WDW Food and Wine Festival booth

While Disney World is a fun trip no matter what, going solo during my favorite time of the year might be the ultimate in “Disney Magic.”

My favorite time of year, of course, is right around October, when Disney World showcases its Epcot Food and Wine Festival! 2010 marks the festival’s 15th anniversary, and it looks like it will be bigger and better than ever — full of international celebrity chefs, incredible dishes from around the world (in cheap tapas-sized portions, so that you can try everything at least once!), and demonstrations on everything from cheese-making to wine-tasting to chocolatier-ing to hops-tasting. Disney’s even thrown in a couple of brand new options this year.

Magnet From Festival

In my opinion, visiting the festival solo can’t be beat! I’ve had the pleasure of touring with big groups, small groups, and all alone, and that “personal” time with the Food and Wine Festival has been oh so rewarding. There’s so much to see and do that you won’t want to “compromise!” If you’re considering heading to the 2010 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival solo this year, here’s a dream itinerary:

Morning: Get Your Bearings…and a Bottle of Wine Head over to the Festival Welcome Center, located in Epcot’s Wonders of Life Pavilion, to grab a map and a Festival Guide as well as browse your favorite foodie titles at the Festival book shop, check out the wines featured throughout the Festival in The Cellar, and take a look at some of the customized Festival merchandise.

Plum Wine Drink in China

11AM: Eat Around the World Hopefully you’re hungry! The centerpiece of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival are the Festival Marketplace Booths. This year, 27 different countries will be represented with booths set up in a semi-circle around Epcot’s World Showcase Promenade; each booth will feature tapas-sized portions of some of the country’s most famous dishes, and many offer beers, wines, and other representative drinks. One of my favorite ways to spend lunchtime is grazing at several different booths, picking and choosing the dishes I’d like to sample. Usually, each dish costs about $2-$5, so you can safely try several for the price of a Disney World restaurant meal. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are photos and menus from the 2009 Festival Booths.

1PM: See a Show Now is a great time to catch one of the free or low-cost seminars happening throughout the Festival. Check out the History of Beer in America (includes samples — and it’s free with Epcot admission!); attend one of the Culinary Demonstrations, where executive chefs from around the country prepare a dish in front of the audience (includes a tapas-sized sample of the dish — $8/person); or meet your favorite cookbook author at an Authors Without Borders seminar (free with Epcot admission).

Italian Pasta Making Demonstration

3PM: Get Tipsy on Tequila OK, not really. But sort of! I can highly recommend the Festival’s new Tequila Tasting Seminars, which are held in Epcot’s premier Tequila Bar, La Cava del Tequila. These are extremely informational, especially for Tequila novices.

5PM: “Pair” Up or Be a Groupie My two favorite options for dinners during the Festival are Food and Wine Pairings and Signature Dining Events.

During Festival Food and Wine Pairings, guests are served three small dishes paired with spectacular wines; a Sommelier is on hand to describe the history of the wines and why the pairings were made. This year, Food and Wine Pairing meals are scheduled to be held in Mexico’s San Angel Inn, Japan’s Tokyo Dining, and Morocco’s Restaurant Marrakesh.

Shrimp Dish in Bangkok

Signature Dining Events offer guests the opportunity to dine under the watchful eye of their favorite celebrity chef! Premier chefs from around the country (and the Food Network!) prepare their favorite dishes just for you at these outstanding dinners.

7PM: Get Sweet or Eat to the Beat There are lots of opportunities to sample sweets and desserts around Epcot during the Festival, but a brand new event this year will be 3D Disney’s Dessert Discovery, a pre-booked event happening every Friday night during which Disney World will treat you to an amazing array of desserts, along with special seating for their famous Illuminations: Reflections of Earth Fireworks Spectacular. Tickets are a steal at only $45.

Disney's Food & Wine Festival booth

If the price (or the sheer sugar overload) is out of your budget, head over to Disney’s free-with-Epcot-admission Eat to the Beat concerts. These nightly shows featuring favorites like Taylor Dayne, Kool and the Gang, Boyz II Men, Expose, Rick Springfield, Air Supply, and Big Bad VooDoo Daddy (among others!) are sure to be worth a visit to Epcot alone.

