Solo Trip - March (Easter 2024) - Allergies

[jf256]

Hey Everyone,

I hope everyone is starting to enjoy the spring weather. Although here in the UK it has been very hit and miss.

Last year I travelled to Disney for the first time with my fiance. This was my first solo trip.

I travel a lot for work but we very rarely get to the States. I had a very last-minute trip to New York and New Jersey and needed a bit of a break so I decided to go to Disney for a solo trip.

So I went for a week. I stayed 2 nights at Universals Surfside Inns and 5 Nights at the Hilon Buena Vista Palace.

This time I managed to take some photos. So I will be doing a review of some of the food and commenting on the allergy processes at individual locations.

 

[dizneedoll]

I travel solo occassionaly too and I enjoy other solo travelers perspectives. Looking forward to your report!

 

[stace1214]

Looking forward to reading about your solo experiences. I haven't done a solo trip yet but I am hoping to in the next year!

 

[followthatmouse]

I am tentatively planning a first solo trip for 2025. So, I’m looking forward to your thoughts, reviews and adventures!

 

[ElizaDoesDisney]

Always love hearing about solo adventures at Disney. Looking forward to your reviews.

 

[jf256]

Background Information:

Name: Jodie
Age: 31
Occupation: Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Bio: I am a Disney Adult through and through but I lean more towards villains and dark things in my decor and day-to-day. I'm an avid fantasy reader but completely risk-averse in my real life (hence the career choice). My job involves a lot of travel but this is predominantly UK, Middle East and India.

Disney Facts:

Favourite Ride: Cosmic Rewind
Favourite Park: Animal Kingdom
Least Favourite Ride: Buzz
Least Favourite Park: Hollywood Studios
Favourite Film: Beauty and the Beast
Favourite Character: Lilo / Gaston

Trip Information:

1. Left the UK on the 16th March - From Heathrow - New York. Flying BA economy (was upgraded to premium)
2. New York - 16 - 20th (Work Trip)
   New Jersey 20th - 22nd (Work Trip)
3. Frontier Flight - Trenton - Orlando
4. Universal Surfside - 22nd - 25th
5. Hilton Lake Buena Vista Palace - 25th - 30th
6. Orlando - Gatwick BA Premium Economy - 30th. Arrived at 6.30 am on the 31st.

I found out about the trip on the 1st of March and flights were not arranged until the 12th of March. So I did not have a lot of time to book hotels and meals. I did book refundable rates in advance but most of my bookings and reservations were done on the 13th / 14th March


Initial Costs:

• Premium Upgrade Flight for red-eye to UK (25,000 BA Points + £0 Taxes)
• Hilton Hotel (£500 in points purchases to take advantage of existing points + 5 nights for 4 + no resort fee)
  Surfside: £200 per night - expensive due to it being the week before easter.
• Tickets: £800 for 2 weeks combined Universal and Disney ticket ( I priced it out doing US individual day tickets and the UK 14-day ticket was still much cheaper) it also includes park-hoppers (for both parks) and a memory maker.

I planned to book the Holiday Inn in Disney Springs for the weekend but they ran out of points nights the day I went to book it (I'd been a bit indecisive - it would have saved money but I'm really glad I stayed at Surfside).

Initial Thoughts:

• Going Solo made this a lot easier.
  I took a lot more breaks this time around but ended up seeing and doing more.
• I am glad they have not yet reintroduced the pre-booking element for Disney Genie +. I quite like doing it the day of - I think if you have a plan in place it is effective and means not wasting money if you don't need it.
  I found out last year that the 'popular' Disney restaurants and most hyped restaurants were the most disappointing in my eyes - so I did not struggle to find somewhere to eat on any of the days.
• Due to the time of year - there were a lot less 'Disney' people. The number of conversations I had overhead of people rocking up with no idea how Genie Plus worked, how to get on Tron / guardians, or that they had to pre-book Cinderella's Royal Table was baffling to me. This made some things easier to get and do.
  

General Strategy:

• Early Entry
• Lunchtime Sit Down Meal.
• Back to the Hotel for Rest During Peak Time / Heat.
• Back to the Park till Close.

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more I travel to WDW solo often and love it .