A solo, short but very sweet trip. May 2012 TR

[Mkbnoc]

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read about my trip. As the title suggests it was a solo trip. Hopefully it will help with a future trip planning or inspire someone to take a solo trip.

Just to provide a little background about myself, I am a single 40something living in Anaheim. Living close to Disneyland I have a season pass and make a trip to the park every month or so. I had been to Disneyworld once after a cruise some 24 years ago for a couple of days but always wanted to revisit and see what is new. I am a huge roller coaster fan and last years solo trip was to Cleveland area and Cedar Point.

So when I earned another free flight on Southwest Airlines, Orlando was next on my list to visit.

I started planning the trip late last year and decided to stay at the Wilderness Lodge. I love Yosemite and the National Parks and had to see how Disney presented their version of a Lodge. I only wanted to take a few days off of work and with the long travel times involved decided to compress 2 parks in each of my 2 days at WDW. Since I visit Disneyland a few times a year and had been to Epcot in the past I hoped I could see and do everything in that short amount of time. Also I'm an avid, although not very good, golfer so decided to bring my clubs along for a round on a Disney golf course.

Finally departure day finally arrived.

 

[Mkbnoc]

As I had mentioned I had a free flight on Southwest. I was using up the last of their older flight credits which give you fewer options on seats and flights. I usually try to fly out of John Wayne airport since it is closer to me and much quieter but for this trip LAX just had flight times that worked better for me. So on Saturday at 4:30am I head out the door heading to Los Angeles.


Southwest uses Terminal 1 at LAX and that one is always busy. Even Saturday morning at 5:30am it was still pretty crowded and security took a bit of time but finally I was airborne and on my way. The flight included a stop and plane change in Albuquerque. Both legs of the flight were on time and without any issue. A few short, okay over 6 hours, later I landed in Orlando. After a short walk thru the terminal I boarded the first ride of the trip. Although not high on the trill level the excitement level was high.

I made my way over to baggage claim and after about a 30 min wait I finally relaxed as I saw my bag rounding the corner on the carousal. A few minutes later at the Oversized bag pickup I had my golf clubs as well and head downstairs to the rental car area.

I went with Enterprise as I have had good luck with them in the past and their pricing was as good as or better than the other big companies. Also I kept an eye on pricing and about 2 weeks before the trip the cost on the rental car went down to about $19 a day for a full size. I was pretty happy with that rate. There was a pretty long line, about 18 groups of people, and only 2 clerks behind the desk. They were working hard and after about 20 mins I had my paperwork and made my way across the street to pick out my car. I have to insert here I had poured over trip reports and the boards on this site prior to my trip and appreciate all the information I had picked up. It made the trip so easy knowing exactly how to get around and what to expect. I had hoped to get a Charger as my car type and was lucky enough to have a white one available. After loading in the luggage I headed out of the parking garage and up the street to my hotel.

Nothing exciting with my hotel choice, I enjoy Embassy Suites and went with them for the night. After a drink at the manager’s reception and dinner at a local restaurant I turned in for the night. One funny story, I noticed the Lakers game was on at 10:30pm. Being from Calif and west coast time I automatically changed that to 7:30 local time in my head. When 7:30 came and went and the Lakers game wasn’t on yet I started scanning through the TV stations to figure out where the game went. Took a few minutes to realize I was on east coast time and the game was still 3 hrs away. I took that as a sign it was to turn in for the night.

The next morning I was up early, packed, and headed to the free breakfast Embassy Suites provides. While not the best food ever, it was good and all I could think about was getting onto WDW.
After breakfast I grabbed my bags and loaded the car.

Next stop WDW, the Wilderness Lodge and Epcot…

 

[Mkbnoc]

So now I was finally on the road to WDW. Down the Turnpike and onto I4 looking for exit 67.

And then this beautiful sign. I must be getting close.

And this one letting me know I was Home.

Sorry the pics from the car weren’t the best. Driving, navigating and shooting pics at the same time is probably frown at by the rental car company.

After going through the replica National Park security entrance gate I was on the grounds at the Wilderness Lodge. The pictures on the WDW website do not do it justice. It is beyond amazing.

I just pulled up to the valet area and dropped off my baggage and went inside to pick up my keys/park pass. I had used online check in so just had to sign for my card key. The room was actually ready already even though it was 8:30am but I wanted to get going to Epcot. I did take a few pics of the impressive lobby area.

