Belle83
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,363
Overall, I'm glad I did it. It was just a very different way to experience Disney.
To make a long story short, I was in CA for a conference and had a free day so I drove to Disneyland/California Adventure. I bought a 1 day park-hopper and spent nearly 14 hours there from the time I arrived at the parking garage to the time I left it.
I was surprised about how emotional it was for me, being there by myself. It made me really miss my fiancé. Disney is 'our' thing, so being there without him was really tough. I was not prepared for that. I watched World of Color for the first time (amazing btw) and it was tough to not share that with him (or anyone).
I used single-rider lines when I could. I don't know if they have that at WDW. It worked out really well for the Radiator Springs Racers (fast passes gone, stand-by line was 50 minutes, but I got through in 10). For other rides, like the Matterhorn, I think stand-by might have been just as fast (maybe). With the Matterhorn, there's no FP and the CM don't let single riders through until there is an odd-numbered loading group. It sort of ignores that there are people who use single rider lines not just to skip the line, but because they are actually in fact riding alone anyway. I get that CM have to load that way, but boy what a difference it made when the CM changed. On Soarin', I think Fast Pass would have been more beneficial than single rider. In the end though, I was able to get to experience a lot of attractions/rides in a short amount of time.
Some rides, I just didn't want to do alone. Toy Story Mania (which for some odd reason in California has no Fast Pass?), Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Mad Tea Party. They just didn't seem that fun alone!
I was surprised by how park-commando I ended up being solo. I think this had more to do with my one-day time constraint than it had to do with me being solo. One of the things I was excited about with the whole solo-trip thing was that I could spend more time shopping, browsing, taking pictures, etc. I don't do enough of that when it's me and my fiancé. I think I was more park-commando than I've ever been before, lol.
Eating alone was easy. I ate at quick-service the whole time though.
There were a few specific instances I felt weird being a single rider on rides, but for most of the day it was a non-issue.
After my experience, I actually don't think I could make a solo trip by myself. Spending a day or two there because I happen to already be in the area is one thing, but a whole trip by myself I don't think I'd like. I enjoyed my day and had fun, but it just wasn't the same
I was surprised by this, because I consider myself to be very independent and enjoy being alone.
I'm not writing this to discourage anyone from a solo trip obviously, just wanted to share my experience. There were perks, obviously. Being able to do whatever you want on your own schedule was great.
To make a long story short, I was in CA for a conference and had a free day so I drove to Disneyland/California Adventure. I bought a 1 day park-hopper and spent nearly 14 hours there from the time I arrived at the parking garage to the time I left it.
I was surprised about how emotional it was for me, being there by myself. It made me really miss my fiancé. Disney is 'our' thing, so being there without him was really tough. I was not prepared for that. I watched World of Color for the first time (amazing btw) and it was tough to not share that with him (or anyone).
I used single-rider lines when I could. I don't know if they have that at WDW. It worked out really well for the Radiator Springs Racers (fast passes gone, stand-by line was 50 minutes, but I got through in 10). For other rides, like the Matterhorn, I think stand-by might have been just as fast (maybe). With the Matterhorn, there's no FP and the CM don't let single riders through until there is an odd-numbered loading group. It sort of ignores that there are people who use single rider lines not just to skip the line, but because they are actually in fact riding alone anyway. I get that CM have to load that way, but boy what a difference it made when the CM changed. On Soarin', I think Fast Pass would have been more beneficial than single rider. In the end though, I was able to get to experience a lot of attractions/rides in a short amount of time.
Some rides, I just didn't want to do alone. Toy Story Mania (which for some odd reason in California has no Fast Pass?), Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Mad Tea Party. They just didn't seem that fun alone!
I was surprised by how park-commando I ended up being solo. I think this had more to do with my one-day time constraint than it had to do with me being solo. One of the things I was excited about with the whole solo-trip thing was that I could spend more time shopping, browsing, taking pictures, etc. I don't do enough of that when it's me and my fiancé. I think I was more park-commando than I've ever been before, lol.
Eating alone was easy. I ate at quick-service the whole time though.
There were a few specific instances I felt weird being a single rider on rides, but for most of the day it was a non-issue.
After my experience, I actually don't think I could make a solo trip by myself. Spending a day or two there because I happen to already be in the area is one thing, but a whole trip by myself I don't think I'd like. I enjoyed my day and had fun, but it just wasn't the same
I was surprised by this, because I consider myself to be very independent and enjoy being alone. I'm not writing this to discourage anyone from a solo trip obviously, just wanted to share my experience. There were perks, obviously. Being able to do whatever you want on your own schedule was great.
