I wanted to report back from my solo trip in February! I went down for the Princess races and then stayed for the week solo until my husband and daughter met me to see my son march with his high school marching band in the Magic Kingdom the following weekend. I booked three tours: Caring for Giants, Keys to the Kingdom, and the Starlight Safari and I enjoyed them so much I booked Behind the Seeds on a whim while I was there. I didn’t feel awkward on any of them. Caring for Giants was wonderful! Our guide was informative and friendly and the other guests swapped taking pictures of me and I them in the elephant habitat.
Keys to the Kingdom was great too. I was seated with the guide for lunch who was lovely. I was on the College Program back in the day and that is where she started out so we had plenty to talk about. And she was newly engaged which is always fun to chat about. I will say that I was decked out in my Princess races gear (Ears and my new Lug bag) and two of the women on my tour had just done the races too so we were chatting and I became fast friends with one of them. I would walk with them at times and chat at breaks which was nice. So if you are interested in making friends, wearing something distinctive, like a shirt with your hometown sports team or school logo that could spark a conversation might help.
I didn’t chat with anyone much at the other two tours but they weren’t awkward at all. Starlight Safari we were on the truck the whole time and Behind the Seeds was more informative and less interactive. I wouldn’t hesitate to do any of them solo if they appeal to you!
I occasionally felt a little weird dining but I think that was just because it was my first solo trip and not because of anything the restaurant or servers did. For instance, I chatted up some fellow runners at Spice Road Table but then I wanted them to feel like they could go back to their own discussion. And while I had a book with me, I think I enjoyed the places where there was more going on during the meal.
I will say the two places where I had the most fun dining was at Trader Sam’s and Crystal Palace. Trader Sam’s was an absolute blast! I was seated at the bar and had never been before so all the antics were new to me. Everyone was super friendly and in the mood for chatting too. I went to Crystal Palace the night of the half marathon and I had all my medals on and the characters were so much fun and made a big fuss. The handlers took photos for me and I actually got a wonderful selfie with Pooh that was one of my favorites of the trip. I think character meals have great people watching too so I wouldn’t hesitate to do one of those.
