What I’m looking forward to as a solo traveler

[Kteacher]

This will be my first ever solo trip to WDW. I’m doing a short trip to try it out- 3 nights at BLT for the easy transportation options and one night at MNSSHP. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

Riding whatever I want and not feeling guilty
Trying different quick service options
Less $$$ as I’m usually paying for more than one person for everything

What are some things that you look forward to on a solo trip?

 

[wildlodger]

Sitting at the bars at nicer restaurants that are hard to get reservations at (Citricos) is one! I also love using the single rider lines for Millennium Falcon, Test Track, and Everest. Plus, getting to have moments where you can just sit and people watch without feeling rushed by anyone else.

Have a great solo trip! I think you'll love it. I also download a book on my phone to read in lines, so maybe do that, too!

 

[RunningAriel]

Ooohhh!! I love solo trips! I love my family and friends but solo trips are truly recharging for me. I second everything wildlodger recommended. Also, since you are staying at BLT, you should check out the events at Wilderness Lodge like trivia night or movie night. I also love exploring the resorts. When I am with the group its all parks, all the time. Circle D ranch is also fun. Just grab the Fort Wilderness bus at MK or Uber over. Whatever you do, enjoy!!

 

[BrianL]

I prefer to keep my solo trips on the shorter side, so I think you are doing it right. I hope y ou have a great time!

 

[zackiedawg]

My time being my time...that's the key for solo trips. I can start my park days whenever I want - sleep in until 10am, have breakfast, roam around the resort grounds a bit, maybe take some boat transportation to other resorts, not hit a park until 1-2pm. I love boats, so often choose to take boat transportation to get to theme parks as much as possible since I'm in no rush. If I were at BLT, and wanted to get to Epcot, I'd probably walk over to MK, I'd take a bus to DHS just to ride the boat over to Epcot from there. To get to Disney Springs, I might walk to MK to get a bus to Old Key West, just to ride the boat over to Disney Springs. And so on.

Definitely love to find relaxing bars/lounges where I can watch people, cool off, enjoy a cocktail. Or grab a soft drink and find a shady bench to chill and peoplewatch right in the middle of the park day.

Single rider lines are great, as are bar seating at busy restaurants where you can almost always get a seat even when ressies are long gone. But I don't just to QS and bars either - I have no qualms about booking a reservation for a great restaurant solo - great food is great food, whether I'm alone or with people!

I will be at Disney in 2 days but on a trip with a friend...which will be great fun. But I'm planning to go again in September, and planning it to be solo. In December I'll be there with a large group - I enjoy all types of trips - but it's always the solo ones that are like a nice refresh, low stress, no schedules or must-dos to adhere to - that I enjoy the most.

 

[tx911]

Visiting some of the other resorts and Fort Wilderness to check out the decor.

 

[Figment Mom]

Getting to tour the parks my way without having to consider what other people want to do is definitely the biggest perk IMO.

Having the whole bed and hotel room to myself is really nice, too. I can leave the Murphy bed up and have a table. (I stay at Pop.)

I can do things my kids can't or won't (KTTK tour, thrill rides).

I also spend more time roaming resorts.

I can take a mid-afternoon nap instead of going to the pool.

I can get up extra early without worrying about waking someone.

It's so much less expensive!

 

[gmi3804]

You don't need Genie Plus. People let you in front of them in line when you say, "I'm trying to catch up to my family."

(Just joking, DISsplainers.)

 

[Mtraynom]

I just book my first solo for next February, and am so excited! I'm looking forward to not having to wait on anyone else to get ready in the morning! And to just doing whatever I want, even if it's just sitting on bench and people watching.

 

[Gabby01]

It's hard to quantify what's so great about a solo trip; it's in the details of the experience, right from the planning stage. But I'd say:

• Planning a trip when it's convenient for me to go, whether that's a year in advance or at the last minute. If I want to go to the Festival of the Arts? Boom--the trip is in January. If I want to make a lightsaber? The trip is whenever I can get a Savi's reservation.
• Planning a trip that's exactly as long as it needs to be to do everything I want to do--why spend hundreds of dollars on extra days?
• Staying on property and taking MEARS from the airport to minimize transportation hassle, because it's worth it to me, personally
• Waking up and starting my day whenever I feel like it, whether that's 3 a.m. or 10 a.m.
• Not sharing a bathroom
• Planning my day in detail so I can do everything I want with the minimum necessary walking (I'm only going around World Showcase once!)
• The meditative experience of just being immersed in my surroundings without worrying about whether someone is stopping to take pictures, etc.
• Not having to listen to anyone complain about anything
• Not having unnecessarily long conversations about what to eat, and especially not walking several extra miles to get to a particular restaurant only to have someone decide they don't want to eat there after all
• Skipping parks that don't interest me
• Planning side trips that interest me and spending as much time as I want there
• Leaving the park whenever I feel like it
• Enjoying the peace and quiet of my room at the end of the day
• Turning off the lights and going to sleep whenever I feel like it

Confirmed I am solo spoiled lol.

 

[cincystamper]

I love being able to tour however I feel that day. Want to sleep in and hang at the resort? Check. Want to take single lap around whatever park to be as efficient as possible? Check. Want to play the Genie+ game and zigzag all over hoping to hit the shortest lines? Check.

I usually travel with my parents and have to be mindful of their exhaustion levels and building efficient touring plans so we're not crisscrossing the parks all the time. They're pretty slow walkers so a zig zag plan doesn't work for them really well. But when I'm solo, I'll go do whatever I want when I want, regardless of park location. LOVE IT.

