Glendamax Report: "Oh why did I go SOLO"?

[Glendamax]

Cast: Gmax
Dates: Sunday, September 9, 2007 - Friday, September 14, 2007
Resort: Animal Kingdom Lodge (Villas)

Prologue:

The first time I went to Disney World was about a year after EPCOT openned. We stayed at the LaQunita Inn by the airport. Back then, we went to the park when it openned, stayed all day, then came back to the room, only to repeat the same thing the next day. Over the next few years, we visited a few more times.

Fast forward to 1998. I was out of college, working full time, and wanted a REAL vacation again. So I told my Mom to pack her bags, we're going to Disney World! We went in May, and stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort for a week. It was GREAT!

2002-2006. I finally have a good paying job, and am about to buy a house. It's time to go to Disney World again! Since I have (unfortunantly) told family and friends about this site, I have to be VERY vague with names and descriptions . . . . It was during this time - what I thought would be the golden years of travel - that my trips (to Disney and other places) ended up being VERY drama filled: people not paying their half of the trip, some saying they were going to go, then cancelling, and some being ignorant and trying to pick fights WHILE in the parks and right before viewing Wishes.

2007 - After having such a great time in 2006, my Mother wanted to go again in 2007. However, she had bills to pay and other things to look after. (Wouldn't Suze Orman be proud?!) So she decided to bow out.

After reviewing my previous trips, and wanting to finally have a DRAMA-FREE trip, I decided go solo. Most of my friends are either married, have kids, or could care less about spending their hard-earned money on a trip to Diseny World. So I didnt even try to find someone to go with me. Insted, I lurked on the Adults and Solo boards to see how these people actually went ALONE. I had NO IDEA that people did this. So right away, I thought these people were either loners, or weirdos - that is, until I started reading through the threads. . . Could it be? Could I actually plan and go on a Disney trip ALONE?! Could I actually look forward to a drama-free trip?

Well, I pray and talk to Jesus ALOT. I asked him to please help me. I could not see working ALL year, with NO VACATION simply because no one wanted to go. I booked the trip, and asked the Lord that if there was someone who could go with me, send them. If not, PLEASE help me to NOT be sad and LONELY on this trip.

Time goes by . . . Looks like I'm going solo. So Jesus, it's just you and me. I start planning by looking at the crowd level chart, planning where I'll go and when, then making dinner reservations for one. The whole time pretending I'm ok.

Around the end of June/July, my friend Kim tells me that she may go to Disney with her kids around the same time - so maybe we'll see each other. DISer, Eeyore's Tiara tells me she's going at the same time and will include me in her dinner plans! YES! Then, one of my girlfriends who I NEVER see because we work opposite shifts tells me that her church is having a conference in Orlando Sept. 5-8th. WHAAAAT?! So I ask her if she wants to extend her stay so we can hang out a bit. Well that turns out to be a bit difficult since she's already paid for the trip including the flights. FINALLY in August, it's official! She will extend her stay, and be with me for the first 2 days, leaving EARLY on the 3rd day!

So now it looks like it will be more of a Solo-ish trip. I have 3 friends to meet up with, and 2 DISer meets: TOT @ MGM, and Mojito Meet at POP! This is going to be a fun trip after all . . . .

My Flight and Arrival Next . . .

 

[Glendamax]

I can't believe it's finally time to go. This year I flew on Southwest, since AirTran only seats midgets. Being 6 feet tall, I needed more room, so I had to dump Airtran. I found out on this site that I could get my boarding pass online 24hours before. GREAT! So I'll have a chance at being in Group A, AND get to sit in the emergency row!

On Sunday morning, I got up at 4:30am. My Mother dropped me off at the airport and gave me a card to open once on the plane (ahh!). The whole time I'm waiting to board, I dont read anything, take notes - I just try to look awake. I am SOOOOO TIRED.

