waaaay different vibe from All Stars. Haven't seen a kid yet, but I have seen hundreds of smoking, drinking conventioneers. It is a beautiful hotel (it's true about the long walks to rooms by the way)' just not sure I would choose it if I had small kids.
Feet up now, if I get motivated I might hit Downtown Disney tonight.
Animal Kingdom and Cirque De Soleil for my eight birthday ( in dog years) tomorrow.

[k10]

Enjoying your solo trip reports! Hope to do a solo trip someday, too!!! Have fun!

[denygold]

So I am seeing on Touring Plans that crowds are indeed not very big. I would definitely not be able to handle too many more people than this, so I need to stick to low attendance times for sure. Downtown Disney to me, was a zoo, but it was probably a reasonably slow night there I guess. Ate dinner at Pollo Campero, pinto beans A+, chicken B-, checkout system C-. Bus was good again- about 25 minutes to my stop. Coronado is massive! Still think it's beautiful resort, lakeside bar was great, my major complaint right now is the smell of cigarettes that is almost everywhere I go at this resort.

[denygold]

Animal Kingdom today, it is the hottest day I have seen this trip, feels like Florida! Started with FP+ at Safari. Standby was 45 minutes, I was on truck in 10. Good Safari, giraffes close up, cats were not cooperating though. Went on Pangani trail next. Somewhere on the Pangani trail I started feeling down and lonely, when I left there was a band playing happy music in Africa. I got a fruit and cheese snack, sat down and listened to the music for a while. Pixie dust! Or whatever- they made me feel better. Went into one of the FP+ kiosks and changed my third fast pass to Dinosaur, took about 20 seconds. From there to see It's Tough To Be A Bug for the first time. Really good, but parents with kids under seven or eight yrs old should consider bypassing this- there were at least four or five screaming little ones.
Never having eaten anywhere here other than Tusker House or Rainforest- I took a walk on the wild side and had lunch at Flame Tree BBQ.
Pork sandwich- B+, Coleslaw B, the view from the seating area down by the lake towards Everest-
A+++. By the way, another sign that what feels crowded to me is not Disney crowded, Flame Tree was pretty busy (1:30 pm) and I would say that maybe 30% of the seating was used.
Had some time before last fast pass (dinosaur), so I wandered around looking for trails around tree of life ( some of them were roped off?) and did Maharajah trail. Ended day on Dinosaur- love that ride.
Going to brave Downtown Diz again tonight for Cirque De Soleil and birthday dinner at ? No idea.

[denygold]

One thing I can tell you about Coronado Springs is that the buses are uncrowded, probably because the conventioneers are either in meetings or at the bar. It is a wild scene across the lake tonight.
Had birthday dinner at Raglan Road at the bar.
Beef stew A+, salad dressing ( vinaigrette) A+, Carlsberg on tap A+, service A+, entertainment A+. Great place. La Nouba was great as expected (I have seen it three times now). There are other Cirque shows that are more impressive, but this one is very worthwhile if you haven't seen it. Lots of good live outside music at Downtown Disney tonight, at least five locations that I counted. When I left at 10:45 there were still a LOT of people there. Disney could probably run 24 hrs a day like Las Vegas.
Tomorrow- Behind the seeds tour then over to Magic Kingdom. Hope my feet are operable.

[disney obsessed]

I am enjoying your trip reports. I love doing the solo trip. Will be there on 2/11!

[emerzmom]

It sounds like you have really had a great trip so far. I am not a big fan of Coronado Springs. It is too big and the conventioners make it a very different vibe...even when I was one of them!
Looking forward to more and be lated Happy Birthday! Glad you found some Pixie Dust on your trip!

