Virgin doing it solo.

[Blocata]

Hello all!

I have had a lot of fun reading other's reports on their trips planning, and I am sitting here thinking it would be fun to document my first trip in such a manner. I am, as the fun thread title would suggest, a Disney virgin. Well, I take that back, does going to Downtown Disney 2 times and riding the monorail around the ground count as anything? If not, I am a virgin.

My name is Samuel. I am 22 years old, a male, and from the state of South Dakota. My ex-boyfriend (an Orlando FANATIC) asked me where the closest theme park was from where I live (it was a long-distance-relationship). The response I gave was "Well, Worlds of Fun in Kansas I guess, or Valley Fair in Iowa".

So, I am a theme park lover living in the middle of a theme desert. I need me some fun.

I will start breaking this up from here, starting with a little more about me, why Disney, and how far I am in the planning stages right now.

[Cast]
[Why are you taking a solo trip to a place you have never been?]
[Plans thus far]
[Randoms and Updates]

 

[Blocata]

Like I said above, my name is Samuel .. 22yo from South Dakota.

PICTURE TIME

I am a single guy, liberal gay man living in the heart of conservative straight America. I feel alone a lot here, and I am not looking for pity at all, but I am saying this to illustrate some further points in updates to follow.

A little more about me is I work as an IT tech from a local company. I am a computer geek to the max (could you tell? ). I have always lived within a 15 miles radius of where I was born. Most of my friends are off making waves in the world, and I am here .. just keeping to myself and trying to get by. I need a Disney escape no?

Like I have said, I love theme parks. My first was World of Fun when I was .. 15? I traveled with a church group in a bus through the country. I walked into the park and looked up, found the tallest thing around me and walked straight there. My first roller coaster was the Mamba, the one the roller-coaster loving pastor that I was with would not even try.

It was love at first drop.

I have since spent time in only 2 other parks (due to my proximity to any fun here in South Dakota). One being Six Flags near Chicago (Great America or something like that). It only cemented my love of these places. The other being this last June when my boyfriend flew me out to Florida and to partake in Islands of Adventure.

I love the whole thing; Rides, people (well, the people having fun, not the crowds), shopping, atmosphere. They are to me a purely American adventure, and I love every second.

Now that you know me, I need to start talking about this trip I have planned!

 

[Blocata]

Why am I taking a solo trip?

Well, the short answer is because I want to. I have the money, I have the time off, I have traveled alone before .. not for vacations like this, but done a fair bit of flying for work and whatnot that I am confident in my ability to plan for such an adventure on my own. I am also incredibly short sighted and only made my plans concrete 1 1/2 weeks ago. I was looking into it for maybe 3 weeks before laying the money down.

That leaves anyone that would go with me a relatively short time frame to get time off and money and arrangements made. I had several people tell me that if they could join me they would, but they just can't. At first I was upset by this ... part of the fun I have at theme parks is talking with whoever I am walking with about what rides we were just on, which ones we want to go on yet, etc.

I thought about not going due to the lack of a partner, but I finally just said "I have everything in line to go ... I am not stopping this for anyone. I am going, and I will have fun". I have never been to WDW so I am a little apprehensive about the whole thing, but I am confident in my ability to think things through, and with the help of resources like this board, I have people to bounce thoughts off of and that really helps.

So my plane leaves early in the morning on the 19th of November, and I will be returning later in the evening on the 24th. Flights are booked, tickets bought, resort arranged. I am on my way!

More plan details in the next post.

 

[Blocata]

I booked my vacation package through Dreams Unlimited. I was impressed with their pricing and customer care. I was appointed an agent, and she has been awesome through the whole experience. She is yet another resource I have been bouncing ideas off of.

The trip was originally booked for a November 20th arrival and 24th departure. I then tried to find a flight that would make sense, and none of them did. I was paying for a 5 day ticket with park hopper for use on only 3 days. I scrounged around and tried to find tickets again early this week, and found some awesome deals for flying out on Friday the 19th. I took them fast!

Some details in list format for quick digestion

Flight carrier - Delta
Flight leaves - 6:45 in the morning of 11/19/2010
Disney resort - Pop Century
Transportation - Magical Express

Alright .. must break the list format for a little talk of Pop. Seeing as I have never been to any of the Disney parks before, I only have other peoples recommendations to go on here. I heard a lot of good about Pop, so I just decided that will work for me. Originally I was going to be put up in the PortFQ, but the saving between that and the Pop was just too much for me to want to keep a Moderate room over the Value.