Finally it's time to board. As I'm in line, a lady taps me and says that her daughter saw the Mickey on my bag. Then she realized that she recognized me. Her screen name is "JBBT" and she is friends with "PraiseHisName". WOW! I'm not even on the plane yet, and I've had my first DIS siting! I told her about the DISmeets, and we chatted a bit.

Now comes the moment of truth: Will I get the emergency row seat that will allow me to travel like short people? I slowly walk up the isle . . . looking . . . looking . . . I see a short dude sitting in the row (UGHHH!!!), but there are 2 other seats and they are EMPTY!!!! THANK GOD!!!!! I sat by the window. The flight was non-eventful, except for the man snoring LOUDLY next to me.

About an hour into my flight, I open the card my Mom gave me. It says "Congrats You Did It". In it, she wrote how proud she was of me for going solo, and she gave me $60 to treat myself to a few breakfasts(ahhhh!). Wasn't that nice? I was trully surprised!

We landed 15mins early!!! WOO-HOO!!! When I got to the ME line downstairs at the airport, it was CROWDED!!!! The line extended waayyy outside of the ropes. There were 15 (yes, fifteen) CMs checking people in. ALL of them were SUPER BUSY!!!

The shuttle pulled off at 11am. We were told that it was making 3 stops: Pop, Coronado Springs, then Animal Kingdom. It was ONE HOUR before I got to AK.

There was no line at check-in, room was NOT ready. So I left the desk, and sat down to call everyone to let them know that I'd arrived. As I'm on the phone, I look up and see my friend Kim! We then got on the elevator to go down to the food court. When the elevator doors closed, I JUMPED up and DOWN!!! I'm HEREEEE!!!!! WOOO-HOOO!!!!!!

I was really looking forward to AK's food court. After all, if Port Orleans Riverside AND French Quarter are nice, this one has to be SPECTACULAR!!!! wrong. The selection was very small: burgers, chicken, pizza, and a shrimp basket. HUH????? Isnt this ANIMAL KINGDOM LODGE?!!!!!!

After we get our food, DISer Sneezie walks in!

And one of my friend's kids, strikes a pose too!

We had a fun time talking! Both Kim and Sneezie had been there a week, and were talking about women's strange outfits, and wearing HEELS in the parks!

We went out separate ways (or so I thought). Sneezie was going to AK (the park) to kill time till her new room at another resort was ready, and Kim and the kids walked around the resort.

Thoughts of this Day:
1. It was great that Sneezie and Kim met me. After travelling alone, it was nice to see friendly faces... Oh, and no, I still can't remember Sneezie's REAL name. I called her Sneezie the whole time!

2. I was VERY disappointed in AK's food court. You would think that a place that charges 200/300 a night per room, would have LOTS to choose from. The food court - if you could call it that - was small, and dark.

Comming up: My first park of the trip!

 

[TripTime]

Good start!!! I almost booked AKL but went with WL/POFQ. Still hope to see AKL one day.

 

[IkeandMike]

Welcome back. I can't wait to read how your solo trip went. All of these solo trip reports are making me want one for myself. But I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough for that.

 

[MeMom]

No doubt that we're on board for this TR! We're looking forward to hearing the good and the bad, and to seeing all the other Disers you met up with. I'm pretty sure cherokeemamma said she and her daughter were meeting up with you and ET at some point.

I'm also wondering if we'll get to see a second take of your "mean dinosaur" face, because the first one was far from... let's say....ferocious. I think that has to be my favorite picture from your last trip. Oh, and of course the one where your mom was holding on to you for her dear life on Everest!

You have a sweet mom. I hope you got some good breakfasts with her thoughtful gift. Okay...I've got to get off of here and get ready for school. I'll look forward to hearing all about your trip.

 

[marivaid]

Welcome back !! I loved your 2006 report. Looking forward to hear more about this solo-ish trip

 

[Glendamax]

Day One
Sun. 9/9

After leaving the food court, I went to the desk to have them hold onto my jacket and welcome packet, so I could meet my friend Fee at AK.

