The Search For My Wits (or, "Toy Story 1-1/8"): a May solo PTR About This Page:

[LegoMom]

"I'm packing your extra pair of shoes, and your angry eyes just in case."



Aahhh, packing. I think people either love it and can't wait to start (even though their trip is still 412 days away....) or they hate it and are frantically stuffing things into suitcases the night before their 6:00am flight. I would say I fall into the first category and have to hold myself back. Now granted, my trip is now officially less than one month away , but I simply cannot start packing just yet. Mostly. Sort of.






People who love to pack usually also have a bit of a love affair with luggage. Brand names, matching sets...the whole nine yards. I'm not much of a brand-name person myself, but I did find this little gem at Walmart







For short trips I do not like to check bags. I have become a master at fitting everything I need into one carry-on. It's a challenge, not unlike trying to make the Size 6 pants fit after the holidays.....Actually, I don't wear a size 6 anymore, but I digress. Anywho, when I saw this nifty little piece on the shelf at the store, the bright red color caught my eye. (I like colors. Black is for the timid. Be bold! Be wild!) But my good fortune did not end there, my friends, for tucked neatly away inside this bag, I found....







If there are luggage angels or you-just-scored-a-deal angels, they sang. Inside the already-cool rolling carry-on were a smaller duffel type bag and a cosmetic case! I'm so buying souvenirs on this trip.


And yes, I have started filling my lovely red bag. All my little travel-sized toiletries (LOVE those!) are already in the cosmetic case. And my official Disney poncho is neatly folded and in the front zipper compartment. And....well, that's it, really. But it's a start! And rest assured, I will pack anything and everything I could possibly need, for 4 days, into two little red bags: shirts, shorts, sweatshirt, toiletries, guide books, an extra pair of shoes....


Oh, and my angry eyes.....just in case.

[Colexis Mom]

Have fun packing!!

[Cam22]

Great luggage set! Happy packing!

[chezp]

Happy packing - and I'm with you about loving it!

[LegoMom]

Mrs. Potato Head:...And if you get hungry, here's some cheese puffs and a key. I don't know what it's for, but you never know.... And crayons in case you get bored, and some blue Play-Doh ..... And a dime, call me, and monkey chow.

Mr. Potato Head: Monkey chow? For what?

Mrs. Potato Head: Well, for the monkeys, of course! Come on, monkeys!


Wow...all that time away and now TWO posts, in one day!! I'm on a roll! And speaking of rolls.....


This is it!.....the food chapter!!!!

Now in the past, our trips have been in September for Free Dining, and, especially with a week's worth of ADRs to decide on and make, there was always something food-related about the trip. I'm a little concerned with myself for still being so ramped up over the food, on my little 4-day solo, that only involves one ADR! (well, technically two, but one isn't a “meal” per se). But I'm on the Quick Service plan this trip, and yes, I'm still thinking (intently....) about the places I'd like to eat while I'm in the World.
So. Sad.

I mean, who gets this excited about the food part of a Walt Disney World trip?! Honestly....! Well, um....I do. I think it may have something to do with the fact that at home, we don't eat out all that often. So I'm not spoiled and eating out remains a treat. Eating out at Disney is an extra-special treat, and is, in my little world, a reason to get ramped up!!

So without further ado, allow me to delve into the food planning part of my trip!.....

Day 1 – Arrival Day: Assuming I have no delays anywhere, I should be at my resort and ready to head to the parks by 1:00-1:30pm. I plan to spend this day in Epcot, and I have a mid-afternoon ADR at San Angel Inn in Mexico. This is one of two out-of-pocket meals I'm doing. I love the inside of this pavilion and am really looking forward to this meal! The pictures I've seen of the restaurant make the tables appear a bit close together, so I'm not sure how that will be with me dining solo, but hopefully I'll be seated in a corner somewhere and not smack between two large groups! If I'm suitably hungry by the time I return to the resort at night, I would like to try the food court. Really??, you ask. Why, yes! Truth be told, I love those little individual pizzas that you get at the Disney resort food courts. Not decided on the Tie-Dyed Cheesecake yet....I love me some cheesecake, but all that intense food coloring.....not so much. Double-chocolate cake on the other hand!!!.....wow.

