“My Boyfriend Thinks I’m Nuts!” A Solo Trip 10/09 PTR-Updated with 1980s Disney pics!

[norybell]

I’ve never written a PTR before. Or a TR, for that matter. But something had to be done. My WDW-mania has perhaps gotten a bit out of control. I mean, here I am, happily floating along in a Woo-hoo-I’m-going-back-to-Disney-in-a-mere-five-months mindbubble, and no one understands! And not only do they not understand – once they hear I’m going all by myself, they tend to look at me with this weird combination of surprise, disgust, and incredulation, with a dash of pity thrown in. My boyfriend (of 10 years) is trying (kind of) to be understanding, but he’s never been to Disney, so he really doesn’t get it. And I’m starting to worry that if he sees me reading trip reports or flipping through my Unofficial Guide one more time, he might sign me up for therapy!

So I turn to you, fellow DISers. You don’t know me, but I know you, because I’ve been obsessively lurking on the DIS since January. So hi! I know you understand!

Who am I? I’m Nory. I’m 33, and I live in Manhattan with my wonderful boyfriend, awesome dog, and evil cat. I’m kind of sort of a book editor, the “kind of sort of” involving lots of details that are boring. The only important thing you need to know about it, really, is that I usually work from home. Leaving me plenty of time for DISing. Other than that, who wants to think about work, anyway?

DBF is a writer. Dog is a dog. Cat is, I’m sure, some sort of evil mastermind, who’s plotting ways to kill us all in our sleep.

Why a solo trip to WDW? Well, why not?

I’ve always loved Disney World, since our first trip way back in 1977. My family used to go fairly regularly when I was a kid, every two or three years, always staying in the Treehouse Villas or Vacation Villas. I have three little sisters, and we used to “play” Disney World all the time – we’d take an old Magic Kingdom map and pretend that various locations in the house were different rides (“My bed’s Pirates, and yours is the Jungle Cruise! Now let’s take the train to Fantasyland in the dining room!”) – somehow this amused us for hours (ah, life before Nintendo!).

Sadly, for a variety of reasons, by the time I reached high school we’d stopped making it down there very often. I went once with my high school choir to perform in Epcot, but that trip was more about flirting with the boy I liked than about any Disney magic. We went once during my first year or two of college (when my oldest younger sister and I, I’m ashamed to say, put a plastic Mickey bubble pipe to some very non-Disney-like use, resulting in me accidentally using a men’s restroom at Downtown Disney – talk about stupid! ). And I went once with my mom and my sisters when I was 25, but I was about to move cross-country two days after I got back, so I was a bit too stressed out to enjoy myself on that trip (OK, to be totally honest, I was a real brat).

Thus, by 2004, it’d been over a decade since I’d had what I would consider to be a real WDW trip. The kind filled with joy and magic. In a spur-of-the-moment burst of inspiration, I convinced my sisters (all adults at this point) to head down to the world with me, in an effort to recapture our youth (or something). We went for four days during the first week of May, stayed at the YC, and learned that WDW can be as fun – if not more – for adults as it is for children. We had a blast, and appreciated it in a whole new way.

Then five more years passed. During that time, I occasionally tried to convince one or another of my sisters to go back with me, but lives and work and school and schedules kept it an impossibility; the idea of a solo trip never occurred to me (before I discovered the DIS).

Then, a miracle happened! This past Christmas, my mom said, “Nory, why don’t you and I take a trip together, just the two of us? We could fly down to Naples (FL) and relax on the beach. Or we could go to Disney World!”

Well, that was a no-brainer! We stayed at the YC for four days the last week of April, and it was a near-perfect vacation. I discovered the DIS, spent about four months planning, and it totally paid off: we didn’t wait for anything for more than 5-10 minutes, we had some wonderful meals, and we did stuff that was new to us, even after so many trips over so many years. So thanks to all of you!

