going to disneyland alone?

[iloveyou_belle]

hello

i've just moved to southern california and i'm starting college once spring break is over. i really want to go to disneyland (i haven't been there for almost 10 years) but i don't know anyone around here yet. would it be advisable to go alone? its kinda embarrassing when you're walking by yourself. are there any group tours you can sign up with so at least i'm part of something?

thanks.

 

[Queenbillabong]

Hi I thought it would be tough to go by myself too (I normally go with my son), but I took the plunge and went by myself for my birthday in March for three days and then met with some other ladies for the rest of the week. It was fun! I was a bit uncomfortable at first, but then I realized that nobody gave a hoot what I was doing and just totally enjoyed myself! I met some fun people doing single rider at Toy Story (time to talk on that ride) and saw shows I had not seen before (Billy Hill). I even went to Blue Bayou by myself (which I never in a million years thought I would be brave enough to do - and had a great time!).

There are a lot of people who do go to Disneyland solo, so I would not worry. There are tours you can sign up for (Walk in Walt's Footsteps Tour is good - it's about 3 hours long and includes lunch/dinner).

I had a great time by myself and never felt out of place or embarrassed. Everyone is there to have fun - some people with screaming children might even be jealous if they see you alone

 

[mechurchlady]

I am not embarrassed to be alone unless I came to be with people and they ditched me. Nobody in the parks cares if you are alone. They just see the sights and have fun without paying attention to people. OMG SINGLE PERSON, never heard that. You can move about freely without having to stop and ogle Cruella, no potty breaks needed once you are in line, no upset feelings over what to ride, and total freedom.

I went with a friend and he has to eat every hour, cannot understand that buying chips then ice cream is expensive and he could get chips and a hot dog for less, does not do kiddie rides, stops and gawks at characters, and other stuff. Alone I go potty then do rides, I move quickly through crowds, and can use single rider lines when need be or my GAC as a fastpass. I eat twice a day and popcorn is stored in a plastic bag which is still full when I get home.

I AM FREE.
Never think about what others think as they are not interested in you unless you are giving free things away, are in their way, or are in line and not moving. Check the boards to see who is coming and set up a meet and greet and tour with some dissers.

 

[LuLusApple]

I would LOVE to go solo. I have always had to "follow" my crowd of kids. Oh the joy and freedom to people watch, watch whatever show I wanted. Eat where I want?! Jealous? You bet! You go have a great time

 

[Lakewood]

Go for it. Its nice to be able to do what/when you want to do it...

 

[mystic_path]

Go for it! Be a big kid! I mean no one watches you anyway. They are all submerged in their own business going from one exciting attraction to the next. You are going to have a WONDERFUL time no matter if you go alone or not. Try going on some of the park tours. I mean your in a small group of people you can talk to and get to know so you dont feel left out.

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I agree with the others. Go! Have fun! It'll be GREAT! You can ride what you want, when you want. Dont have to stop for other's to use the restroom, eat only when you are hungry, rest when you want for how long you want. Just sit back and enjoy and not worry about keeping everyone else entertained. I am jealous just talking about it!! Most people in line are quite friendly. No one will know you are alone and if they notice...they dont care. For all they know you are doing a baby swap type deal or the rest of your family doesn't want to ride that attraction...seriously no worries!

 

[Sherwin]

It depends on what kind of person you are. Some people go to DL mostly because they're with other people. Others feel very unrestricted without friends/relatives holding them back. It tends to be that vets are more comfortable going it alone, whereas less frequent vacation travelers are frightened at the prospect of going solo.

 

[iloveyou_belle]

thank you for all the insight and suggestions.

few other questions...mechurchlady mentioned single rider lines...what exactly is that? is it a line separate or shorter than the regular line specifically for single riders? do all the rides have them?

 

[Leofoenget]

hello

i've just moved to southern california and i'm starting college once spring break is over. i really want to go to disneyland (i haven't been there for almost 10 years) but i don't know anyone around here yet. would it be advisable to go alone? its kinda embarrassing when you're walking by yourself. are there any group tours you can sign up with so at least i'm part of something?

thanks.

I've gone alone a few times it's fun. nobody cares if you are alone believe it or not. I had one kid ask me where my family was and I just said they were riding Space Mountain. I think I told someone I was killing time waiting for my friend to get off work. People are involved in their own deal to care if you are alone. After about the second day, however, I had had enough, but 1 day solo is awsome.

 

[Sherwin]

thank you for all the insight and suggestions.

few other questions...mechurchlady mentioned single rider lines...what exactly is that? is it a line separate or shorter than the regular line specifically for single riders? do all the rides have them?

