Rob: In this episode of the Ear Scouts podcast, we're talking about why you might want to consider making a solo trip to Walt Disney World. We got a lot to chat about, so let's get to it. Hi ho everybody, this is Rob with Ear Scouts coming to you from our makeshift studio here in Celebration, Florida. Also with me is the other half of Earscouts, Eric. Hi ho Eric.

Erick: Hiho everyone!

Rob: Eric, as always, is going to be keeping up with the live chat over on Patreon. If you'd like to join us live as we record each episode of the podcast and get access to the exclusive Patreon bonus after party, head on over to patreon.com forward slash earscouts. Also with us from the great state of Indiana is our resident Disney trivia guru, Craig Hiho Craig.

Craig: I ho everybody.

Rob: So Craig, you're going to be our only companion on this week's podcast because Jessica was not able to be with us this week. But I feel like you are the pro at talking about today's topic because I feel like whenever you get an opportunity, whenever you have a little spare time, you're always coming down to Walt Disney World. And I think you just make the most of every visit. So I'm really excited to hear the things you have to share with with everyone about making solo trips to the parks.

Craig: Yeah, it's been great. I've been doing solo trips, well, for a very long time, because it kind of like all started when I was, you know, a trip with a group and found that no one else wanted to wake up and do road drop. So while they slipped in, I got up, I went to the park all by myself and I realized this is kind of great. I kind of like not having to like, you know, worry what else other people want to do. I get to do what I want when I want to. And just got more more used to that. ⁓ I do it more now. It was probably since the podcast, cause there's like, you know, trying to experience things that I haven't yet. but yeah, just way my job is scheduled right now. it gives me some time where I can just down and, ⁓ works out great.

Rob: Well, I'm really glad we're talking about this topic this week because we actually get a lot of questions about solo trips. Sometimes people just like like you, Craig, have that opportunity to come down and have a quick trip. And they're like, why not? You know, unfortunately, no one else is able to come with me, but I've got some time and I've got some DVC points. Maybe I'm just going to come down for a quick trip. Another thing that happens a lot is folks will come down for A business trip of some kind. Lots of companies now have their conferences and things here in Orlando and unfortunately maybe their family or significant other isn't able to come with them on that trip. And so we get questions like, ⁓ gosh, I've never done this before. I'm really intimidated. The idea of trying to do the parks all by myself. So I think in this episode, number one, we're going to share with you why you're going to have so much fun and why you should definitely consider. doing a solo trip, even if it wasn't something that you just kind of had to do because of circumstances, but also when you're here, we're going to share some tips. They're going to make sure you have the best time possible for me. I'm in the park solo a lot because I'm, you know, I'm, making videos for the channel and that's kind of a different solo experience than someone who's kind of here on vacation, doing a solo trip. Craig, I'm going to have you start us off because I feel like experience is probably more similar to what folks are going to experience if they're coming here on a ⁓ solo trip. And ⁓ you're sharing with us your experience and why you think people should do it, I want to ask our friends in Patreon, let us know the comments, have you made some solo trips to Disney World? Are you thinking about it? and share your thoughts and ideas and we'll share those a little bit later in the episode. But Craig, why don't you start us off? What are some of the things that you love about solo trips to Walt Disney World?

Craig: ⁓ there's so many, ⁓ I do want to interject though. ⁓ We're going to come up with some tips and even if you were able to take like a little solo trip in the middle of your family vacation, ⁓ know, these tips might help you out with that too, or I'll give you some ideas of things you can do. And if nobody else wants to do it, I hope you have the courage to go ahead and do it by yourself. But one of the things I love about it is I'm an introvert. ⁓ This is fine because I know there's lots of people listening to me, but I don't see them. ⁓ I'm fine, but generally I kind of clam up easily when I'm in a group of strangers. But for some reason when I'm there, ⁓ just feel safe. I feel like I can talk to strangers. ⁓ I've realized like through the years that ⁓ ⁓ of that has to do with the fact that I don't have to see them again just in case things don't go well. ⁓ I just decide that they don't like me and... like we could all just part our ways and like nothing ever happened. So I can be a total idiot and not have to worry about embarrassing people I know. another thing did you just these Zen moments when you're on your own? ⁓ I think some of the most emotional experiences I've had at Walt Disney World were when I was ⁓ by myself. ⁓ remember I took a trip. just a couple of months after I had prostate cancer surgery. ⁓ So that was, you know, a celebratory trip. But I just remember like sitting on by the beach at the beach club overlooking Crescent Lake and the boardwalk and just having this moment of like, how grateful I am that I get to do this. ⁓ And that there is a place where I can just like really let go and enjoy what I want to enjoy.

Rob: Yeah.

Craig: being able to move through crowds is another good one. you'll find when you're on your own that you can just like zip around people a lot easier than if you have a group and you're trying to stay together. And I think like my final big reason is you deserve it. Treat yourself. again, this isn't for everybody. I there are people who don't feel comfortable eating by themselves. With my job, I'm on my own a lot and I'm just... used to eating by myself because I don't have a choice ⁓ and I think it's very important that you don't ⁓ worry ⁓ what people think because those people don't matter. So just do what you want, enjoy it, ⁓ and just yourself.

Erick: think could have not put it in a better way. The fact that you're there to enjoy yourself and to treat yourself, ⁓ that's super nice. ⁓ And honestly, ⁓ the best the best thing you mentioned was you should not care about what other people think. ⁓ As long as you're there enjoying yourself and not bothering anyone else, I think it's fine to do things in that way, you know?

Rob: For me, think the best thing about doing a solo Walt Disney World trip is you don't have to make compromises. You can be spontaneous if you decide, I want to do something crazy. Maybe you're in Magic Kingdom and all of a sudden you're like, you know what? I really want to ride Slinky Dog Dash right now. And if you were with a group of folks, you'd have to kind of make the case, right? Let's get on Disney transportation. Let's leave the magic. Let's go to a completely different park and let's get in what's probably going to be a very long line to ride a ride just because that's what I want to do right now. But when you're on your own, none of those things matter, right? It's really all that matters is what you want to do at that moment. And, you know, that's always a freeing thing. But when you're in a place like Walt Disney World where there's so many opportunities right at your fingertips, to me, I think Disney is one the best places to go as a solo traveler because, know, number one, you were ⁓ a solo traveler in some you might be concerned about safety, or you're going to get back to your room at the end of the night because you've got Disney transportation if you're staying on property. It's just the perfect place I think to have a solo trip

Craig: just to piggyback on that, ⁓ you get to do what you want to do and you can also not do what you don't want to do. And not have to worry about ⁓ someone else in your party. So you have that last minute change, decide, I was going to do this, but I don't feel like it. Then go do something else you want to do.

Erick: you

Rob: The other thing that's great about Walt Disney World is there are so many incredible dining options and the ability to go and get pretty much anything you can imagine that you would want to eat at any time of the day. And again, when you're with a group, especially if you're with maybe a family and you've got little ones who are picky eaters, ⁓ the ability to go and just have whatever you want to have as your next meal. It's pretty much all available to you at Walt Disney World. And that's another thing I love about solo trip. It's just that freedom, not just to do whatever you want to do, but also to eat whatever you want to eat, to explore whatever you want to explore. So we're going to share some tips that help you to make the most of your time when you're here at Walt Disney World on a solo vacation. Craig, since you are the solo pro, why don't you start us off? What is your first tip for folks who are visiting Walt Disney World on their own.

