MEcation! Solo Traveller to Disney World

[Ryan2016]

Hello

I had gone through some personal life issues, and so I am taking a MEcation to hopefully bring back some of that Disney joy and magic back into my life. This is one of the places that I have found in the world that I can forget about reality for a little while and life’s problems and just live like a child again and just have some fun! No a kid all the time so may be a few drinks too!!??!! HAHA!

This will be the first time in my life that I am going to Disney World solo. I have not been to Disney world since 2017, so I am long overdue. HAHA! I was in Disneyland in 2018 but sorry people it was not the same. I really enjoyed Disneyland, and it was an awesome experience, but it didn’t have the same magic.

I will be staying on property from August 26th till September 4th and unfortunately, I will be going cheap as it will just be a place to sleep and rest or pool break before I am back in the parks. I have no issue with buses to the parks…as every penny counts….

Since I have not been to a Disney World park in over 8 years, I was wondering want I need to know about the parks before I go or what has been some of the major changes to the planning and experiences…..

It looks like the dining reservation system is reservation systems appears to be the same, so booking reservations I have no issues with. Although I am always looking for dining suggestions, especially now as solo traveler, so that I will not make me feel uncomfortable dining alone.

Fastpasses were eliminated a few years after my 1st first and then I think it went to a my experience passes….This is where I am lost….This has changed so much since I have been…The last time I was at Disney World you could book “fastpasses” for free, I believe 3 a day till you used them or till a specific time of the day and you could get more….Is this still a thing? In DisneyLand it was a Maxpass for a price and I think a regular “Fastpass” was still free…I maybe wrong on that….

Are there any free options still or Is it worth rolling the dice and just waiting in a regular line as a single?? Time is on my side as I have zero obligations or people to accommodate and I am travelling at a slower time of year.

I guess what I am also looking for here is what are some of the do’s and don’ts I should know or watch out for as a single traveller Disney? Maybe if people are willing to share some of their experiences (positive or negative) as solo travel so I can take these under consideration.

Thanks for your time. I am really looking forward to a new experience and adventure!

 

[Newsies]

Hey there! You're really going to love your MEcation My solo trip last year was my favorite. I went around the same time as you in early September last year, I can link my TR here if you want to read about the experience I had. There are my best tips for you based on what you're looking for:

Dining
-Reservations are mostly the same but the window to book them has changed from 180 days to 60 days. You are coming up on this window and should be able to book what you want sometime next week I believe

-I ate at a variety of restaurants this trip from bar seating to buffets to quick service to just classic sit-down restaurants. My philosophy for solo traveling is always to eat where you want and do what you want, but I know that can be easier said than done if you're not used to going to restaurants alone at home. The CMs are totally used to solo travelers dining at their restaurant and none of the other guests will notice you -- truly, even the experiences I was anxious about (namely buffet dining) ended up being fine.

-With that being said, I found that restaurants that offer bar seating or lounges were the most comfortable for me as a solo diner. Now, some of them are more expensive - I splurged on Jiko on my last trip because I was staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I have no regrets. Nomad Lounge was another favorite of mine from the last trip, it is a more reasonable option with great drinks and small bites and just a perfect break during a DAK day. Tune-In Lounge at 50's Prime Time Cafe is another great option.

-You are going to be at the parks during the Food & Wine Festival, I definitely recommend building that in to your plans. It starts in Epcot on August 28th and a week or two before the festival starts, they should drop the full menus for each booth around the countries. Enjoying small bites as you stroll around the Park will fill you up without having to sit down at a table, they're mostly economical dishes (though they can add up quickly), and you'll get to try a wide variety of food.

Lightning Lane/Reducing Your Wait Times
-Don't forget that there are a few single rider lines (Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Expedition Everest, potentially Test Track when it re-opens, Smugglers Run, Rock'N'Roller Coaster, sometimes Rise of the Resistance on a really busy day) to take advantage of! You are at an advantage as a solo traveler regardless, as even if you have to wait in the regular standby line, you may even skip 2 or 3 minutes at the loading area if they need to fill a seat with a party of one, haha.

