To solo, or not to solo - 1st solo trip PTR Aug/Sept 2015 WDW

your-obt-servt

Earning My Ears
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Jun 12, 2015
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To solo, or not to solo, that is NOT the question 'cause I’M GOING!

First Solo Trip PTR – Aug/Sept 2015 WDW




+INTRO+


Hi everyone! :wave2:

Well, I’ve gone and done it.

I just booked my first ever solo trip in late August.




It is bit of a leap of faith for me, because though I’ve been to WDW many times, I’ve never gone completely solo. My trips have almost always been with my family (whole or partial), and though they indulge me out of love, none of them are as enthusiastic as I am about going to Disney.



But real life has been lackluster at most lately, if not downright depressing, and I needed something to look forward to. I am tired of being unhappy, tired of being jealous of others, just … tired. Yes, I have issues. So, I finally told myself to stop feeling guilty about doing something for myself.




So, I am going. Solo. And I will enjoy it even if it kills me.




Here’s a little bit about myself.


I am a proud Disney geek from NJ. I love characters, my favorite park is MK, favorite ride Haunted Mansion. I also enjoy just walking around the parks, discovering something new, big or small. My taste tends to lean a little towards old school, but then again, it may be just me getting old. But I am willing to give anything at least a try.


My first Disney park was actually Tokyo Disneyland, just over a year after it opened (so you can do the math - just don’t tell me how long it’s been). Used to go there twice a year while we lived in Japan. On the stateside, I’ve been to Disneyland 3 times, but consider WDW my home base – with many family vacations and adult trips (mostly with my mother) under my belt.



My last trip was in October 2014, in which I crashed my brother’s family trip (with permission). Unfortunately, I was only there for 2 days due to my work schedule, plus it wasn’t really MY trip, but it was my niece & nephew’s first trip to WDW, and I wanted to be a part of it.


What did that trip left me with?


An itching for a proper Disney vacation (last one was December 2009), one unused park day on my MagicBand, and a mixed experience of being solo.


See, I did have some alone time away from the rest of the group (12 in total, not counting myself). While I really loved the freedom and efficiency, I was also hit with a crying fit which actually caught me by surprise. Luckily it was at night, after dark, so hopefully not too many people noticed it. A very nice and concerned cast member at Cosmic Ray’s gave me a Mickey Mouse straw to cheer me up (and it helped).




Sooooooo, you can see why I was (and still am) a bit nervous about a full-fledged solo trip. But it’s become much like pulling a tooth trying to get someone to go with me. And I am just tired of waiting.




So, I AM going.




This is really why I decided to write this PTR (and hopefully a TR when I get back). Because reading through this forum was a big encouragement in really going for this trip, and I wanted to thank everyone by sharing my experience. That, and I just wanted to make friends whom I can talk Disney with.


I would LOVE to hear your advice, inputs, jokes, anecdotes, so on and so forth. I especially would love to hear your solo experiences.


…Wow, did I just write this?

Talk about being pent up. Did I tell you I have issues?

Sorry about the novel, feel free to skim or skip (maybe I should have put this warning right at the top, huh?).




Next post will be much less about me, and much more about Disney, I promise.




your obt’

me

 
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Have always wanted to go solo, though I can confidently say that will never happen. I really enjoy my own company though. Unsolicited advice from someone who's never done it, but maybe try a live update on here from the parks when the time comes. We can read along jealously and you can have the outlet to unload the built up magic.
 
What part of October were you there last year? I was there in late October. On my solo trips, I meet up with various other solos, so there is often company, even if it's not always the same person/people. Maybe you could try that, too. Some of them may become new friends that you can see again on future trips.
 
I began taking solo trips after our kids grew up (DH is NOT a Disney fan) and have grown to love them. I'll be there again September 5-13 :-)

Where are you staying? I have to watch the budget on solo trips so I'll be off site except for my arrival night.
 

Thanks all for reading and commenting! :thanks:
My apologies for the delayed response...


Have always wanted to go solo, though I can confidently say that will never happen. I really enjoy my own company though. Unsolicited advice from someone who's never done it, but maybe try a live update on here from the parks when the time comes. We can read along jealously and you can have the outlet to unload the built up magic.

I am actually debating whether to bring my tablet or now. While having it will allow me to keep better connected, I am tempted to just emmerse myself in my happy place and not worry about, well, worries of the "outside" world. Plus, I am of a minority who does not have facebook/twitter/instagram etc. I fully intend to report back here when I get back, though! :thumbsup2



What part of October were you there last year? I was there in late October. On my solo trips, I meet up with various other solos, so there is often company, even if it's not always the same person/people. Maybe you could try that, too. Some of them may become new friends that you can see again on future trips.

