Is Disney fun solo?

Jp23rockstar

Earning My Ears
Joined
Feb 25, 2017
I never went solo to Disney World. I just don’t think I would have as much fun by myself. Is going with a friend or relative a better experience? I’m asking people that have done both.
 
I will say that while it is fun solo, it's different than going with a group. I actually find that I prefer thrill rides and shows to the dark rides when I am solo, though rides like HM and POTC are usually my favorites. They just feel like they should be shared. When solo, I might Single Rider Test Track several times in a row, depending. Anyway, going solo just lends itself to a different style of touring, but is still a lot of fun.

I tend to like a shorter trip if I am solo, just a couple of days. Keep in mind that when you are solo you can make really good time and get a lot done. I do find that I am usually ready to go after a couple of days anyway when I am solo. I would recommend trying a short trip to see if you like it. There's no harm, right?
 
I love my solo trips. Yes, I've gone both solo, with DH, and with extended family (including our 2 DGDs, BBB, the whole experience). All the trips are great, in very different ways. On solo trips, I find the CMs are extremely chatty, if you ask a couple questions (I found all about one CM's job just by saying "Don't you want to retire so that I can do this job?") But on solo trips I wouldn't so Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and as many character meals.
 


I always go solo to WDW and I always have a wonderful time. Yeah, I'm single so doing things solo is no big deal for me and I actually enjoy the freedom. I always stay on site (I'm a DVC owner) so I always plan and book my fast-passes and dining but they are some days I just go with the flow. I also make sure I reserve a few of my favorite places to dine but I also find time to relax at the resort, explore other DVC resorts, hang out at Disney Springs, etc.
 
It totally depends on your personality. I have done solo, trips with 2-9 people, and one that had a total of 19 ppl. For me personally, I love my solo trip the best. It's so relaxing ... you don't have to worry if everyone is having a good time. The only trip that was better then solo, was when it was just my Mom and I. But she has passed away so I wasn;t going to stop going! haha! She'd loved it that I still go to Disney without her ... and have fun!!
 


I agree that it depends on your personality. I like going with family, but also enjoy going alone. Are you self-conscious about going to restaurants, movies, etc. alone when you are at home? Would it bother you that people feel sorry for you for vacationing alone, even if it is your preference to do so? Do you get homesick when you are away from your family or friends? If so, a solo trip might not be for you. Personally, I am fairly introverted and don’t care if people notice if I am alone; I’m not seeking anyone’s approval. I enjoy doing what I want to do at my own pace and recognize that other people at the parks don’t pay any more attention to me than I do to them. Only you know whether you need to be among friends and family to have a good time.
 
I don't mind going solo to Disney. I've been to amusement/theme parks solo before. Sure it's not as fun as going with someone. Then again, if you do go alone you don't have anyone to wait for, ect. Then again I know I would feel lonely if I did go by myself. I am not very shy but sometimes it's hard to talk to others around me. I hope that makes sense.
 
I love going solo. I go at least once a year solo and once a year with my son, have been going with him since he was just shy of 3, he's 37 now. I almost enjoy my solo trips more. We have a good time when we go together but I find myself not doing the things I want to instead doing what he enjoys. Solo, I do what I want, when I want. I travel often solo to other places as well so it's nothing new to me. My honey hates to travel and my son can't always get away to go with me. My parents are dead and my brother's that I might enjoy travelling with, can't afford it and I got tired of having to pay their way.
 
It totally depends on your personality.

I completely agree with this. Although I love traveling solo to WDW, I have a friend who thinks that's very strange and insists she wouldn't enjoy it at all. I'm an only child and quite comfortable entertaining myself (grew up that way-no family really, no cousins, etc.), yet she's one of 5 kids, with lots of cousins too. I've often wondered how family size relates to enjoyment of solo trips, speculating that only children are most likely to be happy solo at WDW, used to solo enjoyment.
 
Going solo is a lot of fun.

Going with friends is a lot of fun.

Neither is a better experience.
I just don’t think I would have as much fun by myself.
I suspect you know yourself better than anyone here. When I'm solo there are times when I wish I had someone to hang with. When I'm with friends there are times when I wish I could go off and do what I want and MY pace. I was just in the World with two friends at the end of January. We had a great time. But I am really looking forward to my September solo trip.
 