Not all rides have single-rider lines, but some of the more popular ones do. They are simply separate lines which only accommodate single riders. They may not be linearly shorter, but there are much fewer people, as most riders tend to be in parties with friends/family, etc.

 

[Evil Genius]

Go for it! I'm a single traveler and it is great. I am doing DL for the first time solo, but I've been to WDW alone plenty of times. No strange looks, allways treated well.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I'll be flying solo for a couple of days during the D23 expo. I plan on having a blast. I don't know what I think about table service meals though. That might be a bit weird.

Slightly off topic, but is there a solo rider's line for the sub's?

 

[azdisneylover]

Go have a blast! The only people looking at you will be other disboard members looking for a LGMH! So, see who else is going when you are planning, maybe you can meet for a bit, and have a great time!

 

[ukstitch]

Hi,

Just to add to what everybody here seems to be saying, I found Disneyland to be great fun when I visited for a few days on my own last year - so much so that I've booked an entire week this year.

It has a lot of advantages over being with other people - it's very easy to squeeze through the crowds when you're not worrying about losing the rest of your group, plus the single rider lines can cut a lot of time from your wait.

I visit Disneyland Paris more often than Disneyland itself, but I always visit DLP with other people and I really notice the difference.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I've taken many solo trips and loved it. It's only weird if you decide that it is. I've never been treated strangely by CMs at meals or character meet and greets.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've done two solo trips, and spent a mainly solo day before meeting up with the "divas" on the ladies trip. I love it. The CMs you talk to think it's really cool that you're alone. Others don't really care. No one has stopped and pointed b/c I'm alone (maybe for my fashion sense, but that's different). But I've traveled alone since I was 18, and I know how I deal with the solo times...since you might be around that age, you can find out how you best travel now! And how fun, to start your solo travel at DLR? Much better than figuring out where to go for your connecting flight at O'Hare airport during a red-eye flight, that's for sure!

 

[JenM]

No worries about going solo. I was there with my dad last year and we went to the parks over the weekend, but on Monday and Tuesday he was attending a convention so I headed into the parks by myself for the day - mostly to go on all the rides my dad refused to go on over the weekend! I had a blast. I went on Space Mountain 7 times and I even got my picture with Mickey & Minnie.

It's too much fun to notice it being weird that you're there by yourself. Get lots of photopass pictures and pictures on the rides, and you can even make a cool scrapbook out it.

 

[roxy72]

Hi guys, I'd like to include my experience. I went a couple weeks ago, on a Saturday (yuck!) because we had scored lunch reservations at Club 33. My family was with me for the first half of the day, and that's when I had the most fun. We went on a few rides together, walked around, and ate lunch together.

Once they left, everything went downhill for me. I didn't want to go on rides alone. I got in the Single Rider line for CA Adventure, but changed my mind at the last minute. I'm nervous about being in closed-in spaces, and found that it helped to have my family with me. I felt more relaxed and safe with their presence.

That said, I did like doing everything according to my whims. Visiting the bathroom, switching parks, walking whichever way I wanted..it was nice. But I felt Disneyland is much better experienced with family. This does not mean that you will feel the same, of course. Enjoy your trip.

P.S. Eating alone at a restaurant is one of my favorite things. It's so relaxing to sit there alone, watch people, and enjoy a delicious meal. Usually the wait-staff is friendlier to me when I sit alone, too.

 

[Sherwin]

Hi guys, I'd like to include my experience. I went a couple weeks ago, on a Saturday (yuck!) because we had scored lunch reservations at Club 33. My family was with me for the first half of the day, and that's when I had the most fun. We went on a few rides together, walked around, and ate lunch together.

Once they left, everything went downhill for me. I didn't want to go on rides alone. I got in the Single Rider line for CA Adventure, but changed my mind at the last minute. I'm nervous about being in closed-in spaces, and found that it helped to have my family with me. I felt more relaxed and safe with their presence.

That said, I did like doing everything according to my whims. Visiting the bathroom, switching parks, walking whichever way I wanted..it was nice. But I felt Disneyland is much better experienced with family. This does not mean that you will feel the same, of course. Enjoy your trip.

P.S. Eating alone at a restaurant is one of my favorite things. It's so relaxing to sit there alone, watch people, and enjoy a delicious meal. Usually the wait-staff is friendlier to me when I sit alone, too.

And that's okay too. I personally don't know how comfortable I'd be going solo, but I've never tried, so maybe one day I will find out.

Goes to show that DL means different things to different people. There are some who can waste the whole day sitting on a bench on the RoA front and people-watch, and others who can't miss a second on rides.