A Very Lucky (First) Solo Trip! A Feb/Mar 2020 TR * Completed 1/10: Brown Derby Lounge and Goodbye WDW

[Disneyhanna]

Joining in for all the fun! I love solo trips too and can't wait to hear all about yours.

Thanks for joining! I'm working on Day One and it's going to be a long one!

Following ! Just read your DLR report. The pics are all there!

Oh I'm so glad! I don't know if I'd have the energy to re-add them if they disappeared again!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part One: An Epcot Morning with F&G Topiaries

Happy first park day! I cranked up the AC of course, and then was really cold since Florida hotels only give you sheets?! The MN girl in me wants a heavy comforter! I grabbed the blanket from the closet and found it much more pleasant.

I woke up out of excitement around 7:30, I slept well but definitely heard some noises through the walls such as toilets flushing. I think the Ranchos area was quieter, but maybe I just had fewer neighbors last time!

Time to get up since I couldn’t go back to sleep of course! Maybe I’d have a shot at rope dropping Epcot at 9AM? We shall see!

The weather was supposed to be one of the warmer days of the trip, around 80 degrees with thunderstorms. A lot better than the freezing temps at home!

I left my room around 8:30, so much for rope dropping. I am a slow moving turtle in the morning! The bus stop was so close, maybe a two minute walk from my room. It was close enough that if I saw a bus from the stairs, I could probably make a run for it!

The bus time TV said 8:36 for Epcot, perfect timing! It arrived on time, so I was off to a good start! The wait times aren’t always perfect but it’s much nicer than waiting around and not knowing anything.

There were only ten or so people on the bus, but a lot more people got on at the next stop at the tower. We left the main stop at 8:43 and were dropped off at Epcot at 8:53. I kept lots of notes on bus times for those who are interested in stats like that!

The bag check lines were pretty long, I made it through security around 9. I’ll call that an almost rope drop!

Spaceship Earth looking lovely as ever!

Test Track was supposed to be opening that day, but I hadn’t ridden it in a few years so I had trouble finding it amongst all the walls and gave up. I’m not sure if it still looks like this, but it was basically Wall-cot when I was there. It did not look like that in December when I was there!

Definitely very empty at 9AM though! I headed to the Land since I know my way around there, and thought I’d maybe give Soarin’ a try since my first FP wasn’t until 9:45. It was so humid already, still better than the cold!

Soarin’ was already at a 30 minute wait, big nope from me! I hate that queue, so boring when you’re alone. I figured I could pick up an additional FP for it later.

I had a FP for LwtL later that day but decided to hop on since there was no wait. I got a boat to myself! Front row is the best!

It was so nice having my own boat, then I could take all the photos without annoying anyone.

Garden Grill looks fun, but I’m pretty sure the movement would make my poor mom sick! Maybe someday. You can see Mickey if you look closely! Remember when I said my photos would be better this trip?

The plants were looking so lovely this trip.

I sent these pictures to my mom at home, she loves gardening.

The hidden Mickeys are so fun to look for on this ride!

After LwtL, I saw Soarin’ dropped to 20 minutes at 9:30 after the initial rush. The FP line takes that long anyways, so I hopped in line.

I played the Soarin’ Challenge game in line, which was a bunch of trivia (which I am terrible at). I used to have Sprint and never had service in ride queues, but my new Verizon service worked great!

I made it as the last person on deck to ride at 9:40, lucky me! Then even luckier, they asked for a single rider and pulled me into B3 on a flight that was finishing loading and had an extra spot available. I didn’t have to listen to dear Patrick this time! All thanks to the observant CMs who work hard to maximize the number of people on the ride every time.

The smell of grass in the elephant scene is one of my favorites, along with the jasmine ocean smells. I had never noticed the kites during the Great Wall of China scene before! I would love to see the Great Wall someday.

I will say, B3 is not quite as exciting as the first or second rows! I noticed how nice the transitions between scenes are, the object shapes fade into each other between each scene. I’m sure people who know film better than I do have a name for this!

I do prefer this Around the World verison to the California version, people complain about the CGI but I find it so much more thrilling!

It was around 10 when I headed back towards the entrance to Spaceship Earth. It was significantly busier than at 9, but nothing crazy yet.

The FP line to scan in for SE was super backed up, but I think someone just was holding it up. The ladies behind me were like “this is fast?” Whoever was holding up the line figured it out and we were moving again. I was excited and sad to ride since SE was originally closing in May, obviously that has since been delayed.

