Solo trip in December 2022, New Trip Report link! 5/2/23 Try it out!

[disneyAndi14]

You really scored. Were you making reservations for 2? When I did it for 2 when it was just Danielle and I last year I had much better luck.

Yes maybe that is the key, however, before I had better luck with 4 people than 2 so who knows, haha

 

[amazingact21]

I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well.

If you stay at WL you should be able to meet with @amazingact21 and hopefully we all get HEA Dessert party.

Yep, I'm on board for the HEA dessert party! Just waiting for reservations to open up and hoping I don't miss it by being on a different time zone. Normally, making ADRs works perfect for me, because they open at 6 in the U.S. which is 11 here. So fingers crossed they don't drop it in the late evening while I'm sleeping here.


Maybe our paths will cross on your check-in day! I plan to stay around WL until 3ish.

 

[Lsdolphin]

Today was ADR day!

I was up and ready at 5am to start making dining reservations!

The plan was to try for a Topolinos breakfast, Space 220 lounge, Hoop, and Via Napoli.

I got everything I wanted! What?? That has never happened.
View attachment 739764
My plan is to do several lounges through out our trip.

We want to do Steakhouse 71 lounge, Geyser Point, Tambu lounge, Nomad lounge, and Bar Riva at Riviera so I didn’t make a bunch of sit down reservations.

My son, Jack, is still very noncommittal so I really don’t think he will be joining us.

Here are our park days at this time

4/16. Arrival day, I do have us going to MK in the evening. I am hoping to start out with a drink at GP and the brisket dip. We should arrive at WL by 2-3pm.

4/17. AK park, I didn’t make an ADR for today. I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well. I think we will eat at Nomad Lounge during the day and maybe Tambu lounge for dinner.



4/18. Epcot, Our plans this day our sampling some of the F&G booths right when they open up. I also have Via Napoli this evening at 5:30pm. May ditch the Via Napoli for time in DS.



4/19. DHS, I don’t have any ADR plans today. My plan is to take the Skyliner over to Riviera and have lunch and a drink at Bar Riva. Extra evening hours at MK this evening.



4/20. MK, This is the evening we have Hoop, I wasn’t able to get Tier 1 so took 2. I think this will be fine for my sister and I. It is the 6:15 show and Vanessa and her family will be at this one.



4/21. Epcot, more F&G booths during the day and Space 220 lounge at 5:30pm



4/22. AK, I have a Topolinos for breakfast at 8:30am. I don’t have any evening plans yet. We may try for Sanaa lounge and have the bread service for our meal.



4/23. We will head to Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando early in the day. We have one night here. Our flight is a later one on 4/24 at 6pm. We will spend Sunday and some of Monday in the parks

View attachment 739769

I also want to meet up with @amazingact21 and as I mentioned @vamassey1. also @Wood Nymph and
@Lsdolphin will be there and maybe we can meet up as well!


I will be on the look out for The After Hour event for MK while we are there. So far it is only loaded through March. I see some DHS ones for the week we are there. Maybe MK isn’t having any that week.

I also want to fit in the extended hours for MK since we are staying at a deluxe. Epcot isn’t as much of a to do for us and if they have DHS we will try to do that one.

I also want to try for Trader Sam’s again and spend a little time at DS.

There are so many things to do and so little time, lol
View attachment 739766
Resort question

I made an extra reservation at The Swan for the trip, same dates as our WL reservation.

My sister loves the Boardwalk area so I am torn! I think we will stay with WL but if you read this and have any suggestions or opinions let me know!!
View attachment 739768
The Swan all in with the fees is about $600.00 less than WL, this is a nice savings.

I have never stayed at The Swan or The Dolphin.

I don’t like the bus situation but I think we can just go over to BW or YC and use the bus there.

What would you do??

Your plans sound fabulous! My ADR day is not til 2/18 but I’m going to try to get Hoop for tier 2 on 4/20 if it’s still available I know my chances aren’t good but I noticed when we were there last week and I was checking each morning just for the heck of it there were quite a few Hoop and Fantasmic dining reservations available morning of....

 

[Lsdolphin]

Today was ADR day!

I was up and ready at 5am to start making dining reservations!

The plan was to try for a Topolinos breakfast, Space 220 lounge, Hoop, and Via Napoli.

I got everything I wanted! What?? That has never happened.
View attachment 739764
My plan is to do several lounges through out our trip.

We want to do Steakhouse 71 lounge, Geyser Point, Tambu lounge, Nomad lounge, and Bar Riva at Riviera so I didn’t make a bunch of sit down reservations.

My son, Jack, is still very noncommittal so I really don’t think he will be joining us.

Here are our park days at this time

4/16. Arrival day, I do have us going to MK in the evening. I am hoping to start out with a drink at GP and the brisket dip. We should arrive at WL by 2-3pm.

