Mom Takes on Disney Solo...

CatNipRules

DIS Veteran
Joined
Mar 16, 2008
Okay, so I've decided to do a solo trip. Details below.

When: 10/27/2018 thru 11/10/2018
Who: Me, myself and I
Where: Saratoga Springs Resort (renting DVC points)

So, my son and I went to Disney this past September. We stayed at AK Lodge and it was a blast. Because of many reason, I never started a trip report. Mostly because my phone died 1 day into the trip.

So, I have a friend that is going down the same time. It planted a bug in my head. So, I asked my boss if there were any blackout dates at my job. There isn't. So, I told my friend that I was going to be there then.

Now for the hard part. It's always been my family's happy place. The one place that we went to every family vacation. So this is very far out of my comfort zone.

I'm going to be flying down. Since its just me I want to be safe and don't feel safe driving down. I'll get a non-stop flight and take the MAgical Express.

So, I paid for my DVC points. Bought my tickets and now we wait. And plan. Planning is what I do best.

I'm trying to decide whether or not to do the Dining plan. The thing is, I'm not big on appetizers. I do love desserts, but probably won't do a lot of character meals. I think it would be awkward by myself. Of course that could change between now and when I have to do my ADR's.

More updates to come.....
 
This sounds like my idea of heaven. Before I met DH I used to love to travel alone and I did some great journeys solo. My DS is only 3.5 so I don't predict this will happen any time soon unless we do another epic trip and I get babysitting for a few days in a row but I can't wait to see how you plan it.
 
This sounds like my idea of heaven. Before I met DH I used to love to travel alone and I did some great journeys solo. My DS is only 3.5 so I don't predict this will happen any time soon unless we do another epic trip and I get babysitting for a few days in a row but I can't wait to see how you plan it.
Thanks for joining in. I was like you before I married my husband. Would travel alone. Do things alone. Now, whenever I think about doing things alone I get very nervous. It's always been us as a family. It will be weird, but good if that makes sense. LOL!!
 


It will be weird, but good if that makes sense. LOL!!
Totally. Life is always evolving but it't always a little daunting doing something un-familiar after so long.

Gosh I can't wait to see what moments you enjoyed the most. I would love to do the World Pavilions at Epcot at my own pace. I have a feeling I would see things so much thoroughly and better if I had the luxury to do it my way. I always see things on YouTube and think 'huh?! Was I even there?' Actually this post has really made me determined to get a few hours alone this next trip. I'll find a way!

As for the dining plans.. are you an annual pass holder? People often recommend it for people who will go for more than 10 days in a calendar year. You would then qualify for Tables In Wonderland membership which is what I will do this time. It's 150usd per person per year and gives you (and whoever you are with) a discount at 200 restaurants. I'm not sure if you plan to go again next year but it could work up saving you some funds in the long run!
 
Are you going to be hanging with your friend when there? If you’re nervous about the dining alone, then maybe skip the dining plan and go out of pocket. Then you aren’t locked into a TS/QS every day. If you want graze at Food and Wine all day you are free to so without trying to squeeze all your meals especially TS meals in.
 
Following along! :wave:

Waves back!! Thanks for following along with me again. I'm determined to get the Pre-Trip report and the trip report done this time!! I'm still trying to work on the one from the last trip. Typing it up now. LOL!! I might take up your offer on the pictures though. LOL!!

Totally. Life is always evolving but it't always a little daunting doing something un-familiar after so long.

Gosh I can't wait to see what moments you enjoyed the most. I would love to do the World Pavilions at Epcot at my own pace. I have a feeling I would see things so much thoroughly and better if I had the luxury to do it my way. I always see things on YouTube and think 'huh?! Was I even there?' Actually this post has really made me determined to get a few hours alone this next trip. I'll find a way!

As for the dining plans.. are you an annual pass holder? People often recommend it for people who will go for more than 10 days in a calendar year. You would then qualify for Tables In Wonderland membership which is what I will do this time. It's 150usd per person per year and gives you (and whoever you are with) a discount at 200 restaurants. I'm not sure if you plan to go again next year but it could work up saving you some funds in the long run!

What I'm looking forward to most is probably dining where I want. Like if I want to go to Beaches and Cream I can. Or if I want to eat nothing but junk food I can. I'm not an annual pass holder, but am considering upgrading my tickets when I get there. Since I'll be there for 14 days it might be worth it.

Are you going to be hanging with your friend when there? If you’re nervous about the dining alone, then maybe skip the dining plan and go out of pocket. Then you aren’t locked into a TS/QS every day. If you want graze at Food and Wine all day you are free to so without trying to squeeze all your meals especially TS meals in.

Thanks for following along.

