Traveling Solo is always a topic of conversation. We have encouraged it many times, we even wrote some tips for the solo traveler, but not many people go out and try it. Perhaps, you will be more inclined to test the waters if it is to the happiest place on earth? I share some tips with you i picked up from my first visit to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. I focus primarily on Disney springs, the Magic Kingdom and Animal kingdom.
1. PLAN AHEAD
If you really want to make the most out of Disney you have to plan with plenty of time in advance. This is something I did not do since i was in between business trips and because of this i feel i missed out on a lot. All the Disney table service restaurants were fully booked when I called a few days before. One day, I thought I would try winging it and just wait for a table – not possible every restaurant turned me away. Apparently “Disney experts” book their restaurant reservations 180 days in advance! That is crazy, but I see why now.
2. Go early
Get there right when park opens and go straight to your top ride. This is the only time you will most likely be able to ride it 5 times in a row without a wait. The early bird gets the ride in this case.
3. Use the Disney App
Downloading the “My Disney Experience App was key in making this trip successful for me. Once you are booked, you can do pretty much everything you need for your trip via the app. The app allows you to link all your reservations (hotel,dining,tickets etc). It creates an itinerary for you to easily see what you have going on each day. I used this a lot to get quick information on my reservations and Park information as well. I was able to see what rides where in each park, restaurants and attractions, all in a map view. It will also tell you the wait time for every attraction. Additionally, it allows you to make your fast pass selections. The days for paper park maps are over! You can download the app here
4. Make use of your Fast passes
There are three fast passes per day included in your ticket. Make sure you “book” your fast pass selections beforehand. I booked a day before and there were plenty of times available. I would definitely suggest using your fast passes on the following rides as they were the ones with the longer wait times:
Magic kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Splash mountain
Space mountain
Peter Pan’s Flight
Animal kingdom: Mount Everest (best ride EVER in my opinion!)
5. The Disney dining plan
To make my life easier I selected the Disney dining plan. This includes one snack, one ‘quick service’ meal and one ‘table service’ meal a day as well as a refillable drink mug for your hotel. I had read these dining plans can save you money but from my experience I would not use it again. It made me buy more and eat more than I normally would. It was also added stress for me because I felt i needed to make sure i ate everything i had already paid for. Weight out your options and see if it would be useful for you. If you feel it would be, definitely purchase it.
If you do purchase the dining plan I suggest using your snack for breakfast. You can fill your refillable mug with free soda/tea/coffee at your hotel for free before you go into the parl. All Disney hotels have cafes with plenty of breakfast options and mug refill stations so you can grab something on the go. For lunch i would suggest using your quick service meal. There are plenty of options in the park for quick service. This comes with a main dish, dessert and a drink. For dinner, you can use the table service as this also comes with a main dish, dessert and drink of your choice. *Note* remember to make reservations ahead for your table service meals, otherwise you will not get in to the restaurant you want.
Some of the most popular table service restaurants:
Ohana – not at the parks, this is at the Polynesian resort.
Be our guest – at magic kingdom
Crystal palace – at magic kingdom
6. “Do the dole whip”
At animal kingdom there is a little place called Tamu Tamu that serves Dole whip with rum. It’s the best thing ever on a hot day. Definitely recommended.
7. Disney Springs
If you have a free day or night and don’t want to goto the parks, check out Disney Springs (formerly known as downtown Disney). I had a free night on Friday, before visiting the parks and came across this little gem. It is a nice area, it reminded me of an outside mall, Disney style. There are plenty of nice shops and cool things to check out as well as lots of restaurants and some bars too.
I hope you find these 7 tips from my experience useful. With so many people around, there is absolutely no way you won’t feel comfortable making Disney World into a solo trip. I definitely did and i’m glad i went for it.
Safe Travels,
Chelsea Dawson.