9 Days, Minus Husband, 3 Kids

[drallab96]

I will be traveling in September, without my husband (due to his work). I am taking my three children, ages 9, 8, and 6. Am I crazy?

I am driving from SC, staying at POP. My six year old will be tall enough to ride everything but 48" rides, R&R Coaster and Primeval Whirl.

Any advice would be appreciated....

 

[CastleCreations]

My only advice would be to set ground rules, before you leave the hotel room. Get a park map from guest services and plan a meeting spot incase one of you gets lost. Let them know what their budget (if any) is for the day. I would also ask them what their must-do ride is and make sure each one gets to go on their choice, just incase lines get long and things get overlooked. Also try to take a few moments for yourself in all of the insanity that vacations are. I get my quiet time, sitting by the pool while the girls swim. I bring a book and a drink, and put my feet up for a few minutes. It relaxes you and gets you ready for more Disney the next day.
Enjoy your vacation and take tons of pictures...also..give each child a backpack or fanny pack and make them carry their own water bottle, autograph book, disposable camera and whatever else they want to carry...LOL

 

[Frankiesmom]

Do you have a relative or friend who would be interested in going with you? I only ask this because in May I traveled with 2 kids- 6,3. And Thank God my Mom was able to join us-she lives in Melbourne and was only an hour away; DH wasn't able to come with us due to work also. Having her around to help and enjoy WDW with her grandkids was so amazing! I would have never been able to do it without her! Good luck! And have a magical trip!

 

[bigbabyblues]

With 3 kids and only one adult, I agree with Castlecreations....they have to carry what they bring!

 

[sk!mom]

I was with you and thinking - "cool!" Until you got to the part where you're driving with three kids- Wow, I don't have the guts for that part. I wouldn't really want to go for 9 days without my DH, either.

I don't have advice. I've visited the parks with just DD but with only one child it's easy. We had a lot of fun. My DH was on the trip with us but at meetings for two days.

 

[Tammysue5]

I am thinking that I would entertain the thought of asking a good friend or relative to go along..... They might enjoy it and you would definately be grateful for the help with the kids.

 

[rangermom]

I don't think your crazy. The 8 and 9 year olds should be very helpful and depending on the maturity of the 6 yr old it might be easier than you think. My Dnef is 6 and and a very well mannered little boy (makes my kids look like total hethens (sp)).

My friends and family think I'm crazy because I take my kids to all sorts of places, some resulting in me driving with the kids 10-12 hrs by myself. (Husband is gone alot for work.)

I agree that you need to have a plan. I would be tattoos or some type of bracelet that has your contact number.

You know what you can handle and kids are old enough to understand that they need to behave and listen to help make this a special trip.

Have a great trip.

 

[dijid]

You know yourself (and your limits) and you know your kids best. So if you think you can do it, then you can. If your DH travels a lot, and this is the only way you'll be able to do Disney, then most definitely go for it! I agree that having a plan, planning quiet/down time, and getting everyone on board will make things much smoother. If your 8 & 9yos are very petite, you might actually have a problem in Fantasyland. I was alone with my kids there last year (8, 6 and 3 at the time) and my 8 & 6yo could not ride some of the rides together. There's some hidden height limit for riding without an adult on rides like Dumbo and Peter Pan! Yet they could ride RnRC together?!?

Anyways...I don't think you're crazy. I'd say ambitious. But with 9 days, you don't have to go commando at all, so it could be really nice.

 

[eeyoregon]

YES you can do it!!!

Just take it slow and be willing to modify your plans. You will have a great time. I'm a single mom and have been taking my two boys to WDW for years. You have an advantage with your even group size...there were a lot of rides where my older DS had to sit alone or with a stranger because I had to be with my younger DS.

Have a great trip.

 

[DawnM]

I have done it. We had a great time!
We drove from NC.

Dawn

 

[MiniGirl]

I don't see why it would be a problem -- esp. given the ages of your children. In fact, at that age, I would think going with 3 would be easier than just 2. When I bring my girls, 1 of us often has to ride in a car alone. You won't have that problem. Also, we have a rule that we all have to go on rides or none of us can go. However, I would not hesitae to let 2 children that age ride by themselves and wait with the 3rd child who didn't want to ride.

Have a great time.

 

[mytwotinks]

I kind of did this "accidentally" a few years ago. My sister and I took our daughters and her daughter got strep throat while we were there so I was on my own with a 3 year old and a 7 year old. We were there in June and it was pretty crowded.

The only time I really felt stressed was when I was trying to get out of Magic Kingdom after people had started finding their spots for fireworks. I was actually having trouble getting through the crowd. I had both of the girls in one of the Disney double strollers which was a lifesaver. My suggestion would be to come up with a method of all staying together in crown situations. Maybe dress everyone in matching bright colors so they are easy to spot.

You'll have a ball. I actually loved the time that I was there by myself with my girls. It was really a lot of fun to watch them enjoy the magic with no distractions. We all really treasure those memories.

 

[GraysMom]

I know a lot of people have used this tip, including me-take a picture of your kids before you leave the hotel each morning so you know what they are wearing in case you get separated. This will be especially helpful since you won't have another adult's memory to rely on.

Another thing you could do is buy 2 packs of walkie-talkies (2 pairs) that will all work together and have a far enough range. Practice using them at home/the grocery store/parks or wherever so they know how to use them easily when you get to WDW. They can either keep them in their backpack/fanny pack or clipped onto a belt. One more way to reconnect if you get separated. I'd look for ones that are rechargeable so you don't have to lug a bunch of batteries with you.

In a recent issue of the All Ears Newsletter, their was a blurb about WDW now being on Google Earth and how you could do a virtual tour of the parks. It might not be a bad idea to practice "walking" the parks with the kids so they have a visual idea in their heads of what certain landmarks look like so if they get lost they can give you an idea of what rides/attractions they are near. Practicing map reading skills (which they'll probably need to know for social studies class anyway) could also be a big help.