Am I mad to even consider this?

[feistyblue]

Hi guys

It's looking increasingly more likely that I will be going alone on my trip with ds. At this moment there is a close to no chance that my friend will be coming with me.

Is it mad to consider going to WDW for 3 weeks with a 7 year old alone ( he'll have his 8th birthday there)? Several things are concerning me like, he hated ToT last time but I really enjoyed it so I won't be able to ride it. Ditto with Journey to Atlantis etc.

This probably sounds even crazier to you all, but hopefully there is a good chance that I will have a baby with me too. So it is really stupid to even think of going there with 2 children alone? I've flown alone with him many times before, it's not that aspect that worries me, more the logistics of being in the world if that makes sense!

I'll be staying on site, and not hiring a car, but taking taxis to the Malls etc that Disney buses can't get me too.

If I do have a baby by then, for certain rides he would like to go on that the baby can't, do you think the CM's would let me queue up with him,see him on the ride and then wait somewhere - a bit like baby swap?

Any comments/help/advice welcome.

Thanks

Claire

 

[KayleeUK]

Originally posted by feistyblue
If I do have a baby by then, for certain rides he would like to go on that the baby can't, do you think the CM's would let me queue up with him,see him on the ride and then wait somewhere - a bit like baby swap?

I wouldn't have thought that they would do this to be honest with you - anyone else know?

 

[Miffy2003]

Hello,

Well I personally don't think you are mad for wanting to take two children to WDW on your own. It's a place made for children, right? In all honesty if my DH would consider the idea of me and the girls going to Florida without him, we would be off like a shot !

However, I think it could be really hard work with just you, an 8 year old and a baby. How old will baby be? Old enough to go on any rides at all? Will you still have quite stringent feeding / changing / sleeping routines?

I am thinking it could be really frustrating for your son to not be able to go on many rides because you can't leave the baby with anyone else and because he may or may not be able to ride on his own (on that note, I'm not sure he would be "allowed" to ride without you, and even if he was - would you be happy for him to do this? What if the ride breaks down halfway round (as sometimes happens) and he is left without his mum in pitch blackness until they have sorted it out?)

If you are happy to go and simply soak up the wonderful atmosphere with your son and new baby I would think you will have a great time . But if you want to experience all the rides, shows etc I would say this may be a better holiday to take when your younger child is older. I also think WDW would be a wonderful place to go with a baby, but I think it might be hard work with just one grown up, a baby and an 8 year old for 3 weeks!

Sorry - this is only my opinion so please feel free to ignore it

Why not wait a few years and then baby will get to experience all the great parades, shows and tamer rides - and be able to enjoy them

Cheers

Karen

 

[maureen4200040]

Hi ya,

My sister went to disney with her 10 yr old daughter in November 2003. But she had the advantage of having my mother and myself coming mid-way through the trip (we stayed at a different hotel).

Although my niece love every minute of her trip, she did say three weeks was too long for her.

Since your not going until January 06, is it possible to get another friend/family member to come with you. The extra person could help you with the children at the parks, and you would have some adult company to chill out with in the evenings when the kids are asleep. Children are very happy at disney or just playing in the swimming pool at the hotel.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do.

 

[slinky101]

this may be bordering on irrelevant but we were in tunisia this year and a single mum was in the hotel with us and she had taken another child same age as her daughter with her, she said this meant that the two 10 yr old girls practically entertained each other and took pressure off her, now i know that 2 wks in tunisia ISN'T as arduous as 3 wks in florida but it's just something that i would not have thought of if i hadn't seen it myself. hope u sort it for the best...

 

[freddykrueger]

Originally posted by slinky101
this may be bordering on irrelevant but we were in tunisia this year and a single mum was in the hotel with us and she had taken another child same age as her daughter with her, she said this meant that the two 10 yr old girls practically entertained each other and took pressure off her, now i know that 2 wks in tunisia ISN'T as arduous as 3 wks in florida but it's just something that i would not have thought of if i hadn't seen it myself. hope u sort it for the best...

I must say that I had 1 week in Tunisia and it was 1 week too many - I have never been so glad to get back on the bus to the airport before in my life!

Sorry for going OT - I would say that it would be really difficult to go by yourself and have two youngsters in tow but then this is all IMHO.

 

[vernon]

I think you're going to find it incredably hard with a 7 y old and a baby on your own. There's no way that you'll be able to get a CM to baby mind for you ( or if you think about it would want to leave a baby with someone who won't have child minding training or clearance).

It can be done, but you can kiss goodbye to doing any of the rides you want to do that you wouldn't be able to take the baby on. It's going to impinge on quite a few rides that you son is likely to want to ride ( thunder mountain, Splash etc)

I'd wait for another time when you can have some help on the trip. No way you can talk siblings/parents/friends into a trip?

 

[feistyblue]

Thanks for all the comments everyone.

I've looked at the rides with restrictions and discussed it with ds. Out of the rides that the baby couldn't ride - which seems to be hardly any, DS doesn't want to do any of the mountains (didn't last time either) no way will he ride ToT ever again LOL, the only one he wants to ride again is Goofys Barmstormer and Kali River Rapids. As Goofys' is a small ride with no dark bits - I've discussed with him that I would allow him on it by himself and he's happy about it - everything else we can all ride together even Haunted Mansion, PoC, Jungle Cruise, Kilamanjaro Safaris, etc. He understands that he couldn't ride Kali again.

He really isn't into the coasters and thrill rides - so it seems doable to me. I wouldn't leave the baby with a CM btw - I'm not sure why you think I was suggesting that??

I had a quick search on the families boards and it seems that quite a few single parents there have taken babies so that was interesting.

Neither of my parents would come with us - it's the kind of thing they hate and neither would my brother. So it seems that I will just bung the baby in the sling and get on with it!

We'll be flying Virgin Upper Class, so I really don't want to wait until the baby is any older as by the time he/she was I'd be paying child fare for it, and adult for DS, plus I can't imagine anything worse than chasing a toddler around the World lol.

It's his birthday trip and he has been helping to plan it already - so for the sake of him missing one ride he really enjoyed I think it's still worth it.

Thanks again

Claire