My sister was horrified when she came to pick me up for the airport and I hadn’t purchased my Disney Genie+ or Individual Lighting Lane tickets (it was already 8am) so she took my phone out of my hand and tapped a bunch of buttons and said “now you are ready to go”.  She had spent weeks trying to get me up to speed with what Disney Genie+ was, how to use the Disney app and how to best advance schedule ride times with Lightning Lane and when I needed to buy an individual lighting lane pass.  I’ll be honest, it was a lot to learn and somewhat frustrating having to do so.   My last visit to Disney World was 15 years earlier when my nieces were little and over the moon to meet the Princesses (they are graduating college and high school now). Back then, maybe my memory is sketchy but I ran ahead for paper fast passes and otherwise didn’t wait very long in the lines. I don’t remember a wait longer than thirty minutes to board a ride.  Fast forward to the new way to visit Disney World parks, you need to learn a new language – Disney Park speak – to become familiar with the many options to navigate the park(s), how to order online and whether or not you want to pay extra for the convenience of skip the line.

Solo Visit to Disney World

I didn’t set out to visit Disney World solo as a vacation in itself.  It was an add on to my transatlantic Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) crossing from Orlando to Rome leaving from Port Canaveral, an hour away.   Since its best to arrive at least a day or two ahead of a cruise sailing, Disney seemed like a fun option to fill my time. Never mind that the tickets to the park for two days was more expensive that the cheapest interior cabin on a 12-day cruise ($399 + tax and fees).  My sister told me that I needed to adopt the Disney mindset and say “It’s only Disney money” no matter how hard my mind said “Disney money is real money and that’s still ridiculously expensive”.    If not adding Disney pre/post cruise, then visiting Disney solo pre/post conference is also an option to combine work and fun.

Preparing for a Disney World Solo Visit

For my April weekend visit to Disney World solo, I had homework:

• Download the Disney World app. This which would be my go-to at the parks for updates on wait times, lightning lanes, advanced food ordering and so much more.
• Purchase a Disney Magic Band+ (allow 7-10 business days for this to arrive) which I could wear and use for admissions, ride entrance, pay for purchases with just a tap.
  • If not keen to spend $50+ on the magic band, you can use your mobile phone or if staying at a Disney hotel ask for a “Key to the World” card.
• Purchase my park hopper tickets for two days as I wanted the flexibility to visit multiple parks if I felt like it.
• Charge my Disney Magic Band + with the special charging cord (don’t forget to pack the cord)
• Assign my Disney Park hopper tickets to my account and pair with my Magic Band+
• Add my Disney Hotel reservation to the app which would allow me to do mobile check-in and allow me to pair with my Magic Band+ for entry into my room
• Read all the Disney blogs, follow @AllEars on Instagram
• Build my list of rides and alternative schedule so I was ready at 7am Saturday to buy and reserve lightning lane at Hollywood Studios

My sister would say “it’s easy and you are making it complicated” but let’s be honest, I can build IKEA furniture so my tolerance for complicated is high whereas my patience for the Disney steps was low.  This is supposed to be fun – it’s not often we get to visit the most magical place on Earth – and it started off with a lot of administrative steps.  That’s just a fact – it’s a bunch of steps and advance time if purchasing a Magic Band+.

On the ride to the airport, I reviewed my Disney app to see what my sister had done – I had Genie + at Epcot for Friday night and a timed individual lightning lane ticket to the popular Guardians of the Galaxy ride.  I would arrive Orlando by 1:30pm and now that Disney no longer has the Magic Shuttle (a distant memory), I ordered Uber to take me to the Animal Kingdom Lodge with a plan to be in Epcot by 5pm.

(Note: Disney will be changing the Genie+ and Lighting Lane process and pricing so be on the lookout in 2025)

Friday Night at Epcot Solo

I took the Disney shuttle bus (free transit system within Disney World) from the hotel to Epcot and saw the iconic Spaceship Earth as I walked closer to the entrance. My first visit to Epcot was back in 1983 when the park opened.  The future fascinated my dad and he made an exception to his “no fly” policy to take the family on Eastern Airlines (my first ever plane ride) to Disney World.  It was our only family vacation and while Epcot has added and removed attractions over the years, Spaceship Earth has been a constant.  I had two hours before my Guardians of the Galaxy entrance so my first ride would be Test Track.  I chose Test Track as it was the last time I could experience the current ride as it was announced the ride was scheduled to close for reimagining (aka renovations).  While in line, with no one to talk to and not keen to surf social media, I started taking notes about the times I entered, how long the ride was and when I exited (we can discuss my OCD later).

