Solo trip, too much time?

[Dr0zd]

Hello everyone, I'm planning my first trip in nine years, its going to be a solo ten night trip in late January 2025, Nine or ten of the days I will be at the parks, the last day I'm using as a travel day as I play to fly out in the earlier hours of the day, I'm also going to have eight table service meals spread throughout the trip.

The question I ask myself often is "will this be too much time", especially being a solo traveler. I used to go for twelve to fourteen day trips with my family, I enjoyed having plenty of time in the parks to do every ride/show once along with the ones we really loved many many times. We also used to take portions of park days to visit all the hotels and explore them, this is something I plan to do as I love exploring the hotels. However I have no experience as a solo traveler and am unsure of how much quicker you can get things done, this is where I seek opinions and tips from other Disney World fans. I'm more than willing to tack a day or two off of the trip I just want to get other perspectives on the matter.

As a big Disney fan I feel like I'd rather risk too much time than not enough, but I'm open to suggestions as this is a costly decision.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I haven't done a solo trip yet, but the only reason I wouldn't do 10 days is that I can't leave my pets that long. - I could absolutely fill the extra time!!! There are so many things I still haven't explored - the behind-the-scenes tours, the Ranch, programs at the resorts... I say go for it!

 

[happily single]

I love my solo trips and find you can get so much more accomplished solo. I wouldn’t take a 9-10 day trip anywhere. But that’s just a personal preference. I think 6-8 days is plenty if going solo

 

[fla4fun]

My average solo trip length is 10 nights. The longest solo trip I have done is 17 nights. I try to do a relaxing resorts day or Disney Springs day every third or fourth day, so on a ten day trip, I do parks three days, relax one, do parks three days, relax one, and two more park days. Otherwise, I am exhausted. I have never felt a trip was too long.

As far as whether you can get more done, or the same amount done more quickly, that depends on a few factors, such as whether you intend to use Genie+ and $ILL, or simply use standby lines, and whether you prefer thrill rides or not. I usually do not pay to skip the line, but I also am not a coaster fan so I’m not waiting for some of the most popular rides either. For me, it’s not about getting more done, but about getting to do exactly what I want, without compromise.

 

[jtopp]

With the length of your trip, will you be in the parks all of those days? Perhaps a hotel touring day, or simply a hotel rest day. I think you will get more things accomplished traveling alone at your own pace, and may see what you want in the parks in less time then if you were traveling with companions. Either way, enjoy your trip.

 

[goofyernmost]

I think only you can answer that question. I traveled there solo for at least a decade and frankly I, personally, would have gone mad if all I could see was WDW for 9 days. I practically went stark raving on my only onsite 7 day resort experience and I didn't even just stay onsite all 7 days. I had a rental and left to explore for three of those days. Back then I was a huge fan and absolutely loved the place. Perhaps I have some degree of attention deficit disorder, but I just couldn't handle it since I couldn't wait for the 7 days to be over.

That, however, is just me and I cannot speak for you. Only you know just what your tolerance level is. I think that fact that you are asking says that it has crossed you mind. For many 10 days isn't nearly enough time, for others a day and night w/park hopper at each park over four days is enough (I'm talking about me here). The real problem now is that you have to buy the number of days that you will be there for the park experience and when I did that stuff the tickets were non-expirational so the days I didn't use during those 7 days I used the next year when I went again.

If you have other things that you love to do like explore other resorts or do a water park or play golf, (full or mini) or spend a day at Disney Springs, it would be hard for me to do that many days.

 

[loves to dive]

I go solo at least once a year, sometimes twice a year. The longest trip I've gone solo is 6 nights. I have an AP but even if I don't I get PHs for all the days except the day I leave. I go into the parks every day. The best thing about going solo is you can get up and either get dressed or lay around. You can go to the parks and ride things or not. With a longer trip, heck you could go to a park in the morning, ride a few rides, see some shows, just sit and enjoy the place and hop out. If you are going next year you can hop at any time instead of waiting for 2 pm. You could go to a resort and explore. Go back to your resort and explore, rest, etc. Go to a different park at night and catch a few rides, shows, etc. Rinse and repeat. With that long of a trip you aren't going to be rushing around trying to get on rides because you have plenty of time to do as much or as little as you want. If I could afford it and hubby wouldn't divorce me (just kidding he wouldn't) I would go for that long on a solo trip. I also sometimes just go for 4 nights - 5 days solo. I'll be there next week sort of solo. My son, his SO and their 2 1/2 year old daughter will be there staying at All Stars. I'm staying at CSR. We will get there at different times. We will most likely spend a lot of time together in the parks but the baby has to go to bed around 7 so I'll most likely go back to the parks later in the night and I'll have the time when they go back to their resort for an afternoon break to do whatever I want. This trip is for the baby as far as I'm concerned. I'll go back in April on a solo trip for me.