When I got on Disney's Shuttle to go to my first park, I happened to sit across from Sneezie! I thought she was long gone! We got to chat a bit more, and split up at the entrance because . . . . .
I had to get my ANNUAL PASS!!!! WOO-HOO!!! That's right folks! I'm grown now!

I called Fee, and she told me she was at Pizzafari (?). Since I've never eaten there, I had to ask a couple of CMs where it was. And finally, Fee!!!!! I was sooo excited to see her! Funny how we live in the same city, and see each other for the first time in Orlando! After we hug, she shows me this . . . .

Yes folks, this is a dream Fast Pass!​

Fee told me before the trip that she figured that she would win something since I'm the REAL Disney fan, and this is her first REAL trip (since childhood).
Fee didnt use it, in hopes that it was for 2 people. But as we all know, it's only for one. Fortunantly, Fee did get to the park when it openned, so everything was a walk-on anyway!

Before we even hit any rides, the sweat is rolling off of me. Thank Goodness I had a handkerchief with me! IT WAS HOTTTT!!!!!

I figured I'd get Fee to ride the 2 things I couldnt alone: Dinosaur and Everest. This time on Everest, I wanted my picture to look better. So I attempted to look happy. As you will see, the end result just makes me look crazy. . .

(Yes, that's me in the pink... no not her, I'm in the 2nd row.)​

Don't I look like the person you hope DOESN'T show up at a DISer meet?

It was soooo hot, so we decided to leave the park about 2:45. And sadly, I did NOT get a chance to take another scary Dinosaur pic. Here's the one from last year . . .

When we got back to the resort, the room still wasnt ready, so we sat down by the fire pit in AK's lobby. We thought it was so cool to be able to sit there and not feel the heat! While sitting there, we took off our shoes. I was sooooo sad because I had my black Mary Jane Crocs on, and they were rubbing the bottom of my feet raw! How could this be? I had several outfits co-ordinated around these shoes. Oh Well.

At this point, it's about 3:45. The room HAS to be ready. But insted of going to the desk, I call the number from my cell. And sure enough, I'm told it's ready, and I can head on up. I jumped up like it was Christmas! Finally, I'd get to see a room at the Lodge!

 

[newholidayx2]

So when is your next solo trip? arent they wonderful? and as you found out youre never really alone!
thanks for the TR - I'll be reading

 

[Glendamax]

Day One cont.
The Room!

After getting the room number - 5528, Fee and I head for the elevators. Wow, I'm actually a guest here, and not a Lurker! We walked down a long hallway, found the elevators, got off, and discover that we have to walk down another long hallway. Right away, I'm worried. How in the world am I going to do this at the end of a long park day? After what seems like miles, we find the room.

The room was a studio with a Savannah View. When we walked in the room, there was "towel art" on the bed!

​

Notice the hidden Mickeys on the bed spread. There were alot of them througout the prints in the room.

Below, I took a pic of the chair, because it's a REAL chair. You know how some hotel furniture looks real, but then you go to move it, and it's light as a feather? Well this chair was heavy!

Check out the hidden Mickeys in the carpet!

There's an "LG" flat screen TV, and DVD player in the room. I was REALLY glad about the DVD player, because most of the channels were Disney-related of course.

Kitchenette . . .

Now here's the funny part. See how they've supplied dish detergent? Well, when I openned the cabinets, they had paper plates and bowls, and plastic flatware individually wrapped in plastic. They did have "real" cups though. I thought it was tacky.

Bathroom . . .

The shower was nice. The curtain road bowed outward, to give you extra room inside the shower. You can see some of the hidden Mickeys in blue.

The Balcony and View . . .

Stayed Tuned . . .

 

[Lan]

Welcome Back Glenda!!!!!