4/17. AK park, I didn’t make an ADR for today. I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well. I think we will eat at Nomad Lounge during the day and maybe Tambu lounge for dinner.



4/18. Epcot, Our plans this day our sampling some of the F&G booths right when they open up. I also have Via Napoli this evening at 5:30pm. May ditch the Via Napoli for time in DS.



4/19. DHS, I don’t have any ADR plans today. My plan is to take the Skyliner over to Riviera and have lunch and a drink at Bar Riva. Extra evening hours at MK this evening.



4/20. MK, This is the evening we have Hoop, I wasn’t able to get Tier 1 so took 2. I think this will be fine for my sister and I. It is the 6:15 show and Vanessa and her family will be at this one.



4/21. Epcot, more F&G booths during the day and Space 220 lounge at 5:30pm



4/22. AK, I have a Topolinos for breakfast at 8:30am. I don’t have any evening plans yet. We may try for Sanaa lounge and have the bread service for our meal.



4/23. We will head to Portofino Bay at Universal Orlando early in the day. We have one night here. Our flight is a later one on 4/24 at 6pm. We will spend Sunday and some of Monday in the parks

View attachment 739769

I also want to meet up with @amazingact21 and as I mentioned @vamassey1. also @Wood Nymph and
@Lsdolphin will be there and maybe we can meet up as well!


I will be on the look out for The After Hour event for MK while we are there. So far it is only loaded through March. I see some DHS ones for the week we are there. Maybe MK isn’t having any that week.

I also want to fit in the extended hours for MK since we are staying at a deluxe. Epcot isn’t as much of a to do for us and if they have DHS we will try to do that one.

I also want to try for Trader Sam’s again and spend a little time at DS.

There are so many things to do and so little time, lol
View attachment 739766
Resort question

I made an extra reservation at The Swan for the trip, same dates as our WL reservation.

My sister loves the Boardwalk area so I am torn! I think we will stay with WL but if you read this and have any suggestions or opinions let me know!!
View attachment 739768
The Swan all in with the fees is about $600.00 less than WL, this is a nice savings.

I have never stayed at The Swan or The Dolphin.

I don’t like the bus situation but I think we can just go over to BW or YC and use the bus there.

What would you do??

I did a split stay this week last year between the Dolphin and CSR GDT. i did not care for the Dolphin the corridors seemed so long and dark and I definitely didn’t like their busses. The MK bus drops you off at the TTC and you have to take monorail or boat from there. However it certainly was convenient for getting to HS and EPCOT...

 

[disneyAndi14]

Your plans sound fabulous! My ADR day is not til 2/18 but I’m going to try to get Hoop for tier 2 on 4/20 if it’s still available I know my chances aren’t good but I noticed when we were there last week and I was checking each morning just for the heck of it there were quite a few Hoop and Fantasmic dining reservations available morning of....

I hope you get Hoop for the 20th! I know when I did it, the Tier 1 was full but it looked like plenty for 2&3. We will definitely have to meet if you do go that evening!

 

[disneyAndi14]

I did a split stay this week last year between the Dolphin and CSR GDT. i did not care for the Dolphin the corridors seemed so long and dark and I definitely didn’t like their busses. The MK bus drops you off at the TTC and you have to take monorail or boat from there. However it certainly was convenient for getting to HS and EPCOT...

WL is so darn beautiful it is hard to feel excited about the Swan, lol I probably will keep WL. We could do a split just not sure my sister would like that. I will ponder some more….

 

[Lsdolphin]

WL is so darn beautiful it is hard to feel excited about the Swan, lol I probably will keep WL. We could do a split just not sure my sister would like that. I will ponder some more….

It was very easy to walk across to the Boardwalk and take busses from there and bus from Swan/Dolphin to Ak was not bad.

 

[suse66]

The plan was to try for a Topolinos breakfast, Space 220 lounge, Hoop, and Via Napoli.

Sogreat that you got all those reservations!

We want to do Steakhouse 71 lounge, Geyser Point, Tambu lounge, Nomad lounge, and Bar Riva at Riviera so I didn’t make a bunch of sit down reservations.

Love your plans for the lounges. All favourites of mine as you know.

4/17. AK park, I didn’t make an ADR for today. I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well. I think we will eat at Nomad Lounge during the day and maybe Tambu lounge for dinner.

There could not be a more perfect day!

I also want to meet up with @amazingact21 and as I mentioned @vamassey1. also @Wood Nymph and
@Lsdolphin will be there and maybe we can meet up as well!

Love greatt Dismeets!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Only found your report yesterday evening but I’ve loved reading it and I’m excited for your April trip. Plans sound great! Totally agree that the Dis is filled with many lovely people

 

[Lsdolphin]

I hope you get Hoop for the 20th! I know when I did it, the Tier 1 was full but it looked like plenty for 2&3. We will definitely have to meet if you do go that evening!

