Ooh Hoo! Big Birthday Blowout! SOLO Trip Oct 8-18, 2016

[intricatejewel]

Want to skip to the actual trip report?

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2016 Ooh Hoo! Big Birthday Blowout! SOLO Trip Oct 8-18, 2016

I'm going to try my hand at a PTR for my upcoming SOLO trip to UO, IoA, WDW, and DCL. Phew, that's a lot of acronyms! That'll be Universal or Orlando, Islands of Adventure, Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line for those that are relatively new to the DIS. My name is Julie and I hail from Ohio. I take X-rays for a large hospital system and love my job.

I have an adorable husky named Juneau and a sassy black cat named Sasha and I suspect I talk to my animals more like room mates rather than furry companions.

My 35th birthday is coming up this Fall in October and I wanted to do something special to celebrate it since the last few years I've had to work through my birthdays and they just kinda passed on by. So I wanted to change that!

I used to make WDW an annual event but various life events got in the way and stopped that from happening. Now I finally have the time and financial stability to go back! But sadly, much of my friends and family are in no position to go or simply have no desire to see Mickey and his friends. (Weird, I know). To go or not to go was THE question for a few months before I came to the conclusion, I WANT TO GO! So I'm sucking it up and going solo for 10 days. I went solo to WDW about 5 years ago and wasn't crazy about it because I let some innocent CM comments get under my skin: "JUST one? ONLY you?"

However, I have cruised DCL solo and loved it so much, I went on 2 more solo cruises on DCL after that. I'm comfortable being on my own for the most part. I'm a little nervous about having quality alone time in WDW since it's so family oriented but reading other solo DISer trip reports has made me excited to experience it with a different mindset. I've had different responses from people when I tell them my solo bday plans, ranging from shocked disbelief to very supportive and encouraging. The most have actually been the latter.

I plan to post my trip report as its happening so hopefully you all get to experience a little of the magic and joy as I experience it. Okay, so here's a rough outline of my plans, since I'm still waiting on posted park hours and MNSSHP dates:

DAY ONE:
Fly in mid-morning
Check in at Royal Pacific Resort
Park hop UO and IoA

DAY TWO:
Check out in morning
Spend full day between the two parks UO/IoA
Uber ride to AoA, check in

DAY THREE:
One of the four WDW parks

DAY FOUR:
Ditto

DAY FIVE:
Lather, rinse, repeat

DAY SIX:
What she said...
Oh, and it's my Birthday!

DAY SEVEN:
Check out of AoA
DCL transport to Port Canaveral
All Aboard the Disney Dream

DAY EIGHT:
Nassau, Bahamas
Stay on ship during port and enjoy the ships amenities

DAY NINE:
Castaway Cay, Bahamas
5k in the morning and then some QT sun worshipping at Serenity Bay

DAY TEN:
All good things must come to an end...
Debark the Dream and fly home

I plan on eating mostly QS to help budget but here are a few places that are on my bucket list:
Krusty's at UO
Cletus' Chicken at UO
The Leaky Cauldron at UO (butterbeer!)
The Three Broomsticks at IoA

BOG breakfast (I'm hoping for early park entry)
Columbia Harbour House or BOG lunch, I'm undecided
Trader Sams Grog Grotto (a few adult beverages are in order)
Ohana
Yak and Yeti (I have a Landrys card which will entitle me to a free birthday dinner)
Sanaa
Backlot Express (dark side chicken and waffles )
Earl of Sandwich
Aloha Isle
As many Food and Wine booth samplings as I can eat

I'm really looking forward to seeing ROL, riding SDMT, Soarin and the new Frozen ride as well as eating my way around the world for the F&W festival and trick or treating at MNSSHP. Oh, and Harry Potter! I haven't been to Universal in 10 years so I can't wait to check out Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade.

Okay, so there you have it! I plan to post live during the trip and include pics so hopefully I can spread a little pixie dust out in the DISboards along the way! Happy travels!!

 

[TEAMJACOB]

I am in. Your dog and cat are beautiful! Your plans sounds great. Bet you are excited.

