Why do people want to go solo?

[Tuta]

I know the obvious reasons (no sign. other or friend who can go with, no children, etc) but some people do have others but plan solo trips anyway. What's the benefit to doing Disney World solo?

 

[geffric]

Do you want the answer in alpha order or numerical??

Let's see.. i have DH and 2 kids, so why do I go solo??

Why not?? Mom needs a little trip too to keep her a happy and wonderful spouse and Mom.

no one to tell me when to get up, which park, which ride, how many times, when to eat, what to eat, when to hop, .... I am sure there is more.. oh yes, see Beauty and the Beast..and meet other adults that are doing the same and have wonderful meals and a drink!! other adults.. yep be a kid and an adult too.. I am sure there are many more.. these are from the top of m head..

 

[mom3sonstt]

Maybe the significant other doesn't have the "Disney Bug" so going solo allows the Disney lover to go without the other doing something that maybe they don't enjoy. For me, my whole family loves Disney, but I took two solo trips a few years ago. The first was because I was going to Orlando for a conference so I added a few days on ahead of time and went to Disney before the conf started. We had a family trip planned a few months later so I bought an annual pass. My next solo trip was the following year - I told DH my pass was about to expire so I better get back down there before it did and he said ok . AGain it was just a few days. Both of these times the kids were in school, he only had so much vacation time, and it's always cheaper for 1 than it is for 5 especially when my admission was already covered.

That said, in a week and a half DH and I are going to WDW again for 5 nights but he is going to go watch the Golf Classic, and to wander the trails at AK taking 1000's of pictures of unsuspecting animals, and I am going to enjoy wandering around at my pace, eating unusual foods that he won't eat, hang out by the pool with a book, etc. We may get together in the evenings for supper or fireworks or something, but we both decided that our days are pretty much solo.

 

[Judy in Texas]

I have been to WDW with others and also by myself. Both have their advantages. If I go alone I can go when and where I want, and do what I want. If I want to have dessert for lunch, there is no one to turn their nose up. If I want to linger in the gift shop, I can do so without having to worry about the person sitting outside on a bench tapping their foot wondering what in the world there is to see in YET ANOTHER GIFTSHOP!!! I can go on Dumbo and the merry-go-round at Magic Kingdom and bypass Space Mountain if I want. Freedom to make my own decisions. I realize that some people are made differently and wouldn't in their wildest dreams go out to dinner by themselves let alone to Disney. If you enjoy your own company, you will enjoy a solo trip to Disney.

 

[ccudmore]

I am a 40-something guy with a wife and 3 young kids. I run a busy business during the day. We go as a family about once every 2 years but I have the biggest Disney bug out of the 5 of us (I thank my mother for this).

I'm going on my first solo trip in less than 2 weeks to celebrate my birthday.

When we go as a family we need to stick together as a family that this invariably means that everyone has to give a bit on what they want to do and when to do it. There's a number of rides I've never been on either because the kids aren't big enough for it or they don't have an interest. There's shops or areas I want to walk around and soak in the detail, where the kids don't have an appreciation for it yet. I want to be able to not go shopping at every 2nd store (as I seem to have to do when my wife is there - please don't tell her I said that though)

I'm going to do a trip the way I want to do it - stay up late, eat when I want, not have to stop for washroom breaks every half hour, walk at an adult pace (or even faster if I want!) without having to carry someone on my shoulders.

Now don't get me wrong, I love going with my family and we'll be back again in 1-2 years. But this is my birthday gift to myself.

I hope it all pans out. But then again I'll be at Disney, how could it not.

 

[macraven]

I know the obvious reasons (no sign. other or friend who can go with, no children, etc) but some people do have others but plan solo trips anyway.

What's the benefit to doing Disney World solo?