The standby line was only 15 minutes at that point, and it took me about 5 minutes in the FP line.

Doesn’t everyone call this Space Jesus?

I got my own vehicle again, woohoo! Solo perks! I always think this ride smells like crayons! The ride stopped shortly after starting, so I quickly switched my LwtL FP to Figment. I saw lots of FPs for Frozen that evening, so I didn’t think the park was going to be too busy that day.

I tried taking a few pictures during the ride to remember it, maybe not my best work but I tried!

These “futuristic” scenes make me laugh, is that lamp from IKEA?

And of course, our favorite computer room! My mom always tells me how computers used to take up whole rooms, lol!

I always take a picture of the “stars” in the night. One of my favorite parts of the ride!

I decided to answer the quiz differently than usual to see what my future would be. I ended up skiing and getting a broken arm!

As I left the post-ride area, I saw the bubblegum wall for the first time! Daisy was also out and I got a quick picture with no line, it turned out terribly of course so I’ll just leave this one here.

She loved my sparkly ears! A line started forming after me, but she had to go backstage right away. I was there just in time!

The Figment standby was only 10 minutes, but I still used my FP. A 10 minute wait for that ride is 10 too many minutes!

I can’t believe I had skipped Figment for so many years, this really is a fun and silly little ride.

I’m not sure I really understand it but I still had a good time! And of course, One Little Spark was in my head the rest of the day!

(Continued in next post)​

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part One: Continued

Finally in the mood for some breakfast, I headed to France! There was a new Starbucks, I’m not sure if this is permanent or not.

I had to take photos of all of the lovely topiaries of course. My trip was right between Festival of the Arts and Flower and Garden, so while I missed the booths I got to enjoy the topiaries since they were already up for F&G.

Such a pity that the festival was cut so short. I imagine it’s a ton of work to keep everything maintained, so I’m really glad I got a chance to see everything.

I loved the Kermit topiary, the flowers were so beautiful.

I like how they move the topiaries around each year. It keeps things different and more interesting!

I hope the France expansion is still in the works!

I’m excited to ride Ratatouille, I love coasters but dark rides are so quintessentially Disney!

Let me know if you have a favorite topiary!

The line at Les Halles was quite short, and I tried two new things. The Parfait aux Fruits (yogurt mousse with berries) and Roule Lard et Fromage (bacon and cheese roll). Under $10, this is my favorite place for breakfast! I’d love to stay at an Epcot resort to go here every morning.

I grabbed the loveliest table to myself right outside of Les Halles across from the gelato shop, it was such a peaceful and quiet morning.

The roll is absolutely huge, it’s kind of like a dense dinner roll with salty (but not gooey) cheese and the crispiest most delicious bacon throughout. Can they sell that bacon, please? The parfait was also incredible, the yogurt mousse is basically whipped cream. The berries were perfectly ripe and fresh, I finished every last bite! I finished most of the roll but you can definitely share that one.

After finishing my late breakfast, I headed towards the UK to meet Pooh. I passed by Gaston on my way there!

We missed Pooh's new meet and greet on our last trip! I don’t wander through the UK pavilion very often, it really is quite beautiful! I have never been to the UK, but I overheard someone saying that the pavilion looks just like the UK, except “too clean, needs more litter.”

I got in line at 11:40, there were only a few people in line. It’s actually a fairly secluded spot and isn’t marked except on the map, so I asked people in line to make sure I was in the right place!

I waited less than ten minutes before it was my turn to go inside to Christopher Robin’s room to meet Pooh! Pooh had a character attendant but no photopass person so I handed the attendant my phone. I wonder how that works now, since they can’t take phones?

The CM took so many photos, I’m very thankful for that! Probably 30 photos lol! Definitely set your photos to “live” if you have an iPhone. So sad that we may not get to meet characters like again for a long time, or maybe forever.

I love this new m&g spot, it’s off the beaten path so I think the line is always short. The room is so well themed, it’s really a fun little spot! I left the room and saw my favorite baby stuffed animals. Too cute!

I stopped in the tea shop and saw this hilarious tea set. Of course I had to snap a quick pic and send to my fellow cat ladies!

To get to the Skyliner, you head down on the right side of this picture. I think the Skyliner blends in pretty well!

I had never used the International Gateway entrance before, but now that the Skyliner is there I figured I would be going that direction a lot more often. I overheard someone calling it the “skyrail,” so close! Maybe Disney should have named it that!