We will be hanging out for a day or two together. Although now she's kind of undecided on whether she's going or not. So, I'm like I'm still going.

That's what I was thinking. I'll probably do a few of my favorite places to eat, but I'm thinking I'll like the freedom of eating where I want and when I want. It will be totally unlike me, but this whole trip is like that. Doing things that I want to do. When I want to do them.
 


I would definitely upgrade your ticket to AP since you be there so long, then you get the various discounts, free memory maker, discount Halloween party tickets and then you and go back again solo or with friends/family and your ticket is covered
 
I've decided that I'm going to upgrade my ticket to an AP when I get there. It just makes sense.

I just have one smallish issue. Since I'm flying this time I am going to leave my car at home. Doesn't make sense to park it at the airport. However, my flight leaves at 9:45 a.m. So, now I need a ride to the airport.

So, i check on uber. Yeah. Not gonna happen. It's almost $68 for the ride there. Yeah. That's not gonna happen. I'll ask my neighbor if she can take me. She's usually off on Saturday's so hopefully she will agree. Otherwise I'll see if another friend can do it for me. If not, I'll have to wake my son up super early and get him to take me. LOL!! He works late so I really don't want to do that unless I absolutely have to.

I think I've pretty much decided against the dining plan this time. Mostly because it doesn't seem cost effective this time. When you go with a young adult that eats more than anything it's worth it, but not this time. LOL!!
 
I've decided that I'm going to upgrade my ticket to an AP when I get there. It just makes sense.

:thumbsup2 Good idea!

So, i check on uber. Yeah. Not gonna happen. It's almost $68 for the ride there.

Yikes! I would maybe do that as a last resort.

I think I've pretty much decided against the dining plan this time. Mostly because it doesn't seem cost effective this time. When you go with a young adult that eats more than anything it's worth it, but not this time. LOL!!

Good idea. It definitely isn't cost effective to do it for only one person in my opinion.
 
How much is parking at the airport? Can you find a coupon or Groupon? Something offsite with shuttle?
 
How much is parking at the airport? Can you find a coupon or Groupon? Something offsite with shuttle?

Parking is $15 a day. Yeah. I looked for a groupon and there wasn't anything. Also, lyft doesn't come out to where I'm at. I'm in the middle of nowhere and they don't come here. None of the shuttles come out to my neck of the woods. I'm in the middle of nowhere. I'll figure something out...LOL!!
 
That’s the trouble with smaller airports like Huntsville versus Atlanta where you way more choices in airport parking. Promise your friend a Rice Krispie Mickey and a souvenir to sweeten the deal
 
Okay, so I have a plan worked out for getting to the airport. Depending on the price of airfare from Nashville, I might just fly from there. Although it would be nice to not have to drive 2 plus hours away. So, if I can get a good price, I'm going to have my neighbor take me. If she can't for whatever reason, my son said that he will take me to the airport. LOL!!

Yeah, so I finally told my son that I'm doing a soloish trip. He was like, "Okay..." LOL! Not exactly the reaction I was expecting. So I'm definitely not doing the dining plan and going to upgrade to an annual pass when I get there. Since I won't be going to the park the first day I'm going to go to guest relations at Disney Springs and do it there. I found out I can do it over the phone, but I'm worried about it getting messed up so I'll wait until I get down there and can do it in person. Less chances of something going wrong.

Tentative Dining plans are. Aka places I want to eat at but won't with a picky eater in the family:

The Polite Pig: BBQ is big around here. Wanna see if their BBQ measures up. There are a few things there that sound really yummy.
The Smokehouse: Another BBQ place. Yeah, you'd think that I'd be tired of it, but no. I don't actually eat a lot of it here. I work at a place that sells chicken salad, so yeah...
Pecos Bill: Another new place for me.
Tiffins: We ate there on our last trip and it was amazing. One of our favorites from the last trip.
Tusker House: I love eating here. Just not sure how awkward it would be to do it solo. This might be one that I do with my friend. I'm always raving about it so I think she wants to give it a try. LOL!!
Garden Grill: This is a might or might not. Still trying to decide. It's a family favorite and I might introduce my friend to the goodness. LOL!

I would love to do 1900 Park Fare, but my shellfish allergy makes this one tough. It's so bad that I can't even smell it being cooked and I will have a reaction.I know I could technically do breakfast, but I'm just super worried about it. I've been to places I thought would be safe and have had a reaction. It's the weirdest thing honestly.

Beaches and Cream is another one that I'm considering. Since it will be a more relaxing trip I'm looking to do different things. Things I wouldn't do other times.

I'm sure I'll figure out a million other places to eat between now and then.
 
The Polite Pig: BBQ is big around here. Wanna see if their BBQ measures up. There are a few things there that sound really yummy.

