All Change Please! Nov 2019 Pre Trip (Solo) UPDATED 04/08/19

[pinkstargirl]

So once again I find myself planning for a Florida trip. Some things don’t change - I’m still going solo and I’ll still be flying into MCO! But nearly everything else... well, read on and you’ll see why I’m calling this trip the ‘All Change Please!’ trip!

A quick bit about me - I’m Heidi, 33, but will be 34 when I travel. This will be my 8th trip to Florida and my 5th one solo. I’m very happy in my own company so solo trips never worry me. I am a massive Stitch fan, and my favourite Disney movies are Beauty and the Beast and Lilo & Stitch.

Universal, May 2018

So, you may be wondering, what will be so different about this trip than any of your previous solo trips? Well, I shall enlighten you!

Upon arrival at MCO I will not be making my way to wait in a massive line for a hire car. I will be heading for the Magical Express. Which can only mean one thing - I’m staying on site for the first time ever! (I have stayed on site in DLP once last year, and will be staying on site again next month, but never in Florida.)

I have booked a 2 week stay at All Star Sports for November 2019, with a 14 day Disney ticket included, and my room booking came with free breakfast, which I have upgraded to the QSDP. Originally, my plan was to book a week on site, still with the 14 day ticket and QSDP upgrade, and then use the Magical Express back to MCO and hire a car for the second week, staying somewhere else. But I did my sums and 2 weeks onsite only came up around £150 more expensive. To me, not having to faff about packing all my stuff and moving is worth that £150. If it’s still offered, I will take the gift card instead of mousekeeping, which will be used for the couple of table service meals I want to have.

I will not have a car for most of the trip, so will be relying on Disney transportation. I’ve used it on a few occasions before, and hopefully I don't get too frustrated with it! I am still looking into hiring a car for 2 days around the middle of the holiday for trips to Walmart, outlets, and malls. If I don’t buy a couple of pairs of Skechers every trip then have I even been to America?!? I found a couple of decent prices to hire a car from the Car Care Center for 2 days, if for some reason these are not available then I will look to my other option which is Uber/Lyft. But I feel like there will be more freedom with a car, so I may even get that booked soon!

So, I’m currently 442 days out from travel. There is not much else I can do at this early stage. I can’t book flights until December, I will stay overnight at a hotel at Gatwick the night before (Premier Inn most likely as I'm hoping to fly with VA from Gatwick) but that can’t be booked until a year out either. I’ve never had this long a countdown before as usually I’m very impulsive with my trips! My biggest thing right now is saving to pay for it all. My balance to Disney is due in September 2019, so I have 12 months to save. (Hence the being restrained near Primark!) I also have a 5 day DLP trip next month to finance, the hotel and tickets are paid for, but I don’t think I’ll be coming home with too many souvenirs!

I’m still looking into the details of the QSDP, and ADR/Fastpass dates are confusing me, but otherwise I am very excited to get back to WDW! It will have been 3.5 years between visits by the time I go next year. I’ve not seen Pandora, or Toy Story Land. I’m hoping everything I know and love is still operating - Illuminations, I’m looking at you!

Next time I update, I’ll hopefully have my stuff together and have a list of things to work through!