Solo trippin'!

GaRain · 02-05-2007, 01:10 PM

The Cast:

Me, Lara – yes, only one person this time, I am making a solo trip

Pre-Trip Info:
My annual pass expires in February. I thought I might get one last trip in on the AP. I had read that they had some good AP discounts on the rooms during January, so I called. I got a room at All Star Movies for 3 nights, at $59 a night!!! I have a voucher for one-way on Airtran that was set to expire this year, so I checked the flights – one way was only $69 if I planned it right, but I used the voucher anyways. So my roundtrip ticket cost about $78 with all the surcharges and taxes and fees. So, the start of this trip shows that I am going pretty cheap!!!
My uncle gave me $50 for Christmas this year. He usually gives us giftcards, but this year, he went easy and CASH was in the envelope. This went straight into my Disney Fund. I also spent some time straightening up my room, and found $50 in Disney Dollars that I had purchased last year to get ready for the family December trip. So, it looked like I already had $100 in spending money. Since I didn’t think I would be doing any fancy sit down dining, I think this will be plenty to cover most of my food costs while down there.
I also called Disney Visa Rewards to find out how much I had earned on my rewards card. They are sending me a $65 card in the mail – woohoo!!! You can use this anywhere on Disney property, so food or souvenirs (which I really don’t expect to buy a lot of). I am pretty much SET!
I decided since I will be solo, that I would take a tour. That way I knew at least part of the time during my trip, I would be social with other people. I had it narrowed down to 2 tours – both behind the scenes, one at Epcot and one at Animal Kingdom. With some input from the family and from my DWT friends, I decided on the Epcot tour. So the Monday I will be there, I will take the UnDiscovered Future World Tour at Epcot.
Some of my friends from DWT will be there that weekend, so I really am hoping to at least catch up with them some. Perhaps we can meet up for a Dole Whip or something.

Friday, January 26th – I’m too excited to sleep (and I haven’t finished packing)

I actually left work on time so that I could go home and pack. It took me awhile as I fixed dinner and watched some tv. I also took some time to check the DWT site before I left. It was a good thing too, since one of the people who I had planned to meet up with the next day could not make it. Mandy had been at the Magic Kingdom that day with some other DWT friends. She lost her cell phone and would be spending Saturday dealing with that.

Saturday, January 27th – I just got here and my feet already hurt

Mom and Dad drop me off at the airport before the crack of dawn. It was nice to go through security pretty fast – showed them my Ziploc bag and I was good to go. Began loading right after I got to the gate and the flight was not full, so I had 2 seats to myself. I was able to stretch out some for the long 1 hour flight to Orlando.
Upon arrival, I made my way to baggage claim and then down to ground transportation to check in with Magical Express. I was able to get right on a bus, but we sat and waited for awhile. After about 15 minutes, the driver got on, said we only had one stop, and started the Welcome to Walt Disney World video.
We stopped at Disney’s All Star Movies, I got off the bus and went to check in. There was no line, so up to the first CM I go and I check in. She asked if I was sure there wasn’t someone with me – nope. Just me. My room would not be ready until about 3pm, and it was barely 9am. I got all my info and checked out the store. I bought some pirate bling (some hair clips) and got a big bag to put my room info into. I then got in line for Epcot.
The sun was out and it was nice and warm. I wished I had worn a short sleeve shirt. I gave Jerrame a call to see what their plans were and they were still at breakfast in Norway – eating with the princesses. I told her I would call once I reached the park and then we could meet up somewhere.
The bus finally came and we were off to Epcot. I called her from right in front of Spaceship Earth and she told me to meet them over at Living with the Land. Nicole had to run to the front of the park to get a stroller for the youngin’s, as they were getting tired of walking around.
Jerrame walked in with her oldest and Nicole’s oldest and gave me a big hug!!! We headed downstairs to grab a fastpass for Soarin’! I got caught up on the Pirate and Princess Party from the night before. It sounded like they had a blast! Then we headed out to meet up with Nicole.
I met all the kids and I think they liked me!!! We checked out the new Clam Shells over at Finding Nemo in the Living Seas and took in a show with Turtle Talk with Crush. I think after this we headed over to the Land to ride Soarin’, grab some lunch and ride Living with the Land – in which all the kids sat with me on one seat, we were kinda squished a bit.
I don’t remember the order of all the things we did after that, but we did just about everything that there was to do in Future World, except Innoventions and Spaceship Earth. So, we then headed over to the World Showcase.
Nicole had bought each of the kids a passport to fill while going around to the different Kid Kot stops in the Showcase. I tried to get a picture of the kids working on their masks or the passport at each location. By the time we got around to the American Pavilion, it was getting close to the time for their dining reservation at The Beach Club – they were going to the Clam Bake. In Morocco, we said our goodbyes and they headed to the International Gateway and I headed to the front of the park.
Man, the bus stops are a long walk from the front of the park. I got on the first bus heading to All Star Music. This was a nice thing, they had a separate bus for each All Star location. I don’t think they have it that way all the time though.
I called the number on the card they had given to me earlier in the day, and I headed straight to my room located in the Mighty Ducks section. I was on the 2nd floor and overlooked the Mighty Ducks pool. I was given a handicap room with a king sized bed. Everything in here was lower to the floor, I guess giving the person in the wheelchair better access. I unpacked, got my refill mug and headed to the food court with a book.
They have a lot of good selections in their food court, much more than you would think. I ended up getting a chicken quesadilla for dinner. It was good, and I ate it all while sitting there, resting my feet and reading a Dan Brown book.
I headed back to my room with some ice cream that I got and had to cover it up as it had started raining. I hoped that it would let up by the next morning. I didn’t really have anything planned; it would be my 2nd day here, but my 1st totally by myself.
The TV in the room was pretty small, but I did find that I had a fridge – woohooo!!! I had a hard time falling asleep as there is no timer on the TV – I woke up at 3am to turn the TV off.