Epcot Food and Wine Festival Tips:

• Consider purchasing a Food and Wine Festival gift card for yourself. This is smaller than a regular credit card, and comes on a plastic bracelet to wear around your wrist. You can load the card with as much money as you’d like, and use it as payment as you visit each Festival Marketplace Booth. Of course, the card is good for use at any Disney World purchasing location, so if you don’t use up the money at the Festival, it can be used for other purchases throughout Disney World.
• Before touring the Festival Marketplace Booths, check out the menus for each in your Festival Guide. There’s no way you’ll be able to sample everything (believe me, I’ve tried!), so choose a few don’t-miss items and hit those booths first.
• Paid events like seminars, food and wine pairing meals, and celebrity chef demonstrations, will sell out fast. The full itinerary of events usually comes out in July, and booking often begins in August. Stay tuned and pre-book your tickets so that you don’t miss out on your favorite Chef or seminar!
• There’s plenty to do at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival without breaking the bank. If you’re planning a budget trip, check out the seminars and demonstrations that cost only $5-$10, plan to “eat around the World Showcase” at the Festival Marketplace Booths for at least a couple of meals, and visit the free events in the Festival Welcome Center. Oh, and don’t forget to catch Air Supply at the Eat to the Beat Concert! (You KNOW you want to…)

Hopefully this helps as you plan your trip to Epcot during what I consider to be the very best time of the year! For more Disney Food information and to keep up to date on the 2010 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, visit me on The Disney Food Blog!

This blog post is proudly featured in Dismarks’ 5th Disney Blog Carnival, along with a wide variety of other terrific posts about Disney World. Check it out!

Planning a trip to Disney World’s Food & Wine Festival? The DFB Mini-Guide to the 2011 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival e-book can save you time and money while helping you to make the most of your time at the Festival. Compiled by The Disney Food Blog, this handy resource is available for just $11.95. Click on the image to the left to download your copy today.

Going Solo to Disney’s Food & Wine Festival is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Jetblue flight

Compassion never goes out of style.  I’ve always appreciated Jetblue‘s True Blue membership program, because I have had to cancel trips in the past, and it was nice knowing I had up to a year to use the airfare credit instead of just being SOL.  But now, my favorite blue airline is going one step further: Jetblue has announced a new policy today, that will, I hope, give potential travelers some peace of mind during this recession.

Everyone with even a mild interest in travel probably knows by now that there are some terrific travel deals out there right now.  But with massive layoffs being announced every day from companies all over the country, it’s hard to consider planning a getaway when you’re afraid you might wind up on the unemployment line before you get to take your trip.  Worry no more.

Jetblue has promised that if you lose your job after you’ve booked your airfare but before you take your trip, they will refund your airfare.  This applies to air-only travel booked and scheduled to fly between February 1 and June 1, 2009. So go ahead and book that spring vacation with confidence. . .just make sure you fly Jetblue.

Details can be found here:  The Jetblue Promise.

The Jetblue Promise is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

The Enterprise

Trekmovie.com is reporting that it’s no longer a rumor or wishful thinking: Star Trek: The Experience will be back in Vegas in the near future, at its new home in Neonopolis.

More Details Emerge For New Home of Star Trek: The Experience

It’s not yet known how the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie will be incorporated into the Experience, but they would be crazy not to take advantage of it somehow.  Apparently all aspects of the previous experience will be incorporated into the new location as well–starting with Quark’s Bar and Restaurant and the Promenade Shops, and followed by the museum and rides. The rides may be modified and/or upgraded (which is badly needed). They hope to have the first elements of the Experience open by the time the new movie premieres in May 2009.  Former employees will have first dibs on jobs in the new incarnation.

It’s Ba-a-ack is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Activities at Disney World for the Solo Traveler

There's more to do at Disney World than just rides

You can do pretty much anything at Disney World as a solo that you would do if you were there with family or friends:

• Go to the parks, ride the rides (and enjoy that single rider line!)
• Wander around taking in the sights, people-watch, and take pictures
• See some shows
• Rent a boat or a bicycle
• Sign up for the Richard Petty Driving Experience or go parasailing
• Sign up for a behind-the-scenes tour
• Go horseback riding
• Sit by the pool and read a book all day
• Get a massage, a manicure and pedicure
• Go to the water parks (take a surfing class at Typhoon Lagoon!)
• Go shopping in Downtown Disney
• Get your picture taken with Disney characters
• Enjoy the fireworks and parades
• Go resort-hopping
• Eat your way around Epcot
• Go hunting for hidden Mickeys
• and so much more!