Craig: Okay, so one of my first tips is to consider indulging in special things that are cheaper for one person ⁓ instead of having to pay for your whole family or your significant other or other people that might be with you. But they're more like solo experiences on their own. So it's a good time to take advantage of those things. I'm talking like a spa visit. Go get your nails done. Go have a massage. Go get a facial. ⁓ Treat yourself again. And another thing about behind the scenes tours, ⁓ like Keys to the Kingdom, ⁓ the behind the seeds tour at the land pavilion. did that on my own it was great. ⁓ You you just, you're sitting there, you're listening to a tour guide, you're interacting, but it is very much a. solo experience, even if you were with people, because you're all just sitting there listening to it. ⁓ that's another one thing I've had a great time doing. And then you get to know other people, you get to know the tour guide and all that. So those are lot of fun.

Rob: And there are a ton of those at Animal Kingdom. ⁓ I think they don't really promote those as heavily. So a lot of folks don't know that they're there, but there's tons of like back in Kilimanjaro Safaris, there's caring for giants where you kind of get up close and personal with elephants. ⁓ There's the savor, the savanna where you kind of go into the savanna with a tour guide. And then I think you have like a ⁓ meal.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: and some wine pairings, I think in the Savannah and you get an up close look at the animals. There's another one where you kind of trek through the Savannah and the different habitats at Animal Kingdom. And that one, think you cross like a suspension bridge or something. It's, there's a lot of adventures that you can have that, you know, a lot of folks, especially if you're with a larger group, it would become prohibitively expensive.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: to do a lot of these things. But again, like you said, if it's just one person, ⁓ it becomes pretty affordable to experience some of these unique things that Disney has to offer. speaking of things that ⁓ are expensive when there's just one of you, ⁓ my tip is ⁓ spring park hopper and spring for lightning lanes because again, it's just one ticket. makes it a lot easier to justify getting it. And like I said at the beginning, The best thing about a solo trip to Walt Disney World is that you can be spontaneous, right? You can just decide whatever it is that your heart desires at that moment, you can go and do it. ⁓ But if you don't have a park hopper ticket, well, you're going to be limited to what's in the park that you're in right then, or you're going to have to maybe just limit yourself to resorts. So having that park hopper ticket gives you the freedom to really just kind of. you know, jump on Disney transportation and head to another park if there's something there you want to do. Perfect example of this is if you're at ⁓ Magic Kingdom, Epcot or Studios, those parks have really great transportation options. You've got the monorail that takes you between Magic Kingdom and Epcot. You've got the Skyliner and the boats that take you between ⁓ Epcot and Hollywood Studios. So it's really easy. to jump between those parks when it's just you. You're not trying to herd cats with a large group of people and get everyone to transportation. You can just zip on over to the Skyliner and next thing you know, you've gone from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. And even just the transportation itself, I feel I love being in a Skyliner gondola all by myself and that... That happens a fair amount. If you're not going during peak times, like when it's like the rush to get in at park open, if you go in the middle of the afternoon, they will usually give you your own gondola. And that again is something else is just, it is a moment of Zen as, as Craig described it earlier when it's just you surrounded by the beauty of Disney world as you kind of sail over top of it in the skyliner. So ⁓ but yeah, lightning lane. also suggest adding just because. know, when you're only booking for one person, it can sometimes be a lot easier to grab lightning lanes. Certainly then if you're with a large group, I find that those are much harder to get. And you can kind of be a lot more flexible. Again, you're only having to please yourself, you know, having to try to please a whole group of people. So if something pops up that you're like, ⁓ yeah, that sounds fun. You can just tap in and grab it. rather than spending your whole day like refreshing, trying to get that one ride that everybody wants to do. You can kind of be more spontaneous with it and just enjoy the service. But most importantly, it's going to give you time back in your day to do even more stuff on your solo trip to Disney World.

Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, think the park hopping is, I would almost say that's a must just to be able to enjoy the freedom that that gives you to be able to enjoy the freedom that a whole solo trip would give you. I think you really would definitely be in your best interest to get a park hopper.

Rob: Yeah. And another thing that we should mention, if you get an annual pass, that includes park hopping, you know, that's part of the deal with an annual pass. And if you're here already on a family trip, let's say you're here for, you know, a week and a half, you might find that once you're thinking about doing a second solo trip later in the year, you might find that the math works out that you can just upgrade yourself. to the annual pass to take advantage of that on the solo trip. And that's even better than a park opera because then you're not, don't even have a limited number of days in the park, right? You can, you know, if you come in and you arrive at 7 PM, you wouldn't want to normally burn one of your park days heading into Magic Kingdom for a few hours. But if you have an annual pass, no big deal. Why not head into Magic Kingdom for a few hours? So I recommend even if you're not doing a solo trip, If you're planning to do more than one trip to Walt Disney World, do the math, figure out like on that first trip, even if you're in the middle of that trip, as long as you go to guest relations before your trip ends, before the last day of your visit, they can apply the full value of the ticket that you've already bought to your annual pass. So in some cases it becomes a no brainer to upgrade it to an annual pass if you're planning. multiple trips in the same year and the math works out in your favor.

Craig: And, know, don't forget the discounts that you get on merchandise, lot of dining, especially in like the summer, they got some 40 % deals, discounts on rooms, regular, you know, resort rooms. ⁓ So you might want to factor that in. And making that decision ⁓ earlier might serve you a little because if you can apply those discounts, you have making some big purchases or something like that. ⁓ That will also help offset the cost of the ticket itself.

Rob: Craig, what is your next tip for folks who are visiting solo?

Craig: So my next tip has kind of to do with what you had said about you be able to eat where you want and that is it's a lot easier to score a wait list if you're a single traveler. It's usually pretty easy to get into places like Trader Sam's Grog Grotto or Beacon Barrel. last time I was there I was in Magic King was like. I'd really like to go to Beacon Barrel and have a little barrels of Blaze and a little snack. And yeah, I just looked it up. There was a time within like 15 minutes. So I grabbed it and walked over there and got right in. It was fantastic. So yeah, I try to think of other places that have the wait lists. But I guess I'm thinking more about, right? Oh yeah, Nomad's Lounge is an easy one to get into. I mean, a lot of lounges are too.

Rob: Nomad Lounge is a good one.

Craig: It's worth it looking through the

Rob: Yeah. I mean, anytime you're trying to get a reservation at the last minute, or as you said, get on a wait list. If it's a party of one, uh, it's much easier to get a last minute table or on a wait list. Then certainly if you're a party larger than four, that's when it gets really challenging because they have a very limited number of options, but parties of one and two, you can oftentimes get a last minute dining or on a wait list pretty easily. Yeah.

Craig: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rob: Eric, what are we hearing over on Patreon? What do people have to say about solo trips? Any suggestions or questions?

Erick: Right now talking about the dining, Diana shared that sometimes ⁓ I have had issues booking dining for one person while in the park. The app will let you book for a party of two, but not for a party of one. However, I just go speak to the hostess cast member and they will add me to the list.

Rob: Yeah, that is true.