BamaJenn · 02-05-2007, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaRain

She asked if I was sure there wasn’t someone with me – nope. Just me.

Did she think you were hiding 20 other people in a van outside and were going to have a party in the room?

nicks10 · 02-05-2007, 01:47 PM

Sounds like a great time, Cant wait to hear more!

butlers · 02-05-2007, 03:46 PM

Great start.... I want to hear more....

First Timer · 02-05-2007, 04:21 PM

Sounds like it was an awesome solo trip..

Shere_Khan · 02-05-2007, 07:55 PM

I'm going by myself on Wednesday! At first I was kind of not looking forward to going alone. Now that I think about it, I will get to do all that I want to do!!
Glad you had fun, will let you know how mine goes.

MayBWeRMnt2B · 02-05-2007, 10:24 PM

Sounds like a fun trip so far!

seriouslydw · 02-06-2007, 12:11 AM

Sounds like you had lots of fun! I'm still sad we couldn't hang out there. Maybe next time!

GaRain · 02-06-2007, 11:59 AM

Sorry y'all weren't there either, Linds! I did have fun.
Will get onto day 2, as soon as I have time to type it up.

ChipNDale · 02-06-2007, 04:48 PM

Loving the report so far... I can not wait to read more!!

dzney4lyf · 02-06-2007, 09:50 PM

you complain a lot!

GaRain · 02-07-2007, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzney4lyf

you complain a lot!

I do? Gee, ok...

DissyLove · 02-07-2007, 01:51 PM

Sounds like fun, wish I were there....oh, wait...

I'm ready to hear what you did the other days!

GIOny · 02-07-2007, 02:45 PM

Sounds great so far, sorry to be so

but are Jerrame and Nicole friends from home or friends from DWT? One more question,

does everyone in the Value resorts get a fridge or did you order it before you arrived? OK end of question session

GaRain · 02-07-2007, 02:49 PM

Ok, to answer your questions, see that post above yours? That is Nicole!!! See that one from JediPrincess? That is Jerrame. They are friends that I met here on DWT!!! We all took a trip together last February, along with 4Mickey (Summer).

And no, not all the value rooms have a fridge, you have to request it. I think because I was in a handicap room, that is why there was a fridge in there.

