LIVE Solo trip from SSR 6/23 - 6/28

[Iggipolka]

Woohoo! I'm on my way at dark o'clock this morning for my much anticipated, much guilt ridden solo trip to WDW!. I'm so excited I could blow up, except explosions are really frowned upon at airports.

If you decide to join me on this journey, I should probably introduce myself. Hi! I'm Iggi (well, actually, that's my dead cat's name, but that's a whole 'nother story) 40 year old (gawd, how did that happen) woman, legally married (for the moment) to a wonderful woman and we had our first baby girl a year ago May. It's been a terrific and totally exhausting year getting to know our Princess Lillian and it's amazing how much she and us have changed in a year.

We've traveled with her to WDW when she was 3 months, 8 months and also took a Disney cruise with her when she was 10 months old. Totally awesome experiences and completely different than when it was just the two of us.

I work a 35 hour week in three days, M-W and my wife travels for business Thursday - Sunday, so I'm always on. If I'm not working a very stressful health care job, I'm on full time baby duty. So..I'm tired.

This is what lead to this fantasy trip. I am so crispy fried that I started dreaming about a trip somewhere, anywhere, by myself just so that I could sleep! Well, we're Disney DVC members and I thought that a trip to WDW would be the least expensive trip possible. So ya, the trip to WDW is all about the budget. Riiiiight...

With my wife's grudging blessing, I booked my stay at SSR and started quietly planning my trip. SQUEEE! I'm going to my favorite place and I get to do it at my own pace, go where I want, when I want and I get to sleep! Have I mentioned that I haven't slept through an entire night since the baby was born? So, I'm going to Disney to sleep. *heh* Ok..that's not totally true, otherwise this would be a really boring trip report.

So, all of this leads me to where I'm at today. Sitting at my gate at the Oakland California airport, waiting to fly across country to Florida! WOOHOO! I completely miss my little girl already and I know there are going to be very difficult moments without her. I'm prepared though with lots of pictures and my wife will be updating me on how she's doing.

I have a Backstage Magic tour planned and a DisBoards meet planned. Otherwise, I'm just going to go with the flow and see where the Magic takes me. Come along for the ride!

 

[DFD]

Have a wonderful sleep/trip...

Wondering where you end up at SSR.... love that resort... favorite spot is def'ly Congress Park.

 

[Iggipolka]

Yeay! I have one follower. Heh

I had a delightfully uneventful flight to MCO and landed around 4:15pm. I had heard all this good stuff about the bath products at Lush and since my wife has scent sensitivities, I can't use scented products at home. This solo trip was my perfect opportunity to stink up a hotel room. Hmm..that doesn't sound quite right.

Anyway, a quick stop at Lush at MCO for bath bombs, lotion and to try their solid perfume that I didn't get, but wished I had, I was off to ME.

ME stopped at Port Orleans, Port Riverside and OKW, prior to stopping at SSR. We also had Mumbles the driver. No one could understand a word he said, but apparently he was pretty funny. At least he thought so because after every unintelligible sentence, he would laugh. Umm..ok.

Got to SSR at 6:00 and had the fastest check-in ever. I had checked in online, so was simply handed my packet and directed to my room. I had requested a high floor in the Springs section because I wanted to be close to the main pool and areas. Well, I got the 4th floor in the Springs! Perfect!

Having never stayed at SSR, I was a bit concerned about all of the negative reports I have read about it. Those people must have stayed at a completely different resort, because SSR is lovely!

I'm very pleased with my room, it's a studio and is perfectly sized for a solo stay. It's super quiet. I haven't heard a peep from anyone else in the building and I have a beautiful view of a fountain right from my balcony. I couldn't be happier with SSR.

After a little victory dance in the room and setting up the wireless router for later (love that DVC members get free internet and with the wireless, I can compute on my balcony!). I headed out to MK. MK is always the first part we visit and I just couldn't break that tradition.

Going through those turnstyles is so wonderful with all of the anticipation of the trip behind and the magic just starting. Woo! Had a little trouble with my Premium Passport being read and the CM didn't quite knwo what to do. Apparently the DisneyWorld, Disneyland combined Annual Passes are still pretty new. Didn't take long to fix and I was on my way.

