First Solo Trip~Any advice?

[clombardi]

I am a Disney veteran but have never been there alone. I am so excited to have a trip planned with my own Disney joy as my priority instead of worrying about everyone else's needs!

Any advice from verteran solo WDW visitors?
What are some things you are glad you did on your own?
What would you not do again on your own at WDW?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Taja]

Just relax and enjoy! Use common sense, do things you've always wanted to do but haven't (even if it's a ride everyone in your family will ridicule!), dine at places that interest you--all on your own timetable!

 

[travelin' tigger]

I am a Disney veteran but have never been there alone. I am so excited to have a trip planned with my own Disney joy as my priority instead of worrying about everyone else's needs!

Any advice from verteran solo WDW visitors?
What are some things you are glad you did on your own?
What would you not do again on your own at WDW?

Thanks in advance!

I love the freedom to do what I want, when I want. Go on your favorite rides as many times as you want. Try out new restaurants. Sleep in if you desire. The list goes on and on...

Things I'm glad I did on my own: Jumping on the first bus that comes along and meeting new friends, especially from DIS.

Things I would not do: Can't think of anything but just be cautious coming back to your room at night. I've never been worried or scared even though it's WDW, but just be aware of your surroundings.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[Elysiannn]

Go and just thoroughly enjoy yourself!!! I've gone a few times solo and it's bliss!!! You chart your own day. There are plenty of people to talk to if you want or if you don't want! I loved being able to go back when I started to get cranky and resting then going back till the parks closed. It's a whole different experience. Enjoy! Ely

 

[Stacy's a freak]

I stayed at POP because I was on a budget and knew that I wouldn't spend any time in the room, let alone the resort.

Suggestions..

1. Bring a cell phone. The first time I walked down Main Street, I was all choked up (as usual) but I had no one to share it with. So I called my parents who were really supportive and excited for me (even at 32, I'm a child in WDW ).

2. Buy a balloon just for yourself (and give it away to some one when it becomes unruly to hold).

3. Take in the sites at your own pace.

4. Ride TOT (or IASW) as many times in a row as you can stomach.

5. Talk to strangers.

6. Get pictures with all of the characters you can find. I was lucky enough to have Mickey all to myself for about 10 minutes in Toon Town!!

... well, the list can go on and on. The point is to do whatever makes you the happiest.

Being solo in WDW was one of the most fun things I've done in my life. Since I was free to do whatever I wanted, it almost felt like I had WDW all to myself. Odd, yes. But wonderful too! For those of us who LOVE WDW, we understand that "disney" feeling.

Have a great time!

 

[clombardi]

Thanks for all the great advice! I cannot believe that I will actually be able to buy something at the bakery on Main Street then sit and eat it at a little table in that "alley" and people watch! My kids would never be able to handle that!

 

[twotoohappy]

2. Buy a balloon just for yourself (and give it away to some one when it becomes unruly to hold).

4. Ride TOT (or IASW) as many times in a row as you can stomach.

Ok, these two had my cracking up! LOL! Ride IASW as many times as I can stomach

Hey Stacy...... Where's "Jellyrolls is a great place to go solo at night"

 

[spotdog]

If you arrive at Typhoon Lagoon early, there is often a single chair available in a prime shaded spot. Drop an old T-shirt and ride every slide in the park. Float around the lazy river...twice. Then get some ice cream and return to your chair.

Spend some time reading a naughty novel and then throw on some shorts and a shirt and take the bus to your favorite park.

 

[Thumper's Tara]

I just got back from a solo trip and it was amazing...here is what I learned.

Go at your own pace and do what you want! I was all about getting up early and hitting the parks. About lunch time, it would start to get crowded and I would start to get grumpy. Instead of staying, I would take off and do something different (nap, hang at the pool, etc). There was no pressure to continue having "fun"

Eat at restaurants you are dying to try. For me it was California Grill and Maaraakesh. My family wasn't up to trying them, but on my own I went and enjoyed.

Find a thoughtful spot and soak up the atmosphere - I did this in Epcot while enjoying some French pastries. Amazing. People watching is great almost anywhere.

Go to Downtown Disney and shop at your pace...not your family's

Meet new people...talk to the CMs about working at Disney

eat chocolate cake (or whatever) for breakfast...

I could go on and on!

 

[maine_jennifer]

Best things - do what you want, when you want. Eat what you want, when you want. Sleep as long as you want (or as short as you want, when you want. This is the best part - not having to worry about making anyone else happy. I agree, buy a balloon, enjoy the fireworks, smile and say hello to people, enjoy yourself. Have a nice sit down meal. Make an ADR for Cindy's. Enjoy a character meal if that's your thing. I've been on three solo trips and have three more planned for this year. It's not neccesarily because it's Disney, but because it's a comfortable place to vacation.

Cheers!

