Episode 8: Liz's Solo Parent Trip
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Welcome to the Travel Journal, a podcast where we explore real trips one story and one day at a time. I'm your host, Lindsey, a travel agent with 407 and Beyond Vacation Co., who loves helping travelers turn their vacation dreams into reality. On this show, I bring that perspective to the stories of other travelers, highlighting how planning transforms travel from overwhelming to effortless, and how careful guidance makes every journey more meaningful.

In this episode, I'm joined by a fellow travel agent as she shares her recent journey, not just where she went, but how the trip unfolded day by day, the moments that surprised or delighted her, and the thoughtful planning that made it all come together. Along the way, we explore the emotional experience travel agents hope to create for their clients, the confidence, the calm, and the excitement that come when every detail is intentionally managed.

This is the Travel Journal

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[00:01:00] Today's journal entry comes from Liz. She recently traveled to Disney World on a solo parent trip with her two boys as a first-time annual pass holder. Welcome to the show, Liz

hey, Lindsay. Thanks so much for having me

To start us off, in one word or phrase, can you describe this trip?

I would say one word would probably be adventure. The goal of this trip wasn't perfection. It was connection and getting out of my comfort zone, really just to prove to myself that I can do hard things and still find joy in them, especially in this season of parenthood with two young toddlers.

Honestly, if there's going to be a little chaos, why not have it be at the most magical place on earth while creating core memories with my family.

I love how you highlight challenging yourself. Sometimes being a parent you know that there are challenges, but you just become so numb to the challenges that you feel like you might be living the same life day in and [00:02:00] day out, and it's always good to get a little variation and refresh so that you're the best parent possible. Vacations are a great opportunity to do that

For sure.

So I know for this trip you did have a solo trip and then later on you were joined by your husband. For today's episode, we're just gonna talk about the solo trip. If you could give us the highlights of where did you stay when were your travel dates, how long the trip was, and who you were traveling with

We went during spring break in March. And it was our first trip as annual pass holders, my husband's work schedule is pretty demanding, and I had this crazy idea of wanting to go a few days early just myself, and my two sons. My oldest was three and a half at the time, and my youngest was 16 months. And we did a solo trip for three full days, and then my husband came and did three extra days on top of that. [00:03:00] We stayed at Pop Century, I booked this trip pretty last minute, about a month before because honestly, that's just the phase of life that I'm in right now.

I love the idea of having the solo trip with your boys. For me I have one son, and just being able to soak up that time with him, they grow up so fast. And especially when you're working whatever job you have you just wanna be able to have guaranteed time that is focused solely on them

Yes. Yeah. My oldest is graduating from his first year of preschool, and I have all the feels of they're only this age once, this was definitely a special time.

Yes.

When you were planning this trip, what were your goals for this trip?

I went into this trip really with zero expectations, I knew that being in the Disney bubble we would have an amazing time. I knew that I would have support if needed because the cast members are so [00:04:00] great. A lot of the people at Disney are just always willing to help.

I wanted to enjoy the resort. And I also had a plan of going to one park per morning. Until nap time, and then seeing where the day took us the rest of the day.

The first half of the trip where I was solo, I did do the quick service dining plan, and I saved table service for when my husband came. I didn't want to try table restaurants with just me. Then Lightning Lanes for the first half of the day was a must. Also private transportation from the airport was another thing that was big in my planning, making sure that I got to the, from the airport to the resort smoothly without stress.

Minimizing stress while also leaving some room for spontaneity

absolutely. And then also, how did your experience as a travel agent shape the decisions you made for this trip?

Yeah, obviously planning ahead of time for Disney is great. You get a lot of advantages to that. But also [00:05:00] I know that there are ways to still have a great last-minute trip. So that really shaped my mindset

making sure I stayed at a Skyliner resort to make transportation easier. I feel like having that solid plan going in, but also knowing that you can't fill your days from sun up to sun down, with two kids, by myself.

I like how you had a few key things that were most important for that trip. One that I wanted to highlight was transportation. One of my biggest, hesitations on doing a solo trip with kids is the bus situation, and folding up a stroller, and carrying the bags, and all of those things. I think transportation is an underrated thing to help with decision-making. I like how you had your key categories of what was important for your trip, and I think that's a lot of what travel agents do is help guide clients into, " Hey, did you consider that this decision [00:06:00] impacts this category in a certain way?" And I think that's a value that people don't recognize that travel agents have. It's not just booking the trips

For sure. I hear a lot of "Oh, we're just going to sleep there," at the resort. And really, there's just so much more to it

let's dive into talking about the details of your trip. Let's start with your travel day

Yeah, so my travel day was actually St. Patrick's Day. My husband dropped us off at the airport around 6:45 in the morning. We had TSA PreCheck. That was during the time where TSA had long wait times, and I was really anxious about that. But honestly, the wait times were low.