Love that first view of the Castle.

I grabbed a cheeseburger and fries at Cosmic Rays and found a great spot outside with a Castle view. I love the fixen's bar there. The food was...'Meh", but I loaded up my fries with the sauteed onions & mushrooms, drizzled with a little cheese sauce and I was happy. The view was wonderful. I did hear a parent say to a little girl, maybe around 5 or 6 years old "Don't make such a fuss, it's not a Real Castle". OMG! The things parent's say! Made me so sad. Her little face was crushed.

After dinner, I road the TTC (not impressed with the new narration) and then Space Mountain. Space Mountain is certainly darker than it was before the rehab and so much fun.

By then it was 8:45 and I wanted to see the Electrical Parade at 9:00. One of the benefits of traveling solo is being able to squeeze into places where multiple people couldn't fit. So, instead of having to wait 90 minutes for a good spot in the hub for the parade, I showed up 10 minutes prior and grabbed a spot right at the curb in the hub where the parade comes up Main Street. Could not have been a better spot and I was not blocking any young kids or anything. Besides, I'm only 5'2", not going to be a problem for someone to see over me.

I love the Electrical Parade so much more than Spectro. It just has more excitement for me. There seemed to be a problem with it that night as there were large gaps between the floats and lots of CM's running around frantically. Not sure what happened, but I think a float was missing. Didn't matter to me, made it more interesting actually.

For the Nighttastic Fireworks, I just had to turn around. These fireworks are Well...Fantastic! I miss the emotional impact of Wishes, but love the special effects of the Pirates taking over the Castle and the 360 fireworks in the hub is amazing. I know that Disney says you can view the fireworks from multiple places in the park, but to really get the effect of the taking over the Castle, you need to be able to see the Castle.

I also recognized a smallish guy standing right next to me. I kept sneaking glances at him, trying to figure out where I knew him from. Once I heard his voice, I knew! He's the "Friend of Peter Pan" in Disneyland! Woo! Too cool to see one of *ahem* Peter's Friends at WDW. He was there with several other CM's, so I eavesdropped on their conversation comparing WDW with DL. They all agreed that the WDW fireworks are better than DL, but had some great points about DL's entertainment in general being more dramatic than WDW. Think Fantasmic.

While I was listening to other people's conversations , the crush of people left the hub following the fireworks. I wanted to get a muffin for breakfast at the Main Street Bakery and accomplished that quickly as there was no line. THere was a HUGE line at the ice cream shop and non at the Bakery. Go figure. I also wanted to pick up a Mickey Mouse watch for a co-worker who is retiring. I found the perfect Pocket Watch for him and with the AP discount, it was only $70! Nice!

I said a temporary goodbye to MK because I know I'll be back there several times this trip and headed off, with a slight bit of dread, to the bus stop. I've heard horrible things about SSR's buss system and I knew it was going to be crowded.

Well, to my delight, one bus was already there being filled and within a couple minutes of it pulling away, another one showed up and I got on with a seat! Woohoo!

The bus driver entertained us with Disney Trivia on the way back, so the ride seemed very short. The longest part was the driving around the resort as the Springs is the last stop.

Back in my nice, very cool, studio for a quick bath with a bath bomb and into bed for my 1st solid night's sleep in over a year! Yeay!!

Woke up feeling mostly refreshed 8.5 hours later and decided to write a bit on my balcony with my coffee, before heading out to a water park this morning and then where the wind blows me this afternoon.

Questions or thoughts, are more than welcome!

 

[bobbiwoz]

It was worth coming over to read! I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she."

 

[DizGirl20]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Because I mostly hang out on the DVC boards, I had no idea there was an Adult/Solo Board until I saw your link. Thanks! Wherever you are off to today, enjoy and keep us posted.

Oh, I do have a quick question as we have never stayed at SSR. Because you are staying in The Springs, is it pretty much within walking distance to everything (i.e. restaurants, shops, spa, etc.)? I also noted your comment on how quiet it was there. That is so important to me. Our last few stays (OKW, BCV) have not been as quiet as I would have liked, but hey, it's Disney!

Thanks. Have a great day

 

[photobob]

We will arrive at SSR Sunday, I'll keep an eye on your TR between now and then!

