A Solo Trip: “I Can Only Imagine” A Spooky Time At Walt Disney World! Sept. 2018!*COMPLETED 1/26/19*

I don’t know how you manage to post these live updates while you are at Disney! I didn’t even have time to read any snippets on the disboards while on my solo trip the last few days.

I am grateful you take the time amidst your busy days, however. It is fun to read along. I just caught up on all of the live updates and am excited to read the full updates as you post those.

It was a pleasure to meet you after the first Voices of Liberty performance on Thursday, the 6th. As I mentioned when we met, I made a point to stop to enjoy the beautiful music this trip because of your enthusiasm about them on your previous trip reports. I visited Epcot in 2009, when my kids were 4 and 6. They did not have the patience or appreciation for us to enjoy VoL at that time. And they have vetoed Epcot as a park visit on the 7 family trips that have followed since that first one. So this solo trip was the ideal time for me to really enjoy VoL.

I have an amateur musical background.....even received a vocal scholarship in college, despite being an accounting major. So I truly have an appreciation for the talent I heard under the rotunda that day! Some of the pieces even brought tears to my eyes, which I was not expecting.

With only 2 park days, and four parks to hit, I only had time to enjoy the one performance, but it sounds like I was super blessed to hear them perform a rarer song choice. Thanks again for these trip reports as I may not have included this in my touring without reading your words.
 
Day 1: Travel Day!

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of my official updates! I had an amazing time on this trip, and I can’t wait to tell all of you about it! :)

It is time for everyones favorite update which where I get to talk about my travels to Walt Disney World.

I would be on the earliest flight to Orlando from my hometown, and it looked like a lot of people were gearing up to go to Walt Disney World in the waiting area.



It was finally time to board the plane and the sun was starting to creep above the horizon. All I could think about was the “Circle of Life” at this moment.



I would get a window seat on the plane.





It wasn’t long before we would take-off, and I was getting closer to being back at one of my favorite places.



We would finally begin our landing sequence into Orlando International Airport.

It might be difficult to see, but in the center of this photo is the Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Resort, and Grand Floridian Resort.



It was looking like a nice day in Orlando at the moment.



My plane would finally land at Orlando International Airport.



It was then time to head towards the first ride of the trip. That is the Orlando International Airport Tram!





I would then make my way towards Disney’s Magical Express which is a long distance from the main area of the airport.





When I arrived at the Disney’s Magical Express check-in location, it was an absolute zoo. I have a feeling there was a lot of people that showed up at the same time that didn’t even set up Disney’s Magical Express before arriving in Orlando. I would wait to check-in for Disney’s Magical Express for about 15 minutes before I finally got in the line for the All-Star Resorts.

I didn’t wait to long before an All-Star Resorts bus pulled up. I guess I was going on a Disney Cruise though since that is the bus the showed up.



It was time to go to Walt Disney World!!! :)





I made it to Walt Disney World!!!



My bus would stop at All-Star Sports and All-Star Music before arriving at my resort for this trip which was All-Star Movies.





I would then get off the bus and make my way toward the check-in counter.

I would have a situation arise while I was on Disney’s Magical Express that was partially my fault and partially Disney’s fault. I’m not going to get into it here since it is a personal reason. When I got to the check-in counter, I would spend quite a bit of time here trying to fix the issue that came up. The staff was very friendly, and I got everything solved with no future issue coming up during the trip.

I would then ask politely if a room had become available, and the Cast Member that was helping me was able to get me into a room with my preferred requests. I got in the Toy Story section and on a higher floor. This also means I got a renovated guest room on this trip, and the new rooms looked really nice! :)

I would then unpack before making my way to my first Theme Park of the trip!

Stay tuned for more updates from my solo adventure to Walt Disney World!
 


Jealous on both accounts! I think they may be touring here in Florida; I saw them at a local church years ago (maybe 100 in attendance).

Looking forward to the video.
I will definitely have videos coming up later in this trip report.

I still haven't gotten One Voice! Apparently they did it yesterday too, but they did it at the 150 set which I feel never happens. It sounds like you had a really great selection of songs though! I'm going tomorrow for a few so I'm hoping I get lucky :)
I've been hearing that they have been doing "One Voice" more regularly. Hopefully you get to hear it one day!

He has been there since at least March. When I went back there he was outside in March. Only Doc meets inside as far as I know.
Good to know, but who knows how long we will have the opportunity to meet everyone's favorite Baboon. :(
 
Sounds like a great trip, but exhausting! Looking forward to full trip report.

