I'll be going on my 6th solo trip this May, and I have experienced some things that made me feel bad. However, I agree that it's up to you to be strong and like that Eleanor Roosevelt quote says that Euby posted above, ""No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." I am going to remember that.
So yeah, I did have one trip in particular where I let it get to me all the times I got asked "How many?" and I got anxiety about saying "1". And it wasn't really anyone else's fault but mine.
The only thing I really, really don't like that cast members do, which is rude, though it may not be their intent, is when I go to restaurants, and it's usually signature ones that this happens at, they really, REALLY, try to push sitting at the bar to me. Like, do you really think I would have went to the trouble of making a dining reservation if I was the kind of bloke that wanted to just grab chow at the bar? To me, when they ask me if I want to sit at the bar, even they they wrap it up in the bow of "Oh, we thought you might enjoy the social experience of dining with other patrons and talking to the bartender!", to me, what I see is "Gee, we really rather not waste a whole table on a single diner, plus his meal and our tip is likely to be much less, so let's see if we can shuffle him off to the bar and make some more $$$". I mean, honestly, am I wrong here? Is it just my cynicism talking here? So, yeah, though I am used to it, and always ready with my response of "Oh, no I prefer a table, thank you.", it still irks me. And I'm sure all the hosts have been told to say that to solo diners, I know, but again, I'm convinced the reason is monetary and not to increase my dining pleasure.
One time, I had the embarrassment, at Jiko, after telling the host I wanted a table after she pushed the bar or the cooking place by the fire on me, she gave me to the waiter, who promptly escorted me right to the cooking place by the fire and I hated to have to tell him but I really didn't want to sit there and she had just asked me! So, I had to tell him, and I made a point of telling him how I just told the hostess I wanted a TABLE after she had just asked me, and I gave quite the look to show I was annoyed and I never do that, but I really was annoyed LOL. Anyway, I felt bad for the waiter, because he was very friendly and the hostess had made a big thing of introducing him to me, and once they moved me to a table, I ended up with a different waiter.
Anyway, one of my favorite things about Disney is the Dining experiences and I love sitting at a table - I don't want to socialize with people at the bar or other interactive areas at restaurants LOL. That's not for me. Plus, those bar stools are really uncomfortable and for me, that kind of meal doesn't feel like a real meal and is rushed. I like long meals, where I can take my time, and relax comfortably. I don't want a noisy and uncomfortable bar-stool that I can't wait to get off of. Bars are for drinking or maybe munching on a snack. Not for long meals, as far as I'm concerned. And while I understand some people might consider it an exclusive and cool thing to sit by the fire at Jiko and watch them prepare your meal, again, I have no interest in that, and get hot easily, so I really don't wanna be right on top of a fire! LOL I guess I'm kind of high maintenance.
And incidentally, even though I'm a solo diner, I can assure you they get a high priced meal out of me, with multiple apps, cocktails or wine and dessert. To be honest, most of my solo dinners likely out-cost most families of 4, which is why it's so ironic they wanna push me off to the bar for a quickie meal that would be far less lucrative for them.
Anyway, that's my main pet peeve about being a solo vacationer, the dining. But I am used to it now. And I get my table no matter what!