 

[dizney4us]

great trip report so far! Really enjoying it, we love SSR too! Hope you enjoy the rest of your stay, can't wait to read more!

 

[heathers4um]

Loving this TR and so happy for you that you are able to do this - it sounds like you deserve it tenfold!

Can't wait to hear more...without rushing your solo trip of course!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Loving your trip report. Gee, I never had Mumbles as my ME driver. Gitta watch/listen for him. I didn't notice-is this your first solo trip? It really can be sooo restful. I was overtired once, grabbed a bunch of books, and headed to BWV once with only one day on a park pass. Had a wonderful week away. I'll be very interested to see where you eat.

 

[Iggipolka]

It was worth coming over to read! I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she."

I am a she! My wife and I are both female.

Oh, I do have a quick question as we have never stayed at SSR. Because you are staying in The Springs, is it pretty much within walking distance to everything (i.e. restaurants, shops, spa, etc.)? I also noted your comment on how quiet it was there. That is so important to me. Our last few stays (OKW, BCV) have not been as quiet as I would have liked, but hey, it's Disney!

This is my first time at SSR too and the Springs is the closest section to the restaurants, main pool, shop, spa and bus stop. I have maybe a 2 minute very pleasant walk to all of the above. The main pool is busy (normal), but once in my room, even with my balcony door open, I don't hear any people noise. It is so peaceful and relaxing to just listen to the white noise of the fountain while sipping a cold adult beverage on the balcony. I also figured out today that I'm right next to a grand villa, so I peeked in their window as I walked by. Looks pretty impressive!

Loving your trip report. Gee, I never had Mumbles as my ME driver. Gitta watch/listen for him. I didn't notice-is this your first solo trip? It really can be sooo restful. I was overtired once, grabbed a bunch of books, and headed to BWV once with only one day on a park pass. Had a wonderful week away. I'll be very interested to see where you eat.

Thanks! This is my first solo trip and I am loving it! When I was pregnant, my wife and I had a visit to WDW and she got sick with a horrible cold/ear infection. After awhile of me prowling around the villa, she sent me out to the parks so she could rest, so I've had the opportunity to explore the parks solo, but it certainly wasn't the same. Having the chance to do what I want, when I want, how I want..it's a dream!

I'm usually a big foodie type person and love the sit down restaurants at WDW. For this trip though, I just got the quick service dining plan, so my meals are not going to be that exciting. I figured it would be too hot to eat much anyway.

Ok..on to Part 1 of Day 2!

 

[Iggipolka]

Arugh! I just wrote a long post about the first part of my day and then my computer ate it. GRUMBLE! Hate that!

Ok..I will try and recreate my wit, but believe me, it was funnier the first time.

Sigh.

One of my main reasons for taking this trip was to sleep. Princess Lillian is up between 6:30 and 7:00am every day and when she's up, the whole house is up. So, since I was up at 4am California time and got to sleep at 1am Florida time, I decided I was going to enjoy sleeping as late as I wanted. Maybe even sleep until noon! This is my vacation after all!

6:30am..SPROING My eyes were wide open. This is 3:30am back home, which is often when Lil needs a little comfort, food or both. I reminded myself that 1. there's no baby here and 2. I can sleep as long as I wanted. Go back to sleep self. Except, I started debating about going to MK for rope drop, or maybe Typhoon Lagoon that has AM EMH today or maybe walk around the resort before it gets to hot or..or..or
FINE!
I'll just get up!
heh
Darn brain.

I did enjoy the luxury of being able to take my time, puttering around my room, drinking my coffee (brought from home with filters, thankyouverymuch) on my balcony in my PJs, while watching the resort wake up.

Typhoon Lagoon was calling to me, so I changed into my swimsuit (one year post baby and I'm back in my bikini..never thought that would happen, woot!) and got ready to go. I took a deep breath and decided to leave the cell phone behind. I sent my wife a Txt message to let her know where I was going and said a little prayer that no emergencies would happen. I felt so nekkid w/o my phone! I carry it everywhere since the baby was born, but I didn't want to risk it getting stolen at the water park and no way was I going to rent a $12 locker for just the cell phone. So, I gave up my last bit of faux-control and headed out sans phone.