So far, I've only been in a pair or family group, but I would have no hesitation about going by myself as well. (In fact, I'm sure I occasionally would if I lived locally!) Ride lines wouldn't bother me, as I would feel equally comfortable playing on my phone or talking to people in line. I'm sure I would like the part about wandering around doing exactly what I want without waiting for or holding anyone else up. And I would feel safe alone on their transportation. The one thing that would make me uncomfortable (at least at first) is eating by myself at TS places. My DH has done it when traveling for work, and says it gets more comfortable, but I'd probably just do QS.
 
The best things about a solo trip are getting to do exactly what you want to do, Rope drop, or sleep until noon? Close the park or head out early? Eat supper at 5 or 10:30? Go see the Tiki Birds three times in a row, why not? It also nice to try special events like a dessert party which get pricier with more people.
 
I actually prefer the idea of going alone. I usually go with friends or family, but being alone I don’t feel obligated to follow someone else’s schedule. I’m typically too nice and let others run the show. I feel like the world’ll be my oyster when I go alone, which actually is coming up in March.
 
I don’t think either, is more or less fun. They are both fun in different ways. Both have their pros and cons. The only time I’ve found Disney more fun is when I’ve planned to take young kids who are really into Disney. There is nothing that can beat seeing their faces light up when something really magical happens. When they are at the age they still believe. That is the most fun. Otherwise, I think it all evens out.


Ok, I haven’t done Disney solo, but I’ve done the dark side, so I think in this situation it’s a close enough comparison.


What I enjoyed:
  • Setting my own schedule
    • Eat when I want, wake up, go to sleep when I want, do what I want, etc.
  • Being lazy at the resort
    • Relaxing in the room, eating in bed and watching tv, not being obligated to go out with anyone
    • Not having to pack or unpack anyone else’s stuff
    • Not having to take care of or entertain anyone else
  • Taking time to explore, looking for Easter eggs or Hidden Mickeys
    • I tend to notice all kinds of details and little Easter eggs I never saw before when I’m alone because I can really focus on my surroundings. When I am with friends or family we are usually busy rushing around, trying to fit in everything everyone wants to do in. We don’t have a lot of time to really soak it all in. I’m more focused on spending time with them than I am on paying attention to my surroundings.
  • Taking lots of pictures of interesting things, instead of just of people.
    • Again, similar to taking in the details. When I’m with people, most of our pics are of the group. But when I go solo, I take more time to explore and take interesting shots of other subjects.
    • I’m also free to take the time to take the shots without someone trying to rush me along.
  • Planning scavenger hunts out for when I’m with my friends / family on future trips.
    • I can’t really plan a scavenger hunt for them, if they are with me, so this works out great to do if I’m solo.
    • It’s kind of my go to solo activity. It lets me relax, take it slow, really explore, and usually leads me to meeting interesting people as it’s a great conversation starter.
  • Riding my favorite rides over and over again without worrying I’m boring my friends / family
    • I could totally ride IASW all day at Disney, but my family would kill me. I’m weird I know.
  • Riding single rider.
  • Talking with the TMs / CMs, meeting new interesting people
    • In my experience, they tend to pay you more attention if you are alone, and I’ve met some really interesting people and had some really nice conversations with TMs the times I was alone. Not sure if Disney CMs are as friendly, but all the TMs at Uni, have been amazing!
    • For instance, one time I was taking my time exploring the gift shop across from Mythos. The store was fairly empty, so the girl behind the counter came over and started talking to me. She asked what I was doing, and I told her I was working on ideas for the scavenger hunt I was making. She thought that was really cool and asked me to come behind the counter so she could show me something she thought I might find interesting. There is a giant map behind the counter of some fictional ocean, and when you stand beside it, you can hear the sounds of the ocean coming out of the map. It’s really weird because from where the customers stand to check out, you can’t hear it. You can only hear it if you are on the employee side of the counter. It was really neat. We had a nice little chat, and I learned something new.