-You are correct in that there are no more free FP+ services, it was replaced with Lightning Lane. There are actually a couple of different Lightning Lane options that you can explore, I recommend doing some deeper digging on this as you may decide some options are worth the splurge. One is Lightning Lane Multipass which works almost exactly like the FP+ system you remember, you will be able to buy this option 7 days before your trip and pre-select 3 different lightning lanes in advance. You pay for this per-day, so if you wanted to just do this service for, say, Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you can do so, but in general I don't think you need this for a solo trip in late August-early September. Crowds will be mostly mild and if you're trying to save money, I don't always think this is the best use of $20-$50 for a solo traveler, especially since you already have realistic expectations about waiting in line.

-There is another type of Lightning Lane option called Individual Lightning Lane where you can pay a few dollars to ride one of the most popular attractions in each park once. Magic Kingdom has Tron & Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Epcot has Guardians of the Galaxy, Hollywood Studios has Ride of the Resistance, and Animal Kingdom has Flight of Passage. These can be a splurge at $10-$25 depending on what you want to ride and what day, but if you have your heart set on riding Tron, Guardians, or Rise of the Resistance, I do actually find that these are worth the money as they will save you a good deal of waiting for these attractions.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party can be your friend, even if you don't have tickets. I find that the morning/afternoon of a Halloween Party is the best and least crowded time to visit Magic Kingdom, these are always very chill days if you don't mind missing the fireworks or can return for fireworks on another day. You'll have to leave the park at 6 PM, so you can hop somewhere else, enjoy a dinner at Disney Springs, or do some resort exploring.


General
-Are you flying to Orlando? Disney's Magical Express (free option) is no longer available, but you can visit the Mears Connect website to book basically the same service. It's $16 one-way or $32 round-trip now for the shared bus service. Won't get you to your hotel faster than taking an Uber, but if you're on a budget, you'll save a few dollars versus using a rideshare service.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is expensive but if you can cut back on one of your ticketed day and do a party instead, I think this is a really fun and special thing to do during a fall trip. As you'll be going in August/Early September, these tickets will be a few dollars cheaper than they will be in October, though crowds will likely be the same. Weather can be hit-or-miss and definitely impacts the party as most of the entertainment (meet & greets, parade, fireworks show, stage show) rely on good weather. August & September is not exactly known for having clear skies, so that aspect of the party will be a gamble, but either way you'll get to trick-or-treat for "free" candy, enjoy some slightly lower wait times for most rides, ride a few rides that have special overlays to them, and try some fun snacks that are not available during the day. Swapping a park day for a party ticket also gives you the opportunity to sleep in and enjoy the pool at your resort. If you do it later in your week, you'll give yourself some extra time to pack and get your belongings in order. I used the morning of my party day to pack, call and book a bounceback offer in my hotel room, and take some merchandise I purchased that week to the hotel gift shop to have it shipped back to my home because I couldn't fly with everything... it was actually the most productive morning I've ever had

-I don't have anything negative to say about travelling solo. You get to make the rules and be as flexible as you want to be. You are going to love your vacation!

 

[Ryan2016]

Hey there! You're really going to love your MEcation My solo trip last year was my favorite. I went around the same time as you in early September last year, I can link my TR here if you want to read about the experience I had. There are my best tips for you based on what you're looking for:

Dining
-Reservations are mostly the same but the window to book them has changed from 180 days to 60 days. You are coming up on this window and should be able to book what you want sometime next week I believe

-I ate at a variety of restaurants this trip from bar seating to buffets to quick service to just classic sit-down restaurants. My philosophy for solo traveling is always to eat where you want and do what you want, but I know that can be easier said than done if you're not used to going to restaurants alone at home. The CMs are totally used to solo travelers dining at their restaurant and none of the other guests will notice you -- truly, even the experiences I was anxious about (namely buffet dining) ended up being fine.