Craig: Yeah, I've done it where I'm, yeah, I've had, think ⁓ Beaches and Cream was one. It's like, it wouldn't let me reserve for one, but I was able to get it for two. And then I just showed up and said, it's just one, which, you know, they're not going to penalize you for that either.

Rob: Yeah, you will find if you're in the my Disney experience app, sometimes when you put in a party of one, it will show is nothing available, but then you turn it into two. I think I'm sure that that's, know, Disney has some programming in there because they would rather have two people at a table for two. But, but as Diana mentioned, I've never had a problem. You know, when, when I have something like that, just go up to the to the host station and if there's availability, they'll get you seated. So don't let that be a barrier. Anything else on Patreon so far, Eric?

Erick: Brian. ⁓ One thing about solo trips is you can go on your schedule without having to ⁓ buy It's fun to go hit your highlights and move on. ⁓ Though solo trip is also paired with my Disney Data Conference. Can't say that I have done a solo planned one ⁓ without other reason. ⁓

Rob: Yeah, and that's the thing. A lot of folks are doing that. They're here for a conference. They're here for something for work and you know the visit to Disney World is just kind of the icing on the cake. It's just the bonus so. But you know, I actually I've hung out with Brian a couple times when he's been been here on those data conference trips and I feel like I feel like he's always having a very good time in the parks. And you know, it's a, it's a different experience than when you're with your family. don't know. You know, trips with your family are amazing and wonderful or with your friends or, know, with other groups, they're amazing in a completely different way. Right. I just think, ⁓ I'm not saying that you should plan a trip to Walt Disney world and not plan a group with your family or friends, but I'm just saying they're two totally different things that are wonderful in their own way. So, My tip ⁓ ⁓ is ⁓ one the ⁓ of here all by your and that is that you are going to find yourself in a lot of lines. That's part of the experience at Walt Disney World and if you're used to being with your family or with friends, ⁓ you've got folks to have conversation with right? The time in the line passes differently so. I do recommend plan this in advance. Think about some of the things that you enjoy doing. You know, maybe it's, you know, games on your phone. Maybe it's actually something productive that you need to do. Like, you know, sometimes I have like little things that I know I need to get done. And if I'm going to have a long wait in the line, I use that as an opportunity to kind of catch up on something or reply to some emails and catch up with folks that you can catch up with. Another thing that you'll find is that when you're solo, a lot of times you make friends in lines. I can't tell you how many times I've just started conversations with the families around me and ⁓ I've made some really good fast friends in line of attraction. So that can happen too. But I think it is important if you're planning a solo trip, just think about what do I want to be doing in that line? What are some things that I can do that are either going to you know, help me to enjoy that experience or maybe be productive while I'm waiting. Do you guys have anything that you like to do when you're in line solo?

Craig: ⁓ well, there's always the Play Disney app. You can play games in some of the queues with that. well, ⁓ of another reason get lightning lane as well, I guess. ⁓ I guess because, yeah, I guess I don't in too many long lines by myself ⁓ just because it's a little excruciating. ⁓

Rob: Yeah. So you pretty much always get lightning lane if you're planning to ride a lot of rides in the day. Yeah.

Craig: Yeah, yeah, they usually get at least, you know, one or two days on a trip. So, and those are like the big right days and then can use the other days to do something simpler. ⁓

Erick: for jewels, that's the time to play the slots, she said.

Rob: Yes. So if you are using lightning lane and maybe you find yourself in a standby queue because you don't have a lightning lane for that attraction, it is the perfect time to be as we call it here at Earscouts playing the slots, but essentially modifying your existing lightning lanes to try to get earlier times or to turn them into better attractions. ⁓ Never ever just settle for what you have if you're not completely happy with it.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: You can always usually get something better if you take the time to fiddle with the app and play the slots. And that's what we talk about in a lot of our lightning lane videos. So if you're not familiar with how to get better times and better rides, check out one of our lightning lane videos and ⁓ we'll show you how it's done. ⁓

Erick: which for Laura, the lines are the great place to listen to the Earscouts podcast.

Rob: there's the perfect thing. Yeah, if you don't, if you don't have an idea of what you want to do while you're in line, ⁓ your scouts podcast, that's that's ⁓ an easy one. ⁓ Craig, what is your next tip for for folks who are here on a solo trip?

Craig: There you go. Well, yeah, that one is that you can easily take advantage of those single rider cues. In Epcot, we have Test Track and Remy's Rated 2 Adventure. Those are no brainers. ⁓ If you're with a group, you'd probably be better if you all went single. But this way, you can really pay attention and get right on those. And again, there's, well, we'll see how Rock and Roller Coaster goes. I mean, it's been rethemed. I don't think it's going to change the single rider line one bit. That's a tough, do not.

Rob: Yeah.

Craig: we don't recommend doing the Rock and Roller Coaster single of Rider Line. And that's basically because it's easier to fill trains that are two seats across. It's much more difficult when they're three across like Test Track and Remy. ⁓ However, Exposition Everest for some reason seems to go a little faster.

Rob: Yeah. I think it's just because that that attraction moves like they're just they they they load and unload that one very quickly. It's a big thunder doesn't have a light. I mean a single rider line. But if it did that one would move super fast as well. It's just that the speed at which the trains load and unload. I don't know what it is about rock and roller coaster theoretically should ⁓ be fast but it really isn't. It always takes a while. Yeah.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Erick: It is never.

Craig: If it's just the over-the-shoulder restraints that cause more of an issue, making sure everyone is locked in just takes longer, or just the way it's built, maybe they'll fix it with the new re-theme. We'll hope. There's always hope.

Rob: Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Yeah, I do think though that's the worst, that is the worst single rider line in Disney. Most of the single riders cues are definitely in your favor to use them. ⁓ But as Craig said, if you're with a group, that's kind of a big decision, right? Do we wanna all be separated from each other and not get to experience this attraction as a group in order to save time in line? But if you're solo, that's not even something you gotta think about. You're you just save time in that line. my ⁓ tip a solo trip ⁓ is not ⁓ over ⁓ and pivot frequently. So what I mean by that is a lot of times, especially if you're coming with a group, you might be used to making really detailed plans because there's a lot of things to do in Walt Disney World. And if you've got a lot of things on your list, you kind of got to map it out to make sure you're be able to get everything done. ⁓ My experience is when you're in the parks by yourself, ⁓ you know, it's so much better to be spontaneous and to not, you know, don't get tunnel focused on a very specific plan because they're going to be opportunities that are kind of present themselves to you. And while it might be difficult, right to get a large group of folks on board with ⁓ my gosh look that attraction has you know a 10 minute wait that's crazy let's just go do it right now with a group that might be a conversation and then it might be ⁓ but you know we need to do this and that and is that going to change this if you don't have things over planned and you're willing to pivot you're just going to get so much more done as a solo traveler and you're going to have so many experiences that maybe weren't even on your itinerary. but they just popped up and presented themselves. again, for me, solo trips are about spontaneity. They're about, you know, seizing the moment. And if you have too many plans, sometimes you just won't even see those opportunities that are popping up around you. Craig, next one tip that you have, I had never even thought about this, but it is a really important one. ⁓ What is your next tip?