Continued in Part Two: Epcot World Showcase and Quick HS Skyliner Trip​

 

[disneyAndi14]

I sure miss SE, I love that attraction!
I have never seen Gaston in Epcot cool!
Pooh and Tigger use to meet in that area awhile back, nice to see they were back there. Maybe someday they will return.
I love the bacon roll in France yummy!
Looks like a fun morning with characters and attractions!

 

[fabledtongues]

There were only ten or so people on the bus, but a lot more people got on at the next stop at the tower. We left the main stop at 8:43 and were dropped off at Epcot at 9:43. I kept lots of notes on bus times for those who are interested in stats like that!

Wait, I'm confused. It took the bus an hour to get to Epcot? But then you said you got through security around 9? Don't know if that was a typo or not lol.

Also, that breakfast from Les Halles looks so good. I love Les Halles!

 

[Disneyhanna]

I sure miss SE, I love that attraction!
I have never seen Gaston in Epcot cool!
Pooh and Tigger use to meet in that area awhile back, nice to see they were back there. Maybe someday they will return.
I love the bacon roll in France yummy!
Looks like a fun morning with characters and attractions!

That was my first time seeing him in Epcot too! I suppose it makes sense, since Belle meets near there as well! That bacon roll was so delicious, I'd definitely like to try something new next time, maybe the beignet which I have always eyed!

Wait, I'm confused. It took the bus an hour to get to Epcot? But then you said you got through security around 9? Don't know if that was a typo or not lol.

Also, that breakfast from Les Halles looks so good. I love Les Halles!

Omg definitely a typo, I fixed it! I would give anything to be eating breakfast at Les Halles again! One of my other favorites is the strawberry tart, it's one of the few places in Disney where the prices are actually really fair!

 

[fabledtongues]

Omg definitely a typo, I fixed it! I would give anything to be eating breakfast at Les Halles again! One of my other favorites is the strawberry tart, it's one of the few places in Disney where the prices are actually really fair!

Oh gosh, it was only 10 minutes, that's so much better haha. I about had a heart attack

The next trip I have, I want to try all the things at Les Halles! Last trip I had the macaron and the creme brulee and they were both so good. That strawberry tart looks to die for.

 

[Disneyhanna]

Oh gosh, it was only 10 minutes, that's so much better haha. I about had a heart attack

The next trip I have, I want to try all the things at Les Halles! Last trip I had the macaron and the creme brulee and they were both so good. That strawberry tart looks to die for.

I was on a bus for what seemed like an hour once, to Disney Springs for dinner on Black Friday. Never again!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Joining in! Sounds like a great morning so far!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Following!
I was also in WDW at the end of February and we had such an amazing time! So glad we got to experience everything amazing in Disney right before CoViD...
It does make me a little sad to remember those great character meet and greets... I truly hope it comes back when all of this has settled down and things get back to something more normal...
Looking forward to reading about your trip!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Joining in! Sounds like a great morning so far!

Thanks for joining! It was an all-around great day, I plan on posting the next update tomorrow!

Following!
I was also in WDW at the end of February and we had such an amazing time! So glad we got to experience everything amazing in Disney right before CoViD...
It does make me a little sad to remember those great character meet and greets... I truly hope it comes back when all of this has settled down and things get back to something more normal...
Looking forward to reading about your trip!

Welcome welcome! It was such great weather and nice crowds, much less busier than the crazy crowds of Presidents' and Princess Weekends! I still can't believe I squeezed this trip in, two weeks later and it would have been a completely different story! The videos of Pooh chasing butterflies are so cute though, part of me wishes I could experience a bit of that

 

[buzzrelly]

Joining in!

We were supposed to go down March 15th, so we just missed it I love the F & G festival and hoping beyond hope that next Spring everything will be back to normal.

Garden Grill looks fun, but I’m pretty sure the movement would make my poor mom sick!

I love that LWTL was your first ride I think your mom would be fine in GG because it moves soooooooo slowly, you don't feel like you're moving.

Doesn’t everyone call this Space Jesus?

Credit goes to our lovely, @pepperandchips for the greatest nickname ever

Such a pity that the festival was cut so short. I imagine it’s a ton of work to keep everything maintained, so I’m really glad I got a chance to see everything.

It's so beautiful. I'm glad some people got to enjoy it for a minute.

The line at Les Halles was quite short, and I tried two new things. The Parfait aux Fruits (yogurt mousse with berries) and Roule Lard et Fromage (bacon and cheese roll). Under $10, this is my favorite place for breakfast!