-With that being said, I found that restaurants that offer bar seating or lounges were the most comfortable for me as a solo diner. Now, some of them are more expensive - I splurged on Jiko on my last trip because I was staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I have no regrets. Nomad Lounge was another favorite of mine from the last trip, it is a more reasonable option with great drinks and small bites and just a perfect break during a DAK day. Tune-In Lounge at 50's Prime Time Cafe is another great option.

-You are going to be at the parks during the Food & Wine Festival, I definitely recommend building that in to your plans. It starts in Epcot on August 28th and a week or two before the festival starts, they should drop the full menus for each booth around the countries. Enjoying small bites as you stroll around the Park will fill you up without having to sit down at a table, they're mostly economical dishes (though they can add up quickly), and you'll get to try a wide variety of food.

Lightning Lane/Reducing Your Wait Times
-Don't forget that there are a few single rider lines (Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Expedition Everest, potentially Test Track when it re-opens, Smugglers Run, Rock'N'Roller Coaster, sometimes Rise of the Resistance on a really busy day) to take advantage of! You are at an advantage as a solo traveler regardless, as even if you have to wait in the regular standby line, you may even skip 2 or 3 minutes at the loading area if they need to fill a seat with a party of one, haha.

-You are correct in that there are no more free FP+ services, it was replaced with Lightning Lane. There are actually a couple of different Lightning Lane options that you can explore, I recommend doing some deeper digging on this as you may decide some options are worth the splurge. One is Lightning Lane Multipass which works almost exactly like the FP+ system you remember, you will be able to buy this option 7 days before your trip and pre-select 3 different lightning lanes in advance. You pay for this per-day, so if you wanted to just do this service for, say, Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you can do so, but in general I don't think you need this for a solo trip in late August-early September. Crowds will be mostly mild and if you're trying to save money, I don't always think this is the best use of $20-$50 for a solo traveler, especially since you already have realistic expectations about waiting in line.

-There is another type of Lightning Lane option called Individual Lightning Lane where you can pay a few dollars to ride one of the most popular attractions in each park once. Magic Kingdom has Tron & Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Epcot has Guardians of the Galaxy, Hollywood Studios has Ride of the Resistance, and Animal Kingdom has Flight of Passage. These can be a splurge at $10-$25 depending on what you want to ride and what day, but if you have your heart set on riding Tron, Guardians, or Rise of the Resistance, I do actually find that these are worth the money as they will save you a good deal of waiting for these attractions.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party can be your friend, even if you don't have tickets. I find that the morning/afternoon of a Halloween Party is the best and least crowded time to visit Magic Kingdom, these are always very chill days if you don't mind missing the fireworks or can return for fireworks on another day. You'll have to leave the park at 6 PM, so you can hop somewhere else, enjoy a dinner at Disney Springs, or do some resort exploring.


General
-Are you flying to Orlando? Disney's Magical Express (free option) is no longer available, but you can visit the Mears Connect website to book basically the same service. It's $16 one-way or $32 round-trip now for the shared bus service. Won't get you to your hotel faster than taking an Uber, but if you're on a budget, you'll save a few dollars versus using a rideshare service.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is expensive but if you can cut back on one of your ticketed day and do a party instead, I think this is a really fun and special thing to do during a fall trip. As you'll be going in August/Early September, these tickets will be a few dollars cheaper than they will be in October, though crowds will likely be the same. Weather can be hit-or-miss and definitely impacts the party as most of the entertainment (meet & greets, parade, fireworks show, stage show) rely on good weather. August & September is not exactly known for having clear skies, so that aspect of the party will be a gamble, but either way you'll get to trick-or-treat for "free" candy, enjoy some slightly lower wait times for most rides, ride a few rides that have special overlays to them, and try some fun snacks that are not available during the day. Swapping a park day for a party ticket also gives you the opportunity to sleep in and enjoy the pool at your resort. If you do it later in your week, you'll give yourself some extra time to pack and get your belongings in order. I used the morning of my party day to pack, call and book a bounceback offer in my hotel room, and take some merchandise I purchased that week to the hotel gift shop to have it shipped back to my home because I couldn't fly with everything... it was actually the most productive morning I've ever had

-I don't have anything negative to say about travelling solo. You get to make the rules and be as flexible as you want to be. You are going to love your vacation!

