Sing it with me. Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work. All I seem to do lately is Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work. As a means to redirect my thoughts and emotions away from being an empty nester, I somehow decided this would be a good idea.
Working in the athletic industry isn’t for everyone. There are long days and depending on your sport, even longer weekends. But for me it brings a sense of organized chaos. I initially started in sports marketing working game operations as a youngster. I would have stayed in this department but God had other plans for me. I found out I was pregnant with Rhiyan during basketball season. As I was running up and down arena steps, checking my student volunteer hours, making sure the game script was on time and meeting with donors afterwards, I knew I had to make a decision on what would become priority. My career or my child. Like everything over the years, I choose her.
With choosing her also comes wanting to make her proud. Normally it is the other way around. Children are supposed to make their parents proud. We like to share the love and respect in our home. So I did something that is out of my comfort zone. I took my first ever solo trip to one of my favorite places, Walt Disney World Resort (WDW). As nervous as I was, it was the best thing to happen to me at this moment in my life. The day was cool and cloudy which meant crowd levels would be low. The perfect environment for this introverted girl.
It took me about two weeks to plan this outing. I kept telling myself no as I don’t like to be alone in large crowds at times. So like any other major trip, I planned. I started by watching YouTube videos of other guests solo trips. This showed me it is doable and gave me the courage to make a reservation. We’re annual passholders for Walt Disney World Resort so as long as I was within the blackout dates for my pass, I could choose a Saturday or Sunday to visit. Knowing I would be by myself, I didn’t want to have a typical Kelli and Rhiyan park day. Those are long and stacked with Genie + options. No, this would be a ride or two with a walk around Epcot and a ride on the Skyliner. Sounds good enough for the day. I also have to include the drive to WDW. We are not in Orlando so it’s a nice ride down south for a couple of hours. All of this had to be considered to ease my anxiety of being alone in WDW.
Here’s what I did.
- Reservation made for EPCOT
With the pandemic came crowd regulations. Walt Disney World (WDW) now requires all guests to make a park reservation before scanning in to the parks. Your reservation must be made for the first park you plan to enter. Some Disney Parks fans don’t agree with this as they want to be able to enter the parks anytime they want like pre-pandemic days. But I have no problem with this. I actually like the reservation system as it helps me determine if a specific park might be too crowded for my likes. There used to be time when the parks would have off season. But lately, it feels as if every day is an in-season day or a festival day. - Snagged a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy ride
Theme parks are now creating virtual queues as ways to manage crowd control on new attractions. Walt Disney World (WDW) has a few new attractions and if you’re lucky enough to experience the thrills of them on your next trip you will not regret it. WDW gives guests two chances to get in the virtual queue. 7am is the first drop and 1pm is the second drop but guests must be in the park for that specific attraction. I was still at home when I logged in to my Walt Disney World app to try for the 7am virtual queue. Remember we don’t live in Orlando, but because I had a reservation for the EPCOT that day, I could try for the virtual queue. Plus the park didn’t open til 9am so I was going to be fine with travel time. I used the tips we always use when trying for a virtual queue and was successful. So now this solo trip was really a go. Being able to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is always a hit for us. Now it was going to be the highlight of my first solo trip.
- Flower & Garden Festival
EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort has a number of festivals each year. The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is our favorite and is one of the longest. The festival offers different foods from around the world as well as the viewing of beautiful topiaries that showcase Disney characters. My favorite this trip was the Princess Tiana topiary in America of World Showcase and the Shrimp and Grits from Brunchcot to match. I also enjoyed a favorite from Lotus House in Japan, the house-made cheesy crab wontons. Lastly, to please my plant based heart, the boneless IMPOSSIBLE Korean Short Rib is a must when visiting during Flower & Garden.
All were perfect sized snacks for the early part of the day. I’m not a drinker, so nice cold water is my top choice in my Yeti. After I’ve had a bubble milk tea from Lotus House.
- Skyliner to park hop to Hollywood Studios
Disney transportation is free for all guests. The newest of these options is the Skyliner. A quick high in the sky ride to my next destination was relaxing in the character wrapped gondola. It was a cool and cloudy day so the breeze through the Skyliner slats was welcomed. Park hopping starts at 2pm and I wanted to be at Hollywood Studios right on time. Favorite things to do in Hollywood are riding Tower of Terror and spending time in Galaxy’s Edge. This trip I did not purchase Genie+ so I would need to check wait times via the app for my chance to ride. - People watched in Batuu
Bright suns! Galaxy’s Edge is in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. It’s my favorite place to visit when at Walt Disney World (WDW). Sitting on the space stones while eating the Outpost Popcorn Mix from Kat Saka’s Kettle is a good way to relax after a long park day. There isn’t a lot of shade in Batuu or in most of Hollywood Studios, so you’ve got to know the hidden spots to enjoy a breeze while watching spy Vi Moradi escape Stormtroopers and Kylo Ren. And if you are near the back gates at the right time, you can meet Mando and Grogu.
- Met Mando and Grogu
Character sighting are normal in the parks. Every now and then they add a special character usually based on a movie or series that just premiered. In Walt Disney World Resort, the latest rare character is the Mandalorian. And a few weeks later they added Grogu aka Baby Yoda to his pouch. The crowds will take over this interaction. With some patience and some crowd maneuvers you too can get a picture with latest stars in the Star Wars legacy. And with the new Ahsoka series coming out August 2023, let’s hope she’ll be in the parks as well (she’s our favorite).
- Home to rest and get ready for Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work, Work
Park days can be long and consist of lots of walking. I highly recommend a rest day before getting back to one’s daily routine. I only covered two parks on my solo trip. But it was still 19,300 steps.
If you like theme parks and the trip isn’t ready to leave the group chat, then take the leap and have a solo day. You’ll enjoy it just as much as if with friends or family, and maybe even a bit more.
– Kelli
Mommy Daughter Adventures 