I'm looking forward to getting into this Trip Report and telling you more about this trip.

Loved the live updates, excited for the full report!

Thank you. I'm looking forward to diving more into this trip in my official updates! :)

I don’t know how you manage to post these live updates while you are at Disney! I didn’t even have time to read any snippets on the disboards while on my solo trip the last few days.

I am grateful you take the time amidst your busy days, however. It is fun to read along. I just caught up on all of the live updates and am excited to read the full updates as you post those.

It was a pleasure to meet you after the first Voices of Liberty performance on Thursday, the 6th. As I mentioned when we met, I made a point to stop to enjoy the beautiful music this trip because of your enthusiasm about them on your previous trip reports. I visited Epcot in 2009, when my kids were 4 and 6. They did not have the patience or appreciation for us to enjoy VoL at that time. And they have vetoed Epcot as a park visit on the 7 family trips that have followed since that first one. So this solo trip was the ideal time for me to really enjoy VoL.

I have an amateur musical background.....even received a vocal scholarship in college, despite being an accounting major. So I truly have an appreciation for the talent I heard under the rotunda that day! Some of the pieces even brought tears to my eyes, which I was not expecting.

With only 2 park days, and four parks to hit, I only had time to enjoy the one performance, but it sounds like I was super blessed to hear them perform a rarer song choice. Thanks again for these trip reports as I may not have included this in my touring without reading your words.
- This is how I usually pass my time on a Disney bus, boat, or monorail lol. :)

- It was great to meet you, and I'm really happy that you had the opportunity to hear a "rare" song under the rotunda.

- I'm glad that you enjoyed the VOL. I will definitely posting a couple videos from the set you were at when I get to that point in the Trip Report.

- Thank you for reading along. I'm happy you have used some of the advice given from me to have a great time on your most recent trip. :) The VOL performed so many great numbers that day, and I wish I could go back and listen to each and every one of those sets.
 


Thanks for sharing another trip report with us. Travel day updates are my favorite parts of trip reports - it's the one part of the trip report that is completely unique to each writer.
 
That is good you got a refurbished room! Are they done similar to Pop?

I can't answer with 100% certainty, but they were really nice. I'll have pictures coming up later in this Trip Report.

Thanks for sharing another trip report with us. Travel day updates are my favorite parts of trip reports - it's the one part of the trip report that is completely unique to each writer.

You are welcome! :) I really enjoy writing Trip Reports for all of you to read.

Travel updates are definitely unique.

Love your reports! One day I may try a solo trip.

Thank you! Solo trips are definitely worth it. Solo trips are a different way to experience the parks, because you get to make all of the decisions. So, I hope you get to give a solo trip a try one day! :)
 
Day 1: First Day At Walt Disney World - Part 1!

After unpacking my carry-on bag, it was time to head to my first park of the day! If you have followed me on previous trip reports, you know that I always like to go to my favorite Disney Theme Park first. That is Disney’s Animal Kingdom!!!



Walt Disney World decided to greet me with a heavy rainstorm. I think my face describes how I was feeling about this.





Due to the issue I had at my Resort, and unpacking a few minutes, I was running close to being late for my first fastpass of the day. By being late, I am including the 15-minute grace period.

I would walk up to my first fastpass of the day which was for Na’vi River Journey about 5 seconds past the 15 minute grace period mark. The Cast Member told me, “You barely missed it. Go ahead.” I was very grateful.



By the time I got off Na’vi River Journey, the rain had stopped and the beautiful mountains of Pandora continue to amaze me.



It was time for lunch at Satuli Canteen!



I would get the seasonal special which was shrimp and noodles. This dish was better than I thought it was going to be. I really liked how the noodles were made and the shrimp was fresh.



After a quick lunch, I would make my way toward Africa!



It was time to see my favorite Theme Park show which is Festival of the Lion King!!! :) This would be my second fastpass of the day.





My favorite Walt Disney World landmark. There are so many details that I still don’t think I have seen them all.



It was time for my third fastpass of the day. That was for Expedition Everest which is my favorite rollercoaster on Walt Disney World property!



I would then leave Disney’s Animal Kingdom, catch a bus to the Boardwalk, and walk to the International Gateway entrance of EPCOT!





