Back From My First Solo Trip

disneydreamer58 · Post by **disneydreamer58** » May Mon 22, 2006 8:38 am

I worry too about getting lonely. It looks like that was not a problem for you Foldmama cause you seem to make friends and meet people very easily, I wish I wasn't shy (at least until I get to know someone). I think that would be a big hurdle for me to get over, but after reading your post I don't think it would be that hard, cause everyone is so excited to be on their trip I think people are eager to talk to you, at least at the start of their day

they may be worn out and tired by the end of the day and sick of the crowds

. But after reading about your trip I think I will be brave enough to experience solo trips

Fold, I hope you get some pics on here, I would love to see them!
Thanks again for sharing your trip with us, if anything else comes to mind about your trip please hop on abd share it. I sounded wonderful!

foldmama · Post by **foldmama** » May Mon 22, 2006 3:26 pm

Yes, I did have such a wonderful time and I was a bit surprised by it. Next time, I go solo I will have to give myself at least a week so I have time for everything. There was just so much I did not have time to see. I loved the tours, but they ate a lot of my time away. (but, I would do them again in a minute!) I also think the tours are a great idea when traveling alone.

GoofyinOhio: The only time I felt I had no one to talk to was when I got back to my room at night. So, that's when I usually called home to see how everything was going. It made me feel a bit more connected. I felt the hardest part was dining alone in the nicer resturants. I just felt just a bit alone, but I definitely could do it again.

Bostoncq: I had no problem striking up conversations. In fact, a lot of people started talking to me because they saw that I was alone. Most people are so friendly while at Disney. I also think that a lot of people want to talk to other visitors to see where they are from and what they do, etc. I must admit that the people who took the Backstage Magic tour were really friendly and a lot of fun. The people on the Keys to the Kingdom tour were not. Truth was by Wednesday I no longer care as much because I was feeling comfortable about being solo and I was seated with the CM for lunch so I had someone to talk to.

Horizons1 - You are right, Magic Express was definitely anything but magical! I have never rented a car before. I always felt that I did not want to get lost in WDW at night. I hate night driving and did not want to have the stress of driving while I was on vacation. Is it hard to get around WDW when driving? When we go as a family in November, it may make more sense to have a car. My brother will never be able to handle a whole day in the parks and we do plan to visit Sea World, plus I know my brother will disappeared at least once to play golf.

I have never had a problem with the buses to and from the parks, but this time the wait was really bad. Hopefully the problem will be correctd.

Post by **horizons1** » May Thu 25, 2006 9:53 am

foldmama wrote:Is it hard to get around WDW when driving?

Admittedly (and this is a Los Angeles native speaking) yes it is not as clearcut as driving around a city grid. But Disney seems to be aware of this. If you miss your exit for a park, for instance, the next exit will likely also include your park so that you can take that exit and follow the signs until you loop back and get on track.

The hardest part of driving around there is remaining oriented when there aren't really any landmarks. I found that getting really familar with the major roadways (e.g. the one leading to MK) allowed me to visualize what is around me, even if I can't see it through all the trees.

Plus, I LOVE their purple signposts!

Post by **horizons1** » May Thu 25, 2006 9:56 am

bostoncg wrote:I worry too about getting lonely.

The hardest part of being alone is not being able to say "OOHH - Look at that!" and get the instant gratification that comes with sharing that experience. That said, if you're an independent kind of person, you WILL have fun in WDW by yourself.

foldmama · Post by **foldmama** » May Thu 25, 2006 1:04 pm

Horizons - so you are correct - I did miss the instant gratification that comes with sharing an experience. But, I rode Everest with a complete stranger and we had a whole conversation before and after. When I went last year with a friend she told me before hand that she absolutely loved coasters and once we arrived she would not go on any! In fact, she clains that HM is a coaster!

So, it but a dent in my trip because I was only able to ride them once!

Maybe I will think about renting a car with Neverlost!

mikesatregis · Post by **mikesatregis** » May Thu 25, 2006 2:19 pm

About the Disney busses - I rode the magical express once and I couldn't believe how nice it was! Perhaps we just hit it lucky, but there were only 3 or 4 families on the bus and it only stopped at 2 hotels.