There was a very nice CM at the bus stop who was monitoring bus arrival, departure and wait times. He asked me where I was going and then radioed in requesting a Typhoon Lagoon bus. We chatted for a bit and he mentioned that he's going on a CM only Fireworks cruise tonight at MK. Too fun! I'm so glad that Disney does neat things like that for their CM's. They need to experience the Magic of the parks too, not just work them.

Within 7 minutes, a Typhoon bus pulled up and after a couple stops at DTD, we were at the park within 10 minutes. I had no idea that Typhoon was so close to SSR! That's great! However, why even bother to stop at Pleasure Island anymore? No one gets on or off there since Disney wrecked it.

Typhoon was not busy at all. I was really surprised. I was able to grab a lounge chair in the shade, dump my book, sunblock, shades and shoes and wandered aimlessly. I decided to do the Scuba Shark Experience at Shark Reef. It's $20 for 30 minutes of surface scuba and is completely worth the money. I forgot to ask if they have a DVC or Disney Visa discount, darn it. Anyway, I've never scubaed before, but the CM did a great job of explaining how the regulator worked and I got the hang of it very quickly. The salt water was FREEZING cold, but I was distracted by the many pretty colored fishes, sharks, sting rays, hidden mickey's and coral. I also chatted with a CM who was hanging out on a rock in the middle of the pool who told me that WDW is the same size as the city of San Francisco, 47 square miles. Wow! I didn't know that. Now I feel like I've gotten my Alzheimer's Inoculation for the day by learning something new.

After leaving the sharks, I had to go and warm up, so I rode Crushin' Gusher. I've never ridden this solo and I don't think my tube even touched the water I was going so fast. At the pool at the bottom of the slide, my tube skipped across the water to the stairs and if the CM hadn't grabbed my tube, I think I would have skipped on out of the pool! It was pretty funny. I'm going to have to get the photopass picture of that! Everyone in line was laughing.

To calm my beating heart, I rode around the lazy river and then played in the waves in the wave pool for a long time. My new game, spot the possible creep who grabs teenage women in the wave pool. Thankfully, everyone I saw today seemed to be innocent enough.

I was surprised at the number of REALLY young kids way deep in the wave pool. I mean 3 & 4 years old in their life jackets bobbing around with their parents with those huge waves. They and their parents seemed very happy, but I guess I'm the over protective sort. I would want my kid to be a really strong swimmer before I let her way deep in that pool. I get tumbled around a lot there and I'm an adult. Granted, I'm short so some of these kids may actually be bigger than I am!

After I was completely water logged, I needed lunch. It was around 1pm, so the line was expectantly long. No big deal, I'm on vacation! Woo! I got a chicken wrap, fries, fruit salad and lemon aid. I figured out that the line wasn't long because of the number of people, but because the food delivery system is completely inefficient. There had to be a dozen CM's behind the counter kinda milling around with really only one person delivering food. I saw several completed orders waiting for someone to take them to the window and no was one doing anything. Totally bizzare.

I took my food back to my lounge chair so I could eat while reading my book. I love just relaxing, reading & people watching. The chicken wrap was ok. It tasted better with a little honey mustard on it. It was food and did it's job. The fries were nasty and I saved the fruit salad for breakfast tomorrow. I wasn't expecting anything spectacular from water park food, so I was happy.

After lunch, I noticed that the park had really filled up. I was going to go on the other raft rides, but the lines were just way too long. So I relaxed at the edge of the wave pool with my book for quite awhile, just enjoying the feel of the water, the hot sun and the interesting people watching. When I got too hot, I took another trip on the lazy river and some more times getting tumbled by the waves before deciding to call it a day. I was getting a little nervous about afternoon thunder clouds moving in too.

This is what I love about solo travel. I got to chill and do what I wanted and then leave when I wanted. Badda Bing, Badda Boom.

On my way out, I stopped and got a Tinkerbell temporary tattoo on my right ankle, presents for my wife and baby (matching Buzz Lightyear water shoes) and some tasty mini-donuts for the road. Love those mini-donuts.

Some poor little kid at the bus stop was crying because he cut his chin on one of the slides. His mom gave him a band-aid and a kiss and once he was calmer, I asked his mom if he and his sister could have a donut. She was happy, the kids were thrilled and I think I have a new best friend for life now. He was the nicest little boy. I so enjoy chatting with other guests, especially the kids, because they are so enthusiastic.

