First Trip Solo

[HistoryChick]

Hi solo travelers!

I'll be going to WDW for the first time solo in a few weeks. I booked the trip when they announced the 24 hour celebration. I went to the One More Disney day with a friend, and I found out too late that we are not compatible travel partners.

This time I decided to go alone. I'm nervous about a few things.

1- Walking back to the hotel room at night. I know the resorts are well-lit, but I've watched too many scary movies I guess.

2-Waiting in line. I'm afraid that the long lines are going to be very boring.

3- Getting lonely.

Things that I was worried about in the beginning, but not anymore.

1- Sit down meals. I'm excited to try out a few new places and not have to worry about if others will like something on the menu.

2- Touring. I can't wait to be the master of my own day. Arriving, departing, riding, basically anything I want on my own schedule.

Any advice? Anything you think I should bring that I wouldn't think about bringing?

 

[wendy1974]

I'm subscribing to this thread because I'll be going solo October 4th through the 9th for the first time and I have a few worries so any advice is much appreciated!

 

[jagfanjosh3252]

Hey there. I will be down for the 24 hour celebration. The later half at least. I was at the last one and it was so much fun so I had to go again.

As far as your questions. In line just either have headphones for music. I usually just talk to other people in line.

 

[wendy1974]

BTW, HistoryChick, I am totally jealous of you're trip for the 24 hour celebration at MK. I really want to do that and stay all 24 hours. Even if it means I have to sleep on the TTA or HM!!!

 

[HistoryChick]

I'm subscribing to this thread because I'll be going solo October 4th through the 9th for the first time and I have a few worries so any advice is much appreciated!

I'm hoping we can get some good advice!

 

[HistoryChick]

Hey there. I will be down for the 24 hour celebration. The later half at least. I was at the last one and it was so much fun so I had to go again.

As far as your questions. In line just either have headphones for music. I usually just talk to other people in line.

I guess I'm worried about feeling awkward. In the past I've always struck up conversations, but I'm usually with someone.

BTW, HistoryChick, I am totally jealous of you're trip for the 24 hour celebration at MK. I really want to do that and stay all 24 hours. Even if it means I have to sleep on the TTA or HM!!!

I'm planning on staying the entire 24. We'll see. Last time we did leave for a few hours to nap because we stayed out too late the night before. This time I'm worried the park will close to capacity since it is a holiday weekend.

 

[jagfanjosh3252]

Well. If you wanna meet up. I'm down. I love meeting people. I'm gonna be with sister. But doubt she is staying te whole time.

 

[spiceycat]

.

1- Walking back to the hotel room at night. I know the resorts are well-lit, but I've watched too many scary movies I guess.

2-Waiting in line. I'm afraid that the long lines are going to be very boring.

3- Getting lonely.

1 - wdw resorts are fairly safe - now theft WDW definitely has. so NEVER bring anything to WDW that would get you upset or even break your heart to lose.
if you must bring your laptop or Ipod - make sure you have it backed up before you leave home.

even the value resorts are lite up like a Xmas tree at night - and mostly you will be with others - getting off and on the buses.

2 - lines can be boring - so go with either something to listen to or do - that say first talk to others - especially those with children - some of them have been so glad to talk to another adult. sometimes the worst people to try to talk to are other singles????? never understood that.

3) now live alone so don't have that problem - just bring your cell phone so you can talk to your friends. of course since they are not there - might be a little jealous.

24 hours at Disney - boy..... hoping they change the CM or would think those people might be mean or silly.

 

[aVASTGrl]

1: I stayed at YC on my solo trip, so I often found myself walking back from Epcot late at night, and I never felt unsafe. Usually I would pull out my phone and call someone until I was back in my hotel, but as long as you stay aware of your surroundings (as you should always do!!) you'll be fine

2: I find waiting in line boring even when I'm with people! I had my Nook with me, so sometimes I'd take that out, but most of the time I just people watch! It kills more time than you'd think! I like the headphone suggestion, I think I'll try that next time!