 

[Glendamax]

Day One cont.
Sun. 9/9

As I'm sure you all suspect, inspite of the paper plates, I was very excited to be in the room. But where is my lugguage? It's about 4pm, I had a dinner reservation in 30 minutes, and desperately wanted to shower and change! I call the front desk, and the Lady asks "Well what time did your flight get in"? "10:30am, and I checked in at Noon". "OH! Well I'll check with Bell services, your lugguage should be right up".

Fortunantly, it was there in about 10mins. I took the fastest shower in history! Got dressed, and ran down to Boma to meet DISer Eeyore's Tiara and family! It was great seeing her again! Remember, she is the one who threw the tea last year that I attended.

It was nice to finally meet her whole family. Each day they dressed in the same color. That day was brown day. They all looked so cute!

We had a great meal at Boma- sorry no pics! I was toooooo hungry, and tooooo excited to be there to stop and take pics! Well, here's one . . .

One dish I was looking forward to was the peanut rice. Unfortunantly, they didnt have it this time either. But they surprised me by bringing over a bowl of rice with the peanut sauce stirred in. You just gotta love this place!

After dinner, Fee and I were off to EPCOT where we were going to get a little Pixie Dust . . . .

 

[KimAshton]

Love your TR. Why do I never meet Dis'ers??

Subscribing.

 

[Glendamax]

Good start!!! I almost booked AKL but went with WL/POFQ. Still hope to see AKL one day.

AKL is beautiful! You must eat at Boma!

Welcome back. I can't wait to read how your solo trip went. All of these solo trip reports are making me want one for myself. But I don't know if I'd ever be brave enough for that.

Oh you can do it! Believe me, it's not as hard as you think!

No doubt that we're on board for this TR! We're looking forward to hearing the good and the bad, and to seeing all the other Disers you met up with. I'm pretty sure cherokeemamma said she and her daughter were meeting up with you and ET at some point.

I'm also wondering if we'll get to see a second take of your "mean dinosaur" face, because the first one was far from... let's say....ferocious. I think that has to be my favorite picture from your last trip. Oh, and of course the one where your mom was holding on to you for her dear life on Everest!

You have a sweet mom. I hope you got some good breakfasts with her thoughtful gift. Okay...I've got to get off of here and get ready for school. I'll look forward to hearing all about your trip.

I didnt take notes like last year, so I hope I remember everything. Unfortunantly, I didnt take a Dino pic this year

Welcome back !! I loved your 2006 report. Looking forward to hear more about this solo-ish trip

Thanks for reading that term paper of a report I wrote last year! This one wont be as detailed, but I hope you will enjoy it a little!

Welcome Back Glenda!!!!!

Thanks Lan!

 

[Glendamax]

Love your TR. Why do I never meet Dis'ers??

Subscribing.

You should put your pic in your siggie right before your next trip!

 

[Sneezie]

TAMARA here!!! It was so great meeting you. I am still laughing at some of the things you said at the Mara!

I can't believe you've started your trip report already. You are really making me look bad. I started typing mine up in Word yesterday. I will definitely post something today!!!!

I can't wait to read more about what happened on your solo trip.

 

[NeverlandPixie]

Welcome back, Glenda! Loving your TR so far! I hope to be so lucky when I solo at the Poly in March! Unless I am able to meet some DISsers, I will be totally solo

Keep'em coming!

 

[ANTSS2001]

I will catch up with the TR later .. work has been killing me since I got back

 

[mamaprincess]

Hey Glenda!!!

I haven't begun to read this just yet. I was just so surprised to see your trip report up that I had to say hi first.

O.K., going to read it now...

 

[Glendamax]

I will catch up with the TR later .. work has been killing me since I got back
yes peeps there's Glenda!!!

Antss - I guess I need to put a spoiler alert on your posts! Please dont tell what happends before I do!

 

[mlill]

Hi Glenda! I missed out posting on your other trip reports, so I am excited to be here for this TR! I love the AKV pictures! Congratulations on becoming a DVC member there!!! I can't wait to stay there next year.

I'm looking forward to reading about your solo trip...

Take care,
Michelle