Traveling to WDW with an only child

[runsandjumps]

I remember my trip to Disneyland as an only child and it was great. What's not to love about undivided attention and parents who can join in the fun. Sounds great to me. Btw I have three kids and I am thinking of doing trips with each child separately based on their interests so they can experience things without each other.

[Lesleyluvsdisney]

This year has been the first year our daughter (12) has started hinting that it would be amazing to take a friend along. Think at the age they want a tiny bit of freedom and to experience rides etc with someone closer to their own age!!

Although I know when we get there she'll love it!

Generally she doesn't mind being an only child (I'm also an only child), so I can empathise with her a lot, but usually Im pointing out the benefits of it!!

[Happiest mommy]

maybe you could take a friend/cousin along to share in the fun

[Familyof4lovesDW]

When you go to disney I don't thnk she will miss not having any peers along with her. As others have mentioned she can take the lead and can do all the things she wants to do without the worry of what her friend/cousin/sibling wants to do.

Also most Disney rides seat 3, so I think that is so cool that you can all ride together.

Now if you go on another vacation, to where she will not be as entertained, I would suggest bringing a friend.

When we went to visit my dad's friends, I was allowed to bring a friend. I think I was in 4 or 5 grade. This was so I would have someone to talk to, so the adults could talk.

I'm sure you will all have a great time! I remember all of the vacations with my parents, it did not matter if a friend came or not.

[CammelleandBre]

My daughter is an only child, and I'm a single parent. We took our first (just us) trip in Sept. 2010 and she had a blast. In fact my daughter has told me point blank she does not want any siblings. I told her you do not have to worry about that one your enough .

[GatorGirl]

Thanks guys. We were there for DD's birthday back in March and she was okay. I guess I just want to be sure I am not missing some cool thing that parent's of onlies do to make these kinds of trips more fun than they already are! And now that you mention it I have read alot of threads in the past of parents going one on one with each child if they have more than one. I didn't think about that until you guys brought it.

Because we are taking a long weekend (Fri - Mon) and DD will be out of school a couple of days we can't take a friend with us this trip but I am not opposed, especially as she gets older, to her bringing a friend. The three of us do have a great time together and DD loves the roller coasters so we get to do most of the big rides too.

And Queen2PrincessG that's all DD ever asks for too - a dog!

[DisneyRegulars]

Originally Posted by Kristian

I'm glad you asked this question, because i'm curious myself.

My dd, who will be turning 4 in November, is an only child right now and were getting ready to head to Disney for her first trip in a week Even though our dd is still pretty young, she has actually asked for a brother or sister (prefarably a sister at her request). When we decided to plan our first family Disney trip together, I wondered about the whole "only child" thing too. We've been to a few amusement parks, however we've always taken a niece or nephew with us, so this trip will be a first where its just dh, dd, and myself. Dd has asked if her cousins are going with us and i've been honest and just told her that they will all be in school during this trip and she doesn't seem to be bothered by it. Even though dh and I have been planning another baby for a while, I actually wanted to make a trip to Disney with just our dd before another baby came along. We have had some fertility issues so when things didn't go as planned, I jumped into Disney planning mode and began putting together our trip. I'm trying to make things as memorable as possible. Were doing MNSSHP, dd has a BBB appointment, were doing a few character meals, etc. I have also made dd a really nice autograph book also. We of course will take other Disney trips, but I wanted her first to be special, especially before we add anyone else to the mix

My brother still talks to this day (he's 36) about the two trips to Disney he took with just my parents. One was before I was born, and the next was when I was too little to go with them. Your daughter will remember and treasure the time she has with you there on her pre-sibling trip.

[Denine]

Our DD, almost 10, is also an only. She has never expressed the need to have a friend along. She loves spending time with us. We have signed her up for special things along the way like a pirate cruise. For our trip in October, we signed her up for archery lessons. She loves "daddy time" where they go on all the rides I won't go on.

[kohlby]

I'd think it would actually be easier to just have one child at Disney. She can make more decisions. No one is slowing her town. The trip can be geared towards here. I don't have an only, but do have a 9 year old. Disney isn't about interacting with his siblings but doing the rides/attractions. Once she's a teen, it may be more fun to have a friend/cousin along. Right now, my 9 year old still likes hanging out with his parents though.

[Figment1990]

I have an only, so I wonder about this too. He's 4 1/2 now and I'm not sure if he's going to stay an only, but I wonder about this topic if he does.

Thinking though on my experience as a child with a sister 4 years younger than me - on our first WDW trip, I was 11 and she was 7, I don't really remember the interaction with HER so much as I do with my dad and with my family as a whole. My dad worked a lot when we were growing up so a week with him was awesome. He's a big goofball and we became downright silly in Disney. In fact, the way we would laugh together is probably the reason I am a Disney NUT today, not because the rides are the coolest, or b/c of the characters - but b/c it takes me back to the happiest memories I have with my family. Not to slight my sister, but it really wasn't about riding rides with her. In fact, most I would ride with my mom or dad and she would ride with the other. We were never there as really young children so I can't speak to that, but I can vouch that as we got older, it only got worse. We always wanted to do different things and as adults, we can't even agree on restaurants! We do love to talk about our Disney memories, but oddly - they aren't of the type "hey remember when you and i did such and such at disney."

My plan is to pray that my son enjoys his time with us on vacation and if we can afford to bring a friend with us sometime, we will. Both DH and I work, and we try to do special things on the weekend and evenings with DS, but I know as he gets older there will be less time for that so vacation time will be important.

[*pixie*dust*]

My DS(7) is an only. He has been to WDW 3 times and has never wished for someone else to be there. In fact, our next trip will likely include my sister and her only. Upon hearing this news(even though he and his cousin are great buddies) my son said "AWWW...I like it best when it's just you and me."

[usd2bmd]

My daughter is an only and we have been going with just her since she was six. She has expressed a wish to take someone when we go but it hasn't worked out that way. She has always made friends with other kids at the resort, some that she still talks to on FB and texting. She always has fun while she's there.