Disney World Trip Report

After visiting my family near Tampa, I drove to Disney World with my sister and nephew. We arrived at the BoardWalk Villas before check in so I checked my luggage at bell services and we boarded the boat to MGM Studios.

MGM was great fun. My sister and nephew had never been there before. We saw the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show for the first time. What a great show! And we had the best seats in the house - center stage with no one in front of us. The heat from the fire at the end was intense. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.

Tower of Terror was a blast as usual. I usually go on it alone (I travel with wimps!) but it was way better to ride it with other people. Same for Rockin' Roller Coaster. The park wasn't very crowded so we just walked right onto both rides. I love when that happens!

We also did Star Tours (which I always enjoy), The Great Movie Ride and Indiana Jones (which was weak compared to the other stunt show).

By about four we were pretty hot so we headed back to the hotel to get in a swim. I love staying so close to the parks that you can take a break mid-day. My room was ready, a one bedroom on the fifth floor overlooking the boardwalk. The view was perfect. The big pool was pretty busy so we swam in the quiet pool. For most of the time we were the only ones there. It felt like our own private pool.

After the swim I was feeling pretty tuckered out and wanted to just relax in the room. I had laundry to do from the first part of my trip and was looking forward to room service and a jacuzzi tub. My family decided to go back to MGM to see Fantasmic before heading back to the Tampa area. Though I had a wonderful time with them, I was ready to begin the solo part of my trip.

I knew that I was going to be able to see the Epcot fireworks from my room so I set my tipod up on the patio and waited for the show. It was a lovely way to end the day.

For the last few years I have been getting more and more interested in photography. I have been drooling over the Nikon D50 since it came out but have put off purchasing it because of the price. I finally caved and bought it in time for this trip. These photos are the first that I took with it. Favorite Photos from Day 1

I had a slow start on Day 2. I had to move to a different room because I only booked the one bedroom for the first night. It's a good way to wind down from visiting my family but I couldn't see splurging that way for the whole trip when it was just me - so I switched to a studio.

I spent the morning uploading my pictures to Phanfare, checking out the breakfast offerings of room service, soaking in the tub with my book again and packing up for my move. It took me til 11 am to actually leave the room, but it was a perfect start to my day. My studio wasn't ready yet so I checked my bags again and hopped on the boat to Epcot.

Once inside the gate I made my way through France, Morocco, Japan and Italy in the World Showcase. As usual, I skipped the American Adventure because I think it's boring. I spent the whole time taking photos. I was in heaven! This was the part of traveling solo that I loved. I could take as long as I wanted and didn't have to worry that someone was having to wait for me.

By the time I made it to Japan I was hungry. I've always wanted to eat at Teppanyaki so I went there and had a sushi sampler. It was pretty good. Then I wandered into the store there and bought a little sushi plate. I love that you can just have stuff sent back to your room and don't have to carry it around with you.

By the time I finished in Italy it was already about 4pm. I had made plans to meet up with TomPokNY (Tom from Poughkeepsie) from the DIS Boards since his solo trip and mine overlapped - so I headed back to the hotel for a shower.

I met Tom at Big River Grille at 5pm. We had a very pleasant visit. Neither of us had ever met someone in person that we knew from online before. It could've been disasterous, or at the very least uncomfortable, but we actually had a nice time. In fact, everyone I met on this trip was really nice. After dinner we walked over to Epcot and parted ways in the UK. I headed towards Canada and he took off towards France.

I made it as far as China that evening, where I watched Illuminations. I didn't have my tripod with me so the photos I took of the fireworks weren't that great. The fact that I was behind the island made for some interesting shots though. After that I called it a day and went back to the room to upload another set of photos.

I think the photos I took on this day are my favorite of the whole trip. I especially like the candid shots of people having a good time. Whenever I took one of these photos I offered to email them to the person. Everyone was so surprised and thrilled. It was a great way to connect with other people while on a solo trip. Favorite Photos from Day 2

Today I had made plans to wander around the hotels near Magic Kingdom taking photos, having afternoon tea, going for a bike or boat ride and then watching the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian. Sounds great - and I'll have to actually do that on my next trip! I had such a great time at Epcot that I wanted to go back again, so I did!

When I woke up it was so foggy that I couldn't see anything outside beyond a third of the way across the lake. Being that this was Florida I decided to wait until I could see the sky before heading out just in case it was planning to rain. It was good that I did because it poured for about 2 hours. They really needed it and I didn't mind the excuse to not rush off. Wow - once the rain passed it sure was a gorgeous day. Everything was so crisp and clear, just beautiful!

