Trip Report The Most Magical Solo Momcation

Hi everyone 👋🏼
I’ve been back from Disney for about 5 days now and I am hoping to really dive into my solo momcation trip report tomorrow but, I thought I would start off today with a little backstory/ pre-trip report.
Normally, my Disney trips include my husband and two kids. We are a big Disney family and try to visit every few years. However, our last two family trips were… unsuccessful to put it kindly.
In September of 2016 my kids were 5 1/2 and 1. That trip was a disaster for many reasons but mainly because 1) My oldest did not deal with the extremely hot temperatures and was a whiny, grumpy, mess all day every day. All she wanted to do was swim in the pool. and 2) My youngest decided that Disney trip would be the perfect time to sprout her top two front teeth and was awake crying, every night for hours in the middle of the night. In my attempt to not wake my husband and older daughter, I would take her outside and walk around with her to calm her down. That trip was absolutely exhausting.
Our next trip after that wasn’t until January of 2020. We purposely picked January hoping for cooler temps but of course you never know with Florida and it was in the 80’s the entire week we were there. My kids, now 9 and 4, whined and complained about literally everything. It was too hot, too crowded, they were hungry, thirsty, tired. Plus they fought all day, every day. Like physically pushing and kicking every time we were waiting in line for something.
After that trip, we decided we were done doing Disney with little kids. It was just too much. It was so exhausting and so expensive and we always left feeling like we didn’t get to do anything WE wanted to do.
Fast forward a few months to March 2020. I lost my job, my kids schools were closed, my husband was working from home every day. Suddenly all I dreamed about was being alone 🤣 I had this fantasy about going to Disney alone and finally doing everything I wanted to do without the constant whining and crying from my kids. Riding the big fun rides, eating in restaurants that had more than mac & cheese and chicken nuggets, not sitting for hours while kids play in some ridiculous play area. I didn’t even know solo Disney trips were a thing until I stumbled upon a Facebook group made up of Disney solo travelers.
So once our lives were (sort of) back on track, we went back to work and back to school, I ran the idea past my husband. He was completely supportive and totally on board right from the start 🙌
I officially booked my trip in March of 2021. In my mind, I was picturing a celebration. I thought I’d be celebrating the end of quarantine, the end of remote learning, the end of the pandemic. Obviously this pandemic is not over but I decided to move forward with my trip for one reason and one reason only ~ DISNEY IS MY HAPPY PLACE. After almost two years of stress, anxiety, and sometimes just downright UNhappiness, I decided I deserved a week in my happy place.
I’ll be back soon to dive in but for now, here’s a pic of me and the fam from January 2020.
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Zipadeelady

Well-Known Member
Your kids sound similar to mine at that age. One year while at Disney I went for a walk so I could have a good cry once I realized I paid $4,000 for my kids to swim in a pool at a hotel since that is all they wanted to really do. Once they got older things changed, mostly for the good.

A solo trip does sound amazing though.
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So I was originally supposed to fly out on Saturday January 29th. On the Monday before, all the local news stations starting predicting a big winter storm for Friday into Saturday. I instantly went into panic mode but my husband calmed me down and we agreed I would fly out Friday afternoon if this storm was actually for real. We originally decided I would make a decision by Wednesday but on Tuesday morning, everyone was still predicting a whopper of a storm for Saturday. My anxiety got the best of me and by Tuesday mid-morning, I changed my flight. And I was glad I did because by Wednesday, every flight out of Providence was either sold out or quadruple the price.
I was booked at Music for 1/29-2/5 but unfortunately they did not have any availability for Friday night. Movies was available but just for Friday, not the rest of the week. So I would have to make a transfer on Saturday morning. I also had to change my Mears Connect and change my pick up with the local transport company that was driving me to the airport. All in all, I had to add a little more than $200 to my trip. Not bad at all and yes, we got the storm and all flights out of both Providence and Boston were cancelled on Saturday. This is a picture my husband sent me of our deck-
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My original flight was non stop but my new Friday flight did have a short layover. The first part of the flight was smooth and on time, unfortunately the second part did have some delays. I landed about an hour and a half later than I was supposed to. MCO always confuses me and unfortunately, I did take a wrong turn after getting my luggage. I foolishly followed the signs for Mears and it brought me to their old location. Once I realized my mistake, it took a little bit for me to find my way to their new location (the old Magic Express location). Check in was a breeze and I walked right out to a bus. The bus waited for maybe 10/15 minutes for other people to load and then we were off. The bus did make several stops at other Disney hotels so bring your patient pants. The driver, I want to say his name was Randy, was great. He was super fun and upbeat, he was telling jokes and giving us Disney trivia the whole ride. When we were approaching the Disney World sign he told everyone to take out their phones and cameras and when he drove under the sign he beeped the horn really loud and was yelling Woo hoo! We’re in Disney World!!! We happen to drive by Epcot while the fireworks were happening and he made a big deal out of that too. He accidentally said Thank you for riding Disney’s Magical Express once and caught himself and said he was a driver with them for 10 years. Just a great guy and you could tell he really loved his job.
By the time I got to my room, I was completely exhausted so I showered and went right to bed. It was a bit of a pain to not be able to unpack and to have to transfer my luggage over on the next morning. Well worth it though for a full day in Magic Kingdom!
 
