Where should I stay for a solo trip?

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'm the opposite. I can totally see where you're coming from, but I would enjoy pop with the kiddos and I would find it annoying by myself.

Yeah, my thinking is that I would be spending all my time at the parks so why bother with an upgraded resort

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Since I can't pull the trigger and book one (with the site being down), I am overthinking myself. My first thought when I decided to do the trip was the Boardwalk. Really want to stay there. While Pop would be cheaper I think I'm crossing that off the list, don't really want to do a value. Would never even consider the All-Stars. Contemporary might be nice, I do love the look of the place, but I think I'll save that one for when the wife and I go alone in February.

Definitely leaning Boardwalk or Wilderness Lodge at the moment. WL might make me feel more at home since I grew up in the Pacific Northwest. Many of the burgers at the restaurants there have Tillamook cheddar even (the correct cheddar).

I'm going on my first solo trip soon and I picked Pop. I think it's great for a solo trip where the pool is not a priority. Transportation is great with just one stop, and you don't really need extra room space.

I adore AKL, but I'd rather spend the big bucks on resorts when my family is with me. I'm a simple gal. My solo trip is about the parks and Pop works great for that. I do love the theming, however. I didn't realize how much I would like Pop until I stayed there. It really is fun, and the music is great. If you have never stayed there, you might like it more than you think.

 

[Westcoastwild]

Yeah, my thinking is that I would be spending all my time at the parks so why bother with an upgraded resort

Yeah, I've definitely done trips like that. But to not have the family along means a chance to eat a leisurely breakfast and hang out in the lobby and people watch. Mmm. Enjoying food without people asking "can we go to the parks yet?" Every five minutes. Now that is what I call vacation

 

[SaraVee]

I'm going on my first solo trip soon and I picked Pop. I think it's great for a solo trip where the pool is not a priority. Transportation is great with just one stop, and you don't really need extra room space.

I adore AKL, but I'd rather spend the big bucks on resorts when my family is with me. I'm a simple gal. My solo trip is about the parks and Pop works great for that. I do love the theming, however. I didn't realize how much I would like Pop until I stayed there. It really is fun, and the music is great. If you have never stayed there, you might like it more than you think.

I do solo trips occasionally and Pop is where I stay (even when DH suggests I upgrade for myself!).

The reason I initially chose it was because when I'm solo, I'm in the parks all day and the room is just for sleep, shower and some food. However, I've really come to appreciate the bus service (direct routes are great. I've stayed at deluxes many trips and have had some terribly long bus rides with many deluxes sharing buses).

Pop has a very large number of rooms, but Disney is prepared for it and I find it runs extremely efficiently.

I can understand wanting to look elsewhere if you'll be at the resort quite a bit. We took a trip when our son was 4 months old, and I knew I'd be at the hotel a lot while my DH and daughter got out to the parks more often. We chose AKL and it was a wonderful resort to be "stuck" at for lengthy bits of time. Having animals outside the balcony was amazing!

Have a great time no matter what you choose! Solo trips are beyond awesome!

 

[mayshamp]

My family(myself included) is going to Disney in Mid-August. Staying Port Orleans Riverside. I suggested to my wife that I could go the weekend before and leave her home with the kids. I was half kidding, but she replied "go for it". If the reservations site wasn't down I would have booked a hotel already in case she changed her mind.

But now I have time to consider my options. I will be going Friday, staying until Wednesday when I'll join the family at POR. I intend this to be a fairly laidback trip. Take my time and do whatever I want. Never park-hopped before but I have an AP so I may do that if I feel like. I will definitely be doing Epcot, AK, and MK. Not sure about DHS, maybe just an afternoon, but I'm not a huge fan of that park in it's current state.

Wherever I stay, I will not be using the pool.

I will not have a car and will use primarily Disney transportation.

Resorts I have considered:
Boardwalk
Pros:
Near to Epcot and DHS
Love the theming

Cons:
Expensive
Might not even do DHS

Pop Century
Pros:
Cheaper (who doesn't like to save money?)

Cons:
Don't care for the theming
Far away from everything except DHS

Port Orleans Riverside
Pros:
Cheaper than Boardwalk
Won't have to switch resorts (but probably room)

Cons:
Not as conveniently located

What do you guys think? One of the above or one I'm not even thinking about?

Do boardwalk. Follow what you love.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

If you can swing it go with Boardwalk. I've never stayed there but that easy access to Epcot is so worth it. I love the atmosphere of that area.

 

[Shellyred8]

We just did Coronado Springs in May. It was our first time there. I was pleasantly surprised with this place. It's a great location. The bus trips to everywhere but MK are really short. We were able to see the HS fireworks from the outside balcony. Since it is a convention hotel, there are more adults there and not quite as many kids. We also didn't find that the buses were as crowded as other resorts. I was pleasantly surprised with the dining options there too. There is construction going on there, but we didn't find that it impacted the aesthetics too much, as most of it seems to be in one corner of the property. There is a fitness center there too, so if that's important to you, it's available for you to use.

If I were looking for a budget-friendly option to BW, this would be my choice.

Have a great trip!

 

[jimmymc]

If you want those days to be park intensive, then I would stay in a preferred room at Pop or French Q. That way you can get to the busses easily each morning. You could also do the monorail loop, but these are expensive if you're not spending too much time in the resort.

If not then I would say go for Boardwalk. It's such a nice place to walk around, shop, and eat. You can pop in to world showcase for a meal, or cut through Epcot to take buses/the monorail to resort hop.

 

[Babsy]

I would definitely go for the BWI!!!! Before I read your three options, I was thinking the BWI would be perfect for you. Plus, it is a resort you seem to lean towards anyway.

It is totally fabulous!!! Go for it!

 

[xlsm]

I just got back from my first solo trip (I went the first week of May - TR in my signature if you're curious).

I stayed at AKL and it was perfect for a solo trip, but I see you have a visit with your family planned there. I understand your desire to wait on that one!

WL is my favorite resort on property, so that's what I would suggest to you. In my opinion, it's the perfect location and it's so relaxing and beautiful.

We stayed at Boardwalk in December (I have a TR in my signature) and we are in no hurry to go back there again...at least in the room we had. If there was some kind of crazy deal on it (the AP deal for July had me considering a bonus trip for me and DH minus the kids!) We had a Boardwalk view that was very noisy and we were soooooo far from the elevator/lobby and it made mug refills/QS very inconvenient. Otherwise, the resort and surrounding area are beautiful!

If I were to do a solo trip again, I would stay at the WL or Contemporary most likely. But that preference is based on transportation and location.


Good luck making your decision and have fun!

 

[jpeterson]

I went ahead and grabbed a Summer Offer Boardwalk room. I'm going to keep checking that for the AP room offer. I'm interested to try Boardwalk and it was my first instinct. I'm excited! Feeling a little guilty that my added on days are going to be more than the family trip, but I'll get over it.