6 parks, 5 days, 2 adults - a Trip Report in 5ish parts

Walt Disney World
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Well my husband and I have been back from our Disney vacation for a little over a week now, and I’m finally sitting down to start our trip report. I’m not sure how entertaining my report will be, but this forum and its information proved so invaluable during the planning and implementation of our trip that I can’t help but contribute a record of my own experiences in hopes that it will help some of you as you get ready for your next WDW adventure.

Our trip was just me and my husband, both 31 years old. Since we started dating, Disney has been a topic of contention when discussing travel. We both love to travel, but my husband is not a lover of Disney like I am. We’ve discussed this trip during the five years that we’ve been together, and it took me the first there to whittle him from “never gonna happen” to “sometime”. Then came a few particular events that finally got him across the line. 1) My sister had a baby - my sales pitch was let’s go now, probably the last time we’ll get to go without the whole family in tow. 2) I got my master’s degree and teaching license - I mean I feel like that warrants me getting to pick this year’s vacay spot :slight_smile:

Whether warranted or not, my sales pitch was successful and we booked our trip.

7 days total with 5 days on the ground - all four WDW parks (no water parks) plus one day at Universal (for Harry Potter). We decided to camp at Fort Wilderness with the teardrop camper we built for our honeymoon, and with the savings (campsite vs hotel room) dining became a big priority. We hit Spice Road Table (for illuminations at Epcot), Citrico’s, Hollywood Brown Derby and Tiffin’s. So that’s what you can expect to see across the next five or so entries.

Entry #1 - Arrival Day (Fort Wilderness and Disney Springs)

We made the drive from North Carolina to Florida with relative ease and only one minor issue when I had to drive over some tire tread in the center lane. This resulted in some arguing with our car insurance company (still going on) which means I was desperately in need of Disney’s shining customer service by the time we arrived at Fort Wilderness.

We drove in and presented ID at the gate as the cast member greeted us with a cheerful “Howdy!”. My husband raised his eyebrows at me, and my internal alarm bell went off - had I forgotten to mention that basically everything in Disney was on theme? Perhaps I had not prepared him as well as I thought.

That was neither here nor there as I went into reception and checked us in. We received our site number, and happily headed off to set up camp. We had done a room request, and I’ll count it as a win. We were on the loop I requested, and though the site was not even close to the specific site I requested it actually fit very well the situation I explained. In my request I mentioned that my husband was a first time Disney goer so convenience and comfort (read shade) were very import. Our site, site 2064, had both.

Pros:

  • It was right across from the comfort station. Typically, not a fan of this in a campground but for Disney it is perfect. You have your shower and bathroom right there at the end of the day and the start of the day, which is great if you are like me and hit rope drop to close most days.
  • There was a bus stop right on the other side of the comfort station. Most convenient site ever.
  • It did have some shade!!!

Overall, we were very pleased with Fort Wilderness. The heat is the heat, and I won’t go into all my tips for how to stay cool while camping, but if you need some, feel free to reply to this post or PM me. I will say that if you have a travel companion, like mine, who is going to need some R&R during the day, camping in June may not be the best decision. We love camping, but if we go the two of us again, we will stay in a hotel just to give him a place with A/C to take a break from.

The Fort is very nice. Even though you are camping, you get all the perks and conveniences of the regular resorts. You have great transportation available, with ferries to MK. There are loads of activities there (which we didn’t really have time to take advantage of, but lots of families and kids told us about them on the busses and the ferries and they seemed to be having a great time). I also found the community very unique. You could tell there were families who came back each year at a certain time - which is very common in regular campgrounds - it was just cool to see that at Disney too.

Finally, the bathrooms were fabulous. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is a campground, and there is just no replacing a really nice bathroom in a hotel. However, my mother taught me well as a child - and even when camping I must have a flush toilet and a hot shower. I had both, and they were very clean, very well maintained and not busy. I never had to wait once. Hands down best campground bathrooms I have ever seen.