I jumped back in the car and made my way down the road to Epcot. Sunday morning and all the traffic was heading up to MK so it was an easy drive down. I arrived about the time the park opened and was able to park about 7 rows from the main entrance. Of course I was in such a rush to get into the park I failed to remember the exact row I was in. Took me a few minutes later in the day to find my car.

The Flower and Garden Festival was going on. Beautiful displays and topiaries everywhere.

Test Track was closed and that was one of the main rides I was looking forward to. Also we have Soarin out here at CA park so didn’t see any reason to battle that line. I jumped in line at Spaceship Earth, Mission Space and Ellen’s ride. When 11am arrived I made my way over to the World Showcase and starting at Canada I worked my way around. The 360 degree movie showing in Canada was beautiful.

At the American Pavilion they feature a show with animatronics and movies. The singers in the lobby prior to the show were excellent.

The weather all day had been pretty overcast, but no real rain. By the time I finished at the American Adventure it was after 1pm and I was pretty hungry. The park was getting more crowded so it was harder to work your way down some walkways.

Just past the Germany Pavilion I stopped for lunch. Just a quick hotdog and water. The hotdog was pretty good, better than I expected.

After I finished up at the World Showcase I made my way over to the Land Pavilion and rode the Living with the Land ride. Wait time for Soarin was 65 mins so my decision not to ride it seemed the right idea. Although it is one of my favorites.

I wandering around a little bit and did some shopping in the stores and by 4pm was ready to head back to the Lodge.

I parked in the self parking lot and walked to my room. Number 1014, facing the pond in back.

Not sure if the room had been updated recently, I believe that wing had been though. Anyway it was nice and just what I expected.

After unpacking and getting settled in I relaxed for a bit before heading over to MK…

 

[Shazzasmd]

Great start! Looking forward to reading more about your solo adventure.

 

[Mkbnoc]

Around 6pm I headed out to the MK. I stopped to take a few pics on the way down the boardwalk to the boat dock.

Waited about 10 mins for the boat that runs back and forth to the MK. Skies were still overcast and it was a little breeze but rain had held off all day. Boat ride takes about 10 mins over to the MK.

The CR as we were pulling into the dock at MK

No lines at all getting into the park, I paused long enough to snap a picture before heading off into the park.

The park was busy but not close to being over crowed.

I headed off to my favorite ride at Disneyland/MK and pulled a FP. Standby wait was about 65 mins and return time on the FP was about the same.

Since I visit Disneyland occasionally many of the rides are duplicated. I really wanted to check out a few that are no longer in Disneyland like the PeopleMover and Bear Country Jamboree. There was no line at all for the PeopleMover so I jumped on the ride. After that I still had almost 50 mins till my FP came up at SM so I wandering around to check on Bear Country show.

I must have just missed a show as it had 18 mins to show time. It was getting late so I tried to grab some dinner before the next show. Pecos Bill Café was next door so I ordered a chesseburger, apples slices and a coke. There seemed to be a delay of some type in the kitchen as no food orders came out for a few minutes after I ordered. Seating was easy, there is ton of tables scattered about different rooms there. After eating I made my way back to Bear Country to find the next show had just started, missed it by less than a minute. I went over to Splash Mtn and debated riding it. Just didn’t feel like getting wet since it was nearing dark and I didn’t have any type warmer clothing.

It was time for my Space Mtn FP so I work my way back and walked almost all the way onto the ride. I was surprised to see how it differed from the Calif version. Single ride seats in WDW where in Calif you ride side by side. A few other differences but still a great ride.

After that I finally got into Bear Country Jamboree.

Big Al still my favorite.

Next up the rest of my evening at the MK….

 

[Mkbnoc]

When I made it out of the Bear Country show it was dark out and people were lining up for the parade. I went over to the Haunted Mansion and walked right on, ride was about 2/3 full. Ride again had a few minor differences from the Calif version but equally as fun. I worked my way back to Fantasyland and an ice cream shop I had noticed earlier.

With sundae and a bottle of water paid for I found a quiet table that had a view of the castle and enjoyed the fireworks. Sorry was too busy eating and watching to take more pics.

The park was closed after the fireworks but there were the magic extra hours till 1am. The main street area was too crowded to navigate around so I worked my way around the back to Pirates. No line at all and walked right on. Again a few minor differences between Calif, like only 1 drop down, but still has all the same main features.