I walked over to Epcot around 11am. This time I made a left after passing through the International Gateway and made my way over to Future World. I was a bit disappointed in the exhibits for the Flower and Garden Festival. Though I love the topiaries and the butterfly garden there didn't seem to be as many exhibits as there have been in the past. So, back to World Showcase for me. I worked my way around, spending most of my time in Mexico, Norway and China. I found some beautiful orchids on the wheelchair/stroller path outside of Mexico and the sod roof in Norway was the prettiest I've ever seen it it. The dragon topiary in China is a work of art. So I did get my fill of flowers afterall.

After an afternoon break I decided to go back to MGM to catch Fantasmic since I've never seen it. When I got there I couldn't believe how busy it was and how cranky people were. I have found that parents are much nicer to their kids in the morning! I only spent about a half hour there and decided to leave. That is the great thing about the park hopper tickets - you can go in and out of several parks in one day.

After that I decided to treat myself to dinner at Flying Fish Cafe. It was amazing. I started with a martini and pretty much the best, most tender calamari I've ever had. That was followed by a wonderful seared halibut atop "crushed" potatoes with morel mushrooms in a light cream sauce. My mouth is watering just typing this. I'm a real foodie and most of the food at Disney is just ok and overpriced. But the food at Flying Fish is always fabulous and well worth the money!

I'm so pleased with this new camera. I absolutely love it! I was worried that it would be too much camera for me since I am such a beginner, but it's been really easy to pick up. Everytime I uploaded a batch of photos I got so excited by how much better they are then photos I've taken on my other cameras. I still have lots to learn, I know, but this camera sure makes a difference. Favorite Photos from Day 3

Today I got up early to go to Animal Kingdom. This park closes at 5pm so I wanted to get an early start. I headed straight for Expedition Everest, Disney's newest roller coaster. Since I was riding solo I got to be in the very first car - that was fun!

Then I wandered around Asia taking pictures of the animals and scenery. This area would have been better for photography in the afternoon I think. It seemed that the sun was always where I didn't want it to be!

I headed back to the front gate for an early lunch at Rain Forest Cafe and discovered that there is an entry gate through the gift shop. It would have been nice to know this when I arrived since the lines were quite long. I filed this little tidbit for future reference!

Next I went to the Lion King Show, my favorite show on the property. It was without a doubt the most challenging thing to photograph. It is mostly dark and everything is in motion all the time. I did not get very many good shots - well, none really! Any tips would be most appreciated!

Next I took a short walk in Africa and on my way back out I stumbled upon a wonderful little garden area behind Flame Tree Barbeque. There is a beautiful seating area that no one seems to know about. Check it out next time you are there.

My next great discovery was the perfect place to watch the parade. I was right in front of Safari Coffee. I had a great view, and even better, when the end of the parade was in site I was able to head for the gate in front of the masses that were following the parade. No jungle traffic jam for me! I was first in line for the bus back to Boardwalk.

After freshening up I packed up my tripod and went to Epcot for one last visit. Can you tell it's my favorite park?! I really wanted to get some good night time shots of Illuminations and the World Showcase. I went to the bridge in front of Italy, which I found is a great place to watch the fireworks. Since I was traveling light, I didn't take both my lenses. Unfortunately, I didn't have the right lens for the fireworks so I only have a couple good pix.

On my way leaving the park, I stopped to take photos of each country all lit up. This is my favorite time to be in the park. It clears out of people pretty quickly and you can meander along without anyone trying to hurry you. It's very beautiful late at night.

I got really interesting reactions from people when I had my tripod with me. Several asked if I was a professional photographer - that was kind of fun! One guy asked me how much I charged for my photos. When I said "nothing" he wouldn't believe me. He must have asked me four different times if I really didn't charge. I just kept saying no and offered to take a photo of his girlfriend and him and email it to him. I could tell he really wanted the photo but he just couldn't trust that I was for real. He ended up walking away while I was setting up the tripod. I can't imagine what he was so nervous about! Favorite Photos from Day 4

Today was my last day a Disney World. I had to check out of my room by 11am and had to be ready to leave to catch my plane by 2pm. I did discover a nice quiet place to read while I waited for the bus to arrive. There's a comfy little lounge just off the lobby. The bar is closed til 5pm but you can still hang out there.

I didn't actually take any photos on Day 5 - I know, hard to believe! My total count for the first 4 days was 1656 shots. I'd love to hear your comments or feedback on the photos I've shared. I am just learning and can use all help I can get!

This was really a nice trip - much too short of course, but really fun. I was worried that I would get lonely being on my own but I never did. Having a new toy to play with and a focus for the trip probably made all the difference. I met some very nice people and had a fabulous time. Can't wait to go again!

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