We live in Indianapolis, everyone was super helpful. We were in and out of TSA Pre in 10, 15 minutes. Then I ended up having about an hour or so before I could board the plane. So we grabbed breakfast. The boys were a little tired from waking up early,

Whenever they're tired, they have a little bit of extra energy. It's not how you think it would work. They were running [00:07:00] around. So that was when I got my first taste of, I have to watch the stroller. I have to watch them.

Luckily, the Indianapolis Airport isn't very big, and I had a good contained area, and there was other kids going to Orlando, they were all just playing, looking at the planes. Once we were able to get in line to board, the person behind me was like, "Oh my gosh, here, let me help you. I have something called a Hippie Joey, which is a stretchy carrier it almost looks like a scarf and I used that for my 16-month-old at the time. It's really easy just to wrap him up in it real quick, and then I have an extra hand. So that was super helpful. Our flight left around 8:45 in the morning.

It was St. Patrick's Day. Southwest had free drinks. I definitely thought about it with traveling alone, but , did not partake. My youngest was in that two to one nap transition. Because we woke him up so early, he did get a little bit cranky on the plane. Luckily after a little bit of fussing he fell [00:08:00] asleep.

And then my oldest is at the point where really I can give him toys or a show every now and then and keep him happy or just looking out the window. So it went smoother than I expected because my youngest did take a nap. So I was thankful for that.

Do you have any favorite toys that are your staples for bringing onto planes for your kids?

Yeah, I love magnetic toys. We have some magnetic block sets. I love the Water Wow books. Those magic marker books where, that marker only works on the paper, there's these Play-Doh sets, young, Wild and Freedmen. That are pirate and space themes. And so those have been great on the plane. And then I have some grace with myself too, with an iPad and shows if needed. We're not really an iPad family, but I do think there's a time and place. So we did watch some screens as well to get through the flight.

But yeah, those are some of my favorite activities while traveling.

I like those ideas. I'll definitely be taking some of them, and I definitely feel you on the screen time. [00:09:00] You go into parenthood and you hear they recommend no screen time under two,

then you go into a pediatrician and they're like, " We just don't want them sitting in hours and hours,"

and "You're not going to harm them."

And in the first, year and a half, I really did not give myself grace when I'm like, "I just need 20 minutes." And I think I've started, to recognize that sometimes you just need a little bit of help, and there's nothing wrong with that

Yes. Yes, for sure.

You said before that you took private transportation. What did that process look like for you

We landed at MCO around 11:00 AM. I used Away We Go, which I recommend wholeheartedly. It's an amazing transportation company, and it is something travel agents can book for clients. I got a text right as we landed, which was so reassuring from the driver saying, "Here I'm at this location.

Also Southwest has a program where checked bags are sent directly to Value Resort. [00:10:00] So we used that as well. All I had to do was wait for the stroller and I took the tram and walked to baggage where they met me.

They had two car seats, and we were at our resort by 11:45 AM.

So landed at 11:00 and at the resort by 11:45. It was just so seamless,

The baggage perk where you can have your bags picked up is huge, and I think somewhat underrated. Now granted, it's not available at every hotel i've used the version where they'll take it to the airport. I am usually a little bit paranoid about losing my bags at the beginning of a trip.

But It was so seamless and no concerns. The tracking was great you could see the bags. It was so great that it convinced me that I would use it on the way there, which is huge for me. . And when you're by yourself, it feels like you have so many extra hands

Yes. I don't know how I would pull a big, checked bag with a stroller, carry-on bags and the two kids, Disney just [00:11:00] released that United and American was added as well,

I'm hoping they'll roll it out to more hotels

Away We Go also provided cases of water. And they had that in the vehicle waiting for me, and then I just brought that to Bell Services. I went to the check-in desk instead of using the app, just because I like to talk my way through my room requests sometimes. For example, this trip, I really wanted a ground floor room. I was in a standard room, so I really wanted to talk through my building choices. And the cast members, if they're able to, they're always just so helpful. And I think they saw my two kids that had a ton of energy .

They're like, "This girl needs a ground level room."

They were able to accommodate that request. We got a room in Building 10, which is a '70s building, and we were right by the playground. Everything Pop, which is the quick service area. And close enough to the Skyliner. So I was really happy with that.

We had to wait for our room which I anticipated [00:12:00] that. So I gave my luggage, the rest of my carry-on luggage to Bell Services, but kept the stroller with me. Then we explored the lobby, the gift shop. My kids could stay in a gift shop for hours.

We could go to Disney and just visit the gift shops and they would be happy.

What is it with kids about gift shops and pools?

Like we have any of either of those at home

Yes. Exactly. Then we ate lunch at Everything Pop. We are vegetarian, so I got a veggie burger, truffle fries.