Craig: Yes, well, especially when you get to be my age and you start your memory just starts to fade is take pictures of everything because you're going to be the only one with those memories. ⁓ So like when you're with a group, you know, everyone else is taking pictures. They were there. We can talk about it. But these are your special memories. And, you know, if you're like me, things just fly out when you're not looking. ⁓ yeah, just. even if it seems like the most mundane thing, you take that picture and then seeing that picture will click that memory. ⁓ that's the only way. Otherwise, yeah, it's just amazing how things just fall out of your head.

Rob: And I think memory maker probably helps a lot there too, because a lot of times you're the only one there. No one else is going to be able to get unless you're really skilled with the selfie. No one else is going to be there to capture that moment, but you have a whole team of photo pass photographers in the parks who can capture those moments and add some magic to the shot. So yeah.

Craig: Mm-hmm. even ride photos. mean, I have pictures from Guardian of the Galaxy that I rode by myself with a stranger, but I remember that it was like, ⁓ that was the one that I was on there. like, I had one song left and it was Everybody Wants to Rule the World. And I told her and she says, I just finished my, like earlier on that trip, she just got her sixth song in. And so as it started and we got it. And it was like literally my last trip of that vacation.

Rob: Mm-hmm.

Craig: Yeah, and so like my picture with her, remember and it's always but I always seem to be sitting next to somebody who's never been on it before, which is a whole lot of fun.

Rob: Yeah. Yeah. I always say that one of the great joys of living here and it's a privilege and this is something that you're going to experience when you do a solo trip. There is something magical about being in a place where everyone around you is having, you know, a peak experience like when they're making those core memories and Especially when you take the time to just look around and see the families that are around you, the kids that are there on their very first trip to Walt Disney World, and they're just experiencing the magic for the first time. And I don't know, for me, it is a joy and a privilege to get to be present for those moments that are happening. And you kind of miss them when you're with a group of people, because you're in your own core memory moment, right? There is something just magical about seeing the joy that people are experiencing all around you. And it really does enhance your trip as well.

Craig: Yeah, I mean, if you're a people watcher, it's kind of a no brainer. Just go by yourself and enjoy everyone else's fun too. It's a great thing to be able to do.

Rob: Eric, I think you said you had ⁓ something from Patreon that you wanted to share.

Erick: Yes I do, this is from Lisa De Pinto. Subtle trips are awesome but I always make sure to find places to slow down. It's so easy to go go go because I don't have to worry about anyone else but there's something magical about just sitting on the grass by yourself without having to share any pop-

Rob: You Agreed. Yeah. Yes. But you have to feel guilty about not feeding the birds because you're supposed to feed the birds and no feeding the wildlife. So keep the popcorn all for yourself. Don't ⁓ don't let them convince you to just share. ⁓

Craig: except for the birds.

Erick: Yeah. And also talking about taking a moment, these games from from Wendy, when you are by yourself, it is surprising to see how many other solo travelers you see. I don't typically notice when I'm with friends or family, but there are lots of solo travelers.

Rob: Mm-hmm. Yep. And you know, we didn't talk about this at the top, but that is one, I think of the, the fears that people have is that like, well, if I'm in Disney world by myself, like people are going to think it's weird, right? Like they're going to notice that I'm on my own or, and even outside of Disney world. I hear that a lot where people are just like, if they're gonna go to a sit down restaurant, they feel weird about going to a sit down restaurant by themselves. Like, you people are gonna judge them for being solo. Once you do this, you're going to notice that there's a ton of people who are also doing the exact same thing. And it's not unusual at all. mean, none of the cast members are gonna think it's strange that you're at Disney World by yourself, because as Eric just said, I mean, it's it's something that you maybe don't notice until you do it. But yeah, there's a lot of folks who are just enjoying the parks all by their lonesome.

Craig: Yeah, and it's not necessarily someone who couldn't get a date. know, there are people like me who enjoy doing things by myself. I mean, I'm always having conversations with myself in my head, so I'm never feeling lonely. ⁓ But yeah, I just I just enjoy it. That's, you know, big reason why I feel comfortable doing it, because I mean, I'm doing it for me. I'm not doing it out of necessity. And I really

Rob: Yeah.

Craig: don't care what other people think. I had to give that up a long time ago. ⁓

Erick: I mean, I also remember like, people are just enjoying their vacation as well. They have their own like stressful situations. They are more focused on what is happening to them at that moment. Sometimes they are, again, they are focused on their own world or things that are happening around them. So don't worry, don't mind. Like people are just, people are not judging you, you know?

Rob: Yeah. So my next tip is to stay on property. And if that's not an option for you to stay on property, spend some time at the resorts because that is one side of Walt Disney World that I do feel like when you're there with a group, a lot of times, you know, there's going to be a big portion of your group that's very focused on rides, rides, rides. They've got a long list of attractions that they want to hit things to do in the parks and in order to accommodate all that You don't really spend much time at your resort if you're staying at one and if you're not staying at the resort It probably doesn't even occur to you to leave the park and to go experience some of these resorts But let me tell you when you're there on a solo trip Some of your best memories some of the most magical things you're gonna experience aren't even gonna be in the parks they're going to be exploring these resorts because they are amazing. ⁓ some of my favorites, if you've never considered, you know, exploring resorts, wilderness lodge, just walking in to wilderness lodge is an experience in and of itself. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to said that they never considered staying at a Disney resort and they just happened to be going through wilderness lodge for one reason or another. And they were like, ⁓ my gosh, why? I never done this, you know, it's, it's a spectacular lobby. wilderness lodge is modeled after the, the great national park lodges of your, but of course it's even grander because it's Disney and there's lots of little Disney magic touches everywhere. Um, there's actually a hot spring in the lobby that, you know, bubbles up and goes into a stream that exits the lobby, goes down into like a little waterfall into what becomes the swimming pool. I mean, it's these resorts are created by Imagineers and they are some of the greatest themed resorts in the world. Animal Kingdom Lodge is another one. Animal Kingdom Lodge is a zoo. mean, it really you're going to go there and you're going to be up. close and personal with zebras and giraffes. you know, it's amazing that that's just there and you don't have to pay anything. It doesn't cost a dime to go. You can just hop on Disney transportation, go to Wilderness Lodge and walk out onto the savanna. And there it is. ⁓ All of these places also have phenomenal dining. So. If you're not using Disney transportation and you want to park at these resorts and you're not staying there, you can get a table service dining reservation and then you're able to park as well. So if you're not staying on property, you just wanted to pop in, that's a great way to do it. And some of the best food at Disney World are at these resorts. At Animal Kingdom Lodge, Sanaa is one of my favorites. If you're up for a buffet, Boma is one of the best buffets on property. ⁓ At Wilderness Lodge, I really, I'm a big barbecue junkie. I really love ⁓ the Whispering Canyon Cafe. Although fair warning, Whispering Canyon, the servers, ⁓ they do a little shtick. And if you're there by yourself, ⁓ they might, ⁓ if you're concerned about ⁓ having a show ⁓ and drawing attention to yourself as a solo traveler, ⁓ Whispering Canyon might not be the place to go. because they might ring a bell and have everyone bring their ketchup to your table. Crazy things can happen at Whispering Canyon. But long story short, does that happen to you, Craig?