This is awesome information! I think the biggest worry for me is the dining experience being solo....I do it sometimes at home but not too often...

I have done a lot of the food and wine festivals over the years and the Halloween parties and they were amazingly great times.....I am hoping to get into one or two of the epcot food and wine pairing events......crossing my fingers...the Halloween party...I haven't decided yet due to the extra costs...it may change if I can't get into my food and wine events...

WOW there is a lot to unpack from your post here and other post.....but as I said this is great information! I really appreciate it!

I am looking forward to this new adventure....

 

[happily single]

Congrats on your first solo trip. There is a group for solo travelers on the Dis. There are also several Solo groups on Facebook. I’ve dined solo at Disney restaurants and other places, no one will look at you twice. It’s very common

 

[kanerf]

One suggestion. If you have trouble getting a reservation for one, try booking for two. When you check-in, you just set it for one.

 

[hardcorestitch]

A

Hey there! You're really going to love your MEcation My solo trip last year was my favorite. I went around the same time as you in early September last year, I can link my TR here if you want to read about the experience I had. There are my best tips for you based on what you're looking for:

Dining
-Reservations are mostly the same but the window to book them has changed from 180 days to 60 days. You are coming up on this window and should be able to book what you want sometime next week I believe

-I ate at a variety of restaurants this trip from bar seating to buffets to quick service to just classic sit-down restaurants. My philosophy for solo traveling is always to eat where you want and do what you want, but I know that can be easier said than done if you're not used to going to restaurants alone at home. The CMs are totally used to solo travelers dining at their restaurant and none of the other guests will notice you -- truly, even the experiences I was anxious about (namely buffet dining) ended up being fine.

-With that being said, I found that restaurants that offer bar seating or lounges were the most comfortable for me as a solo diner. Now, some of them are more expensive - I splurged on Jiko on my last trip because I was staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge and I have no regrets. Nomad Lounge was another favorite of mine from the last trip, it is a more reasonable option with great drinks and small bites and just a perfect break during a DAK day. Tune-In Lounge at 50's Prime Time Cafe is another great option.

-You are going to be at the parks during the Food & Wine Festival, I definitely recommend building that in to your plans. It starts in Epcot on August 28th and a week or two before the festival starts, they should drop the full menus for each booth around the countries. Enjoying small bites as you stroll around the Park will fill you up without having to sit down at a table, they're mostly economical dishes (though they can add up quickly), and you'll get to try a wide variety of food.

Lightning Lane/Reducing Your Wait Times
-Don't forget that there are a few single rider lines (Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Expedition Everest, potentially Test Track when it re-opens, Smugglers Run, Rock'N'Roller Coaster, sometimes Rise of the Resistance on a really busy day) to take advantage of! You are at an advantage as a solo traveler regardless, as even if you have to wait in the regular standby line, you may even skip 2 or 3 minutes at the loading area if they need to fill a seat with a party of one, haha.

-You are correct in that there are no more free FP+ services, it was replaced with Lightning Lane. There are actually a couple of different Lightning Lane options that you can explore, I recommend doing some deeper digging on this as you may decide some options are worth the splurge. One is Lightning Lane Multipass which works almost exactly like the FP+ system you remember, you will be able to buy this option 7 days before your trip and pre-select 3 different lightning lanes in advance. You pay for this per-day, so if you wanted to just do this service for, say, Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, you can do so, but in general I don't think you need this for a solo trip in late August-early September. Crowds will be mostly mild and if you're trying to save money, I don't always think this is the best use of $20-$50 for a solo traveler, especially since you already have realistic expectations about waiting in line.