After the ride I was ready to head back to the WDL and a comfy bed. Stopped for one more pic of the castle before exiting.

And Silver Springs falls back at the Lodge. Sorry it’s so dark, looked better to the naked eye when I took it.

Next my day at AK and DHS…

 

[Bmousey]

Great TR! I commend you on going solo! If only I could muster up the courage to do the same...lol. Can't wait to hear/see more.

 

[Mkbnoc]

I had been looking forward to Monday probably the most of any day and visiting the Animal Kingdom park since it would be something completely different for me. So I was up early and out the door of the Lodge room by 7am.
Quick and easy drive to the AK parking lot and parked in a completely empty lot. There was one single car next to me in the guest parking lot. I guess since it was a magic hour morning most people would be taking the buses so not many cars in the lot that early. A quick stroll up the path and I reached the front entrance.

There was a small group of people waiting for the park to open, no more than 20. By 7:45 the crowd had grown to just over 100 and we were allowed to enter the park up to Discovery Island. The cast members were very friendly and keep everyone entertained while we waited for the rope to drop. Finally at 8am they allowed everyone to head deeper into the park.

My first ride was Kilimanjaro Safari. I was one of the first few in line and I think ended up on the second vehicle out. I was on the far right side so had a clear view out the vehicle.

I took a lot of pics and have a link here if anyone wants to see them all. Otherwise I have some of the better animal pics below.
http://s637.photobucket.com/albums/uu99/michae2890/Orlando Trip 2012/

Easily my favorite non-coaster ride ever. It was incredible the amount of animals that were out that early and how much fun it was to see them in their natural environment. It was about 8:25 when I finished the ride and I headed off to Expedition Everest.

I had been looking forward to this ride a lot after reading about it and it delivered. No wait to board the ride and walked right on. It might be a little short in actual ride time but it is a great ride. On my way off I grabbed a FP so I could ride it again after the main park opening. Return time was 8:30.

Next stop was Dinosaur.

Just a brief wait in line while the group in front of us cleared from the staging room. Ride is fun, very similar to Indy Jones ride at Disneyland.

By now the park had opened to the masses and there were waves of folks coming in. I decided to walk around a bit and explore while I waited for my FP for EE came up. I stopped at a small pastry truck near the Flights of Wonder show. I had an apple fritter and bottle of water and enjoyed some people watching time.

After finishing up I worked my way back to EE but as I got closer I saw a train stuck on the lift hill. I watched for a bit but it was definitely not going anywhere soon so I reversed course and went back to Kilimanjaro Safari.

Wait time was about 40 mins already so I got a FP and headed up to Pangani Forest Trail.

 

[Mkbnoc]

Seemed like quite a few others had the same idea as I did as there was a pretty good number of people walking through. I can only image how crowded it would be on a busy day/time. Good amount of animals out and about still at this early time.

After finishing the walk I decided to head back to EE and see if was up and running yet.

No luck, EE was still down and no eta on it being back up. So I head over to Maharajah Jungle Trek.

This part of the park was a lot quieter, not so close to KS.

By the time I finished my FP was good for KS so I weaved my way past the growing crowds. Just a few minute wait to board as they were now loading from 2 separate platforms. I was hoping to get to sit on the left side to get a different view on this trip and got lucky. Actually had the whole row to myself but stayed on the left mostly.

By the time I walked off the ride it was after 11:30 and the heat, humidly and crowds were growing. I decided to head over to DHS. On last shot of EE, still didn’t see anyone riding it.

Next stop DHS...

 

[Mkbnoc]

Sorry about the delay with a new post, have been busy at work.

After leaving the AK I headed back to the rental car and down the road to Disney Hollywood Studios. I was eager to visit this park, I had been there back in the late 80’s when it was still Disney MGM Studios but other than the Backlot Tour no other attractions sounded familiar.

Parking was easy, I believe I was in the Film lot and as I exited the car a tram was waiting to take us off to the entrance. A short ride and walk later and I was in the park.

There was a live band playing on the stage, they sounded good but I never caught the band name. I worked my way down Sunset Blvd to the 2 main rides I wanted to get on. Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller Coaster.

TT had about a 50 min standby wait so I headed over to RRC to pull a fast pass, I figured that one would have an even longer wait. I totally forgot reading that RRC had a single rider line, perfect for the solo traveler! Standby line was about 65 mins but single rider line was empty as far as I could see, so I hustled back to TT and got a FP, then jumped in the single rider line for RRC.