02-05-2007, 01:10 PM	#1
GaRain I love a guy who can make me laugh! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Right here!!! Posts: 14,183	Solo trippin'! The Cast: Me, Lara – yes, only one person this time, I am making a solo trip Pre-Trip Info: My annual pass expires in February. I thought I might get one last trip in on the AP. I had read that they had some good AP discounts on the rooms during January, so I called. I got a room at All Star Movies for 3 nights, at $59 a night!!! I have a voucher for one-way on Airtran that was set to expire this year, so I checked the flights – one way was only $69 if I planned it right, but I used the voucher anyways. So my roundtrip ticket cost about $78 with all the surcharges and taxes and fees. So, the start of this trip shows that I am going pretty cheap!!! My uncle gave me $50 for Christmas this year. He usually gives us giftcards, but this year, he went easy and CASH was in the envelope. This went straight into my Disney Fund. I also spent some time straightening up my room, and found $50 in Disney Dollars that I had purchased last year to get ready for the family December trip. So, it looked like I already had $100 in spending money. Since I didn’t think I would be doing any fancy sit down dining, I think this will be plenty to cover most of my food costs while down there. I also called Disney Visa Rewards to find out how much I had earned on my rewards card. They are sending me a $65 card in the mail – woohoo!!! You can use this anywhere on Disney property, so food or souvenirs (which I really don’t expect to buy a lot of). I am pretty much SET! I decided since I will be solo, that I would take a tour. That way I knew at least part of the time during my trip, I would be social with other people. I had it narrowed down to 2 tours – both behind the scenes, one at Epcot and one at Animal Kingdom. With some input from the family and from my DWT friends, I decided on the Epcot tour. So the Monday I will be there, I will take the UnDiscovered Future World Tour at Epcot. Some of my friends from DWT will be there that weekend, so I really am hoping to at least catch up with them some. Perhaps we can meet up for a Dole Whip or something. Friday, January 26th – I’m too excited to sleep (and I haven’t finished packing) I actually left work on time so that I could go home and pack. It took me awhile as I fixed dinner and watched some tv. I also took some time to check the DWT site before I left. It was a good thing too, since one of the people who I had planned to meet up with the next day could not make it. Mandy had been at the Magic Kingdom that day with some other DWT friends. She lost her cell phone and would be spending Saturday dealing with that. Saturday, January 27th – I just got here and my feet already hurt Mom and Dad drop me off at the airport before the crack of dawn. It was nice to go through security pretty fast – showed them my Ziploc bag and I was good to go. Began loading right after I got to the gate and the flight was not full, so I had 2 seats to myself. I was able to stretch out some for the long 1 hour flight to Orlando. Upon arrival, I made my way to baggage claim and then down to ground transportation to check in with Magical Express. I was able to get right on a bus, but we sat and waited for awhile. After about 15 minutes, the driver got on, said we only had one stop, and started the Welcome to Walt Disney World video. We stopped at Disney’s All Star Movies, I got off the bus and went to check in. There was no line, so up to the first CM I go and I check in. She asked if I was sure there wasn’t someone with me – nope. Just me. My room would not be ready until about 3pm, and it was barely 9am. I got all my info and checked out the store. I bought some pirate bling (some hair clips) and got a big bag to put my room info into. I then got in line for Epcot. The sun was out and it was nice and warm. I wished I had worn a short sleeve shirt. I gave Jerrame a call to see what their plans were and they were still at breakfast in Norway – eating with the princesses. I told her I would call once I reached the park and then we could meet up somewhere. The bus finally came and we were off to Epcot. I called her from right in front of Spaceship Earth and she told me to meet them over at Living with the Land. Nicole had to run to the front of the park to get a stroller for the youngin’s, as they were getting tired of walking around. Jerrame walked in with her oldest and Nicole’s oldest and gave me a big hug!!! We headed downstairs to grab a fastpass for Soarin’! I got caught up on the Pirate and Princess Party from the night before. It sounded like they had a blast! Then we headed out to meet up with Nicole. I met all the kids and I think they liked me!!! We checked out the new Clam Shells over at Finding Nemo in the Living Seas and took in a show with Turtle Talk with Crush. I think after this we headed over to the Land to ride Soarin’, grab some lunch and ride Living with the Land – in which all the kids sat with me on one seat, we were kinda squished a bit. I don’t remember the order of all the things we did after that, but we did just about everything that there was to do in Future World, except Innoventions and Spaceship Earth. So, we then headed over to the World Showcase. Nicole had bought each of the kids a passport to fill while going around to the different Kid Kot stops in the Showcase. I tried to get a picture of the kids working on their masks or the passport at each location. By the time we got around to the American Pavilion, it was getting close to the time for their dining reservation at The Beach Club – they were going to the Clam Bake. In Morocco, we said our goodbyes and they headed to the International Gateway and I headed to the front of the park. Man, the bus stops are a long walk from the front of the park. I got on the first bus heading to All Star Music. This was a nice thing, they had a separate bus for each All Star location. I don’t think they have it that way all the time though. I called the number on the card they had given to me earlier in the day, and I headed straight to my room located in the Mighty Ducks section. I was on the 2nd floor and overlooked the Mighty Ducks pool. I was given a handicap room with a king sized bed. Everything in here was lower to the floor, I guess giving the person in the wheelchair better access. I unpacked, got my refill mug and headed to the food court with a book. They have a lot of good selections in their food court, much more than you would think. I ended up getting a chicken quesadilla for dinner. It was good, and I ate it all while sitting there, resting my feet and reading a Dan Brown book. I headed back to my room with some ice cream that I got and had to cover it up as it had started raining. I hoped that it would let up by the next morning. I didn’t really have anything planned; it would be my 2nd day here, but my 1st totally by myself. The TV in the room was pretty small, but I did find that I had a fridge – woohooo!!! I had a hard time falling asleep as there is no timer on the TV – I woke up at 3am to turn the TV off. __________________ Nothing to countdown to, so just smile and be happy everyday!