-There is another type of Lightning Lane option called Individual Lightning Lane where you can pay a few dollars to ride one of the most popular attractions in each park once. Magic Kingdom has Tron & Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Epcot has Guardians of the Galaxy, Hollywood Studios has Ride of the Resistance, and Animal Kingdom has Flight of Passage. These can be a splurge at $10-$25 depending on what you want to ride and what day, but if you have your heart set on riding Tron, Guardians, or Rise of the Resistance, I do actually find that these are worth the money as they will save you a good deal of waiting for these attractions.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party can be your friend, even if you don't have tickets. I find that the morning/afternoon of a Halloween Party is the best and least crowded time to visit Magic Kingdom, these are always very chill days if you don't mind missing the fireworks or can return for fireworks on another day. You'll have to leave the park at 6 PM, so you can hop somewhere else, enjoy a dinner at Disney Springs, or do some resort exploring.


General
-Are you flying to Orlando? Disney's Magical Express (free option) is no longer available, but you can visit the Mears Connect website to book basically the same service. It's $16 one-way or $32 round-trip now for the shared bus service. Won't get you to your hotel faster than taking an Uber, but if you're on a budget, you'll save a few dollars versus using a rideshare service.

-Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is expensive but if you can cut back on one of your ticketed day and do a party instead, I think this is a really fun and special thing to do during a fall trip. As you'll be going in August/Early September, these tickets will be a few dollars cheaper than they will be in October, though crowds will likely be the same. Weather can be hit-or-miss and definitely impacts the party as most of the entertainment (meet & greets, parade, fireworks show, stage show) rely on good weather. August & September is not exactly known for having clear skies, so that aspect of the party will be a gamble, but either way you'll get to trick-or-treat for "free" candy, enjoy some slightly lower wait times for most rides, ride a few rides that have special overlays to them, and try some fun snacks that are not available during the day. Swapping a park day for a party ticket also gives you the opportunity to sleep in and enjoy the pool at your resort. If you do it later in your week, you'll give yourself some extra time to pack and get your belongings in order. I used the morning of my party day to pack, call and book a bounceback offer in my hotel room, and take some merchandise I purchased that week to the hotel gift shop to have it shipped back to my home because I couldn't fly with everything... it was actually the most productive morning I've ever had

-I don't have anything negative to say about travelling solo. You get to make the rules and be as flexible as you want to be. You are going to love your vacation!

At least I know if I were to visit solo I wouldn’t have to worry about my other party members complaining about how terrible Disney is, slouching and Netflix-ing. I didn’t fly/drive hours just to stream after all.

Not to mention I try to stay away from restaurants I can find back home whenever possible.

 

[Ryan2016]

One suggestion. If you have trouble getting a reservation for one, try booking for two. When you check-in, you just set it for one.

That is a great tip!

 

[AnnaS]

Are you staying on site? (for dining reservations)

Early entry for the parks - you can squeeze one or two of the popular rides.

 

[Ryan2016]

Are you staying on site? (for dining reservations)

Early entry for the parks - you can squeeze one or two of the popular rides.

Yup! I will be on property! Easy Peasy! I will definitely be rope dropping the parks!!

 

[2vets]

Ooh, enjoy! I fly out from the West Coast (I live only 2 hrs from DL, but I cannot get into it - I am a WDW girl), usually to meet family members who live in FL. I was soooo nervous to do my first solo day back in 2019, but I loved it so much that now I always give myself a few days solo before meeting family, and I have done 2 full solo trips. You didn't say where you are staying, but here are my favorite places to eat solo for both peace and a bit of space:

Shiki Sai - next to the Teppanyaki place, at the Japan pavilion. It tends to be quieter, and the food is sensational.
Crew's Cup Lounge - next to Yachtsman's Steakhouse at Yacht Club. OMG, those freakin' sliders.
Boma - tables a bit closer together than is my favorite, but not weirdly so.
Skipper's Canteen - great (for MK) food, and I have always had a great experience

For other lounges - California Grill, Narcoosees, Brown Derby - highly recommend bar seating here as a solo.