3: Loneliness. This is what I was most worried about before my trip. I'm used to doing things alone in the real world, but for some reason, the thought of being at WDW by myself made me really nervous! But I had a blast! I'm a very quiet person (until I get to know you) so I'm not one to strike up conversations with strangers, but everywhere I went, people went out of their way to talk to me. Maybe it was partly because I had my Birthday pin on, but waiting in restaurants, on the monorail and buses, in ride lines...I had really nice convos with other guests and CMs. It made me feel less alone. Don't be afraid to ask people to take pictures for you, that's another way to interact if you start to feel sad. Utilize your social networks, too! Post pics to Facebook and make your friends and family jealous that they're not with you


I did find that eating at TS restaurants was more pleasant than eating CS, because I found hunting for tables with a laden tray in my hand really awkward. Often, once I actually found a table, I'd end up sharing it with other people, who weren't always the friendliest folks. Next solo trip, I will definitely be making more ADRs!!

 

[HistoryChick]

Thanks for all the advice! I got my Magical Express papers today, so the trip feels real now!

JagFan, what were you thinking?

 

[karly05]

I've done two solo trips now and had a fantastic time on both!

Regarding safety: as others have said and will say, always use your basic precautions, lock your door, be aware of your surroundings, etc. That said, I never felt unsafe coming "home" after dark (granted, I was never out super late). I stayed at BC last year so, like aVASTGrl, I walked home from Epcot after dark a few evenings. There were always plenty of other people doing the same thing, coming and going from the Boardwalk, Surrey bikes on the path, etc. This year I stayed at POFQ, and I was a little uneasy at first about the "exterior corridors," but they were fine; I had a great location facing the lawn where they show movies in the evening, and there were always people/families around, as well as folks coming back from the parks. I even saw the horse-drawn carriage making its rounds one evening!

On the other concerns: Well, I don't tend to get bored or lonely, so I'm not sure what to advise. I did text my sister from the parks, texted her a few photos, etc., during the day. A lot of the lines have things to look at along the way, or just people watch. I'm not terribly outgoing, and really haven't had a lot of impromptu conversations with other people, but that's fine.

I'm going to agree with aVASTGrl about TS vs CS, although I never had the experience of anyone else sitting down at my CS table. I really prefer TS seating where you are assigned a table, vs CS where you seat yourself and hope you're not taking up too much room (sometimes there aren't a lot of 2-tops).

Best advice is to have fun and go with the flow. Oh, and don't be shy about doing character meets!

 

[kittylady1972]

Great questions and advice here. Thinking of doing my own solo weekend trip for the very first time. Wish I could do the 24 hour weekend but that won't work in my budget. Instead I am aiming for the following weekend. Now if I can just get myself to decide on dates/flights and pull the trigger!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using DISBoards

 

[want2bminnie]

Great advice so far.
I'm subscribing to this thread too since I will be solo in September.

 

[Starr_DJ]

I did two solo trips to WDW last year, one intentionally (DH didn't want to come along), one not (DH got sick, couldn't come with me at the last minute). I was extremely nervous for the first one also. I had seen pictures of people that had used a stuffed animal as a subject in their pictures, and thought that was a good idea. The first thing I did after I checked in was go to the gift shop in my hotel. That's where I found Duffy - the Disney Bear. It's a little stuffed bear attached to a key chain. Duffy became my travelling companion. I took pictures of him everywhere. Every time I got off a ride I would go to the nearby gift shop area and find something that represented the ride and take a picture of Duffy with it. I have pics of him (and sometimes myself as well) in front of all of the major attractions and landmarks, watching the fireworks, etc. When I wasn't taking a picture of him he attached nicely to the outside of my purse, so he still got to see everything! I even talked to him when I got lonely... I'm a very quiet person and don't talk to strangers easily, but Duffy even helped me start a conversation with a lady while on the train at MK. One time I was taking a picture of him in front of the castle and a nice photopass CM came by and arranged him so he was sitting all by himself, then took a pic of him for me! We got a great pic when my little Duffy met the "real" Duffy - so much fun!!

WDW is the only place I would go for a solo trip, simply because it is so safe. I stayed at ASMo and ASMu for my two trips and never felt afraid to walk alone. There was always someone around, even late at night, or really early in the morning. When I was waiting in lines I always made sure I had my phone with me so I could read a book with my KOBO app. That made the time go by much faster. I also read while eating meals. I never needed reservations for TS meals - just went at not so busy hours (after 1pm for lunch) and walked up asking for a table. I usually was seated within 10 minutes.