DINNER AT DISNEY SPRINGS
With camp all set up and the hour late (we were getting on 9:30), we decided to go to Disney Springs to get dinner. I knew things would be open for a while longer there; so we wouldn’t feel rushed and we would have time to walk around and stretch our legs a bit.

I had not already planned a spot, but having read so many fabulous posts on this forum had a few ideas of where could be a good spot to each. My husband loves and Irish pub, so we sought out Raglan Road and were very pleased.

We decided to share a Caesar salad and the fish and chips. I got a Magner’s and he got a Smithwicks (sorry beer lovers if I spelled it wrong). The food was delicious, our server was absolutely lovely (a welcome change from the horrible insurance people I had talked to all day) and they had great live music.

We walked around a bit after, and I have to say I am so impressed with Disney Springs. I haven’t been to Disney since it was still Downtown Disney, and we had no plans to visit on this trip, but I’m glad we did. It was a great way to kick off our trip, and with my husband in tow, starting him off in an Irish pub could not have been more perfect!

Up next:
Epcot
Snacking around the world
Spice Road Table for Illuminations

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Thank you for the report! I have never camped so it is nice to read about I your experience. I look forward to your dining reports! What a great start with Raglan Road!

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Thanks for the report and interesting to read about the campground. Disney’s attention to maintenance always puts them above the rest. I’ll be interested to see how your “less committed” passenger goes in your report. I will have 3 of those in my upcoming trip (sigh).

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Can’t wait to read more!

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Can’t wait to read more! I echo @Annode’s sentiment about the less committed companion, next June I have one of those coming with me. I love camping, but am reticent to do it at Disney only because I almost wanted to melt doing it in the summer in Cincinnati let alone Orlando!

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Sounds great!

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I too am curious to see how the DH comes along. I think you are very brave to camp. I am not sure I could handle that for a week. Your site spot does sound like a good spot.

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My husband will go to Disney but enjoys going other places. So far sounds good.

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Entry #2 - EPCOT Day (Rope Drop, Sunshine Seasons, Snacking around the World, and Spice Road Table for Illuminations)

Alright, so confession of a type A personality: I barely slept at all the night before our first day in the park. My brain was running through all the things I had and had not thought of. Had I left enough time for buses? Would we be there in time to beat the crowds? Would my husband make it through his first day in the parks… Alive? Happy?
So with all that in mind, I woke up at least 20 minutes before I needed to and then got us both out of bed around 6:30 for a 7AM departure.

In general, my EPCOT plan was to start with Soarin’ then Test Track. Then move through the rest of Future World before heading back to World Showcase where we had a FP for Frozen. In general, we stuck to the plan (details coming), but overall, this is where I cannot stress enough how valuable all of my research and forum reading was on this trip. I had to call a few changes in the plan throughout the day, but I was able to do so very confidently and with very little stress because of everything I had learned (and mind you, I hadn’t stepped foot in EPCOT since 2004).

Rope Drop was an absolute success. At Fort Wilderness, we opted to drive from our campsite to the outpost (that’s reception for all you hotel dwellers). You can take a campground bus, but we didn’t want to risk the wait on our first morning (hindsight it probably would have been fine). We dropped my husband’s golf clubs at reception to be delivered to a golf course for his tee time the next day, and we got on a 7:40 bus to Epcot. That put as arriving at just around 8AM. We were two of about 50 or so people lined up.

Now, at this point, though I had explained the concept of Rope Drop many times to my husband, I got the - “we are going to stand here for how long?!” I explained to him my logic, that he would want to be at the front of rather than in the midst of the pack, and as the crowds built, he began to see my point. We, or rather I (he was still sort of grumpy about the early start) had lovely conversations with people in line and then around 8:30 tapped our way in for the very first time. They held us just in front of Spaceship Earth (where I made friends with the security guy who confirmed my route to Soarin’) and then after some drumming entertainment, dropped the ropes and let us in around 5 'til 9.