So I ended up adding a day to beginning of reservation and was able to make ADRs today. I am amazed how just how much was available. I got Topolinos for 4/22 at 9:00 am., Steakhouse 71 for 4/24, O’Hana for 4/25.
I did get Hoop Dee Doo for 4/20 but only 3rd tier was available at 6:15 so I took it but considering changing to earlier show to get 2nd tier…I’m really hoping for the Rose & Crown fireworks dinner and the Fantasmic pkg (had this one last trip but needed up cancelling) but I don’t see any availability yet.

 

[disneyAndi14]

So I ended up adding a day to beginning of reservation and was able to make ADRs today. I am amazed how just how much was available. I got Topolinos for 4/22 at 9:00 am., Steakhouse 71 for 4/24, O’Hana for 4/25.
I did get Hoop Dee Doo for 4/20 but only 3rd tier was available at 6:15 so I took it but considering changing to earlier show to get 2nd tier…I’m really hoping for the Rose & Crown fireworks dinner and the Fantasmic pkg (had this one last trip but needed up cancelling) but I don’t see any availability yet.

Wow that is awesome, we will be at Topolinos at 8:30am that same day!
I was surprised so much was available as well.
There actually was a R&C fireworks package when I was doing my ADRs. I had thought about it but I think the day was one I wasn’t sure we would use it.
I think the Tier 3 is up in the balcony? My daughter and I have always done Tier 2 and I though it was just fine.

 

[franandaj]

Su-Lynn mentioned that our trips would be overlapping, but I didn't think we would have so many similar plans.

4/16. Arrival day, I do have us going to MK in the evening. I am hoping to start out with a drink at GP and the brisket dip. We should arrive at WL by 2-3pm.

We arrive this day, but since we're coming from the West Coast our plane doesn't get in until 6:30PM, so we'll just make it to the room around 8PM, have dinner and crash.

4/17. AK park, I didn’t make an ADR for today. I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well. I think we will eat at Nomad Lounge during the day and maybe Tambu lounge for dinner.

We are also going to AK, late morning. Our bodies will still be on CA time and we aren't early morning people. We also have no daytime ADRs cause we have dinner at Jiko that night.

4/18. Epcot, Our plans this day our sampling some of the F&G booths right when they open up. I also have Via Napoli this evening at 5:30pm. May ditch the Via Napoli for time in DS.

We are also at Epcot today. Mainly cause I want to ride the Guardians coaster twice, once through the Virtual queue and once through LL. Our plans for both lunch and dinner are to sample the food booths. If that's not enough, there are plenty of good options for QS at Epcot.

I also want to try for Trader Sam’s again and spend a little time at DS.

We plan to make our dinner at the Poly on 4/19. If Trader Sam's has a long wait, we may go up to Tambu lounge and have something to eat and drink while we wait for an opening.

The Swan all in with the fees is about $600.00 less than WL, this is a nice savings.

What would you do??

That's a tough question. $600 is a nice chunk of change. Have you made up your mind yet?


I have to thank you for giving me a good understanding of how the Genie works at WDW. I was following one of your trip reports last summer before my life blew up and went all crazy!

I will probably purchase Genie on a couple days so I can ride the Guardians Coaster and Tron (if it's available through LL). I got pretty good at the Virtual Queue, between RotR and Webslingers back in 2021 when DL reopened.

I know we don't really know each other, but we have a few mutual friends, so in case we're in the same place at the same time, we can say "Hi."

 

[suse66]

We arrive this day, but since we're coming from the West Coast our plane doesn't get in until 6:30PM, so we'll just make it to the room around 8PM, have dinner and crash.

I am so happy to hear Fran is doing well enough for you to travel! Hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[franandaj]

I am so happy to hear Fran is doing well enough for you to travel! Hope you have an amazing trip!

Thanks. We just got back from a Disney cruise, the trip was fun but interesting. I'm doing a super rapid TR so I'm done by the time we go to FL.

 

[suse66]

4/17. AK park, I didn’t make an ADR for today. I’m still deciding if we will do the HEA dessert party this evening. It isn’t available yet to book. I think Donna would enjoy that. Vanessa is trying for that party as well. I think we will eat at Nomad Lounge during the day and maybe Tambu lounge for dinner.

I love your plans! We share a love of lounges as you know. I would stay with WLfor sure. Any thoughts on August yet?

 

[suse66]

Thanks. We just got back from a Disney cruise, the trip was fun but interesting. I'm doing a super rapid TR so I'm done by the time we go to FL.

Would you post the link? I'd love to read along!

 

[franandaj]

Would you post the link? I'd love to read along!

Sent you a PM. Didn't want to Hijack Caroline's thread.

 

[disneyseniors]

Friday 12/16/22 I packed up and brought my luggage down to bell service. I noticed on my bill I was charged 20.00 a day for parking. I do not have a vehicle.