On the way back to the airport we must have been lucky enough to be the last to be picked up as the bus was mostly full but we went straight to the airport.

We never waited very long. It was also nice to not have to deal with luggage! They checked our bags all the way through to Boston!

Maybe we hit it lucky though.

I would love to do a solo trip someday. I think the only way that would happen is if work sent me to one of those "conference’s” (excuse to visit

) at Disney

foldmama · Post by **foldmama** » May Fri 26, 2006 12:37 pm

mikesatregis - I must admit that checking in for my flight home and checking my luggage at Riversaide was great! I did not even have to think about my luggage until I arrived back in NY.

I am planning on picking up my pictures this evening (no, I don't have a digital camera yet - plan to buy one this summer before the fall trip). I am having the pictures loaded to a CD, so I just need to figure out out to send them out so everyone can see!

Come to think of it, can anyone recommend a good medium priced digital camera that is easy to use and takes great pictures. I have a new dell computer so I should have no problem as far as that is concerned.

Thanks everyone and enjoy the long weekend!

Post by **js3901** » May Fri 26, 2006 10:19 pm

foldmama wrote: Come to think of it, can anyone recommend a good medium priced digital camera that is easy to use and takes great pictures.

I bought a 4.1 MP Fujifilm FinePix A360 from Wal-mart a while ago that wasn't priced too badly and takes decent pics. I got it in a bundle pack (with rechargable batteries, recharger, mini tripod, and extra memory card) for about $150. I got it about a year ago, so I know you can get a higher MP camera for a cheaper price now

Club33Hopeful · Post by **Club33Hopeful** » May Sat 27, 2006 12:24 am

I highly recommend looking at www.dpreview.com before you buy a camera. My current camera is a Canon PowerShot S70, which is great. Bought it just over a year ago for $450.00.

mikesatregis · Post by **mikesatregis** » May Tue 30, 2006 8:28 am

Come to think of it, can anyone recommend a good medium priced digital camera that is easy to use and takes great pictures.

One thing to look for that took me by surprise when I bought my last Digital is how fast the camera can take pictures. My Nikon Coolpix 4600 needs 40-45 seconds between pictures!!!!! I timed it a few times because its so annoying. It seems the flash is the culprit - if the flash doesnt fire it recycles in about 15 seconds (which is fine).

The store I bought it from had a restocking fee if I wanted to return it and I decided to live with it for a year or two and be more careful next time.

knedeau · Post by **knedeau** » May Tue 30, 2006 10:19 am

I just bought a Casio Exilim EX-S600 6MP Digital Camera Bundle from overstock.com (go through workingadvantage.com if you can.. you get an extra 10% off). I got a GREAT deal on it! The whole bundle (camera, 1gig memory, bag, tripod, cleaning kit) for like $370! ($332 after workingadvantage.com) The only thing I will have to live with, is that the camera is ORANGE instead of silver. A small price to pay for a great deal though! (The same cameras are $333 at circut city, without memory or anything.)

Post by **horizons1** » May Tue 30, 2006 12:28 pm

knedeau wrote:The only thing I will have to live with, is that the camera is ORANGE instead of silver.

Well, it should be easier to find.

foldmama · Post by **foldmama** » May Tue 30, 2006 2:29 pm

Hi Everyone: Thanks so much for the recommendations. I actually started looking at them at Cosco this past weekend. I had not realized how much smaller the actual camera had become. I also noticed that most of the cameras are up to 6.0 or 6.1 MP now. My old one, that I gave away to a animal adoption group, was only 2.1! I need to do some serious research before I purchase one. I just want to make sure I have it in time for the family trip in early November.

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » May Wed 31, 2006 11:58 am

Great to hear you had a wonderful solo trip

besides the whole bus issue

rich · Post by **rich** » Jun Mon 12, 2006 8:26 pm

....... I chatted it up with complete strangers....

People like you scare people like me.