I'm Baaack! - Day 1 - SOLO Trip Report w/ Photo Journal - Lonely Traveller

[Vivianne]

Enjoyed your trip report. Your style of writing is the type I like reading. My DH and I were there the week before May 15-21 and the weather was great but the crowds were heavier. Go figure. We also like Spaceship Earth and found Journey Into Imagination should have been much better. Looking forward to reading the rest of your report.

 

[lindsey]

I enjoyed your first day report, along with the pictures - I had the opportunity to have a solo day at EPCOT last March and loved it. I even got to ride MS twice.

 

[johnsonet]

I've enjoyed your report very much. Interesting style I also like the way you've chosen to incorporate your photos.
I look forward to a solo trip one day but for now travel w/ girlfriends and my daughter. My husband isn't really into traveling but I'm a Disney addict through and through. I'm going twice next month. Bring on the heat and humidity!!!

 

[crazyj4488]

Your version of a white russian with vanilla vodka and starbucks sounds really good. I'll have try that.

Let me just say that I didn't really enjoy that Starbucks liquor because it tasted VERY much like coffee. Those who are familar with the typical White Russian are used to Kaluha and this tastes much better in my opinion. Kaluha and every other coffee liquor has a carmel / chocalate type finish to it. Starbucks tastes like a stout coffee...no chocolately finish at all. I wasn't digging that too much. Now, if you LOVE coffee, you will love the Starbucks stuff...just not my bag. I prefer Kaluha or the cheaper Kamora even.

Annnd that's your liquor review for the day

 

[jamstew]

Jeff - Your pictures were awesome! What kind of camera do you use and is it idiot-proof? ITA agree about Journey to the Imagination. I hadn't been since 1990. My daughter was 12, and Figment was her favorite character by far. Such a terrible letdown! I also totally agree about the new and (not)improved food court at the Land. How dreadful -- I was so looking forward to a loaded baked potato! Please keep the reports coming. I'm hoping to take a solo trip in the near future.

 

[crazyj4488]

Jeff - Your pictures were awesome! What kind of camera do you use and is it idiot-proof? ITA agree about Journey to the Imagination. I hadn't been since 1990. My daughter was 12, and Figment was her favorite character by far. Such a terrible letdown! I also totally agree about the new and (not)improved food court at the Land. How dreadful -- I was so looking forward to a loaded baked potato! Please keep the reports coming. I'm hoping to take a solo trip in the near future.

Yeah, I bought this new digicam for my last trip called a Canon Powershot ELPH. It is one of the smallest cameras I've seen and the auto feature makes every picture a no brainer...you just point and shoot.....even in low light..it pulls the pic off just about everytime with great quality. Most of the pictures you are seeing were taken while I was walking...yes, moving through the parks. I hardly ever stopped and stood in one place to take a picture and there were very few that became blurred. Almost every picture was taken with one hand...I hardly ever even aimed it by looking at the frame. With the burst mode on, I would take about 6 pictures with it under 5 seconds and take the best one of the bunch. With a 512 memory card, I can take 1200 pictures with it at a sickening 1600x1200 resolution.

It also takes AVI videos with sound that you can play on your PC. I recorded all of Wishes....looks and sounds pretty darn good. The camera isn't expensive at all. I spent less than $400 on it...not including accessories. I highly suggest the Canon Powershot SD200 or SD300 for anyone looking for a well-priced amateur still camera. One of the best little gadgets I own.

Sorry for the long rant...it's just a nice little device. I highly suggest it for basic applications.

 

[bigsis1970]

Wonderful !! I hope to travel solo one day as well.

 

[jamstew]

Yeah, I bought this new digicam for my last trip called a Canon Powershot ELPH. <snip> I highly suggest the Powershot SD200 or SD300.

Which do you have? I googled Canon Powershot ELPH and found models from 3 to 5 megapixels. Thanks

 

[crazyj4488]

I saved some money by going with the 3.2 megapixel (model SD200). You'll want to buy a 256MB or 512MB SD Memory card and an extra battery for it.