Of course, the only problem with the trip was that it was way, way, way too short. After spending so much time thinking about it and planning it and spending time on the DIS, I felt like there was so much I didn’t get to see and do. So, once I got home, I was plunged into a bit of a Disney-withdrawal depression. My mom and I had discussed beginning an annual family trip tradition for niece’s birthday in October, but we want to wait until she’s old enough (at least 3), so that won’t happen until 2010 at the earliest.

I thought to myself, geez, if Disney World makes me so happy, why shouldn’t I go more often? Why shouldn’t I go in October, and check it out that time of year, as preparation for future niece-birthday trips (how’s that for justification?)?

I knew none of my sisters would be able to travel that time of year, but I didn’t want to go during a busier season. And I thought I could maybe talk DBF into it (he professes no interest in Disney, but he also admits to loving “designed environments,” and I challenge anyone to think of a more designed environment than WDW!), but he and I have another trip planned for September, and it’d be hard for him to take more time off from his day job. Plus, I think there might be more of a chance he’ll love it there once we have kids to take with us (through the eyes of a child, and all that).

This left just me! I hesitated a bit, but after reading lots of solo trip reports, and getting some good advice over on the solo/adult traveler’s board, it started sounding more and more…liberating.

So, now it’s really happening! Late October. F&W, MNSSHP, so many new things to see and do, with no one to worry about but myself! I can’t wait!

Now that I’ve written this novel, I wonder if anyone will actually read it? Well, if you are and you’ve made it this far, stay tuned. I promise future segments will be shorter! Next up: Where will I stay?

 

[mncherokee]

My DH was almost anti-Disney when we went last summer... and now he is hooked .

Too bad you already have the Sept trip planned or maybe you could talk DBF into it... ... of course there is always next time.

I'll be interested to hear more.

 

[norybell]

Hey, Lisa, thanks for reading!

Our Sept. trip is for a wedding, so nothing we could do about that. It's ok, though, I'm actually really excited to go by myself. If DBF came along, I know I'd be really worried about whether or not he was enjoying himself every second, which might not be the best way to enjoy myself you know?

How'd you get your DH to come around?

More later!

 

[norybell]

Where to stay? Deluxe vs. Mods FIGHT!

So I decided I was going. Now, how would I decide where to stay?

For the sake of posting some pictures, any pictures, here are the Vacation Villas and the Treehouse Villas, where we used to stay all the time when I was little. Obviously, I won’t be staying here:

Or here:

(Photos courtesy of the awesome "WDW in Postcards" at bigbrian-nc.com)

For each of my “adult” trips, we’ve stayed at the Yacht Club. Which really can’t be beat location-wise, with its walkability to Epcot and DHS. But I started thinking I’d like to stay someplace new. And, ouch, those Deluxes are expensive! Sheesh!

So…I can stay at a Mod, right? Despite my Deluxe-only trips thus far? Those Port Orleans resorts look pretty nice…

OK, I told myself. That’s what I’ll do – POFQ. Or POR. Time to do some major PO-research.

But then I started thinking about the buses. Let’s face it, riding the buses is no fun, even when you have someone to chat with. The thought of spending a fair amount of time stuck on buses, all alone, really wasn’t thrilling me.

And then I thought of something even more important. Balconies! No balconies at Mods! Where would I sip wine and people watch in my pajamas?

See, balconies are extremely important to me, because I’ve lived in a Manhattan apartment for the past eight years with not even a hint of private outdoor space. No yard, no deck, no balcony, no accessible roof, no stoop, not even a fire escape worth sitting on. So having an outdoor place to sit really makes a vacation for me, you know?

Time to switch my brain over to justification mode.

I never take vacations. The only place I ever go is to visit my parents, and that hardly counts. If you define a vacation as “a trip to a place where no one related to me receives mail,” then my recent trip to WDW with Mom is my first one in the past five years.