Craig: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's me. Well, I mean, whispering, can I? I'm the person that ⁓ doesn't go there because of the shenanigans. Even I was with somebody the one time I went, it was literally on September 11, 2001, because I realized, OK, maybe we'll get away with that. Too many shenanigans. And then you can always tell your waiter or your server ⁓ if you really don't want you have. ⁓

Rob: Yeah.

Craig: issues with that and you just want to enjoy the food and they'll do their best to keep you out of things.

Erick: Keep it cool.

Rob: You tell you can actually tell the host when you're being seated and and same thing and there's a restaurant that's similar at Hollywood Studios ⁓ The 50s prime time they also kind of do a lot of schtick and it's very fun But if you're not in the mood for the schtick, you can just let this the host know when you're being seated that You know, you kind of just want to enjoy the meal without all the extra

Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's a good. Yeah, definitely tell the host because that way they can hopefully get you a table off to the side as well as to sticking right in middle of the action. Good.

Rob: Yeah. But some others that I do want to list off really quickly, cause these are some of my other favorite resorts that you should consider boardwalk right behind Epcot. So if you happen to be on an Epcot day and you just want to pop out of the park, it's just go out of that international gateway exit and it's right there. And there's so much fun stuff to do at the boardwalk. Although right now boardwalk is kind of in flux. So there's some things closing and about to reopen soon, but If you go there in the evening though, they always have entertainment on the boardwalk and they have like some boardwalk style games and it's a fun place to explore ⁓ solo in the evening, I think. Plus they have Trattoria Al Forno, which is my favorite place for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Actually, they don't do lunch. They just do breakfast and dinner. that right? Yeah. Breakfast or dinner at Trattoria Al Forno. Delicious. ⁓ And one other. I know this is Craig's favorite as a solo traveler, the Polly. The Polynesian is amazing. Craig, do you want to talk about why you love the Polly so much?

Craig: ⁓ it's just the ground. mean, you can just take a ⁓ stroll at night and they have these enormous tiki torches going through and it's just... You really do feel close. When you don't see the castle or the contemporary or the Grand Floridian from where you're standing, you really do feel so immersed and you're in a different world. Definitely doesn't feel like central Florida to me at all.

Rob: Yeah. Well, I think your next tip was actually also about resorts, Craig. What's your next solo traveler tip?

Craig: Mm Yeah. Yeah, just to go off of that. ⁓ Experience the value resorts. Take advantage of that. mean, yeah, solo trips can be expensive, you know, you're not sharing the cost of certain things like your hotel room. So ⁓ but that goes back to what Rob was saying. Then you can take your time and enjoy other resorts. ⁓ And you don't think even with the ⁓ value resorts, the rooms are smaller, too. So. I just stayed at Pop Century and we could have made it work if there were two of us, but I can take up a lot of space. In a room, just give me the space. I will fill it with stuff. yeah, that, that I really enjoyed pop on a solo trip. Like conversely though, it's, it's really hard staying out of the bubble, I think harder when you're a solo traveler, because the real world just seems so much more real. When you leave the bubble and you get into your regular old hotel, just like, I'm not there. Definitely not there. And, I don't have anyone else to, you know, bring me back or to talk about the day and all that stuff. So, ⁓ yeah, I definitely like staying on properties, the solo traveler traveler versus off.

Rob: Mm-hmm. Yeah. That's a really great point because depending on where you stay in Orlando, mean, you come out of your room at Pop Century, you can hop on the Skyliner or you can stroll over to Audub animation and it's just this amazing themed environment and you are, as they say, you're in the bubble. If you're staying just down the road in Kissimmee, you step outside and you're going to see Denny's and you're going to see traffic and maybe you're going to see a gift shop across the street that's oddly shaped like a wizard. And you know, it's, it's, it's a totally different kind of environment. ⁓ And I do feel like, you know, you're, when you're inside the bubble, you do kind of feel that. ⁓ at any moment of the day or night, there's going to be something that you can go out and explore and do. And I feel like that's much less so when you're just ⁓ in a, a Kissimmee or Orlando hotel. think you had a few extra bonus tips before we wrap up, right?

Craig: ⁓ Yeah, just a couple. ⁓ And one of them is if you have local friends, you can add one or two to your reservation as long as it doesn't, you know, can change the price of the reservation. And this is, of course, if it's a room or if it's room and tickets, then you know, you're kind of stuck. ⁓ But that gives that local the chance to park at your resort easily. They can use their Magic Band, get right in. I have to wait and go through the kiosk. They can make lightning lanes. If they're even if they're they were going by themselves and they wanted to do lightning lanes and they can do it seven days ahead of time. ⁓ Just all the perks. ⁓ Early entry. Yeah, early entry, extra evening hours. ⁓ Yeah, it's it. I mean, I've done it with Robin Eric many times and it's it's worked out great.

Rob: They can join you for early entry. Yeah. So if you do have friends in Orlando, ⁓ you ⁓ turn your solo trip into ⁓ trip with friends or at least for part of your vacation. And yeah, as a local, I always appreciate it ⁓ I get added to a reservation because early entry is nice. It's a nice perk that we don't usually get to take advantage of.

Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, and one other thing I want to mention ⁓ when you're in the queue and it just assuming it's a regular standard queue long before you get to, you know, the director who's going to show tell you what row to sit in or to stand in. Keep it. Coup for I'm sorry. Yeah, Coup for right. Like especially things like ⁓ Tower of Terror is a big one. ⁓ Flight of passage, but just pay attention because a lot of times they're just going.

Rob: So we're talking about a cue for a ride for.

Craig: come out and just yell a single riot or you could be like 100 people back and if you're the first one that raised their hand and they see you, they're going to point at you and you're going to go ahead of all those people that have like this last trip to seem to happen more than usual. And it was great just because I was paying attention.

Rob: Yeah. And that's true even if you're, you're a party of two, right? I mean, sometimes they're just looking for a party of two. They're saying party three, but if you're a single that's, know, you, get a lot more opportunities. Space mountain is another one that I think a lot of people don't pay attention. If you're a single rider, once you get into that area where the switchback cues begin, you know, you, if you pay attention, there's, there's signage there.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: to let them know that you're a single rider. And so once you get to that point where they split you off to either Alpha or Omega, if you tell them that you're a single rider, they will let you go basically straight to the boarding area. And because they need single riders to fill in spaces on the train. So there are a lot of perks to being solo.

Craig: Mm hmm. I'm really enjoying this episode and I just hope more and more people feel more comfortable in doing this because it's just bringing back so many great memories of the solo trips I've taken. So hopefully you all will give this a shot and we've encouraged you to try something different for yourselves.

Rob: Yeah, Eric, before we ⁓ head on to the question of the week, do we have any any questions from Patreon or any of the other suggestions for solo vacations?

Erick: So I think this is Rob actually make a very good question. ⁓ In your guys opinion, what's the best part to be in when you're going solo?

