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Imaginationsetfree's AMAZING solo cruise PTR! Update: 1/15
Hi, everyone! I (finally) booked my cruise last night, so I thought I'd get the excitement going with a pre-trip report! I'm so excited! The cast of characters is as follows:
Me: Imaginationsetfree. 26 years old and lover of all things Disney.
And...that's it! The idea for this solo trip has evolved over quite some time, so I'm so excited that I'm actually booked and planning everything! I took my first solo trip to Disney World last year - I decided that after having a pretty tough year that I needed a chance to get away from everyday life. So, I took a glorious two week trip to Disney World. I was a little apprehensive at first, but I couldn't have been happier that I did it. I loved doing what I wanted, whenever I wanted! It was exactly what I needed. Once I got back, I started daydreaming about my next Disney trip (hey, it's the only thing that can get me through my post-Disney blues!).
Originally, my sister (who is a former cast member and came with me a few years ago on my first Disney trip in 15 years) and I had tossed up the idea of doing a land and sea Disney vacation sometime in 2010. We had talked about it, but it ended up not working out. I had done a lot of cruise research, so I still considered doing it. I was a little more apprehensive about cruising alone - I wasn't sure if that was going a little too far out of my comfort zone by doing it. But I thought a lot about my previous solo trip, and also had a good conversation with a friend who has done TONS of solo travelling. His basic advice was "If you really want to do something, you have to be willing to do it yourself. It's the only way you will truly get to see and do everything you want in life."
I took his advice, and started "pre-planning" my Disney cruise solo trip. I did a lot of research, and finally decided that (a) I wanted to travel sometime during the winter (because the Caribbean is so much more appealing when it's freezing cold!) and (b) that I wanted to take the Western Caribbean cruise. Going on that, I decided on the February 20, 2010 Western Caribbean cruise. I also decided that I wanted to take a week following the cruise, and spend it in Disney World. (hey, if I'm travelling solo, I want to do EVERYTHING!)
The next challenge was facing the fact that I knew exactly what I wanted, but had to wait to book. My work has us "bid" for time off, meaning that I had to wait to be sure my time off would be approved before I could cast anything in stone. I am NOT a patient person, so I tried my hardest to wait while in the meantime keeping myself occupied reading the trip reports here.
Finally, I got the glorious email from work - PTO bidding had opened up, and before I knew it, I had my time off for the cruise approved! I have to wait a bit longer before I find out if the week after the cruise is approved, but I decided that I would take the cruise regardless of whether or not I can take the week in WDW afterwards. I emailed a travel agent, and before I knew it, I was booked! February 20, Western Caribbean, cat. 12 stateroom. Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!!
So, now that the big planning/booking is out of the way, there's lots of little planning still to do. Here's what's coming up:
Palo reservation: Another bit of overcoming the "should I do ____ as a solo traveler?" I was a bit concerned that the atmosphere of Palo would be a bit too sophisticated and romantic for me alone. After thinking, I decided that if I can get a reservation I'm going to go for it. A solo trip is not for deciding whether or not you should do something - it's for DOING what you want!
Shore excursions:
Key West: no plans to book anything here - I want to do some sightseeing, but it's all stuff I can do on my own. I plan to visit the Southernmost Point, the Key West Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters Museum (I love lighthouses), and also plan on stopping in to the Hard Rock Cafe to add a pin to my collection.
Cozumel: I'm tossing up a few ideas here. I started thinking about XCaret, but decided against it. Now I'm thinking about just doing the beach break and a little shopping. I'm thinking it would be nice to get off the ship for a bit any enjoy the beach, but also get back to the ship early enough to enjoy it during the slower time.
Grand Cayman Island: Dolphin extreme swim.
Castaway Cay: Cataway Cay 5k (I'm a new runner, working through a "Couch to 5k" program), and then just looking to relax -chill out at Serenity Bay, get float rental, etc.
Thanks for everyone who's still reading! Stay tuned to find out if I get all my Palo/Shore excursions booked, and if I end up with week 2 in WDW!
Last edited by Imaginationsetfree; 01-15-2010 at 10:46 AM..
Congratulations!! And your friend is right - sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones to do something we really want to do!
I'm (almost) 20 years older than you, with a husband and two kids. . . and I solo'd on a 3-night DCL this past summer. It was one of the best things I have done in YEARS!!!
