We answer to many names at times, nicknames, last names, pet names, names we love, and names we hate. I answer to names like Amanda, Sue, Mom, and Panda, but my favorite thing to answer to, besides “mom” of course, is Aunt ‘Manda. I love being an auntie. I think my favorite times lately have been to make memories with the little ones in our families. To take my nephews to an indoor water park in the dead of winter, felt epic at the time, all for the memories. Wave pools, arcade games, water slides and french fries, oh my. The laughter was worth it.
Now they say that Disney is the most magical place on earth. I’ve been a few times; Disney does not disappoint, but is it magical when you walk in alone? Is it a magical Main Street while solo? Is it still fun when watching out for numero uno? The answer surprised me. My sister had been planning a trip to Disney for over a year and I always told her, if I was able to tag on to her trip, somehow, I would. The memories of her kids’ faces brings me so much joy, it’s unexpectedly wonderful.
So I started poking around the internet. Started texting and inquiring about all pieces of this travel puzzle. I started investigating scenarios. Hotels. Flights. With Enzo and Tony. Without Tony. Without Enzo. What were the options? Airport parking. Do I have a suitcase after the great basement sewage flood of ‘24. What would be my food options per day? Which days were possible. And then, would this even work with Courtney’s schedule with her family.
The stars began to align.
The next thing I know, I’m on a plane to Orlando and there’s no looking back.
The minute I landed I made all my calls that I arrived safely and I checked into my hotel with ease. Do you know how easy it is to wheel one suitcase through the airport alone? How is it to call an uber for one? Dinner for one? Instacart snacks for one? Two hotel beds, one for me, one for my stuff. I settled easily into this trip. I leaned in happily. I felt silly at times, sure, but hey, what’s life without some silly?
Monday was my travel day. Got settled at my hotel and had dinner quietly by the pool at my hotel. Got to bed early. Highlight: the kids in the pool whispered to each other not to splash the old lady. I looked behind me, looked around me, and seeing as I was the only other person there, I realized I was in fact, the Old Lady. Aghast or not, I just ate my food and smiled and internally laughed at how old lady I really am.
Tuesday was Mickey shaped waffles at the hotel breakfast! And then a 9am Dr appointment with Cleveland Clinic Endocrinology via zoom in my hotel room. Once 10AM rolled around, I set off to meet Courtney at her resort pool with her husband and children. Uber to the rescue. Once there with her littles, we played ball and practiced swimming. We raced, we danced, I was asked to “watch this” and in fact “watched this” innumerable times. They swam, they jumped, they held their noses and closed their eyes. I worked on my base tan all day, and by that I mean, I forgot to reapply and got fried. So, sunburned and loving it, I went back to the hotel and just rested by the time dinner rolled around. It was a perfect day of forgetting to take pictures, per usual.
Wednesday was the big day! Magic Kingdom day! Courtney had a character breakfast reservation planned at 9:30a, so I said I would meet them outside the Crystal Palace at 10:30am when breakfast was over. The park opened at 9; I had an hour and a half of just me before Aunt ‘Manda mode kicked into overdrive.
Before I left the hotel though, I had packed my miniature bookbag with essentials: bottle of water, battery backup for my cell, sugar snacks including melt mints and juice box, umbrella, insulin, omnipod, dexcom, rubbing alcohol pads, and sunscreen especially for my face and tattoos. I also had a fanny pack with my ID and forms of payment, sunglasses, antibacterial wipes, and my Baqsimi (medical emergency nasal powder just in case I faint from low blood sugar). Packing as a type 1 diabetic was worrisome but that was all in vain. No need to worry. Diabetics can do this. And I did.
When I walked through the gates into Magic kingdom, I did so with such ease, I didn’t even realize I was in the park until I was actually past city hall guest services and the castle was at the end of the main street, plain as day. So many others were being searched but they didn’t search me. I didn’t have a stroller or a cooler and a giant umbrella, etc, etc. It was smooth.
