Is this quick solo trip plan of attack reasonable?

singingpixie

<font color=deeppink>Baby Donor<br><font color=blu
Joined
Feb 26, 2004
I'm a woman in my mid-30s, and I've been to WDW a handful of times- longer trips as well as a couple quick ones as an adult but never alone. Last time was probably 5 or so years ago? I'm a big Braves fan, and since this will be the last year they have Spring Training at WDW, I'm leaning toward taking a couple days to drive down (from North Carolina) the last week of February. I've got 6 days left on a non-expiring old Park Hopper pass, so I should be able to spend a few days in the parks rather inexpensively.

Here's what I'm thinking. Does this sound like a reasonable approach? I'm an early riser and will plan to drive to the parks (grabbing breakfast on the way), and with no one else to argue with about it, being one of the first in the gates shouldn't be a problem.

Tuesday 2/26: Work most of the day and then drive down to Orlando. Check into offsite hotel (hopefully arrive around 11pm or so)

Wednesday 2/27: Spend the morning in Hollywood Studios. I'll plan to pre-book FP+ here at 30 days, and hopefully can get through Slinky, TSMM, Star Tours, Tower of Terror and RnRC by lunchtime. Grab lunch or a snack in DHS, and then hop to Epcot when I'm ready. I'm less concerned with rides here- definitely want to get on Soarin and Spaceship Earth, and ideally Test Track via Single Rider and maybe Mission Space, but mostly I just want to wander around World Showcase, grab QS dinner somewhere that sounds good, and stay for Illuminations.

Thursday 2/28: Baseball day. I'll get there early and watch some of the practice on the back fields, and then get to the game at 1:05. Once the game wraps up (by 4 or so) I'll probably head over to Trader Sam's Grog Grotto for a drink, and then try my luck getting a spot in the California Grill lounge for a sushi dinner (6 or 6:30) and then catch the fireworks (8pm) from the observation deck.

Friday 3/1: Get to MK for rope drop and try to get through 7DMT, Space Mtn, Splash Mtn, BTMRR, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates (and maybe Peter Pan) by lunchtime (I'll ideally have 3 pre-booked FP+ to help). Once I've seen the "musts," hop over to Animal Kingdom. Goals here are Kilimanjaro Safaris, Everest (single rider), and both Pandora rides- Dinosaur and the Nemo show would be nice depending on how timing works. I was originally planning to see Rivers of Light, but from what I'm reading it might be skippable and my time might be better spent just hanging out in Pandora at night.

Saturday 3/2: Wake up and head home.

I know that's a lot to squeeze into a trip, but as a solo I figure I'll move quickly and be able to adapt if I'm not having fun. That said, it'll help me decide if the trip is worth my time and money if I know what is reasonable to try to do! In both cases when I park hop, I'll plan to look for another fastpass in my PM park as soon as I'm eligible, but I figure I should plan on standby. In the case of Flight of Passage, worst-case I could just hop in line toward closing and it'll take as long as it takes, but I won't be missing out on anything else. Does that make sense?

Thanks for your thoughts!
 
Good plan - my comments-
If possible eat at Epcot. Never been a huge fan of HS food.
If you are rope dropping MK you might want to consider FP for AK instead. Also, which offsite are you at? Some now offer benefits similar to onsite.
Regardless, have a fabulous trip!
 
Agree with PP that you will want FP at AK for Flight of Passage and the Safari.

If you can skip 7DMT and Peer Pan, I think you can do all the rest at MK without FP and without much wait. Head to Space Mountain first, then zip over to Splash and Big Thunder.

It you really want to do Peter Pan, I'd suggest doing it first, then Space, then Splash and Big Thunder.

You could do 7DMT at Rope Drop, but the wait could be substantial enough that it would make the waits for Space, Splash, and Big Thunder considerably longer.
 
Looks good with the exception of AK/MK day. I would hold FP for the afternoon (note that the last Nemo show is usually fairly early in the day as around 1pm or so). You do RD so you should still be able to do all of the items in MK but you might want to consider by-passing 7DMT. If you got to PP first and then hit the mountains you should be able to do them all by 11 easily. Losing the time on waiting for 7DMT you also lose your advantage for all the mountains.
 


Sorry for the delay in coming back- crazier day than anticipated yesterday!

I thought about using FP+ for the AK afternoon, but wondered what useful FPs I'd be able to get at 30 days. I'm guessing my chances for FOP or NRJ are pretty unlikely at that point. Also, that morning is (I think) morning EMH at MK, which is not ideal so I thought they may be more needed there. Is that not the case?

I've never done 7DMT and assumed based on its popularity that it might be a must. If that's not the case I'm very open to skipping it! Honestly, MK for me is a park where there are a few specific nostalgic things that matter to me (power-walking down Main Street in the morning, Space, Splash, HM and Pirates really, along with fireworks) and then I'm good to move on. Especially with a solo trip, I'm looking forward to spending time in more atmospheric parks if that makes sense.