See a show, like Off Kilter at Epcot

One of my favorite activities is to see shows.  I loved the Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom, and the Indiana Jones Stunt Show at Hollywood Studios. Fantasmic! would have been more enjoyable had I brought a book to read during the long wait for the show to start (that’s the downside of not having company).  I also like the live shows at the parks, such as Off Kilter (the Celtic band in Epcot), the British Invasion (a Beatles tribute band in Epcot), and the Jammitors in Future World at Epcot.  Other live shows include Lights, Moter, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Mulch, Sweat & Shears (a street group) at Hollywood Studios, and the Village Beatniks at Animal Kingdom.

I can’t think of any Disney activities that you can do as part of a group or couple that you can’t do alone.  Okay, I might feel a little weird playing miniature golf by myself, but that’s just me.

But what do you do if you’re looking for some non-park, adult activities at night when you are ready to unwind after a busy day at the parks?  Well, sadly, Pleasure Island is no more, so that’s not an option. (R.I.P., Adventurer’s Club).  Not to worry!  You can still find plenty to do.  I asked Betsy from WDWForGrownUps.com what she likes to do at night when she’s on her own at Disney.  “I love Jellyrolls, personally. Other activities include La Nouba, shopping at Downtown Disney, movies at AMC Theater, and Bob the piano guy at Port Orleans Riverside.  I also love night swimming and hot tubbing.  Never done this, but it might be fun to go to the Chip and Dale campfire at Fort Wilderness!”

Jellyrolls dueling piano bar on the Boardwalk

Other than movies, shopping and Cirque du Soleil’s La Nouba, you can go see a live band at House of Blues or Raglan Road in Downtown Disney.  And along with Jellyrolls’ dueling piano show, you can walk along Disney’s Boardwalk along Crescent Lake and maybe stop and catch a game on TV at the ESPN Club. Or stay a little closer to home. Almost every Disney resort has a bar and lounge where you can unwind over a drink and maybe make some new friends. Try the Tambu Lounge at the Polynesian, Kimono’s at The Swan (which turns into a karaoke bar in the evenings), or Coronado Springs’ Rix Lounge, an upscale lounge with music and specialty cocktails.

I hope you realize by now that there is no reason why you can’t have a fun and enjoyable vacation at Disney World by yourself. So what are you waiting for?  Book that solo trip!

Postscript:  If there is any aspect of a solo trip to Disney I have not covered and you are curious about, please feel free to comment here or email me.

For more resources on Disney World, see my Disney World links.

Solo Walt Disney World, Part Seven is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Disney's Boardwalk Inn

Where should the solo traveler stay at Disney World?

Many people prefer to stay on-site in a Disney resort for easy access to the parks and resort facilities and the “magic” of staying on property.  Other advantages to staying on-site are access to Disney’s (free) Magical Express bus to and from the airport, being able to charge expenses to your room via your room key, and participating in Extra Magic Hours. (Each day, one Disney park opens an hour early and one closes late to allow guests extra time to enjoy the park.)  Perhaps not surprisingly, my entire panel of solo travel experts stay on property.

Fran from Pittsburgh says, “Any Disney hotel is great. There are four levels of hotels at Disney: value, moderate, deluxe and home away from home.  I’ve stayed at all levels.  While the value hotels are fine, there are tons of kids, so my preference are the deluxe hotels.  My favorite is the Polynesian for the theming and incredibly relaxing atmosphere, although the Yacht Club and Boardwalk Inn are both great for their proximity to Epcot & Hollywood Studios.  The Beach Club is in the same area but there are soooo many kids there I tend to avoid it because of the noise level in the lobby.  I also really like Port Orleans Riverside (moderate).  Even though it’s a large resort, I enjoy the lush landscaping and the walkways.”

Fran’s point about children is well-taken. If you are traveling without children, ask yourself if you want to be surrounded by them (and the higher noise levels) all day in the parks and at night in your hotel, or if you would prefer a more relaxing, quieter environment at a resort where there are fewer children?  There are three resorts on Disney property that are considered “more adult” than the others, because conventioneers often stay there:  The Swan and the Dolphin (owned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, but located in the Boardwalk area) and Coronado Springs, a moderate resort.  These might be good options for anyone looking for a higher ratio of adults to children during their stay.  The beauty of staying in hotels hosting conventions is that during the convention meeting times, other guests pretty much have the run of the property.  Which means you probably won’t have to hunt too hard to find a lounge chair by the pool.   You can also find nearby hotels off-site that are predominantly business hotels.  You won’t get the same magic you would at a Disney hotel, but you’ll still get great amenities and be surrounded by other adults.