And that’s just wrong, right? Vacations are healthy. But if I add up all the money I could’ve been spending on an annual vacation for the past five years, it would be way more than four nights in a deluxe. How’s that for fuzzy Disney math? Plus, there’s a good chance this will be the only trip I take without kids for many years to come…I might as well live it up, pamper myself, while I have the chance, right? RIGHT???

If I ever do take a second solo trip, I’ll totally stay at POFQ then. Really. I promise.

Decision made! I’m staying deluxe! (Now I’m off to frantically send for WDW planning videos, apply for a Disney Visa, anything in the hopes of receiving some sort of miracle code…)

Next up: Where to Stay Part II: So Many Resorts, So Little Time

 

[norybell]

Wow. Seriously, no one is reading this. I can’t decide how embarrassed I am about that. I guess I need a catchier title! Problem being (a) I don’t know how to change the title; and (b) my brain is currently catchy-title free. Oh well, I suppose I’ll just continue babbling on into the ether – it’ll be helpful to me to get some of this planning stuff out, so I can maybe stop obsessing over it all the time!

Anyway. Now that I’ve decided to stay deluxe, which resort should I choose?

The past few times I’ve been to WDW, I’ve stayed here:

But I’ve always, always wanted to stay at a monorail resort. Like, since the late ‘70s. My dad used to drive us from the Vacation or Treehouse Villas to the Contemporary, so he could park there and we could take the monorail to the MK. To avoid both the buses and the MK traffic. Wonder if they still allow that? Anyway, I thought this was the coolest:

This was the prettiest:

And, once they built it, this was my favorite:

So I started doing price comparisons of these three. But in the back of my mind, I kept thinking about how nice it is to be able to walk to both Epcot and DHS from the YC. Wouldn’t I miss that?

Then, with some help from pygoplites over on the Solo board, I realized: I could do a split stay! It would be easy, because it’s just me! I could stay 2 nights at a monorail resort, and 2 nights at an Epcot resort! The best of both worlds!

I started thinking I’d stay at the BC, instead of the YC, just for some different décor. But when I realized how slim the chances are of getting a full balcony at the BC, I changed my mind.

OK, 2 nights at the YC. That’s settled. Now let’s think some more about those monorail resorts. At first, I really had my heart set on the Poly, after reading so much about it here on the DIS. But I was thinking I’d splurge for a view during my monorail-resort nights, and I was disheartened to see how much more expensive a lagoon view is there. Plus, I wouldn’t be guaranteed a balcony. So that’s out.

What about the GF, my old fave? Even more expensive! But my real reason for deciding against it was that its theming is kind of similar to the YC…the YC is more relaxed, obviously, but they both kind of have that old-fashioned-wealthy-vacation-spot vibe.

So…the Contemporary it is! And I can walk to the MK from there! This makes it even more perfect, because MK is my favorite park, and I feel like it’s gotten short shrift from me the past few trips. Typically, we’ve only gone for one morning – not nearly enough time! That’s about to change! Woo-hoo!

Next Up (for all my nonexistent readers): The Itinerary Confusion Begins

 

[mickeystoontown]

Signing on until I can come back and read. Wouldn't you know that my boss is calling me. Who does he think he is my boss or something? I'll be back in a bit.

 

[onelilspark]

Your title hooked me in. My boyfriend thinks I'm nuts too, but I've managed to drag him with me once so far!

 

[lauren5406]

I'm subscribing. I'm interested to see how your itinerary comes out for a solo trip, especially your dining plans (my fav part).

Also, I feel the same way about my cat Lilla. She is Satans helper sent to destroy me but I love her anyways.

 

[norybell]

Woo-hoo, readers! Nice to meet you all! Now I can feel a little less ridiculous about doing this.

Signing on until I can come back and read. Wouldn't you know that my boss is calling me. Who does he think he is my boss or something? I'll be back in a bit.

Silly bosses!

Your title hooked me in. My boyfriend thinks I'm nuts too, but I've managed to drag him with me once so far!

Did he like it? I really think my DBF would love WDW, if only he'd keep an open mind...

