Originally posted by DG-12
What about packages? Do all you solos book without pakcage or with a package? I don't know if I will go by myself (torn about convincing someone to go with me or just enjoying the time on my own) but if I do I would like to take a few of the tours, enjoy my favorite parts of the parks, and eat some nice meals...
Any advice?
Dana
"all you solos"?
Why do I feel I should take offense at that, hehe - just kidding!
I always book seperately to WDW because it almost always is a better value for me, and I like being in control of my vacation. If I want to make a change, I make a phone call - I don't have to wait for a
travel agent to do it for me. If you book through a package/agent, you cannot change anything without the agent. Even if you book a package yourself, unless it's an incredible value it's just usually not worth the loss of flexibility.
For instance, on my last trip with one day to go I decided to stay an extra night. I called the front desk, okay'd it with them, called the airline, changed my flight (took about 5 minutes - go Jet Blue!), and called mears to reschedule. Took me a total of 15 minutes (including getting the phone numbers, etc.) and was totally painless because I booked everything myself in the first place.
As to solo advice, read my trip report in my signature. It's almost finished (if I can stop reading here tonight, I may just get it done, hehe), and you will see how I dealt with being on my own in WDW. It really does open up a whole new World. For instance, you mentioned dining - it's a lot easier to decide to go to a "fancy" sit-down restaurant when it's only you to please. It's much easier to decide to drop $25-30 on a nice meal in World Showcase by yourself - because you don't have to worry about paying $100+ for a family if you are the one paying, or if you are going dutch if your fellow travelers want to spend that much money. The sit-down places in WDW really are very welcoming to solo guests - we tend to have a larger disposable income while we are in WDW and frequent those places more. I also hear we tip well.
The beauty of solo traveling is doing things you want to do - I sat on the TTA in Tomorrowland for 3-4 cycles one day, just enjoying myself until I was ready to stop. I won't lie, it's not for everyone - I mean, if you can't imagine yourself going to see a play or film by yourself, then a vacation is going to be a strech for you. You know yourself best - though I think more people would have a good time if they tried it. It sounds like you might just enjoy it - if it turns out it's not for you, at least you tried - and you STILL get to be at the happiest place on earth.
Good luck!
N.E.D.