Disney's Coronado Springs resort

If you’re looking for peace and quiet and fewer children, you should probably avoid the Value Resorts .  They tend to attract more families and youth groups, such as cheerleading teams.  They also do not offer table service dining at the resorts, if that is important to you.  They have very basic amenities. Refrigerators in the rooms are not complimentary here, but you can arrange for one for a modest fee.

I stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter (a moderate) and I don’t recall there being an overabundance of children or noise (except at breakfast), but then, it was a less crowded time of year.  The grounds were lovely, and the greatest benefit of this resort is the boat service to Downtown Disney.  I probably would not stay here again, though, because of the lack of a table service restaurant (you have to go over to Port Orleans Riverside for that).

Bill Brown from CA has different priorities for his preferred hotel.  He likes the Pop Century Resort (a value resort), which is also very popular with families, because “it has its own buses to and from the parks and POP is value priced, which allows me to enjoy a longer WDW visit with less of a drain on my wallet.” Pop’s dedicated bus system is a plus if you do decide to stay at a value resort.  The other three value resorts all share one bus system, which means it takes longer to get anywhere and the buses are more crowded.  Bill’s point about price is important.  Budget is a big consideration for all travelers, but especially for solos, since you have no one to share the room cost with.  Your heart may say “deluxe,” but your wallet may say “value.”  What is your budget and how long do you want to be at Disney?  Which is more important to you–staying at a resort with all the amenities or having more days at Disney?  This will determine what level of resort you can afford.  To get an idea of what each resort level offers for amenities, check out the resort comparison chart at Disney’s website.

If budget is your primary consideration, and you plan to have a car anyway, you might consider staying off-site and driving to and from Disney.  You can generally find better bargains off-site.  This would especially make sense if you plan to do more in Orlando than just Disney (Sea World, Universal, downtown Orlando, etc.).

Another factor for the solo female traveler is security.  Where will you feel safest?  For my money, it would be a Disney resort.  I can’t imagine not feeling pretty safe on Disney property.  Betsy from WDWForGrownUps.com prefers Disney’s deluxe hotels because “they offer better room service, more options for spa treatments, a gym/workout room, and decent dining options on-site.  They offer a tad more security as well: you can valet your car and not have to make the walk from the parking lot, through the outdoor hallways, to your room.”

Obviously, taste in hotels, budgets and priorities are all very personal.  Only you can decide  where you will feel most comfortable.  The variety of options in and around Disney World are plentiful.  You should do some careful research online before you make your decision about which one is right for you.  Not all hotels are created equally.  Tripadvisor is a great resource for getting the “inside scoop” from other travelers about what a hotel is really like.

If you are certain you want to stay on-site, though, the best piece of advice I can give you is to save yourself a lot of time and consult a Disney travel specialist.  (There is no fee for this service.)  As I have mentioned in this blog before, I booked my Disney World stay through Debbie Kuhns of Magical Journeys.   She and her colleagues know everything about Disney resorts and the discounts available to you and will do everything they can to get you the best deal possible.  Let them do the heavy lifting for you; after all, it’s your vacation!

Next up:  Solo Dining at Disney

Solo Disney World, Part Five: Hotel Options for the Solo Traveler is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

I especially enjoyed this line:  “If it works it would be the biggest resurrection since Mr. Spock reanimated on planet Genesis– both for the Experience show and the troubled Neonopolis development.“  Heh.

I could never figure out why Neonopolis didn’t attract any visitors.  I went there my first trip after it opened, and it was like a ghost town (which was kind of creepy).  But if it could score the Star Trek Experience, for sure that would draw Trekkie foot traffic, at least.  In fact, it would get me to spend at least part of my next trip to Vegas staying at a Downtown hotel for the first time ever, just so I could be near it and hang out there every night.

