Hi all, first-time poster and just signed up for TP for my first WDW solo trip! I’ll be there next week and will hit MK, EP, and AK. I have not been to a Disney park in eight long years and this middle aged lady needs some Disney joy. Would love to hear your solo travel tips and encouragement!
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Welcome to the forum! I too am planning for first solo trip so I will be following your thread for tips!
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Solo trips are the best! I’ve done several.
Some great things about solo trips:
- Not beholden to a schedule or competing priorities
- Single rider lines (especially Test Track and Remy)
- Easier to get last-minute LLs from cancellations, etc.
- Take the pace as fast or relaxed as you like
- Easier to make a last-minute change in plans / hop to a different park, etc.
There’s an incredible sense of freedom that comes from a solo trip. I hope you have fun!
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Thank you!!! I am BEYOND excited. It’s just three nights, but I think that will be enough alone time for me.
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Solo trips are amazing!
One of my favorite benefits is basically a selfish one … not having to wait around for others to get ready to leave, while the clock ticks away and all the plans you worked so hard to make are derailed. Also, being able to execute the plans exactly as you intended them instead of what everyone else’s whims happen to be!
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@Jeff_AZ thank you so much. You reminded me to ask if it is true that Guardians has a single rider line sometimes. If it is, how will I find out? Would any cast member know that? Would it be in the MDE app? I bought a LL for it but I will probably want to ride it again after reading everyone rave about it!
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Woohoo for a solo trip! 
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My coworker just asked me if I’ve looked at my options for meals, snacks, and treats, and I was like GIRL I have a whole SPREADSHEET of meals, snacks, and treats I want to try. 
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One ride on Guardians is definitely not enough! If you’re staying on property and can do early entry (and be at the front of the pack), rope dropping during early entry is usually pretty quick. You do have to get there at least an hour before early entry to position yourself at the front of the pack, so you’re still technically waiting the same amount of time as you would wait later in the regular standby line, but at least you are not wasting actual park time while doing so. My daughter and her boyfriend just went last week and rope dropped at regular park opening, without early entry, and they only waited about 40 minutes (from the front of the pack).
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Have a wonderful time! I (middle aged lady who always needs some disney joy) have not yet done a solo trip but it will happen soon, I am sure. I got a taste of a non-park solo-ish visit last year. My husband had to work remotely all day, and I spent days alone at Disney Springs, visiting resorts, etc. and it was heavenly. We stayed at a Disney Springs hotel but I got plenty of the Disney spirit.
The safari may be my favorite thing in all of DW, so I would be enjoying that and the animals as much as possible.
GOTG is absolutely amazing. So much fun. I love TT too and I would be using that single rider line a couple of times.
Have fun and let us know how it goes! I will be there next week too!
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Welcome to the Liners Forum. You definitely belong here.
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The crowd calendars look ok in early May, so I am optimistic for us!
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Welcome to the Forum!
I have done a number of solo trips on both coasts. At first, I was apprehensive but quickly ended up loving them for reasons others have already expressed!
This is the biggest problem with solo trips. There are more food and snacks to try than I can possibly eat by myself!
Enjoy!
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I had not heard that but if it is happening, the only person who would know is the CM at the entrance. Even other CMs in Epcot would have no idea, unfortunately. They can close the SR lines at any time if they reach capacity (i.e., if the CM thinks it will end up being longer than the standby wait).
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Yay for solo trips! I absolutely credit this Forum for opening up my mind to the idea of a solo trip (I went on my first in 2024), and I’m so glad it did.
As the planners that we are, I feel that many of us on spend a lot of time trying to make group trips magical for those with whom we are traveling (and deprioritize ourselves) - and then once we’ve arrived it can be a struggle to stay in the moment as we juggle things like transport, LLs, ADRs, ride downtime, bathroom breaks, tantrums from overtired/overheated/overstimulated family members, sudden downpours, etc. I’ve found that these pressures kind of melt away on solo trips, because you never have the feeling of letting anyone else down, and everything is SO much easier as a party of one.
Others have already captured this well, but the things that excite me most about solo trips include:
- The freedom to do (watch/ride/order/etc) exactly what you want and when you want. I did a * solo trip last year on which the main objective was to go slow and ride all the things that my family doesn’t want to ride with me. I said good bye to the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer’s Island (I sat on a rocking chair on the island drinking an iced coffee - that would have never happened with family). I watched Country Bears Jamboree! On another trip I stopped to listen to VoL, which moved me to tears, and walked up to lounges (Nomad, SK71, Space220 - it’s easy to get a seat at most bars for one person) to have a margarita. Geo-82 (which is actually an adult-only bar, so would be PERFECT for a solo trip) is next on my list.
- With all that time to breathe, I’ve also found that it gives me an opportunity to people watch - and see others experience the magic! I rarely have time to pay attention to other guests when I’m trying to direct my family through the parks, but when I’m solo I might even strike up a chat in a queue, a bus or a shop. I should note that I travel for work a lot and am very comfortable dining or moving around on my own. I know that some people feel self-conscious sitting at a bar or restaurant alone - but it’s actually a great opportunity to soak in the details, meet new people (or at least eavesdrop on conversations around you
), chat with lovely CMs, or - if you want to be left alone - just take your Kindle/a good book that you never find the time to read at home. - Apart from the great Single Rider lines already mentioned here, I’ve found that even for attractions that don’t formally have this option, as a single rider you often get pulled forward from the queue to fill in seats - so you end up with even shorter wait times. For Soarin’ or FoP for example, once I get near the front of the queue, as a single rider I’ve almost always been pulled into an earlier flight to fill up seats (just listen/watch out for CMs calling for single riders as you get closer to the front of the queue).
- Similarly, it’s so easy to find spots for parades or night time shows - one person can easily fill in space even right before showtime (but a whole family can’t). And you can take as many pictures as you want, without anyone tugging at your sleeve wanting something!
- Finally, something I haven’t done yet but am planning to do on future solo trips: splurge on expensive extras (experiences like WAT or the GEO-82 fireworks package) that would be pricy for a whole family, but are much more budget-friendly for one person. And maybe stay at a more adult-themed hotel, like the GDT, RR or GF and just enjoy the resort amenities (which I don’t think the kids would appreciate as much I would). Thanks to the * DVCSeer, I managed to snag two great DVC deals for my most recent solo trip and had so much fun just wandering through the resorts exploring new nooks and crannies. Again, something my kids would have no patience for
The only drawback of solo trips - agreeing with @stlouie - is that you can’t share food.
And now I want to plan my next solo trip…
Have a fantastic time, and know that many people here will be delighted to follow along if you decide to do a trip report and want us to keep you virtual company while you’re in the World.
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Me, too!
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Welcome and enjoy your solo trip.
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Ooooh so exciting!!! I am also going on my first solotrip since 2020 and I a honestly say going WDW solo has its own kind of magic pixie dust… Enjoy enjoy! Feel free to hit me up with any questions you have 
The one thing I am doing this time around is hitting up all of the lounges instead of a sitdown meals, both inside and outside of the parks.
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Hear hear!
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I travel solo frequently. There have been a lot of good tips already, but I’ll add a couple more.
#1 - Single Rider queues are amazing! Take advatange of them!
Don’t be nervous to do something “childish.” No one is judging you. Heck, no one is even paying any attention to you! So… go ahead and meet a character, eat crazy junk or drink that blue and orange cocktail, try something you wouldn’t at home and don’t be afraid to dine alone at a really nice place.
My only warning is that I am a “nonstop / all-day” theme park goer. I have to remind myself to eat meals, not just treats, and to sit down at times!!
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