 

[RealBlast3]

I have done 10 solo trips over the last almost 15 years ranging from 7 to 15 days. Since you haven't been to Disney in 9 years, I don't think 10 days is too long at all since there will be so much for you to experience for the first time as well as attractions that it's been a very long time since you've done at all.

My first few solo trips were 2 weeks because I had never been alone before and I just loved being able to do everything I wanted to do after having only gone to Disney with family my first couple of Disney trips.

Nowadays since I go every year or so, I find around 7-10 days is enough for me. But anyway, how long you feel is necessary to maximize your enjoyment at Disney World is a very personal thing. It certainly sounds like you enjoy all the many aspects that Disney World has to offer, so I don't believe you will be bored. The only question, really, for all solo travelers if it's your first time as such, is how well you do alone, I guess, and how much you love your own company LOL and don't mind experiencing everything by yourself.

I mostly love being alone, but I will admit to feeling a some twinges of loneliness on certain of my trips here and there when I was younger, so that can be something you have to learn to manage on long trips. It can be hard to predict your mood on a long solo trip sometimes. I now notice that stretching a vacation too far past a week starts to grate on my psyche, while I craved the 2 week ones when I was younger.

As has been already suggested, it's a great idea to mix up your trip with a plan that balances theme park fun with resort fun and I would include lots of restaurant visits, myself, because I'm a foodie and love the Disney eateries both in the parks, the resorts and at Disney Springs. I am a militant scheduler because I appreciate having an itinerary in advance so I don't feel overwhelmed or have to worry about what I have to do on the day however I am also someone who can at the whim of their moods so on any given day, I may rip up said itinerary and so something spontaneous as well, but because it's Disney, it's really a must to make sure you at least have some plans, like restaurant resssies or ride ressies set in stone because the one think I don't like to do and really never do is wait on line for anything longer than say 30 minutes or so, give or take, because that's personally not my idea of a vacation and I have found using all the Disney tools at your disposal, there is never any ride for which you should HAVE to be on line for much longer than that, provided you plan correctly and go to Disney during the appropriate weeks, which by the way, you are, as late January is a very solid, low-key time to attend Disney.

Anyway, those are just my own tips and musings for you, I am sure you will have an amazing time!

 

[StageTek]

However I have no experience as a solo traveler and am unsure of how much quicker you can get things done, this is where I seek opinions and tips from other Disney World fans. I'm more than willing to tack a day or two off of the trip I just want to get other perspectives on the matter.

My first trip to The World was 10 days - solo. Since it was my first time it was perfect.

Over the next two years I did 6 day trips. Not enough. So I went back to 10 days.

As a solo traveler you can get things done much quicker. If your goal is to see as much as possible as quick as you can you can take a couple of days off that itinerary. You can also take your time going solo. And that's what I love about a solo trip.

I say you give 10 days a shot.

 

[Dr0zd]

I have done 10 solo trips over the last almost 15 years ranging from 7 to 15 days. Since you haven't been to Disney in 9 years, I don't think 10 days is too long at all since there will be so much for you to experience for the first time as well as attractions that it's been a very long time since you've done at all.

My first few solo trips were 2 weeks because I had never been alone before and I just loved being able to do everything I wanted to do after having only gone to Disney with family my first couple of Disney trips.

Nowadays since I go every year or so, I find around 7-10 days is enough for me. But anyway, how long you feel is necessary to maximize your enjoyment at Disney World is a very personal thing. It certainly sounds like you enjoy all the many aspects that Disney World has to offer, so I don't believe you will be bored. The only question, really, for all solo travelers if it's your first time as such, is how well you do alone, I guess, and how much you love your own company LOL and don't mind experiencing everything by yourself.

