Solo trip. PoFQ. June 23 to June 27..who is with me?

[Gary Stocker]

Had a nice spring break with the family at the Contemporary. When I returned I felt an empty hole as I feel I didnt scratch the surface. It was fun but having to make constant detours from the plan (ie I want to go to the pool daddy) left me wanting more. Plus it wasn't until i got there that i felt a sense of missing out on Cape Canaveral. Being a fan of the Shuttle program I felt being an hour away from it all was a definite mistake.

So, upon returning to the real world (and impulsively checking the app for dining reservations and wait times for rides) I thought I wonder if I could somehow get back there this year?

Fate in the guise of my wifes mother stepped in and offered to take her and the KIDS to Panama (where she is was born) on one of their occasional family trips. Could it be?

So I checked and saw that WDW had a summer deal, saw that I could get a cheap solo flight...its amazing how cheap a flight is when you are flying solo.

Lo and behold I decided on a Moderate resort, used this invaluable site for my research, and decided on Port Orleans French Quarter for 4 nights..3 park days and 1 Cape Canaveral day. Got my fast passes...flight of passage unbelievably included..and and plan on hopping around the different beverage purveyors in every park except the Magic Kingdom.. epcot, AK, and HS...and possibly the monorail crawl too. Will take a boat to Disney Springs when I return from Canaveral..

I have a reservation for 2 at Ohana the first night.. they wont let you reserve singles there..will call and change it to 1 unless someone is around and wants to share a large meal.

Anyone going to be around during that time who would want to share some of my fortunate quest come rain or shine? Gary

 

[Gary Stocker]

Also not planning on doing any character meals..I feel that would be "cheating on my kids" who I refuse to tell I am going..my wife knows though and hasn't given me any guff....yet.

 

[Alicefan]

Sounds like fun except for the time of year lol. I have never attempted WDW in the Summer months. No I take that back, we had free tickets that were about to expire and we had to go Memorial Day weekend and I thought we were going to die. I hate heat with a passion so we weren't able to do much more than a couple of rides and sit on a bench and people watch. It always blows me away to see that most people go during the Summer. I say you should do character meals and all! You can't go on a solo trip feeling guilty! Enjoy yourself and enjoy the solitude! You're going to get spoiled though. Trust me, I went thinking, "oh gosh, I'm going to feel stuck inside my own brain with no one to say, ooh look at this and ooh look at that to." but that was exactly what I found to be the most relaxing. The lack of idle chit chat before, during and after every single move you make is exhausting in itself. You'll never want to the kids to come again!

 

[Gary Stocker]

I hear you about the heat but this timeframe was my only window if I wanted to do it. I will be hydrated for sure...decided on avoiding too many sit down meals so got 2 signature meals...flying fish and California grill during the fireworks my final night. Counting down..cant wait!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

As long as you're prepared for the heat you'll be fine! I went July last year and sure it was hot, but summer does NOT have the crowds it used to have 10 years ago. It'll be a blast!

 

[Gary Stocker]

Halfway through sitting here at chef art Smith's Smith's homecomin and this has been a great adventure so far. Canaveral today.. awesome. Tomorrow epcot around the world. I have discovered dole whips and captain Morgan on the Boardwalk. Miss my little ones a little but a great trip this far

 

[Timhags]

Concierge desk, ask for the gummies. Lol, hope you have a great trip!

 

[Gary Stocker]

Nice. Will try to capture the look on her face when I ask

 

[Gary Stocker]

Chef Smith's homecomin was incredible but be mindful of overindulgence. It ended my night. I need to walk back to NJ to burn off that mac and cheese.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Final night melancholy..however the $75 Kansas city strip at California grill eases the pain...sorry its sideways

 

[Gary Stocker]

The trip has come to an end. Waiting for the bus to MCO eating my last 3 snack credits...sausage and biscuits with potato barrels. Going to need to get to the gym Immediately. Overindulgence and Disney go hand in hand

As much as I liked the trip and the flexibility I did find myself wanting to share experiences with my kids and wife like yesterday in Animal Kingdom when the parrots all came in during that presentation and one nearly took my head off.

I recommend a solo trip but probably will only do this one time. Didnt step foot in the Magic Kingdom, which I regret, but I feel this is the park tailored more for children and being in and around the Contemporary (where my family and I stayed in April) was enough nostalgia.

The one huge highlight was epcot and drinking and eating around the world. Took my time, saw most of the shows in Canada Mexico France, and Germany.

 

[Gary Stocker]

Also did some resort hopping. The Polynesian is incredible. Watching the fireworks from the beach with a spiky pineapple (dole whip with rum) was pretty nice

 

[Gary Stocker]

One last tip. Download the Lyft app and use it when you are here. There were a couple of occasions where I tried to save some money and give the busses a chance and wasted way too much time waiting. Time is money and the most I spent pre tip was $11.

 

[ludakris10]

One last tip. Download the Lyft app and use it when you are here. There were a couple of occasions where I tried to save some money and give the busses a chance and wasted way too much time waiting. Time is money and the most I spent pre tip was $11.

How was POFQ as a solo traveler? I've never stayed there but have heard good things about it in terms of the solo traveler and am considering changing my reservation. Curious about your experience.

Thanks.

 

[Gary Stocker]

How was POFQ as a solo traveler? I've never stayed there but have heard good things about it in terms of the solo traveler and am considering changing my reservation. Curious about your experience.

Thanks.

In all I thought the convenience of just hopping onto a boat and getting to Disney Springs was THE best part of staying here. The ability to walk to Riverside was nice as well, although that walk (after a day in the parks) did seem a little lengthy. My dogs were definitely barking .

It is well documented on this site that this resort is amazingly themed. For me the attraction to Disney has always been the attention to the little things and Port Orleans French Quarter does this in spades.

I requested and was able to get a room in the 700 building which is a little walk from the Main Desk but also has it's own entrance for anyone picking you up (Lyft) and is really close to the bus stop.

I also saw that I wasn't the only solo traveler staying there. Met a few folks at the bar there who were on their own for various reasons. As always people are always more friendly when they are on vacation (I guess an exception would be that fighting family in Disneyland) and I was able to strike up conversations pretty much everywhere, from the Lyft driver who said he was part of the Venezuelan resistance who had to flee the country in fear for his life, to the French family who designed the car in Test Track (and taught me some French on the ride).

I didn't go to the pool so I can't comment.

Breakfast was always decadent. Tried one Mickey beignet and way too much biscuits and gravy (all my snack credits went to breakfast).

In all I feel like I got my money's worth (it's all relative with the amount you shell out in Disney) with POFQ and think my family would also love it when we eventually plan another trip (working on renting some DVC points for early next year so we shall see).

One thing I would probably change is to not get the Disney Dining Plan, but just get the Quick Service plan. While I LOVED the California Grill and was able to chat with the couples sitting in adjacent tables and while I thought Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' and Mama Melrose were great I think next time (if I do travel solo again) I will fly more off the seat of my pants than be tied to a reservation. The best meal I had there was probably at Satuli Canteen in AK and all I had to do was order via the App.

Any more detailed questions ask away. Loved the resort, loved the boat ride to Disney Springs. Transportation was convenient TO the parks, not as much from the parks (I used Lyft almost exclusively there). In fact the morning I went to AK I was the only one on the bus!