Friday, November 7, 2014

KeyCon 2014 Trip: Day #2

The second day of my trip, I wanted to make the most out of being at Disney by myself. My new friend Wanda had a tour at the Magic Kingdom in the morning so I was on my own.  I slept in a little so I'd be recharged for the day.  When I got up, I decided that my first Walt Disney World Solo Mission would be Blizzard Beach!!!


Blizzard Beach is one of my favorite parts of Walt Disney World.  It's surprising to me how many people don't take advantage of the water parks.  The first time I went to Blizzard Beach, we were at Walt Disney World when I was 12 for Christmas.  I got a huge chuckle out of the "fake" snow when our friends and family back home in Maine had the real deal.  I'll never forget listening to Christmas carols while walking around in my bathing suit.  I make it a point to go there every trip to WDW- as long at it's open. 


I knew Blizzard Beach was going to be closed when we return in January, so I decided I'd get my fill this trip.  I started my water park day the same way I always do, with a trip around Cross Country Creek.  (I had promised my friends and family that I'd do a few trips around the lazy river in their honor.)  While everyone back home was dealing with the seasonal temperature changes, I was floating along in the warm waters the lazy river. As I looked up at the sun shining through the trees, I felt nothing but contentment and relaxation.  I went around three times before getting off near the Purple Slope.


Eliot loves the Toboggan Racers so I had to go down them at least once for him.  I had a blast and I even came in second of the eight riders!  Although, I was up against a bunch of kids, so maybe that's not really a big win.  After my ride, I decided to head over to Melt-Away Bay to enjoy the wave pool.  I grabbed a tube and floated along.  The waves turned on and a bobbed up and down near the wave maker for a while.  Eventually, I made my way back to the lazy river for two more trips around the park before calling it a day.  To my excitement, the cast member at the locker return offered me an Olaf bag instead of my $5.  I had to get the Olaf bag; Eliot would have disowned me otherwise!


After an enjoyable morning and afternoon, I headed back to Pop Century to take a shower and rest a little.  I stopped by Concierge to purchase my Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party tickets for that evening, and was completely shocked when the cast member told me they were sold out!?!?  I should have known Columbus Day weekend would be busy.  However, I've never bought MNSSHP tickets in advance except for Halloween night in 2010.  I was pretty bummed out that I wouldn't be meeting more up with more of the Key to the World crew.  Thankfully, I had a little bit of a surprise waiting for me at my room.  I had a KeyCon welcome goody bag waiting for me on my extra bed. Eeyore, Duffy and Olaf were left curled up on my bed by Mousekeeping.


I sent Wanda a text to let her know I wouldn't be meeting up with her at MNSSHP.  Then I showered and ended up taking a nap.  When I woke up, I decided I'd go get dinner and head over to Downtown Disney to poke around for a few hours.  I left Eeyore, Olaf and Duffy in bed on my pillows.  Eating dinner at Pop Century alone was the first time I felt a little bit lonely all day.  Everyone else was sitting with their families enjoying dinner and I had a booth all to myself.  My delicious burger was well worth it though.


Walking around Downtown Disney alone was actually a lot of fun.  I took the opportunity to poke around stores I've never been in before.  I started in the scrapbook store and made my way into the art store.  I love admiring the Disney art. They even had a few new Thomas Kincade items!  I made my way from the Marketplace over towards the West Side.  Eliot wanted me to check out D Street for a few Vinylmations.  Along the way I stopped to admire the Lego sculptures and the Characters in Flight hot air balloon.


I didn't find the Vinylmations Eliot wanted, but I did enjoy looking at the candy apples in the candy store.  I wandered back towards the Marketplace and stopped to relax on a bench for a few minutes to watch the hot air balloon.  I continued along through the construction route.  It was a little crazy with all of the walls put up, but I'm excited to see how it'll look when Downtown Disney becomes Disney Springs.


I spent a while wandering around the World of Disney store.   It's always one of my favorite places to shop for park merchandise!  I found a few things that I made a mental note of.  I was very proud of myself when I left without purchasing anything!  I continued on and decided to look in a few places I never have.  Basin was at the top of my list.  I spent a while in there admiring the soaps and bath bombs.  I took a few photos of the Mickey soaps to show Eliot.


I continued on my quest and walked through the Arribas Brothers store.  I loved all of the glass work.  There was a cute Olaf necklace and new Frozen inspired vases and bowls. I continued on over to Tren-D where I found some awesome Harvey's seat belt bags. Next up was a quick peek around the pin store.  Then, I made my way over to Once Upon a Toy.  I love that place.  Eventually, I ended up at my weakness: Disney's Days of Christmas.  I took a lot of photos, but for once, I left the store without buying anything.  I was very proud of myself and my will power.


Of course, after having such a great display of willpower, I decided that I'd treat myself. My final stop was Goofy's Candy Co where I admired all of the candy apples.  I really wanted an Olaf apple, but I decided that since it was Halloween time, I would get a Minnie Mouse Witch candy apple instead.  I was supposed to be over at MMSSHP after all. This seemed like a pretty good consolation prize for missing out.


After I purchased my candy apple, I made my way back to the buses and headed to Pop Century.  I worked on my "top secret" KeyCon project for a little while and went to bed to prepare for another busy day!  °o°

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