I'm subscribing. I'm interested to see how your itinerary comes out for a solo trip, especially your dining plans (my fav part).

Also, I feel the same way about my cat Lilla. She is Satans helper sent to destroy me but I love her anyways.

I think I'll need some help figuring out my ADRs, so I'll love any input you can give me! And my cat and I have very much of a love/hate relationship...Cat's a bit resentful of Dog, when it comes down to it, and I can't really blame him -- Dog gets a whole lot more attention.

Sadly, I have a ton of work over the next few days, but hopefully I'll get to an itinerary update soon!

 

[mickeystoontown]

All caught up! Boss is in court (I am a paralegal and he's the attorney).

 

[norybell]

All right. The itinerary.

I’ve been pretty confused about this. I made itineraries for my last two trips no problem, but suddenly, going solo, there are so many unknowns!

For example:

1. I’ve heard you can go a lot faster solo (and I’m a super-speedy walker, to begin with!), and get a lot more done – but how much more?

2. I’m a big believer in afternoon breaks to avoid crankiness, and I’m sure I’ll still want some pool time if the weather’s nice. But maybe, if there’s no one around for me to get cranky at, I won’t get cranky at all, and I won’t need too much of a break (if a tree falls in the forest…)?

3. Usually I’m a fan of quick, CS lunches, and nice, TS dinners. On our last trip we ate dinners at Brown Derby, Flying Fish, Rose & Crown (for Illuminations), and Jiko (best food I’ve had at Disney EVER). But I did feel like it took away a big chunk of park time. And while I have no problem dining alone, I do think it’ll be more comfortable at lunchtime than at dinnertime. So…might it make more sense for me to make ADRs at nice restaurants for lunches, then have quick CS dinners at the parks? Hm.

4. Also, I can’t decide when to fly out my last day. Normally, I always take early, early flights, partly to get wherever I’m going sooner, and partly so if they have to cancel my flight for weather or something, I have a better chance of getting on another one later in the day. This has been an even bigger concern over the past year or so, since they started cutting so many flights. So do I trust my usual flying instincts, and take an early flight out my last morning? Or do I take a later one, and have an extra morning of park time? Maybe, by that last day, I’ll be tired of being alone, and really ready to come home?

Anyway. With all those questions in mind, here’s my itinerary thus far. Subject to change, of course, especially when the October hours come out. I’d love to hear your input!

DAY 1
Arrive MCO around 10:00
ME to Contemporary, hopefully by 11:30
Assume room’s not ready
Monorail to Epcot, hopefully by 12:30
Lunch @ F&W
Epcot until 3:30ish
Back to CR, break, get settled in room
MK around 5:30
Dinner around 8:00 @ California Grill for Wishes? Or at CS in park? I can’t decide.

Issues with Day 1:
I’m going to try to go against my initial impulse to rush straight to the MK, especially considering I’ll be able to walk there from the CR! But I figure I’ll be pretty hungry after flying all morning, so I’d like to get to EP for lunch.

I have absolutely no idea how realistic my timeframes are.

I’m usually such a morning-only tourer, that I have no idea of what, if anything, I’ll be able to do at MK for a bit before dinner. Maybe nothing? Maybe I’ll just walk around and soak up the atmosphere. I have to go there my first day, even if it’s just for an hour.

I really can’t decide what to do for dinner here. The menu at California Grill looks amazing, and I like it that I could sit at the bar, get some sushi and an appetizer or two, and skip out on having a huge entrée. Plus, then I could see Wishes from their fancy viewing deck! Cuz here’s the thing: I’ve never seen Wishes! And I have MNSSHP slated for Day 2, so I’d like to see the ordinary Wishes this first night, so I can compare it to HallowWishes the next night.

BUT, I will be exhausted by this point, I’m sure – I’ll have been up since probably 4 or 5 in the morning. Maybe I’ll be too tired to sit at a bar and make small talk with people? Maybe I should just have CS in the park and watch Wishes from there? But maybe I’ll be too exhausted to deal with the crowds? I just can’t decide, but I’m leaning toward California Grill for now. Any thoughts?

