{"id":74843,"date":"2019-12-04T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/?p=74843"},"modified":"2022-04-08T22:10:58","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T02:10:58","slug":"disney-world-solo-series-dining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themouseforless.com\/blog_world\/disney-world-solo-series-dining\/","title":{"rendered":"Disney World Solo Series: Dining"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We\u2019ve talked about planning <\/a>you<\/span>r<\/span> Walt Disney World solo vacation, now let\u2019s talk about dining; both the planning & the experience! All of the wonderful dining options <\/span>are<\/span> possibl<\/span>y<\/span> my favorite part of any Disney vacation. Whether it be quick service<\/a> or table service<\/a>, with over 200 dining locations, the options are endless. <\/span>Dining can be one of the most intimidating parts of a solo trip. But things are only intimidating if you give them that power! Let\u2019s talk about how I tackled my dining on my solo Disney World vacation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I am a pro Dining Plan<\/a> user, and I happened to luck into free dining<\/a>. I had the regular Disney Dining Plan which meant I had 1 quick service, 1 table service & 2 snacks per day. With having a lengthy <\/span>12 day<\/span> trip, I had lots of room for new places to explore<\/span>.<\/span> My solo trip was originally a trip for two, so when my Advance Dining Reservation<\/a> window came, all reservations were made for two people. When it later became a solo trip, I thought long & hard about if I even wanted the dining plan or to partake in any table service meals. I was concerned about getting lonely <\/span>during <\/span>meal time & I was even more concerned about the many character meals I had planned being awkward. I decided that in order for my dream trip to be what I wanted, I needed to keep the Dining Plan & reservations \u2013 like I had originally planned! I was so excited to have some good eats.<\/span> Let\u2019s review my experiences!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Choosing & Booking Dining Locations<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the most part, I kept my dining reservations as they originally were. I had a lot of character meals,<\/a> some old favorite restaurants but mostly new ones. I did make some changes of restaurants that were my travel partner\u2019s choice that I had <\/span>already <\/span>done in the past. I have a lengthy restaurant bucket list, so I simply consulted that & made some changes!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although my reservations were made, I never had much trouble changing them. I watched the My Disney Experience<\/a> app like a hawk. I left all my reservations as 2 people until I was sure I would be dining solo. As I mentioned in my solo planning blog, I made some friends who tagged along<\/span> for some meals<\/span>. Also \u2013 Disney does not have any \u201cone person\u201d tables. They are all 2 people or more. For this reason, there was no urgency to reduce to 1 person on the reservation. Once I chatted to some of my new friends, I decided to keep a few reservations for them to join but for the most part, I called Disney to make changes & dined solo!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Boma – Breakfast Buffet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The Cast Member on the Disney Dining line was phenomenal, he was even jealous of my solo dining! He was so excited & told me I had some of the best restaurants on <\/span>property<\/span> booked \u2013 I was even more excited now!!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no right or wrong when it comes to choosing restaurants for your solo trip. I am able to easily entertain myself, so I wasn\u2019t worried about feeling lonely or awkward at table service meals. My biggest tip when considering where to dine is how you think you\u2019ll feel. For example, if communal dining (such as Biergarten<\/a>) is not for you, opt out of those spots. If you don\u2019t want to have to sit lonely for your meal to arrive, opt for a lot of buffets. This is one thing I did do a lot of \u2013 but it was purely coincidental. If Cast Member shenanigans <\/span>is<\/span> not your thing, especially solo, maybe opt out of places like Whispering Canyon<\/a> and 50s Prime Time Caf\u00e9<\/a>. With that said, if you\u2019re concerned about that or drawing attention, you can always politely tell the Cast Member to not do the fun things & they won\u2019t. Sometimes, Cast Members give solo diners that respect anyways!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Another tip to keep in mind is that a lot of table service restaurants also have a bar or lounge which has the full menu. You could always do that & still get the full experience! I thought about doing this at 50s Prime Time Caf\u00e9, but ended up having friends join me, so I kept my reservation!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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50s Prime Time Cafe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You could also simply skip table service meals entirely. If you are really not comfortable with it, don\u2019t do it! This is YOUR trip. There are tons of delicious & fun quick service restaurants on <\/span>property<\/span> & you certainly do not have to do any table service meals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Last tip I have \u2013 just do what makes you happy & comfortable!!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Akershus – Flyt Pasta<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Character Meals<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

I was hesitant about character meals. I am not a person who gets awkward or embarrassed easily, but I was concerned about funny looks & judgements people might make because I was solo. I was worried about how the Cast Members, and even characters may react. I decided to keep the ones I did have, because I had been so excited for them & it\u2019s the best way to meet characters! Two of my character meals, I did have a friend join. I dined at:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n