 

[CarolynNC]

What are some things you are glad you did on your own?

My WDW solo trip theme song courtesy of The Mama's and the Papas.

You gotta go where you wanna go,
Do what you wanna do
With whoever you wanna do it with.
You gotta go where you wanna go,
And do what you wanna do
With whoever you wanna do it with.

I'm planning my second solo trip and that song just keeps singing in my head. I've visited WDW multiple times since my first visit in 1972. I have never had a more enjoyable trip than my first solo trip last August. Going again in May!

 

[gatour]

Since you mentioned about "people watching". Get a glance of wine at the French wine kiosk and grab one of the little round tables next to it. Other "only in Disney" lounges is the Outer Rim in the afternoon where you can watch all of the activities on the lake. The lounge at Fulton's is similiar.

But as others have said, do things that you want to do when you want do it.

If you are a foodie, eat at restaurants where you can watch the action in the kitchen. Flying Fish and California grill comes to mind. If interested, I or others can come up with others. Many times the chefs/cooks will interact with you.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've only been to WDW three times, (see signature,) trip #1 was with my immediate family, trip #2 was with my whole family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins,) and trip #3 was solo.

My favorite trip was my solo trip. My first trip, we only ate at one TS, Sci-Fi, my second trip we ate at CRT and Hoop Dee Doo all together, and then some of us ate at San Angel Inn and 50's Prime Time. I knew I wanted to try a whole bunch of other restaurants at the parks then and there, but I would never have been able to do that with other people. So when I go solo, I make at least two ADR's a day, and get to try all the places I want to, not caring about anyone elses likes, or dislikes. (My family would never go to Boma, and that's one of my favorites.)

Another thing is the rides, I get to ride what I want, when I want. For me, this meant numerous rides of Soarin, ToT, and Winnie the Pooh. Also, it was easier to decide when to get FP, and I could use the singles line, enabling me to use all of my FP in Epcot for Soarin, and not worrying about a long wait for Test Track, since the singles line never went above a five minute wait.

Also, I'm the only one in my family who cares about the characters, so I was able to get many more pictures and autographs then I ever had.

Another tip I could give you, is to make sure you have a park hopper pass, (unless you have an AP,) so you can go to park from park. Every day, except for two days, I park hopped, so it was well worth the extra $30 or whatever it was.

I could also leave or go back to ASMU whenever I wanted to, sleep when I wanted, I never had to wait for a bus, or worry about getting seperated from my group after Wishes/Illuminations/Fantasmic, when there's a whole mob of people, I could just move semi-quickly, and always got on the first bus.

Hope this helps.

 

[BlindTyldak]

Whenever I go I always try to take a day, or at least a few hours, at a park by myself. some of my favorite things to do:

1.) Ride Splash during the fireworks. Nothing like coming down that big hill with the fireworks going off over the castle. I used to ride the Skyway during this when it was still there.

2.) Catch a street performance, especially in MGM.

3.) Check out every nook and cranny of the World Showcase. Most people walk into the major area or to the ride or movie and walk out again. often in an out of the way area you can find a CM assigned to that place who is more than happy to have someone to chat with since they don't see as many people.

4.) Take an evening for the Adventurer's Club in PI if you're going there. That place is so fun for singles but is not "pick-up central".

5.) Singles lines, and don't forget to hold up a "1" finger as you're gettng to the front of the line on everything else!

6.) Actually ENJOY Innoventions.

7.) Spread the magic. Someone suggested buying a balloon and giving it away when it became a pain. I've bought puppets and interacted with kids in lines, and the parents love the distraction (and keeps your area of the line quieter as well!).

8.) Take one of the tours that are more for adults.

9.) Ask a CM about anything that interests you. No one else is waiting on the answer, and you'll get to do some great things. I've gotten to ride in the front seat of every roller coaster (often waiting to let a lot of other people go first, to be more fair), talked to several chefs, and found out about several small tours (many free!) I never knew about.

10.) check out the offerings at hotels. Tours, cooking classes, horseback riding, you name it. or rent yourself a boat for an hour and just cruise to your heart's content.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I agree with talking to the CMs. I always make sure to say "Thanks" to the CMs who don't usually get much interaction with guests-the bus drivers (how often do they get thanked), the CM with the flashlight when you leave the park, the CM cleaning the ladies room. And if you stop to ask one of these CMs how their day is going, you can get some real interesting info on working at WDW. Not too many guests talk to them, so they welcome the opportunity to talk, and they've often got some interesting stories about things they've seen!

 

[Hobbes]

I know this probably sounds really sappy, but the only thing I regretted on my solo trip was not having someone to share stuff with-so a very big Thank you to an adorable little girl called Abigail and especially her trusting parents who allowed her to sit next to me to watch Spectromagic-after 10 days of seeing and doing stuff just for me it was wonderful to share the magic with a 3 year old!