What I didn’t enjoy:
  • Missing having people around to hang out with
    • Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t depressed, miserable, or missing them terribly, but there were times that I thought I really wish they were here. You know you’ll see something and think so and so would have loved that.
    • Or sometimes you just want to hang out with someone or talk to someone. At those times, I wished I wasn’t alone.
    • I did spend a couple of times on the phone with friends / family just because I wanted someone to “hang out” / talk with. I was basically just a little bored. Usually this occurred when I had a long walk from A to B, say from the park back to the room or something.
  • Not feeling comfortable eating alone at some of the sit down restaurants we normally go to
  • Standing in line alone with no one to talk to
    • I discovered a 10 minute wait while talking to your friend feels like 10 seconds, a 10 minute wait alone feels like an hour.
    • It is also really annoying if the people near you in line are holding a conversation that you can’t take part in. Especially if the wait time is over 30 minutes. Sometimes you meet people who are happy to talk with a stranger in line and pass the time. Other times you meet those who want to have nothing to do with you. That’s fine. I get it, and I don’t expect everyone to talk to me, but it’s just annoying having to listen to someone else’s conversation. And it’s hard to tune it out, when you yourself have no one to talk to.
  • Feeling a little awkward riding alone.
    • Especially on little kid rides, such as WTP or last time at Universal it was Cat in the Hat that made me feel a little self conscious. I wasn’t just alone, but I was like the only person on the ride period. It was a little awkward. I felt like I needed to explain why I as an adult was riding this ride alone.
    • But, for the most part, this doesn’t really bother me, as even when I’m on a trip with family, I’ll tend to ride a few things alone. We also tend to do single rider a lot, so I’m use to that as well.


What surprised me:

Meals were what I had the most anxiety about, I’ve never been comfortable eating in restaurants alone with the exception of places you go to eat and work. For instance, I have no problem going to Panera, sitting down and eating alone, while I do work on my laptop or read or something. But just sitting in a restaurant eating alone, I’ve never been comfortable with that. I thought that would mean I’d be stuck eating all quick service meals, and I wasn’t really looking forward to the idea, but that wasn’t the case at all.

First, I really enjoyed eating in the room which we never really do as a family. It was peaceful and relaxing. Second, I was able to find a few sit down restaurants I felt comfortable eating at. I had a very nice relaxing meal at a little table at Finnegan's. The bar atmosphere and the sports games on the TVs helped me feel comfortable as a single and like no one was paying me any attention as most were watching the ball game. I simply read on my phone while I ate. It was a nice break from the cold and crowds. I ended up really enjoying it, and it wasn’t awkward at all. So in the end, meals didn’t end up being the big deal I thought they might be. There were still a few places I definitely wouldn’t go alone, but overall it wasn’t an issue.
 
I’m currently at WDW solo. Have in the past done WDW with friends and in the very distant past with family.

It depends a lot on how good friends you are and whether your touring styles match. If you are both happy to do rope drop and closing and to eat meals at irregular times then that would work. It may not work so well if one person does irregular meal times while the other needs to eat at regular times! I also did one trip with someone I didn’t know that well and it was a little awkward.

I’m generally happy with my own company (provided I have a phone and internet access) so I really do enjoy my solo trips. I was very hesitant to do Disney solo a few years ago on my first solo trip, but I had so much fun that I will now happily do Disney solo!
 
I never went solo to Disney World. I just don’t think I would have as much fun by myself. Is going with a friend or relative a better experience? I’m asking people that have done both.
I have had many solo days at Disney World. Usually two or three days at a time, once I was solo for four days. But I've never flown to Orlando for a completely solo trip. I always enjoy my solo days knowing that soon family or friends will arrive for some days together. Maybe that's why I enjoy both types of touring.
This year I had three solo days followed by three days with family, followed by two solo days, followed by three days with family. It was all very enjoyable. I wouldn't say one was better than the other. It was all good, and I know I'm very lucky and spoiled to be able to do Disney World this way. I've never really thought about it, but maybe if I was flying from Maine to Orlando for a completely solo trip I wouldn't have a good feeling about it, or enjoy it as much. I've never done it, and I hope I never have to, but I would probably try a short trip to try it out.
 

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