And then one of the reasons that I did stay at Pop Century was because of the coffee bar. I am a big coffee fiend I got the iced chai tea oat milk latte. I wanted to check off, as many lattes as I could here, that one was absolutely delicious. I love the coffee bar addition.

I think that's really unique for a value resort to have. I know, some moderate or even deluxe resorts don't even have that many options a big perk to Pop Century. After that we just [00:13:00] explored around the resort. And then we checked out the playground.

I really like the playground at Pop Century. They have a good amount of shade. It was in a quiet area, back behind Building 10. While we were playing, we got a text that our room was ready. We were in the room by 1:30, which is great. Both of my kids were exhausted, and took a nap. I called to get my luggage delivered to the room. The luggage was already there from Southwest. And they dropped it by the front...

I called and let them know that my boys were really ready to take a nap, and they left it by the front door, which was great.

Can you walk through how you set the room up for your sleeping arrangements

the room setup I thought was great for us. I love having the Murphy bed as an option, because for us at home we co-sleep. I did call and get two bumpers right away a diaper pail and set up the bed that way.

And then we were able to utilize that space with the Murphy bed as a table. For things like toys and snacks. After our [00:14:00] luggage was delivered, I like to unpack.

I put all the clothes in the drawers. There's plenty of drawer space. There's a bathtub, which we ended up using that one night.

But there is plenty of room also if for a pack and play too, if especially if you can during the day too have the Murphy bed up.

Disney is good about utilizing all the room space, so you know, all the luggage space under the bed

Yeah, I've definitely put a pack and play in a pop century room. When we actually walked into our room, they had the pack and play near the bathroom. We actually flip-flopped where they put the trash cans and the pack and play so that the pack and play was away from the bathroom door when we're getting ready

that, yes, that makes sense. So after nap I unpacked. We didn't really have a set plan, so I let the kids enjoy the, their time playing in the room for a little bit. Then I decided to take the Skyliner to Epcot. While on the walk to the Skyliner was a couple sitting on a bench. I [00:15:00] had stopped near them to put my youngest in the hippie Joey carrier in anticipation of getting to the Skyliner, and they were just watching me.

Baby wearing can be a newer concept for some people, and they were just watching me amazed, and they were saying, "Wow, you really have your hands full." And I explained that I was on a trip by myself without my husband. They were so kind.

And then I went to the Skyliner, and actually they ended up following me and coming to ask and saying, we'd really like to help you get on the Skyliner and help you fold your stroller." Because I did have a double stroller. So to preface that, a front back stroller is best for the Skyliner, especially if you don't wanna fold it.

My kids just fight. They wanna be next to each other. That was something I was willing to compromise on. I did have a Zoe stroller, which it's a one-step fold system. And then I bought a strap as well, it's really easy to put on my shoulder, and it's actually not that heavy.

It was pretty easy to manage, but I still had a little bit of anxiety that first [00:16:00] Skyliner trip with both of them. So that was, , so nice that they offered to help.

And they said they were gonna ride with me to the Skyliner station. And then once I talked to them a little bit more, I found out they're from Indiana, so it's just such a small world. And then they're not only from Indiana but from Indianapolis, which is the area that I live. I feel like that really set the tone for the trip, restored my faith in humanity, right? And it just reminded me how a little bit of pixie dust or a kind action can just really go such a long way.

That is definitely the benefit of Disney there's a good chunk of people there who have been parents before. They understand, and even if they haven't been parents, they probably know someone with kids. They've seen it. So you're probably not alone.

And I love those moments of being able to chat with people and you may never see them again, for that 10-minute Skyliner you're the best of friends

Yes. You can definitely meet some great people if you step, outside your comfort zone or start talking to other families there.

[00:17:00] Absolutely

Yeah, so we took the Skyliner to Epcot, and ended up going to the France Pavilion.

I wanted something quick, so we got Crepes near Remy. The line wasn't that long.

It looked more intimidating than it was. It moved pretty quickly, about I would say 10, 15 minutes from start to finish, which was great we got the butter and sugar crepe, and the red berries crepe, and I did use snack credits for both of those.

I thought that was a pretty good value. We got a ratatouille galette. That was amazing. That was one of the best things that I've had in the, the France Pavilion, so that was so good. That did not count as a snack credit, but it was huge.

So honestly, splitting all of those was a lot of food. And then I got a Chardonnay to, to help end my solo day and some strawberry ice cream. The kids were asking for ice cream. They associate Disney with ice cream and some of those special treats.

Honestly, the strawberry ice [00:18:00] cream was one of the best that I have had. It was so good. So I have dreamed about that ice cream since.

Was that the France Pavilion ice cream?

Yes, at France. We found a little table right there and ate and people-watched. It was St. Patrick's Day, I love going to Disney on a holiday. Everyone's dressed up. Then we went and checked out the Remy area.