Day 2 – Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom: Ok, there is really only one thing to say about counter-service and AK – Flame Tree BBQ, baby!!!! Woot! On my family's last trip, I was all jazzed about eating here and the day we ended up there...... I wasn't hungry!!! . Ugh.... So, I'm all fired up again and will be sure that I'm fairly starving by the time they open, for an early lunch! I also love the outdoor seating and the background music that is piped in. I'm gonna get me some ribs and go have a seat out in the veranda and just take it all in..... Later this day is my 2nd OOP “meal,” which is actually the Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian! I'm excited about this on two levels: I've never done anything like this before (kind of hard with a husband and 3 sons in tow), and I've never been to the GF. Can't wait to see this resort! I'm not “girlie” by any stretch of the imagination, but a little “girlie” time in a nice setting like this just seems to fit the bill this trip. I also have two friends who did this tea last year and they rave about it. After tea I'll be heading over to the MK, since it's open until 1am this night!!!!! I love the MK at night and I really love it on an EMH night! Since my big meal at Flame Tree will have been late-morning, and I don't expect to eat a whole lot at Tea, I expect I'll be ready to use my 2nd CS credit for this day sometime this evening. Now, usually at the MK I go straight for Casey's. LOVE me some cheese fries....a little bit of golden gooey heaven on a plate. . But, I was recently clued in to Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and am thinking I'd like to try that. (The self-ordering kiosk is uber-neato, too.)

I should take a moment here to interject a note about Casey's....The last time I ate there, I was in the company of two lovely ladies who I am honored to call friends. It was a gal's weekend away. We were tired and getting punchy. Suffice it to say, I will never, ever be able to eat at Casey's again without thinking of them and the – * ahem * - “conversations" that took place that night.....

But I digress....back to the PTR at hand! So where were we??....oh yeah -

Day 3 – Hollywood Studios and Epcot, I think: So far this day is a big blank in the meal-planning realm. No. Clue. Counter-service is limited at DHS anyway (as far as personal appeal) and nothing is jumping out at me. I may do a full breakfast a Pop this morning and use a snack credit at Starring Rolls or something (and they actually have really good coffee, too!). Or, I might try the Sunset Market area. Seems to me that in the past that wasn't part of the dining plan at all, but I've seen a couple of places there now that do indicate being on the Plan. So we'll see. This day will be a real play-it-by ear day. My late-day plans are very tentative right now. If the weather is nice, I really want to walk from DHS to Epcot. I never knew you could do that and I must try it! So, if I'm hungry at Epcot, I may do the Sunshine Seasons in The Land, or maybe I'll just pop into the Electric Umbrella (I know, I know....standard burger fare but we really like it!). If for weather or other reasons I don't go to Epcot, I'll be heading back to the MK and in that case, it's Casey's all the way!

Day 4 – Departure Day : I plan to be up and out first thing this day. I want to check my one bag with luggage services (or with ME if I decide to check it instead of carry-on). Epcot has EMH this morning and I want to be at the gate prior to opening and in the park first thing. I should have one CS credit left at this point so will have to figure out where to use it. Maybe Sunshine Seasons; they have some good breakfast options. Matter of fact, here is a picture of our breakfast there on our last trip....






Now, for all those snack credits!....oh where to begin?!! The possibilities are endless, but some of my favorites are:


*Frozen Lemonade
*Ice cream sandwich (the homemade kind with two huge cookies!) *Mickey-head ice cream bars (who doesn't love those?!)
*Rice Krispie treats
*Pastries/cookies

Truth be told, there are so few items that are not considered a snack on the DDP, that the possibilities are just endless. And let's face it, even a simple box of popcorn is something special when you eat it in view of Cinderella Castle, listening to some Main Street ragtime....

[Colexis Mom]

Great dining plans!

[chezp]

Nice dining plans!

[OhToodles!]

What a great trip for you! I love GF tea - it's so relaxing!!

[KandJluvdisney]

sounds great
hurry back with more please

[LegoMom]

Rex: Were you scared?!....Tell me honestly.
Woody: I was close to being scared that time.



It is time.

It is time to let loose, with utter abandon, and feel the full-on excitement of this trip!

Because it starts in less than THREE WEEKS!!!!!


Dudes. I am SO giddy right now. Normally I plan out my trips so far in advance that I need to not think about them for a while....which sounds really weird but weirder than that is the fact that if I don't, I find myself in a bit of a funk for about the last month before the trip. Almost like pre-trip burnout. Now honestly I've had my plate quite full with other things over the last several weeks, so I was thinking of other stuff by default. But the time has now come where I can pour myself fully into this and become a loopy, giddy, blithering idiot. But quietly, because as we all know, my family isn't accompanying me on this trip and it would just be mean to rub it in their faces. I'm not that bad!!

A dear friend of mine (or two...) suggested I might want to write about the sorts of things I'd like to do on my first solo trip. Stuff you wouldn't normally get to do with your family around. Let's face it, with a family of five, you basically have to take a vote on every next move.... I am so looking forward to being a little "ADD" on this trip. So here's me....walking to Test Track....can't wait to fly around that track....single-rider line, comin' your way (!)....I wonder if the queue -- oh look!!, the Jammitors! [takes sharp left turn and sits on bench to watch]. While I do have a definite plan in place in order to make the most of my few days, it's ALL about the freedom on this trip! I am Woman, hear me ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!


