I’m not anti-social, but I’m a bit of an introvert and I don’t always want to make new friends. I know that sounds awful, but I am actually energized by not engaging in a lot of conversation.
For that reason, I have never actually stepped foot in Trader Sam’s Grotto, nor Jock Lindsey’s, nor Rose & Crown Pub... I do want to visit these three places on my next solo trip. How friendly are they to introverts, or do you need to be a bit more interactive to have a good time?
Oof, man I feel ya. I get through most of my days pretending to be a human. While WDW is the kind of magical place that really lets me relax and even be legitimately social, I get where you're coming from. Just keep reminding yourself, as busy as a place might be, it's filled with people who have paid so much that the economics of their trip demands narcissism. None of those people see you or hear you unless you physically bump into them or stop in front of them on the sidewalk.
TSG and JLHB are both very fun places to pitch one back. Mostly because it is the environment that's fun, the places are just fun to be in, even if they were empty.
Here's a trick that works for me. Almost as good as pure solitude is a human interaction where the other person does all the work.
So get a spot at the bar at Sam's and say, "My mate Chris tells me to avoid anything with Falernum, is he right?" and then let them go on and on about how wonderful and traditional this disgusting cocktail additive is and all you have to do is nod at the right time and viola, you're just like real people. Eventually let him convince you and order a Shrunken Zombie, or Take Chris's advice and get a HippopotoMai-Tai (or whatever.) The bar tender will serve you up and then leave you alone, because it's busy in there and s/he's got stuff to do.
Same thing at Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar. Maybe tell the barkeep, "This is my pal's regular joint, he says you make a great Old Fashion..." At Jock Lindsey's. this is code for "tell me all about Knob Creek Disney Select 120 Proof Bourbon". Which, to be fair, is a really great bourbon. So bar man gets to brag about this stellar Disney exclusive for a few minutes. You get to smile and "ah, you don't say..." for a few minutes. Then you get a drink and a half dozen square feet in which to imbibe it.
Another fun place is the Edison. I make it a regular stop whenever I'm out with the grown ups (a weird way to say wife and friends I suppose) but also when I'm killing time solo. In the evenings there's usually an act of some sort so spending time watching it instead of gabbing with people is totally normal. They have a good bar there as well but the mixologists (a term they more than earn) tend to be chatty, like well more than the 2-4 minutes it takes to appear normal to strangers.
At pretty much any bar in WDW you can lead off with "My buddy Chris says this is a nice place to kill a little time, what's good?" or "My friend Chris says you make a good French 75." They'll take care of you. Unlikely (but not impossible) they remember me but it takes the onus of starting the conversation off you.