christygobar
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2005
- Messages
- 512
So I just returned from 3 1/2 days alone at WDW. I am a 27 year old female from Dallas and while I had talked about it a ton in the past, I had never gone on a trip alone before. When Free Dining came back and went through the 1st weekend of the F&W Festival, I decided "What the heck" and booked a short weekend. I honestly think that anything longer wouldn't have been all that enjoyable for me because I was exhausted as it was!
However, I did miss out on two parks (MGM & AK) so I would have had that option.
Anyways, the point? It was amazing. And wonderful. And incredibly empowering (I am all about being a strong and independent individual). And I felt like I did everything I wanted to and wasn't forced into anything I didn't want to do.
WDW of course is designed first and foremost for kids and families. And without them, it would not be the wonderful place that it is
But there is such a different WDW experienced without a child in tow - even without other family members or SO's in tow! No arguments, no meltdowns. My motto was not to feel guilty if I was done at 1:00 p.m. because of the heat or if I didn't ride something that I normally would have but didn't feel a strong desire to do this time.
I think our biggest fear as solo travelers is the eating out. And I'll admit that I'm still not fully comfortable doing this. But I am also a fairly new to business traveling as well and it is becoming more and more frequent that I eat out alone. So I am doing my best to expand my horizons and just do it. I did have one family at Kona Cafe who did a good bit of staring at me during my meal. It didn't bother me, but it was almost like they were just in shock that I was sitting at a table by myself! Everywhere else I blended in, talked with the server, read a book and enjoyed great food.
So some highlights:
#1) DiveQuest. Hands-down. No question about it. Even if you aren't a certified diver, you should do one of the tours that the Living Seas offers (Aqua Seas I believe is the other one, so is Dolphins in Depth). Just even to see the aquarium from the top side. WOW. It is so enormous and amazing. Walking through the public area of the Living Seas in our wetsuits was a fun way to really set the mood of being the entertainment. The dive is certainly an easy one with unlimited viz, max of 25-30 feet, no currents, equipment all provided for you, no bouyancy issues. But diving with the sand tiger sharks and the rays and the turtles and just floating in front of the windows and waving at the kids was SO much fun. I will do this again. Our guide (Hollye, I think was her name) was excellent and professional, but fun and outgoing as well. Two big thumbs up. If any of my dive buddies on the 30th are Dis boarders, I'd love to hear from you. I met some great people!
2) Food & Wine Events. Perfect for a solo since they are large group settings and really force you into conversation with those around you. On the 29th I did the Coral Reef Food & Wine Pairing (not bad, but my other two events were better). My one complaint about this restaurant and the food pairing was the NOISE. We were in the main dining room for it and lunch was still going on.
The 30th I did a Cheese & Wine pairing at Ariel's in the Beach Club. Loved it! Loved the cheeses, loved the wine and LOVED the presenter. He was incredibly informative and personable (and cute to boot!
). He gave some great practical information about cheese that you could really take home with you. He even had a lot of contacts for artisan cheese shops in many metropolitan areas and I got one to check out here at home.
Lastly on the 1st I did Sweet Sundays. You can never go wrong with full breakfast, followed by desserts and champagne at 9am on a Sunday The desserts and the chef weren't quite as good as the one I went to last year but he certainly made up with it in one of the best chocolate mousse cakes I've ever had.
3) Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I honestly thought that THIS would be where I stuck out the most. Not so. I felt like the crowds would probably have been the same at an EMH. I stood in line for a couple of trick-or-treat lines (YES, they look long but they are so quick - promise), squeezed into a great view for the headless horseman and the Boo To You parade (very fun and a nice change from Spectromagic), and an even better view of Hallowishes.
I even got accosted by a couple of undertakers on the way to the women's restroom
----------------------
Long story short, I have no regrets and I don't feel weird about it at all. You shouldn't either. I never felt un-safe or like a sore thumb. Go. Have fun. Have a few blissful days of no arguing, of enjoying OTHER people's kids, of lots of sunshine and exercise (Even if it does involve some lovebugs - yuck), and of feeling like you can do anything.
Apparently folks, even I can turn a WDW weekend into a "You can do it!" Zig Ziegler seminar
Have fun! Trip reports to come on the Trip Reports board.