 

[unwritten01]

Beautiful pets! Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

 

[intricatejewel]

I am in. Your dog and cat are beautiful! Your plans sounds great. Bet you are excited.

Thank you, I love these little furballs and I'll probably have worse separation anxiety than they will. But not enough to stop me from going because this trip is going to be Uh-May-Zing!! Thanks for following along!

Beautiful pets! Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

I can't wait for this trip to happen! Hopefully everything goes smoothly.

 

[intricatejewel]

In about 10 more days, my time window for booking ADR's will be open. Like most other posters have complained about, I'm frustrated by the lack of info Disney is putting out there for ROL, MNSSHP and AK park hours but I know it'll all work out.

I love to plan in advance, but once in WDW, I go full on commando and try to squeeze in as much as I can. I think I have my WDW days planned out:

Monday, October 10: Hollywood Studios
Tuesday, October 11: Animal Kingdom
Wednesday, October 12: Epcot
Thursday, October 13: Magic Kingdom (and it's my bday!) & MNSSHP
Friday, October 14: depending what time I get picked up for my DCL transfer, I'd like to sleep in and maybe get a quick swim in at the resort before leaving

I'm going to do my best to be there for rope drops each day, but I'm certain as the week goes on, I'm going to be really worn out. I decided to buy the Memory Maker photo package because the magic photos are too irresistibly cute for me to pass up. I've been thinking about doing Behind the Seeds Tour at Epcot. I enjoy Living with the Land and think this would be interesting.

I've got 1/2 of the trip paid off, should be all settled by June. This Friday will be my last shift on 3rds before going onto 2nd shift and I can't wait to sleep at night again like everyone else. A shift is opening on 1st, so cross your fingers for me.

I've discovered that I've fallen victim to overdosing on the DIS and buying all the suggested "must pack" items. So far, I have suckered myself into buying a Frog Togg, brand new Teva's, an Anker portable charger for my cell phone, blister bandaids, moleskin, and bike shorts (to go under dresses to prevent the much dreaded chafing)

Most of these things were on my list anyway, but I have a feeling I wasted $$$ on the Frog Togg. Im going to cut myself off before I start buying the packing cubes and custom made Mickey ears off of Etsy.

Lastly, I've been making an effort to lose weight before the trip and my goal is to drop 50 lbs. So far, I've dropped 20 lbs by running with the dog in the park and eating rabbit food. It's working, but what I wouldn't give for a slice of pizza right now!!

That's it for now. Hope everyone had a great Easter! TTFN!

 

[heaven2dc]

I can tell this is going to be an amazing live TR! Love solo trips (I've only gone once for 4 days before I was joined by family) - hope to get some good tips from your TR

 

[Sailormoon2]

Congrats on your b-day solo planning, and weight loss!! BOG for lunch is the best...and hot butter beer is substantially more addictive than cold.

 

[MouseMamaToMany]

Fun! I'm in, and I'm jealous!!! Looks like a fabulous trip!

 

[intricatejewel]

Sorry it's been so long since the last update! I was picking up OT to quickly pay off this trip and then it suddenly became summer because, you know, Ohio and I took advantage of the nice weather we were having. Then this past week I became pretty sick and a visit to the ER followed by emergency surgery and I am now less one gallbladder.

The past few days I've done nothing but troll the Disboards and watch movies while recovering. I finally got around to watching Zootopia and boy is it cuuuuute!! It's now one of my favorites! I was also able to watch Song of the South for the first time ever and I enjoyed it. Could see where a few parts of the movie are insensitive, but overall a great movie. Now I'll be able to fully appreciate Splash Mountain.

I extended my trip by an extra day because the airfare was so much cheaper to fly out the next day so I booked an overnight stay at POR. It'll be my first time staying there and I'm so excited to check out the resort. I've also made lots of ADRs:
10/11: Yak and Yeti lunch
Sanaa dinner
10/13: BOG breakfast AND lunch
Skipper Canteen
10/17: Garden View Afternoon Tea
Ohana

I've also booked Behind the Seeds Tour and MNSSHP. In another month I'll finally be able to book my FPs. I can't wait because then I can really start planning.

