Doing Disneyland alone??

[keahgirl8]

Hi,

I was there by myself last September, and will be heading back this September solo. My best advice would be to take a guided tour (The Walk in Walt's Disneyland Footsteps is great!!).

Hope you have a great time!!

I did this one solo and it was amazing! I am hoping to do it again next trip, now that Walt's apartment is included!

 

[sarahb86]

When my family went to WDW I split off for a while because I wanted to do some stuff no one else wanted to. Now that I have a DL AP I've been on an afternoon solo and plan to go solo this summer since my bf only has the SoCal pass, and I'm going to do the Walt's tour by myself. It's nice to be able to go at your own pace.

Plus, people randomly talked to me and complimented my mouse ears which never would have happened if I'd been with someone. You'll be fine!

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Here is a link to DisneyAlli's trip report: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2724846

 

[dreamindizney]

I go to DL alone a couple times of year! Love it! I get to take my time and explore. Sometimes I feel like going on a ride, other times I just grab something to eat, watch a parade, or just enjoy relaxing.

-Chloe

 

[Matchboxjen]

Here is a link to DisneyAlli's trip report: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2724846

That was an awesome read! Thanks for the link!

 

[Matchboxjen]

I go to DL alone a couple times of year! Love it! I get to take my time and explore. Sometimes I feel like going on a ride, other times I just grab something to eat, watch a parade, or just enjoy relaxing.

-Chloe

Yeah I like the idea of doing what I want when I want.

 

[Matchboxjen]

Hi,

I was there by myself last September, and will be heading back this September solo. My best advice would be to take a guided tour (The Walk in Walt's Disneyland Footsteps is great!!).

Hope you have a great time!!

I've heard good things about that tour. How much does it cost?

 

[DznyPrnces]

In 45+ years of visiting, I have never visited Dland alone. Though I love sharing Dland with my family, it is one of my secret fantasies to visit solo. Someday I will do it. I think it would be so awesome to do exactly every single thing you wanted to do (when you wanted to do it) with no need to compromise.

This, exactly. One of these days I will do it.

 

[keahgirl8]

This, exactly. One of these days I will do it.

It is awesome. If you want to do it...do it! Don't let anything hold you back! There is nothing scary about it, I promise.

 

[CamoMama]

I also did a solo trip for the first time last year. I had a fantastic time. It's a lot of fun being able to take your time and look around the park at your own pace. I'm one of those people who needs to see EVERYTHING so I can drive my friends/family a little nuts when we travel, haha.

For me, I never really felt lonely in the parks. Like everyone above has said, people are in such a good mood. Eating alone didn't really bother me, but I just did quick and easy self-serve food. I might have felt differently going to Blue Bayou alone or something.

The only time I felt a little silly, as a grown 36 year old man, was getting onto certain rides solo in Fantasy Land. I did forego a couple of the kiddie rides because I think I would have felt a little dumb riding alone (like the carousel, ha). But other than that I rode everything. Single Rider is awesome. And I noticed that there are a TON of people riding alone. They may be on a solo trip, or their family may be taking a break, etc., but I noticed lots of people riding alone so at no point did it feel like I was the odd person out.

For me the only lonely part was getting back to the hotel at the end of the night and being there solo. But I was so exhausted by that point I couldn't really dwell on it, haha. One evening I did cut out of DLR early and took a drive up to LA, which was fun.

I highly recommend a solo trip. You'll have a great time.

I totally had dinner at Blue Bayou alone. It was awesome, I was at a waterside table kind of tucked away, I loved it.

I'm with you on the back to the hotel part. The only time I was really conscious of being on my own was the walk. I tried to stick with large groups of people for safety's sake, but there were times when I was walking down Katella by myself at midnight and it was a bit uncomfortable. But then I'd be at the room and wiped out.

 

[DznyPrnces]

It is awesome. If you want to do it...do it! Don't let anything hold you back! There is nothing scary about it, I promise.

Oh, I'm not scared. I just have young kids (4 year old DD, 8 month old DS) so I'll wait until they are older. Right now I take them with me and I wouldn't trade that time with them for anything (DH doesn't go so it's just the 3 of us).

 

[jfk4]

I'm going solo for the first time this month (5/19 - 5/23). I've been on solo trips before when I was in town for business, but this is the first time I've ever gone for multiple days.

I'm really looking forward to the trip. I'm planning on doing stuff that I've never had the opportunity to try when I've been there with my family. I'm planning a lunch at the Carthay Circle, the Walk in Walt's Footsteps tour, a night out at Trader Sam's, and some random touring through the shops on Buena Vista street and Cars Land. I'm used to eating by myself, but there are a number of counter service restaurants I've wanted to try (Flo's V8 and Hungry Bear come to mind), so I expect that the majority of my meals will be counter service.

