My first solo adventure - Disney style!! - Page 10 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Tanya, i just finished reading your entire trip report...took me about two hours (but hey, the kids are still in bed and i am off today) and i loved it. I really enjoyed it, and am seriously thinking of taking a solo in the near future (maybe my 40th birthday). Glad you had a great time and thank you for sharing with the rest of us.
Sounds like a great time st MK! Sorry about the parade being cancelled!
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Originally Posted by KMB733
Sounds like a great night at MK, except for not seeing the parade.
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Originally Posted by Cam22
Great last night at the MK!
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Originally Posted by chezp
Sounds like a great day, apart from the parade.
It was a great way to end the trip. I was bummed about missing the parade since it's my favorite but I came back in March and saw it then!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie97
Tanya, i just finished reading your entire trip report...took me about two hours (but hey, the kids are still in bed and i am off today) and i loved it. I really enjoyed it, and am seriously thinking of taking a solo in the near future (maybe my 40th birthday). Glad you had a great time and thank you for sharing with the rest of us.
p.s. i enjoyed the pictures
I'm glad you enjoyed it! It was fun to remember everything. I hope you get to take a solo trip as it's really like no other you've ever done. And really and truly lots of fun!!!
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Originally Posted by ilovedisney247
Sorry you missed the parade, but it sounds like a good day. Going home is such a mixed bag--ready to get back to normal, but still sad to miss WDW!
Yep, I was looking forward to seeing my family again but already missing WDW. I'm sure everyone knows that feeling!
Thank you everyone for tagging along with me down memory lane. It's been almost theraputic to have these magical memories with me during these dog days of summer! And now, let's wrap this thing up!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Day Six, Thursday November 5 – going home is always usually sad, isn’t it?
This was probably the first time ever in leaving WDW that I wasn’t completely sad to be leaving. While I thoroughly enjoyed this trip of a lifetime (or maybe a trip of every few years?!!) and appreciated some time away from the kids, I really did miss them and was quite excited to go back home to see them. But it's still hard to leave that Disney bubble!
I efficiently got ready and packed up the remaining stuff for my luggage and then headed out for some breakfast. It was a bit crowded at OPR but I still was ahead of some of the crowds. I got my croissant breakfast sandwich and waited in line to pay. I was about 4th in line or so and the line grew very quickly behind me. It was then that I noticed the cash registers were not working and the CM’s had to handwrite every order on a menu form and charge every meal to the rooms!!! They could not accept cash or charge. I actually felt really sorry for them as it was a lengthy form and then they had to go through a separate thing with the DDP guests!!! My CM was glad I wasn’t on the DDP because it was much faster without it! Boy, that was gonna be a bad start to some people’s mornings that day with those lines!
After filling my tummy, I filled up the rental car with gas at the Hess station across from World of Disney and then pulled in with 15 minutes to spare before they opened. I got a front row parking spot and then took a seat to soak up some nice Florida November sunshine before heading home.
As soon as they opened, I found a medium size shirt and went to make my exchange. It didn’t turn out to be an even exchange, and for some reason I ended up with 1 penny being credited to my charge card. I had to fill out the return form complete with address and phone for 1 penny!! The CM said that was an interesting way to start her day.
I put the shirt in my luggage and then headed to the airport. There was virtually no security line and I had some time to kill while waiting at the gate so I called my Mom to make sure we’re on the same page for picking me up. She was all set to bring my DS3 and come around 1:30 when my plane landed and then we’d head straight to my daughters’ school to pick them up at 2:40.
It was an uneventful flight where I sat next to a retired Minnesotan who was headed back up to MN for some hunting. Again, I had the window seat and was thrilled about that!
Recongnize anything there?? I got an awesome overview of WDW!!!
After landing, I turned my phone back on just like everybody else does as soon as the flight attendant gives the OK and noticed my Mom tried to call. So I called her back and got her VM. While waiting for my luggage she called back to say that she had locked herself and my DS3 out of our house and was sitting in our car in our garage with no keys. Thank goodness she had her cell phone though!! She quick called my brother and caught him before he was headed out the door and asked if he would come pick me up instead. Long story short, my brother drives pretty fast and we had just enough time for him to pick me up, stop at my DH’s office to pick up a house key, and then go pick up my girls!!! Whew – that was not what I was expecting after such a relaxing trip!!! But it all worked out OK, and my DS took a nice long nap in the car!!! It was about 35 degrees but it was really sunny so that heated up our garage and kept my mom and DS warm enough. These sorts of things always happen to my Mom!
