Credit: DisneyThe stereotypical image of a Disney vacation often involves a family with children all smiling and absolutely enchanted by all the rides, attractions, and experiences the Parks have to offer. However, there are those who believe there is much more merit in visiting the parks all by themselves. A party of one is still a party, right?
A recent Reddit post brought up a strange phenomenon of Guests experiencing a feeling of loneliness when they visited the Parks. Considering that Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom receives over 50,000 visitors daily, that’s not an easy feat. Although some Guests might wish they’d brought along a friend to share in the experience, but there are way more advantages to visiting the Parks in single-player mode.
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Disney might be considered the ultimate family vacation, but visiting “Han Solo,” as the Cast Members call it, has more than a few bigger advantages. Making new memories with one’s family is always wonderful, but sometimes conflicting interests, schedules, and desires can get in the way of magical experiences. Single visitors have the keys to the kingdom in more ways than one, and it’s honestly surprising that it hasn’t become a more popular practice.
On a practical level, visiting the park solo will save fans hundreds of dollars, depending on their choice of stay. Only buying one plane ticket, one hotel room, and organizing meals and reservations for one Guest takes a whole lot of work out of the planning equation. Catering to the needs of me, myself, and I certainly takes a lot of stress out of the picture.
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Not only that, but solo visitors get more perks than some might think. Three words, single rider line. Many of Disney’s most popular attractions have single rider lines that move remarkably quickly, and can often result in some prime seating on hot-ticket rides. Smugglers Run, Test Track, and Space Mountain are just a few attractions that utilize a single-rider lane to keep things moving. On a good day, Guests visiting without a party can even beat some of the Lightning Lane users.
Additionally, another element that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much is the joys of having a table for one. Consider all the many wonderful Disney restaurants the parks have to offer, and how hard it can be to get a reservation. On this writer’s most recent trip, the crowd at Steakhouse 71 was easily vanquished by the power of one. A delicious meal was ordered and enjoyed as the swarms of people were still struggling just to find a seat.
Although there are certainly advantages to visiting the parks alone, it should be said that not all trips are created equal. There are several other factors that can affect a day at Disney. Crowd size, weather, time of year, and more can make or break a vacation. That all being said, flying Han Solo through Walt Disney World is an experience every Disney fan should have at least once.
Have you visited the Disney Parks solo? Tell Inside the Magic what you thought in the comments below!