Same! I love lunch there too

I waited less than ten minutes before it was my turn to go inside to Christopher Robin’s room to meet Pooh! Pooh had a character attendant but no photopass person so I handed the attendant my phone. I wonder how that works now, since they can’t take phones?

This is such a cute meet and I didn't even know it existed until I saw it in another TR this week. Hopefully it will be back someday

 

[Disneyhanna]

Joining in!

We were supposed to go down March 15th, so we just missed it I love the F & G festival and hoping beyond hope that next Spring everything will be back to normal.



I love that LWTL was your first ride I think your mom would be fine in GG because it moves soooooooo slowly, you don't feel like you're moving.




Credit goes to our lovely, @pepperandchips for the greatest nickname ever




It's so beautiful. I'm glad some people got to enjoy it for a minute.




Same! I love lunch there too





This is such a cute meet and I didn't even know it existed until I saw it in another TR this week. Hopefully it will be back someday

Oh no, I feel so bad for all of you with Spring Break trips that missed going! The topiaries were so lovely and at least I have pictures to remember them by! Epcot has becoming our usual "first" park for whatever reason, I think because it's so nice and spread out so we ease our way into crowds I definitely need to branch out and try more of the actual food at Les Halles, not just the treats! I remember eating an entire demi-baguette one trip Pooh's M&G in Epcot is definitely my favorite, I have not done all of them though so I still have a lot to check off my list!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part Two: Epcot World Showcase and Quick HS Skyliner Trip

Sorry for the delay all! Work and life have just been so busy (funny how that is, even though I'm hardly leaving the house). We have had a brief reprieve in the hot weather and it has made going outside so much more pleasant!

I saw this beautiful tree by the Morocco pavilion, anyone know what kind it is?

Since I was on my own and could walk around aimlessly as much as I wanted to, I explored the pavilions a bit more than I usually do. Morocco has some absolutely gorgeous spots that were quite empty when I was there.

I would love to travel more, but for now photos will have to be enough!

I passed by Japan and the Takumi-Tei entrance of course! I was so excited for my dinner that night. Japan is probably my favorite pavilion, and is highest on my list for international trips!

The rock garden is so neat, I wonder how often they have to rake the sand.

No visit through the Japan pavilion is complete without a picture of the torii! Featuring a beautiful dragon topiary and Spaceship Earth of course.

It was past noon at this point but still very empty.

I stopped at an art shop in the America pavilion, there were a lot of pieces I loved. I’m not sure if it’s okay to post photos of the original artwork so I will refrain, but if I had thousands to spare, I would have gotten something! I love the retro cartoon styles, the stuff by David Buckley and Will Gay was amazing!

Regal Eagle was brand new and smelled absolutely amazing. I’m not a huge barbecue person (from the Midwest afterall) but I definitely could have gone for some then. I didn’t want to eat too heavily that day to prepare for Takumi-Tei, so maybe another time!

Continuing my way around the World Showcase, I passed the amazing pandas at the China pavilion. Mulan had a long line or I would have waited for a photo!

I think this was a troll in the Norway pavilion? Is this from Frozen? I should know this!

It was a little busier on this side of the showcase, but considering this spot is usually a bottleneck, it was not too bad at all!

It was very warm, so I decided to stop for a margarita from La Cava.

There was a short wait to go inside and order. I had never been inside before! The bar area was so neat and pretty, I don’t know my liquors very well so I couldn’t tell you anything about anything in this photo.

I decided to try the avocado margarita. Here’s the current menu description: Tromba blanco tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado and lime juice. Served frozen with hibiscus salt rim. Close to $20 after tax and tip, oofdah!

I believe these are premade, but I thought it was still delicious. The texture is creamy like the blue milk from Galaxy’s Edge! It doesn’t taste like avocado at all, but has a very refreshing and not too sweet taste. I’m no expert but I thought this packed a punch! I’m a fairly small person, so one was plenty to put me in a good mood!

I took my margarita outside and listened to the mariachi band for a while. So fun!

I think I wandered for a bit and just enjoyed my time in the WS. Usually I am go-go-go at WDW, so it was nice to slow down a bit and enjoy myself.

I had to send this picture to some friends back home, do you really go on a warm winter vacation if you don’t brag a bit?

(Continued in next post)​

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part Two: Continued

It was time for my third FP of the day, Frozen of course! I love this ride. I never rode Maelstrom so I have nothing to miss! The restrooms in this area are so nice, maybe my favorite in all the parks. Of course Disney has us having favorite bathrooms!

At around 1:10 standby was only 65 minutes. I think the wait times have really dropped for this ride. I only waited a few minutes, this FP line is very efficient.