FUTURE WORLD
We headed toward Soarin’, me holding my husband’s hand and (only slightly) pulling him along. We made it to the Land Pavilion and figured out how to get downstairs (note - go left and head to the staircase when you get inside…or, you know, follow the people). We would have been on the first ride, but I asked the cast member putting people in rows if we could wait for B1 (thank you to whoever thought up “be one with soarin’” so I could remember) - we had never ridden and would probably only ride once; so I really wanted those seats. She obliged and we waited through one round before boarding Soarin’. It really was a beautiful ride. I was amazed at the sensations and the vistas were absolutely crisp and incredible. I also liked the subtle allusion to Disney properties and movies throughout. One thing I’m still curious about is fear of heights - my dad has a fear of heights and I was explaining the ride to him and we were debating whether or not a simulated height counts as a height… thoughts?

After Soarin’ the plan was to head to Test Track. I had debated these two as to which to Rope Drop but followed the advice of another liner who suggested doing Soarin’ first because of Test Track tendency to be closed in the morning. Well, Test Track lived up to it’s reputation and was shut down. Luckily I checked MDE and the TP app before we headed that way; and thus began our first “off plan” move. It was an easy decision, though - we just hit everything in the land pavilion while checking in between to see if Test Track opened up. It didn’t. I won’t talk through every attraction (promise!), but I just have to shout out to Living with the Land. My husband and I both love growing some of our own food and do our best to support local agriculture. Loved this ride for that reason. The animatronic and video bits are a tad outdated, but going through the greenhouses is a real treat!

From there, we decided to go to the seas. We had a FP for Nemo, but the line was so short we decided to just ride right then and there rather than wait. That was actually a minor fauxpas but I’ll explain that a bit later. After Nemo, we explored the aquarium exhibits for a bit and caught a little “show” involving the dolphins. It was very cool to see some of the research they are doing, and the dolphins themselves are so delightful to watch. After this impromptu event, we decided to return to the Land for some lunch.

Sunshine Seasons was our choice for lunch, and it was delicious! I think it is easy for Future World options to get overshadowed because of all the amazing food options in World Showcase, but we really wanted to try Sunshine Seasons because of how much we loved Living with the Land. Also, in general, I had done lots of research on getting “non-theme park food” while in the theme parks, and this was high on my list. It was absolutely delicious. I had the fish tacos (my husband had chicken stir fry something or other), and man did I love those tacos. They were easily the best quick service lunch I had throughout the entire trip. The fish was very light, not greasy at all, and the dressing on the slaw was deliciously tart. Very big win!

After lunch, and with the promise of a nap for my husband, we headed to Ellen’s Energy. As a child of the 90s, I love this ride. Yes it is long. Yes it is outdated, but it has A/C, Bill Nye and Ellen DeGeneres. I mean really… what more can you ask for as the heat climbs on a day a EPCOT? At this point, Test Track was still closed, and my training had to come into play. We still had about an hour before it was time for our Spaceship Earth FP, but it was the only thing we had on our list before heading to World Showcase. Luckily my brain kicked into gear and I remember that little modify trick. After refreshing a couple times on MDE I found two FPs for Spaceship Earth. We still had a little time to spare so got some pictures taken by the photopass photog in front of Spaceship Earth and serendipitously ran across Daisy Duck - my husband’s first character meet! (He did smile and play along, but definitely thinks they’re a bit weird).

WORLD SHOWCASE
After Spaceship Earth we made the trek to World Showcase (with a pit stop in Club Cool… I kind of think Beverly with some gin and lime would be delicious) and started what would be the next four hours of eating. I won’t go through each country in long written out paragraphs but here is what we hit starting with Mexico.

Mexico: checked out the pavilion and rode the Gran Fiesta boat ride (which is actually a bit weird - only ride if it is a walk on). We also met Donald Duck, and with his second character meeting, my husband seemed to be catching on. This pavilion was easily my husband’s favorite in appearance.