So while I've been laid up reading other people's trip reports and fantasizing about my own, I came to the realization that a LIVE trip report won't really be feasible. I plan on being in the parks from rope drop to close and I'll just be too tired to type out an hour long report of the day each night. Not to mention, I've read many reports that AoA has terrible and unreliable wifi. However, I can promise quick updates and many photos when I get back.

Weight loss update: 30 lbs lost! Funny little story, after surgery I decided to step on the scale. I don't know, I was thinking, less organs so I should weigh less. WRONG! I was 9 lbs heavier! Say what?! Turns out, during surgery they have continuous IV fluids going into you and factor in swelling and post-surgical water retention and bam- human sponge!

Happily, it's mostly gone away and should be fully gone in another couple days. I do, however, want to resume exercising soon and I don't know when that will be. There's another 20 lbs I'd like to lose before the trip. Heck, I dont even know when I'm allowed to go back to work yet! Ah well, I'm sort of enjoying this time off.

I suppose that's it for now. Hopefully everyone else has a great summer! TTFN!

 

[Raeven]

Following along! Zootopia was adorable! And I didn't think the Frogg Toggs were terribly useful, but my boyfriend uses them when he works outside and loves them. Custom ears on Etsy are my weakness

 

[intricatejewel]

P

I can tell this is going to be an amazing live TR! Love solo trips (I've only gone once for 4 days before I was joined by family) - hope to get some good tips from your TR

i love solo trips too, and solo TRs are so few and in between, I figured I should throw in my 2 cents. If there's anything you want me to check out for you, let me know and I'll report on it for you

Congrats on your b-day solo planning, and weight loss!! BOG for lunch is the best...and hot butter beer is substantially more addictive than cold.

I am sooooo excited to try butterbeer. I plan to try EVERY version; hot, cold, and frozen. I'll share my thoughts after I've experienced them all. I've already resigned myself to the fact I'm going to have to seriously diet after I get back home. But first, I need to shed these 20 lbs first before the trip

Fun! I'm in, and I'm jealous!!! Looks like a fabulous trip!

Well I guess this just means you need to plan a fabulous trip for yourself someday! I know how life gets messy, but sometimes it's nice to know you've got a light at the end of the tunnel and have something to look forward to. Or just live vicariously through me for now until it's your time to go!

Following along! Zootopia was adorable! And I didn't think the Frogg Toggs were terribly useful, but my boyfriend uses them when he works outside and loves them. Custom ears on Etsy are my weakness

Do you know I broke down and bought the packing cubes, after all? I'm so weak!

 

[intricatejewel]

I've just been back from the most amazing trip ever! It was more than I expected it to ever be. So much so, that I'm already planning my next vacation to WDW. To recap, I went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure for two days, followed by four days of WDW parks, a three day cruise, and another day and a half in the parks. Yes, I was exhausted but it was soooooo worth it! There was a little stress as I kept a weather eye on the hurricane before the trip, worrying back and forth whether or not I should cancel, but Matthew didn't as far inland as predicted and I was able to stay on schedule. Without further ado, my trip report:

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Saturday, October 8th, 2016​

The first day, I woke up at stupid-o'clock (4:30am) to get ready before my good friend arrived to take me to the airport. I kept getting text alerts from Frontier to expect delays due to the hurricane, but everything went swimmingly and my flight took off right on time at 7:25am. Except for the little darling kicking the back of my chair, it was a very smooth flight. This was the first thing I saw once we cleared the clouds.

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We landed right on time at 10:00am, but sat on the tarmac for a frustrating 20 minutes because the other plane hadn't departed from the gate and we couldn't pull in until they left. Eventually, I was aboard the airport monorail and then collecting my luggage before making my way to the Universal check-in counter. I was first in line and the staff were quick and efficient, handing over my Universal "passbook" which contained my park tickets and other discounts and directing me where to wait for my shuttle. It promptly arrived at 10:55am and I was in front of Royal Pacific by 11:20am. I got an absolutely gorgeous room with an even more gorgeous view. I was so sad that I was staying for only one day.