When I got to EPCOT, I made my way to the American Adventure Pavilion where I would say hello to my favorite singing group, the Voices of Liberty!







After hearing a few Voices of Liberty sets, I started making my way to the other side of World Showcase.



This is where I would decide to make my way to the Festival Center to grab my Annual Passholder Food & Wine Festival magnet!





I would end up waiting in a long 15 minute line just to get a magnet.



The magnet does look cool, but I was excited to visit EPCOT 4 times to get the cutting board.



While I was in the Festival Center, I would make my way to the Ghirardelli exhibit to see the displays they made out of chocolate.



Toy Story display:



I want to say this is a Black Panther display (Haven’t seen the movie. Please tell me if I’m right or wrong):



Headless Horseman Display:





Coco Display:





Polynesian Display:



Cheetah Display:



All of these displays were made with chocolate, but they did have some “actual” things in some of them to help decorate it.

It was then time to leave EPCOT and grab dinner at one of my favorite Disney Resorts!



More in my next post!
 
Day 1: First Day At Walt Disney World - Part 2!

I would take the Monorail to the Ticket and Transportation Center and board the Resort Monorail to the Polynesian Resort. I could have just walked but a Resort Monorail just pulled up as I was walking by.



I would make my way into the Polynesian Resort Lobby. This is one of my favorite Walt Disney World Resorts.



I would then make my way to Capt. Cooks where I would get dinner this evening.



I would get the teriyaki chicken sandwich and chips.



After a nice dinner, it was time to take the Resort Monorail to the Magic Kingdom!



Every time I walk into the Magic Kingdom, it never gets old!



Main Street was already decorated for Halloween since the Halloween Parties had already started.



I would make my way to use a fastpass at the Jungle Cruise!



After I went sailing with a skipper, I would go sailing on a log on Splash Mountain! I was lucky enough to get a fastpass very quickly.



It was then time to ride the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness which is Big Thunder Railroad! I had some fastpass luck this evening!





I would then make my way toward Main Street because it was time to find a spot for Happily Ever After!



I would get a spot right on Main Street in front of Casey’s which is my favorite spot to watch Happily Ever After from.









It was time for Happily Ever After!!!



















Due to the weather this evening, Tinker Bell sadly didn’t fly. Hopefully I would get to see her later in the trip.

I would then rush to the bypass exit and make my way towards the exit of the Magic Kingdom.





It was time to head to All-Star Movies and get some rest after a long day of travel and hopping from park to park.

Stay tuned for more updates from my solo adventure to Walt Disney World!
 
How have you not seen Black Panther?!

I am very excited to check out Food and Wine for the first time ever in November.
Well, I didn't go out of my way to see a Marvel movie until about 2 months ago until a friend basically said, "Do you want to borrow some of these movies." So, I'm just now starting to get into Super Hero movies. :D

My advice...Don't go on a weekend. Outside of that, it is a great festival. I still prefer Flower & Garden though.
 
Well, I didn't go out of my way to see a Marvel movie until about 2 months ago until a friend basically said, "Do you want to borrow some of these movies." So, I'm just now starting to get into Super Hero movies. :D

My advice...Don't go on a weekend. Outside of that, it is a great festival. I still prefer Flower & Garden though.
The Marvel movies have gotten me quite into the whole super hero thing.

Unfortunately I am really only at WDW for the weekend Thursday-Monday so that is the only time I can visit the festival.
 
The Marvel movies have gotten me quite into the whole super hero thing.

Unfortunately I am really only at WDW for the weekend Thursday-Monday so that is the only time I can visit the festival.
You will still have a great time at the festival. That is just usually when I have seen more of a "rowdy" crowd at the park.
 
I would get the seasonal special which was shrimp and noodles. This dish was better than I thought it was going to be. I really liked how the noodles were made and the shrimp was fresh.

Ooh that looks good! I wish it wasn’t seasonal!

I want to say this is a Black Panther display (Haven’t seen the movie. Please tell me if I’m right or wrong):
You know my feelings about this... >:(

How have you not seen Black Panther?!

I am very excited to check out Food and Wine for the first time ever in November.
Despite me warning Zach about 5 times he would be confused he has watched the following Marvel movies in this order: Avengers, Guardians Vol 1, Captain America Civil War. I told him over and over-don’t watch Civil War yet, you’ll get confused! 30 minutes into him watching it, he texts me: You were right, I’m confused! :rolleyes2
 

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