Norway: impromptu decision to jump in line for Anna and Elsa. The posted wait was only 10 minutes, and we had time to spare before our Frozen FP due to Test Track being closed. They were lovely, but my husband was definitely more weirded out by meeting face characters (I kind of agree - as an adult, I think the fur characters are easier to interact with). Rode Frozen, which I loved. Definitely teared up a little - but that may be more of my slight obsession with Idina Menzel. I would only do this for less than a half hour wait or with a FP. I was still full from lunch so did not get school bread… next time.

China: very pretty pavilion. Checked out the shops and took some photopass pictures, but at this point my husband was very targeted on a beer in Germany.

Germany: ready to eat again! One giant pretzel, some mustard for dipping, a beer for him and a Riesling for me. Delicious! The pretzels here are not the same as the other pretzels in the parks. They are gigantic and definitely enough for two. Perhaps our favorite snack. We also got some salted caramels and popped in the christmas shop (we collect ornaments). I wanted to get my ornament from the christmas shop in MK so I decided to wait but they have the prettiest glass ball mickey’s in the one in Germany, and I never saw them anywhere else.

Italy: still full from Germany, we just had a glass of wine.

America: simply did our patriotic duty and watched the film (I may have napped a little) before moving on.

Japan: took a look around, but were saving our stomachs for Morocco and France

Morocco: baklava and mint tea. Very yum. I also have to say that I love this pavilion most. Having been to Morocco, it was incredibly surreal how realistic the structures are. The staff was also absolutely delightful, very telling of the culture I experienced there.

France: Cheese plate and espresso at the boulangerie

United Kingdom: beers and cider at the Rose & Crown pub - great people watching later in the day as it is typically the end of the “Drinking round the world” loop for some parties.

At this point, my husband was certainly dragging. I was getting a little concerned about him making it all the way through dinner, fireworks and after dinner drinks (to avoid the crowd) so asked if he would rather watch the fireworks from the fastpass area for a quicker exit and transport home. He wanted the option, but here is where our morning FP mistake comes into play.

Because we did not use our Nemo FP we had only used 1 Tier One and 1 Tier Two FP. We had to book and use another Tier Two FP before I could book the Tier One FP. I knew this in my mind, but it didn’t click until I actually started to do it. Solution - go use a Tier Two FP.

We meandered back to FW, via Canada - did not forget you Canada! - and I booked a FP for Turtle Talk. I had heard it was cute, knew it involved sitting and was curious about the technology. This little trip back to the seas went very well. We enjoyed the show and explored the tanks - now much less crowded later in the day. My husband even had some quiet time sitting in front of one of the larger tanks while I explored a bit more. I would put this on the top of places to relax in EPCOT (something I had legit researched for each park before leaving).

After this little detour, I was able to book our FPs for Illuminations and we were ready to meander back to the World Showcase. We arrived a little early for our 7:40 ADR at Spice Road Table, but they seated us quickly and obliged our request for a view. With their terrace, you would be hard pressed to not have a view of Illuminations here. We were one table from the fence along the water and had a lovely view once the show started.

The service and food were delicious too! The waiter did not rush us at all (we tipped him accordingly). We had a pitcher of sparkling sangria (usually we are red wine people, but he let us sample their three sangrias and this one was perfect for a hot evening). Then, for food, we shared the lamb sausages and hummus with olives to start followed by the rack of lamb. My husband and I often share multiple plates to eat more variety. Everything was absolutely yummy, and I as I already said, the waitstaff was lovely. Once seated and after a glass of sangria, my husband decided he would rather watch from the restaurant and have a slightly later night. So I released the FPs back into the wild, and we finished our food just as the fireworks started. After the show, we ordered some port and coffee to wait out the departing crowds. While waiting, we talked to a lovely group - one of whom trained bus drivers for Disney. He had some interesting insights on why WDW transport is why it is.