The trouble with Downtown for me has always been that there’s really nothing to see or do there during the day, and not much even at night for non-gamblers. That’s been changing, however, with some hotel upgrades and the development of Fremont East. Adding the Star Trek Experience to the mix could be just the kickstart ol’ Downtown needed to start drawing non-gamblers (because obviously the cheap meals, cheap drinks, and cheap hotel rooms weren’t enough).  In my opinion, Joshi is right:  Downtown needs another attraction, something that will keep people there for a long enough period of time that it might rub off on the other businesses down there.

I agree with Anthony Pascale of Trekmovie.com, though (are you listening Mr. Joshi?), that if they are to resurrect the Star Trek Experience, they also really need to update it. As much as I loved it, it was starting to feel its age by the time it closed at the Hilton (especially the Klingon ride, since it featured shots of the Las Vegas Strip, which no longer looked the same after 10 years).  It’s not like they don’t have plenty of material to work with, what with 5 TV series and soon-to-be 11 motion pictures.  They should try to incorporate a little bit of every series into the Experience, to appeal to all the segments of Trek fans.  (Says the armchair critic.)  In any case, I’ll be interested to see how this all sugars out.

Not quite dead yet? is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Star Trek: The Experience

We brought baseballs.  Lots of baseballs.  There were baseballs lining the bar, baseballs in a blue bucket in front of the bar.  I didn’t read any of them, except my own, but I can imagine what they said.  Things like “Thanks for ten years of wonderful memories,” “Thank you for giving me a place where I could come and forget my troubles for awhile,” and “We’ll never forget you.”  From January 3, 1998 to September 1, 2008,  Star Trek: The Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton served as a home-away-from-home for Trekkies from all over the world who came to this place as if it were our own Mecca.

The Star Trek-themed attraction featured a restaurant and bar modeled after Quark’s from Deep Space Nine, where you could order delicacies like Flaming Ribs of Targ and Fried Pipius Claw and drinks like The Warp Core Breach and the Mind Meld; Promenade shops, also from Deep Space Nine, featuring all manner of Trek collectibles; a motion simulator ride called the Klingon Encounter; an interactive attraction called The Borg Invasion 4D; the History of the Future Museum; and multiple TV screens everywhere airing old episodes of the various incarnations of Trek.  It was a Trekkie paradise.

Replica of Voyager

On the last day of operation, we gathered to pay our respects with baseballs.  Why baseballs?  Someone came up with the idea from the Deep Space Nine episode, A Call to Arms, when Gul Dukat and the Dominion wrested the Bajoran space station Deep Space Nine from the Federation, and Dukat found Captain Sisko’s baseball sitting on his desk.  When he was asked what it was, Dukat said “A message, from Sisko. . . .He’s letting me know he’ll be back.”  We wanted to let everyone involved with the Experience know we would not abandon them.  And if, by some great fortune, they come back, so will we.

I flew into Vegas on the Experience’s last day of operation.  By some twist of fate, I was speaking with a fellow passenger from my flight at JFK and learned she, too, was headed to the Hilton for the ceremony. We immediately bonded.  Later, after I checked into the MGM and had some lunch, I headed over to the Hilton. The Star Trek area was busier than I had ever seen it. There were some fans who had gone all out for the occasion, dressing in Starfleet uniforms or even as their favorite alien race.  To be honest, I thought I’d feel a little weird about that; but for this occasion, it seemed perfectly appropriate.

Props in the Museum

I purchased a ticket for the rides and the History of the Future Museum ($49.95).  Normally, being the cheapo that I am, I’d complain about that price, but not that day.  I wandered through the Museum, looking at the props (including costumes, tricorders, phaser rifles, etc.) for the last time and staring up at the large-scale models of ships hanging from the ceiling.  Down in Quark’s bar, which was full to capacity, you could hear the chanting of fans thanking the bartenders, whom they all seemed to know by name.  There was a Memory Wall (walls, really), papered with hundreds of notes from fans expressing their sorrow over the closing and how much it had meant to them over the years.

I stood in the long line waiting for the Klingon Encounter, but was encouraged by staff to go on the Borg Invasion first, since the line was shorter.  Before we boarded, a very tall Klingon going by the name Commander Churoq (actor Mark Weitz) stopped by and told some jokes to us:

Churoq:  “What’s funnier than two dead Ferengi?”

Us:  “Three dead Ferengi.”

Churoq:  “Ah, you’re telepaths.  Here’s another one.” Long pause, and then boisterous laughter as if he’d just told a great joke.  We all laughed with him.

