Why do you DIS solo?

[gulliesmom]

What brings you to Disney on a solo trip?

For the first time ever, DH is taking the kids (12 and 14) to visit his parents in Cali on his own and I opted to stay home and enjoy my house all to myself for four glorious days for the first time ever! They leave Friday 9/27 and fly home Tuesday 10/1. I am having visions of a quiet house, a clean house and just being able to do my own thing while they are gone.

But then I started thinking...

Maybe I should take myself on a solo WDW vacay since I have never been able to do that either! It looks like I can stay on property at a moderate and have RT direct flights all for around $1250. I am totally on the fence. DD and I are headed to Disney May 8-13 for a cheer competition, so I will be there in 2 months, BUT it will be a very busy trip and the focus is the competition, not the parks. But then I wonder of I am foolish to give up 4 days at home on my own.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[BadPinkTink]

For me, it's a variety of reasons. Im not married and I don't have kids, so I have more disposable income and I'm more flexible with my vacation time than my friends.

I have gone with friends and family in the past but those trips were with people who are not as Disneyfied as me. Those trips are more about spending time together than being at a Disney park.

I return year after year on solo trips as it is my way of chilling out and escaping to my happy place.

 

[rubysparkles]

Mainly, I love being able to do everything I want to do, when I want to do it. I see the same people all the time and taking a trip alone makes me feel refreshed, ready to go back to real life. I have a lot of strong opinions on what I like and don't like, so maybe I've done Disney trips alone in the past because I'm a bit of a control freak. It appeals to me that I can plan so far in advance so I can maximise my vacation time and do EVERYTHING. Get some pool time in, ride some incredible rides, eat a huge variety of food. Do it all. I find vacations with family and friends, I can get frustrated having those chats where you're deciding where it eat, wasting time that I could be doing, seeing or eating something. I probably go on one solo trip a year, it's just something that helps me escape from reality a little bit and really feel carefree. I don't usually go to WDW solo, but I have been once before and will be going again this fall. It's fun, safe, exciting and interesting place, that appeals to a lot of my interests and going alone is like a little present to myself. I know some people are intimidated about going solo anywhere, but I've just built it up over the years. 3 days at the end of a trip with others was where I started and I've done 6 weeks of traveling before (parts of it solo, parts with 1 person and other parts of that were with a big group), it's not as scary alone on holiday as people build up in their heads.

 

[Schneewittchen37]

The more I've had to travel for work, the more comfortable I've become doing "social" activities by myself. So visiting WDW by myself for a day or so is just an extension of that. Just something to tack on a business trip.

Also, I'm a much bigger Disnerd than DH and it's nice to visit the way I want to without dealing with the kids' demands..... a solo visit gives you more time to just take it all in and reflect.

 

[BrianL]

For me, it's a variety of reasons. Im not married and I don't have kids, so I have more disposable income and I'm more flexible with my vacation time than my friends.

I have gone with friends and family in the past but those trips were with people who are not as Disneyfied as me. Those trips are more about spending time together than being at a Disney park.

I return year after year on solo trips as it is my way of chilling out and escaping to my happy place.

That's pretty much me as well. While my friends like Disney, they don't love it as much as I do, or for those who do, they simply can't go as often as I want to. I go with them when they can and want to go, but otherwise I'll go solo. I have to get my fix!

 

[Shock13]

For me, it's a variety of reasons. Im not married and I don't have kids, so I have more disposable income and I'm more flexible with my vacation time than my friends.

I have gone with friends and family in the past but those trips were with people who are not as Disneyfied as me. Those trips are more about spending time together than being at a Disney park.

I return year after year on solo trips as it is my way of chilling out and escaping to my happy place.

Completely agree as well. I'm going to Tokyo Disney in May and as much as I'd love company, the expense and time off is not doable with my friends and family. Going solo is not going to keep me from doing Disney.

 

[klmall]

Several reasons - DH and DS are not Disney lovers and when I go solo I can spend hours just walking around and taking pictures! I am responsible to no one but myself! None of those time-wasting discussions about where to head to next and whether to get up for rope drop or stay late for fireworks! My upcoming trip will be my 3rd solo and hopefully tide me over until we go as a family in 2021.

 

[BalooFan]

There are a few reasons I travel to WDW solo. First, the current life situations of my family members is such that they are not able to travel on vacation. So, if I want to go on vacation, I go by myself. Another reason is that I feel pretty safe at WDW, specifically after dark. Although I acknowledge that we aren’t completely safe anywhere, I feel more safe after dark at WDW than I do even in my hometown. At WDW I spend more of my solo time touring than I would if I were on vacation elsewhere where I wouldn’t leave my room after dinner. Finally, as others have said, there is a lot to be said for doing things that make YOU happy without having to please others.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I think for alot of us solo's, we have responsibilities and people who depend on us day to day, so decisions we make, have to take into consideration other peoples, needs, wants, views and opinions. Going solo at Disney gives us a chance to unwind and recharge and yes to be selfish and just to think of US for a few days.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I tack on solo days to Disney trips because the folks I do Disney with don’t stay as long as I would like. I always enjoy both parts of my Disney Vacation.