I got front row, hurrah! The CM was telling separate parties to take separate boats, I appreciate when they make that clear. Being solo, it’s much more awkward to know if you’re supposed to fill a row or not! So much fun, I could ride Frozen multiple times in a row. I love the drop!

As I left, I had a few seconds warning before it started downpouring! I ended up inside the Gods of the Vikings exhibit along with a few others.

Funny enough, I took a Scandanvian mythology class in college. We had to read a translation of the Poetic Edda mentioned here!

I wrote my final paper on the nine worlds of Norse mythology, shown here in this woven piece. It's actually pretty fascinating if you're into this type of thing!

It was neat seeing all of the art in this exhibit. If you’re a Marvel fan, you’ll recognize plenty of things here as well, worth a stop!

It was around 2 at this point, and I picked up a Tower of Terror FP since I could take the Skyliner to HS. I figured I would head there and then take a quick break at the resort before dinner since HS is so close to Coronado.

You can see the France construction from the International Gateway! At least, I think that's what this is. I'm no expert on Disney construction

I got my own gondola and enjoyed a peaceful and breezy ride. I got a little mixed up and I think I got off when I didn’t need to, but I made it to HS in under half an hour. It doesn’t feel like you’re going fast until a gondola passes you going the other direction, then it looks really fast!

I disembarked and headed towards the HS entrance around 2:30, just a very short walk from the station. I overheard someone saying “I wonder where that goes” when seeing the Skyliner. You overhear a lot of interesting comments when you’re solo!

I strolled down Sunset, HS used to be my least favorite park but it has grown on me a lot. HS was looking quite a bit busier than Epcot!

There’s the Tower! Standby was 100 minutes at this point, so I was very happy to have a FP. I believe the FP tiering at that point still had ToT and RnR in the top tier, so it was actually really easy to pick up FPs for them later in the day.

The FP line was pretty long, and I heard lots of stuff while waiting:

“Are we going to be okay if we just ate?” and “I hate drops!” Hope those people had a good time!

I usually refresh for FPs while in queues, and saw a Smuggler’s Run FP right away. It wasn’t until a few hours from then so I passed and picked up an immediate RnR FP instead. I hear that the single rider line often takes a long time, so I figured FP would be quicker.

I waited about 15 minutes total before I was seated in the elevator! The little boy next to me kept saying “oh boy!” when it was quiet and it was so funny!

I headed right over to RnR, which had a 110 minute standby line. Those HS wait times are sure something else! I love how close everything is, but they definitely need more attractions.

It was so humid at this point, a little after 3PM so probably time for an afternoon storm. They announced the line would be “longer than expected,” I cannot imagine waiting 2+ hours for such a short ride!

I browsed FPs for Epcot that evening, I figured I would take a break at the resort before heading back to Epcot for dinner. I picked up another Frozen FP for 7:40, perfect!

It felt so good when I finally made it inside the ride building with AC, I honestly cannot imagine WDW in the summer! It took about 25 minutes from getting in line to getting on the ride, so this was definitely one of the longer FP lines. Sometimes I wish there was a single rider + FP line!

I ended up in the back row, ouch! That was a head banger for sure!

Everyone was putting on ponchos in the shop, so I grabbed my umbrella and braved the rain! Unless it’s windy, I definitely prefer using an umbrella. It’s one of the main reasons I always have a lightweight backpack, I hate getting caught off guard by rain! My mom thinks I'm overdramatic since it's "just water!"

It was time to head back to the resort for a bit, and I waited around 15 minutes for a bus back to Coronado. There was a decent line behind me but I got a seat! I chatted with a few families who had rope dropped HS and still missed a RotR boarding pass, so sad! Another family waited three hours for 7DMT. I was thankful I was solo which makes getting FPs so much easier!

I was back to the Cabanas bus stop in 15 minutes, which is quite fast considering it’s the third stop of four when coming back from the parks. Here’s a panorama shot of the Cabanas bus stop on the left and my building 8B on the right. Very convenient!

Time to put my feet up for a bit! I took a shower and felt so refreshed, my mom has really made me appreciate short mid-day breaks! Since Takumi-Tei is a signature, I decided to upgrade my park outfit a little and wore some nicer shorts and a cute top. I packed some casual clothes for the evening when it got cooler since I planned on going to MK for evening EMH from 9-11PM. I did stick to wearing my chacos since it was supposed to rain all night!