My kids love water fountains. Again, one of those things, we could go to Disney and just look at all the water fountains and they'd be happy. And there was a a PhotoPass opportunity there. I love PhotoPass Memory Maker. I love being able to get pictures with Mom, right? That's really important to me.

And being able to have some professional pictures like that during a memory like this was important. Really enjoyed the sunset and the vibes of France, about 7:30 I was like, " we are hitting that point where they seem good, but it could be a meltdown here in five minutes," so it was time to head back.

Call [00:19:00] that the slap happy hour

Yep. You can just see the verge of it could go either way,

Yep. They trick you. You think they're happy, and they can turn

Yep. Yep. So I made it back to the resort and then I got both boys to sleep, which, having two kids, that is a feat in its own, they went to bed pretty easily. They were exhausted, and then the next day was our Animal Kingdom day two. We had Lightning Lanes booked I did intentionally let the boys sleep in a little just to make up from waking up extra early the day before.

Makes total sense.

yeah, our days go better that way, they woke up around 7:00, 7:15. I was really intentional about packing light while I was a solo the less things, the less stress, got everything ready. I had carabiners for the water bottles.

There's those big carabiner clips that can go on the stroller. Those are super helpful. I always have bubble wands, lollipops, things that can be, like, just in the time of [00:20:00] need,

your bribery tools

Yes. Those are some of the things I packed.

We got out the door by 8:15. We went to Everything Pop and grabbed some breakfast. I went to the coffee bar and because first coffee, right? While I was getting coffee, , my oldest was getting a little antsy "Oh, I want Mickey waffles."

He was telling the cast member how badly he wanted Mickey waffles, and I was like, "Oh, buddy, this isn't the line for that. We can get in line after the coffee's done." The cast member was so nice.

She surprised him with a Mickey waffle meal so I didn't have to go wait in line

the smallest thing just makes a kid's day. It just reminds you to not take things for granted and appreciate the small moments

For sure. Then we went out to catch a bus and the buses were always really quick at Pop Century. So we were on a bus by 9:00 AM and we got to Animal Kingdom around 9:20, and first stopped to meet Chip and Dale near the entrance. That was about a [00:21:00] 10-minute wait. It is hard for my youngest when he sees the characters, but has to wait in line. "Wait, I see them, but I can't run up to them. Other people are running up to them." So we're still figuring that out. He did a great job waiting. The character interaction there, they did such a great job spending time with them.

Again, used the PhotoPass Memory Maker I love capturing those moments, especially with characters. So we do try to stop when we see shorter character lines as often as we can. Then we entered the park.

We slowly checked out the animals, Our first Lightning Lane was Kilimanjaro Safari, so the weather was perfect. So I was excited for Kilimanjaro. That's normally when the animals are out, earlier morning when the weather is good.

We were on our first Lightning Lane at 10:00 AM. And we always sit in the back row for the safari. I feel like with the kids, they can look behind them and get more of a view

it is a little bit bumpier in the back, but I do feel like the kids have a much better viewing area back there. After the safari, we went to the Harambe [00:22:00] Railway Station and there was Donald, Daisy, and Goofy in their safari outfits, and there was no wait there.

So there was just a little sign out that mentioned the character meet and greet. But there was no one back there, And I think because, it was closed for renovations for that Bluey experience so there was no wait.

That was really unexpected, and so got some more pictures

They also had some Wilderness Explorers activities back there as well then we explored, Pandora. My kids just love, again, water features over there. We had a, our second Lightning Lane was for Na'vi River Journey. Yes, they love that ride. I think it's just a very sensory rich experience for them. Especially my 16-month-old, he loved it.

I was gonna say my son was the same way

yes. , All the colors and yeah. Again, I think watching it through their eyes is just so neat.

Every stage is a little bit different when they go on rides like that.

You never take the same kid twice to Disney

Yes, for sure. After that we went to [00:23:00] Satuli Canteen I mobile ordered. I got a tofu bowl and a specialty ube cold brew, which is one of my favorites on property.

It is just so good. The cold, foam from the ube is just delicious.

I've heard good things

I always stop there when we go. And then my kids just got a quesadilla. We ate inside, which was just a nice little break. And after lunch, we stopped at Pongu , which is right out there. I got the kids fruit popsicles and then they ruined their Bluey outfits.

So rest in peace, Bluey outfits. And I tried the night blossom slushie, which was so good. It had passion fruit boba pearls in it. And the vegetarian option was a Pongu lumpia, which is like a pineapple cream cheese spring roll. I thought that was really good as well. ..

A lot of the, especially Animal Kingdom, the snacks are just so good. So even though we had just eaten, I saved some room for a little bit, a little, like a treat at the end, right? Is what I [00:24:00] like to call

second stomach for dessert

Yes. I could just tell we were getting to that point where we needed to start heading back. And as much as I would've loved to keep going,, I was by myself, I didn't wanna push it. And so I just made the decision to start to head back. And I know every family's trip looks different on how much you can push the kids or the family dynamics.