The Borg Invasion was more fun than I even remembered, as actors dressed as Starfleet officers led us through the corridors of a space station that was under attack by the Borg, and one by one, they were “assimilated”, including one who was snatched right up through the ceiling by a Borg drone. After the show, we all clapped and cheered.  The cast seemed emotional. Who could blame them?  In a couple more hours, they would be out of jobs.

Quark's Bar and Restaurant

I went downstairs to check out the Promenade shops, which were nearly bare of anything to buy; some were already closed.  The Trekkies who had come to convention in early August bought up most of the collectibles.  I saw General Motog (actor Tom Deishley), a grey-haired Klingon, speaking with some fans.  Quark’s bar was a raucous, rowdy Trekkie frat party.  There was pounding on the bar, chanting in Klingon, and an atmosphere paradoxically both festive and somber at the same time.

I wandered out to the line for the restaurant and ran into Cathy, my friend from JFK, who was at the front of the line.  She had met a father and his son, Kent and Patrick, and they had all agreed to share a table for dinner.  They invited me to join them and I accepted.  I wasn’t too hungry, since I’d eaten at MGM’s buffet only a couple of hours prior, so I just had Hoshi Sato’s Coconut Shrimp and a Liquid Latinum (an alcholic beverage that was a lovely shade of blue topped with a greyish liquid). We had a great last meal, sharing stories of our favorite series and characters we liked, and getting to know each other better.  Kent won Cathy and me over when he asked to take our picture, because we “looked just like Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi”.  That smooth-talker!

As we sat there, Commander Churoq came in and made the rounds of the restaurant, stopping to engage in conversation with us humans.  He sat down with a man at the table opposite us and started commenting on the man’s food:  “It’s dead.  You should send it back,” he said, with a perfectly straight face. “I wouldn’t eat it.”  (Klingons, of course, prefer their food to be alive when they eat it.)

The Enterprise

Cathy and I parted company with Kent and Patrick after dinner and headed upstairs for one last ride on the Klingon Encounter.  As it turned out, we wound up being part of the very last public ride (there was a VIP ride following ours for people who paid $500+ for tickets!).  A film crew showed up and interviewed a tall, bearded man from Kentucky right behind us who was dressed in a Starfleet red command uniform.  He told them this was his 1,015th ride!  I tried to do the math in my head for how many thousands of dollars that had cost him over the years, but gave up. He was very emotional and talked about why he loved coming here so much, including the cast members, but also meeting fellow fans.  The film crew followed us as we entered the ride and right up until we boarded the shuttlecraft.  It was a little distracting and kind of took me out of the fantasy, but on the other hand, it was kind of cool knowing I might make it onto a future DVD extra (which is what they said they were filming for).  I really did feel like I was a part of Star Trek history at that point.

The Klingon Encounter has always been my favorite ride, and this time did not disappoint.  I had a big goofy grin plastered to my face the whole time, from walking onto the bridge of the Enterprise-D–which was positively bustling with Starfleet officers–to the bumping, dizzying motion simulator ride.  When it was over, I felt a sense of emptiness knowing it was the last time I’d do it.  We all applauded the actors again at the end, and Cathy and I made our way to Quark’s.

Party at Quark's!

The Klingon/Starfleet frat party was still going strong.  Cathy stepped away to make a phone call, and I managed to slip between people to get to the bar to order some drinks for us.  This time, I tried an Arcturian Fizz, which was like vodka and lemonade, only blue and not too fizzy.  There was a guy at the bar drinking out of a fishbowl (a Warp Core Breach?  A Borg Sphere?  I’m not sure which) who looked like he was pretty blotto.  He kept shouting something unintelligible. Not long after, Major Kahlen (actress Lynn Sterling), a female Klingon, came through the bar and began to lead the crowd in Klingon song, pounding her fist on the bar.  The volume in the room went way up.

I met Nick, who told me he had helped to build the Experience (thank you, Nick!) and was now working on Cirque du Soleil’s Ka at the MGM.  About then, the bar staff began shooing us out of the bar and up to the SpaceQuest Casino, where the Decommissioning Ceremony would be held at 10pm.  A Decommissioning Ceremony is a Naval tradition held when a ship is taken out of service.  You can read more about the tradition at Wikipedia.  During the wait, the crowd grew.  I met some fellow fans and chatted with them, including a woman originally from Vermont, and a guy I recognized from one of the Trek message boards I frequent.  By the time the ceremony started, I was surrounded by people taller than me, and couldn’t get a decent view for pictures.

