Not what I planned but trying to ignore the anxiety-A solo February PTR

[Kristi391]

You've got to go with the Broccoli Peppercorn Salad there.

Oh, that sounds good! Broccoli is my favorite vegetable!

Hi Kristi! Fellow solo traveler here and I want to reassure you - though I'm really sorry to hear about the circumstances that led to this - that solo trips are amazing! I'm planning my third if you want to check out my PTR for some solo-related travel planning... though I'm not too far in... yet! I'm also single, without kids, and have a nephew!

To answer some of the questions you threw out in the beginning:

Will I be lonely? NO! At least I'm not. I use line time to research Hidden Mickeys or chat with other people, or just take a break from all the commotion and tune out
Can I eat at a TS meal alone and not feel self-conscious? I haven't done that myself but I'm seriously contemplating it. I figure if I can vacation alone, I can dine alone, right?
Do I add days on to my 4 day park passes or have 2 non-park days? I would absolutely add another day or two... but I realize the weather hasn't been on your side lately - I'm positive that between resort hopping and DTD, there are plenty of ways to entertain yourself if you end up not purchasing the extra day(s)

I really love the freedom of solo traveling - you get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, without feeling guilty. I hope you do a TR after you return!

Hi Tracy! Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for your reassurance. I love the idea of the hidden Mickeys! I had skimmed through a book when my mom and I went last December, but I didn't really get in to it because I didn't want to have my nose in the book while with mom. Now I can just shove it in my purse and take it out when I want. Great idea!

I have just under three weeks until my second solo trip, and I'm going for two weeks. Can't wait!

Talking from experience, you won't be lonely. SO MANY PEOPLE will chat to you. CMs and guests. I find the CMs are even more friendly when they know I'm solo, and make a special effort with me, and it was very nice. So many interesting people spoke to me, too. I had a wonderful bus ride to AK one morning with two lovely senior ladies who were going for breakfast with Donald. That was a highlight. Also sat next to a wish family with a beautiful daughter at Chef Mickeys and they were chatting to me the whole time. I only felt lonely a few times, and that was when I first got to my hotel room after I arrived, but it didn't last long. The other times were when I saw a small girl about the same age as my niece and it made me miss her a lot, and I felt a bit sad and lonely, but I went to the Character Spot and it cheered me up right away to get hugs and kisses from Mickey! The last time was actually my first day at the parks. I did everything on my list in under two hours and I felt a bit lost and dazed, because I suppose I'd forgotten that my plans would go by faster when I was alone. I actually found it better to wing it, rather than plan, but I suppose it's different with fastpass+.

I have social anxiety disorder and I was SO WORRIED about eating alone. But you know what? It was fine. It was lovely, in fact! I had a table service meal every day because I had the dining plan, and the servers always made me feel welcome and talked to me when they could. I wrote in my diary, read books on my kindle and browsed DIS and Tumblr on my phone when I was waiting for food, but I rarely felt awkward. I got a few funny looks at character meals, but I soon forgot about it. I say try it. Bring a book or something like that to keep you busy, just in case. But you'll be okay. Ask for a seat near a window, or away from the main area, that's what I did. It made it much easier.

I had one anxiety attack when I got on a bus full of local Orlando school kids to MK, because I have a few scars on my arms and I was wearing short sleeves and they were staring and laughing, but that was okay. A very kind man came and sat with me and talked to me about my favourite Disney rides. I found that a lot of guests were like this, mostly parents and older adults. They saw I was alone and made an effort to talk to me, especially when waiting in lines.

All in all, I had the time of my life and I can't wait until next month for my next solo trip.

I'm sorry this was so long, but I wanted to try to reassure you.

Hugs, from Becca.

Hi Becca! Thank you for sharing your experiences! Some of the things you talked about are EXACTLY some of the things I am concerned about! Finishing things up faster than normal and feeling lost and out of sorts and seeing little ones the same age as my nephew and being super sad with missing him! Your words make me feel so much better and give me more confidence about the whole trip! Your experience on the bus with the local kids made tear up! Groups of kids can be awful...pack mentality and all that! I am so happy the kind man sat with you and talked with you. The fact that you had some bumps along the way and are still planning your next solo trip is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!

 

[Tracy161]

Glad you like the Hidden Mickey book idea!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

Hi Becca! Thank you for sharing your experiences! Some of the things you talked about are EXACTLY some of the things I am concerned about! Finishing things up faster than normal and feeling lost and out of sorts and seeing little ones the same age as my nephew and being super sad with missing him! Your words make me feel so much better and give me more confidence about the whole trip! Your experience on the bus with the local kids made tear up! Groups of kids can be awful...pack mentality and all that! I am so happy the kind man sat with you and talked with you. The fact that you had some bumps along the way and are still planning your next solo trip is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!

You're so welcome, and I'm very glad I could help a little. You'll have such an amazing time. I didn't get a chance to meet up with anyone from the boards, but hopefully you'll be able to find a couple of people to see! When I missed my niece, I collected little things I thought she'd like, like Mickey stickers and park maps and little cheap gifts, and made sure to call my sister and talk with her, and I video called with her a few times too.