 

[Kteacher]

These are great! I am looking forward to park hopping whenever I want, and my husband isn’t a Star Wars fan, so didn’t want to spend much time there our last trip, so will be hopping over to HS and just walking around and seeing everything

 

[Disneypeach]

I go to WDW solo quite often and love it for all the reasons above

Tip: when booking an ADR as a solo select for two people instead of one. Disney’s system seems to favor even numbers and I’ve found that if I just select for one person I end up with dining timeframes that are least desirable, ex. Lunch for one will be offered 2:30, 3:15. When I change to two people I see offers of 12:30, 1:15.
When I show up I tell the staff it’s going to be just me. Never have been given a hard time about this.

Have fun!

 

[Gabby01]

These are great! I am looking forward to park hopping whenever I want, and my husband isn’t a Star Wars fan, so didn’t want to spend much time there our last trip, so will be hopping over to HS and just walking around and seeing everything

A solo trip is perfect for soaking up all the details of Galaxy's Edge! It's so much fun to just chill out on Batuu, grab a blue milk, play the datapad games, collect bounties, etc.!

 

[zackiedawg]

I go to WDW solo quite often and love it for all the reasons above

Tip: when booking an ADR as a solo select for two people instead of one. Disney’s system seems to favor even numbers and I’ve found that if I just select for one person I end up with dining timeframes that are least desirable, ex. Lunch for one will be offered 2:30, 3:15. When I change to two people I see offers of 12:30, 1:15.
When I show up I tell the staff it’s going to be just me. Never have been given a hard time about this.

Have fun!

That's a good one to mention for new solos. It's true - the dining res system just doesn't seem to handle 1 guest very well - not only do you often get unfavorable times, often you'll get no times at all. It will tell you the restaurant you're booking has no availability, then you switch to party of 2 and suddenly time slots are open everywhere. I always book for two when solo and also never had a problem telling them it's just one when I check in. Sometimes it even comes in handy - for my trip starting tomorrow, it was originally a solo, but a friend who didn't think she'd be available suddenly was, and wanted to come - all my reservations were already for two, so covered!

 

[Simba's Mom]

This will be my first ever solo trip to WDW. I’m doing a short trip to try it out- 3 nights at BLT for the easy transportation options and one night at MNSSHP. Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

Riding whatever I want and not feeling guilty
Trying different quick service options
Less $$$ as I’m usually paying for more than one person for everything

What are some things that you look forward to on a solo trip?

I love, not only riding what I want without feeling guilty, but also without getting "You're embarrassing me" stares from my family-I love Dumbo, Triceratops Spin, get the idea?
I love talking with Cast Members and sometimes other guests, who sometimes mistake me for a Cast Member (some people think that a person alone walking through the park without a map Must work there!). And one nice thing about making ADRs for two people is that, if I run into someone I know or just met, I can always invite them to join me for a meal.

 

[kwdw]

It's hard to quantify what's so great about a solo trip; it's in the details of the experience, right from the planning stage. But I'd say:

• Planning a trip when it's convenient for me to go, whether that's a year in advance or at the last minute. If I want to go to the Festival of the Arts? Boom--the trip is in January. If I want to make a lightsaber? The trip is whenever I can get a Savi's reservation.
• Planning a trip that's exactly as long as it needs to be to do everything I want to do--why spend hundreds of dollars on extra days?
• Staying on property and taking MEARS from the airport to minimize transportation hassle, because it's worth it to me, personally
• Waking up and starting my day whenever I feel like it, whether that's 3 a.m. or 10 a.m.
• Not sharing a bathroom
• Planning my day in detail so I can do everything I want with the minimum necessary walking (I'm only going around World Showcase once!)
• The meditative experience of just being immersed in my surroundings without worrying about whether someone is stopping to take pictures, etc.
• Not having to listen to anyone complain about anything
• Not having unnecessarily long conversations about what to eat, and especially not walking several extra miles to get to a particular restaurant only to have someone decide they don't want to eat there after all
• Skipping parks that don't interest me
• Planning side trips that interest me and spending as much time as I want there
• Leaving the park whenever I feel like it
• Enjoying the peace and quiet of my room at the end of the day
• Turning off the lights and going to sleep whenever I feel like it

Confirmed I am solo spoiled lol.

Yup! All of this! Eating when I want. Not waiting for anyone when leaving the room in the morning. Not waiting for anyone for restroom stops. Being allowed to use waiting in line at Starbucks as a break. Spending only the amount of time I want in a store. Planning my EP day to be sure to catch Voices of Liberty. Not having to plan my day around GOTG or Tron. Not having to keep looking around to make sure some members of my party haven’t stopped because they always make me lead.

I do love going with family and friends, but WDW is my solo place to recharge my life!

 

[MabelMae]

I went solo last year and going again in November this year and May 2025!

I come from the UK so I come for a minimum of a week and I went before with a friend.

I love being able to do exactly what I want to do and not worry about someone else and if they are having a good time. I like being in control of the whole trip, eating when I want, napping when I want etc.

 

[WITN-E]

I just booked my first solo trip and this thread is validating all of the reasons I want to go as a party of one! For me- even though I haven't confirmed this yet- I think I will really like seeing more of the park. I always end up with a view of the back of my husband as he is guiding us through the crowd. Solo I will likely walk slower and have my eyes up and open to everything around me!

 

[European]

• Not having unnecessarily long conversations about what to eat, and especially not walking several extra miles to get to a particular restaurant only to have someone decide they don't want to eat there after all

That’s totally me
So my point of view is: I can be difficult about my meals without other people complaining about it.

It’s basically doing whatever you want whenever you want, right?