I headed to the bus stop and it said 15 minutes for the Epcot bus, but it came in 10! I saw every other park bus and DS bus come during those 10 minutes. Seemed like the buses were plentiful this trip! It took about 15 minutes to get to Epcot again, arriving at 6:05. It was already much chillier with the sun going down!

There was no line for SE, but sadly I had an ADR to get to!

My mom and I typically skip Epcot at night, so is it always this empty in the evenings? Check out these wait times!

I suppose everyone was eating dinner! Off to Japan I went, that walk from the entrance all the way to the other side of World Showcase sure is long!

Continued in Part Three: Takumi-Tei Dinner and MK Evening EMH​

 

[buzzrelly]

I decided to try the avocado margarita. Here’s the current menu description: Tromba blanco tequila, melon liqueur, fresh avocado and lime juice. Served frozen with hibiscus salt rim. Close to $20 after tax and tip, oofdah!

Yum. Still on my list to try someday

I had to send this picture to some friends back home, do you really go on a warm winter vacation if you don’t brag a bit?

I got my own gondola and enjoyed a peaceful and breezy ride. I got a little mixed up and I think I got off when I didn’t need to, but I made it to HS in under half an hour. It doesn’t feel like you’re going fast until a gondola passes you going the other direction, then it looks really fast!

That's a great shot. I love that you got a FP for ToT and you can see it from your gondola

“Are we going to be okay if we just ate?” and “I hate drops!” Hope those people had a good time!

I hate cops too, but I love ToT!

I usually refresh for FPs while in queues, and saw a Smuggler’s Run FP right away. It wasn’t until a few hours from then so I passed and picked up an immediate RnR FP instead. I hear that the single rider line often takes a long time, so I figured FP would be quicker.

Score! It's so easy to get FP using refresh for just one person

Everyone was putting on ponchos in the shop, so I grabbed my umbrella and braved the rain! Unless it’s windy, I definitely prefer using an umbrella.

I'm a poncho gal. I think the umbrella keeps your head dry, but your clothes still get wet from sideways rain and I hate wet clothes

 

[Disneyhanna]

Yum. Still on my list to try someday









That's a great shot. I love that you got a FP for ToT and you can see it from your gondola




I hate cops too, but I love ToT!




Score! It's so easy to get FP using refresh for just one person




I'm a poncho gal. I think the umbrella keeps your head dry, but your clothes still get wet from sideways rain and I hate wet clothes

It was so hard to decide on just one flavor marg! The blood orange one looks so good as well! The skyliner has some really good photo ops, it’s so fun riding down to HS and getting such a cool view! I always had so much luck with FPs for 1-2, tons of overlapping times so I always recommend that small groups split up and try to overlap times, especially since the grace period adds an extra 20 minutes! Wet clothes are the worst, I do a poncho and umbrella when it’s bad. Sometimes you need the poncho just to avoid sitting on wet seats

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part Three: Takumi-Tei Dinner and MK Evening EMH

I arrived at Takumi-Tei exactly at 6:30, I’m getting the bus timing down to a science!

It is so beautiful at night! The entrance is beautiful as well, and there’s a CM host there to check you in.

There was a group of ladies on a VIP tour or something, they had a CM guide with them!

The Japanese CMs are so friendly, there is a lot of bowing. I know a few phrases from watching anime growing up, but wasn’t quite brave enough to use any.

I was seated in the Clay room, which was quite lovely. The table setting is gorgeous!

Everything about this restaurant is so beautiful. Even the chairs are so ornate!

My view was near the kitchen, facing a little table holding the water jugs. It was fun watching them come out with all of the food! I had so many CMs waiting on me that I couldn’t keep track.

They bring a hot towel for your hands, which feels so nice! It was hard for me to understand some of the CMs, but they were super patient and repeated themselves for me! I really appreciate that Epcot has the international CMs, and I’m so sad that they will not be there for the foreseeable future.

The restaurant was playing super relaxing string music, it’s quiet and much more peaceful and intimate than California Grill, my only other signature experience. I completely forgot I was in a theme park! The theming is just so incredible, I hope my photos do it justice.

My servers were so nice and upbeat, they really do give you all their attention. They used my name a lot, which was neat and made me feel really spoiled. I know a lot of people feel weird about eating alone, but I felt really comfortable here! They also asked multiple times about allergies, including at check-in, so I would feel really good about eating here if that applied to me.

I treated myself and ordered a drink (N/A because I'm cheap, this was still like $10 LOL), usually I just have water. I had the Okinawa Sunshine: Calpico, Pineapple, Orange, Yuzu Juice, Sprite, Mint.