And point taken re: lunch in Epcot vs. DHS. I'll probably play it by ear. I do enjoy DHS and may not have quite had my fill of just being there- although I agree that food options are better at Epcot. It'll probably just come down to whether I'm ready to move on, whether I'm feeling like something specific for lunch, etc.
 
Tuesday 2/26: Work most of the day and then drive down to Orlando. Check into offsite hotel (hopefully arrive around 11pm or so)

We live in Charlotte, and Orlando is an 8 hour drive. We tend to leave after work and drive to Jacksonville. Specifically the south side of Jacksonville, then stop for the night. For us that is about a 5 /12 hour trip. We get to bed at a reasonable hour, wake up, grab breakfast to go, and drive the next 2.5 hours to Disney.

The Jacksonville hotels are normally cheaper than Orlando, and at 2.5 hours away, leaving between 6 and 7 (we are early risers), we can easily get to one of the parks by Rope Drop (especially HS).

Our return trip is normally what you are doing, but the Jacksonville stop is a possibility then too. We have been know to check out on a Friday morning as Friday nights tend to be more (they are more points for DVC), and then get an hour or two down the road and stop for the night.

The stop on the way down is really more of an ease of travel stop, while the stop on the way back is more of a cost saving one.

You have plenty of people offering suggestions on your fastpasses and such, so all I will add there is that you probably get to do the most in terms of rides in the first and last 90 minutes of the day. My MK suggestion for a 9:00 Park Open, arrive by 8:30. Get a fast pass for Space mountain at about 10:00. you could walk in at opening, do Buzz and Astro Orbiters rather quickly. Hop on a car at the speedway, then walk back and depending on timing, do the laugh floor, carousel of progress, and use that Space mountain fast pass. By 11:00, you will have done 5 rides and two shows. probably more than many people who are just arriving will be able to do in an entire day.
 
I should add, normally doing the trip as a family of 4 or 5 (adult daughter), so we do pack an overnight bag if we are stopping so that we do not need to unload the entire car. Probably less of an issue when traveling solo, but just mentioning...
 


Thanks for the drive suggestions, wfjny- I'm in Charlotte too. I've done the drive a bunch (my ex's parents live in Ft. Myers, and we would often drive to Orlando after work and then finish up in the morning), so I think I'll probably drive straight through just to prevent any issues from throwing off my whole first day- which on a trip this short would really throw a wrench in things! That said, that's a good thought about cost-savings by getting a couple hours into the drive on Friday night! AK is only open till 8, so I could make it to Jacksonville by midnight without rushing out of the park. If that felt ambitious, even Daytona may be cheaper than Orlando!
 
You're going to be there over my actual birthday, and in the same month as my solo trip! I'll be there 2/10-2/15.

At 30 days out it is possible to still get a FoP fp, if you keep trying. I was just in WDW 12/4-12/7 with my parents, staying on-site. At 60 days out there was not a single FoP fp available. I kept checking every couple days and somewhere around 32ish days out I found a morning FP for FoP for our party of 3! And then, when we were in the park on 12/5 I was able to get a 2nd FoP fp, again for our party of 3, as our 5th fp of the day. So I guess what I'm saying is, you have a chance either way - you could potentially get the FoP fp in advance, or you could wait until day of and still potentially get a fp.

Just my personal opinion, 7DMT is very cute but for me, it's not worth changing around the rest of my plans to get on it. FoP, for me, is much more worth making adjustments for, it truly is an amazing ride!
 
Thanks DisneyBelle, that's helpful on both counts! I appreciate the perspective on 7DMT vs. FoP (since both are new since my last visit). Also the experience with FP success with FoP. I wonder if maybe I'll check that first when I hit 30 days. If nothing looks helpful for AK I can book mine for the morning in MK, but keep checking back and relinquish them all if an afternoon one for FoP opens up. Thankfull
 
No prob! Just be aware that if you book your fp's in advance for MK on that day there is no real way to check for availability in advance for a different park. So you wouldn't be able to stalk the FoP fp. You'd only be able to see what was available at AK if you had cancelled all of your MK fp's.
 
No prob! Just be aware that if you book your fp's in advance for MK on that day there is no real way to check for availability in advance for a different park. So you wouldn't be able to stalk the FoP fp. You'd only be able to see what was available at AK if you had cancelled all of your MK fp's.