Finally, with a completely empty park we took our time making way back toward our bus home. There really is nothing like leaving with an empty park.

All in all, it was a long day, but he survived (this would not be the norm the rest of the trip). Epcot is still my favorite park, and my husband does say that on future trips though he will probably not spend full days at any of the other parks, there isn’t anything at Epcot that he would want to miss out on. It was the perfect start to our week.

Up next:
Magic Kingdom (and why Buzz Lightyear is the worst cue ever)
Pre RD Be Our Guest
Citrico’s

Disclaimer - if you actually read from start to finish, bless you - I haven’t even done that to proofread… so sorry for any typos or weird auto corrects that may have happened

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So I honestly think I could not have made a better choice in taking him to Epcot first. He is an engineer and into sciences - so it was a very logical and obvious choice. Anyway, my point is I feel like EPCOT=science, engineering, tech, DHS=movies, entertainment, AK=animals,nature,travel… pick accordingly depending on the reluctant party’s interests. As you’ll see shortly MK was the only park that did not go over well at all, in any way shape or form.

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I just comment to @potternut2001 that choosing that first park was instrumental for us. Epcot was the perfect pick, and I can pretty solidly say no reluctant disney traveler should start with MK…

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I totally agree!

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I am loving your trip report! Also, regarding your father’s fear of heights - my mother also is afraid of heights. When she road Soarin’ with us, she said she had to close her eyes on some portions of the ride but she did enjoy the ride. She did say, however, that she would probably not ride it again :smile:

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I’m really enjoying your trip report!
It’s interesting to hear what you thought of the camp ground, it sounds a cut above normal camping.
Your day at Epcot worked really well, you achieved a lot, and seeing illuminations from Spice Road Table was the icing on the cake!
Looking forward to the rest…

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Really loving your trip report. My hubby is reluctantly going with me to Disney this April, so reading your insights on how to get a less than enthused man to enjoy his trip really is enlightening. Also I had no idea that Test Track was usually down in the mornings. I was planning to ride it first thing on one of our Epcot days, guess that won’t be happening now lol.

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Yeah, I don’t remember which liner tipped me off to that, but so glad she did! We still had it planned second, but it was easy to use the app to make sure we didn’t trek all the way over there for no reason.

Surprisingly, my husband’s favorite ride at Epcot was Spaceship Earth. There were a few times he surprised me with what he liked and did not like.

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Yes I’d agree with that - good plan. I had trouble getting my boys into Fantasyland at Disneyland even when they were younger! Luckily we are starting with AK, and they are already interested that Pandora will be there.

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I really love that Spice Road and illuminations combo. It’s so relaxing!

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It really was, and I was shocked that it wasn’t booked out with the great view. We had no trouble getting a reservation a couple months out, and there were plenty of tables while we were there. The food was great, and I’d even say it wasn’t too adventurous for those who might be put off by the thought of a whole meal of Moroccan food. I also liked that it wasn’t over the top expensive.

I fear it will slowly be more discovered and eventually enter the realm of hard to get ADRs with what it has to offer.

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Entry #3 - Magic Kingdom - or as my husband calls it, Princess Land (Be Our Guest x 2 - one pre park opening, Columbia Harbor House, Husband has a half day, and Queen of the Single Rider FastPass)

After an amazingly successful first day in the world, I knew I had set the bar too high. When my husband and I sat down to plan the trip, we agreed that he would not spend every full day at the parks. So, we booked afternoon tee times for two afternoons - giving him some time away enjoying what he enjoys most.

I planned Magic Kingdom for our second day, knowing that this would be the perfect park for him to miss an afternoon in. I also knew that this would be the one park that might be genuinely make him loose his mind. So I figured doing it on day two gave me plenty of time to redeem his love of Disney if necessary. All I can say is, I was right . . .

