How "planned" do you plan as a solo?

[juuuliebeth]

My favorite way to tour is to plan the mornings and leave the afternoons up for whatever I'm feeling. I find it's a nice balance. I am a huge planner, but find that I can change my mind once I'm there.

One thing I would recommend is to figure out which rides are most important to you and if they typically have long lines. If so, try and do them early. General philosophies like that are helpful, even if you don't have a detailed itinerary.

Also, depending on how much research you want to do, I'd also recommend reading up on restaurants, even if you don't make reservations. That way, if you're in the mood for something, you have an idea of what's there. Also, you can avoid going somewhere that isn't to your taste if you have a better idea of what's on the menu.

 

[JillianS1128]

so many helpful posts, thank you! I'm liking what a few of you are saying re: planning the mornings, then going with the flow in the afternoons!

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

I'll pre-plan a lot, and then go with the flow when I get there. I often miss fastpasses or change my mind about which park I'm going to last minute, BUT it's very nice to have the plans there if you need them. Dining I usually don't bother to pre-book, I just do that from the app when I get there. So I'll plan fastpass and which park I'm going to which day, and if I change my mind it's no big deal! It's much less stressful that way vs booking nothing and then deciding I want to ride space mountain but it's an 80 minute wait.

 

[Lesverts]

I enjoy the planning, and find planning for solo a lot easier. Because there is only one person to please. That said, I am never married to my plans, though not having anything planned gives me a bit of anxiety. I am a natural worrier. So seat-of-pants is not my thing. But I've had a lot of success planning the night before when I've wanted to change things up. That said I also don't over-plan or try to over do it. I will plan to accomplish no more than 6 or 7 things in a day. With a particular meal and nighttime show usually being two of them.

 

[elfling8]

I'm taking my first solo (well semi solo, DH will have 2 half park days during a conference) trip as well. For both this one and the family trip we did 5 years ago, I am (did) plan the mornings but left afternoons to mainly whatever excepting some dining reservations. The family trip I had exact routes to hit all the big rides and when to grab the fastpasses (old system before magic bands), then in the afternoon we went with the flow. This time I have the fastpasses done, one solo lunch ADR in AK that included the night time show. I also planned a general attack of getting the rides I want to do at rope drop, then planning on wandering and seeing what I want to do for the afternoons.

 

[Skippyboo]

Since it’s your first time to Disney World, I would recommend reading a little bit about the rides maybe like toughest Fast Passes. So you can make your FP at your 60 day mark. You can make 3 each day. The initial 3 have to be at the same park. After you tap in on your third, you can then look for a 4th FP at any park. Then repeat.

You don’t want to skip making FP in advance and miss out on the top rides. Unless there is a restaurant you really want to go to. You can make table services ADR the day off. Especially if you are at DS hotel, the DS restaurants are usually not totally booked up.

 

[kwdw]

I pick the park I am going to use my FP's so I can get FP's at 60 days in advance. I tend to place those FP's either late morning or afternoon (typically between 11-5). That way - if I want to sleep late - or leave early - I won't be giving up my FP's. Once I have my park picked - I pick ONE TS meal for the day - and book that ADR. I tend to book most of my ADR's for lunch - though there might be a breakfast or dinner. So - I do this planning to be ready for the opening of FP selection. Then I don't even look at my plan until a day or two before my trip - reassess my mood.

But here's the huge benefit of a solo trip - it's REALLY easy to adjust on the fly - it's only YOU that has to be happy. I'm quite good at canceling ADR's before I'd get charged if my whim isn't feeling it the day before. And if you are flexible in your choices - you can get ADR's the day of at a lot of places. I've been happy with FP changes made the same day when I wake up to pouring rain and decide that my book and my hotel room seem like a great place to hang out - and move those FP's to that evening when the weather will be better. In December one year - I rarely plan pool days that time of year - but the weather was SO great - I gave up a FP - and headed back to my resort and enjoyed the pool.

Since WDW is going to be new for you - you do want to do enough research to hit the cool rides and any restaurants that really appeal to you.

Having been both to DL and WDW -

Rides:
AK - FOP and Safari - there's nothing like this park in CA. Dinosaur is the Indy ride. Plan a FULL day here.
EP - Frozen ride is unique - not at DL, but its not a thrill ride. If you like thrill - Mission Space. Test Track is lame compare to RSR. Listen to the Voices of America the American Pavillion. It's worth planning.
HS - Star Tours and TSM - same at DL. The new Slinky Dog Coaster would be different. Alien Saucers is Matar. ToT - similar to DL. RnR is unique to WDW. WDW has an Indiana Jones show - worth seeing.
MK - 7DMT - need FP or do at RD - it's a cute ride. It's fun to compare the two POTC, HM, and IASW - differences are subtle but real. Plan to watch the afternoon parade - it's awesome. Ride a "resort launch" to see one or three or all five of the deluxe resorts. Make sure you ride the WDW monorail - much different than DL. Otherwise - just enjoy the differences between DL and WDW.