After a 10-12 minute wait, the SSR bus pulled up and this time, the Springs was the 1st stop. Last night, It was the last stop! Too strange.

I went to Artist Palate to get my Mug included in the Quick Service dining plan and took a look at their other offerings for another time. The flat breads look really tasty as does the Asian Salad. I'm going to have to try that later. There were a number of people doing complete grocery shopping (eggs, bacon, bread, milk, lunch meat, wine). I really wanted to tell them about the Grocery Store Delivery options that are much less expensive, but I controlled myself. I just filled up my mug with Diet Coke (drink of the Gods) and headed back to my room for some 'puter time and relaxation.

Oh, I should mention that there was bingo and a dance party going on at the main pool. The pool was not that crowded with lots of lounge chairs available. I was surprised as usually the main pools are packed in the heat of the day.

Everyone warned me that June was an overwhelming crowded time of year to visit WDW and that I would hate the crowds and the heat. Well, aside from Parade time last night at MK (which happens regardless of time of year), I haven't seen any crowds. As far as the heat, I don't find it to be a problem at all. I've felt very comfortable!

So, tonight, I'm thinking about heading over to DHS to play Toy Story and then to Epcot for dinner and Illuminations. But first, I gotta get a shower and get the fish poop off of me from Shark Reef!

 

[DFD]

enjoying your updates!

It was worth coming over to read! I hadn't paid attention to details before, and thought you were a "she."

hey stranger!

We will arrive at SSR Sunday, I'll keep an eye on your TR between now and then!

enjoy SSR!!!

 

[manntra]

Hi there It sounds like you are having an amazing and relaxing time
I have only been to SSR once....it was in January and it was very cold and we were quite far from the main area. That being said it was a beautiful resort and I enjoyed my stay but next time it would have to be closer...if only to eat those delicious flatbreads!!! I remember having a cheeseburger (no onion ) flatbread....I don't even eat cheeseburgers in my real life loved them!!
I always stock up on Lush when I am in the MCO airport If you start running low you can always take a boat over to DTD and pop in Basin....DVC discount there too
I was all set for my first solo trip in October but I asked a friend of mine if she wanted to come along and she is....it will be fun though....Food and Wine Although I was looking forward to the solo I am sure I will have others in the future
Hope you are having a good night at DHS and Epcot....where are you eating tonight?

Tracy

 

[es45]

I was surprised at the number of REALLY young kids way deep in the wave pool. I mean 3 & 4 years old in their life jackets bobbing around with their parents with those huge waves. They and their parents seemed very happy, but I guess I'm the over protective sort. I would want my kid to be a really strong swimmer before I let her way deep in that pool.

I think the same parents and kids were out there when we visited last year. I watched them, amazed at their lack of fear, while my DD5 clung to me in ankle-deep water!

 

[Iggipolka]

*snip*

Hope you are having a good night at DHS and Epcot....where are you eating tonight?
Tracy

Thanks Tracy!
I am having a great night! I would not like to stay at SSR without a car if I was very far from the main area. It's just way too big. I do have to agree with you about the flatbreads though. I was eyeing the cheeseburger one earlier! I'll post about my dinner choice in a minute. I think you'll be happy.

I think the same parents and kids were out there when we visited last year. I watched them, amazed at their lack of fear, while my DD5 clung to me in ankle-deep water!

Omg! I get scared at that deep water. I am totally with your DS on that part.

Ok..next post, day 2, part 2! Thanks for reading along.

 

[Iggipolka]

I had some nice downtime in my room, enjoying the wireless on the balcony and just resting my feet a bit before showering and heading out to DHS.

Once again, the bus appeared within 10 minutes and it was a quick journey to DHS. I finally found the crowds. The park was quite busy, but I still felt comfortable and that's important. I have really bad claustrophobia and cannot handle being packed in with huge crowds. No worries here though.