02-05-2007, 01:47 PM	#3
nicks10 @nick_straka Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,332	Sounds like a great time, Cant wait to hear more! __________________ -Nick "Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy"

02-05-2007, 03:46 PM	#4
butlers Lost in Tenderness!!!!!! Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Just around the riverbend over the cobblestone corner of the high arched castle Posts: 23,323	Great start.... I want to hear more.... __________________ April 23rd, oh yeah it's gonna be ON!

02-05-2007, 04:21 PM	#5
First Timer I saw the Mouse now I want to go back! Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Lehighton Pa Posts: 1,097	Sounds like it was an awesome solo trip.. __________________ Loni First Trip- Jan. 07, POFQ Second Trip- May 08, Pop Century

02-05-2007, 07:55 PM	#6
Shere_Khan As the world falls down... Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Michigan Posts: 3,893	I'm going by myself on Wednesday! At first I was kind of not looking forward to going alone. Now that I think about it, I will get to do all that I want to do!! Glad you had fun, will let you know how mine goes. __________________ "Almost everyone is mad here. You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself." - Chesire Cat "You have spirit for one so small, and that spirit deserves a fighting chance." - Shere Khan

02-05-2007, 10:24 PM	#7
MayBWeRMnt2B living happily ever after... Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: the place where dreams come true... Posts: 7,413	Sounds like a fun trip so far! __________________ - Jeanne Engaged at Sunset Point - July 17th, 2008 Married at Sunset Point - March 3, 2009 Disney World & Disneyland Honeymoon Aulani - September 2011 Wishes can come true, if you believe in them with all your heart. And the best part is, you'll never run out of wishes. They're shining deep down inside of you. 'Cause that my friends is where the magic lives

02-06-2007, 12:11 AM	#8
seriouslydw I need a vacation! Join Date: May 2006 Location: Somewhere very tiny Posts: 4,851	Sounds like you had lots of fun! I'm still sad we couldn't hang out there. Maybe next time! __________________

02-06-2007, 11:59 AM	#9
GaRain I love a guy who can make me laugh! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Right here!!! Posts: 14,183	Sorry y'all weren't there either, Linds! I did have fun. Will get onto day 2, as soon as I have time to type it up. __________________ Nothing to countdown to, so just smile and be happy everyday!

02-06-2007, 04:48 PM	#10
ChipNDale Yeah, my Rubber Duck wears a Tiara FCOL! Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: CANNON BALL® Posts: 21,064	Loving the report so far... I can not wait to read more!! __________________ WHAFTFCOL now who wants a cookie!?! Copy Right of S&B LLC. SITTM... We have an App for that! Yeah, I like Ninja Rubber Duckies FCOL!

02-06-2007, 09:50 PM	#11
dzney4lyf i come with a warning Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: in my own little world Posts: 12,747	you complain a lot! __________________

02-07-2007, 01:51 PM	#13
DissyLove Wendy's real. I've seen her, so don't even start with me. Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Back in Michigan..... Posts: 5,241	Sounds like fun, wish I were there....oh, wait... I'm ready to hear what you did the other days! __________________ I am in need of some Disney magic!!

02-07-2007, 02:45 PM	#14
GIOny Premium Annual Passholder Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: ny Posts: 6,885	Sounds great so far, sorry to be so but are Jerrame and Nicole friends from home or friends from DWT? One more question, does everyone in the Value resorts get a fridge or did you order it before you arrived? OK end of question session __________________ It's kind of fun to do the impossible!

02-07-2007, 02:49 PM	#15
GaRain I love a guy who can make me laugh! Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Right here!!! Posts: 14,183	Ok, to answer your questions, see that post above yours? That is Nicole!!! See that one from JediPrincess? That is Jerrame. They are friends that I met here on DWT!!! We all took a trip together last February, along with 4Mickey (Summer). And no, not all the value rooms have a fridge, you have to request it. I think because I was in a handicap room, that is why there was a fridge in there. __________________ Nothing to countdown to, so just smile and be happy everyday!

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