I made my first mistake navigating the lines.  There was a regular (standby) line with a 120-minute time (yes, a two hour wait), a lightning lane entrance and a single rider line. I had booked a lightning lane time window on my Disney Genie app and asked a cast member where to go and she said single rider line was best as the wait was shorter. She didn’t point me to the Lightning Lane which was where I should have gone but didn’t know better at the time. While I was pleased that I walked through many empty twists and turns in the line, it turned out to be the wrong direction once I entered the hallway of people who were in groups but willing to go solo and skip the design studio interactive room in order to cut down their two hours wait time.  I was mad at myself for the first mistake despite all the prep that my sister and niece had done with me.  Once I was strapped into the car and took off reaching speeds of 65 mph, I had forgotten that I made the mistake. Test Track has always been a fun ride at any age, even for a grumpy GenX like me.

Test Track (enter solo rider line at 5:05 pm, exit at 5:46)

Using Lightning Lane ride reservations on the Disney App

As I was close to boarding Test Track, I checked my app and booked a lightning lane time for my next ride, Journey into Imagination with Figment.  Figment was adorable purple character when I was a child and is quite the beloved character at Epcot. I figured out the Magic Band, found the right line and tapped in.  Figment may be beloved but his ride could use a refresh in my opinion.  After leaving figment behind, I tapped into the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival.  Once tapped in, I booked another ride in my app.  I was quickly figuring out a method and pattern to the lightning lane reservations and Magic Band.

For two hours, I wandered around Epcot enjoying the Garden Festival and then stood by the Guardians entrance waiting for the clock to strike my entrance time. Many folks were milling about waiting for their times.

Guardians of the Galary (lightning lane tap in at 7:10 pm, exit 7:45 pm)

My individual lightning lane cost $17 plus tax that day ($18.11). Prices do vary for this option but don’t worry there’s a free option but it’s not called the standby line.  There is no standby line only a virtual queue to sign up for in the app which will notify you when it’s your time to queue up.  I didn’t know what type of ride Guardians would be but quickly learned it was a roller coaster. I’m not a big fan of roller coasters especially ones that go backwards in the dark.  My sister forgot to tell me about this.  The music and visuals are key to the experience so you will need to keep your eyes open during this ride which I tried my best to do.

I learned quickly in the lightning lane how much of a line and wait there could be on this ride. I was walking alone for a good part of the lightning line entrance bypassing lanes/lines that were empty before I found other people in line.

Prior to boarding Guardians, I booked my next ride, Soarin (Around the World), via the Lightning Lane options in the app.  Lightning Lane windows are one hour to enter the ride which is why it was valuable to know how long each ride was taking me from tap in to exit. I would go to The Land next with a quick stop at the Living with the Land cruise (enter 7:55, exit 8:10).  The cruise hasn’t changed as it floats through the story of The Land and showcases how food is growing in different climates and continuing research as the environment changes. The line moves quickly as each boat can hold many riders. When I exited the boat, I walked next door to Soarin. Using my Magic Band, I tapped into the Lightning Lane at 8:12 pm and walked through the empty lines to where the people were waiting to be assigned to a group.  I boarded the ride at 8:30pm and exited at 8:35 pm.  Soarin was a new ride on my last visit and now serves as a precursor to the advancements in rides and visuals that you’ll experience on the Avatar ride and in Las Vegas at the Sphere Experience.

When I exited The Land, it was dark outside and I looked at the app to see that Remy’s Ratatouille ride still had a 90-minute wait in the line and no lightning lane available.  I thought maybe Spaceship Earth would be a good next ride but it was temporarily closed for maintenance so I opted to go back to the hotel and get a late dinner around 9pm.   It had been a long travel day and a lot of walking (15,000 steps).

 REMINDER: Charge your Magic Band tonight

Disney World Solo – Four Disney Parks in One Day

I set my alarm for 6:58 a.m. (DO NOT HIT SNOOZE) to get ready for Saturday and my early entry to Hollywood Studios with Genie + and Individual Lightning Lane purchases. It was key to get this right at 7 a.m. or my whole day could be ruined according to EVERYONE. For this, my sister gave me her suggestions and I researched a few different combinations all of which said the best ROI was at Hollywood Studios given the Star Wars and Millennium Falcon rides along with the ever-popular Slinky Dog roller coaster.  This is also a popular park to rope drop (folks line up an hour or more at the front of the entrance gate to be first in the park when they drop the rope (they used to physically drop a rope hence the name). One factor that played in my favor was that this after Easter/Spring Break Saturday was blocked off to annual passholders so the parks were slightly less crowded.