Food - consider Boma, Jiko, or Tiffins if you are a foodie. The bread service at Sanaa in their lounge is a great solo dinner (if all carbs is fine by you). Consider dining choices at the Deluxe resorts. The resorts really are impressive to see.

IMHO - to truly understand the differences between DL and WDW - stay at an on-site resort - whatever level your budget allows. It's an immersion when you stay on property. DL doesn't feel that way.

 

[brad813]

I pick the park I am going to use my FP's so I can get FP's at 60 days in advance. I tend to place those FP's either late morning or afternoon (typically between 11-5). That way - if I want to sleep late - or leave early - I won't be giving up my FP's. Once I have my park picked - I pick ONE TS meal for the day - and book that ADR. I tend to book most of my ADR's for lunch - though there might be a breakfast or dinner. So - I do this planning to be ready for the opening of FP selection. Then I don't even look at my plan until a day or two before my trip - reassess my mood.

But here's the huge benefit of a solo trip - it's REALLY easy to adjust on the fly - it's only YOU that has to be happy. I'm quite good at canceling ADR's before I'd get charged if my whim isn't feeling it the day before. And if you are flexible in your choices - you can get ADR's the day of at a lot of places. I've been happy with FP changes made the same day when I wake up to pouring rain and decide that my book and my hotel room seem like a great place to hang out - and move those FP's to that evening when the weather will be better. In December one year - I rarely plan pool days that time of year - but the weather was SO great - I gave up a FP - and headed back to my resort and enjoyed the pool.

Since WDW is going to be new for you - you do want to do enough research to hit the cool rides and any restaurants that really appeal to you.

Having been both to DL and WDW -

Rides:
AK - FOP and Safari - there's nothing like this park in CA. Dinosaur is the Indy ride. Plan a FULL day here.
EP - Frozen ride is unique - not at DL, but its not a thrill ride. If you like thrill - Mission Space. Test Track is lame compare to RSR. Listen to the Voices of America the American Pavillion. It's worth planning.
HS - Star Tours and TSM - same at DL. The new Slinky Dog Coaster would be different. Alien Saucers is Matar. ToT - similar to DL. RnR is unique to WDW. WDW has an Indiana Jones show - worth seeing.
MK - 7DMT - need FP or do at RD - it's a cute ride. It's fun to compare the two POTC, HM, and IASW - differences are subtle but real. Plan to watch the afternoon parade - it's awesome. Ride a "resort launch" to see one or three or all five of the deluxe resorts. Make sure you ride the WDW monorail - much different than DL. Otherwise - just enjoy the differences between DL and WDW.

Food - consider Boma, Jiko, or Tiffins if you are a foodie. The bread service at Sanaa in their lounge is a great solo dinner (if all carbs is fine by you). Consider dining choices at the Deluxe resorts. The resorts really are impressive to see.

IMHO - to truly understand the differences between DL and WDW - stay at an on-site resort - whatever level your budget allows. It's an immersion when you stay on property. DL doesn't feel that way.

I would add Soarin to the list for Epcot, even though there is a version at Disneyland the WDW version is a bit different, from my understanding, and it is one that doesn't get old. Good choice for rope drop(that or Frozen), since you can go to The Land right after. If you get an early reservation for Garden Grill(classic Disney characters, food is ok) both are right in the same building. You can do Akershus and Frozen Ever After together, alternatively. With Epcot, it's really about figuring out where you are starting and going from there.

 

[JillianS1128]

gah so many choices! . I dig it, I'm getting excited!Yeah, I've been looking through rides just casually. I'll make a bit of a list, then see which of those I'd prob need a FP for (then I need to figure out how that works!

I'm currently still thinking DS hotel (I want to do a couple weeks in Europe in October as well- so trying to be smart with the pennies), but every once in awhile I reconsider that.

I have a couple more weeks to decide (before I need to be booked so I can do the 60 day FP either way)!

 

[brad813]

gah so many choices! . I dig it, I'm getting excited!Yeah, I've been looking through rides just casually. I'll make a bit of a list, then see which of those I'd prob need a FP for (then I need to figure out how that works!

I'm currently still thinking DS hotel (I want to do a couple weeks in Europe in October as well- so trying to be smart with the pennies), but every once in awhile I reconsider that.

I have a couple more weeks to decide (before I need to be booked so I can do the 60 day FP either way)!

I am going to tell you upfront you need to choose your tier 1 fastpass for Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios first....you only get one from that tier. Magic Kingdom isn't tiered so you want to prioritize the hardest one to get that you want to ride first. Build the remainder around that. Epcot is a huge park, so it would be well worth it to consider getting a prepark opening table service adr there so you can be ready to go right away. Hollywood Studios is small, so your worst problems are occasional bottlenecks(though there is a boat between HS and Epcot that takes 15 minutes, though I don't recommend parkhopping on Epcot days unless you are doing Extra Magic Hours. I haven't really done Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom yet, due to issues that prevented me from making my entire planned trip last time.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Ironically, for my solo trips I plan ALOT! Yet, when I go with DH, we don't plan much at all. Last month we only had TS once when we were there, and we booked that a couple days before we went. Yet, for my next solo trip in September, I've already booked two TS meals and will be booking a tour in the next few days (Caring for Giants-last month they had 'day of' availability). DH hates planning, so I use it up on all my solo trips.