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The shampoo and conditioner they provide made my hair so soft and shiny and the bed was luxuriously soft. I booked Royal Pacific primarily for the Express Pass that some with the room and I was impressed with the loveliness of the resort and the friendliness of the staff. I definitely would stay again and recommend anyone to give them a try. By 11:45am, I walked over to Universal Studios and was within the park before noon. I spotted Scooby and Shaggy with virtually no line and nabbed a quick pic with them.

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Shaggy was telling silly, lame jokes and Scooby thought I was crazy for laughing at them. It was a really fun interaction. Around the corner was E.T., so I used my very handy Express Pass and was exploring alien worlds on my very own bike in less than 10 minutes. I was extremely hungry at this point, so I stopped at Cletus' Chicken Shack for a chicken and waffle sandwich with maple syrup mayo and tater tots. I had read rave reviews for this, but was disappointed. Both the chicken and the waffle had been sitting out too long and were barely lukewarm, which we all know is detrimental to fried foods. The tater tots were at least hot and fresh and I was hungry enough to devour a good portion of the meal. It was a one and done meal and I can check it off my list. Isn't it so very beige looking?

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After this, I ventured over to M.I.B. and got my first taste of Universal's locker system. It was a madhouse! I wish groups would send just one person in to get a locker because it was extremely frustrating pushing my way through the throngs of families just to get to the locker kiosk. That being said, although it was annoying, I never had to wait more than 5 minutes to get a locker or to retrieve my stuff after the ride. Don't let other posters deter you from brining a bag into the park. It's not THAT big of a hassle. I used EP for every ride that offered it and I don't think I will ever do US/IoA without it! What a time saver! Most rides had posted wait times of 45-60 minutes and with EP, I never waited more than 15. I rode a couple more rides in the area and excitedly made my way to Diagon Alley.

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I passed through the very cool and magical brick wall into.... pandemonium. It was wall-to-wall people. Like, seriously.

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I've never seen so many people transfixed with their iPhones cameras on the ready gathered in one place. I ducked into Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop to escape the crowds. I ordered a scoop of chocolate chili and peanut butter and strawberry ice cream. This. Was. Delicious!!

I was initially disappointed with the first taste of the chocolate chili because it tasted like plain old chocolate ice cream. And then a lovely, slow heat builds up at the back of your throat that complimented perfectly with the PB and strawberry ice cream to cool things back down. I really, really enjoyed this. Because EP is not offered on Gringotts, I was hoping to use the single rider option, but they had the line closed down, so I hopped in the regular queue for a 45 minutes wait. Really, the detailing that went into this queue was not exaggerated. I really felt like the goblins were real and that magic was in every nook and cranny.

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The ride, however, fell flat with me. Maybe I built up my expectations too much, but I walked out of the ride feeling a bit disappointed. As the weekend wore on, I learned that I'm not a big fan of simulator rides and Universal clearly is because all of their newer rides use the simulation gimmick. I prefer something more old school like roller coasters, whirly rides, and rides that give you a thrill. In the end, I rode everything and still enjoyed myself but found myself favoring the older "classics." Anywho, I decided that I absolutely had to try a cold butterbeer and that's precisely what I did.

It was really tasty. For the first few sips. I later learned I much prefer the frozen version because the cold butterbeer has a slightly unpleasant artificial sweetener aftertaste that I did not care for and after a few sips, I really didn't want anymore. I made myself drink at least half of it since I just paid about $7 for it, but it made me nauseous. So I decided that there's nothing quite like a roller coaster to settle a sick stomach and quickly hopped onto Rip Ride Rockit and had a blast! What a fun coaster. I jammed to Baby Got Back by Sir Mix A lot.

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After that, I made my way to Shrek 4D. I enjoy the green ogre and his misfit crew and thought this was really cute. I hit up The Mummy next and laughed my head off. I think this was and still is my favorite ride at Universal. I hope they never get rid of this one. At this point, I had less than an hour before the park closed for HHN, so I journeyed back towards Diagon Alley to take the Hogwarts Express. It was a miserable 45 minute wait to get on the train because it was so incredibly hot and stuffy in the queue and there was very little to look at except your phone. Speaking of which, I'm glad I took the advice of another poster and brought a portable phone charger. It was a life saver! All of the parks now rely on apps for everything and my phone battery was nearly dead before noon every day. I took this opportunity to charge my phone and catch up with friends and family. Eventually, I was on the short trip to Islands of Adventure and absolutely loved the experience. I don't want to include any spoilers, but I will say it was perfect and I really felt like I was there.