I went to the front desk to have these charges removed. Make sure you check your charges before leaving. This is the first time I have been charged for parking.

I got to Epcot around 8:50. I went directly to Soarin and it was a walk on. I did LWTL, Nemo, and Figment all with no wait.
View attachment 725734
View attachment 725735
View attachment 725736
View attachment 725737
Pooh was out by Figment, he is very cute!
View attachment 725738
I was texting with Karamie and we decided to meet up by the Seas to spend some time together today.

We went to do SE and waited about 15 minutes, TT had a 30 minute wait but it jumped up to 55 minutes before we got there so we passed.

We looked around the Connections store. I saw a sweater I liked but they did not have my size. I did buy the Epcot 50th Starbucks mug. I love these things and wanted another 50th one. I did mobile check out and got my 30% AP discount.

Headed into WS, we looked in the shops in Canada, UK, and France.

I tried the pastrami on rye from the Holiday booth between France and Morocco. It was really good.
View attachment 725739
Karamie got a baguette from France.

We looked in the Mitsukoshi store and found it still was lacking in goods. A little better than the last time I was here.

We stopped in America for Joffrey’s coffee. I had the Iced Chai Latte and Karamie had the iced mocha.

Mine was really good.

We decided to go to DS to see if my sweater was at WoD and to get some food.

We took the Saratoga bus and if you get out in the Congress Park area, it is a short walk to DS.

DS was very busy. The Christmas store and WoD were mobbed with people.
View attachment 725740
I did find the sweater I wanted and did mobile check out, this works very well to avoid a long wait. It also gives you the AP discount right on the app.

We decided on Blaze pizza. I had the sausage and mushrooms and Karamie had the pepperoni and arugula.

The pizza is really good. I only ate a small amount. Eyes bigger than stomach I guess.

We walked to the Lego store and parted ways. I took the boat back to FQ and Karamie was heading back to Epcot.

The boat ride was very nice.

Chip and Dale were at the FQ lobby. They are very cute. They threw a coin in the lobby fountain and made a wish.
View attachment 725741
View attachment 725742
I gathered my luggage and called for a Lyft. I did see on the Delta app my flight was delayed about 20 minutes. I hope that will be it.
I’m waiting at the airport, I hope to board soon. Fingers crossed

I will be heading back to the Tundra, we got a bunch of snow this past week. I’m not thrilled. If I could stay here I would!
I will do a wrap up this weekend!
Thanks for following along on my first ever solo trip!

I really enjoyed your trip report. I live up North too, and my grandson and family live in Duluth. He is a firefighter for Lake Superior FD. I love the North woods, but it is very nice to visit Florida in the winter! We usually go end of Feb to first o f March,. It looks like you had a great time

 

[Lsdolphin]

Disneyandi14 haven’t seen you post about your April trip in a while and hope you are well and still looking forward to your trip

 

[disneyAndi14]

Su-Lynn mentioned that our trips would be overlapping, but I didn't think we would have so many similar plans.

Hi wow that is awesome, great minds think alike

We arrive this day, but since we're coming from the West Coast our plane doesn't get in until 6:30PM, so we'll just make it to the room around 8PM, have dinner and crash.

The time change and long flights would definitely make for an early night

We are also going to AK, late morning. Our bodies will still be on CA time and we aren't early morning people. We also have no daytime ADRs cause we have dinner at Jiko that night.

Very nice, I’m still not sure what we will do that evening.

We are also at Epcot today. Mainly cause I want to ride the Guardians coaster twice, once through the Virtual queue and once through LL. Our plans for both lunch and dinner are to sample the food booths. If that's not enough, there are plenty of good options for QS at Epcot

I’m nervous to ride Guardians. I want to but I don’t like Everest at all. I hate the backwards part.

We plan to make our dinner at the Poly on 4/19. If Trader Sam's has a long wait, we may go up to Tambu lounge and have something to eat and drink while we wait for an opening.

We might do that. We are planning the dessert party at MK this evening and the extra hours. We could maybe meet up for Trader Sam’s!

That's a tough question. $600 is a nice chunk of change. Have you made up your mind yet?

Ugh I know! I still haven’t cancelled the Swan but will likely stay with WL

I have to thank you for giving me a good understanding of how the Genie works at WDW. I was following one of your trip reports last summer before my life blew up and went all crazy!

I’m glad it helped some! I hope all is okay now for you!

I will probably purchase Genie on a couple days so I can ride the Guardians Coaster and Tron (if it's available through LL). I got pretty good at the Virtual Queue, between RotR and Webslingers back in 2021 when DL reopened.

I will most likely use Genie+ most of our days

I know we don't really know each other, but we have a few mutual friends, so in case we're in the same place at the same time, we can say "Hi.

I would love to meet up and say Hi! We will make it happen!