Single Parent DW Advice and Tips Needed!

Mine is a packing tip, I picked up on the boards...Pack your DD's clothes in large zip lock bags. Socks, outfit, hair bow/ties, diaper/underwear everything for the morning dash. If she is independent and wants to do it herself (like mine did) the outfits are all matched and she can pick. Throw one or two of these outfit pouches in your bag and that way if she plays in the fountains, has an accident or really enjoys that Mickey bar, you have clean clothes and a place to put the wet/sticky ones.

Not certain what you meant by Mods don't have a direct bus...We typically stay POR and at park opening and closing buses are direct. Sometimes during the day, it shares with POFQ but nothing that is a huge inconvenience. Also, if you are still on the fence about the princess rooms, keep watching room discounts. Hopefully there is a summer one coming soon that might put POR and the royal suites in your budget, if not I am sure she will love AOA.

In a similar boat. Single dad with four kids (ranging from 6th grade to K). Completely stoked about the trip but concerned that we may experience some difficulties when the bigs want to ride the rides that the littles aren't tall enough for.

G00fy@n said:

In a similar boat. Single dad with four kids (ranging from 6th grade to K). Completely stoked about the trip but concerned that we may experience some difficulties when the bigs want to ride the rides that the littles aren't tall enough for.

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We took DD the first time when she was 5 and there were only 3 rides in the parks that she could not ride because of height. Our biggest WDW meltdown was because she couldn't ride Primevil Whirl with her older cousin. Most of the time if the bigs wanted to ride a ride she couldn't/wouldn't we were able to find a little activity station right near the ride. Set the expectation that the bigs will get to ride what they want, but the littles get to chose an experience also. Want to ride RNR be prepared to sit thru Beauty and the Beast while we are over there. EE sure, next ride might be safari and a stop at the petting zoo.

I think the kids will love just spending time at WDW with their Dad so here is wishing you the best of trips!

tooh8ful said:

I just wanted to tell the OP I'm excited FOR you! The first time I took my oldest daughter she was 4. That is THE most magical time for little princesses! Your daughter is going to have an AMAZING time, enjoy every second of it!

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Thank you! I am so excited too! I was nervous about taking her just myself but as I've been uber planning, I have gotten super excited about it just being us. The only thing that I'm getting a little nervous about is my payment deadline...I've paid most of it off but still have a significant balance. I just hope I have enough left over for souvenirs!

G00fy@n said:

In a similar boat. Single dad with four kids (ranging from 6th grade to K). Completely stoked about the trip but concerned that we may experience some difficulties when the bigs want to ride the rides that the littles aren't tall enough for.

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This is one reason that I am glad that I didn't make this trip a big surprise! I've had time to prepare her for the fact that she won't be tall enough to ride everything and she is ok with it (in theory, we'll see once we get there). My kiddo is a pretty pragmatic kid though so a little preparation with her goes a long way to avoiding meltdowns. But it is only me and her, I don't know how I'd juggle multiple kiddos but I think prepping them all before hand will help. Have a good touring plan ready and let them all know that you have a plan so that they won't melt down every second if you have to pass something up. Are your older kids old enough to go on rides by themselves while you play with the younger ones? Keep the littles occupied and hopefully distracting them from the thing they can't do with a fun thing they can will work for you. Distraction used to work great with my DD, now it works occasionally- she's too smart and catches on quick! LOL. When are you going?

The 6th and 4th grader should be old enough to ride by themselves ( "should" being the operative word, whether they will brave the rides without dad remains to be seen ). The 1st grader is above 44 inches, so he should be able to do most things (and he would absolutely do everything...captain fearless). The youngest is just shy of 44 inches (well, if she stands on my shoes, she's right there...but the CM's are well trained in measuring so that won't work), but I think she'll be content just being there in all the magic. I'm thinking I am going to attempt to keep the whole trip an absolute surprise up until the moment we cross the FL state line (I'm pretty sure my oldest will probably figure it out once he sees "Orlando" signs off the interstate). We will be there in early June.

G00fy@n said:

The 6th and 4th grader should be old enough to ride by themselves ( "should" being the operative word, whether they will brave the rides without dad remains to be seen ). The 1st grader is above 44 inches, so he should be able to do most things (and he would absolutely do everything...captain fearless). The youngest is just shy of 44 inches (well, if she stands on my shoes, she's right there...but the CM's are well trained in measuring so that won't work), but I think she'll be content just being there in all the magic. I'm thinking I am going to attempt to keep the whole trip an absolute surprise up until the moment we cross the FL state line (I'm pretty sure my oldest will probably figure it out once he sees "Orlando" signs off the interstate). We will be there in early June.

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I'd reconsider the surprise aspect only because if they are all prepared for having to take turns or miss out it could avoid meltdowns, especially for the youngest. But you know your kids, so go with your gut. We will be there starting June 15th. If you guys are there at the same time, maybe we can all say "hello"?

Just wanted to add that I'm super excited for you and following because we are going during a conference I have, so for 2 days out of 5, my DH will have DD (3.5 yo) by himself and he's a little nervous about it. We are going in early May so if we learn any new tips that these posters haven't covered, we'll be sure to add it. You sound like you've got it all planned out, though, so I'm sure DH will be getting tips from you instead of the other way around.

I would second the umbrella stroller from home - we have a MacLaren volo, it's really sturdy and super light (I have carried DD and slung the folded up stroller over my shoulder - not ideal but at least it's doable). In the airport, my DD usually wants to walk, so I load our carry ons on it and gate check it. And if you want to keep her close but she doesn't want to hold your hand, having her "help push" the umbrella stroller keeps her nearby too.