Mac 101 on the solo trips to the motherland:
each year, for two weeks, i can:

eat ice cream for breakfast.
order dessert first for dinner then the entree.
or have 2 desserts with no sneers heard.
sleep as long as i want.
have room service.
take tours no matter what they cost.
make my own decisions for the day.
get on the first bus that shows up at the resort.
not have to hang on to anyone's "stuff" i am with.
i can waste my time anyway i want.
sit and people watch.
shop.
do the same ride three times in a row.
sit and just listen to the park music.
ride the train at the MK two times around with no one whining in my ear.
eat steak 7 nights in a row for dinner if i chose.
have the tv on all night.
meet peeps from the dis in person.


when i go solo, my time is my own which is not possible back at home.

on my solo trips i do not have to clean for anyone, shop, cook, bake, prepare food, do laundry, vacuum, mop floors, do yard work, be a taxi service, iron, no housework, trips to the dry cleaners, vets, stores, etc.

amazingly, my family and home functions when i am gone as the burger king and mc donalds have drive thru's open 24/7.


i do meet great dis peeps at the parks.
i don't worry about the stranger danger we teach our kids when i do link up with homies from the message boards.

in fact, geffric and others i met, were a lot of fun this month!!

 

[tony67]

I'm in the same situation as ccudmore.

I'm a 40 something male that likes Disney thanks to the parents.

I enjoy going to the F&W festival every year. Love the weather and the lack of stress when walking around. When I am visiting other cities and countries I am constantly on alert for issues. Problems are much less likely in Disney.
My wife does not like Disney at all and HATES the heat. She may melt.
I don't like going at peak times and my kid is in school at off peak times so that also makes it difficult to go as a family.

So I go on my own and have a great time. My parents and wife saw that photos and does not even recognize the smiling person in the photos. I rarely smile in real life.

Without the family I can do a 16 hour day no problem.

If a friend went with me I would be stuck waiting on them to get up in the morning, agree on where to eat, agree on where to drink, agree on what park to do etc...

Solo is the only way to go.
Is it strange. At first, but after a while it is no big deal.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Because people drive me crazy.

By day 5 or 6 of being "together", whomever I am with, pretty much drives me completely batty. The sound of them breathing makes me want to dump them overboard on the small world ride.

Short term bonding is great but day after day, it's just too much for me.

I think because I'm always worrying about the "other people". What do they want to do, what, when, where do they want to eat, are they tired, happy, grumpy, bored, too hot, too cold?

I tend to put my own needs aside and try to please the people I'm with.

I'm very much looking forward to December - it's just me (despite a few grumblings and comments from other people "oh, you're going by yourself? wouldn't you be happier with some company? I wish I could afford to go with you. You're already paying for the room, right?").

No feeling guilty if I don't ride a lot of rides, no guilt because I don't want to shop, no guilt if I'm tired by 1pm and return to the room (or don't make it out of the hotel at all that day). Just a week of relaxing and listening to the beat of my own drum.

 

[wdwislife]

I used to wonder what the allure of a solo trip was since part of the disney magic is sharing it with family, but now I completely understand how nice it must be to be completely 100% stress-free and in charge of your own vacation. I hope to go solo someday!

 

[creativeamanda]

Because people drive me crazy.

By day 5 or 6 of being "together", whomever I am with, pretty much drives me completely batty. The sound of them breathing makes me want to dump them overboard on the small world ride.

Short term bonding is great but day after day, it's just too much for me.

Couldn't put it better myself!

I've never been solo, but am going in December and looking forward to getting to make choices only for myself. AND, not having to worry about how long we are standing in line and if the kids all have had a bathroom break before we stood in that line.

 

[nurse.darcy]

Really, after several "solo" trips, I don't have the energy to answer this. . .JK. . .Okay, never had a truly "solo" trip. My first "solo" being a year ago in May when I met up with a bunch of DISsers. . .so much for solo. . .they were all so much fun I knew I would have tons of adult trips after that. . .

Why don't I go with my son? He will be 17 in December and can only go during the summer, which works out for us. . .I take him every year. . .

 

[LittleFlounder]

I went on my first solo trip in 2007. I really wanted to go (hadn't been in almost 10 years or seen much of it, see my sig) , my family aren't into Disney and couldn't afford a trip and friends either couldn't afford it or get the time off work.. so I decided to go on my own, out of necessity. I either went solo or not at all! Last year I decided to go solo because I had so much fun the first time, didn't mind being solo and wanted to go back! I'm going on my 3rd solo trip in a few weeks.

I wouldn't mind going with to the World with friends or family, but going solo! I'm on my own agenda. I can do whatever I want... go on the attractions I want, skip the ones I don't want to see, eat where I want and go to as many shops as I like, go to sleep when I want to. No one to answer to, no one to wait for.