Rob: Well, I think probably a lot of that depends on what your favorite things to do in the parks are like, are you a shows person? Are you a rides person? Are you experiences beyond the shows and the rides? But I would say for me, it's animal kingdom. And because I feel like animal kingdom is the best park for just kind of exploring, you know, and taking your time with that park. There's not a whole lot to do in there in terms of attractions, right? The attraction list is very short, but there is a whole lot to do once you move past those attractions and you take the time to explore the animal trails or even just going into lands like Asia and Africa. And instead of just breezing through on your way to the Safari or, or Cali river Rapids or whatever it is that you're riding, take the time to really just look at the sign. Look at the little details that the Imagineers have put into these lands. And it's hard to do that when you're with a group of people, right? Like, you know, it's hard to say to the four people, hey, let's stop and look at the details on these signs that are here, you know, posted outside the bathroom. But if you if you're there as a solo traveler, it's going to blow your mind just how how beautiful and clever.

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: lot of the details are. And Animal Kingdom, I think, is the best part for that. ⁓ Craig, what's your favorite solo part?

Craig: Well, I'm not going to say this is my favorite, but just to go on a totally different direction that you just did is I'm going to say Hollywood Studios. And here's why, because that's such a ride focused park. And as a solo traveler, you can just get through the ride so much quicker. And that's I've enjoyed that too. And I've like finished everything in a half a day at Hollywood Studios. Of course, that usually precludes me from staying to see Fantasmic, but. one of these days I'm going to get back there. One of these days it's going to happen. ⁓ But yeah, that was kind of when we were talking about Animal Kingdom and I started thinking about the other parks and I was like, yeah, that's been a really good one to do solo. In fact, I mean, we talked about our strategies ⁓ for Hollywood Studios and I went to I had a solo trip soon after that and I just put my theories to the test and it worked out just fantastic, even better than I expected to. Because your ability to pivot and take advantages of opportunities. So ⁓ I'm gonna yeah, I'll go with Hollywood Studios on that

Rob: You know, what you just said reminded me of something that I didn't include earlier, but, this is a pretty good benefit of being a solo traveler. And that is you can have a late night and you can have, perhaps you may want to have a late start in the morning. You, you have more flexibility as a solo traveler to, kind of set your schedule and maybe you set it on the fly. Maybe you weren't even planning to have a late night, but you were mentioning phantasmic. Fantasmic, if there's a night when they're doing two showings of that, if you go and wait for the second showing, the beauty of that is you're going to get a great seat anywhere you want in that theater and you can walk in right as the show is about to start and you're going to get that great seat. Whereas if you go to the earlier show, you're going to be camped out. You're going to be waiting to get a good spot. That's one of those perks that if you're with a group, Chances are you might be there with folks who just can't hang. They're not going to stay up late for that later show of phantasmic. ⁓ but there are things you can take advantage of another one. When fireworks are done at magic kingdom, there's an Exodus from that park. Cause you got a lot of folks who just, they just can't stay up that late or maybe they're exhausted from the park and they head out. If you stay in the park after fireworks, you're going to find dramatically reduced wait times on most attractions, especially attractions that are appeal to kids, know, things like Peter Pan's flight. That might've been an hour and a half wait all day long, but after fireworks, you can sometimes get on for like 20 minutes, you know? So there are things you can take advantage of later in the evening or if you're a morning person early in the morning that are harder to do. when you're with a larger group. So I think that's another good tip. Eric, I'm curious, what's your, if you were gonna go solo, I think I know the answer this, but if you were gonna go solo to a park, which one would you pick and why?

Erick: I I want to go to a different direction. But I mean, ⁓ the main answer is Animal Kingdom. Absolutely. I really like just to be with birds and like having my headphones on and just like admiring the beauty of it. But now ⁓ I will try to give a different answer of you guys. I would like to go to ⁓ like Epcot can be a good option as well as a photographer. Like that's the moment where I can

Craig: Yeah.

Rob: Hahaha

Erick: be a little bit more creative with the, ⁓ well, right now with Flora and Garden, you have multiple options, but also that's the place if you like to get ⁓ photos of characters, that's the best place to get them, just because of so many options that you have over there, and the random characters that may show up in the American Pavilion. Again, that's, you have, And also, like on the other hand, if you're adventurous and you like to different things, I mean, you have the food, you know, during the festivals.

Rob: Yeah. Yeah, I think Epcot is a close second behind Animal Kingdom for a solo day. I would agree.

Craig: Mm-hmm. And actually, that you just triggered something in my memory there, Eric, that I wanted to mention is ⁓ if you're a solo traveler, you can wear headphones, earbuds, and you can supply your own soundtrack if you like. I mean, there's been many times, especially in Epcot, it seems to be the one that I like to do it in, just walking through World Showcase and decide, no, I'd rather listen to the Ramones right now. So I can put on some 80, 90 punk. and New Wave stuff or conversely Sabrina Carpenter and just have, you know, a little dance party in my head as I'm walking through. yeah, I do like doing that every once in a while and just taking my own soundtrack and or even not even playing music. If you had noise canceling headphones. I like having those on me as well, because sometimes it just gets to be a little bit much and it's nice to just take a little bit of the edge off the noise.

Rob: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Erick: very quickly, like just from ⁓ Rachel. ⁓ Do think Disney recognizes solo travelers as a group to gather to? I feel like the Single Rider Alliance does this.

Rob: to cater to? Yeah. I mean, I think Disney is looking at every opportunity to cater to different groups, including the solo traveler for sure. ⁓ I think, you know, but I don't know that this, don't think that the solo rider lines are specifically geared just to solo travelers. think in many cases it's,

Erick: together.

Rob: groups who are there who just, you don't care so much about necessarily all writing at the same exact moment. They just want to experience the attraction with a shorter wait. So I think, you know, there are solo travelers certainly in those lines, but I don't know that that's specifically for solo travelers. I would say, you know, off the top of my head, I can't think of any promotions or anything that Disney specifically does. that are that are targeting solo travelers. But I will say Disney pushes a lot the the different conferences and and expos and things like that happening at the parks, which by virtue of the nature of what they are, that tends to bring in a lot of solo travelers. And I think, ⁓ you know, they're they're certainly looking for, you know. ways to make sure that those folks are able to enjoy their time in the parks as well. ⁓ And that's actually ⁓ over at when they were building Coronado Springs, this was actually a consideration that they made, which was they were planning to have the big convention center there. And they were thinking about specifically solo business travelers or just business travelers in general who are going to have different expectations than a typical park traveler, park family. And so they decided to number one, have a whole lot more restaurant options at Coronado Springs. You'll find more restaurants at Coronado Springs probably than any other resort. But number two, they didn't make them all Disney. They're mostly third party and it's a variety of things. The big one is probably Rick's ⁓ is like a sports bar. And I think that's there because they expect that there's going to be business travelers who are there for the the conferences. And they wanted to have, you know, what are the kinds of experiences that a business traveler would do solo right after the conference? Go to a sports bar, right? Watch the game and enjoy dinner and drinks. And so ⁓ I do think that, yeah, especially at Coronado, they thought a lot about the solo traveler. Yeah.

Craig: Yeah, it was definitely designed as a convention hotel.