My DD always wanted to walk in the parks, so we tended to only use the stroller for the walks from transportation into the park. I would leave the stroller in a central location so you're not picking it up after every ride - in MK, it was near the carousel (so she rode all the way in), at Epcot Futureworld, wed' leave it under Spaceship Earth, for AK we kind of took it around, but would find a more central area in each region if possible.

Also - I know this trip is a financial stretch, but maybe grandparents/friends could chip in - Memory Maker would be great for lots of pictures of both you and DD in them.

kboo said:

Just wanted to add that I'm super excited for you and following because we are going during a conference I have, so for 2 days out of 5, my DH will have DD (3.5 yo) by himself and he's a little nervous about it. We are going in early May so if we learn any new tips that these posters haven't covered, we'll be sure to add it. You sound like you've got it all planned out, though, so I'm sure DH will be getting tips from you instead of the other way around.

I would second the umbrella stroller from home - we have a MacLaren volo, it's really sturdy and super light (I have carried DD and slung the folded up stroller over my shoulder - not ideal but at least it's doable). In the airport, my DD usually wants to walk, so I load our carry ons on it and gate check it. And if you want to keep her close but she doesn't want to hold your hand, having her "help push" the umbrella stroller keeps her nearby too.

My DD always wanted to walk in the parks, so we tended to only use the stroller for the walks from transportation into the park. I would leave the stroller in a central location so you're not picking it up after every ride - in MK, it was near the carousel (so she rode all the way in), at Epcot Futureworld, wed' leave it under Spaceship Earth, for AK we kind of took it around, but would find a more central area in each region if possible.

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It's cool to leave it someplace for a long period of time? I'd just be worried it wouldn't be found when we went back to get it. I'm going to take our regular stroller from home since it has features that an umbrella stroller doesn't have but I may end up buying one while we are there. I will just have to see how it goes. DD is begging me to take the stroller, she does not want to walk... I'm torn between not wanting her to get lazy about walking and wanting to avoid meltdowns.

Since I've had a year to plan, I have been researching extensively! I'm excited about spending the one on one time with my kiddo (not that we don't spend a lot of time together normally but away from my constant working and laundry, etc). I think Disney is the perfect place for solo parenting vacations- they take care of so much for us!

FYI, the Volo has a sunshade and a basket underneath. Possible to borrow one for the trip? Or get a gently used one? (it's all about avoiding the meltdown, and having the stroller helps a lot in the airport).

I've left it for a while (2-ish hours), usually in a pretty central location where there are lots of strollers - it will get moved a bit, but not too far. But if your DD likes to ride (mine is a walker and runner, oy!) you may find yourself taking it around quite a bit anyway. We walk a lot at home, so DD is used to it, but if yours isn't, I don't think WDW is the place to get her to walk more. She'll get lots of walking in even while riding in the stroller for the longer stretches.

Hi! I'm also a single mom and I took my 5 year old daughter to WDW for the first time in sept. I agree with a lot of what's already been posted, but thought I'd add a few things.

I rented a city mini stroller while we were there. I don't know if your stroller at home is the same way, but this one folds with 1 hand which made it super easy to carry on and off the busses. My daughter hadn't used a stroller for 2 years before we went and I wasn't sure how useful it would actually be, but I wanted to make everything as simple as possible since it was just the 2 of us. It ended up being invaluable. It's easy to underestimate the amount of walking involved. We mostly used it for moving from one general area of the park to another, then parked it for a couple hours while exploring. We never had a problem with parking the stroller for a while. They have large roped off parking areas all over. I tied a colorful scarf around the handle to make it easy to find.

I was also very happy with Memory Maker. It was so nice to have the photo pass photographers available to get pictures with both of us in them!

The character meals were fantastic! The food wasn't always great, but the characters were so much fun. Our favorite was Garden Grill at Epcot. We're going back this year and that was the one restaurant the little requested to go back to!

I'm an obsessive planner as well and I loved Touring Plans for the customizable plans. Since it was our first trip and I had no idea where to start when planning our days in the parks, it was great for a jumping off point. While we didn't always stick to the plans, it was really helpful when we weren't sure where to go next. With the Lines app that comes with the subscription, I could update the plan as we went in case there was something we skipped or wanted to add.

I know most of this has already been covered, but hopefully some of it will be helpful! I was so nervous taking my daughter alone, but it was great. I was completely blown away by how kind and helpful everyone (both fellow visitors and cast members) were, holding doors, giving directions....someone even carried our stroller on a bus for me when the little fell asleep! I know you two will have an amazing time!

Hi! I am also a single mom! I will be taking my DD4 on her 3rd trip (our 2nd trip just the 2 of us) to the World next month. Like others have said, I found renting a stroller worked for us. Trying to push a stroller and get our luggage into the airport was a struggle for me. I have rented a City Mini from Kingdom Strollers twice and have been pleased. They deliver and pick the stroller up from your resort. I am also a fan of character meals, especially the family-style ones (O'hana, Garden Grill). I just found them to be easier for a single mom than the buffet meals. I know it takes a lot of planning but it is so worth it in the end! I hope you two have an amazing time!!!

Chances are very good that by four, you DD will hit 40 inches and will be able to ride most of the rides IF she will. There are only a few things over 40 inches so if you play your cards right, you might not miss much. I would take a really good, light weight umbrella stroller and I agree that you may want it for the airport. I have taken a four year old into the parks with Magic BAnds, cell phone and his Epi Pens only so do not have to carry a ton if you choose not to. A small cinch sack to hang on the stroller, that can also be worn is ideal and put nothing in it you don't want to leave in the stroller unattended. Its going to be so fun!!!