The Perks of Solo-ing a Theme Park

I am an introvert. As an introvert, I enjoy spending time by myself as much as I like spending time with others. I have no problem dining at a restaurant at a table for one, walking around the mall by myself, and traveling by myself. You get the idea.

But going to a theme park by yourself.. is that really a fun thing?

In the case of Harry Potter World, I would have to say no. It was wonderful to have Joseph there to share the excitement with me. We had tons of fun picking out our wands, looking at the various themed products (moreso me than him, haha), and oo-ing and aah-ing at the little gems the park had to offer.

With Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I was afraid that if I went by myself, the experience would be blotched. But that wasn’t the case at all.

I make sure to go on popular rides first, before the rush of people start creating super long lines. At 8-something in the morning, the line for Killamanjaro Safari was only 10 minutes!

1. NO ARGUMENTS

Theme parks seems to bring out the worst in people. Long lines, overcrowdedness, crying kids, expensive food. Add an over-opinionated sister or a thrill-seeking brother, and you’re bound to get into some kind of family arguments that will end in tension for the rest of the day. But with just me, myself and I, there were no such bad blood to ruin the trip.

2. NO DELAYS

One thing about going to theme parks in groups is that everything has to be a democracy. In past trips, every half an hour or so, we seemed to have huddled together, map in front of us, deciding what our next move will be. Things had to be unanimously done or else someone will feel resentful for not having their opinions heard properly. But these huddles took quite a long time, and really, it adds up!

Over at the Conservation Station, there are scheduled ‘Doctor’s Checkups’ where you can watch various animals from the Kingdom getting operated on. Here, you see a duck getting his eyes checked.

3. NO UNWANTED RIDES

I am not a fan of rollercoasters. I don’t want to ride on rollercoasters. I didn’t have to ride on rollercoasters.

See what you want to see. Do what you want to do.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY AT A LEISURELY PACE

As a photographer, if I’m walking around and something catches my eye, I will try to photograph it the best I can. This might mean spending more than at that area than non-photographers will care to spend. I don’t want to bug my group so I try to keep this to a minimum for must-have shots. But when I’m solo-ing, freeeedom!

5. NO GETTING LOST

“Where’s Sam?”

“I don’t know. I just saw her a minute ago…”

This seems like a constant dialogue when it comes to any party larger than one. With a big party, I am constantly checking around to see whether anyone is missing or has slipped off somewhere from the crowded theme park streets. This time, no worries occurred.

6. YOUR NEEDS = #1 PRIORITY

Need to go to the restroom for the 10th time? No worries! Hungry for lunch when you just ate breakfast? No worries! Need to sit for a while after making the mistake of wearing non-tennis shoes? You go ahead! Ready to leave the park before seeing the fireworks? Oh… alright. But just this once!

7. TIME IN LINE PASSES BY QUICKER

When you spend hours with people you already see on a regular basis, you run out of things to talk about, especially when you’re stuck in line with them for several rides in a row. Some people then start pulling up their mobile devices, which I think is SUPER rude because you’re basically telling the people around you that you’re not to be bothered.

BUT when you’re by yourself in line… this changes things! I ended up getting pretty far in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows because of the time waiting in line, AND the time passed by much quicker because of the book. I actually didn’t mind waiting in line because it gives me an excuse to get further in my reading. Win-win!

So… have I convinced you to try and roam a theme park by yourself?

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