 

[kimwim8]

You know, when I first started reading your report I was thinking "how can anyone go by themselves?". But now that I see (just in the first day) all you could accomplish & on your own schedule, BRING IT ON!! Sounds awesome to me.

I really enjoyed the detail you put into your report and can't wait for more. Thanks for sharing!

 

[jamstew]

Thanks! The pictures I took on my last trip with my Kodak EasyShare were pitiful. I'll definitely pick up an ELPH before I try again.

 

[Safari Queen]

The trip report was interesting and probably encouraging for others nervous about going to WDW alone. I do it a few times a year in addition to trips with DH and always enjoy my time. However, do you realize that the parking at Boardwalk is only for resort guests and patrons of the businesses there? It's not supposed to be an alternative to parking at EPCOT. As someone who stays at Boardwalk twice a year and frequently has trouble finding a parking space, I'd be grateful if you'd use the spacious and convenient parking available at the parks, not at the hotels.

 

[crazyj4488]

The trip report was interesting and probably encouraging for others nervous about going to WDW alone. I do it a few times a year in addition to trips with DH and always enjoy my time. However, do you realize that the parking at Boardwalk is only for resort guests and patrons of the businesses there? It's not supposed to be an alternative to parking at EPCOT. As someone who stays at Boardwalk twice a year and frequently has trouble finding a parking space, I'd be grateful if you'd use the spacious and convenient parking available at the parks, not at the hotels.

This is always a hot subject for people. I've seen this discussion on so many forums that it isn't even funny.

Let me retort and explain myself. First, I am an annual passholder and I always stay on-site. I've paid every fee possible for parking when I arrive at the resort so this is not a case of trying to get something for free.

Second, when the parks are crowded, I ALWAYS valet my car when parking at another resort in order to gain more convenient access to the parks. This way, I don't disturb your parking experience or anyone else's.

When I went this past last week of April, it was very crowded. If you read those trip reports, you will see that I used the valet service when parking at a resort I was not staying at so I would not disturb anyone. Valet spaces are blocked off and kept separate from your typical guest spots.

I am very mindful of the guests around me, if not more so, than the majority of others. I also, typically, patronize the shops, food stands, or restaurants at the resorts I park at for the sake of convenience or even to get a taste of the different accomodations at Disney. This gives me the right to park where I need to in order for Disney to happily relieve me of my money.

If you are having problems finding a spot at your resort, trust me, it's not my fault and I understand your frustration. Disney is a crowded place at times. When it is, I make use of the valet for around $10 and my car is tucked far from the lots that the typical guest has to make use of. This even saves my aching feet a bit of mileage. My suggestion to you....If you really run into a headache looking for a spot, help out the minimum wage guys working for tips at the valet. It's well worth it and your hassle will be eliminated.

 

[JLTraveling]

By this time, there was no line leading into The Living Seas. However, there was this idiot on one of those motorized carts running into every single turn in the queue area. Every time he would hit a wall; he would stop and back up and continue on. I just couldn’t understand what the heck was wrong with this guy. People behind me were laughing at him and I swear he was doing it on purpose because his wife was laughing too.

Shortly after the dude who was simply too lazy to walk his *** around the park held the entire line of people up trying to get into the pavilion, we were let into the pre-show theater.

Really loved your trip report, glad you had a great time. But, I think this part was pretty insensitive. My dad, age 53, is an "idiot on one of those motorized carts." You can't tell by looking at him, but he's anything but "too lazy to walk his *** around the park." He was in a horrible car accident 20 years ago which led to severe osteoarthritis in his spine, as well as COPD brought on by the lung damage done by his stomach when it went through his diaphragm. During emergency surgery following the accident, he contracted Hep C, which has now led to stage 3 liver disease (stage 4 is terminal). He looks perfectly healthy and normal, but there's no possible way he could do the parks without his scooter.