Decommissioning Ceremony

The guest speaker for this ceremony was Suzie Plakson, who portrayed several aliens in the Star Trek universe, most notably Worf’s Klingon wife, K’Ehleyr, and  a female Q on Voyager.  A tall actress with a regal bearing, she was a terrific choice.  She gave the ceremony exactly the right honor and dignity it deserved. She performed the time-honored ritual of calling out each and every staff member by name, and they all got their moment in the sun.  Everyone was thanked with applause, whistles, and cheers from the fans.  (We should all leave our jobs with such honor!)  The actors were called out last, many still in costume.  I was amazed at how many fans in the crowd knew them each by name, and knew their characters by name.  As much as I loved the Star Trek Experience, I’d never gotten to know any of them, and I realized that was my loss.

The last actress called out, April Hebert, who played the Vulcan T’Pril, was entrusted with the United Federation of Planets flag that had flown over the attraction–her honor as the longest-running cast member.  She tried mightily to maintain a stoic Vulcan composure, but crumbled a little, and the tears came.  For her and for all of us.  After that, Chad Boutte, the Operations Manager and Director of Marketing for the Experience, closed out the ceremony, holding up one of the baseballs and speaking eloquently and emotionally of the amazing last ten years and our collective hopes for the future.  At the end, a golden curtain dropped in front of the Experience, barring it from our view.  It was really over.

The Curtain Falls

Over 100 employees of Star Trek: The Experience are now employed elsewhere or are looking for new jobs.  Imagine how difficult it must be for the actors to find new work in Las Vegas, given the special nature of their previous work.  I feel for them.

If you weren’t able to make it to the ceremony but want to see what all the fuss was about, you can click below to view an 8.5 minute YouTube video (by nikzane) of the closing ceremony below:

Oh, and those baseballs?  Those are reportedly being donated to Boys and Girls Clubs and various youth organizations.

The Big Goodbye is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

“We are heartbroken,” Experience fanatic Francine Lebrato said this weekend. “No matter who’s sitting next to you, you can talk to them.”

That’s exactly right. The Experience experience inspires loyalty and camaraderie, as it speaks to people bound together by deep narratives and history weaved by TV series, books, films and Web sites.

This is so true. And it’s what is missing in most bars, frankly. Oh sure, if you’re somewhat extroverted, you can strike up a conversation with someone next to you at pretty much any bar, but it usually goes something like this “Nice weather we’re having, huh?” or “You from around here?” or “Did you see the game last night?” Stop me before I fall asleep. The reason for this is that most bars are homogeneous; they have no theme or specialty niche. (Unless of course it’s a sports bar.) They’re all centered around alcohol, maybe food, and they expect that people who go there are going with someone else already (friends, family, coworkers), so they don’t need conversation starters. Few bars have bar games to create community, like the Tuesday Trivia Nights at Ri Ra’s in Burlington. There are no bars for English majors in my home town, what about yours? Likewise, there are no bars for kayakers, photography buffs, or RVers. Wouldn’t it be fun to go to a bar and know automatically that no matter who is sitting at the bar next to you, you share something in common with them? That you’ll easily be able to strike up a conversation on a topic that you share a passion for? That’s what Trek fans found at Quark’s, the bar/restaurant at the center of the Star Trek Experience. And that’s why it was a great place for a solo to hang out.

Now, I’m a bit more pragmatic than some of the fans interviewed in Elfman’s column. I won’t go as far as forming a human chain to stop the dismantling, and it certainly won’t stop me from visiting Vegas again. But it will stop me from going to the Hilton again. Not because I harbor any particular ill will toward the hotel, but simply because the Star Trek Experience was the only reason I had to go there. There is nothing else at that hotel that appeals to me. And since it’s off the Strip, it costs me money to get there. Why bother?

A lot of us in this country–especially those of us who are single–are still searching for a sense of community, a place to call home. We need more gathering places where solos can go and feel immediately welcomed into the fold, not as though our only value to the proprietor is as someone who is spending money. It’s a shame that one of those few outposts will no longer be around come September 1.