 

[ludari]

I do solo trips because I'm single and love visiting the Disney parks.

 

[goofyintoronto]

How often will you get the opportunity to do a solo trip though? Your home will always be there. I'd go on the disney trip! Solo trips at disney are the best thing ever and i cherish them very much!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Like someone else said, I'm happily married, but DH doesn't have the Disney love that I do. And when he goes with me, he spends most of his time golfing and refuses to make ADRs more than a day or two in advance nor do any type of planning (except his tee times, of course). My first solo WDW trip was over 20 years ago, a "Mom's weekend", a gift from my family. Since then I "need" to refresh my mental health at least once a year with a well-planned solo trip. I ride "Triceratops Spin" (another thing DH refuses to do) and over the years I've test-run many potential restaurants that I've later taken DH to.

 

[Rach3975]

I've never been able to take a solo WDW trip, but I've also never had the house to myself for more than 8 or so hours. If I ever really had a choice between the two, I think Disney would win hands down. Most of the things I'd do alone at home I could also do in an occasional "day off" of parenting or could do at night after the kids were asleep. But the solo Disney trip would be more of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something I couldn't come close to duplicating from home. Whichever you decide on, enjoy!

 

[captaindavidhook]

For me it had to do with going to a place I really love and I feel familiar with. When you travel I always feel like knowing the atmosphere and how much fun you have there counts a lot to me. Also another added bonus was transportation. I literally get catered all over the place at WDW. When you travel to other vacation areas you, yourself has to drive all over the place. That can take a lot out of you. Also if I wish to have a drink or two I can do it at WDW.

 

[captaindavidhook]

I think for alot of us solo's, we have responsibilities and people who depend on us day to day, so decisions we make, have to take into consideration other peoples, needs, wants, views and opinions. Going solo at Disney gives us a chance to unwind and recharge and yes to be selfish and just to think of US for a few days.

What she said!!!

 

[RamblingMad]

My significant other jumped on a plane and did Disneyland last minute. And when I say last minute, she booked her flight and hotel about two weeks before she went. Then, she did the parks and told me it was the best thing ever. She said that she rode RSR four times in the row because she wanted to. She did Haunted Mansion a bunch of times because she liked the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Basically, she liked the freedom of not being tied down to anyone else. And once she told her friends, they all wanted to ditch their kids to do it alone.

 

[BadPinkTink]

My significant other jumped on a plane and did Disneyland last minute. And when I say last minute, she booked her flight and hotel about two weeks before she went. Then, she did the parks and told me it was the best thing ever. She said that she rode RSR four times in the row because she wanted to. She did Haunted Mansion a bunch of times because she liked the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay. Basically, she liked the freedom of not being tied down to anyone else. And once she told her friends, they all wanted to ditch their kids to do it alone.

and this is EXACTLY why us solos do our trips. In Disneyland Paris once, during early opening I spend 30 minutes on Peter Pan, I cant remember how many times in a row. There was either no one in line or 1 family ahead of me each time the ride ended, so I just kept on going. Once the line started forming and there was more than 2 parties waiting I stopped

 

[YawningDodo]

Really, it's the freedom of choosing your own priorities without having to cater to anyone else's. I don't view solo trips as superior to shared trips; it's just a different kind of happy. Some trips are about sharing the things you love...and some trips can be about treating yourself and doing exactly what you want to do exactly when you want to do it.

 

[Zakery]

I’ve done Disney World with the family twice and once with just the son who was 15 at the time. Both were fun but my wife has pretty much had her fill of it. She doesn’t like crowds and doesn’t like heat. We dealt with the latter somewhat by going in January. She also can’t go on anything with a lot of movement due to motion sickness. So basically, she doesn’t really enjoy it as she spends a lot of time sitting around while others are on rides.

My son likes going but gets burnt out pretty heavily during it. So on the trip I gave him the option of just staying at the resort while I wandered around the parks and Disney Springs. He jumped at the offer.

I’ve now gone to Orlando for work conferences 3 other times and I always fit in either some Disney or Universal. I get to take extra days off and I get the freedom to go at my pace, ride the rides I want to and eat where I want.

Being solo meant no stress from someone who puts on a good face but isn’t having a great time, the freedom to decide to bail on the parks to catch a movie at the AMC, being able to eat at the more expensive table service restaurants without breaking bank, and to do things like just sitting and people watching.

So both kinds of trips are great but having the freedom of going solo is really nice for my situation.