I had an informal itinerary in my mind. Sleepy Hollow for a fruit topped waffle and a hot black coffee and a coconut dole whip atop a pineapple upside down cake from Aloha Isle. I’d also be fine if I wandered upon a caramel apple, but I’ll get that on my way out if need be.
For now, I had time to just be. SO, I grabbed that famous fruit waffle from Sleepy Hollow. It felt like a date… with myself. I found a small table and a stool to sit at in the corner, families were all around scrambling around, not fighting over tables per se, but it was 9 am at Disney, at this point no one was sweaty, or dehydrated and they were still in the mood to share and bring magic for their kids, but the panic of eating fast and riding rides was in their eyes. Not me though. I found my waffle, coffee and a table. A quiet breakfast in Disney, alone. It was serene , tasty, and lovely. It was a magical win. I did not stop there. I found a shortcut through some buildings and went from Frontier Town to Adventureland real fast, all the way to Aloha Isle for that Dole Whip. To my delight, they didn’t only have pineapple dole whip, they also had coconut. You bet your ass I got coconut dole whip on a piece of pineapple upside down cake. I sat on a rock outside Aladdin’s magic carpet ride and took my time savoring this coconut creaminess. At one point Aladdin and Jasmine walked by. Everyone around me was oohing and awing over their perfect costumes and superb hair and makeup. They were in character to a T, but I just shouted “Street Rat!” and went back to my dole whip and pineapple cake. It was a delight. This was all before 10 AM.
After we all met up, we were able to enjoy some classic rides as a family, especially some staples for the little ones. It was magical to see these monuments through their eyes. But half way through the day, the time had come when all children must resist. It may be a dirty word sometimes, but it’s a hard truth for many. That’s right, it was time for the kids to return to their resort to nap. They needed to rejuvenate if they were to make it to fireworks later in the day.
Courtney stayed with me and we rode so many rides. It poured down rain and we rode rides. The sun came out and we rode rides. And then stopped for more dole whip and some cheeseburger spring rolls and pizza spring rolls. Amazing. To sit on a bench with my sister, eating Disney snacks, and people watching! What a time to be alive.
Now the time came when I remembered I was a type 1 diabetic. I was doing well keeping my sugar under control and monitoring myself like a healthy diabetic should. I was walking and sweating and hydrating and monitoring. It was great. Even in the rain. But wait, the sweat, the rain, the sweat and rain, my Omnipod insulin pump melted off of me. My Dexcom glucose monitor stayed solid the entire day and for three days following the trip. But that damn Omnipod insulin pump lasted 12 hours, and then melted away. I couldn’t blame it. It was starting to get dark and we were in front of the castle picking out a spot to sit for fireworks. As I look down and realize my insulin is leaking out of the pod down my arm, I see across the way the first aid center. It’s within sight. So, I headed there. It was so nice. It honestly was just like a four room doctor office. I was able to sit, cool down, lay out all my supplies, change my pod, get it started and join in the fun. I was safe, and my needles went into safe sharps containers. It was fabulous. If you think you cannot go to disney because you’re diabetic, stop lying to yourself. It’s possible and it’s possible to have a blast.
So, is Disney magical when you’re solo?
Absolutely.
It’s magical in the triumphant moments of walking into the park and seeing the castle without worry of others. It’s magical in the quiet breakfast moments no one else sees. It’s magical in the laughter of nieces and nephews doing cannonballs. It’s magical on benches with your sister, in the rain, eating cheeseburger spring rolls like queens. It’s magical when you take care of yourself, pack the emergency juice box, and walk into a place that wasn’t built for diabetics and make it yours anyway.
This trip wasn’t just about joining my sister’s family at Disney. It was about proving to myself that I could still adventure, still show up fully as Amanda, sure, but also as Aunt ‘Manda to do something just for me.
And the next time I hear, “Aunt ‘Manda, watch this!” I’ll remember that before I watched them, I watched myself soak up a solo day of pure joy. And that? That’s a memory worth keeping.