However, I did miss out on two parks (MGM & AK) so I would have had that option.
Anyways, the point? It was amazing. And wonderful. And incredibly empowering (I am all about being a strong and independent individual). And I felt like I did everything I wanted to and wasn't forced into anything I didn't want to do.
WDW of course is designed first and foremost for kids and families. And without them, it would not be the wonderful place that it is
But there is such a different WDW experienced without a child in tow - even without other family members or SO's in tow! No arguments, no meltdowns. My motto was not to feel guilty if I was done at 1:00 p.m. because of the heat or if I didn't ride something that I normally would have but didn't feel a strong desire to do this time.I think our biggest fear as solo travelers is the eating out. And I'll admit that I'm still not fully comfortable doing this. But I am also a fairly new to business traveling as well and it is becoming more and more frequent that I eat out alone. So I am doing my best to expand my horizons and just do it. I did have one family at Kona Cafe who did a good bit of staring at me during my meal. It didn't bother me, but it was almost like they were just in shock that I was sitting at a table by myself! Everywhere else I blended in, talked with the server, read a book and enjoyed great food.
So some highlights:
#1) DiveQuest. Hands-down. No question about it. Even if you aren't a certified diver, you should do one of the tours that the Living Seas offers (Aqua Seas I believe is the other one, so is Dolphins in Depth). Just even to see the aquarium from the top side. WOW. It is so enormous and amazing. Walking through the public area of the Living Seas in our wetsuits was a fun way to really set the mood of being the entertainment. The dive is certainly an easy one with unlimited viz, max of 25-30 feet, no currents, equipment all provided for you, no bouyancy issues. But diving with the sand tiger sharks and the rays and the turtles and just floating in front of the windows and waving at the kids was SO much fun. I will do this again. Our guide (Hollye, I think was her name) was excellent and professional, but fun and outgoing as well. Two big thumbs up. If any of my dive buddies on the 30th are Dis boarders, I'd love to hear from you. I met some great people!
2) Food & Wine Events. Perfect for a solo since they are large group settings and really force you into conversation with those around you. On the 29th I did the Coral Reef Food & Wine Pairing (not bad, but my other two events were better). My one complaint about this restaurant and the food pairing was the NOISE. We were in the main dining room for it and lunch was still going on.
The 30th I did a Cheese & Wine pairing at Ariel's in the Beach Club. Loved it! Loved the cheeses, loved the wine and LOVED the presenter. He was incredibly informative and personable (and cute to boot!
). He gave some great practical information about cheese that you could really take home with you. He even had a lot of contacts for artisan cheese shops in many metropolitan areas and I got one to check out here at home.Lastly on the 1st I did Sweet Sundays. You can never go wrong with full breakfast, followed by desserts and champagne at 9am on a Sunday
The desserts and the chef weren't quite as good as the one I went to last year but he certainly made up with it in one of the best chocolate mousse cakes I've ever had.3) Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I honestly thought that THIS would be where I stuck out the most. Not so. I felt like the crowds would probably have been the same at an EMH. I stood in line for a couple of trick-or-treat lines (YES, they look long but they are so quick - promise), squeezed into a great view for the headless horseman and the Boo To You parade (very fun and a nice change from Spectromagic), and an even better view of Hallowishes.
I even got accosted by a couple of undertakers on the way to the women's restroom
----------------------
Long story short, I have no regrets and I don't feel weird about it at all. You shouldn't either. I never felt un-safe or like a sore thumb. Go. Have fun. Have a few blissful days of no arguing, of enjoying OTHER people's kids, of lots of sunshine and exercise (Even if it does involve some lovebugs - yuck), and of feeling like you can do anything.
Apparently folks, even I can turn a WDW weekend into a "You can do it!" Zig Ziegler seminar
Have fun! Trip reports to come on the Trip Reports board.
DH has a conference every year in Orlando and I usually tag along. I feel bad about it, but how can I stay in a hotel when the parks are right there! So I jump on the offsite resort bus with hopper passes and off I go. The convention is over spring break time and thus the parks are pretty crowded...that makes it a bit of a bummer to be alone only becuase I got pushed around (literally) so much. At first, no big deal, but after a few days I got a wee bit cranky. I think being only 5 feet tall might have had something to do with it as well 
