2nd Solo Trip. 180 degrees different from the first

[Cramden]

So I have my second solo trip coming up at the end of September. Last year on my first solo I did the Deluxe Dining Plan, booked MNSSHP, Brunch at CG and two park tours. It was a blast but I felt a bit weighted down from all the food and somewhat of a prisoner to my schedule.

This trip I have no DP, only 1 ADR and plan to do Munchie/Pub Crawls around Disney Springs, the Monorail Resorts and Epcot. The one ADR I have is for La Hacienda at 7:30pm the last night of Illuminations. Oh, I also have the Wine tasting at Jiko booked. I do plan on using Lyft and Uber the nights I'll be drinking.

Has anyone gone into their vacation without multiple ADRs before and did you ever regret it? I'm pretty excited about the prospects of not being tied down to a plan and just taking it as it comes.

If anyone sees me out and about come say Hi!

 

[daae3]

I went without reservations on my second solo trip...I had free dining and thought I would be able to walk in to restaurants as a solo...I was wrong...I was able to get last minute reservations and take advantage of my dining plan...but having done so many trips now I would not be afraid to go without reservations...I agree you get tied to a schedule and there are great bar options or quick service stops. Based on my experience if you decide you want TS, the ap can let you know if there is availability...you may not get your first choice but you will not go hungry! I am going with the least reservations I have gone with since that second solo for my next Disney trip...we are doing some bars, a monorail crawl and have just have a few TS for the week! Cheers to not being tied to an ADR!

 

[Cramden]

Thanks and same to you. Your trip sounds great!

My wife and daughter and I are Passholders and have been averaging 4 trips a year over the past few. Each one of the family trips is pretty planned out. Last years solo was VERY planned out. It was fun but it seems like it went by so quickly. This time I'm really looking forward to taking it as it comes. I have a good idea of what my options are all over property and will adjust accordingly. It's a bit out of character for me but kind of exciting.

 

[Emtgirljen]

I did the regular DP with my first solo trip in April 2017, and it was good, but felt a little too restricted with having to keep ADR times. My second solo trip in September 2018, I made a few ADRs, but the rest of the time I ate as the whim struck me and whatever seemed good at the time. I ended up snacking around F&W a couple of days, and did QS for the rest. It worked out great, I wasn't overstuffed from eating when I wasn't necessarily hungry, and I was able to be more spontaneous. I'm doing the same thing for my solo trip this September.

 

[Anchored]

I love eating in the lounges when it is just me
The Nomad Lounge in AK is fantastic, so is the Tambu Lounge at the Poly.
I don't eat that much food, so it works for me, no way would I book a sit down meal for myself every day, and definitely not lunch AND dinner. I would book my absolute favorites and wing the rest (for me, Boma breakfast, BOG lunch and 1900 PF dinner - I love Prince Charming!)

Have a great trip! If you want a park buddy one day, PM me

 

[precious pixie]

I’ll be going solo 9/15-9/18 and am mainly planning to do the lounges or world showcase with maybe 1 or 2 ADRs. This will also be my second trip and I like the idea of keeping it casual and relaxed ( a main theme for this solo trip)

 

[bryanb]

Unless meals are the number one priority, the Deluxe Dining Plan feel like it's just too rigid, with its three table-service meals a day.

I feel like having no dining plan is an excellent choice, and otherwise if you enjoy table service meals, maybe just the standard Disney Dining Plan (one table service and one quick service) gives just enough flexibility with one ADR per night. If I had a long trip, I might do a split stay and have the DDP for just 2 nights at the beginning, so I could get the resort mug and use two table-service credits over three days.

But to answer the question, on a solo trip usually I plan just one or two reservations. I love the flexibility of grazing the rest of the day, or grabbing a last minute reservation if the mood strikes. There are actually a lot of great choices that don't require a reservation (or you can also grab someone's cancelled reservation the night before on the popular restaurants).

 

[shocker]

Took a solo week trip to DLR with ZERO ADRs, felt weird but I re-evaluted & thought 'no, this is correct & what I need'. On solo trips to WDW, what works best for me, is a mix of ADR, QS, & bring in a meal. I can sit & eat anywhere/time when I bring in a meal & is even more freeing than QS. But, I do enjoy the mobile order option.

 

[georgina]

I rarely have more than 1 ADR per solo trip. I have done tea at the GF, late lunch at the Plaza, but mostly I eat in lounges like Nomad and Yak & Yeti at AK, Tune In Lounge and Brown Derby patio area at HS, Wave lounge at the Contemporary. Snacks and drinks all over Epcot, also Trader Sam's. I want to try the lounge at Sanaa at AKL next trip.

 

[Cramden]

The Lounge at Sanaa is excellent. A wine flight and the bread service and I'm a happy camper!

 

[YawningDodo]

It's funny to see how people's experiences differ, since tomorrow morning (!!) I'm waking up early to book more ADRs than I have on any previous trip.

Two. I'm booking two ADRs for a 6.5 day trip, and that feels like a lot to me! Granted, I'm also booking the three hour Wild Africa Trek, so that means I have something booked on three days of the trip. That's half of my full park days and it almost feels like too much preplanning. I tend to do things more spontaneously, though; I do a lot of research and planning and then tend to throw it all out without actually booking things because I'd rather just see what I can get on the fly and do whatever I feel like doing. The planning process helps, though, because that's how I learn what's available.

 

[Emtgirljen]

It's funny to see how people's experiences differ, since tomorrow morning (!!) I'm waking up early to book more ADRs than I have on any previous trip.

Two. I'm booking two ADRs for a 6.5 day trip, and that feels like a lot to me! Granted, I'm also booking the three hour Wild Africa Trek, so that means I have something booked on three days of the trip. That's half of my full park days and it almost feels like too much preplanning. I tend to do things more spontaneously, though; I do a lot of research and planning and then tend to throw it all out without actually booking things because I'd rather just see what I can get on the fly and do whatever I feel like doing. The planning process helps, though, because that's how I learn what's available.

I did the Wild Africa Trek on my solo trip last September, and it was so much fun! Definitely a highlight of the trip.

 

[YawningDodo]

I did the Wild Africa Trek on my solo trip last September, and it was so much fun! Definitely a highlight of the trip.

I've been getting pretty jazzed about it! I forgot, though, that they only have the dates pop up for it 180 days out, not 180+ like dining reservations...and so far they don't have any times listed past December 2019. All the January dates just show "no times available." I'm hoping it's just that they haven't decided when they're offering it yet; I'm going to keep checking back in the coming weeks.