Should I go alone?

[LiDa]

I used to go to WDW once or twice per year with my mom & our friend, Kevin. Over the years, my mother & I sort of lost contact with Kevin, but there was no break ... just life. When my mom passed in 2014, I drove up from Tampa to Orlando to sprinkle a few ashes on our favorite resort (shhh, don't tell WDW!) but have never gone back to the parks. I can't even watch the Christmas parade on TV w/o crying. Over the holidays, I decided out of the blue to drop a card to Kevin, to wish him well & say how much I enjoyed our travels together -- no expectations other than that he would ignore me.

Well, he wrote back & it's like time has not passed. I think I'm ready to go back to WDW, although I live 90 minutes from Anaheim now! haha

I have started to look at my old resources & can't get over how much has changed. Our must-see places are gone now -- change happens!

Have you ever had to re-learn WDW?
Where should I start?
I'm honestly not even sure I'm emotionally prepared -- does that sound crazy? WDW was our happy place. When someone says, "Just think of a time that made you joyously happy", I always land on WDW & the fun the 3 of us had, our little traditions & rituals, the stories that are too complicated to share but come back like a picture & make me laugh out loud.
Do you think it will be too hard for me going alone for the 1st time?

THANKS for your perspective & suggestions, Disney fans!

 

[lockets]

Go! It will be cathartic. And so what if you cry? The things you used to do with your mother you will now do to honor her.

 

[dizneedoll]

Like you, Im close to Disneyland. Since you are a short drive away, maybe start with a day trip to Disneyland. It will ease you in and you can see how you feel and manage doing Disney solo.
As far as relearning WDW, yeah Ive had to do that! Start with these boards, there are information threads on Genie +, Park Reservations, Early Entry etc. For tutorial kind of info I like DFB Guide's Youtube channel. I also like Disney Tourist Blog. They have a large planning section that covers pretty much everything.
And no, its certainly not crazy to not feel emotionally prepared. Im going on my first solo trip next month to WDW (I have done Disneyland many times on my own) but I had to prepare myself emotionally too for other reasons. I planned for about 8 months and that process really helped prepare me mentally.

 

[LiDa]

Like you, Im close to Disneyland. Since you are a short drive away, maybe start with a day trip to Disneyland. It will ease you in and you can see how you feel and manage doing Disney solo.
As far as relearning WDW, yeah Ive had to do that! Start with these boards, there are information threads on Genie +, Park Reservations, Early Entry etc. For tutorial kind of info I like DFB Guide's Youtube channel. I also like Disney Tourist Blog. They have a large planning section that covers pretty much everything.
And no, its certainly not crazy to not feel emotionally prepared. Im going on my first solo trip next month to WDW (I have done Disneyland many times on my own) but I had to prepare myself emotionally too for other reasons. I planned for about 8 months and that process really helped prepare me mentally.

Many thanks for your kind post! I hope you have a lovely WDW trip.

I have been to Disneyland solo a few times since losing my mom & it's just so different that I feel it's not adequate prep. And I really just don't like it. Sacrilege, I know! hahaha As you know from visiting both sites, WDW is just a very different place in many ways.

These boards have been a wonderful help, though. I've been able to read w/o any sadness at all, which in itself is surprising progress.

THANK YOU, again!

 

[DisneyDadWV]

You should absolutely go! And you will absolutely cry. I'm fortunate to this point to have not lost a family member that is connected to my love for Disney, but I still get tears in my eyes each time I make that turn from the top of Main Street and see the castle for the first time on that trip. There is a connection that people get with Disney as they grow to love the place that most people who don't go will never understand.

Go....have fun...relive those memories...cherish them...and shed a few tears. It will be magical.....

 

[goofyernmost]

The only time WDW ever made me cry was when my VISA bill came in after the visit.

Sorry, just trying to lighten the thread a little. I think you just need to do what feels right. WDW is a little different then it was in 2014, but not as much as you might think. MK hasn't changed all the much, Epcot is different but again until all the new construction is finished that isn't all that different either. Hollywood Studios has probably changed the most but even that will have many familiar things and some new and improved things. DAK is probably the one that is the least changed except for Pandora.

That is the physical changes and those are likely to be the things that trigger the nostalgia the most. What has changed is the procedures. The reservations for parks, the new FP system (Genie+ and Lightning Lane) is nothing like the old one. But it might just be time to put some of the past behind you and look toward the future. It is one thing to remember the past but something else entirely to let the past define you completely.

I speak from experience. I was in a deep funk, my wife decided she didn't want to be married anymore and left after 29 years, both my children were married and raising their own families and I can remember sitting there on a bench in MK and absolutely feeling sorry for myself, well beyond melancholy and I decided to go to the Carousel of Progress. I sat in there and listened to "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" and somehow that pulled me out of my funk and made me think that I needed to get a grip on myself and make my life happy again. At that moment I started to make plans and when I got home I made the first shaky steps into making that happen. It did happen and I haven't really looked back since then I just faced forward and made some changes and got on with it. That was nearly twenty years ago and many things have happened since then but I have continued to feel good.

 

[LiDa]

The only time WDW ever made me cry was when my VISA bill came in after the visit.

Sorry, just trying to lighten the thread a little. I think you just need to do what feels right. WDW is a little different then it was in 2014, but not as much as you might think. MK hasn't changed all the much, Epcot is different but again until all the new construction is finished that isn't all that different either. Hollywood Studios has probably changed the most but even that will have many familiar things and some new and improved things. DAK is probably the one that is the least changed except for Pandora.

That is the physical changes and those are likely to be the things that trigger the nostalgia the most. What has changed is the procedures. The reservations for parks, the new FP system (Genie+ and Lightning Lane) is nothing like the old one. But it might just be time to put some of the past behind you and look toward the future. It is one thing to remember the past but something else entirely to let the past define you completely.

I speak from experience. I was in a deep funk, my wife decided she didn't want to be married anymore and left after 29 years, both my children were married and raising their own families and I can remember sitting there on a bench in MK and absolutely feeling sorry for myself, well beyond melancholy and I decided to go to the Carousel of Progress. I sat in there and listened to "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow" and somehow that pulled me out of my funk and made me think that I needed to get a grip on myself and make my life happy again. At that moment I started to make plans and when I got home I made the first shaky steps into making that happen. It did happen and I haven't really looked back since then I just faced forward and made some changes and got on with it. That was nearly twenty years ago and many things have happened since then but I have continued to feel good.

Thanks! I wish you joy!

 

[Disney_David]

Most definitely go! I’m fortunate that I’m local enough to be able to go often, and because my wife doesn’t always want to go, I’m solo in the parks frequently.

It doesn’t feel weird, maybe ever so teeny, being solo in the parks, everything can happen on your schedule, and I think it will be cathartic for you too!

 

[LiDa]

Most definitely go! I’m fortunate that I’m local enough to be able to go often, and because my wife doesn’t always want to go, I’m solo in the parks frequently.

It doesn’t feel weird, maybe ever so teeny, being solo in the parks, everything can happen on your schedule, and I think it will be cathartic for you too!

Thanks. I've been to Disneyland a few times & was pretty much fine for the day. I realize that it's very different knowing that you will be there for a few hours & then can go home or indeed can just leave at any time. My concern was that I would have a meltdown w/ 4 more days to go! lol Since I first posted, I have become more comfortable with the idea -- thanks, in large part to the supportive posts here! -- and see a visit as more likely.

Thanks, again, for your kind words!

 

[kanerf]

I have been going solo for years now. Just no one wants to go, though I offer. Go, enjoy yourself. WDW at your own pace is relaxing. You will probably see things you never noticed before.