Rob: Mm-hmm. And that's something too. If you're solo, you know, that might be something you consider going to one of the convention hotels because number one, things are going to be geared more towards solo travelers. But number two, you're going to encounter a lot more solo travelers, you know, and maybe, you know, have more people to chat with and ⁓ make some new Disney friends. now it is time for our question of the week. And since we've been doing this whole episode about a solo trip, ⁓ we this question that's about a couple's trip. ⁓ Specifically, if you're if you're not ⁓ used coming as just a couple, you're used to coming with the whole family or a larger group. ⁓ This is for you. We're not going to say the name. of the person who asked this question. And we're not gonna say where the question came from. And when you hear the question, you'll understand why. So here's a question. We are going on a trip to Disney World for our 25th anniversary without our kids. Shh, they don't know. Do you have any suggestions for romantic or fun things for a couple to do or places to eat that have a romantic flair?

Craig: You Hehehehehe

Rob: specifically affordable options, please. We love the parks and rides and go yearly with our kids, just looking for something special to do that we may not have thought of. That's just, that's not just drinking and bars, even a nice quiet spot with a lovely view to have a snack. ⁓ So we're gonna talk in solo. We're gonna, we're gonna move to couples now and in case This person listens to the podcast with their kids. Now the secret is safe. We're not going to share their name. ⁓

Craig: Yeah, that's right kids. It wasn't your parents. Don't worry. It wasn't your parents are talking about.

Rob: Now, now.

Erick: Hehehehehe

Rob: But if you know that your parents are about to have their 25th anniversary, right now might be the time to go, wait a second. I'm sorry, sorry. Craig, do you want to start off with some of your favorite ⁓ couples spots, specifically affordable couples spots that maybe they might not have thought of yet?

Craig: you

Erick: Sure hope you're not helping them.

Craig: Yeah, sure. So I'm assuming we're talking about like restaurants are that are not in the superior category like Topolinos, Terros, California Grill. ⁓ So just suggesting some nicer places where you don't even have to feel like you need a full meal because they didn't mention just a snack and a view. So some of my favorite places ⁓ in World Showcase, ⁓ I'd like Shikisai and Spice Road Table. Now Shikisai, you You have to ask if you can get a World Showcase view because they have these huge windows along, think, no, just one wall, I think. ⁓ But if you can get a table, even a table like not right on the window, but the ones next to them, you can still get an incredible view. ⁓ And it's another one of those menus where you can just order some sushi, even if you don't want a full meal and spend a lot of money on a meal. That's a great way to do that. Spice Road Table is another one. ⁓ like most of the tables you can get a good view of World Showcase Lagoon. Let's what I think. Animal Kingdom, no meant.

Rob: And what I like about both of those options you just mentioned is they're great places to have food that you can share. I feel like everything on the menu at Spice Row Table is very shareable. And a lot of the menu at Shiki Sai is also kind of meant to be shared. So I think that's something that I like. If you're looking for a romantic spot, think that's a perk as well.

Craig: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm Yeah. And most of my recommendations here are kind of follow into that, like Nomad Lounge, Animal Kingdom. If you can score a table outside along the river there, it's it's it is magical. It really is. It does take it up to a whole nother level. OK, a couple of places at Disney Springs, Wine Bar George is another place where you can just get some wine and some snacks. And they have some they have an upper level dining room that I just generally prefer. because again, you get better views up there too. It's just a very cool place to hang out. And it can be as romantic as you want it to be. Kind of same thing with Jaleo, the tapas restaurant. Again, shareables, small plates. You don't have to feel like you need to order a whole meal. And they have outdoor seating. And another one is, I I hadn't been there, was Summer House on the Lake, because I know they have outdoor seating. And actually, Jessica mentioned that one, because we want to make sure she had her two cents in here too. Being the romantic person she is. But she said, the outdoor seating at the Summer House on the Lake is another good one. Now, you've been there before, right?

Rob: So I've we've been there actually, I think three or four times now. It is the catch with that one. We've never been able to sit outside. It's I think it's it's very difficult to get a table outside because that's what everyone wants. And they have a whole lot more seating inside. So I feel like we've always ended up seating being sat inside near the bar. So that's the catch with the summer houses you might not be able to get. that romantic table, but I do look I like summer house a lot. You we've been there a few times so.

Craig: Yeah, even Jessica said like the indoors is just too loud. It has to be outside.

Rob: Yeah, it is. It's a little ⁓ loud inside. Yeah. So for me, some of my favorites for a romantic evening that's affordable. I'm a big fan of the boats, especially at Disney Springs. I love taking a sunset boat ride from Springs to one of the resorts. And especially if you're doing a romantic night, check the calendar. This doesn't happen every night, but I think it's certain nights of the week they have live jazz at ⁓ the Port Orleans French Quarter. And so you can go over on a night when they have live jazz, you can have some beignets, you can have a cocktail, and, or, you know, if you prefer, can have, they also have coffee drinks there as well to go with the beignets and enjoy some live jazz music. But really it's all of it together, right? It's the boat ride there and back. It's, you know, the live music. It's the, the delicious Mickey Mickey shaped beignets. That's an amazing evening and a really affordable one. If there's not the option of the live music, another thing I think is really cool to do at Riverside, so Port Orleans, Riverside, which is the sister resort, they have horse-drawn carriage rides that go around that resort. And it is a beautiful resort to take a carriage ride around. I've done the carriage rides that are the exact same over at Fort Wilderness. loved it. I think that is a great romantic activity to do. They're not super expensive. ⁓ And that can be a good memorable Disney experience that would be unique. ⁓ And in terms of in terms of restaurants, ⁓ I would I would definitely second ⁓ Craig's recommendations. I think those were all really good. ⁓ The ones I would add are I really love a lot of the resort restaurants. ⁓ So I think Sanaa is an amazing one because a lot of people tell you Jiko. ⁓ When you say romantic restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge, most people say Jiko. I disagree. I think if you can do Sanaa and you can do that thing we talked about, ask for a ⁓ view of the savanna. and get there early and say, don't mind waiting. I have had lots of success at Sanaa being sat by the Savannah window. And there's just something to me that's a romantic evening is, you know, just looking out over that Savannah and just the magic of, you know, zebras and giraffes, you know, right outside while you're enjoying dinner and a glass of wine. I don't know. To me, that's a really cool, unique, romantic experience. And another one that I will mention over at ⁓ the Grand Floridian Enchanted Rose ⁓ is a, it's a lounge. So it's not a restaurant. You're just gonna have some light bites and cocktails. They do have non-alcoholic specialty drinks as well, but it's themed to beauty and the beast. And it is gorgeous in there. And I just think being at the Grand Floridian in general,

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: If you're celebrating a big, you know, anniversary, it just, has that feel of a really elevated fancy place to be for a special occasion. And the Enchanted Rose, think is probably the most romantic of the spots other than Victorian Albert's, which we were saying affordable. So we're not going to we're not going to include Victorian Albert's really.

Craig: Affordable versus having to take out a small loan.