Looks like I’m going to have to save Day 2 for later…

 

[norybell]

Hope everyone's having a wonderful long weekend!

OK, on to Day 2! This day is actually pretty easy, itinerary-wise, except for the meals.

DAY 2 – version A
1. MK rope drop
2. Lunch at Columbia Harbor House (ate here for the first time in April, and loved it! You just can’t beat a perfect tuna salad sandwich, yum!)
3. Break at hotel
4. Monorail resort hopping (I want to explore the Poly and the GF – research for future trips!)
5. Early dinner at one of the resorts; I have to do a lot of menu-research before I decide which one! Maybe Kona? Or Wave?
6. MNSSHP

Or

DAY 2 – version B
1. MK rope drop
2. Late lunch at a monorail resort
3. Monorail resort hopping
4. Break at hotel
5. MNSSHP
6. Dinner at Columbia Harbor House

Issues with Day 2:
I think I’m leaning toward Version A, mostly because I might starve if I have to wait for a late lunch! Though I guess I could always get a snack in the park to tide me over…I don’t know. I keep going back and forth. Version 2 would give me break/shower time after I’ve been walking around all day, which would be nice. Plus I tend to like the lunch menus better than the dinner ones, if I'm on my own (dinner entrees are usually too big, with no one to share with!).

Does anyone have any input as to what’s a good time to get to MNSSHP? I don’t want an early dinner to cut into the party time, but I also assume the park might be pretty crowded between 5-7, before the non-party guests have all left, and that’s when I would be eating. Plus, I’ll have spent all morning there, and I don’t want to hit MK-overload (though it’s hard for me to believe right now, I’m sure such a thing exists!).

I guess I really need to do some more MNSSHP research! I don’t even know how late it goes until…if it’s pretty late then I guess I wouldn’t mind getting there closer to 7…

Any advice? On both when and where I should eat this day? Thanks!

 

[norybell]

The two versions of Day 3 really depend on whether or not Fantasmic is showing that night. It’s a Wednesday, so I’m guessing it probably won’t be. But who knows. I’ve only ever seen Fantasmic once, five years ago, and to be honest, I don’t remember the show at all. All I can remember is waiting forever, and then sitting for an even longer forever on extremely uncomfortable bleachers. Since I can’t remember the show, I can’t decide if it’ll be worth it for me to see it again and to deal with all the crowds. DHS is one of my favorite parks, ride-wise, so it’s hard for me to contemplate sacrificing ride time for a show! Hm. Maybe I’ll go watch it on Youtube and see what I think.

DAY 3 – version A
Check out at CR
DHS RD
Epcot TS late lunch (maybe le Cellier, I love their steak sandwich, but I have eaten there a few times before, so part of me wants to try something new…) OR Brown Derby lunch
Check in at YC, Break
Epcot,
F&W dinner

Or

DAY 3 – version B
Check out at CR
DHS RD, just long enough to grab a FP or two
Epcot F&W early lunch
Epcot
Check in at YC
Break? Not sure if there’s time.
Brown Derby F! dinner package (I hate the idea of eating this early, but no way am I going to stand in line for over an hour all by myself!)

OK, I just watched Fantasmic on Youtube. Though I’m sure it’s a hundred times better in reality, I think I’m going to skip it.

DAY 4
Any park I feel like in the morning! Because it’s so convenient and I’m addicted to ToT and RnR, there’s a good chance it’ll be DHS. But maybe I’ll get over to AK for RD, we’ll see.
Lunch at the pool
Break, shower
AK around 2:00
Jiko around 6:00
Epcot/Illuminations

My mom and I did this AK/Jiko/Illuminations sequence in April, and it worked so well. We got to AK, got FPs for the Safari, walked the trails with barely any crowds at all, rode the Safari, and then rode EE close to closing time (5:00) with barely any wait. Then we hopped on the bus over to AKL, looked at the animals there, had an amazing dinner, cabbed it back to Epcot just in time for one last ride on Spaceship Earth, then Illuminations. And because we got to do almost everything I wanted to at AK, I’m not sure I feel it’s necessary to get there at RD in the off season, you know?