Time the flight lands - 2:10 (LONG layover in Atlanta)

Friday park - Magic Kingdom (Night)
Friday EXTRA - Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party

One of the good things about flying out on Friday is it then opens up the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party option up for me, as the rest of the days are not on the list. I WILL be partaking (just decided). It is too cool of an opportunity to not go. I have a 5 day ticket after all!!

The next morning I will be waking up for the Animal Kingdom rope drop

BTW - All of my plans are fluid. This log will follow my trip planning through all the changes that will be made .. or not made. All day parks don't mean I will be there all day, it only means I have left that day open to take in that park fully. If I get bored, and need a break, or want to go catch another ride elsewhere .. I will. Also, I want dining to feel un-restricted. I will be fine with picking up random snacks throughout the day and only eat one good meal a day anyway.

Saturday Park - Animal Kingdom (morning)
Saturday EXTRA - Downtown Disney
Saturday Dining - Planet Hollywood (Evening)

I know Planet Hollywood has some fans and some are just not impressed with it, but I have a picture of me standing in front of the building, and DANG IT .. this time I am going in there too see what it is like! I will then spend time and money in and around Downtown Disney

Sunday Park - Magic Kingdom (All Day)
Sunday EXTRA - ?? (Spectromagic .. Fireworks, Extra Magic Hours)
Sunday Dining - Tony's Town Square (Midday)

I am excited to have the whole day to take in this park. Not sure if it will be an all day thing, but I want to take in all the rides I can, even the less than stellar or kiddie rides, I want to experience Disney .. and magic Kingdom is Disney to the max.

Monday Park - Hollywood Studios (All Day)
Monday EXTRA - ?? (Extra Magic Hours)
Monday Dining - Brown Derby (Midday)

If there was ever a park built for me, Hollywood Studios is it. I LOVE the fast and scary stuff, and I love the action .. fun stuff. I know there is some in each park, but this one feeds my 22yo soul all the right feelings when reading through the offered attractions. I plan on having no less than 1 1/2 hoots in this park.

Tuesday Park - Epcot (Rope Drop maybe?) (All Day)
Tuesday EXTRA - IllumiNations (Can. Not. Wait.)
Tuesday Dining - ??

This is the park I am most mixed about. I like it in theory, but concerned about it being able to keep me there for a full day. I may take a Rockin Roller Coaster break a midday or something. I like to shop though, so I may just surprise myself on how much I can find to do here. No dining plans yet .. anyone got a suggestion?

Wednesday park - NONE
Wednesday EXTRA - ... um, does the possibility of having a cute guy at the airport wand me count?
Wednesday Dining - Kona Cafe (Morning)

This is my last day on the trip. Checkout and all that in the morning, then off to eat at the Kona Cafe in Poly. I was told I needed to try it, so try it I shall. Not really any big plans, flight leaves at 5ish in the afternoon, so I may bus back to Downtown Disney and shop some more. Who knows!?

So .. thats all I have for now. I will be updating as I fill in more blanks .. or change some stuff around!

 

[alexi120]

Good luck on your solo trip! At least you get to do anything and everything YOU want to do. I, on the other hand, will be at the mercy of 13 others. Looking forward to hearing more.

 

[Blocata]

Good luck on your solo trip! At least you get to do anything and everything YOU want to do. I, on the other hand, will be at the mercy of 13 others. Looking forward to hearing more.

Thanks!

I am happy for the freedom for sure. I hope your trip goes as well as it can go with 13 other people!

 

[Blocata]

RANDOM IMAGES and More Information

2010 Trip update


Monday EXTRA - Osborne Family Spectacle (not really an EXTRA .. but something I am looking forward to seeing)

Tuesday Dining - Nine Dragons (evening)


Planning moves on ..

 

[Blocata]

Alright, I am going to try this again. I wrote a big long post this morning and it got lost is some sort of lgin credential confusion with the site. I was not a happy Sam.

I have some updated news I guess. I will post the full schedule in a clearer list highlighting the changes.

Flight carrier - Delta
Flight leaves - 6:45 in the morning of 11/19/2010
Disney resort - Pop Century (Value is key for this trip)
Time the flight lands - 2:10 (LONG layover in Atlanta ... is there anything to do in the Atlanta airport?)
Transportation - Magical Express

Friday park - Magic Kingdom (Night)
Friday EXTRA - Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party
Friday Dining - I have no idea. Is there an awesome eatery in MK that I should hit while there, or just enjoy the party and have a few Gingerbread cookies?