We woke bright and early for our MK day. I had gotten lucky with the reservation finder and snagged an 8:15 ADR for two at Be Our Guest. I had promised my husband no characters and nothing too themed during mealtimes, but he agreed to this once I explained it would mean avoiding the crowds at Rope Drop.

Now, there had been much debate and varying reports on the logistics and how much of a jump on the crowd you get with these ADRs so here is my personal experience on June 17:

We woke up (later since we didn’t have to do breakfast at camp) and hopped on a bus from our campsite to the ferry. It was a foggy morning; so ferries were a bit delayed (stress!). We took the ferry to the Contemporary (that’s what you have to do from Fort Wilderness as the direct ferry does not start running until one hour prior to opening) and then high-tailed it to the park. I would say the walk from the Contemporary to the park is 5-10 minutes depending on how insistently you drag your reluctant party along. We were through the taps at 7:48 (I checked my phone)… so was everyone else.

Now, I know most reports I read and most reports I see say that ADRs get through at 7:45 and then regular day guests are held until 8. Maybe it is only a peak season thing, but that is not what we experienced. All of the taps were definitely open.

Pros we still enjoyed - a relatively empty Main Street (fewer than 5 people between us and the castle in our Main Street photo pass pic). It was so nice to just stroll back to Fantasyland - no rush. We even stopped to take a picture on the bridge to liberty square (not a single soul around the castle at that point. The only thing we didn’t get was the empty mains street experience. I would still completely recommend doing it if you can. I would just plan on a 7:30 arrival rather than 7:45 arrival if you are set on a totally empty Main Street.

Breakfast itself was just fine. We split the meat and cheese plate, knowing that it came with tons of pastries too. I also indulged in a master’s cupcake. The gray stuff is, in fact, delicious; and it was not too rich to eat at breakfast. We had time to look around a bit as well. I think we definitely saved time by doing the pre-order option. We checked in at about 8:05 and were seated with our drinks by 10 after. We were done and out by about 8:40. Also, for those wondering, you can seriously order how much or how little you want. I don’t think you will get dirty looks if you just get a cupcake and coffee.

Now’s where things got a bit interesting. I had a FP for the mine train later that day; so my sights were set on Peter Pan’s Flight. Given our ADR, my TP as did most of the first hand accounts, suggested that we would be able to ride PPF before the park officially opened to everyone. This simply was not the case. Given what a woman shared with me in line later that day, I think the same was true with Mine Train. Over at PPF, we were held back (if you are familiar with the park, we were held just past the carousel before the little stretch that includes PPF and Small World. The CM did not budget until we heard the fireworks from the welcome show. This meant we successfully and easily made it onto one of the first flying pirate ships. However, we did not at all get a jump on the crowd heading to Tomorrowland.

After Peter Pan’s Flight, we got out of Fantasyland (the stroller parking was already crazy - bless you parents with strollers) and headed to Tomorrowland. My goal for my husband was to get him to most of the iconic rides before sending him off to play golf. We made it to Space Mountain, which is a much better ride than I remember, and then headed to Buzz… this is where things got ugly.

Buzz Lightyear may be the absolute worst cue in any Disney park. Something about that cue is particularly overwhelming (even for me as a frequent theme park and amusement park visiter) and it nearly sent my husband over the edge. I don’t know if it is the constant loop of instructions and Buzz Lightyear catch phrases, the fact that the people are packed in pretty tightly, or the fact that there seems to be something more “echo-y” about that space. Anyway, this sparked an idea for me - at some point I want to go wait in line for more than 20 minutes or so for different attractions and rate lines that are particularly bad.

We made it through the line and onto the ride, and luckily the fact that he absolutely demolished me during the ride seemed to perk up his mood a bit. From Buzz, we made the trek back to Fantasyland (mildly calmer) and luckily had a nearly walk on experience at Small World. The happiest cruise (or maybe it was the cooler temp inside) did make him happier, and we moved on to Liberty Square, Frontierland and Adventureland.