Josh really liked the Polite Pig!

I would love to do 1900 Park Fare, but my shellfish allergy makes this one tough. It's so bad that I can't even smell it being cooked and I will have a reaction.I know I could technically do breakfast, but I'm just super worried about it.

Aw. Would breakfast still be bad just because they have a lot of shellfish at dinner? I don't think you would be missing out on too much if you skipped it.
 
So, I went to Target to get some gift cards for the trip. I buy them there since I can save the 5% with my Target debit card. So, I buy them there. Well, I was buying a good amount and the supervisor came over to me and asked, "What are these for?" Not in a nice way mind you. Kind of demanding way.

I did a double take and I was like, "Ummmm, my upcoming trip." Wanted to add that it wasn't really any of her business. So, she tells me that she can only do $500 in one transaction. So, I asked her if it was a new Target policy.

No. Well, then I'm not splitting it up into two transactions. Because the second one will get denied. Keep in mind, my husband worked for Target for 25, almost 26 years. We took numerous trips to Disney using the red card to get gift cards. I've never had an issue with buying them. Even when we bought $1000 at a time. No one ever questioned why I was buying them. Until that night.

So, she finally says, Well, if you know what you are using them for. Really? What else am I going to use them for? LOL!!

Decided that I'm going to upgrade to an AP. Not only because of the discounts, but when I sat down and thought about it, it makes good sense financially. Because I was going to get the Memory Maker and since it's included in the AP, it definitely makes upgrading worth it. I did have a few days where I wasn't planning on going to a park, but now if I want to go to a park for a few hours and then leave I can.

I'm also considering doing a few tours. Kind of interested in the Aqua Tour. It sounds interesting. Maybe the dolphins in depth one. I would do the Dive Quest one, but it's been a long time since I've been scuba diving. There are a few others that I'm looking at and would love to try out.
 
No. Well, then I'm not splitting it up into two transactions. Because the second one will get denied. Keep in mind, my husband worked for Target for 25, almost 26 years. We took numerous trips to Disney using the red card to get gift cards. I've never had an issue with buying them. Even when we bought $1000 at a time. No one ever questioned why I was buying them. Until that night.

The only thing I can think of is maybe people buy them at a discounted price, and then resell them at full price or something?

So, she finally says, Well, if you know what you are using them for. Really? What else am I going to use them for? LOL!!

:rotfl:
 
The only thing I can think of is maybe people buy them at a discounted price, and then resell them at full price or something?



:rotfl:
I'm thinking it might be something to do with people getting scammed maybe. I'm not really sure. I still can't figure it out. Because that's the one and only time that anyone has every questioned why I'm buying so many gift cards. LOL!!
 
Okay, so I went ahead and booked my airfare. Taking everything into account, I decided to just go ahead and book a flight out of my hometown airport. I'm a little nervous about it, but I really don't want to drive almost 3 hours North or 2 hours south to get a flight with Southwest.

I'm paying $260 for a round trip flight. Which isn't that bad. The price was about the same with Southwest. Just have to pay a little more for a checked bag. I'm not worried about that though. So, I can get either my son or my next door neighbor to take me to the airport. Ideally it would be better if my neighbor would take me. Simply because my child is definitely not an early morning person. Unless we are at Disney. He works late nights and unless he's off I'm not going to ask him to get up and take me.

The next big question is whether to have Disney get my bags from the flight for me. I'm kind of divided on this one. Simply because when we flew the last time we did not have a good experience. It was an okay experience. Let me tell you my story.

logic.jpg

So, we flew out of our home airport in October of 2013. Well, apparently this girl has a very common name. Because we were staying at French Quarters. Apparently there was another guest with my same exact name on the exact same flight. So, instead of delivering it to my room, they delivered my husband's luggage to the other Michelle's room at Coronado Springs.

Needless to say I was not happy. I had matching shirts for all of us. So, of course I'm freaking out. I think I remember saying something about the trip is ruined.drama.jpg


This was literally me. I threw myself on the bed and cried. LOL!! It seems funny now, but then it was as if the world was ending. LOL!! My husband and son thought it was funny. Me? Not so much. I got onto the phone with Disney and they managed to track down the luggage.

My husband dragged me to Downtown Disney because we had dinner scheduled. LOL! So, fast forward to now. Since I'm flying in, I'm a little paranoid about my luggage. I'm kind of thinking about getting my luggage myself this time. Hoping to keep this kind of thing from happening again. My flight will be in the same terminal so it should be easy to get to. I already have the Magical Express set up. Was thinking about renting a car, but nixed that idea when I priced a rental car for the time I'm gonna be there. Nope. Not paying $600 for 2 weeks.
 

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