The alarm went off at 6:58 a.m. and I bought Genie + park hopper for the day ($37.28) and then it was 7 a.m. when all availability went live. I would pay $26.63 (includes tax) for the Individual Lightning Lane Star Wars Rise of the Resistance and book my first regular Lightning Lane for Millennial Falcon which is located in the same area of the park.  Within minutes of my purchases and reservations, Slinky Dog times time slots were gone until 9:45 p.m. The entire day’s agenda was decided in a few minutes.  At least mine was.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Solo on a Saturday

I missed the bus to Hollywood Studios so ordered an Uber which arrived quickly and had me at Hollywood Studios in less than ten minutes for $10 including tip. As a WDW hotel guest, I was able to walk to the far left of the entrance and enter the park thirty minutes early (8:30 am) before the park opened at 9am for rope drop. I tapped my Magic band and then had to press a finger down as well at the entrance and was quickly on my way to see if I would have any luck at the Slinky Dog Dash with the standby line.

The park hadn’t changed much from my last visit more than a decade ago.  As a fan of film this park is one of my favorites. When it first opened, the animation group was here for a while as was the movie ride (both are long gone).  I walked quickly to Toy Story land in the hopes of snagging a short line for Slinky Dog Roller Coaster and when I saw the line for Toy Story Mania was already 60 minutes my hopes quickly dashed.  The cast member with the sign at Slinky Dog said “it’s about 60 minutes which isn’t bad” but I didn’t have that much time to wait as I had a date with Star Wars at 9am so I looked at the empty line for the Alien Swirling Saucers.

It took more time to walk through the line and wait to board (5 mins) than the time on the actual ride (1 minute) but was a good way to start my Saturday in the park. But it did get me thinking how folks are waiting an hour or longer with kids for a ride of one minute.  I don’t have patience to wait, how do families do this with kids, short attention spans, hunger pains, bathroom breaks and in the heat?

The park still wasn’t open to the public yet and the WDW hotel guests had already swelled the ride lines at the popular rides to an hour and beyond before 9 a.m.

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (lightning lane tap in 8:55 am, exit 9:22 am)

When I tagged in at Star Wars at 8:55 am (you are allowed to tap in 5 minutes early I was told as long as the tap produces a green light), the standby line was already at 90 minutes (again before the park even opened) but I had a separate entrance that I walked and walked and walked some more to arrive at the front of the line ready to go.

 

The lines do eventually meet and the cast members sort between both lines to merge them into the larger groups.  This experience starts with a group in a larger room together.  Our group was only six people so you know it was early in the day and early in the ride.  The Individual Lightning Lane was already proving its value – I paid $26.63 to skip a 90-minute wait.  Can a family of four afford to do the same?  I didn’t sense the privilege at Epcot the night before but today I quickly learned the price of convenience and privilege.

The ride was one that had many layers to it – a story, experience and a ride.  We had the first room, then we went outside to our spaceship to ride up to the next level where the Stormtroopers “captured us” as the two lines for everyone (no priority here) merged to go to the next stage of the attraction.  Prior to boarding the ride, they have you stand on a numbered spot and try to fill in all the numbers so when they called for a solo rider, I got to skip the line a little bit. We then moved to another room before boarding the ride as a group.

Tip – The Star Wars ride was also “out of service” by 11:30 so it was good to book this first thing in the morning.  In my research, rides often go offline for a variety of reasons throughout the day in all the parks so keep this in mind.

I spent the rest of the morning going from one ride to another based on what was shortest walk and lightning lane timing.  When I tapped into one ride, I could book the next time slot on another ride to have in my app agenda. The rules of lightning lane were that you could only book the next ride once you tapped into the current ride.

