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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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I then went over to see Feathered Friends in Flight. I know this show has changed many times in recent years but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad version. I always really enjoy it.
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I forgot to mention that after riding Safari, I booked another LL for Navi. No pictures this time, just a video of the Shaman at the end. My oldest is creeped out by her so when I got home, I jokingly told her I had a video of her favorite animatronic.
I was also able to book another LL for Dinosaur. Even though I was very happy to ride these rides twice, I only used Genie+ for these three rides. So I guess it’s subjective if I got my monies worth 🤷🏻‍♀️
On the way over to Dinosaur, I saw Kevin! I literally took my coat off for 5 seconds for the picture. I bought this shirt so long ago but I had my coat zipped all day because it was so cold. I needed photo evidence that I actually wore it 🤣
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Inside the Dino queue-
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
When I finished up at Dinosaur, it was about 3pm and I was EXHAUSTED. I’d been at AK since about 7am and I did quite a bit of walking and backtracking. I was getting ready to head out for the day but, as I was passing the outdoor theater, I realized a Kite Tails was about to begin. So, one last stop!
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I’m not gonna lie, I LOVED this show! The music was so upbeat, the kites were all beautiful, and the CMs were working so hard. Not just the ones on the jet skis but even the ones with the smaller hand held kites in front of the crowd. They were smiling and singing and just having the best time. I really, really enjoyed this show.
I stopped for one last photo on the way out and again, quickly removed my coat and sweatshirt. Man do I look exhausted! 🤣
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I had an incredible day. I did so many things that I haven’t done in years, I absolutely loved Flight of Passage and Dinosaur. Of course I was bummed Everest was down but AK has so much to offer. I did have another partial day planned for here later in the week and considering so many animals were off exhibit due to the cold, I was definitely glad I planned for that!
 

PattyBell

Active Member
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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Oh my God....I dream about a solo trip as well. You are leaving my dream rsrs. Can't wait to follow along.
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thanks for following along everyone! I love that so many people either travel solo or would like to one day. I’ve always been introverted and I’ve always liked the quiet of being alone. My mom is the total opposite and talks non stop to any stranger who will listen. So she always made me feel like I was weird when I was younger because I liked being alone.
The best advice I can give you is to do it. Maybe not now or a year from now but when the opportunity presents itself- DO IT. I promise you won’t regret it. This trip was a dream come true and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
 
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day Three - Monday 1/31
Epcot

I was actually kind of glad early entry at Epcot wasn’t until 9:30. It was nice to not leave while it was still dark 🤣
I had two days set aside for Epcot. I wasn’t sure if I would need two full days, but I wanted to have the option just in case. Our Epcot day in January 2020 was a bit of a fail, it mainly consisted of breakfast at the Garden Grille, playing in the Mission Space play area, and doing absolutely everything related to Frozen, so I was really looking forward to exploring both the World Showcase and Festival of the Arts.
At rope drop, I started with Soarin’. If I had to pick a current favorite ride at Epcot, it would be Soarin’. I do really enjoy it although, I much much prefer the original version. The newer version relies too heavily on CGI and just doesn’t feel as realistic.
After Soarin’ I went to Living with the Land. I find this ride very peaceful and relaxing and it feels the most “Epcot” to me.
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My older daughter’s name is Sage 😊

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After finishing up at The Land, I went over to Test Track. Test Track is fine, I don’t dislike it, but it’s not super high on my must ride list. But because it was early, and because I could skip the design a car part, I used Single Rider and pretty much walked right on. Much like Soarin’, I definitely prefer the older version based on crash test dummies.
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
It was about 10:30 at this point so I started making my way towards the World Showcase. My buddy Donald was out greeting in the Mexico pavilion so of course, I had to stop and say hi. I have a soft spot for Donald and his anger issues. I always make sure to tell him he’s #1
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Oh, look! No winter coat! Woot woot! 🥳

It was a little before 11 as I was making my way into the China pavilion.
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I knew what I wanted for lunch, the two dishes from The Painted Panda booth, so to avoid back tracking, I just hung out in that area til the booth opened. Another perk of being alone. I could rope drop a Festival of the Arts food booth without anyone complaining 🤣
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These were both super tasty. The top was like a fancy general tso’s and the bottom is a pork bun.
On to dessert! Orange mousse from Deco Delights ~
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And key lime pie from The Deconstructed Dish ~
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Both were excellent although I didn’t realize til I was sitting eating that they were somewhat similar. I preferred the key lime 😋
I was super impressed with how efficiently the cast members worked those booths. They have it down to an exact science and even if there was a line, it moved quickly. At least in my experience.

Entry sign is so pretty!
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I love the colored flowers under each paint tube!

And look who I found!!
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Sweatshirt was officially off for the day 😎
Perfect Disney weather!
 

DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
While walking through France, the Beauty & The Beast singalong was starting in a few minutes so I popped in. Cute enough but why mess with the original story 🤷🏻‍♀️
I did not go on Ratatouille on this day. I was saving it for day 2 in Epcot. I wanted this day to be more relaxed with no Genie+ times to worry about.
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DisneyDreamer08

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Next I added a little color to the mural wall 🎨
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And then I walked back over to the World Showcase for dinner.
This was from the Encanto themed Columbian booth- chorizo and potato empanada and a coconut and passion fruit smoothie. These were both excellent! And I love that I got to keep the little cup 🤗
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I looked through some of art booths and just explored a little more.
I also stopped in the Kringla bakery in Norway and got a few goodies to go. This would be my breakfast for the next couple days 😋
The troll horn was good but my favorite was the school bread!
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By about 4:30, I decided to head out. Yes it was early, but I accomplished everything I was hoping to that day and then some. It’s very rare to leave a Disney park with kids and think, I did everything I wanted to (at least in my experience) but on this particular day, I left extremely happy and satisfied with my day.
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