I was there around the Columbus day weekend (attended MNSSHP on Columbus day, in fact). I tend to be a bit too cautious and slow to make new friends :blush:, so I was a bit unsure about meeting up with fellow solos. But maybe it's another leap of faith that's worth taking...



I began taking solo trips after our kids grew up (DH is NOT a Disney fan) and have grown to love them. I'll be there again September 5-13 :-)

Where are you staying? I have to watch the budget on solo trips so I'll be off site except for my arrival night.

That kind of freedom is what I'd love to have! I hope your upcoming trip is a swell one. :goodvibes I'll be staying at Pop Century (yes, I know what you mean about watching the budget!).


Thanks again!


your obt'
me
 
To solo, or not to solo, that is NOT the question, because I guilted my mother into tagging along

Semi-Solo Trip Pre-TR – Aug/Sept 2015 WDW


+ PLANNING IS HALF THE FUN +

Hi all.

Hope everyone’s summer’s going well.

As for me, June/July was particularly rough, so much so that I actually considered cancelling the trip.

But I held on, and I’m sticking to it.

Plus, I finally managed to guilt trip my mother into coming along for half of the trip.

So, this will not be a complete solo trip, after all – I will have 3 days with her, 2 days solo.


With a renewed vigor, here is my Pre-TR!



Who we are:

Me – yours truly, a proud life-long Disney geek from NJ who loves characters, parades and shows, last (short) trip was October of 2014.

Mom – my mother who indulges me out of love, been to several Disney trips with me, first time back since December of 2009.


When we are going:

End of August to beginning of September (5 park days for me, 3 for Mom)


How we are getting there:

Planes (thankfully direct flights both ways!) & DME


Where we will be staying:

Pop Century Resort - I’d love to stay at deluxe resorts someday, but for now I’m quite happy with Pop since I’ll be spending most of my time in the parks anyway. I did flirt with the idea of trying for Art of Animation briefly, but decided against it. Maybe next time…


What we will be (hopefully) doing:

Day 1 - fly into MCO in the morning (mom in the afternoon), in MK by around noon, have a funnel cake for lunch (just because I can), meet up with Mom back at Pop, head back to MK for 7DMT FP+, dinner at California Grill, Peter Pan FP+, Frozen M&G FP+, MSEP & Wishes.


Day 2 - AK first thing in the morning (hoping to see both baby rhino & baby gorillas), catch Finding Nemo show (maybe twice – it’s my favorite), bus to Grand Floridian for afternoon tea, duck into MK quickly to catch FOP, then head to HS, Star Tours FP+, Toy Story Mania FP+, maybe try Brown Derby Lounge for dinner, Fantasmic!


Day 3 – MK first thing in the morning, lunch at BOG (I intend to order every single dessert item and call it a lunch), bus to BoardWalk to hit EPCOT WS, walk around the countries for food & characters, Soarin’ FP+, Character Spot FP+, dinner at Coral Reef, thinking of skipping IllumiNations to check out Art of Animation.


Day 4 – Mom flies out of MCO in the morning, breakfast at BOG for me, 7DMT FP+, Cindy & Rapunzel M&G FP+, Big Thunder FP+, FOP, dinner at Grand Floridian Café, MSEP & Wishes.


Day 5 – EPCOT in the morning (must try croissant berry pudding!), move to HS for lunch at Mama Melrose’s (Fantasmic! dinner package), Star Tours FP+, TSM FP+, possibly park hop to do any missed stuff/hit DTD, back to HS for Fantasmic!


Day 6 – morning flight out of MCO


Why:
Why not?!



As you may be able to tell, I like to make plans (I do think it’s half the fun), but I am pretty easy going and can be flexible depending on how the day is going. We’ll see how much of this will stick.


Speaking of being flexible…I’m still on the fence about the FP+ system. My 2 gripes are the tiered structure and being tied to 3 FP/1 park initially. Some days I only saw 2 FP+ I wanted that I could pick because of the tiered structure. The third was filled automatically as “recommended”, which I have a feeling will end up unused. Oh well, it is what it is. Here’s hoping that the crowd is light enough that I won’t need them as much.


Anyway, it took a while (and quite an effort), but I’ve made it this far, and T minus 6 Days and counting!


This is how I feel right now.
IMG_1504.JPG
(This was probably one of my favorite photos taken from the last trip.)


Thanks for reading – any comment is appreciated!


your obt’

me
 
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Well, I am pretty much packed - still debating whether to take my tablet or not, but now I am leaning towards taking it with the hurricane en route and all.
Queen of ill timing, that's me. Boy, I must have been really wicked in my past life or something.
I will not let it dampen my vacation (poor choice of word, I know)!


The afternoon tea should be an especially good experience to share with your mom!
Yes, it's one of our favorite things to do, not just at WDW. The last time we were at Garden View was almost 6 years ago, so I'm looking forward to it. :)


:wave2:

your obt'
me
 















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