• Smugglers Run (lightning lane tap in 9:32 am, exit 9:47) – the lines converge and each ride holds 6 people per car.  The back two seats are engineers responsible for pressing the buttons that light up.  This ride also has a single rider line for folks to sit in the back so if you want to be a pilot up front you shouldn’t use the single rider line.  I joined a family of four so sat in the back as the engineer – it was still a fun experience.
• Muppets (tap in 10 am, tap out at 10:15 am) – still one of my favorites as I grew up with the Muppets.  The 3D glasses, the classic characters in the large theatre.  Easy to walk in, the theatre holds a large number of people so has a short wait to see the show.
• Star Tours (tap in 10:19, tap out 10:39) – each capsule holds 9 people per row and 5 rows per room.  You are given 3D glasses for the ride. Who doesn’t love C3PO at any age?  Suggest doing this ride before Millennium Falcon to see the evolution in the rides.
• Toy Story Mania (tap in 10:57 am, exit 11:10 am) – this hugely popular ride is a fun game to play in the shooting galleries.  As a solo, I was given my own car.  My game was ok this day with 59% accuracy and 66,600 points (the top score in April was over 500k).

  • 

It was 11:30 a.m. and in three hours I did most of the rides on my list. The Aerosmith roller coaster was closed for renovations and the next lightning lane for Tower of Terror was late afternoon so I was ready to exit Hollywood Studios. It was a lovely Saturday with warm temperatures and low humidity so on my way out, I bought a frozen lemonade and decided to ride the Skyliner to Epcot.  I entered at 11:45 am.  The ride does require you to exit and change at the first hotel stop (11:49 am) which involves walking off the gondola and making a left to the next set of gondolas that had no line so I entered at 11:50 a.m. I was able to have my own gondola car for the ride.  The gondola comes into the next stop at Rivera Hotel and you can exit or continue on to Epcot.  I stayed inside and was on my way up and over the trees to Epcot arriving at the entrance to the International Showcase at 12:05 pm. As I walked toward the bus transit station, I passed the Skyliner and thought that would make for a nice ride to Epcot.

• Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to Epcot (enter 11:45 am, exit 12:05 pm)

Epcot Saturday Afternoon Solo

My second park of the day was Epcot. I was keen to ride the popular Remy (France) or Frozen (Norway) rides that I missed the night before and to eat lunch in one of the International Showcase countries.

I easily tapped into the park and there was a restroom on the left (important if with little ones who also had treats on the ride) and the United Kingdom food kiosk for fish & chips ahead.  I had completed only 7,600 steps this morning when I arrived at Epcot.  You can use the Disney app to pre-order takeaway at many kiosks and restaurants in Epcot.  United Kingdom fish & chips was one of the restaurants but I took my chances that there would be a short line when I arrived and I was right. With my fish & chips in hand, I found a seat along the water that was both quiet and picturesque save a few birds hoping for leftover scraps.

I was still watching the lines for Remy & Frozen and neither had moved lower than 90 minutes and neither offered lightning lane access so it looked like I would be forgoing those rides this visit.  I visited the French attraction Beauty & Beast sing a long (entering at 12:47, exiting at 1:01 pm). Who doesn’t love a sing along in an air-conditioned theatre before exiting to the sunny promenade of the International Showcase?

As it was lunch time, the lines for French pastries were long as were most of the country kiosks for foods so I continued my walk around the international showcase of countries and out of the park.

Required Afternoon Nap at Disney World

At this point, nearly 2pm, I had lost the will to walk and boarded the bus to the hotel to take a break.  My sister was texting me “you can’t take a break, don’t go to sleep, keep going” but my feet had given up on me.  The final steps to the hotel room were the hardest as I was ready to drop in the hallway. Being horizontal on the comfy bed was what I needed for a few hours.  When I woke up, I checked the Disney app and saw that the Avatar ride in Animal Kingdom was showing “available to purchase” Individual Lightning Lane at 6:45 p.m. Everyone had told me this was a “must ride” and their “favorite ride” so I bought the individual lightning lane pass for $17.04.

Animal Kingdom Solo for One Ride

I could have visited Animal Kingdom earlier in the day if I hadn’t stopped for a nap but I made the mistake thinking the park was open to 8pm. As swarms of people were walking toward me exiting the park I realized the park closed at 7pm. I tapped into the Avatar lightning lane at 6:45 p.m. walking through the empty lanes as I had most of the day arriving at the merge point of the two lines.  We walked into the groups, procured our glasses and were sorted into the numbered lines to wait to board our pod.  Each pod seats 12 riders at a time and two pods per room so they were able to move folks through easily.  The ride is the next generation of Soarin with interactive features (I won’t spoil the fun).

