I adore visiting Disney Parks, I’ve been visiting them since the age of 3 and have my next trip booked for my 30th so my love shows no sign of waning! Whilst most of the time it’s an experience I love to share with friends and family I have spent time in both Disney World Florida and Disneyland Paris on my own. While this might seem strange for some it actually can be really freeing! Here are a couple of tips on how to make the best out of touring Disney Parks solo!
Bring a book and a battery pack
Disney is synonymous with princesses, magic, fun….and long lines! Disney’s expert theming means their queue lines are more interesting than most but let’s face it, standing for hours at a time gets old! I always try and pack a book to keep myself occupied and a battery pack for scrolling Instagram, it will make the queue times fly by!
Ask the PhotoPass photographers to take photos on your own camera
In the age of the selfie, we all know how to get our best angle sometimes you want more than just your head in the shot with a bit of the castle in the background. Selfie sticks have since been banned from Disney parks so if you want to get a good shot the Disney photographers are on hand at many of the main photo spots. They are there to sell you the official photos of course but don’t feel that you have to pay. They’ll take an official shot but if you hand them your camera or phone they’ll be happy to take a shot for you too.
Don’t be afraid to ask people for photos
The Disney photographers are great but they are only placed in the main photo spots, so if you want a pic elsewhere don’t be afraid to ask your fellow park guests. Taking a picture of them in return will always go down well too and you might just meet some really nice people.
Utilise single rider lines
Disney doesn’t have a lot of single rider lines unlike Universal Studios but where they do have them they can save you a ton of waiting. Usually, they appear on rollercoaster type rides and its simply a queue exclusively for people riding solo. You enter a separate line for then as single seats come up when they are seating guests from the main queue they fill them in with people from the single rider line. It saves time so you can ride the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster time after time!
Book a table for Two
This one is a bit cheeky but if you are trying to book a table restaurant in Disney World using My Disney Experience you might notice it is hard to find somewhere if you put your ‘party’ size as one. It will look like everything is booked but change it to two and miraculously tables open up. Disney wants as many heads as possible per table so they appear to ‘hide” tables from solo diners. When you arrive just simply say your friend couldn’t make it. There are charges for cancelling tables 24 hours in advance but there are no charges for having fewer guests. This might work in other parks too but I’ve only ever tried it in Walt Disney World but it’s worth giving it a try!
Eat where and when you want
This is a great example of the freedom you get from doing Disney solo. Why not bring your own food into the park and eat on the go? You can save so much time and money and there will be no one around to complain about it. I love eating on the go when travelling and ideally only want one sit down meal a day but when travelling with others I often have to forgo this which eats up valuable time. Plus there’s no arguing about what and where to eat, want to eat doughnuts and Mickey bars for every meal? Well go for it, no one can tell you otherwise! Get all your favourite restaurants booked and eat outside usual meal times for more of a chance to get a seat.
Follow your whims
If you want to see as much of the park as possible it takes some planning, however, if you change your mind and just want to go on Pirates of the Caribbean 5 times in a row you can! No worrying about anyone else, just take in how you feel and run with it!
Just sit and people watch for a while
Disney parks are busy and it may be overwhelming but taking the time to sit and people watch is a pure pleasure. Taking the time to just be by yourself and see all the happy faces is relaxing and joyful in equal measures.
Take the opportunity to strike up a conversation
Cast Members and fellow guests at Disney Parks always seem happier to talk to people than people in everyday life, or maybe it’s just because I’ve been living in London too long. You meet some amazing people in the parks and the cast members will go out of the way to make you as happy as possible, so don’t be afraid to say hi.
My most important advice is to forget what people think and enjoy it! Doing Disney Parks solo can be an amazing experience so don’t overthink it, just go forth and enjoy!
Would you ever do a Disney Parks solo?