Julie

[denygold]

OK, that's more like it- the crowds are finally what I hoped they would be. All it took was 48 degree temperature with showers turning to a steady rain! Started the day at Epcot where I had a Behind the Seeds tour in the Land at noon. If you like the ride, or have an interest in gardening, I think you would enjoy this tour. Inexpensive ( I think I paid $16 with Dis Visa discount) and fairly non time consuming- ours went about 80 minutes. Jumped on the monorail over to Magic Kingdom and ? where are the people? I waited in zero lines all afternoon. Of course I am not in the line demographic as I don't have a little one, like to meet princesses, or ride roller coasters. Even the standby times I saw as I passed were tame- Space Mt 10 minutes, Pan 20 minutes. I did Pirates, Mansion twice, Peter Pan (with a FP+), Buzz four times, and TTA four times (love it). Today's food reviews- Pecos Bills:
Cheeseburger C- and would be lower without the fixings bar, Atmosphere C-. Aloha Isle- Dole Whip A I finally had one! It was quite good, even on a cold day, but not quite as life changing as I have been led to believe on the boards! Wandered Main St for a while, took a lap on the train and decided I was done. As I was leaving I saw the sign for the Grand Floridian ferry and decided to take a detour and check out how the upper classes do Disney. After a quick ride, I walked to lobby- really a very lovely place, live chamber music- wish I could afford it. I dilly dallied until seven ( the resort & MK'S monorails are being worked on 11-7 on weekdays) and then jumped on the resort rail. I love going through the Contemporary! Took the Epcot monorail- one of my top five Disney things to do is ride the monorail into Epcot after dark, beautiful! Walked to Mexico and just hung out for a while, sitting on the fountain. Then I rode the three Amigos ride. I know the middle is pretty hokey, but the beginning under the volcano and the end in the fireworks room make me happy. Next was Norway where I stopped and had a Norwegian Club at the bakery, it gets an A-, only marked down slightly because I had it toasted and it got a little greasy. Then rode Maelstrom a couple of times. I am one of those whackos who enjoys Disney theming so much I can just sit in the little dark village at the end of Maelstrom for fifteen minutes and be happy. Walked out at 8:55 and Illuminations was starting! Looked at railing and the were several open areas 40-50 feet long straight ahead of me, never seen that before. It was cold and wet. illuminations was amazing as always. I know that it has been around for a while and probably should be replaced, but it will be a daunting project to improve on it!
Tomorrow- Last park day at Epcot

[denygold]

Emerzmom-
I agree about Coronado. It is very beautiful, but it doesn't have the Disney feel for me.
Thanks

[denygold]

Started day still with good bus luck, first bus at Coronado stop #4 was for Epcot! Headed straight for World Showcase as I felt it was the area I have neglected. Explored an empty Canada, then went to UK. Meet & greet with Alice only had two families in line when I walked by. Couldn't walk by France without seeing Impressions again. The cast member doing the intro was great. Morocco for lunch at Tangierine Cafe- chicken platter B+, theming A, service B. spent some time exploring nooks and crannies of Morocco. Trying to find appropriate souvenir for eighteen year old boy- not easy (I ended up getting him a retro Epcot shirt at the shop under Spaceship Earth). Next to Japan, have to explore Mitsukoshi store every time I pass, but resisted buying anything. Thought about repeating American Adventure, but timing was wrong. Wandered Italy, thought about a pretzel in Germany, but line was long (same line as beer line). Spent a while in China seeing Reflections ( very good), terra cotta warrior dudes, and in store. Norway next to try School Bread (again, like Dole Whip - thought it was good, but not stupendous). Used only fast pass of the day on Maelstrom, standby was a twenty minute wait at 4pm. Did Energy Adventure again, then back to Mexico for three amigos and some sitting time. Also bought a purple porcelain cat- it looks better than it sounds and it was only $12.
Started back around World Showcase to meet some friends in Boardwalk, by this time I was on fumes, feet hurt, energy low. Made it to Boardwalk to meet them, after Grand Floridian- the Boardwalk lobby seems tiny! Tried Big River for dinner, one hr wait. Same story at Flying Fish and Kouzzina, ended up at ESPN with no wait. Burger B, nachos B, bud light B, theming if you are sports nut, A++. If you are not a sports nut, I would steer clear. After dinner I hoofed it ( sore hooves) over for one last ride on Spaceship Earth. Got off at 8:50 and bee lined for the bus and was back in my room at 9:30. Again, it has other faults, but the Coronado's bus service was sweet.
No package from Magical Express on my door, so I had to call- 1:45 bus to airport tomorrow!