Here, because of some hiccups in the morning, we were a bit behind schedule and I had to make some decision. I decided, after seeing wait times at Haunted Mansion and Pirates, to focus on Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain - both of which we had FPs for. I also gave up on taking him to the Tiki Room (a long time favorite of mine and my aunt’s). He absolutely loved both the mountains. I think my favorite was him completely not understanding why Splash Mountain is my favorite ride until we got on it. I finally figured out that he thought it was just going to be up a hill and then down - he didn’t realize there was a whole 18 minute experience to enjoy. It may have been his favorite ride of the entire trip. It was definitely his fave in Magic Kingdom.

After riding both mountains, I let off the gas and we went to Columbia Harbor House to get him some lunch before heading off to play golf. The upstairs lived up to the legends, and even at true lunch time we were able to get a table near a window with relatively few people nearby. At this point he happily headed out to play golf, and I set off to score as many FPs as I possibly could.

Quick golf side note - they will transfer you from any resort if you have a tee time. So he walked back to the Contemporary and let concierge know that he had a tee time. The got him a taxi and gave him a voucher. The golf course did the same for him to get back to our campsite. It was wonderful!

MY SOLO AFTERNOON IN MK

So I know there have been lots of posts about going to Disney on your own. My husband was an absolute trooper, and I don’t know if I’ll ever go totally on my own (part of being married), but I definitely have no hesitations about spending a day in the park without him! Especially not after this experience:

While we sat at lunch, I did a little noting on my map to see what I had missed in the morning. I wanted to be heading out of the park by 3:30 so that I would have plenty of time to get back to the campsite and change for dinner at Citrico’s. Here’s what happened next in a quick rundown form:

Mine Train - with FP booked in advance
What a great ride! I almost skipped it in my planning because of the stories of terrible lines and breakdowns. I’m so glad I didn’t. Definitely get a FP or plan to do first thing, but this is now on my don’t miss list for Magic Kingdom. It was so smooth and I love how they incorporated the animatronics. They look great and work well with the ride! While in line, I successfully booked at Pooh FP.

Pooh was temporarily closed - but yeah anytime FP!

Haunted Mansion - booked FP whiled walking to the ride
I got on HM so quickly I didn’t have time to book a pass in line. Side note, though, what is with the vehicle loading on HM. Has it always been like that? I do not remember it being so chaotic. For those with reluctant travelers, seriously consider that the vehicle loading here is literally a herd of people pushing into a tiny funnel… plan accordingly. I was so sad that my husband did not get to see this ride, but after what I experienced trying to get to my dune buggy, I’m actually glad that the fates did not get us there in time for him to ride it.

Pirates - booked FP while walking to the attraction (I got very good at that)
I actually like the changes, but that’s probably because as a kid all dark rides scared me (I blame Snow White’s Scary Adventures…thank god it’s gone)

Pooh - booked FP while in line for Pirates
Saving my anytime FP for later, I doubled back to Pooh and rode with a new FP. This was another pleasant surprise. I like that I can still sort of see and feel Mr. Toad’s presence in the track, but the Pooh ride is delightful. I particularly enjoyed the floating honey pot. Lots of fun!

I took a break here for a Be Our Guest snack/lunch. I had booked a second ADR because I knew in the morning I wouldn’t necessarily get a good look around. Plus, I wanted to try more cupcakes :slight_smile: I had a lovely time eating on my own. I sat in the room with the music box - which is not open at breakfast - and enjoyed the potato leek soup and a strawberry cupcake. The soup was a little salty, but still yummy; and the cupcake was again absolutely delicious - very light and sweet.

Little Mermaid - booked FP while eating
Cute ride, but if you’re an adult on your own, you can definitely skip unless you have a particular affinity for the Little Mermaid (I do).

Mad Tea Party - booked FP while walking to my clam shell at Little Mermaid
Okay, I admit, this is the one ride that may have been a little strange on my own… I was definitely that person taking selfies in a tea cup by herself. I rode it because it is my dad’s fave. So needed to send him a pic for Father’s Day.