I would describe this as very similar to an Orange Julius, but with more of a crushed pineapple flavor! It was so delicious and creamy, I definitely recommend it. If you like dole whip you will love this!

I placed my order and right after one of the CMs brought out an “otoshi” for me, this is a little treat from the chef! I believe this comes with the omakase tasting, but I’m not sure if everyone gets one or not when ordering a la carte like I did.

I’m didn't catch everything that was in this, but I heard leek gel, cured salmon, and seaweed. I sort of just shoved it in my mouth in one bite, super elegant! Oh my goodness, this was the best bite of anything I’ve ever had. It was crispy and savory and just so incredibly delicious. Sorry I’m a terrible food reviewer! Just know it was incredible!

There was an eclectic mix of people dining, it was only about half full but a table near me was doing the tea ceremony, so they must have done the omakase. It was a man and woman and their little girl, she looked seconds from falling asleep right there! There were also some business type looking people, most people were dressed in business casual. Lots of polos and shirts, but nothing super fancy!

They brought some beautiful silverware to my table, how can a fork look so nice?! I wouldn’t be needing it, but I suppose they don’t want to assume everyone can use chopsticks!

I will say, things move quite slowly at this restaurant. Definitely don’t eat here if you’re on a strict schedule. I enjoyed observing everything happening in the restaurant! I saw a plate of the temari sushi brought out, they are the little round balls of rice with fish on top. They are much bigger and more filling looking in real life than they look in photos!

My appetizers were brought out first. I ordered two:

Kinoko Dashi: Mushroom Broth, Baby Shiitake, White Rice, Furikake ($12)

Hama no Kani: Ponzu Crab, Toasted Crab, Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon Radish Tsukemono, Leek Gel, Sesame Pollen, Plum Wine ($26.00)

The kinoko dashi actually came out as a bowl with two little mushrooms and they poured in the broth from a tea pot. This was probably my least favorite, the broth was very salty and didn’t really taste like mushrooms. However, the rice with furikake (seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt) was absolutely out of this world! I hadn’t had furikake before and it made the rice so delicious, the best description I have is like a kettle corn seasoning for rice! It’s sweet and savory, and the seaweed is very minimal if that’s not your thing. I think I ate almost all of this rice!

The Hama no Kani salad was also incredible. This was super unique and unlike anything I’ve ever tried. There were large pieces of chilled crab legs that were so sweet and juicy, and the little toasted crabs are actually sold at Mitsukoshi. They’re dried and crunchy with a tiny bit of chew and you eat them whole, it’s hard to describe them but they have a salty seasoning with a bit of sweet as well. It’s one of those things you might love or hate, like shrimp chips! It was super easy to just pick the meat out of the crab claws as well, if you love crab you will probably really enjoy this dish.

The greens were excellent and fresh, there are quite a few sauces as well in this salad so it was incredibly flavorful. I ate pretty much every bite! You could totally share it, but I love crab so much that I’d probably order one just for myself again!

The manager of Takumi-Tei stopped by at this point to ask how everything was! She went to every table, they really want you to have an excellent experience.

When they cleared my plate, they took my fork away as well. The CMs are very observant!

Finally, my main dish arrived. I was actually quite full but wasn’t going to let that stop me! I ordered the Takumi Sashimi: Tuna, Toro, Salmon, Yellowtail, Uni, Ikura ($40.00)

This was so beautifully presented, as sashimi usually is. In the back is a cucumber topped with ikura (salmon roe). From left to right is the yellowtail (hamachi), tuna, and toro (fatty tuna), with the salmon rolled up in the middle and then uni (sea urchin) laid out in front. I believe the white stuff in the back is shredded radish for garnish.

The ikura is like fishy popping boba, very salty! Sounds super yummy when I say it like that doesn't it? Salmon is my favorite sashimi, it was very lean and so fresh. I had never had uni before, which I mentioned to the CM. It was surprisingly juicy, kind of like a raw oyster, and tasted like the sea. It’s very indulgent! I tried the wasabi, which was strong. I’ve never been a wasabi or pickled ginger fan! All of the other fishes were excellent, this was way better than the crudo I from California Grill in December. Super fresh, I highly recommend! The portion size is huge as well.

I overheard someone near me talking about the pureed purple potatoes that I believe come with the American wagyu beef. It’s funny, he was eating wagyu and all he could talk about was how good the potatoes were!

