Tracy161
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Messages
- 3,925
I can't wait any longer!!!
My 3rd solo adventure!
May 17-24 Pre-trip Report
Pop Century
Hello, everyone! I’m Tracy, a long-time Disney lover, long-time Disboards member, and first-time trip reporter. Each time I take a trip I think to myself this is the time I’ll write a report. This time I’m absolutely going to. And I’ve decided to go a step above that and acquaint myself to the trip reporting world by first doing a PTR.
That’s me… the one without the CM nametag
Side note: Ed (pictured here) was one of the best CMs I've ever met - I had the privilege of being the only passenger on his bus on my last trip and we chatted about Disney and just life in general. It was one of the trip's most special moments.
So… first of, some introductions, or… an introduction.
Who: Just me! I’m a 32 year old who works in a museum. Most days, I love my job. This will be my third solo trip to Disney (11th total) and I’m looking forward to it immensely. I think there’s just something about the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want that makes solo tripping especially fun for me. Also, I’m a very fast-paced Disney traveler. Some might even call me – gasp! – a commando style one. Few people in my real life – and by that I mean one that I can think of (my youngest sister Ashley, see picture of us below) – could happily tolerate me whilst on a Disney vacay. I think better of my friendships than to involve them in this crazy world of mine. That being said, I do know how to relax and I do hope to do a lot of that on this trip; it’s just that I always want to make the most of my Disney trips and infinite hours of lolly-gagging around just isn’t my style.
When: Sunday, May 17-Sunday, May 24 I had some work commitments, my niece’s impending April birth, and my nephew’s May birthday (he’ll be 2!) to work around in the coming months but I’m happy I finally settled on these dates. Memorial Day falls a little early this year (May 25) so I’m a little disappointed I’ll be encountering those crowds the second half of my trip, but I figured dealing with that was better than waiting any longer. My last trip to Disney was in September 2013 and I just wasn’t prepared to wait any more!
Where: Pop Century Resort [and Spa] – Rob, lookin’ at you! And here's also hoping you read this...
What: 7-Day Magic your way ticket with park hopper plus quick-service dining. I went round and round (for a whole 3 minutes) about whether or not I wanted to purchase the dining plan. In September, of course, I got free dining and fell in love with the ease of it all. True, I’d probably make out a bit better by just paying out of pocket, but I figured what the heck.
I have a voucher from USAir for a flight I took last May from Venice to Philadelphia that was diverted to Dublin and even made the CNN headlines! I had planned on using that for this trip but after doing the math (USAir was charging over $500 for worse flights than what I could find on Travelocity), I decided to go with JetBlue. Mercifully, I found a direct flight into MCO that arrives at 10:45am on the 17th! For someone who travels from a small town in upstate New York, this nonstop flight is just magical to me. It will buy me so much more time in the parks on arrival day – the special significance of this is that Sunday, May 17th is the final day of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival! I haven’t been to that since June 2006 (my first solo trip) so I’m really, really excited for that!
I think that just about covers the basics! I’ll be back with more details as I work them out. I’ll also probably do the standard “favorites” of each park and a general outline of what I plan to do each day. I’ll have to fight the urge to post continuously so I have enough to spread out until departure day.
I decided to start this tonight as I now have my flights booked AND a deposit down on my package!!!
That’s me… the one without the CM nametag
Side note: Ed (pictured here) was one of the best CMs I've ever met - I had the privilege of being the only passenger on his bus on my last trip and we chatted about Disney and just life in general. It was one of the trip's most special moments.So… first of, some introductions, or… an introduction.
Who: Just me! I’m a 32 year old who works in a museum. Most days, I love my job. This will be my third solo trip to Disney (11th total) and I’m looking forward to it immensely. I think there’s just something about the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want that makes solo tripping especially fun for me. Also, I’m a very fast-paced Disney traveler. Some might even call me – gasp! – a commando style one. Few people in my real life – and by that I mean one that I can think of (my youngest sister Ashley, see picture of us below) – could happily tolerate me whilst on a Disney vacay. I think better of my friendships than to involve them in this crazy world of mine. That being said, I do know how to relax and I do hope to do a lot of that on this trip; it’s just that I always want to make the most of my Disney trips and infinite hours of lolly-gagging around just isn’t my style.
When: Sunday, May 17-Sunday, May 24 I had some work commitments, my niece’s impending April birth, and my nephew’s May birthday (he’ll be 2!) to work around in the coming months but I’m happy I finally settled on these dates. Memorial Day falls a little early this year (May 25) so I’m a little disappointed I’ll be encountering those crowds the second half of my trip, but I figured dealing with that was better than waiting any longer. My last trip to Disney was in September 2013 and I just wasn’t prepared to wait any more!
Where: Pop Century Resort [and Spa] – Rob, lookin’ at you! And here's also hoping you read this...
What: 7-Day Magic your way ticket with park hopper plus quick-service dining. I went round and round (for a whole 3 minutes) about whether or not I wanted to purchase the dining plan. In September, of course, I got free dining and fell in love with the ease of it all. True, I’d probably make out a bit better by just paying out of pocket, but I figured what the heck.
I have a voucher from USAir for a flight I took last May from Venice to Philadelphia that was diverted to Dublin and even made the CNN headlines! I had planned on using that for this trip but after doing the math (USAir was charging over $500 for worse flights than what I could find on Travelocity), I decided to go with JetBlue. Mercifully, I found a direct flight into MCO that arrives at 10:45am on the 17th! For someone who travels from a small town in upstate New York, this nonstop flight is just magical to me. It will buy me so much more time in the parks on arrival day – the special significance of this is that Sunday, May 17th is the final day of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival! I haven’t been to that since June 2006 (my first solo trip) so I’m really, really excited for that!
I think that just about covers the basics! I’ll be back with more details as I work them out. I’ll also probably do the standard “favorites” of each park and a general outline of what I plan to do each day. I’ll have to fight the urge to post continuously so I have enough to spread out until departure day.
I decided to start this tonight as I now have my flights booked AND a deposit down on my package!!!
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Yay for a fellow May trip taker!
When I was in high school, my parents and sister often said that they needed roller skates to keep up with me in Disney. So when they heard I was planning my first trip with my family (me - 34, dh - 3 38, dd - 7, dd - 4) my mom told my oldest that she would need roller blades to keep up with me 
Of course, she had no idea what my mom was talking about, but she will after August. 
But I imagine going with kids ages 7 and 4 is just magical! That's the beauty of the Dis - we can all live vicariously through each other 
Dh isn't a big traveler. So I told my oldest when she graduates HS, we are doing a Europe trip 
Oh, and you're going to DISNEY! YAY!
No need to apologize, I'm obsessed with the Great Movie Ride... in fact, that should have been on my list, too. 
.