More on the Closing of Star Trek: The Experience is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Traveling to pursue one’s life passions just might be the perfect way to travel solo. If you’ve been hesitant to jump onboard the solo travel trend because just seeing a new place alone doesn’t appeal, booking a trip with purpose–around a hobby or interest–could be for you.

Say you love to play golf. Why not book a trip to a resort with a championship golf course and take lessons from a pro? Or if you’re a baseball fan, you could visit the stadiums where your favorite teams play and catch some live games. If you love cooking, why not travel to New Orleans or Paris and take a cooking workshop? If you’re a sci-fi fan, there are lots of conventions going on all the time, in interesting cities around the world, where you could meet up with other fans and see some of your favorite sci-fi actors, writers, and show runners while seeing a new city. I have a friend who goes to regional line-dancing workshops during her vacations.

I traveled to England years ago to audit a class called “Shakespeare on the Page and Stage” through the University where I work. I did not know anyone in the class when I signed up. During weekday mornings, we had class, and on several evenings, we attended the Royal Shakespeare Company’s performances of plays like The Tempest and The Merchant of Venice in both London and Stratford-Upon-Avon. I made new friends and did some sight-seeing with them, but I also did quite a bit of exploring on my own. For me (as a former English major), it was the perfect way to be introduced to England.

If you’re focused on something you love and are having fun doing it, you won’t have time to think about the fact that you’re alone. In fact, you probably won’t be alone for long, because you’ll be surrounded every day by others who share your passion. If dining alone gives you the heebie-jeebies, why not invite one of your fellow hobbyists or classmates to join you for dinner to swap favorite tips and stories, or discuss that day’s class lesson? Pursuing a hobby during travel works especially well if it’s a hobby ideally suited for solos–for instance, photography. If you’re a hardcore shutterbug, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to take your time capturing all the shots you want without having to worry about a travel companion getting bored or worse yet, having to rush around to keep your travel companion happy and not be able to get the kinds of photos you really want to take?

Looking for more ideas for theme travel? Here’s a brief list to get you started brainstorming:

• If music is your passion, travel to see your favorite musician or band in concert, or take a music cruise.
• Tennis player? Go to Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, or to a resort offering a tennis clinic.
• Aspiring artist? Go on an Art Trek.
• Dog lovers might consider traveling to see the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
• For those who love being on the road on their motorcycles, there are tons of events where you can meet fellow enthusiasts.
• Take a condensed class through a college or university on a topic that interests you that takes place somewhere else. How about art history in Italy?
• If you’re a U.S. history buff, consider traveling around to Civil War battlefields or other historic sites.
• If you’re a foodie, why not go to one or more of the major food festivals that are held each year?

The best ways to meet other enthusiasts and learn about conventions are to see if there are any groups in your area you can plug into, or look online. I tend to have more luck online, Vermont being a small region and all.  Google your interest and “associations” or “clubs” and see what turns up.  There seem to be groups for just about every passion and interest you can imagine.  I have also had good luck connecting with people who have similar interests on Twitter, and you can check to see if there are any Facebook groups based around your hobby.  If you’re looking for a travel class through a college or university, start with your local schools first, and if they don’t have any offerings that appeal, try looking further afield. With a little due diligence and the willingness to pursue a passion, you could find yourself embarking on one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.

Theme Travel is a post from: SoloFriendly.com

Star Trek: The Experience

For all you diehard Trekkies out there (c’mon, I can’t be the only one), I have more tidbits on the ending of the Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. This information comes straight from the mouths (keyboards?) of some of the STTE castmembers who have made it such a memorable experience for the last several years. The station will close around 9pm after the last show on September 1, at which time there will be a formal decommissioning ceremony, with all the accompanying pomp and circumstance. Fans are welcome to attend. A “Wall of Memories” has also sprung up at the Experience, where fans and former castmembers are sharing their fondest memories of times enjoyed there. (This is likely to turn into “WallS of Memories,” as the first wall is reportedly almost full already!)

Anyone is welcome to contribute photos of themselves at the Experience by sending them to:

Chad Boutte
Operations Manager, Star Trek: The Experience
chad.boutte@paramountparks.com

For more details as they are released, see this thread over on the Trek BBS. I do hope any of you who are Trek fans who haven’t yet visited the Experience have an opportunity to do so before it closes. It really is a one-of-a-kind experience you won’t find anywhere else.

Star Trek: The Experience Decommissioning Ceremony is a post from: SoloFriendly.com