I brought a pack of glowsticks with me to wear as bracelets when it got dark, and I found lots of parents quietly asking if they could buy one off me for a dollar or two. I would give them a handful (for free, I didn't want them to pay for glowsticks!) and it made me super happy watching them give them to their children. Their faces would light up and they'd come and say thank you and it made me feel really good. One little girl wanted a colour for each princess for her wrists, and we had fun picking them out for her. I then made her a glowstick necklace, and she was so happy and gave me a hug, and her parents bought me a drink from Starbucks and gave me a fastpass (ah, the days of fastpasses...) to say thank you. It was such a nice moment! I loved doing stuff like this when I missed Eva, it made it much more bearable.

Solo trips are so fun. I loved doing things my family weren't overly interested in doing, and spent a couple of days exploring the World Showcase and watching the live music and taking in the small details and talking to the CMs from their countries. I've been learning Spanish, so I'm excited to try it out with the Mexican CMs! It was also nice being able to eat as many Mickey bars and funnel cakes as I wanted without my mum giving me disapproving looks...

I hope you have a really amazing trip! Can't wait to hear about it!

My PTR for my solo trip is here if you want to see what I'll be up to.

 

[LaurEm378]

I will likely be doing mostly counter service but have really been contemplating 50s Prime Time Cafe for my HS day and/or Trails End if I decide to explore Ft. Wilderness. I have eaten at both of them and enjoyed them, but really not sure if I will feel weird sitting at a table by myself. Maybe if I go at off times, it would not be so bad. I haven't made any ADRs so it would be contingent upon them having seating available for my party of 1.

I would love a solo trip but I think I'd feel awkward eating alone at TS restaurants too. But don't forget that 50s Prime Time has a bar you can sit and eat at, which might feel a little less awkward. All the resort lounges have menus, actually--you might check those out for if/when you want a change from CS! The bartenders are always friendly, too, if you're in the mood for conversation.

I think once you're there all your anxiety will melt away when you start doing Disney your own way. Can't wait to read more!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

Oh, something else. If you have time, try to eat somewhere where you sit down at your airport. I did that in London before I flew out to get me used to eating alone, and obviously there were LOADS of solo travellers because, well, it was an airport.

 

[Kristi391]

I go to Florida THIS week! As I sit listening to the plows in the midst of yet another snowstorm, I cannot wait to be getting off the plane on Friday night and not have to trudge through several feet of snow! (And the thought of not wearing boots caked with snow is making me positively giddy! )

I called reservations this morning to apply payment to my room. I was on hold for quite a while and the agent I spoke with wasn't sure about the Disney vacation account, but finally I was able to make the payment. My room, which started out at $1200, is down to $323! I have been using reward point for Target gift cards, which I then used to purchas Disney gift cards and added them to my DVA. So, so far the only thing I paid for out of pocket was my flight. I had paid for the flights and about $700 of the room back in August when we booked and then slowly adding to the account with the gift cards since then. With my babysitting and hockey money, I generally take half and use for bills and household stuff and use the other half for something fun (usually vacations!) so I bought my park tickets with babysitting money and I used one of my hockey checks to buy a gift card that I will use for food down there. So, despite the fact that I am not splitting the room with anyone, it is turning out to be fairly frugal. I am not really a souvenir kinda gal, so unless I see a tee shirt or something else that I love, I don't see myself spending a ton of money on other stuff once I am there. This makes me so happy!!! Plus, I was able to work my make up game on Friday night, so I didn't lose as much as I could have due to the crazy weather this month!

Ok, off to wrap my nephew's birthday gifts and hope that I can make it over for his birthday dinner tonight! Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

 

[princessbelle2015]

That's wonderful that you were able to do this trip on thr frugal side.
I can see why you can't wait to get to florida for the weather alone. I hope you have the best disney you have ever had.

 

[Tracy161]

I hear ya! This winter has just been brutal! Pretty soon you'll forget all of us suffering still in the snow and cold as you head out for warmer temps! YAY!!!!!!!! Your trip is this week!

 

[Kristi391]

I am all packed and just doing some last minute things around the house before heading to the airport. Thanks to everyone who has helped alleviate my anxiety and tell me how great this trip is going to be!

Still nervous but I think that will go away once I am out of all this snow!!!

 

[alwaysadisneykid]

I am all packed and just doing some last minute things around the house before heading to the airport. Thanks to everyone who has helped alleviate my anxiety and tell me how great this trip is going to be!

Still nervous but I think that will go away once I am out of all this snow!!!

HAVE AN AMAZING TRIP! I am sooo jealous you're leaving now. I still have ten days until my solo trip. Have the best time and give Chip and Dale a kiss for me if you see them!

 

[Tracy161]

YAY!!! Your trip has arrived! So excited for you, have a wonderful time!!!