So I think that's important to remember that no trip looks the same, what you see someone do online may not be best for your family and vice versa. I put my youngest in the carrier and we rode the bus back, and he actually fell asleep on the bus ride back, which I'm like, "No, don't ruin our nap,"

He can sleep in the carrier. It's not the end of the world. It's just one of those things that when I'm by myself, I know he doesn't get a good restful nap. And in order to go out later by myself, I just wanted him to get a good nap. So it would've been fine if, again, if we stayed and he had a nap at Animal Kingdom, would've been fine.

We just may not have been able to enjoy the night [00:25:00] as much as we wanted to. He slept 15 minutes, and then luckily still went down around 1:30. I think my first.

I have so much PTSD from... he just did not sleep unless the conditions were absolutely perfect. Never slept in the stroller, never took a car seat nap, right? But , my second is just "Eh, I'll sleep wherever." Again, temperament plays a huge role in how you do Disney

But yeah, he went down for a nap, and I got some time to myself, which was nice. So that's always important.

What did you do while you, while your kids were napping? Just 'cause you were in the studio

Yeah, so honestly, during that time,- I lie in the bed with them, especially when it's a higher bed like that. Even with the side rails and stuff I just lie next to them. And That's when I kinda went through my posts for social media and stuff like that, and just downtime.

I watch a show, I listen to a podcast, that type of thing. To me, it's not a big deal to have a separate room. I know for some families that is. Again, talking through with what is important for your [00:26:00] trip, for me, because we co-sleep and I lie next to them a lot of times, that was nothing new than what we do at home, right?

When we woke or when the boys woke up my oldest, he gets almost crankier than when he went to sleep, right? And so he woke up in just a mood, and that's when I just had to take a deep breath and say, "Okay, this is what I have, and this is what I'm going to have to work through while I'm by myself."

I had planned to take the Skyliner to Riviera and eat at Primo Piatto for dinner because we had the quick service plan. And so we got on the Skyliner, and the whole time he was just cranky saying, "I wanna go back to our resort," or our hotel. "I wanna go back. I wanna go back." And so it just wasn't worth it to me.

We got to the Skyliner hub and ended up taking the Skyliner back, which my youngest was like, "Oh, this is great. We're just on the Skyliners." And I just, I knew I didn't wanna push it, not being close to our room. We actually went back to the resort, , go with the flow.

Let the [00:27:00] magic unfold how it's supposed to." And this was a big lesson, because we actually had a great night once we went back. I think it's important to remember you don't always have to be seeking something else. Enjoy what you're there for, the resort, right? E- there's so much at each resort.

It doesn't matter which resort you're at, there's a lot to explore. So we went to Everything Pop. We grabbed a pizza, pasta for the kids. I grabbed a margarita. I'm like, "This night is gonna be good." The margarita was actually included with the meal plan, so I think that's important- talking through that with a travel agent too, get the most bang for your buck, ?

Then we went to the nightly campfire. The boys loved that. Even later in the trip when my husband was there and we were like at a park in the evening, they went, "I wanna go to the campfire.

I've been to a couple campfires, and Pop does a really great job with the kids. It's a big, open area. There was tons of kids there. The vibes there were great. We stayed there quite a while. Then we explored the arcade.

It's a huge arcade. Definitely spent a good amount of time in [00:28:00] there. Even though we didn't even spend any money, they think they're playing the games, they just touch all the buttons and say, "Yeah, I'm playing, Mom."

Okay, great, have fun. And so I was just able to sip my margarita and walk around and then we went to the gift shop. Touched everything in the gift shop again.

Of course

We just had a great night. Being in the Disney bubble, doesn't matter what you're doing, everything is magical that you're doing while there, right?

So so even though I didn't end up where I wanted to be, I think that was just an important parent life lesson sometimes you just have to find the joy and the positivity in what you're doing,

Then, we went back to the room . Got both boys down by myself, the next day, was our Magic Kingdom day. Our last day for my solo trip.

Both of my boys woke up around 6:45 to 7:00. I didn't wake them, again, because the goal was to get to the the parks as early as we comfortably could without everyone feeling rushed. Again, I knew I could push it a little bit longer if I let them sleep in, but I did have Lightning Lane, [00:29:00] so only to a certain extent I let them sleep in.

Magic Kingdom is one of those days where I like to get there as early as I can. I like to get there early entry the boys played in the room while I was getting ready.

They, again, that table from the Murphy bed was awesome. They played there. That was just so helpful in the mornings. And then we got to Everything Pop around 8:00 AM. I grabbed a cold brew with sweet cream, which is always a 10 out of 10 for me. I love that, And a lot of resorts have that one, so that is, a go-to for me when I'm out.