 

[norybell]

I just got back from my first-ever solo trip, and I echo all the reasons others have already posted here. It was ridiculously fun. It was much more relaxing than even the most relaxing, adults-only trip. You can also get a lot more done...if you want to read more about it, please check out my trip report (in my signature)!

While I love going to WDW with my family, being there solo was equally enjoyable, just different, and I'm really glad no one could go with me this time. I'm already ready to go solo again!

 

[A-Jay]

Due to my recent change in my relationship status I will be taking my first ever solo trip to the World and I'm stoked!!! Just to do it all at my pace, slow down a bit, take more pics., relax, reflect and enjoy. I have been looking for an excuse to do this for a while

 

[Dis_Yoda]

I've done both trips with my family and friends and solo. I like them both for other reasons. My husband has agreed we get 2 trips a year together - one around our anniversary another for F&W.

However - I like more 'mental' vacations than that because of my job & the fact that some days knowing I have a month or so until a sanity break gets me through. We can afford for me to go solo and he knows I enjoy them differently than I do with him. The times of year I go solo he isn't allowed off from work (basically July & Christmas season) I do what I enjoy. When he does his 'mental' vacations he enjoys sitting around the house for a week.

 

[DFD]

I dont even know what Solo-Trips anymore...

coming from a big tribe, I tried to run away from them and gladly I found the one place they will not go regularly is WDW... At 1st I was true to the word.. Solo.. I go alone I eat alone I park hop alone... but as stated by macraven up there ( Hello hoomie!!! ), it is nice to be able to not worry about anything about yourself selfish it may sound... But now those Solo trips is basically a solo air flight and by the time I land at MCO it is not Solo anymore... the clock is ticking... things to do, meets(with other disers/enchanters/neighbors/and many more forums to mention ) to go and picnics and barbecue to share and enjoy...

And that is why I go Solo

 

[macraven]

duck, i'm penciling you in for sept 30 2010............

 

[DFD]

duck, i'm penciling you in for sept 30 2010............

 

[Puget Peach]

Besides the obvious not having to worry about anyone else's wants, needs, or expectations, I love to spend time with CM's. When I'm with someone, I always feel like I'm taking time away from their Disney time, but by myself I can ask all sorts of questions. I also love the single rider lines. I've had some of my most magical moments with people I met in those. For some reason, Expedition Everest seems to be the most magical. Last solo trip I rode with two different CM's there on a day off. l also got a second immediate ride on Tower of Terror with a uniformed CM. (GREAT ride photo on that one). I've also ridden with many first time riders and love to experience the ride through their perspective. The most memorable being on EE, front car, with a grandmother celebrating her 70th birthday with a first ever visit to WDW. Her extended family would not ride with her. We screamed like little girls and got YOMD fast pass lanyards as we got off. Then there was the Aloha Isle incident. They pulled the wrong cone for me, so gave me a second. Of course, I simply had to find somone right away to give the extra to!

 

[Redbudlover]

Because people drive me crazy.

By day 5 or 6 of being "together", whomever I am with, pretty much drives me completely batty. The sound of them breathing makes me want to dump them overboard on the small world ride.

I know just how you feel! I love going with other people but after a few days, Splash ove the side of the boat and into the water they go!

Short term bonding is great but day after day, it's just too much for me.

I think because I'm always worrying about the "other people". What do they want to do, what, when, where do they want to eat, are they tired, happy, grumpy, bored, too hot, too cold?

This is definitely part of it for me. I want them to have a good time and so am always worrying if they are or not.

I tend to put my own needs aside and try to please the people I'm with.
QUOTE]

I agree with everyone who says it is nice to just plain do whatever you like at any time you like. But that is not the main thing for me - as I sometimes really like just tagging along and letting someone else make the decisions, too. The main thing for me is the taking everything in without interruption. Staring at an interesting plant for a while. Following a trail and seeing everything along the way. Watching the wind blow in the palm tree. When I am with anyone else I miss a lot of what is there because we are talking or the other person is pointing something out. I mean, I like that too. But I need time alone. Time to be quiet. And I like doing that and getting that at my favorite place in the world.