I made it up to the doorway to the holding room just outside the studio where Aerosmith meets you. There was about 5 people ahead of me in the single rider line. Waited a little less than 10 mins then we were all in the studio hanging out with Aerosmith. I really enjoyed the set up to the ride, then out the door to the ride loading area. The ride was even better, I felt one of my favorite Disney rides. Good combination of Calif Screaming and Space Mtn. Overall the ride took less than 20 mins and I still had over 25 mins for my Tower of Terror FP so I did RRC one more time.

After my second ride it was close enough to use my FP for Tower of Terror. Another one of my favorite rides out in Disneyland, the WDW version has a little different loading process. Calif uses 2 levels and is 3 wide. WDW uses 1 floor but is 4 wide. But both rides are the same once they get going, great rides.

Once I was finished with TT it was after 1pm and I was starving. I had seen so many great pictures of the cupcakes at Starring Rolls I decided to stop there for lunch. I grabbed sandwich, banana and this for dessert. It was way too much food for one meal so I saved half the cupcake for later.

I didn’t want to do any more exciting rides after just eating so wandered around the park a bit. I forget how long the standby line was for Toy Story but the FP was for 6pm, a full 4 hrs away.

I just missed the Extreme Stunt Show so decided to go to the Backlot Tour show. I had been on it years before and it had not changed much. Fun if you are just done with all the other rides/shows.

The Stunt Show was going out during the Backlot ride and it looked interesting. I wish I had made it to that show.

Once done with the Backlot show I worked my way over to the Indy Jones show.

The Indy Jones show was entertaining, lots of explosions and action. By the time the show ended I was running out of gas so headed back to the room.
On the way back to the room I took a few shots of the WDL.

Next up Dinner at Shulas, golf and Universal…

 

[Mkbnoc]

I had made ADR for Shula's Steakhouse at the Dolphin Hotel for Monday night. I drove down and parked in the self parking lot, unlike the WDL parking here was $15 a day to self park. It had started to rain on the drive over so I had to dodge rain drops while walking up to the hotel. Made my way to the lobby and the restaurant is right down a few hallways.

Beautiful, classic restaurant. Maybe a bit too dark but it gives the restaurant some ambiance. The hostess puts a football on the table on a tee, I never figured out the idea behind that. Maybe part of the menu or daily specials were on it. The wait staff was amazing and to assist you ordering they roll a cart up to show you and describe the different cuts of meat. Was interesting to learn a bit about different cuts rather than just read them off a menu. I started with their specialty appetizer, bbq shrimp. I followed that up with the filet and lobster mashed potato. Truly a great meal and I recommend it to anyone that wants some fine dining while at WDW.

Less than an hour after sitting down to dinner I was back in the lobby. I stopped at the lobby bar for an after dinner drink to watch some sports on their tvs. After that I checked out side and the rain had stopped leaving a beautiful, cooler evening. I walked over and past the Swan hotel to the Fantasia Fairways mini golf course. I had a fee coupon thanks to Disney and wanted to walk off some of dinner. The walk over is beautiful along the pool and ponds of the two hotels.

The staff at the mini golf course was very friendly and even let me play 2 balls. The course was pretty quite since the rain had stopped not long before. I enjoy about 60 mins of some seriously tough mini golf. As I finished there were quite a few more groups playing both courses.

I walked back to the Dolphin, stopped for one more drink and some sports updates before heading back to the room.

Next morning I was up early, finished the last of the Starring Rolls cupcake and did one final walk around the WDL before checking out.

I was sad to have to leave such a beautiful hotel and to know my trips to the parks were done with. I had a tee time that morning at the Disney Palms golf course so I made the short drive there. Like everything Disney the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Bob the starter that day suggested I wait for a group to come up so I was not playing alone. I enjoyed chatting with him while waiting. Once on the course I really enjoyed the course. Not the best course ever, but well worth the time to play.

After the round I changed and with a lot of sadness head to the I-4 and Universal Studios.

 

[Mkbnoc]

The main reason for going to Universal Orlando is of course Harry Potter attraction. I had booked the Hard Rock Hotel to take advantage of the early entrance time. I arrived to the hotel about 2pm and was able to check in and settle into the room.