I kept breakfast simple for the boys because we had snack trays on the stroller. I grabbed a banana, croissant things that I know would be easy as we waited for the buses. And the bus line looked really long, but three buses came in back to back for Magic Kingdom.

And it moved so fast that I literally stuffed their leftover croissant in my pocket while boarding the bus and was like, "I will figure that out later." And I did. I had to deal with that later. Someone helped me with the stroller. Again, every single [00:30:00] time, especially for the buses, either someone in front of me or behind me, as I was talking to them, offered to help, so I never had an issue with that.

And I always tried, if there were multiple buses, to go to the bus where I could get on early, 'cause having a stroller, standing, , I would rather wait for that. It's one of those things that just making sure you're aware of. But yeah, I never had an issue.

We were turning the corner towards Cinderella's Castle at 8:45. Not as early as I'd like, but we were there early enough that I thought we could at least get a few rides in before it got a little bit busier.

Because it was spring break, that was something I was a little bit worried about by myself. But we did stop for the PhotoPass pictures in front of the castle, because those early morning photos are always a priority for me. Then we scanned into early entry around 8:55.

And then after I got let in, they started to let in the general public as well. So we literally met crossing right there. Which wasn't ideal timing, but, it ended up being okay. We [00:31:00] got on Teacups first, and there was no wait for that since I got there right at the end of early entry. My youngest, it was just so fun watching him try to spin the wheel by himself. Yeah, again, every ride, every trip we've gone they're just, they seem to find joy in something different on the rides, and their interests change.

Then After that, we headed to Tomorrowland Speedway because if my oldest can see that ride he wants to do it. It's one of his favorites. And my youngest had just hit 32 inches at the pediatrician's, so I was just praying that he would be tall enough because there was no way my oldest could go if my youngest couldn't go.

He was just tall enough. And the wait was about 20 minutes, which was hard for us. So this is why Lightning Lanes were so important for me. Even 15 minutes, 20 minutes, it's just really hard with two kids that , have a lot of energy, and they see the cars, and they wanna go on it right away.

That was probably the longest, hardest wait we had.

That line there's not a lot to look at other [00:32:00] than what you're about to do.

Not very interactive

yeah, not very interactive. But we got through it, and once we got to the front, I asked a cast member if we could ride twice so both of the boys could take a turn. So they gave us a purple flag and let us go around two times, which was awesome because they both did wanna drive, and and we didn't have to wait in line again, so I felt like it made that wait even more worth it because we were able to go around twice.

I always tell people that's one of the a perk of having a travel agent, right? If you talk through your day, these are some of those tips and tricks that we can give you to help your day go a little bit smoother or maximize your time, right? 'Cause they did not ask me, "Do you wanna go twice?"

No, no one did.

Would never know that

Yes. Yeah. So next we had a Lightning Lane for Little Mermaid. I prioritized this ride 'cause we hadn't been on it in a while. And my boys are into Ursula right now, and my oldest thought the ship in front was a pirate ship last time, I did prioritize that this time.

And they loved it. After Little [00:33:00] Mermaid, we stopped at a guest experience umbrella. So because it was spring break , I had a harder time modifying some of our Lightning Lanes, and so I asked if , the Pirates of the Caribbean could be moved a little bit earlier because I knew that was the time when , the boys would start to get tired and hungry.

And the cast member did admit it was a stretch, but he actually moved it up for us, which was so great. So I think utilizing those guest experience umbrellas when you need it, if you have questions, anything, they're always so helpful. If they can't do something, they will do the best they can to find a solution

even when they can't, they're always so polite about it. They try to make sure you don't leave unhappy

Yes. I've always had positive experiences, for sure. So yeah, then we headed to Adventureland and we got our workout in with the Swiss Family Treehouse. My oldest thought it was a pirate treehouse and was, , talking like a pirate the entire time, after that we stopped at Aloha Isle for some pineapple Dole Whip [00:34:00] and pineapple upside-down cake because who doesn't want ice cream and cake at 10:30 AM, right?

Then we played in the Tiki Room misting area for for a little while. They love , those misters over there right by the Tiki Room. That's a great spot, especially if it's hot out or you just need a little bit of a break to splash around.

if it's cold out they do keep those running 'cause they don't want the pipes to freeze, and the water freezes like mustaches.

Oh, that's so cool.

I was there on the day that it was, like, 24 deg- the coldest day.

Oh my gosh

and yeah, you don't think that they're gonna run those, but they have to or otherwise the pipes freeze, they just have these huge ice beards and mustaches.

Oh my gosh, that's great. Then we had a Lightning Lane for Jungle Cruise. This was actually my boys' first time riding it, and they were so excited to be on a boat. Their grandparents have a boat, and , my oldest just kept saying he wanted to be the captain.