Hope this is helpful for anyone considering a solo trip. As long as you LOVE WDW you can have an awesome time, even if you are quiet!!! Good luck and have fun!!!

 

[wendy1974]

I did two solo trips to WDW last year, one intentionally (DH didn't want to come along), one not (DH got sick, couldn't come with me at the last minute). I was extremely nervous for the first one also. I had seen pictures of people that had used a stuffed animal as a subject in their pictures, and thought that was a good idea. The first thing I did after I checked in was go to the gift shop in my hotel. That's where I found Duffy - the Disney Bear. It's a little stuffed bear attached to a key chain. Duffy became my travelling companion. I took pictures of him everywhere. Every time I got off a ride I would go to the nearby gift shop area and find something that represented the ride and take a picture of Duffy with it. I have pics of him (and sometimes myself as well) in front of all of the major attractions and landmarks, watching the fireworks, etc. When I wasn't taking a picture of him he attached nicely to the outside of my purse, so he still got to see everything! I even talked to him when I got lonely... I'm a very quiet person and don't talk to strangers easily, but Duffy even helped me start a conversation with a lady while on the train at MK. One time I was taking a picture of him in front of the castle and a nice photopass CM came by and arranged him so he was sitting all by himself, then took a pic of him for me! We got a great pic when my little Duffy met the "real" Duffy - so much fun!!

WDW is the only place I would go for a solo trip, simply because it is so safe. I stayed at ASMo and ASMu for my two trips and never felt afraid to walk alone. There was always someone around, even late at night, or really early in the morning. When I was waiting in lines I always made sure I had my phone with me so I could read a book with my KOBO app. That made the time go by much faster. I also read while eating meals. I never needed reservations for TS meals - just went at not so busy hours (after 1pm for lunch) and walked up asking for a table. I usually was seated within 10 minutes.

Hope this is helpful for anyone considering a solo trip. As long as you LOVE WDW you can have an awesome time, even if you are quiet!!! Good luck and have fun!!!

That's so good to hear! As a fellow "quiet person" that has been my biggest worry. While I am a friendly person I'm also shy and find it really super hard to start a conversation with people I don't already know.

 

[Disneyfan71]

I'm not sure if I could go to MK alone---well any Disney park for that matter. I think I would get really lonely. Unless I met up with someone from the boards. My goal is to get to Disney next year sometime

 

[kittylady1972]

DEFINITELY looking forward to this trip and can't believe it's all booked! I have my flight my car and now my hotel. I'm looking forward to giving Shades of Green a try for the very first time, AND being so close to the Poly!

 

[Mikeypro]

You would be surprised. First, you would not be alone - you would be with several thousand of people who love Disney like you do. Secondly, the freedom of going where you want to go, when you want to is an incredible feeling - particularly when you have always gone with several family members and almost your entire trip you are trying to make sure everybody ELSE is happy.

Heck, several times I have walked into a park that I was going to do that day, looked around for a minute, and then decided to go to a completely different park.

 

[karly05]

Heck, several times I have walked into a park that I was going to do that day, looked around for a minute, and then decided to go to a completely different park.

The joys of WDW solo! This year, on my last park day, I took the monorail from MK to Epcot and back just because I was craving Fish & Chips from the UK pavilion for lunch.

 

[cheriemek]

I have gone to conferences at WDW, and while there, have toured the parks alone. I have never felt unsafe walking around - I stayed at Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach and often walked to Epcot. There were always lots of people around. I am kind of shy, and don't start up many conversations, but I must look friendly because lots of people have started up conversations with me! I usually travel with a large extended family, so to be alone and do whatever I want (like have a beer and a pretzel and people watch at AK) was really a treat. I never felt lonely. I noticed more being alone, and tried to spread the magic. Often when I saw a family taking a group photo, I would stop and ask if I could take the picture so that everyone could be included. I usually ate at counter service places outdoors and never felt awkward. Weirdest experience - it was right before Hollywood Studios was closing for the night, and I was in line for TOT. You know how the line breaks off for one elevator or the other? I took the path no one else did. I was the ONLY one on the ride! I was never afraid of the TOT ride before, but riding alone was really spooky!!