Yeah, this will not work for the reason stated--you cannot check availability at AK if you have made FPs at MK until you cancel those MK FPs or use them up on the day. And there is virtually no way there will be FOP FP+ availability at 30 days out. Here is what I would recommend:

MK: in the first 90 minutes, you should be able to rope drop BTMRR, followed by Splash, Pirates, and HM . Make your first FP for Peter Pan at 9:30-10:30, and catch it immediately after riding HM. Then do 7DMT from 10:30-11:30, and Space from 11:30-12:30. As soon as you check into space, while you are walking through the FP queue you'll be able to make your 4th FP for AK. Try for Navi, and if that doesn't work, go for Kilimanjaro safaris. After you ride Space, keep refreshing FP just to see if FOP opens up (unlikely, but same day is always possible for a party of one), or Navi if you didn't get it before, while you make your way to the car. It shouldn't be a problem to get Dinosaur as a same-day FP whenever you are done with your other rides. Assuming you didn't get FOP, ride it by getting on in the last 5 minutes of park opening.

Also, I think your schedule is a bit tight on baseball day. It can be a pretty long wait at Trader Sam's, so I think it is unlikely you'll be able to get to Cali lounge until 7 or so, and by then it will be pretty much impossible to get a seat with an 8pm fireworks time. You can try it, but I'd be tempted to either go directly to Cali grill, or just stay at the Poly, eat at Kona Cafe or the sushi bar in the lounge, and watch the fireworks from the Poly beach.
 
Only thing I’ll add is when I did a two week solo trip it shocked me how quickly I could get thru meals. My sit down meals would only take 30 min. Just so you know for planning!
 
No prob! Just be aware that if you book your fp's in advance for MK on that day there is no real way to check for availability in advance for a different park. So you wouldn't be able to stalk the FoP fp. You'd only be able to see what was available at AK if you had cancelled all of your MK fp's.
Unless something has changed very recently, you can check for other parks. It will give you a warning, but you can see and the FPs won't get cancelled/changed unless you confirm.
 
So there's a second ticket associated with my account on the app. My ex and I bought tickets together, and while we don't travel together anymore I haven't figured out how to disconnect it. I wonder if I could check FP availability in AK under that ticket, and only cancel my own if I see something worth switching to?
 
Also, I think your schedule is a bit tight on baseball day. It can be a pretty long wait at Trader Sam's, so I think it is unlikely you'll be able to get to Cali lounge until 7 or so, and by then it will be pretty much impossible to get a seat with an 8pm fireworks time. You can try it, but I'd be tempted to either go directly to Cali grill, or just stay at the Poly, eat at Kona Cafe or the sushi bar in the lounge, and watch the fireworks from the Poly beach.

I thought about that too. I also considered going to CG first and saving my receipt, and then heading to Trader Sam's with the option to head back for fireworks if I want to.

How easy is it to get a spot to watch from the beach? Is the view decent, and is it easy to hear? The soundtracks are what make Disney fireworks special to me, and I'd hate to realize that part is missing too late to do anything about it!
 
Unless something has changed very recently, you can check for other parks. It will give you a warning, but you can see and the FPs won't get cancelled/changed unless you confirm.

I just went into the app and selected Modify on one of my fp's and there is no option to select a different park. Same on the website.
 
So there's a second ticket associated with my account on the app. My ex and I bought tickets together, and while we don't travel together anymore I haven't figured out how to disconnect it. I wonder if I could check FP availability in AK under that ticket, and only cancel my own if I see something worth switching to?

I believe that should work.
 
I thought about that too. I also considered going to CG first and saving my receipt, and then heading to Trader Sam's with the option to head back for fireworks if I want to.

How easy is it to get a spot to watch from the beach? Is the view decent, and is it easy to hear? The soundtracks are what make Disney fireworks special to me, and I'd hate to realize that part is missing too late to do anything about it!

The beach does have audio, but it is not very loud if that is an issue for you. I think the CG first/saving receipt strategy might be a good one though.

I just went into the app and selected Modify on one of my fp's and there is no option to select a different park. Same on the website.

Yeah, that is how it has always worked for me too--no visibility into other park FPs unless you cancel what you have. I wonder if the pp who said you can modify to a new park without cancelling was referring to same day FPs, which work a little differently than the three you can book in advance. Once you have used your pre-booked FPs at the first park, you can book the fourth/fifth/sixth etc. at any park. We often do this when park hopping. You might even consider checking FOP availability on your Hollywood Studios day too after you use up your FPs there before you hop to Epcot; if you can get something at AK, you could switch out Epcot for AK, and do Epcot after MK instead.
 
Well, I wasn't planning to book quite yet but I got a great deal on Hotwire and went for it!

I'll be at the Barefoot'n Resort near Old Town. I wasn't looking for anything more than a safe place to sleep, but this looks like that and more- and I'm glad for the kitchenette which should make breakfasts (and potentially even packing a lunch for the ballpark, since their vegetarian options aren't generally interesting enough to justify the cost) easy. Guess I'm officially going and can start taking the plans from hypothetical to actual!
 

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