 

[bryanb]

My first visit solo. No planning:

Finish my Orlando business trip.
Change into shorts.
At noon, show up at the Transportation and Ticket Center and buy a multi-day hopper.
Cast member asks me if I'm going to check out the Food and Wine Festival. No idea.
Ask her what it is, and she tells me to jump on the monorail to Epcot.
Go to Epcot and have a full day of fun, only to realize there's too much more I want to do and eat.
The next day, decide to go to Animal Kingdom after studying the brochure I picked up. Then Magic Kingdom. Then back to Epcot.
Decide I'm having so much fun, buy an annual pass on impulse.

Okay, you don't have to do that little planning. But it was an amazing trip and I had no idea what I was doing! Now, I always leave lots of room for spontaneity and I love it. If I try to plan too much, it's stressful because I start feeling like I need to be efficient or have a goal to hit a certain number of things.

 

[raddisneyfan]

I would worry about the weekend days and the Labor Day holiday, but not so much Tues-Friday after Labor Day when it comes to restaurant reservations. Basically, if you are going this September, you might be too late for some of the more popular venues like dinner at Be Our Guest or lunch or dinner at Sci-Fi Dine-In. Since I go solo a lot, I'm not interested in character meals. If you are, you might want to think about reserving these in advance. Regarding FP+, I would be concerned if I was going to the Magic Kingdom and really wanted the 7 Dwarves ride--book that at 60 days. If you are going to AK, book Avatar Flight of Passage at 60 days. At HS, I worry about FP+ for Toy Story Midway Mania and usually get FP+ at 60 days. It's not necessary, but I always book Soarin' since that's my favorite WDW attraction. I think table service reservations and FP+ are convenient, but not required when you are solo. Since you've never been before, you really won't know what you're missing since everything will be shiny and new.

Have a great time and make sure to include lots of relaxing time!

 

[NyeAngel]

I live right here in Orlando now and have an AP and I still plan my days with military precision. But you can have the best of both worlds. I recommend getting Fastpasses for rides you are definitely interested in. Fastpass slots are released 30 days prior to the day. Get them for first thing in the morning (best option) or last thing at night. Then you can spend the rest of the day wondering around and going with the flow.

 

[brad813]

I live right here in Orlando now and have an AP and I still plan my days with military precision. But you can have the best of both worlds. I recommend getting Fastpasses for rides you are definitely interested in. Fastpass slots are released 30 days prior to the day. Get them for first thing in the morning (best option) or last thing at night. Then you can spend the rest of the day wondering around and going with the flow.

60 if you are staying on site/Disney Springs area resorts, or 90 if you want to pay extra and are staying in an on site club level room. For some reason, I feel like club level rooms will get really popular at the end of 2019, with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.

 

[ludari]

Aside from my typical DVC resort and airline planning I like to think I go with the flow mostly. I might also book a few restaurants that are difficult to get reservations and a few fast passes.

 

[JillianS1128]

I dig it. I don't think I'll make any ADRs. Mayyybe 1-2 at the most, but I'm happy to go with the flow there. If it results in just being super chill and eating CS 70% of the time, that's totally fine.

And FPs. That I'm starting to understand- that I need to do a couple at each park (once I figure out that system ). And learn which rides I want. And which ones of those require FPs. And figure out which parks to go to on which days before that so I can figure out FPs. Gah! It's kinda fun.

I'm booked at B Resort in DS right now, which I'm happy with.

Now I just have to figure out if I wanna take a chance and buy an AP or an 8 day hopper...basically, without ever having been, can I judge whether I'll want to go a second time in the next year +....Mystery!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I live right here in Orlando now and have an AP and I still plan my days with military precision. But you can have the best of both worlds. I recommend getting Fastpasses for rides you are definitely interested in. Fastpass slots are released 30 days prior to the day. Get them for first thing in the morning (best option) or last thing at night. Then you can spend the rest of the day wondering around and going with the flow.

“Military precision”-that perfectly describes me. Minute by minute. But I’ll admit that once I get there it mostly falls apart

 

[Gaugersaurus]

Now I just have to figure out if I wanna take a chance and buy an AP or an 8 day hopper...basically, without ever having been, can I judge whether I'll want to go a second time in the next year +....Mystery!

You can always start with an 8 day hopper and upgrade to an AP while you're there, you just have to pay the difference in price. The only downside is you'll miss out on any AP discounts before you upgrade.

 

[JillianS1128]

You can always start with an 8 day hopper and upgrade to an AP while you're there, you just have to pay the difference in price. The only downside is you'll miss out on any AP discounts before you upgrade.

ooh, even mid-way through my trip/when it's half "used"? I understood you could only upgrade up to the point you first use your ticket to "walk through a park gate", but maybe that doesn't apply to AP?