PeopleMover - no FP for this ride
Love the people mover, and I got lucky. Space Mountain was shut down; so got to see it with lights on :slight_smile:

Tiki Room - no FP
I don’t care what anyone says. I love the Tiki bird. My aunt and I both sing the song. I think they are hilarious - especially now that Zazu and Iago are out of there. Do a girl a favor and make sure to visit the Tiki Room on your trip. Enjoy the cheesy entertainment and keep those guest counts up so they don’t close it.

Jungle Cruise - anytime FP to the rescue
Last ride of the day, and it was enjoyable. I will say my boat was a bit of a dud. You have to have a good skipper, which I had, but the people on the boat were just not having it. I kind of wondered if they knew what they were in for before they go on… I mean laugh at the jokes, people. It’s why you rode the ride.

I will say, that as a solo adult you can cover some serious ground in MK. I did all of those attractions between 12:15 and 3:30… and that’s with a break for a meal at Be Our Guest. If you find yourself in MK either solo or with only two people, FPs are your friend. Most of the time when I was booking, I would have been able to book at least a rolling FP if not just 2 together.

This experience also wet my appetite for the WDW49 challenge… one day, folks - it’s going to happen.

DINNER AND FIREWORKS
After an immensely successful afternoon, I headed back to camp to meet my husband and change for Citrico’s. After freshening up, we took the bus back to the ferries and headed back to the Contemporary to get the monorail to the Grand Floridian. I looooooove the Grand Floridian. Since I was a kid, I’ve thought it was beautiful; and I was so looking forward to our dinner there before heading back to MK for fireworks.

We started our evening just enjoying some of the Grand Floridian ambience and then visited Mizener’s for a cocktail. After cocktails, we walked next door to Citrico’s and had a wonderful signature dining experience. When selecting Citrico’s I debated between it, Narcoosee’s and California Grill. I kicked California Grill off the list because I wanted to eat at the GF, and we would not be watching fireworks with dinner (we would only have one opportunity to see Happily Ever After; so I wanted to see them from the park). I went back and forth between Narcoosee’s and Citrico’s and finally settled on Citrico’s because it seemed to be a slightly more romantic option, and my husband preferred the menu. I also liked the idea of eating in the main building - a little more exciting for me and easier transportation in case we were cutting it close to get back to the park.

Citrico’s is a beautiful restaurant. I think most the pictures I’ve seen make it look a bit sterile and sort of like a fancy hotel cafeteria, but it is not at all like that in person. It warm and elegant, with high ceiling and lovely views to the grounds of the hotel. Our waiter was absolutely wonderful (he reminded me very much of Richard Gilmore form the Gilmore Girls so that was an added bonus). We started with wine for me and an old fashioned for my husband. For the old fashioned, our waiter brought out a special ice ball maker, which was a cool touch. We had the cheese board to share followed by the filet for me and the short ribs for my husband. Then, for desert, we shared the cheesecake. Everything was absolutely delicious. I had no complaints at all other than I had a hard time finishing my meal (but that’s on me :)) Another nice touch - I was sporting a celebration pin for my teaching license. So they brought us complimentary champagne.

After dinner, we lingered to listen to the pianist a bit and then headed back to the monorail. We finished our night by visiting talking Mickey (I had gotten fast passes) and then got a spot just in time for fireworks. We watched Happily Ever After from about halfway down Main Street. We had no problems seeing the projections, but we did miss out on some of the finer details. If you are not super familiar with Disney renaissance (90s) movies and characters, you might want to be a bit closer. As that was my Disney hey-day, I had not problem recognizing the characters, even if I could not see them perfectly.

Happily Ever After proved to be my husband’s favorite night show. So, despite his rough start to the morning, I think Splash Mountain, a round of golf, delicious food and fireworks saved the day.

Next Up:
Universal Studios… okay Harry Potter land
Even I hit the wall

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