I mostly love being alone, but I will admit to feeling a some twinges of loneliness on certain of my trips here and there when I was younger, so that can be something you have to learn to manage on long trips. It can be hard to predict your mood on a long solo trip sometimes. I now notice that stretching a vacation too far past a week starts to grate on my psyche, while I craved the 2 week ones when I was younger.

As has been already suggested, it's a great idea to mix up your trip with a plan that balances theme park fun with resort fun and I would include lots of restaurant visits, myself, because I'm a foodie and love the Disney eateries both in the parks, the resorts and at Disney Springs. I am a militant scheduler because I appreciate having an itinerary in advance so I don't feel overwhelmed or have to worry about what I have to do on the day however I am also someone who can at the whim of their moods so on any given day, I may rip up said itinerary and so something spontaneous as well, but because it's Disney, it's really a must to make sure you at least have some plans, like restaurant resssies or ride ressies set in stone because the one think I don't like to do and really never do is wait on line for anything longer than say 30 minutes or so, give or take, because that's personally not my idea of a vacation and I have found using all the Disney tools at your disposal, there is never any ride for which you should HAVE to be on line for much longer than that, provided you plan correctly and go to Disney during the appropriate weeks, which by the way, you are, as late January is a very solid, low-key time to attend Disney.

Anyway, those are just my own tips and musings for you, I am sure you will have an amazing time!

Thank you all for the amazing responses, I'm making notes of everything you've all said. but this one mentioned my main worry which was the feeling of being alone. I'm only 21 but I do love spending most of my time alone, and it's reassuring hearing someone say they had that problem at one point and that it's something you can learn to manage.

I do intend on mixing it up when I go, I'll spend some days at the park and some days at a mixture of the hotels, Disney springs and the parks. With all the time I have I know I don't need to rush around and can take my time to soak it all in, thanks to you all.

I can tell from all the replies that this trip will be a good trip to learn what my preferences are and how long the ideal trip is for me personally, and that I should go for my intended length and enjoy it to the fullest extent.

 

[snowwite]

Thank you all for the amazing responses, I'm making notes of everything you've all said. but this one mentioned my main worry which was the feeling of being alone. I'm only 21 but I do love spending most of my time alone, and it's reassuring hearing someone say they had that problem at one point and that it's something you can learn to manage.

I do intend on mixing it up when I go, I'll spend some days at the park and some days at a mixture of the hotels, Disney springs and the parks. With all the time I have I know I don't need to rush around and can take my time to soak it all in, thanks to you all.

I can tell from all the replies that this trip will be a good trip to learn what my preferences are and how long the ideal trip is for me personally, and that I should go for my intended length and enjoy it to the fullest extent.

I’m doing my first solo Dis trip next year for 8 days. I picked dates my husband will be away. 10 days sounds awesome.

 

[OP95]

Hello everyone, I'm planning my first trip in nine years, its going to be a solo ten night trip in late January 2025, Nine or ten of the days I will be at the parks, the last day I'm using as a travel day as I play to fly out in the earlier hours of the day, I'm also going to have eight table service meals spread throughout the trip.

The question I ask myself often is "will this be too much time", especially being a solo traveler. I used to go for twelve to fourteen day trips with my family, I enjoyed having plenty of time in the parks to do every ride/show once along with the ones we really loved many many times. We also used to take portions of park days to visit all the hotels and explore them, this is something I plan to do as I love exploring the hotels. However I have no experience as a solo traveler and am unsure of how much quicker you can get things done, this is where I seek opinions and tips from other Disney World fans. I'm more than willing to tack a day or two off of the trip I just want to get other perspectives on the matter.

As a big Disney fan I feel like I'd rather risk too much time than not enough, but I'm open to suggestions as this is a costly decision.

Any advice is appreciated!

I took a solo trip recently for two weeks and found that it was the perfect amount of time and didn’t feel bored at all it was also nice to take rest/ resort days in between

 

[OP95]

Hello everyone, I'm planning my first trip in nine years, its going to be a solo ten night trip in late January 2025, Nine or ten of the days I will be at the parks, the last day I'm using as a travel day as I play to fly out in the earlier hours of the day, I'm also going to have eight table service meals spread throughout the trip.