Saturday Park - Animal Kingdom (morning)
Saturday EXTRA - Downtown Disney / Cirque du Soleil
Saturday Dining - Planet Hollywood (Evening)

Sunday Park - Magic Kingdom (All Day)
Sunday EXTRA - Spectromagic .. Fireworks (Extra Magic Hours evening)
Sunday Dining - Tony's Town Square (Midday)

Monday Park - Hollywood Studios (All Day)
Monday EXTRA - Rockin Roller Coaster / Osborne Family Spectacle (Extra Magic Hours evening)
Monday Dining - Brown Derby (Midday)

Tuesday Park - Epcot (Rope Drop maybe?) (All Day)
Tuesday EXTRA - IllumiNations (Can. Not. Wait.)
Tuesday Dining - Nine Dragons (I know, I know it's not the best Epcot has to offer, but I am a Chinese food NUT. If I am on vacay, I am taking a Chinese break at some point darn it!)

Wednesday park - NONE
Wednesday EXTRA - ... um, does the possibility of having a cute guy at the airport wand me count?
Wednesday Dining - Kona Cafe (TBD is I can make it and the flight) (Morning)

So, that's the basic plan for right now. I know some of the veterans will read over that and scoff. Some may say that my dining plans are amateur at best, and my plans on staying in one park for a day is over enthusiastic. Here are some things to think about though;

I am making this all up as I go. I have never been to any of these places, so all of it is new. I know there are restaurants that are top games, and some that are passed up .. but in my opinion those restaurants that are passed by are my ticket. I have thus far gotten exactly the times I wanted instead of eating really early or late (which were my other options at the "good" places).

The park thing, with me planning 1 park per day (except on Sunday when I fear Animal Kingdom will get old fast) is I HATE the feeling of being rushed. I want to have the day to enjoy the surroundings, see everything I want to see, take pictures, etc. I have a park hopper so I can hop if I need to, or go back and nap too .. but to plan it so that I have all the time I want that day for 1 park is the appeal for me.

This is not only my first solo trip, but it's my first WDW trip ever. I want a loose schedule so I can take in the "magic".

Shopping

I need to do some shopping pre-trip. One the list are new clothing (having lost 140 pounds I need all sorts of clothing items at this point.), new camera (old Sony Point and Shoot just aint cutting it anymore), and travel gear.

Some of the things I am looking at are:

Clothing - Anything cheap and funny. Good jeans, and some solid shoes. Not really sure about this .. I am a sales shopper, so I hunt this stuff out.

Camera - Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5

Travel Gear - I need a back pack, something light and rugged .. not huge either, I am just one person. A water bottle or two, some snacks .. the camera. I just need something to keep it all accessible.

Ooo, Snacks!

I am looking at some ways to save some money along the way, and one way to do this is to carry in some of my daily calorie intake. I either need to gather up a shopping list and order the stuff in, or stop by the hotel shops and purchase a pile of things.

Garden Grocer maybe? I wont have a fridge, some things like fruit snacks, or muffins, or .. pop tarts, simple things that don't need care, just grabbing and going.

That's it for right now I guess, just writing my thoughts out long hand so I can look back and comment on the whole journey later of planning, and going after I am back from my first trip.

 

[beansf]

I hope you have a great time on your trip. I am glad you aren't letting anything stand in the way of your fun time! I have also been to Worlds of Fun, back in the days when I was young and living in the Midwest. I had not been to any Disney park at the time, only Six Flags in St. Louis, but I loved Worlds of Fun (and Oceans of Fun, too).

 

[Blocata]

MY TRIP IS (almost) PAID OFF!



Like .. $30 away. I am at my daily limit on the card for today, and I have another 2 weeks to pay the rest, but to have that huge expense out of the way feels awesome.

Flight paid for - CHECK
Tickets paid for - CHECK
Hotel paid for - CHECK
Time off from work - CHECK

All I need to do now is go! .. well, not really, but it feels great!

 

[SpectroMan71]

Hi Samuel - congrats on taking this first trip! I am sure you will love it.
Can't say there are really any "awesome eateries" in the MK that you may miss on the night of MVMCP, but if you do end up deciding to add a table service, I'd recommend Liberty Tree Tavern. As far as the conquest of getting inside Planet Hollywood instead of just taking a picture outside, you may be disappointed. Unless you're very easily starstruck by memorabilia from past movies on display, you may find the menu very boring and ordinary..just a word of warning
Were you able to get the free dining?