I'd be ecstatic if Mickey and the Magical Map soft opens while I'm there, but I'll be back again, so if it doesn't happen I won't be too disappointed.

That said, if any other dis'ers wants to meet up while I'm there I'd be happy to oblige. As Tom says: "Disneyland is the most magical when you stay out of the lakes."

 

[keahgirl8]

Oh, I'm not scared. I just have young kids (4 year old DD, 8 month old DS) so I'll wait until they are older. Right now I take them with me and I wouldn't trade that time with them for anything (DH doesn't go so it's just the 3 of us).

That's great! A lot of people are. Every time I go, people ask who I am going with. When I say I am going by myself, they say, "I could never do that!" I say, "Yes you can!"

 

[coffeesnob]

I really hope you take our advice and go anyway. I can't even count how many times I've been there alone, and it has been wonderful. I've flown down there to LAX or SNA, driven the direct way, or the 4000-mile way. I haven't stayed at the DLR hotels (yet), but I have stayed at 7 or 8 others on Harbor Blvd without a problem. You're surrounded by tens of thousands of people sharing the same experience as you, so there's always someone to talk to. There are people there, even pretty much all the way to your hotel, so it feels safe at night.

If I would have had to wait for someone to finally commit to going to DLR with me, I wouldn't have gone for at least the past ten years, maybe more.

One time, I was getting on my ship in Peter Pan, and the CM said, "Aww, did you get left behind?"

I said, "No, everyone else did - they're still at home!"

And I know some people feel funny about dining alone, but you shouldn't. I don't because it's all a single rider line. Every trip, I walk up to Blue Bayou without a reservation and always get in, and usually close to the water - even the year they had free admission on your birthday Blue Bayou had free chocolate mousse.

The best though, is when the park closes. Nobody I've ever gone to Disneyland with will ever do this. After they won't let me on the rides anymore, I'll go to Coke Corner or Candy Palace for something to eat, and then sit on the Porch right across the street from Candy Palace and watch the exodus. Main Street stays open for an extra hour.

 

[Disney_Alli]

Here is a link to DisneyAlli's trip report: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2724846

Aren't sisters great? Lol! Thanks for the link Sam

 

[lalasmama]

That's great! A lot of people are. Every time I go, people ask who I am going with. When I say I am going by myself, they say, "I could never do that!" I say, "Yes you can!"

Funny, I get that same conversation when I go too! When I went with just DD (I was a single mom), everyone told me to be "super careful" and that I was going to be a "target" for crime. When I went on my own, people were offering me mace and telling me I was the most daring person they knew. I didn't have too much fear about it. I knew to stay in crowds, to be aware of my surroundings, and to just be smart about things... So I didn't flash cash around, I didn't load myself down with bags, and stayed as near to groups as I could.

One of my DD's friend's moms is a single mom, trying to "psych" herself up for making the trip, but she's paralyzed with fear about it. We finally agreed that I will sit down with her and take her google-map by google-map around the area so that she will feel more comfortable and familiar with the area when she's actually there. (Oh boo, spending an evening showing maps around Disneyland? How will I survive? )

 

[scothen]

I've heard good things about that tour. How much does it cost?

It costs about $100.00, however, with various discounts it is about $85.00. This includes lunch.

 

[SpiritOfAdventure1]

too scared to go alone

 

[bumbershoot]

too scared to go alone

But look at your username!

I did my first solo trip when DS was 3. We had had two trips just months apart, we were new to dlr trips beyond just a day trip or when we went with family as kids ourselves, and we had different ideas of how we should tour.

Also, traveling with a young child can feel very much NON-vacationy. So we got home and I felt like I hadn't relaxed in a year and it was impacting my moods and everything. So DH asked if I wanted to have a weekend trip. I said yes and we made it happen, and I got my vacation. DH took off the Friday (or he might have brought DS in with him. It I think that was a later trip) and they spent the weekend having a living room camp out, doing manly things like burping without excusing themselves and having a fabulous time.

We were all very happy when I got back, but it was awesome and not at all scary.

 

[Phoenixrising]

Back when I was single and scuba diving, I went on alot of trips solo, and had a blast doing it. DL has to be one of the safest places IMHO to travel solo. Now that I'm married with kids, these solo trips, rare as they are, are very special to me. It gives me time to re-energize, and this year's solo trip in Nov is badly needed after the rotten year I've had so far. The only thing that I didn't like on my Oct/10 solo trip was the walk at the end of the day to HOJO's. While I don't mind walking with a group to and from this hotel, I didn't feel safe doing it solo. But that's just me, other's may not have a problem. This time I'm staying at BWPPI, and am looking forward to staying there. If I didn't do things because of the fear issue, I'd never have had some amazing experiences traveling solo. Don't let fear get in the way of doing things you want to do.