I ate alone one night at Palo. It was one of the highlights of my trip! I did not feel awkward, nor did the staff treat me "funny" (which sometimes happens in restaurants when I travel solo on business). To the contrary, they were very attentive and considerate. It was an absolutely lovely dinner. I watched the sun set over my appetizer. Once it was dark, I was able to people-watch unobtrusively in the reflections on the windows. It was so peaceful and relaxed!
A suggestion - consider getting a Rainforest Pass for the duration of your cruise. I did, and used it every day. It was great! And, spread over the cruise, a reasonable expense for the amount of enjoyment I got.
I've never done a Western, so can't offer any advice on that. But I really think you will LOVE your solo cruise!
Sounds like an exciting trip! I've cruised solo and LOVED it. I hope you get the second week off. Looking forward to reading more as your plans progress.
Update: Hyatt MCO, shore excursion changes, and taking chances!
Hello, again! Thanks for all the comments - this is my first trip report so I really enjoy reading them!
A few updates from my last post:
I called today and booked the Hyatt Regency MCO using one of the online stay certificates - $135 + $6 shipping = not bad at all! I'm REALLY excited for this hotel - it looks so nice, and you really can't beat the convenience of staying right at the airport. *Side note - to anyone who's stayed there the night before their cruise before, is it true you can check in for your cruise there and get a #2 boarding pass?*
In other updates, my shore excursion plans have changed as well (hey a perk to going solo is I can be as A.D.D as I want! ). I'm still going to do the dolphin swim, but I'm going to do it at Dolphinaris in Cozumel instead. In Grand Cayman, I'm going to do the Island Tour (I'm eagerly anticipating going to "hell" lolz), and snorkeling with the stingrays.
I also decided that I'm going to try to add Palo brunch to my schedule as well - it seems soooo amazing! I can't wait until next Saturday (at midnight!) when I can book all this stuff!
Lastly, I'm strongly debating on what to do for the 2nd week. I found out at work this week that the next batch of time off requests won't open up until mid-January. UGH! So, I'm stuck with the dilemna that if I wait for the PTO to open up and get it, I'll have missed the "Buy _, get _ free deal," which was a large part of my considering the week after. I've never stayed on Disney property before, so this is a big deal to me. The other thing I can do is book the room, and lose the $100 if I can't get the week off. It would suck to lose the $100 to cancel, but I honestly think it would suck more to wait all the way until January to find out if I can book, and then end up paying a good chunk more because I missed the deal. So I have a bit more time to decide on that, but ultimately, that's what I'm leaning more towards.
That's all for this update! Next up: making my final payment this week, and signing on at midnight to book Palo and shore excursions! Can't wait to update you!
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Your trip sounds wonderful. I agree whole heartedly with your friend. We can't wait around for others to join us on trips otherwise we would never go anywhere.
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Great plans! That's a really good deal for the Hyatt MCO. Here's some Disney math for you: Since you "saved" about $100 on the Hyatt, the possibility of "losing" it on the room deposit wouldn't matter so much, right? I hate for you to miss the on-property stay.
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You will LOVE the Dolphin Swim at Dolphinaris! Solo or not, Palo is a MUST! Brunch and Dinner! You will have a great time!
Laurie's right... in Disney Math, you will, at least, break even... and may end up being $100 ahead!!
So, just to keep my fabulous readers updated, I decided to take the chance and book week 2 at Disney World. All in all, I decided that I'd rather lose the $100 to cancel if I can't get the time off than wait it out and not be able to afford it. (BTW, thanks to everyone for your advice and your "Disney math." I would have done so much better in school if I could have done disney math!!!)
So, I am now booked into the All Star Music resort from 2/27/10-3/6/10. With the good deals going on now, I was tempted to do a moderate, but even though the mods are the better value (3 nights free instead of 2), the values ultimately are cheaper - and every dollar saved is another dollar to spend at Disney! I also like the theming of Music - I put in a request for the Broadway section because I am a huge musical theater nerd, and the theming of that building just screams my name - let's hope Disney comes through for me!
So there we go - all that's left to is book my excursions and Palo! Stay tuned on Monday for that update!
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So, I'm stuck with the dilemna that if I wait for the PTO to open up and get it, I'll have missed the "Buy _, get _ free deal," which was a large part of my considering the week after. I've never stayed on Disney property before, so this is a big deal to me. The other thing I can do is book the room, and lose the $100 if I can't get the week off. It would suck to lose the $100 to cancel, but I honestly think it would suck more to wait all the way until January to find out if I can book, and then end up paying a good chunk more because I missed the deal. So I have a bit more time to decide on that, but ultimately, that's what I'm leaning more towards.
Can't wait to update you! 
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