Coming up: Some Final thoughts
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Simply put, this was a trip of a lifetime. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do another solo trip anytime soon, but I’m really hoping I can!! It was so much fun and such a different learning experience too. A completely different way of travelling than I am used to, that’s for sure! I don’t know that I’d do anything differently, except maybe for packing some good shoes!
When I first started thinking about this trip, I imagined how leisurely I could take it and do as much or as little as I liked – leaning more towards little. I kept thinking – imagine, 4 days completely to myself!!! But as I started planning and realized that there were so many things I wanted to see that I had missed over the years, it started to become a very busy trip! So I tried to balance it out, but as you all know, no matter how many days you have at Walt Disney World, it’s never enough!!
The weather on this trip was: overall, very nice. I would call it just about perfect!
The best thing about this trip was: the special treats like the KTTK tour, Sweet Sunday Brunch, and Wishes Buffet!
The worst thing about this trip was: my aching feet and hips! (it took about a month for my hip to go back to normal!)
The funniest thing about this trip was: my side-trip to Wal-Mart
This trip I tried: a new resort, CBR / going completely solo for the first time
And the result was: loved this resort!! I really could have spent much more time here relaxing and enjoying everything it has to offer. It’s so peaceful and truly exudes that Caribbean feeling, which I love. I will absolutely be staying here again….. maybe for my next solo trip! / speaking of which, it is soooo much fun going solo!!
The most magical moment on this trip was: Learning to explore all by myself. Sounds silly, but completely true.
If anyone ever has the opportunity to travel to WDW by themselves, I would highly, highly recommend it! Not only do you get to do what you want, when you want, you also learn more about yourself than you knew you had. Not that I have ever worried much what others think, but I guess on some levels, we all do. But after being with me, myself, and I for 4 1/2 days, it just didn’t matter what others thought about pretty much anything! I was only there for myself and only had to worry about myself and that was a pretty unique thing. I’m tentatively planning another solo, or at least a girls only, trip next September 2011. Fingers crossed that I can do it!!! Thanks for listening and helping me re-live my trip from last year. It was so much fun!
__________________
Tanya
Every click helps feed .6 bowls of food to rescued animals. Give a quick click every day and help animals in shelters! www.theanimalrescuesite.com
Great ending and thank goodness your brother was able to come to the rescue! Also good that your garage was nice and warm.
I am glad to hear that you like CBR. We are thinking about it for a spring trip. My older son (and husband) would love their Pirate room! I have heard it way spread out though so we are still debating.
It was a wonderful trip and thank you for sharing it with all of us. Great job Tanya!!!!
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Great trip report. Thanks for sharing your trip, your thoughts and your feelings. One of my dreams is to take a solo trip to Disney World. Your trip report made me want it even more. I really enjoyed reading it.
Great solo trip! Thanks for all of your thoughts! Good luck on finding comfy shoes for your next adventure! After this last trip with the boys, I really need to get myself back to WDW solo! One of us--(hey Sha) or several of us should write a book about traveling to WDW alone!
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I love your TR it is wonderful to see things from others eyes. I don't know if I will ever do a solo trip, but I sure love reading about yours! Reading your TR was like a lil' get away without leaving my computer chair
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They could not accept cash or charge. I actually felt really sorry for them as it was a lengthy form and then they had to go through a separate thing with the DDP guests!!! My CM was glad I wasn’t on the DDP because it was much faster without it! Boy, that was gonna be a bad start to some people’s mornings that day with those lines! 
Thank goodness she had her cell phone though!! She quick called my brother and caught him before he was headed out the door and asked if he would come pick me up instead. Long story short, my brother drives pretty fast and we had just enough time for him to pick me up, stop at my DH’s office to pick up a house key, and then go pick up my girls!!! Whew – that was not what I was expecting after such a relaxing trip!!! 
But it all worked out OK, and my DS took a nice long nap in the car!!! It was about 35 degrees but it was really sunny so that heated up our garage and kept my mom and DS warm enough. These sorts of things always happen to my Mom!
It was so much fun and such a different learning experience too. A completely different way of travelling than I am used to, that’s for sure! I don’t know that I’d do anything differently, except maybe for packing some good shoes! 
Waiting to eat with Goofy - DLR May 2010
Reading your TR was like a lil' get away without leaving my computer chair 
Susan
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