I finished around 8PM, so this was a pretty long solo dinner (90 minutes). They brought me a little glass jar of star candy called “konpeito” which is featured in the movie Spirited Away. I loved that movie as a kid!

This meal was such a wonderful and unique experience, I still have not been to Japan but it felt like I was transported there for dinner. It was quite expensive (~$100 with my AP discount) but worth every penny since this was my “splurge” dinner of the trip. I will never forget this dinner! Let me know if you have tried Takumi-Tei!

(Continued in next post.)​

 

[Disneyhanna]

Day One - Part Three: Continued

Stuffed after dinner, I made a quick change into my warmer clothes and headed to Norway for my Frozen FP. Wow, Epcot is so dark at night! It must have rained a bit since there were puddles everywhere. The standby wait for Frozen was only 30 minutes at 8:20. There was a mom trying to convince her son to wait in line, he must have wanted a treat since her argument was “we can eat ice cream anytime!”

The standby line was extremely short inside, probably only 15 minutes. I was in the second row this time, I was so happy to just be at WDW!

I love the Olaf animatronic at the beginning, so cute!

MK EMH was starting soon, so I made my way to the monorail. I’m not sure if I’d ever taken the monorail from Epcot to MK, usually I take the bus but I thought I’d give it a try.

It took about seven minutes from Epcot to the TTC. It was not a peaceful ride, a family had a screaming baby and they told it to hush since they were going to EMH. Like what the heck? Someone take that baby back to the hotel!

The monorail from the TTC to MK takes so long, never again! It was hot and full of crying kids. The longest 20 minutes of my entire life!

As I entered MK around 9:30, I overheard that Pirates was closed. Just my luck!

It was definitely pretty empty, I think the rain scared people off. The castle looked so lovely!

It was nice being able to walk around without tons of people, though I think I preferred being in the parks during the daytime as a solo guest.

I headed over to Haunted Mansion which was listed as only a 10 minute wait.

I actually know where this ride photo is, so I got a nice picture of what I probably should have been doing instead of evening EMH.

Love the tangled lanterns at night, how could you not!

At 10, the WtP line said 15 and PPF said 25. I decided to do WtP, it was fun going through the regular queue.

I only waited about 10 minutes, it was so funny because the CM put me in the back row of a hunny pot and then two older ladies tried to squeeze in with me! Oh the woes of being a solo traveler! It was so funny though and the couple in front of me thought it was hilarious as well, we couldn’t stop laughing. The poor CM that had to ask them to get off!

"No, I don't want to be owl!!"

Overall it was a pleasant evening, lots of puddles but only the occasional drizzle.

I went on Buzz around 10:30, a little kid slipped on a puddle while going through the queue and fell banana peel style, oh no!

I got my highest score yet! No way could I go on again, my hand hurt so much after!

There was a short line in front of the castle so I decided to stop for a photo, not pictured here because it was not cute at all.

I headed out of MK around 10:50, and with how easy it was to get FPs and the short lines at EMH I was glad I didn’t get any after hours tickets for that week.

I browsed through some shops on my way out of course, I thought this new lavender spirit jersey was cute but not $70 cute! (I may have just bought a spirit jersey yesterday with the new shopDisney 30% AP discount, oops!)

This Disney Monopoly was calling my name, but I already have regular monopoly and LotR monopoly (even though I haven’t seen LotR, I know, I’m the worst) so I restrained myself.

These Space Mountain plushes look like cute garlics, don’t they?

The Coronado bus was so far from the gates, classic! The line was so long, we didn’t even fit in the corrals. Yikes! I’d say there were maybe 100 people. I guess that’s the problem with the more adult resort, we stay up late!

There were two CMs manning the bus area by us and they said two busses were on their way. They really packed people onto the first bus, so I was hopeful I could squeeze onto the second one. I made it onto the second bus and even got a seat! I only waited 25 minutes, which I think is very reasonable given the rush to leave after park close. I was back to my room within 20 minutes of leaving MK, not bad at all!

I spent some time laying out my clothes for the next day at AK, it was supposed to be cool but sunny. Perfect park weather! I had FPs to meet Mickey and Minnie and ride the Safari and Navi River Journey. I don’t think I had ridden NRJ since our first time to Pandora.

I set my alarm for 8:30 and was in bed around midnight. What a packed first day, my trip was off to such a good start! Overall I had 26k steps that day, definitely a lot but not quite at my record of about 30k.

Continued in Day Two - Part One: An AK Morning​

 

[GoldenAfternoon]

I am really enjoying your trip report! Sounds like an excellent start to your vacation