And we got seated next to the [00:35:00] skipper, which made his whole day. And my youngest ... I think he genuinely thought the animals were real. . Any time he saw a body of water throughout the trip, he would growl at the water thinking he would see an alligator.

, 'Cause we had mentioned it one time, and he just hung onto that idea. Seeing alligators was, , a huge highlight for him. Then after Jungle Cruise, we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, which is always a favorite for our family.

My oldest loves Pirates. We spent way too long in the gift shop after that. It's always hard to get him out when those themes are right up his alley. Afterwards I went to go find my stroller and immediately had stroller panic. The park was much busier. It was midday at this point, 12:30. It was much busier. There were spring break crowds. We had parked the stroller when we went to the Swiss Family Treehouse, and I thought I knew where it was, and I didn't once it got busier. So, I spent 20 minutes looking for the stroller. My oldest was starting to [00:36:00] get worried ". we're not gonna have my stroller. Where is it?" I didn't wanna start panicking myself, 'cause I knew they would pick up on that energy.

I went to guest services for help, and then as soon as the cast member from guest services started to help us, I immediately remembered that I left the stroller outside the bathroom before we went to Swiss Family Treehouse. So we, immediately went over there and it was still there. And I was just like so relieved, but it definitely taught me a good lesson that even if you think you know where your stroller's at, when the park does get busier or you're away for a while, your memory is just not as good as when you left.

One tip that I have for strollers that I like to use is I pop an AirTag on my stroller

that's a great

It won't give you the precise location, but I know cast members are moving strollers and reorganizing to make sure that there's enough space for all the strollers, and if you don't put it in stroller parking, they'll move it

and also , Disney's relatively safe, but there, there are opportunities to steal things, and strollers , could be [00:37:00] easy to steal. So having that AirTag on it helps you know that location. You can make it play sound

and that'll help you find your stroller

Yeah, that's a great tip. I am going to definitely utilize that next time. Especially if I go on a solo trip, ', I think it was a good learning lesson.

So yeah, I'm just glad we found it. And so I , can't imagine walking through Disney

Oh my goodness

my stroller. , After that The boys were just tired. Our Magic Kingdom mornings, they always get tired a little bit quicker.

There's a lot more rides, a lot more stimulation. They were ready to head back. I decided to do lunch at the resort, just to get there first and then figure it out. We grabbed pasta, and I got an impossible burger with fries, and then I tried the frozen cinnamon roll latte, which was so good.

That was, like, a nice midday treat when it was a little bit warmer. And then another cast member pixie dusted the boys with Mickey Rice Krispie treats. So again, that was just so nice. I feel like you never expect [00:38:00] it, right? But there's just those times where where y they just go above and beyond to make those memories extra special.

By then, , the boys were definitely ready for a nap. And again, I got my time there to recharge. After nap, we went to the kiddie pool next to the Hippy Dippy Pool, which is the main pool at Pop Century. And I didn't know how the boys would like it.

It's a smaller kiddie pool. But honestly, they loved it even more than some of the splash pads that we've been to. I think it felt really calm and manageable for them. There were a lot of water features . There was other kids there. It just felt really calm, and they stayed there for probably an hour and a half, two hours just playing in the water.

And I just got to sit in the sun and relax. It's a fenced in area, which is really important to me. I was able to relax and watch them but not be concerned. I didn't wanna take them into the bigger pool by myself, and so having that option was great. My oldest does not like to be wet for very long I changed them into they're called [00:39:00] Turkish beach ponchos.

I highly recommend them, 'cause we just wore those around while we explored more. It was a quick way to change them quickly, get them dry.

So I changed, I just changed them there. We didn't have to go back to the room.

And then we walked over to Art of Animation my kids love Nemo, so I knew we needed to stop there and spend some time on the playground. They were looking for all the characters. Art of Animation is just larger than life, right? So they just loved. We went and explored the Cars area.

There's just so much to do over there. And then we had dinner at the Landscape of Flavors at Art of Animation. And honestly, Art of Animation did have quite a bit more, I thought, in terms of vegetarian options there.

Their quick service was a little bit more elevated in terms of some of the options.

For example, I got a vegetarian ramen with Impossible meatballs which was really good. A big portion as well. And then the boys had quesadillas again. And got some fries and stuff like that for them as well. But the little snack [00:40:00] trays were, , so useful for me. To just cut up their food and stick it on the tray and just keep walking

On the walk back, we stopped at Pop Century for the campfire again, roasted marshmallows. And then at this point, we needed a bath on this day, and I needed a shower.

They took baths. I took a shower. I was exhausted at this point. I got the kids to bed, and then my husband landed around 9:30 PM this night. Then he grabbed dinner, and got to the room around 10:30 or so.

We definitely had a great time. I would totally do it again, and honestly would encourage anyone who has thought about doing any sort of like solo trip like that , to really consider it. I think it's incredibly empowering. It pushed me outside my comfort zone in the best way.