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After disembarking the train, I saw Dueling Dragons was a virtual walk-on, which it was. I was roaring around on my Chinese Fireball in no time, squeeing through the twists and turns with glee. Afterwards, I rode Flight of the Hippogriff, which I thought was a cute, mild coaster. For reference, it's about as mild as 7DMT. I was able to go through the single rider line for the Harry Potter ride and loved it much more than Gringotts. The story line was better too, I think. I feel like Universal hit the ball out of the park with this one. I wandered over to Jurassic Park, donned a rain poncho and boarded River Adventure. I stayed relatively dry, but I had all the water rides lined up for the day and knew I wasn't going to stay that way much longer. I enjoyed the Jurassic Park ride, but it was definitely showing its age and many of the dinosaurs' foam hide had either faded a lot or were separated at the seams. I still consider it a classic and I hope they give this attractions some much needed love in the future. I hopped in line for Kong and enjoyed another beautifully detailed queue. Although it was another simulator-type ride, I did enjoy it and thought the story line was both cute and thrilling. Afterwards, I put on my cheap rain poncho again and got on Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. The rain poncho mostly did its job and I wasn't too worse for wear by the time the ride was over. Until I went on Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. This is a ride that you are meant to get soaked on. Fortunately, only my bottom half was wet, but everyone else on my raft was drenched! At least they were all laughing as they got off the ride. It was really fun! At this point, the poncho served its purpose and I threw it away and got in line for Spiderman. Another simulator ride. Cute plot, again, but it was starting to feel a little "been there, done that." Basically, you've been on one simulator ride, you've been on them all. I needed some thrills next so I went on Dr. Doom and had a blast. I was tempted to ride again, but it was close to park closing time and The Hulk was on the way out. I hurried over to ride it, and totally regretted it. It gave me a massive headache from the start and I was miserable by the time I got off the ride. At this point, I was done! It was closing time anyway, so I left the park and made my way into City Walk. I popped a couple of ibuprofen as I walked and began to feel better by the time I made it to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for dinner. I flashed my Landry's card and got a table right away. My server promptly showed up, seated herself in the chair across from me and chatted for a few minutes. Some people feel like that's rude, but I liked the laid-back and friendly vibe she gave me and I felt like VIP with all the attention. I ordered a frozen cocktail that I later learned came WITH the souvenir glass, but oh well. I don't remember what it was, but it was delicious and refreshing and that's all I wanted. I ordered the Shrimper's Heaven which consisted of hand breaded coconut shrimp, chilly shrimp, friend shrimp and Japanese style tempura shrimp and fries with dipping sauces like tangy Asian, Cajun marmalade, and old fashioned cocktail. It came quickly and all but the cold shrimp was fresh and delicious. The cold shrimp was rubbery and not all that great, but the breaded coconut shrimp more than made up for it. I ate most of it before calling it quits.

The meal only cost me about $10 + tip because I had a $25 birthday reward on my Landry's card. Alcohol isn't included, so that's why it was $10. On my way out, Bubba Gump Shrimp himself was outside, so I took a quick selfie with him. I whispered to him that he was delicious.

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By 9:30pm, I was back at the resort to shower and get into bed as quickly as possible because I had another stupid-early time to get up the next day. My Fitbit Zip said I walked 21,758 steps or 10.8 miles. And that was only from noon-10pm.

 

[heaven2dc]

Joining in! What a great first day! I can't wait until we can visit Universal Studios and Island of Adventure on our next trip. Your shrimp dinner looks yummy! Chocolate chili ice cream threw me off for a minute but understand what you mean about the taste after a few mins - my sons would love that!

 

[frenchieSteven]

I was on a solo trip around the same days, from 11th to 18th, with 2 days in Universal Studios and Island of Adventures the 12th and 13th, and then 4 days in WDW parks.
As a solo I would say EP is not really a big need because they have many single rider lines in those parks.