I have had OK experiences at fireworks viewing parties, as well, probably best at Seats and Sweets in MK, but I don't anticipate doing it often, it's unnecessary.

I am not the most comfortable solo diner, even still, but I would rather read on my Kindle app and eat great food - alternately, there is lots of nice counter service. I have had - geez - dozens of solo table service meals at this point, and I can count on two fingers the number of times I was uncomfortable. Most of the time, people are either not paying attention or they are (let's be honest) jealous that you are there without family.

LL- I highly recommend multipass plus selected individual to save time and give you a more relaxing day and some pool time, especially since it will be super hot then. And I also highly recommend party and (if offered and convenient for you) After Hours tickets, as well!! Magic Kingdom After Hours as a solo is a top 3 experience, IMO.

Also - buy a solid poncho. Read about proper rain footwear/bring backups. Take advantage of any storms, and enjoy!

I'll be there a few weeks before you, so will warm it up - sending you the virtual high five right now - have sooo much fun!!

 

[Ryan2016]

Thank you very much 2vets! This is great information! I am thinking about trying the skipper’s canteen. I heard a lot about the atmosphere there and I haven’t tried that restaurant yet. I am not a great solo dinner either… I usually get a little anxiety and eat too fast and not enjoy it. I am hoping at Disney this will not happen at a quick service or sit down dining.

I love trying new and great food so I am always looking to try the new menus and I appreciate the suggestions. I am hoping beak and barrel will be open when I get my reservation window!

Poncho, refillable water bottle and backpack are all on list! Also snacks in my bag too, nothing special just granola bars or protein bars….just in case i need that snack in line.

As I said above I have gone through a few life changes in list few years so I needed a break from my day to day. Also I know Disney can be expensive so I am trying to go cheap, so the hotel is one of the only budget savers I did instead of sacrificing my tickets days or meal budget. I am at the all star sports resort because it will just a bed to sleep in or break between the park and dinner. I stayed at Pop century multiple times and I haven’t had any issues. I was looking at Old key west originally (my favourite resort) but again I am trying to stay on a budget as a single person.

2vets thank you for the information and insight! I truly appreciate it!
Virtual five received and returned

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more . I have gone solo several times. Don’t limit yourself with dining options . I have done everything thing from kids meal at quick service to signature and never felt out of place. My only worry has been buffets - will they clean the table if I go back up ? - but that never happened . I usually go ahead and get lightning lane but that is a personal preference.

 

[Ryan2016]

Thank you DLO! There are so many food options available at Disney World so I am trying to find a balance of dining, quick service, park time and cooling off time.

I did some of my bookings at my 60 day window and I tried to threw in some sit down dinners with some breaks…

I had a booking for Roundup Rodeo bbq but decided to cancel that reso as it is a lot of food for one person on a set meau. I decide to skip this one and i will hit woody’s lunchbox instead. I really wanted to try this for the atmosphere but I will make it back to try Roundup Rodeo on another trip.

I also did avoid some of the buffets too, just because I don’t think I want to spend that much time eating and then trying to go go go in the parks. Although I am sure I will eat way too much everywhere else anyways!! Haha! I am sure I will have some slow days…

I booked Jack Lindsay’s skipper canteen, Brown Derby, Geo-82 lounge, Space 220 lounge, Olga’s canteen, Tiffins, Yak & Yeti (May change this been there before), and Rose & Crown (crossing my fingers for a fireworks table).

Crossing my fingers and toes for a beak and barrel reso but the opening date hasn’t been confirmed yet and reso’s are not available yet.

There are so many quick service foods I want to try….and I think as a solo traveller I can eat and go go go!

What have been some of everyone’s favourite quick service locations? Or menu items?

I appreciate all the good vibes and support here! Thank you!