Solo Traveller and 1st Timer Calling out for tips and help!

[RicJ]

Hey there everyone!

My name is Ricardo, 28yrs, from Brazil. And i'm about to do my very first International trip, and it's to WDW.

I'm single, all my friends are busy (or don't have the budget right now) and you know what? I work hard, i haven't had a work vacation in ages and it felt good to do something "Unique" for myself... so here i go!

Right now this is what i know and have planned....

I should be landing on WDW on March 8th and will be staying there until March 20th . It's a big trip! I'm going full experience here... of course, i have a budget, but i decided that it was best to go all the way or no way...

Right now my resort of Choice is Art of Animation. I'll most likely be staying on the Little Mermaid Room... and you know what? That's probably going to work out for a couple of funny pictures and stories to tell back home, so i'm fine with that. Also, since i don't drive myself... it seems the best option is to stay in Lot (also, i'm kinda digging the whole "stay in the Disney Bubble" feel)

From what i understand, it's not a good idea for me to go with DDP, since i'm by myself... and i plan to attack the parks hard. I'm also ok with light meals over the course of the day, so OOP seems to be the right headway for someone like me?

...also i kinda want to try stuff at my own pace, and stumbling onto a new snack or food i never seen before sounds kinda fun too...

I'm debating to get or not the Memory Maker package... i'll be taking my Video Cam and my own Photo Cam... but again, i'm by myself... so maybe it's worth it get professional quality photos on iconic spots and rides?

I'm also taking 10 days of Tickets, but i'm debating on upgrading to park hoper (i don't mind investing a full day in a park... but then again, first time actually going there...) and i don't really care much for the Water Parks right now (water parks are generally more tiri
ng and require a full day's plan) i do intend to skip 2 or maybe 3 days of this trip to go to Universal or do a little shopping just to mix it up though...

I'm booking the flight myself, but everything else i'm doing directly in the Disney website. I have my international debit and credit card all set, so i can get some local cash in pocket at the airport... I have a good backpack to carry my cameras, wallet, sunglasses and a bottle of water, my phone is Android and i have a couple of apps and maps in there as well...

Also, are there recharge stations for your phone anywhere in the parks?

So, any travel tips, suggestions, experiences and wisdom some of you fine ladies and gentlemen care to impart upon me?

Also, here is a tech tip i could actually use... i have a Canon VIXIA HF R42 Camcorder that i'll be bringing with me, but i only have one battery for it... any idea where i could buy an extra battery in the area?

Also, I was thinking of taking a portable action camera (Think Go Pro) with me strapped to the chest or wrist to film some of the rides from POV... but i'm not sure if you are allowed to take that stuff in...

And on that note, for people with bags and packs before going into rides is there any place to store your stuff or you must always take it with you? Just so i know how light i need to travel in-park...

Thanks!!

 

[Donna M]

Sounds like you are very well prepared for your trip. I know there are charging stations in some parks (maybe all of them.)

There are not any places near the rides for backpacks.

Have fun.

 

[DetroitDisney]

Sounds like you are very well prepared for your trip. I know there are charging stations in some parks (maybe all of them.) There are not any places near the rides for backpacks. Have fun.

Disney rides are pretty much all designed to be fine if you have a bag. I brought a daypack with me last time with food/water/sunscreen etc and didn't have any problems with any rides. The few that would not be "pro-bags" usually have storage compartments in your seat (like soarin, mission space, the water ride at AK, etc).

All in all, id say just have fun and explore. You probably don't need the hopper if you are staying a bunch of days, unless you plan on going to see fireworks in one park after riding rides in another. But that's just my take. I generally like a day for each park.

I would also skip the DDP unless you want to always eat pricey meals. If you want to make a bunch of reservations and eat the most expensive thing on the menu, you can save money. If you want to go with the flow and eat what looks good as you explore, you will lose out on the DDP. But I'm a vegetarian so I would lose with the DDP by default so I'm slightly biased.

A true hit for me was drinking around the world at epcot. The epcot bar crawl is terribly fun and makes for a good time seeing the countries.

Also, I'm jealous bc I can't take that much time off work and id live to do disney for days on end.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

Congrats, I just took a solo trip in December and loved it.

Sounds like you have a good start on your plan, I loved being in the bubble the whole time and also loved how simple it was to just jump on the bus and go, no need for maps or directions and no worry of getting lost.