The question I ask myself often is "will this be too much time", especially being a solo traveler. I used to go for twelve to fourteen day trips with my family, I enjoyed having plenty of time in the parks to do every ride/show once along with the ones we really loved many many times. We also used to take portions of park days to visit all the hotels and explore them, this is something I plan to do as I love exploring the hotels. However I have no experience as a solo traveler and am unsure of how much quicker you can get things done, this is where I seek opinions and tips from other Disney World fans. I'm more than willing to tack a day or two off of the trip I just want to get other perspectives on the matter.

As a big Disney fan I feel like I'd rather risk too much time than not enough, but I'm open to suggestions as this is a costly decision.

Any advice is appreciate

 

[Sweettears]

I go solo about once a year. 5 park days is plenty for me. Four overnight. Early arrival on day 1 . Late departure on day 5.

 

[suse66]

I did a 10 day solo trip this summer and it was perfect! Typically I do 7 nights/8 days but I really enjoyed the extra time and built in lots of new to me activities as well as tons of time to relax.

 

[Sweettears]

I did a 10 day solo trip this summer and it was perfect! Typically I do 7 nights/8 days but I really enjoyed the extra time and built in lots of new to me activities as well as tons of time to relax.

As a solo traveler the best part is you do what works for you

 

[CoachBeard]

I did 6 nights/7 days last year with only 4 park days and it was my first trip in over a decade. This January I'm staying 9 nights with 8 park days, coming from the west coast the first travel day is always a bust. But I have tons of ADR's I'll probably keep a handful of them.

I don't think it is too much time because last time I wanted to get so much of the "big stuff" done. This trip I want to knock out some things I didn't get to last time like resort hopping, rope dropping, certain "Smaller" rides, more restaurants. With 8 day tickets, I can spend 2 full days at each park, though I'll be hopping. My only problem as a solo traveler is indecision at times. But, I think this is the perfect amount. I have almost 30 days of PTO banked so I may as well stay a while right?

 

[Ismo]

I'm doing 10 nights in March as a solo trip and I already feel like it's not enough time! Haha! I plan on hitting up the parks very often, but I also want to leave time for enjoy the resorts I'm staying out. I might even book something at the spa for a rest day. One of the things I love about solo trips is that, as the Disney expert in the family or group, I don't feel the pressure to make sure we do everything that everyone wants to do. I don't have to make the trip perfect to keep everyone happy. I do what I want, when I want. And sometimes that means not setting an alarm and deciding what I want to do for the day after I wake up. It's amazing.

I lighten my planning quite a bit and do more walk-ups instead of booked reservations. This gives me more flexibility to do what I want as I go. I only book reservations for my "must dos". Otherwise, I like using the walkup availability list to force myself to try new places.

I think you'll be surprised at how fast the time flies by.

 

[kwdw]

Not sure where you are staying or if you will have a car, but make sure you have food you like to eat at your resort room. If you like to read, make sure you have either books or things already downloaded. Same thing with maybe a new movie or two. Disney Wi-Fi will work to stream or download, but sometimes it can be slow.

My best advice is to listen to what you want to do each day. Ten days is plenty of time to explore the parks, so if you want to sleep late, take an afternoon nap, go to bed early, or even be the last one to leave the park…..go for it. Eat ice cream for breakfast if you want, drink coffee drinks all day, have wine at 10 am…..whatever works for you!

Have fun!

 

[Sweettears]

Not sure where you are staying or if you will have a car, but make sure you have food you like to eat at your resort room. If you like to read, make sure you have either books or things already downloaded. Same thing with maybe a new movie or two. Disney Wi-Fi will work to stream or download, but sometimes it can be slow.

My best advice is to listen to what you want to do each day. Ten days is plenty of time to explore the parks, so if you want to sleep late, take an afternoon nap, go to bed early, or even be the last one to leave the park…..go for it. Eat ice cream for breakfast if you want, drink coffee drinks all day, have wine at 10 am…..whatever works for you!

Have fun!

Might work for you but I travel often and plan to be in th parks or dining as much as possible. I bring reading material but am too tired to read it most of the the time. I can’t imagine planning on eating in my room but to each there own