First Time WDW, going solo and celebrating birthday

JaezyJae

Earning My Ears
Joined
Sep 11, 2019
I have never been to Disney World and have always wanted to go so, to treat myself for my 65th birthday, and am going… Solo. (While I still can.) I am going the week of May 3-9, 2020. I would love any advice (it's overwhelming), and if anyone else is thinking of going around then, give me a shout!
 
Just about the only advice I have for solo travelers is to learn the layout of the places you want to visit since you will be the one who has to navigate there. Also, the single rider line for Expedition Everest is a fantastic way to save time.
 
-Make sure you have a My Disney Experience account and connect your tickets to it. Download the app
-Get a birthday celebration pin from guest services.
-Try to prioritize your must have FP but remember...it's OK to wing it a little. Sometimes it's more fun to see what you can get and you're there for a week. That's plenty of time to get in the major stuff.
-Don't be afraid of Meet & Greets or Character meals even as a solo. If it's something you always wanted to do but never got a chance, here it is. The characters are great with everyone so don't worry about age.
-Speaking of meals, definitely plan for any table services you want and then on your 180 day mark (out from your first day), make those reservations.
-As the poster above mentioned, there are Single Rider Lines for Everest, Test Track, Rock'n Roller Coaster, and Millennium Falcon
 
I'm headed down there in 2 weeks, and it's my first solo trip. I'm headed to that age, you've just got a couple of months on me :goodvibes
I have been before, just not alone. It's always been DH and myself (no kids).
I've gotten quite a few useful tips here, as have some others asking. A quick search of previous posts should pop them up. Scan most of the other planning threads, too. A lot of tips are useful no matter the age or number in party.

Have you chosen your resort yet? If not, you may want to give some thought to what you'd most like to do, and check out the resort options closest to that. On the other hand, the resort itself can be a big part of the trip. If you're looking for a compact, not dreadfully expensive resort, Port Orleans - French Quarter is nice. All Stars are basic motel style, but not bad. Can be a long walk to the main building for food and bus transport, though. I haven't stayed Deluxe in years, but most people who do like them.

Birthday Pins are great ❗ Not only are they a nice souvenir, but CMs and some other guests will wish you a Happy Birthday and chat with you for a moment or two. You sometimes, but not always, get little treats, too. A free dessert, a standard drink (coffee, juice, soda), a bit of fluff to show off. And nothing says you have to wear them ON your birthday. Wear them all week with pride. It took a bit to get to our age, enjoy it.

As @BrandonH mentioned, learn the layout. Disney World is BIG. If you rely on internal transport (Disney Bus, boat, monorail) it may take up to 90+ minutes to get from there to here.
Uber and Lyft are new to me, and pretty much to WDW, but seem like a much better alternative for getting from resort to resort. Disney is pretty good at getting you to and from Parks, but not to a different hotel from a hotel. I'm planning on using that for a breakfast ADR.
There's an excellent thread under Transportation that goes over this Getting from A to B at Disney It's long, but most of the really important stuff is pinned to the top of the posts. And you can always post your own questions :-)
Disney has a very good interactive map, too. You can scroll out to see the entire place, and zoom in almost to ride level. It's quite useful for figuring out what's near which -- Official WDW Map .

Look over the menus. The DIS has a good page that has menus and prices, as does AllEars. They're usually (mostly) up to date, and include pictures and reviews. Disney Dining official is also a decent source of menus but not always price - they like being vague on buffets and platter-style prices. And they don't have a lot of pictures.
Many times you can order from the child's menu, if you're not a big eater. Counter (Quick) Service really doesn't care what you order, although they sometimes balk at ordering a kid's meal and a beer. :drinking1
Table service is a bit different, depends on both the restaurant and your server. If you don't like the answer you get from your server when you ask you can always ask politely to see a manager. But even then, the answer to 'Can I order from the child's menu' is 'It depends' For a buffet or AYCE meal, it's always 'no'.

Staying onsite (Disney property) you can make your ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) at 180 days from the first night of your stay - plus at that time you can make them for your entire length of stay, not just the one day 6 months away. They aren't actual reservations, except for a few places - think of them as 'call ahead seating'
If you're not quite sure you want to eat alone in a big dining room, many of the lounges at the resorts (and parks) serve food, some from the main menu. Character meals can be fun, if you're interested, and they're just as happy to visit you as they are to stop by a whole table full of people (maybe happier - you won't have grubby little hands that tug and smear :D ).