I used the DDP but probably won't next time. I really enjoyed having a nice sit down meal each night but I don't think I broke even on the cost of the dining plan. I'd recommend a few sit down meals if you can fit them in your schedule, WDW has some really fun restaurants and I though it really added to my experience. I particularly enjoyed Biergarten and 50's primetime.

I HIGHLY recommend memory maker, I took hundreds of pictures on my trip with my camera and cell phone but I'm only in about 5 of them. With photo pass (now memory maker) I ended up with over 100 photos, and I'm in all of them. Honestly this is probably the best money I spent on my vacation!

I'd highly recommend park hopper also, I loved the freedom of being able to jump from park to park. I only went for 7 days but park hopped on 3 of them so I could see all the parades and nighttime events. One day I started in MK, hopped to HS for Fantasmic and Osborne lights, and then walked over to Epcot to see illuminations again.

I used a patagonia atom sling backpack and thought it was the perfect size, large enough to hold my camera, phone, wallet, spare socks, gloves and hat (I went in Dec), portable charger, bandages, rain gear, a jacket, etc, etc but small enough it never got in the way and because it was a sling I didn't even have to take it off on rides, just spun it around to the front.

I bought a portable charger and used it several times to charge both my phone and my camera while in the parks.

The one thing I will do differently my next trip is I won't plan anything on my arrival day. After traveling all day I went to a MVMCP and was up for almost 24 hours straight, I had a blast but ended up sick the next day and it took me 2 days of afternoon naps to recover. Next time I plan on just checking into my resort and relaxing after flying all day... that way I'll be rested the rest of the week.

I was nervous about going to WDW alone but I had a blast and I'm already planning another solo trip for next year. Have fun!

 

[karly05]

First off, going solo is awesome. You can go at your own pace, do exactly what you want. (You'll hear that a lot.)

I will always stay on site at WDW because I do not drive on vacation!

I don't do the DDP, even if it's "free." I'd rather have the flexibility of eating what I want without counting credits, having to pay OOP for an appetizer or feeling like I have to get dessert... DDP just doesn't suit me, and that's OK. I DO book some TS meals, though. If you like pizza, you need to try Via Napoli at Epcot!

Personally, I would not go without a Park Hopper, but my trips are shorter than yours. I love eating at Epcot, and will hop there for lunches and dinners. I just like the idea of being able to change plans and hop to another park, even if I don't use it every day.

Definitely get Memory Maker if you plan on meeting any characters. I did a few meets on my first solo trip, then went totally nuts on my last trip with meeting characters. I got a lot of Photopass pics with them and IMO, that's where it's really worthwhile.

Most of all - just relax and have fun!

 

[RicJ]

Thank you all so much, it is actually a great relief to hear i'm pretty much in the righttrack here.

I also totally forgot to consider buying a portable charger for camera and phone... gotta look into that...

Might be a silly question, but just want to be sure... do i have to worry about putting locks on my backpack while on the parks? Any issues with stuff like that?

 

[eyehartdisney]

Don't bother with locks, the crime rate at Disney is microscopic, there is security everywhere. I would not, however, just leave your stuff unattended. (That being said, when you get there, look at all the strollers left outside the rides with bags in them, completely unattended.)

If you plan on doing universal, there is a public bus that goes right from the Transportation and ticket center in disney right to that park, if you need to save some money.

As far as being on a budget and staying at the art of animation... I would highly suggest you don't. There is a deal going on for the other value resorts, (Namely in this case Pop Century, which if you like the look of the art of animation is only a bridge away from visiting) for 25 bucks less a night, which would save you 300 bucks on your stay... not an insignificant savings considering the rooms are pretty similar in size and accommodations.

If you plan on coming back next year for a vacation, I would maybe suggest getting an annual pass. There is a discount to quite a bit on property when you have one, you get discounts on hotels at certain times of the year. (For example, I'm staying at pop century next week for 70/night.) And, it's cheaper than buying tickets every visit. Just make sure your vacations overlap. That is, if you are going on march 8th this time around, make march 8th be the last day of your visit next year. The cost of the pass isn't small, 600 dollars right now, but I've been in disney approximately 20 days within the last 365 day period, and just from the discounts in stores and restaurants alone I've saved 200 dollars. Not to mention the hotels, and the lack of need to buy tickets. It was worth it for me, but it might not be for you.