When I told everyone I was headed to Disney World, their first reaction was “You and Greg are going to love it!” “No, no” I said “I’m going alone.” The confused expressions said it all. Why the heck would a married adult with no history of Disney fanaticism go to Disney World alone? Well, I wanted to go, my husband didn’t, and I was already going to be in Orlando. In other words, why not?

The first bonus of solo travel that I found was that I could afford to make my dining reservations at much nicer restaurants. You can afford a more expensive meal if you only have to feed one person and, as I discovered later, it’s much easier to get walk up seating. Many of the table service restaurants have bars that provide singles seating with little or no wait. With this in mind, I decided to go all out- I made reservations at Victoria & Albert’s for my first night.

Victoria & Albert’s is an AAA Five Diamond restaurant in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and is considered Disney’s best restaurant.  The prix fixe (fixed price) menu is $125 per person with wine pairings for an additional $60 – and it’s absolutely worth every penny. All nine courses, the harpist, and both of my tuxedoed waiters were exceptional. No detail was overlooked. When I was seated, I placed my evening clutch on the corner of the table and a woman in a beautiful Victorian dress immediately appeared and placed a small fringed tapestry stool next to my chair for it. “So it wouldn’t be in my way” she said. Wow. I was also sent back to my room with a long stemmed red rose, my personalized menu, and a small loaf of fresh date bread in a pretty paper gift bag. I certainly would have missed out on this amazing experience if I had to budget for two.

In the parks, I enjoyed being able to wander freely and keep my own schedule. There was no waiting while part of my party waited in line for something I wasn’t interested in. In fact, being a single rider reduced my wait time for some rides. Even with my FastPass, the line for the Safari ride in Animal Kingdom was long. I was able to jump ahead considerably because they had one empty seat in a truck and I was the next single rider in line. Finding an empty lounge chair at Typhoon Lagoon is easier when you only need one, too. Someone to hold my inner tube while I hopped in would have been nice, though. Maybe I would have avoided a rather embarrassing dunking in the lazy river.

I didn’t originally plan on visiting Downtown Disney, but had a spare morning so I decided to walk through. I’d seen the Ghirardelli Ice Cream Fountain on the listing of stores and decided I couldn’t miss that. As far as I’m concerned, the Ghirardelli store is the “Happiest Place on Earth”. I also wanted to try out the new Aerophile Balloon that had just opened. The view from 400 feet above Downtown Disney is fantastic. According to our pilot, you can see Cape Canaveral on a clear day.
The Disney PhotoPass photographers are also a big help. I asked quite a few of them to take pictures of me with my own camera and they were glad to oblige. In fact, most people were friendly, glad to chat, and more than happy to snap my picture for me. I even made a few friends at restaurants with group seating. When I was feeling social, there were plenty of people & Disney cast members to chit chat with and when I wanted quiet time by the pool, I had it. The best of both worlds, I think.

Disney promotes itself as a family destination, but solitary travelers shouldn’t be discouraged. I was never excluded or made to feel out of place at all. It was a great experience that I’d repeat any day, so if you think you would like to go, but don’t have anyone to go with, don’t let it stop you. Prepare to enjoy the company of other visitors, a flexible schedule, and a side of Disney World many people miss and book that vacation!