DAY 5
Check out at YC
Epcot
Depart MCO at ???

I’m still trying to decide when to fly out…

 

[lauren5406]

1. I’ve heard you can go a lot faster solo (and I’m a super-speedy walker, to begin with!), and get a lot more done – but how much more?

I can go faster because when I'm not alone I have small children with me. But, I also like that I'm alone and can take more time to look at the little things that no one else cares about. The great thing about a solo trip is that the pace is up to you

3. Usually I’m a fan of quick, CS lunches, and nice, TS dinners. On our last trip we ate dinners at Brown Derby, Flying Fish, Rose & Crown (for Illuminations), and Jiko (best food I’ve had at Disney EVER). But I did feel like it took away a big chunk of park time. And while I have no problem dining alone, I do think it’ll be more comfortable at lunchtime than at dinnertime. So…might it make more sense for me to make ADRs at nice restaurants for lunches, then have quick CS dinners at the parks? Hm.

I like this idea. And having a nice sit down lunch would also break up the day, kind of be like that little break time without having to go all the way back to the resort. There was at one time a thread on the solo board where people listed the best places to eat for solo diners; places that have a bar to sit at.

4. Also, I can’t decide when to fly out my last day.

The thought of a super early morning flight after a week at Disney is terrifying to me

Dinner around 8:00 @ California Grill for Wishes?

California Grill

Maybe I’ll just walk around and soak up the atmosphere. I have to go there my first day, even if it’s just for an hour.

The ambiance of the MK is part of what makes a trip to Disney so special. Just enjoy it without the rush of worrying about rides since you'll have the time.


I like version A of day 2


Fantasmic is not a must do for me. I've never "waited" to see it. I have seen it a couple of times though because my DBro (9) loves it. We always get there about 15-20 minutes before start and just sit on the far side from the entrance. Everyone has crammed into the center and there is plenty of room over there. We always sit very close to the front and in my opinion have a great view. I've never missed a thing. Of course, it takes longer to get out when it is over but if you're not in a big hurry what does it matter.


I did not see it mentioned in your AK itinerary. Might I suggest the Festival of the Lion King, it is my favorite thing at AK

 

[norybell]

I know, it's been a while! I've been busy with work, and I've been trying to be a little less obsessive about the DIS boards...if I don't think about something other than WDW occasionally, time's going to go awfully slowly between now and October!

Anyway. Typing all my itinerary confusions out last week (or whenever that was) really helped me think it through, and I think I have at least a semi-final version! It might change when the hours are posted, but I like what I have for now…

Oh, and times are all very approximate. I have a feeling things will often go much faster.

Here it is, all in one place:

DAY 1
~10:00 – Arrive MCO
~11:30 – Arrive CR via ME, assume room’s not ready
~12:30 – Monorail to Epcot
Lunch at F&W booths, or at Norway CS
Rough EP plans: focus on WS, see street performers and American Adventure
~3:30 – Monorail to CR, break
~5:00 – Walk to MK
Rough MK plans: explore Main Street, take train, maybe Liberty Belle, explore Toon Town, IASW – random things I never do during my commando-touring mornings!
~8:00 – California Grill dinner, Wishes
Electric Water Pageant from room balcony

DAY 2
Room service breakfast of Mickey waffles, hooray!
8:00 – Walk to MK
9:00 – MK RD
Rough MK plans: Splash, BTMRR, Peter, Pooh, Snow White, IASW, Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Treehouse, HM, Philharmagic, Buzz, CoP, maybe Tom Sawyer’s Island (I’ve never been!), grab FPs as they’re available
~1:30 – Lunch @ Kona, resort hopping (there’s total flexibility here…I might start the resort hopping before or after lunch, depending on when I’m ready to leave the MK; I figure I can show up early to my Kona ADR if I want to, no problem)
~4:00 – Break @ CR
~6:00 – Walk to MK, MNSSHP
CS dinner in MK
Rough MNSSHP plans: parade, Hallowishes, BTMRR and Jungle Cruise at night, maybe some character pics