• Avatar Flight of Passage (enter 6:45 pm, exit 7:09)

When I exited the ride, the park had closed so there were no other lines to jump into so I exited the park and waited for the next bus (7:30 pm) to Magic Kingdom for the 9pm fireworks show.

Saturday Night Magic Kingdom Fireworks

I arrived to the Magic Kingdom at 7:45 p.m. and was hungry. Main Street was packed with people lined up early for the best fireworks spots.  I had a few failed attempts at food without a reservation so for the first time in my Magic Kingdom visits, I bought a turkey leg and a Mickey pretzel.  It was dark now so when I bit into the infamous turkey leg, I was surprised it was pink inside.  I’m not the best cook but I don’t think it should be pink so I went to ask a cast member who told me they brine it like ham so it will be pink and likely remind me more of ham but don’t worry its fine to eat.  I ate a bit more but focused on the pretzel before finding a fantastic viewing spot on the bridge before it closed.

The fireworks show in Magic Kingdom is now a mix of projected images on Cinderella’s Castle along with fireworks.  My view of the castle was from the side and the fireworks overhead had a bit of an obstruction by the trees but overall was a good spot. My magic band changed colors during the show to match the color scheme, a bit of interactive fun for the kids, for adults it can be fun if you don’t think too much wearing a tracker all day.

Once the fireworks ended people scattered to popular rides to see if they could avoid the lines/waits.  I booked the Big Thunder Mountain railroad (tapped in at 9:14 pm, boarded at 9:18 pm and exited at 9:22 pm). The standby line was only ten minutes which wasn’t terrible, for comparison the Jungle Cruise was still posting 45 minutes waits even in the dark (the ride is not illuminated at night other than with a spotlight from the guide).  The Big Thunder Mountain roller coaster in the dark was exciting.

From here, I went to the Pirates of the Caribbean which showed a short wait (tap in 9:28pm, exit 9:39 pm) and again had me spending more time walking from the entrance to the boarding gate.   As I walked out of Frontierland and through Cinderella’s Castle to Fantasyland, I jumped on the Winnie the Pooh ride via the standby line (enter 9:54, exit 10 pm) thinking maybe it’s changed in fifteen years (it hasn’t and really should) before calling it a day.  My inner child was done and my feet were really done after 20k+ steps.

Solo Walt Disney World Weekend – Final Thoughts

The solo weekend in Disney World was a success due to the fantastic weather, lower than normal crowds and the extra money I spent for the lightning lanes. I had tapped into all four parks in one day – Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom – to ride the new rides and get a taste of each park’s highlights.  If I’m being honest, I didn’t eat anything healthy over the weekend with quick service foods (I had dinner reservations which I canceled).  Bringing my water bottle and electrolyte packets was good call as I could fill up in the park at the water fountains.  Having walked over 30k steps, I was ready to hang up my Magic band to go relax on the transatlantic cruise.

Navigating Walt Disney World is definitely easier solo with the added extras of Genie + and individual lightning lanes as I could book one ticket for lightning lane entrance, use the single rider line (only a handful of rides have single rider lines) and skip ahead when “party of one” was needed. I hit all the major new rides since my last visit with the exception of Tron (a one-minute ride that was ok to miss per my sister) – it was available for lightning lane purchases but I didn’t realize you are limited to two individual lightning lane purchases per day and I reached my limit on Saturday with Star Wars and Avatar, both well worth it.

If you are a first-time visitor solo to Walt Disney World, I’d say take each park on its own, enjoy the restaurants, the parades, the multiple shows and soak up the park experience including character meet/greet/photo.  If, like me, you’ve done that on prior visits, then focus on the rides/attractions of most interest.   As for the costs, my sister says “It’s only Disney money” but it adds up quickly for one person.

Solo Disney World Park Rides Cost Summary

The total cost for a single person two day Walt Disney World tickets and add-ons was $575.48 (excluding magic band+ purchase)

• Two-day Park hopper ticket cost $434.88 April Friday & Saturday (prices are dynamic and vary by day).
• Genie + park hopper options was $78.82 ($41.54 Friday and $37.28 Saturday) – if you choose one park it is slightly cheaper but less flexible if you decide to visit multiple parks that day.
• Individual Lightning Lanes were $61.78 ($18.11 Guardians, $26.63 Rise of the Resistance and $17.04 Avatar). Limit of two per day