He owns his own scooter and is a phenomenally good driver. But, the queue at the Living Seas is badly constructed. Scooters don't have a particularly spectacular turning radius, and there are several extremely tight turns in that queue. Disney doesn't give people on scooters the option of entering that attraction from anywhere other than the regular queue, so their only choice is to take the time to execute the maneuvers necessary to make the turns in the queue. And yes, to make those turns on a scooter does require pulling forward to the wall, backing up, and then turning...kind of like a three point turn in a car.

Sorry that you were held up in line while the poor guy turned his ECV. Blame Disney for a rotten queue design. But don't blame it on the people who are also trying to enjoy their day in the parks despite their disabilities...I guarantee any one of them, especially my dad, would gladly trade places with you any time. Before he became disabled, he had more energy and stamina than anyone I've ever met, and adjusting to being confined to a scooter for the parks is one of the emotionally difficult things he's ever done. Comments like yours are just hurtful and mean.

 

[crazyj4488]

WOAH....hold on a second here!!!

I can sympathize perfectly with people in less fortunate situations and I wasn't saying anything derogatory about people that have to use alternate means of getting around the park. My best friend of 20 years was hit by a car and has been a paraplegic since he was eight years old. I spent most of my young life lifting his paralyzed body from his wheelchair to my car seat so we could go out and do things together. It took a ton of effort to meet his needs but I never gave it a second thought. I was even happier than I could ever be traveling half way across this country in order to be in his wedding party this past May. Ya know where he went for his honeymoon? You guessed it! WDW.

Everyone on Earth, no matter their situation, should have the same right and opportunity to enjoy the parks as everyone else.

You just had to be there to realize what was going on. Most of the family was making a joke out of the situation...they were screwing around on purpose for their own amusement and at the expense of the people, like me, who were simply trying to enjoy themselves. This guy's wife was in the same exact motorized vehicle and she made it up the ramp just fine. She pulled ahead of her rude husband and sort of hid in the darkness at the top of the ramp just so she wouldn't be embarrassed by their antics. On my way thru the last section of the queue, I heard her apologize to the people behind me since there was an elderly woman in the group who, obviously, did not need to be standing any longer than necessary. She commented to them that he shouldn't even be riding in one of those carts becuase she knew just as I did that he was just goofing off. He looked to be in perfect health unlike your Father or my best friend who actually need to be using those types of vehicles.

I do agree that Disney could do something better with that queue area and that is a VERY good point you made. I even think you should write a letter to guest relations if you feel that strongly about it. I've communicated with guest relations over many issues and they are shockingly prompt in their correspondence.

Do you really think I would be spending all this time and effort sharing my experiences with you all in order to be insensitive and make fun of people who are physically less fortunate???? Come on. We are all smarter than that.

I'll try to be more clear and concise with my descriptions of the ignorant people we all come across when visiting the parks. I wouldn't want things to be misconstrued like this again.

 

[JLTraveling]

Okay, if all of those circumstances were going on then I can see why you called the guy an idiot. I've certainly run into my share of ignorant people at the parks too, including those on rental scooters who don't know how to stop and are fond of running me over in the handicapped viewing areas for parades.

Sorry if I'm a bit hyper-sensitive in my defense of people on scooters. My dad (and mom before she passed away last December) had to endure quite a lot of harrassment from people who don't understand hidden disabilities. And a lot of people really don't understand that maneuvering a scooter is a lot harder than simply walking the same path. It sounds like you're not one of those ignorant people though, and I apologize for mis-reading your comments. Thanks for clearing that up, and I'm glad you had a great time at WDW!

 

[crazyj4488]

Yup, yup...now on with the show...gotta finish part 2 of Day 2...It's a crazy one.

 

[WonderWomanDC]

This is one of the first trip reports I've read, and I'm highly amused so far. I'm looking forward to your next installment and the next storm of outrage which will no doubt follow.

 

[crazyj4488]

Day 2 PART 2 has been posted. Link is in my sig. Enjoy!

 

[choru]

I´m reading your report and enjoying the photos very much!