DAY 3
Check out CR
~7:30 – Bus to DHS
9:00 – DHS RD
Rough DHS plans: FP TSM, ToT, RnR single riders, One Man’s Dream, Animation (I want to draw a character!), Star Tours, maybe Little Mermaid?
~1:00 – Lunch @ Brown Derby
~2:30 – Walk to YC, check in, break
~5:00 – Walk to Epcot
Rough EP plans: Focus on FW, ride low-wait rides (Land, Imagination, MS, TT single rider, Spaceship Earth)
Dinner @ F&W booths
Illuminations

DAY 4
Go anywhere I want in the morning (probably DHS), or sleep in and have some pool time!
Lunch poolside, at Beaches ‘n’ Cream, or in WS
Early afternoon – Bus to AK
Rough AK plans: FP safari, walk trails, FOTLK, EE single riders
~5:00 – Bus to AKL
~6:00 – Dinner @ Jiko
~8:00 – Bus to EP, Illuminations

DAY 5
Check out YC
9:00 – EP RD
Rough EP plans: Soarin’, Nemo, MS, anything I haven’t done yet
ME to MCO sometime in afternoon

After a ridiculous amount of thought, I ended up deciding on two TS dinners, and two TS lunches…my final decision was, sadly, based on alcohol! I figure I’ll want a glass of wine (or two!) at my TS meals, but I didn’t want to be too tired, post-wine, to have fun at MNSSHP or my Epcot evening – so lunches (with nice breaks/naptimes afterwards) on those days it is! Not sure what that says about me…

 

[norybell]

I know, I know, it’s been forever. Good thing I didn't have many readers, so there was no one to miss me! I took a little break from my Disney obsession for a while, mostly due to a lot of busy-ness at work. It was probably a good thing—I can’t help but think that focusing on Disney 24/7 might not be altogether healthy!

Of course, with the approach of my 90-day ADR mark a few weeks ago, the DOD (Disney Obsessive Disorder) symptoms came right back…constant lurking on the Dis, Disney-related dreams, revision after revision of the itinerary…

Anyway. I woke up at the crack of dawn 90 days out to make my ADRs online. This was me, except I didn't even take the time to make coffee (BAD idea): I was really looking forward to making them online instead of over the phone. But it went terribly! It seemed like I couldn’t get anything I wanted. I really couldn’t understand it. I mean, sure, free dining and everything, but shouldn’t I still be able to get a late lunch at Kona in October, no problem? I ended up having to make back-ups for almost everything. At exactly 7:00, I called WDW-DINE, because I thought there might have been some sort of problem with the online system. Nope, the CM on the phone (who, I have to say, didn’t seem particularly informed) couldn’t get me anything I wanted, either.

Needless to say, I was pretty grumpy about it at first. But as the day went on, I talked myself into a better mood. (I also took a nap, which helped.) This meant I wouldn’t be so meal-focused, right? I could go with the flow more. Since I didn’t care too much about my second-choice ADRs in the first place, I wouldn’t feel bad if I canceled them at the last minute. I’d have more time in the parks! Etc. etc.

Then, later that day, thanks to a helpful suggestion from a Dis-er, I logged back in and tried making the reservations for a party of 2, instead of a party of 1. And voila. Suddenly I could get an ADR almost anywhere I wanted. Not exactly at the times I wanted (which I’m sure wouldn’t've been a problem if I’d have tried this trick at 6…grrr), but at least I had some options.

