Disney World Pre-Trip Report

In just a couple of days, I’ll be basking in the hot Florida sunshine (forecast: low 90s every day) and having a blast at the happiest place on earth, Disney World.  I plan to Twitter about my experiences while there, so do be sure to follow me.  You can either keep up to date via the Twitter badge in the sidebar here on my website (look to the right), or via my Twitter page: http://www.twitter.com/solofriendly.  (UPDATE 5/4/09:  Unfortunately, Twitter no longer acknowledges messages sent from my cell phone, so I won’t be tweeting from the World after all. My apologies.  I’ll try to make up for it with really great posts when I get back.)

What did I do to prepare for this solo trip?

• Back in February, I booked direct flights through Jetblue. They’re no longer direct, the Burlington departure and arrival times kind of bite now, and I’m probably going to have to run through JFK to catch my connecting flight to Orlando (damn you, Jetblue!), but whatever.  I’m going to Florida!
• I had my travel agent Debbie from Magical Journeys book my package (the infamous 4/3 deal, where you get 7 nights for the price of 4) and book me for transportation to and from Disney World via their free bus, Magical Express.  I have not used this bus before, so I’ll be interested to see how efficient it actually is.  I may wind up wishing I’d rented a car.
• I scheduled my ADRs (Advance Dining Reservations) at several table service restaurants–Coral Reef, Kona Cafe, Yak & Yeti, Chefs de France, Brown Derby, Spoodles, and Wolfgang Puck.
• I booked horseback riding at Fort Wilderness one morning.  I haven’t been on a horse since I was a kid; I’m really looking forward to this!
• I reserved time to go parasailing.  Whether or not I am actually able to go depends on the weather and my weight.  Sammy Duvall’s insists on a weight of 120 to go parasailing solo, but if it’s a windy day, I’d have to weigh even more.  I’m on the bubble for 120 as it is (my scales say one thing, my doctor’s another).  He did say if there was a staff member who was free at that time, he might have someone go up with me (tandem). Keep your fingers crossed!  Parasailing is on my bucket list. I really want to try it.
• I purchased a $20, 90-day subscription to Ridemax, a customized touring plan software program to help me maximize my time at the parks.  What it’s done so far is cause me to become really neurotic about cramming in as many rides as possible at the parks.  I suspect no good will come of this.  I do not want to be more exhausted at the end of my vacation than I was at the beginning!
• I posted on the DISboards to pull together a meetup at the piano bar Jellyrolls one night. (I’ve also made plans to have dinner one night at Todd English’s Bluezoo with another solo traveler.)  This is to ensure that if I’m getting lonely after the first few days, I have some socializing to look forward to.
• I have ordered a case of water from Costco to be delivered to my resort (it’s way cheaper than buying bottled water on site and a necessity for me, since I can’t stand the taste of chlorine that generally comes from water fountains and taps).
• I’ve faxed my room request to Coronado Springs.  I’ve been having trouble trying to check in online via the Disney website, but will keep trying.

Some additional things I’m looking forward to (other than the weather and not being at work!):

• Riding rides and seeing shows I either missed out on last time or that have been refurbished since I was last there, like Expedition Everest, Rock N Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, and Soarin’.
• The International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot.
• Resort-hopping.  I want to check out as many of the deluxe resorts as I can.
• Taking lots of pictures with my Nikon D40.
• Relaxing by the pool at my resort with an adult beverage or two.

I will be sans computer for this trip–I find it’s nice to get away from the computer when I go on vacation, to really break free of my usual routine.   When I get back, I’ll be blogging about my experiences at Disney World as a solo traveler.  In the meantime, get caught up on my last solo trip to Disney World, starting with Solo Disney World, Part I.