It was 6pm and I was feeling a bit hungry, but I wanted to ride R&R before I ate. I headed over there and soon was zooming around the alley to catch my Super Stretch Limo. Since I was a single rider, they placed me with another Single Rider. She was a young, attractive (to me) woman who called me "sweetie" and we chit chatted in line for a bit. I kind of got the feeling she was hitting on me! She warned me that she's "a screamer (long pause) on roller coasters". Uh huh. We took off and DAMN..I love that ride. She was loud, but I think I beat her in the screaming department. My throat is still sore!

When we were coasting back to the end of the ride, she asked me how old I was and when I told her my age, she did a massive double take. It was so funny! She said "I thought you were in your 20's! I was totally hitting on you back there!" She wouldn't believe my age until I showed her my Driver's License. I got a nice ego boost out of that. I immediately sent my wife a text message letting her know that she has competition. She thought it was pretty funny.

I took my time wandering through the park, just soaking up the atmosphere while on my way to TSMM. DHS never really does much for me. I like R&R and TSMM, the Animation Studio and the Ariel and Beauty and the Beast shows, but I don't like the confusing way the park is laid out. I always get lost and I've been there so often. So, I wanted to really slow down and find the details.

TSMM was great, as always. I like the new Balloon pop, even though I haven't seen TS 3 yet. I miss Little Bo Peep though. I got 187,035, which is a Cat, so I was happy.

By 8:00 I realized I had a decision to make. I could scoot over to Epcot to grab some dinner and see Illuminations if I left DHS immediately, or I could just go back to SSR and have an early night. My Disney Freak screamed Epcot!! My Adult tired self said "You won't get home until 11pm with lots of people waiting for buses after Illuminations, you have an early day planned tomorrow and the past two nights you've gotten very little sleep." Soo..I did the responsible thing and came back to SSR.

In retrospect, I'm glad I did, but at the time, I had a very loud battle in my head. Now I understand what my schizophrenic patients go through!

Once again, I waited less than 10 minutes for an SSR bus. I also had a lovely conversation with a couple who lives about 30 minutes from my home in California! Too funny.

Back at SSR, I decided that even though I wasn't very hungry, I needed to eat something. I went to Artist's Palate and stood in an extremely slow moving line. There was a mom & dad with two young kids (girl 2, boy 4) waiting right behind me who kept ordering their over tired, hungry kids to sit in their strollers. The kids were totally done with their strollers and were quite unhappy about being in them. Mom & Dad were also over tired and hungry and just done with their kids! I was bored with waiting, so I played peek-a-boo with the 2 year old and kept chatting with the boy about all the fun things he did today. Kept me and them entertained. The parents seemed a bit freaked out about this strange lady talking to their kids and didn't say a word to me! Too funny!

I finally got my Grilled Vegetable Flatbread, substituted my dessert for a tomato & mozzarella salad and got a bottle of OJ for my drink. I wanted the OJ for breakfast. I also used my 2 snack credits from today to get a single serve cereal and a milk for tomorrow's breakfast. So, now I'm all set for tomorrow morning!

The flatbread was good, probably would have been better if I had eaten it there while it was hot, but I wanted to get back to my room. The salad was awesome with very ripe tomatoes and fresh basil. I had also picked up a bottle of wine, so it was a tasty dinner.

Now I'm going to relax, play on the net for a bit and get ready for a very busy day tomorrow. Tomorrow is my 8 hour, Backstage Magic Tour! WOOHOO! I'm so excited for this! I've always wanted to do this tour and I figured that now is the perfect opportunity. Can't wait!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Gee, my brain has had that same arguement. What's nice about being solo is that no matter what you end up doing, YOU won the arguement! There's no one else dragging you around when you really want to rest.
Enjoy the backstage magic tour and please tell us about it.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

Your tiny princess is adorable! Cute pix!
Disney solo sounds fun but our DD7 would never speak to me again if I did it! She and I leave in 15 days while daddy stays home to work!

Love your report, I was very interested in your resort, so thx in advance!
More please.......

 

[GaRain]

Nice following along "live" with you!
Love traveling solo!
Have never stayed at SSR, but rode the bus through on my way to DTD...man, that place is HUGE, I know I would get confused and lost!
Can't wait to hear about the backstage magic tour!!!

 

[jekjones1558]

Thanks for posting such a great report. I have only had 2 days solo and I loved them, except for the dining alone part. Waiting for the next update...