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day One - Saturday 1/29
Magic Kingdom

While Massachusetts was getting hit with a big winter storm, Florida was having its own winter weather. For the first time ever, I had to pack winter gear for a Disney trip. Saturday was in the 40’s all day but the sun was shining and with all my layers, I was ready to tackle the day.
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Just a quick note about masks- mask compliance was excellent the entire week I was there. I didn’t see anyone giving the CMs a hard time. Everyone was very respectful. CMs were at the entrances to every ride, shop and restaurant reminding everyone to wear their masks inside. The only place CMs were not present was at the bathrooms and that was the only place I saw people not wearing masks. I was very impressed. A lot of people also wore them outdoors, especially on the colder days.
I arrived at MK at about 7:45 for early entry at 8:30. I can’t even describe the feeling I had walking under the train station and onto Main Street. Nothing beats hearing the Main Street music and seeing the castle for the first time.
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I made my way over to the Tomorrowland bridge while waiting for rope drop. I did purchase Genie+ for this day as I was hoping to tackle as many indoor rides as possible 🥶
I was very close to the front of the crowd and I do think I had an advantage getting to Space Mountain as I was alone and didn’t have kids or strollers slowing me down. However the short queue in front of me didn’t load nearly as fast as I was hoping. I took this photo getting off of Space Mountain, mainly for the time stamp.
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I was exiting Space Mountain at 8:51. So 21 minutes for one ride. This was my experience all week with early entry. I could get one ride done and line up for my 2nd and that was pretty much it. Honestly early entry really isn’t all that different from traditional rope drop 🤷🏻‍♀️
 
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
My plan after Space was to ride Peter Pan but by the time I was done, Pan was already at 45 minutes. Sure, not bad for Pan but not how I wanted to start my day. So instead, I hopped on Small World.
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It was then time for my first LL- Haunted Mansion 😍 After tapping in, I booked my next LL for Pirates.
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After riding, I decided it was time for a brunch break so I made my way over to Gaston’s Tavern. The line was long but not terrible and once I was inside, I realized it might be tough to find a table. Every party around me had one person wait in line while the rest of the party went to look for a table. Obviously being alone I couldn’t do this and it became a common stresser for me over the next week. I would often find myself wandering around with a tray of food looking for somewhere to sit. It was literally the one time I wished I had someone with me 🤣
I got my snack AND I found a table!
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It was delightful to sit in the peace and quiet and enjoy my snack. I’m not at all embarrassed to admit that I ate it all. Sadly though, it was cold, not warm as advertised. Still excellent though.
After eating, I found the mysterious tiny door. Who lives here? 🤔
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I next made my way over to the Little Mermaid ride. There was about a 10 minute wait and even though I’ve been on this many times, I’ve never noticed all the tiny details in the queue. Little bird tracks and seashells everywhere. So cute! I guess I’m usually distracted while waiting in line 😉
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I really do love this ride! I’ll admit, I love most dark rides 😊
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MinnieM123

Premium Member
I next made my way over to the Little Mermaid ride. There was about a 10 minute wait and even though I’ve been on this many times, I’ve never noticed all the tiny details in the queue. Little bird tracks and seashells everywhere. So cute! I guess I’m usually distracted while waiting in line
We all get distracted -- WDW is sensory overload. :)

Each time I've visited, I always notice details that I missed in the past. Makes me appreciate all the work that went into the design, inside the parks. Really fun when you "discover" a detail (or details) that you missed in the past.
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
We all get distracted -- WDW is sensory overload. :)

Each time I've visited, I always notice details that I missed in the past. Makes me appreciate all the work that went into the design, inside the parks. Really fun when you "discover" a detail (or details) that you missed in the past.
Yes!! This is so true. One of the many things I love about Disney is their attention to detail 💖
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Yes!! This is so true. One of the many things I love about Disney is their attention to detail 💖
Also, as a side note, when you travel solo, you may discover more details. (When visiting WDW with friends or family, your attention is sometimes diverted by them. Just my own personal observation, as I've traveled with others, and gone solo a number of times as well.)
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Also, as a side note, when you travel solo, you may discover more details. (When visiting WDW with friends or family, your attention is sometimes diverted by them. Just my own personal observation, as I've traveled with others, and gone solo a number of times as well.)
I actually said this exact same thing to my husband. When you are with kids, you’re pushing a stroller, making sure they aren’t walking into people, making sure they don’t wander off, breaking up fights. I was amazed by how much I could take in just by walking and looking around. I especially noticed it in the World Showcase because my kids would never spend much time there. It was like I was seeing it for the first time.
 
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
After Little Mermaid, I started walking towards Pirates, my next LL. Belle was outside her cottage, chatting with guests walking by. Super cute! Sadly, no CM around so I had to go with selfie mode 😜
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I very much love the backside of the castle. She’s a beauty 😍
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As I was approaching Pirates, I saw a line of CMs outside, which is never a good sign. Sure enough, Pirates was down. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if Genie recognized I had a lightning lane during a down period and sent me a notification? But nope. Just had to get those extra steps in 👍🏼
I approached a CM and asked what would happen to my LL and she explained it would be converted to an anytime pass that was good for several rides. I opened the app to check and sure enough, the multi experience pass was already there. I asked if I could make a new LL since Pirates was good for right now. She said, actually I’m not sure, why don’t we try together? So I opened the app and was successfully able to book Buzz in just a few minutes. I thanked her for her help and continued on.
I just want to take a moment here to talk about Cast Members. I was a little nervous going into this trip because I read so much from other Disney fans about how the Disney magic was gone. How all the cast members were bored and rude and it just didn’t feel like the old Disney. Well guys, I did not experience any of that. Every cast member I interacted with was friendly, kind and helpful. Even other guests around me, everyone was just… happy. I don’t know how else to describe it. I honestly didn’t see any rudeness or negative behavior from anyone. It made me happy that everyone else was so happy. Other than putting a mask on inside, this was still MY Disney. 100%
Anyways, back to Buzz! The standby line was legit 60 minutes. Who waits that for Buzz?!? I mean it’s cute enough but not worth more than like, 15 minutes 😁
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