It was a clear-cut case of solo-traveler discrimination! Just kidding, I’m sure it’s some sort of programming glitch in the system. Though I’m still surprised the CM didn’t realize it. Oh well, all’s well that ends well…

Next up: My revised itinerary, with ADRs! And old Disney pics!

 

[norybell]

I visited my parents recently, and scanned in a bunch of old Disney photos. Then I thought, hey, might as well put 'em here! I'm sure all my nonexistent readers are dying to see pics of me as a kid, aren't you?

MK's 10th Birthday, 1981?

An oddly-cropped pic of my little sis and I (I'm the one with brown hair -- I was so jealous of her blondeness back then!) with Cinderelly and her entourage. Don't you love my shorts?

A few shots from an Empress Lily breakfast, where the characters were clearly trying to eat me!

On Dumbo, which is funny, because I don't remember my parents ever letting us ride it -- they always said the line was too long. Guess they weren't as cruel as I thought!

Could this be at the Poly? Looks kinda Poly-ish to me, though we never stayed there, so I dunno.

With my two little sisters in front of a playground at Vacation Villas. I think I had as much fun on the playgrounds as in the parks back then! Plus, I had awesome socks.

That's all for now! I plan to post my revised itinerary soon...

 

[norybell]

So…I haven’t been doing much, planning-wise. My BF and I are going to Hawaii in a few weeks (!!), so that’s been keeping me busy. We haven't been on a vacation together in about five years, so I'm really excited!

I did call and get the room-only discount code put on my reservations, which means I’m now staying CL at the YC for cheaper than I was staying non-CL before! Woo-hoo!

Itinerary, Version #382 (with ADRs)

Day 1
~10:15 – arrive MCO
--ME to CR
~11:30 – check in CR (room probably not ready)
~12:30 – monorail to Epcot (approx. 20 min.)
--F&W lunch
~4:00 – break at CR, get room, nap, shower
~6:30 – monorail to Poly (if earlier, go to GF and explore, then walk to Poly)
7:10 – dinner @ Kona
--explore Poly
9:00 – Wishes from Poly beach
~9:30 – MK for EMH (starts @ 10:00)

Day 2
7:00 – room service breakfast (Mickey waffles!)
~8:15 – walk to MK
9:00 – MK RD
~11:00 – lunch @ CHH
~1:00 – resort hopping (either WL via boat, or POFQ/POR via bus)
~4:00 – break in room
by 6:00 – MK, dinner @ Pecos Bill, Cosmic Rays, or CHH
7:00-midnight – MNSSHP

Day 3
7:00 – check out CR, taxi to YC (approx. 15 minutes)
~7:30 – check in YC (room not ready)
~8:00 – walk to DHS
9:00 – DHS RD
12:50 – lunch @ Brown Derby
~2:00 – break at YC, get room
~5:00 – bus from EP to AKL (30 min.), explore AKL
7:05 – dinner @ Jiko
9:00 – EP for EMH

Day 4
~7:45 – bus to AK (30 min.)
9:00 – AK RD
11:30 – lunch @ Y&Y
~3:00 – break @ YC
6:30 – Bluezoo @ Dolphin, or F&W dinner
8:30 – EP, Illuminations

Day 5
check out YC
EP, F&W lunch
2:30 – ME to MCO
5:30 – flight leaves MCO

I dunno, looking this over, it's awfully go-go-go...lots of late nights and early mornings! We'll see how much of it I actually do! I'm not usually such a super-energetic person, but there is that I'm-at-Disney! adrenaline that will probably keep me going, right?

I really hope I can somehow work in a trip to POFQ/POR and WL/FW. I think POR looks absolutely gorgeous, and since I now plan to become a person who goes to WDW at least once a year, I won't be able to justify a Deluxe every time! Plus, I've totally started my campaign to get BF to come with me next year, and I think a split stay between the cabins at FW and one of the EP resorts might be a great way to talk him into it. Since we live in the city, I think the whole "nature" element of FW would appeal to him (without the "roughing it" quality of actual camping, cuz we're really not camping types!). We'll see!