Rob: Exactly. If you don't want to take out a mortgage for your dinner, ⁓ Enchanted Rose is a good pick, but really there's a, there are a lot of, there are a lot of, they're, they're on the expensive side. Narcissus is another one. ⁓ Very romantic. mean, it's just kind got wraparound windows. ⁓ It's right there on the water. can have views of Magic Kingdom, ⁓ but that one is a little

Craig: So ⁓ another one that Jessica recommended was fireworks from the beach of the Polynesian with a dull whip, which I absolutely agree with 100 percent. A couple of other things I would add to that ⁓ dinner at Wailulu ⁓ at ⁓ the Island Tower. That's another place ⁓ the views just spectacular. The vibe is is lovely. ⁓ And Sam's Tiki Terrace is another one. ⁓ Sometimes they have a live guitar that's just playing, you know, island music. ⁓ And I wouldn't recommend the Gra-Grad of the one where you have to wait in line and go in. That's more like fun and festive. It's a great time, but I wouldn't call it romantic, but the Tiki Terrace definitely, I would say. ⁓ And one more that I know is one of Jessica's favorites is Victoria Lounge at John Bo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge. It's not... necessarily a view, but I think it just has like a really nice romantic vibe to me. And some other experiences I just thought of. ⁓ The Aerophile Balloon at Disney Springs. ⁓ When you're in resorts, taking a mosaic or a painting class to yourself. mean, she said romantic or fun. So I wouldn't say that's romantic unless, but that'd be a fun thing, I think, for couples to do. ⁓

Rob: Mm-hmm. I will say on the Aerofile balloon, Check the wind speed outside. it's feeling gusty, that one can be more of a thrilling experience than a romantic one. You might be clutching for dear life. But if it's a day without much wind, if it's ⁓ kind of a peaceful, sunny day, then yeah, it's a really cool experience to go up in that balloon.

Craig: Good point. And even resort hopping, we mentioned that before, ⁓ I think is a fun thing to do for couples. I know we've gone to places that we hadn't stayed at yet and just, you said, what would it be like to stay here? What, you know, just discussing what living there would be like for a week. So that's another favorite thing.

Rob: Yeah. And I think a lot of this too depends on, you know, what are the things that you as a couple love to do? And you might be surprised to discover that, you know, it's available to you at Disney World. Maybe you really, you have memories from the early days where you were dating and you went bowling or you mini golfing. All those things are there at Disney and it can be. a wonderful little magical moment to just kind of remember when you were first starting out on your 25-year adventure together. So there's just so much to do at Disney World. You'd be surprised. It's so much more than just the parks. There's a lot of things on offer. So check out the resorts and springs and all of those magical extras that you can find on the Disney World website.

Erick: of the suggestions that I will give is that ⁓ you can do the shadow ⁓ at World and that's like a very cute and unique like present that you can get over there. Also, something very, consider that very romantic is going Fort Wilderness. and you can get the courage and you can do it while the fireworks are happening. And honestly, it's a very unique experience. Also, if you are not into that, but you're trying to do something different, there's horse riding options over there. And I believe that they start, yes, I believe that they start around $65. All of this information, you can also find it on the website,

Rob: Yeah, horseback riding.

Erick: course, don't forget to get your ⁓ happily ever after buttons just because never know when ⁓ you might be able to get pixie dusted. Plus they are free. ⁓ You also personalize them either at Disney Springs ⁓ or like in the well, in Magic Kingdom, ⁓ the old Christmas shop. compared to things. Another seven years is like, I consider that it's an inexpensive. again, you personalize it, you it unique. You make it to commemorate your occasion. You can either do it like the buttons, you can do it on the ears, can do it ⁓ on ornaments, My recommendation is if you happen to do it either on the ears or the buttons, use them ⁓ you're in the parks just because the paint can rub off. ⁓ So yeah, just keep it as a souvenir. ⁓

Rob: Get an extra button to wear if you're going to get one personalized.

Craig: Yeah.

Erick: Yeah, or like as long as you put some, seal it with something. yeah, ⁓ a unique thing that you can get. ⁓

Craig: Mm-hmm.

Rob: That's a good suggestion too, yeah. Anytime you're at Disney World for a birthday or an anniversary, be sure to get some of those ⁓ buttons because cast members will just sometimes surprise you with a little spontaneous pixie dust surprise. So yeah, just never forget to ask for those buttons and wear them for your special occasion.

Craig: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I did when I was talking about my trip after I had my cancer surgery and I had just one that said, I'm celebrating surviving cancer. And I only wore it for a few hours and just the lovely comments I got, you know, I wasn't trying to get attention or anything, but it was just nice to hear, you know, people say nice things to me like that. So the buttons are awesome.

Rob: Yeah.

Erick: And if you're staying in Disney property on the website, you can look for the Magica floral and gifts. There is one that is focused on romance and like you can get like floral baskets. Also it says like it's starting at $75. You can add balloons starting at $30. well, you might be able to find more information on the website.

Rob: Nice, thank you. Well, we always like to end every episode of the Ear Scouts podcast with a segment we call Happy Thoughts because it's always best to go out on a positive note. ⁓ Craig, what is your happy thought this week?

Craig: Well, my happy thought kind of changed during this show and I was going to say something else, I think it's, I'm just happy that I had that opportunity to do these solo trips because I've also learned a lot about myself on those trips. Just being very introspective and you know, just being in a safe place, being in my happy place and just, you know, just thinking about why I do the things I do and just realizing why and Sometimes that's good. Sometimes it's like, okay, well, that's why you do it and let's not do that anymore. yeah, just being able to have that opportunity ⁓ means everything to me and it just makes me happy.

Rob: Very nice. Eric, what is your happy thought this week?

Erick: So we just came to visit from the Disney Hilton Head Island Resort and actually like end up meeting a lot of ⁓ folks who ⁓ watches channel. So I think it was a very great experience just to meet other people and ⁓ it was more personalized just because like the place was super quiet like that place also gives you a different a completely different vibe It's like super nice and chill and I don't know. I really have a great moment with with meeting a People who I who watch the channel over there. So yeah,

Rob: it's a, it's definitely a unique resort. If you're used to ⁓ resorts that are the parks, that one is just, it's all about the natural beauty of the place and peace and quiet as opposed to go, go, go. I say that that was that was a lovely to meet folks. Thank you to everyone who who came to chat with us and share their in the parks. was it was really nice. ⁓ my happy thought ⁓ this week is from from trip. we were actually went to ⁓ I went to go family in Charleston and then came to visit towards the end of that trip and then we came back through Hilton Head. But ⁓ my happy thought is ⁓ kind of random, which is I now at this point, as you can tell from watching the videos, I have a pretty extensive Disney wardrobe. And normally when I'm not at Disney World, ⁓ I don't necessarily wear my Disney wardrobe, right? Like I wear like, but this time I was like, you know, I'm just, that's, I'm going to, I'm going to wear my Disney gear and so many people. like stopped me to say, ⁓ my gosh, you know, I love your shirt or ⁓ my gosh, I love Disney world. And I don't know. I think a lot of times we get these souvenir things at Disney world and we just wear them when we're at the parks or, know, like maybe when we're knocking around the house, but you should next time you're, going out and about and it's appropriate to wear some of your Disney parks attire. You might try it on and you never know. You might meet. some fellow Disney parks fans. And for me, it was just unique because here in Orlando, I wear these, you know, the Disney park gear and no one gives it a glance. It's just everyone's wearing Disney parks gear here, right? It's not, it's not an interesting thing, but in Charleston, it was just a conversation starter in so many places. And I just met so many great, great folks who also love visiting Disney world. So That's all time we have for Happy Thoughts this week, but we will be back ⁓ next week with a brand new episode and Jessica will be back with us as well. ⁓ Until then, don't forget to think Happy Thoughts, everybody. We'll see you again ⁓ real soon.