And, even if you're like a ride lover or you have all these like plans that you normally do at Disney, you can find joy at Disney no matter what you are doing. I created memories that I know will carry with us forever.

Just enjoying this [00:41:00] time, especially before kindergarten while we can do things like that I'm so happy I did it.

Definitely something that I'm looking to consider now. I think I've always been a little bit hesitant to do the solo trip just because I personally am a big ride person. But I think I should take advantage of the annual pass that I have and while my son is still free, and we can just explore Disney in a new way

Yeah. I think getting over FOMO is something that is a good lesson too, ? I have it. I know it's hard. But again, I think you just get on a level of, , how Disney can be explored in a different way , and finding joy in those little moments

so do you think your solo trip was impacted knowing your husband was coming later in the week? Or do you think if he wasn't coming, you would've felt like you were missing something

So to start, I had only planned on going a day or so before my husband came. And then as time went on, I was like, "Oh, I'm gonna extend it one day." And then I'm like, "Oh, I could do one more day." So I think that first year with any [00:42:00] baby or any child is such a learning experience.

I think your confidence grows as you do more things, it's just one of those skills that you have to build, right?

But , I think for my first trip, knowing that my husband was coming was beneficial, "Okay, even if something goes wrong or I get really tired or overwhelmed, I know by this day he will be there." But looking back, I do think that it would've been fine either way, ?

I think I think I can do it again for sure. I have this confidence now that if I were to go again I could do it without him. But I think for that first time, there was definitely that security of knowing that he was coming, right? And I think I was just worried, ' cause it's always exciting and there's a lot of adrenaline going on an airplane to go somewhere.

I think that was, , the biggest thing I was worried about but I do think that having that support at the end of the trip when, , there's not as much adrenaline to go home definitely a factor for me for that first trip.

Makes sense.

And then a question I had with the dining [00:43:00] plan. So I wanted a little bit of your perspective since you are vegetarian. And I know there's a lot of debate on whether there's enough offerings for vegetarian that make the dining plan of value, 'cause I know some people are always saying "Try to go for the the meat option."

Do you think that the vegetarian options are sufficient enough to make the dining plan worth it?

I do, I know I said a lo- a lot of times I went for the Impossible Burger and things like that, but a lot of times if it doesn't say vegetarian, they will work with you, especially at the quick service locations, to help make it vegetarian

like one meal later when my husband came there was a certain salad that had meat in it, and they were able to substitute chickpeas in it, especially with the dining plan being free for the kids right now, and then utilizing for example, getting a margarita with the pizza , I think there's definitely ways to still come out ahead with the dining plan.

I like the ease of just knowing those things are options. [00:44:00] I think - being vegan, it might be a little bit more difficult. But vegetarian, I do think there's enough options to make the dining plan worth it, the restaurants at Disney do a great job offering enough.

But you're right. There are some times where I'm like, "Oh, look, the lobster roll at Columbia Harbor House. That's one of the best ways to use your credits," but I don't have that option, so I think there's more planning involved. And I think anyone dealing with a food allergy or something like that knows what goes into that.

Makes sense. So what is your next travel adventure?

Yeah, so we actually go back in June. We are going to stay at the Riviera with my mother-in-law. So I am not going solo, she is going ahead with me before my husband comes. So I will have an extra hand on that trip. I think the next two trips, the grandparents, one side will be coming one time, and then the other time.

So I will have help these two times, but it's not to say that I won't do another solo trip. , So we're staying at the Riviera and then doing a split [00:45:00] stay doing Disney for five days and then Universal for two days. So I'm , definitely looking forward to that.

Yeah, that sounds exciting.

Thank you so much for joining me on this podcast. I loved hearing about your adventure. It's making me wanna take my own similar type. We'll see if that is on the books soon. But thank you again for highlighting and all the tips

Yeah, thanks for having me. It was a blast, Lindsay.

And that wraps up this journal entry. Hearing Liz's story reminds us why travel is about more than just destinations. It's about the moments, the surprises, and the memories that stay with us long after we return home. If this episode has inspired you to take your own trip, I'd love to help make it a reality.

As a travel agent, I provide personalized planning, expert guidance, and support every step of the way so your vacation is as smooth, relaxing, and memorable as possible. You can reach out through the link in the show notes to start planning your next adventure. For more adventure recaps, check out the previous seven episodes.

If listening to these episodes has brought you any happiness, I would love it if you left a rating and review on [00:46:00] whatever platform you're listening on. Lastly, be sure to follow along on Instagram at planwithlindseymann, where I'll be sharing photos, highlights, and behind-the-scenes moments from this trip, giving you even more inspiration for your own journeys.

Until our next entry, keep dreaming, exploring, and savoring every moment. This is The Travel Journal, and the pages are just getting started

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