I think the most logical place to start is Epcot, since I am first and foremost going to see the Flower & Garden Festival. This is Attraction #1 that Mom Couldn't Do With the Boys Along! I am trying so hard to NOT look at all the photos on the Web right now that are showing the F&G stuff. I want to be completely surprised and have everything be totally fresh for me. I plan to take a memory-card's worth of photos of the flowers and topiaries! I'm also looking forward to seeing the "DIY" network's Yard Crasher's exhibit. After all it was the recent show on last year's exhibit that prompted me to change my trip from late summer to May!

I also plan to tour World Showcase and spend time taking in the details of each country. Kids just get so bored with that. In Future World I will ride Soarin', Test Track and Spaceship Earth as many times in a row as I please, thank you very much. Not that the kids don't enjoy those things, but it's just nice to do what you want on a whim.






Magic Kingdom - this may seem like an oxymoron, finding things to do in this park that you couldn't do with the kids along. WRONG! I could probably spend a solo week in this park alone and not run out of "my" stuff to do. For starters, just stand in the Town Square and listen to the BGM. Heaven.... Then, stroll along Main Street and look at the shop windows. I mean really look. Then look up! The windows are full of names of Imagineers and other little goodies. Worth taking in. Now, I might add here that if you are indeed going to stop and gawk, make sure you tuck yourself out of the way of oncoming people, strollers, balloon vendors, and the like. No one appreciates a gawker smack in the middle of the street!! And how about the Dapper Dans?!.....what a treat. They are fabulous and I hope I can catch one of their performances.



I also like the BGM in Adventureland and Tomorrowland. I think I'll have to get me a Dole Whip in Adventureland and pull up a bench for a bit. Similarly, in Tomorrowland I'l get a smoothie at Auntie Gravity's and have a sit-down. I listen to so many of these music tracks on Live365.com that they are ingrained in my head and there's nothing like hearing them live, in-park! Then, when you listen to them back home later on, you can close your eyes and really go back....






Animal Kingdom - there is one thing and one thing only that I cannot wait to do by myself in this park: have lunch at Flame Tree BBQ and eat down on the veranda while listening to this BGM!!!! Some of my favorite tracks from Live365 come from the Flame Tree area. The view of Everest is a treat, too. But since I don't plan to go to AK just to have lunch, the other solo thing I'm going to do is arrive prior to park opening, and then bee-line it to the Safari ride first thing. Somehow, when your kids are along, it's difficult to go straight to ANY thing when you first enter a park. Everyone is always milling around while taking that vote on "what do we do first?"...But I'd like to be on the first safari trek of the day. It won't be super early in the morning but I do hope to see more animals. I've only ridden this once and it was early afternoon and it seemed to be nap time. After that I want to walk that walkway from Africa to Asia, across the river from the back side of the Tree of Life. That's a nice walk. In Asia I will do Everest as many times as my head can stand it (that backwards spiral bit is a kick but can rattle your brains a bit, kwim?!). I love EE, though....GREAT coaster.









Disney's Hollywood Studios - I really hope there's some Streetmosphere goin' on when I'm here because that's something I could watch all day! And honestly, while everyone else is making the mad dash for Toy Story Mania, I like to stroll down Hollywood Blvd. at my own pace. This park has a lot of character that again, can be missed if you just rush past everything. I will say right now that my first stop is going to be at Mickey's of Hollywood and the......*drum roll*.......

Wall of mugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Now, you have to understand I have a thing for mugs. I also have a thing for coffee, so the two go very well together as a matter of fact! On our last trip I discovered this little gem and was SO overwhelmed that I actually left the store without making a mug purchase!!......I know, right?! Not this time. Now, I have to hope The Wall is still there, in some form or another, but there WILL be mugs bought here this day! But the nice thing is, if I wanna stand and stare at the mugs for a full half-hour, then by golly I'm gonna do just that!!

After this stop I will likely head straight for Toy Story Mania. That's the whole theme of this solo trip anyway, so it would be unforgivable to miss it. I'll grab a FastPass for later, but if the stand-by line isn't ridiculous, I'm going to do that as well because I've never seen the uber-cool queue for this ride. There are a few other attractions I want to do at DHS, but I don't have a long list of specifically "solo" stuff to be sure I do/see. The Muppets will be closed and I just don't wanna talk about it.....


Somewhere in this trip I need to fit in some time for my resort. This is another thing I'm trying to not look at too many pictures on-line before getting there. I want to see the shadow boxes in the lobby, the detail and theming of my building (which I have no idea which one that is yet, of course...I just asked to be on the top floor in a quiet, non-preferred area). Pop is SO full of eye candy that I'm sure I'll be taking lots of pics there as well. I love details.....


You know, it just occurred to me that in 9 days, I can start doin' the Single Digit Dance!!! Bring it, honey!

[chezp]

What great plans for your trip!

[lazanya]

Sounds great!

[Cam22]

Sounds like you've planned for loads of fun!

[BostonTeaParty]

I enjoy your writing style. Can't wait to read more about your fabulous solo trip!

[Nick and Ryans Mom]

Sounds like you are going to have a great time!!