Hotel is beautiful, room was amazing. Sorry didn’t think to take any pictures. But as nice as the room was, just misses those Disney touches. I could already see a major mistake in my plans. I was going to be comparing the HRH the whole stay to the WDL. I should have done Universal first and saved the best for last. I hadn’t eat lunch after golfing so I went down to the café they call The Kitchen. Had a club sandwich and a coke that was really good.

I wasn’t going to the park until the next morning so grabbed a book and headed down to the pool. Great pool, the music was playing just loud enough to hear but not make your ears bleed. Sandy beach, long water slide, plenty of deck chairs and good sized pool bar. Later I took a stroll over to City Walk and to find something for dinner.

On the way back I stopped at the hotel’s pool bar for a couple of drinks and to watch some sports. Natasha the bartender was really friendly and keep me entertained.

Next morning was up way too early and in line by 7:15am for Island of Adventure. Unlike Disney that seems to only open at the exact announced time, Universal will open the gates whenever security clears the park. So about 7:50 they let everyone staying on the site properties in.

There was a group of about 50 of us making a dash to Harry Potter. I had read on DISboards about a short cut to take and I trusted it. Ended up with 2 other groups following me so I really hoped I had the shortcut right. Fortunately I did and thanks to fellow posters arrived at Harry Potter well before the main pack.

A family of 4 and myself headed right to Forbidden Journey and we were the first ones on it. Was a little surreal to be the only ones walking in line, never saw anyone behind us till we were waiting to board the ride. The ride is amazing, I had no idea what the ride was so a complete surprise.

I headed right over to Dragon Challenge afterwards. Again no one in line. Myself and another couple walked right up and had our pick of what seat we wanted. They went with the back, I went for the front.

Another good ride, lots of loops. I think you spend more time upside down than upright!
By the time I got off the crowds were picking up. But still nothing like I’m sure it gets after the main opening.

I have to admit; I’m not a huge Harry Potter fan and have only seen a few of the movies. I saw a line for Ollivanders and although I wasn’t sure what the attraction was, I thought I better get in line before it got longer. That is when I went to check my cell phone and found it was missing. Amazing how 10 years ago we barely had cell phones and now realizing it was gone was the worst feeling ever. Like I was completely cut off and alone. I jumped out of line and tried to figure out where I lost it. If it was on the Dragon Challenge it was gone, smashed into a few hundred pieces after that tall of a drop. But on Forbidden Journey your seat gets into some interesting angles. I don’t want to ruin any surprises by giving parts of the ride away but I remembered a part that seemed possible for the phone to slip out. I headed over to the line and spoke with an employee. They called the ride operators and after describing the phone was told they had found it. Yes!! I quickly headed up the stairs and was given the phone back. So thankful for the staff for saving my trip.

Anyway after nearing having a heart attack I was back in line at Ollivanders. Fun little attraction and they do a good job of presenting the wands and getting you into the gift shop. After leaving the main park opening had just occurred and I’m watched groups of people pouring into Harry Potter.

I headed over to ride the Hulk ride. Another great ride.

And over to Jurassic Park island.

I skipped some of the water rides. Was overcast and pretty cool out and not many people were riding the water rides.

This side of the park was still pretty quiet at 10am since most everyone was at Harry Potter. There really was no lines. I made Spiderman my last ride of the trip. Another great ride, completely unique.

I stopped for a Cinnabon for a late breakfast, my first time ever having one. Since it was mid-May there were lots of local school groups coming in for field trips and the park was filling up fast. I spent some time wandering around checking out some shops and people watching.

Around noon it started to rain and I was about done at the park. I took the boat back to the HRH and picked up my car and headed off to airport.
One note about the airport, it was pouring rain all afternoon. I didn’t notice it till the morning after I got back when I was unpacking my luggage but the top two layers of clothes were soaked. They must leave the luggage out in the rain while transporting it or loading it. So if you are flying home and there is rain in the forecast you might want to put some type of waterproof layer in your luggage.

Overall the trip was incredible, I had a great time. Going solo a few disadvantages at times but the ability to do exactly what you want when you want is worth it.

 

[TinkerbellsMom0923]

Nice TR, we have met many people doing solo trips. I like walking around alone and people watching with nobody trying to hurry me along...

 

[puffinp51]

Enjoyed reading your report - thank you! I liked hearing about HP as we have never gone to Universal and are huge HP fans.