Yes - definately get the MDE (My Disney Experience) app. It's quite helpful at showing you what needs to be done and when. I've found that working with the Disney website (Plan My Trip) is good, but sometimes the app seems to be better. It does need to be updated frequently, and mine sometimes crashes a lot, but I think that's more my phone than it is the application.

Tickets: decide how many days you want to spend in the Parks. Remember to take a day of downtime (or at least half a day). Decide if you want to visit more than one park a day. Park Hoppers are a tad expensive if you aren't planning to visit 2 or more parks every day.
But one park in the am, a break to eat lunch and wind down, then a different park in the pm is doable for the most part.
I'm going without a Hopper this trip - I think I can find enough to do in 1 park to thoroughly wear me out :rotfl:
If, for any reason between now and then, you think you might NOT go, do not link your ticket until it's time to make your FastPass+
choices.

Park Tours: can be pricy, but are an excellent way to learn more of the history behind the Parks. There are some Resort tours, also, and those are (to the best of my knowledge) free.
And kid-type activities are not just for kids. Anybody can participate in some of the free things to do in the parks. There's Pirate Adventure and Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom; KidCot Stops and Agent P's spy quest in Epcot; Wilderness Explorers in Animal Kingdom...

But I think the most 2 important pieces of advice I can offer are 1) visit with an open mind, and 2) have fun !
 


If you have a moderate resort budget in mind (and haven't gotten one yet) but think you have a bit of wiggle room, go ahead and consider the Royal Guest Room at Port Orleans Riverside or Pirate Rooms at Caribbean Beach Resort.

I think I'd actually prefer 6 just because it's more Disney and is fairly neutral in terms of the princess presence.
 
For resorts in the moderate level, i'd suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. I do like Riverside, but POFQ is more compact. Quick walk to your room from the main building/buses.

BTW, good for you for taking your first ever trip...and solo to boot! Thats awesome! It may be overwhelming, but seriously just have fun. Do what you want, eat what you want, you'll have a blast. Use your Fast Passes obviously. After you've used your 3 FPs, dont forget to check again for more. After you use your 3, you can use one FP at a time at that point. Its great!

For restaurant reservations online, sometimes the system wont find any tables for you if you search for one person. Try searching for two, you'll have better luck. I always search for two as i can never find tables for one either. You can show up at a restaurant with your ADR for two, its not a problem. Just tell the host its just you. I never had any problems with this.
 
For resorts in the moderate level, i'd suggest Port Orleans French Quarter. I do like Riverside, but POFQ is more compact. Quick walk to your room from the main building/buses.

BTW, good for you for taking your first ever trip...and solo to boot! Thats awesome! It may be overwhelming, but seriously just have fun. Do what you want, eat what you want, you'll have a blast. Use your Fast Passes obviously. After you've used your 3 FPs, dont forget to check again for more. After you use your 3, you can use one FP at a time at that point. Its great!

For restaurant reservations online, sometimes the system wont find any tables for you if you search for one person. Try searching for two, you'll have better luck. I always search for two as i can never find tables for one either. You can show up at a restaurant with your ADR for two, its not a problem. Just tell the host its just you. I never had any problems with this.

Thanks for this. It seems a little odd to go to Disney World and I figured, "If not now, when?" (I'm not getting any younger.) And solo… well I'm always 'solo' so it doesn't seem so odd to me and it's tough getting other people to do what you want to do, when you'd like to do it. And all my friends and family have kids and significant others to vacation with. But as an artist, I know I will enjoy myself just taking in all the artistry of the place. Will come home so inspired, I'm sure.
 


Thanks for this. It seems a little odd to go to Disney World and I figured, "If not now, when?" (I'm not getting any younger.) And solo… well I'm always 'solo' so it doesn't seem so odd to me and it's tough getting other people to do what you want to do, when you'd like to do it. And all my friends and family have kids and significant others to vacation with. But as an artist, I know I will enjoy myself just taking in all the artistry of the place. Will come home so inspired, I'm sure.
You'll have the best time, trust me. And no doubt you'll go home feeling very inspired. There are so many beautiful things to see in disney world. Its full of color and just so many wonderful inspiring things. :) Have a great time!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top