Any tips for single parents travelling with children?

[CanesFan30]

I'm in the early stages of planning a trip to WDW for the very first week of February- it will be my 5 year old son's first ever trip to the world and I want to make it as special for him as possible.

Anyone travel to WDW as a single parent with kids? Any tips or advice would be appreciated. I'd like to keep the stress level at a minimum.

 

[catherines_mama]

Hey! I have a 2 1/2 yo DD. This is her first trip also. I to am a Single parent and really, it all works out great. The most important thing to remember is to be ready for anything, and to go with the flow. you are just up the road, and we are going to PC the 1st week of Feb also. PM me.. we can chat. DD and I travel a lot. Granted this is our first VACATION 100% solo, but we fly, do the fair, beach, local amusement parks solo all the time.

Chat w/ you later I hope.
Deedee

 

[Geri]

I took my DD when she was 6 for the first time. Your son may not want to do everything you want to do, but that should be okay. You'll be able to do say Splash Mtn another time. Follow his lead. If he only wants to meet the characters then thats what you should do otherwise you will both be miserable. Go at his pace. If you think your son needs a rest go back to your hotel & rest & maybe swim. Don't expect him to have the stamina you have, he'll need his rest. If you feel you need some alone time reserve a place for him in one of the Disney night time care facilities in one of the resorts. When my DD was 9 she went to the one at Wilderness Lodge & really enjoyed it. It is very low key with out all the rushing around.

Tell your DS about the things that WDW offers & get him excited about doing some things he may not regularly enjoy. When in Epcot buy him a passport & take him to each of the countries to have it stamped & have his name witten in that language. My DD loved this when she was nine & now at 13 she still loves Epcot. If you son likes dinosaurs take him to Ellen's Universe of Energy - they have the animatronic dinosaurs that are not at all threatening like those on the dinosaur ride in AKL.

Have a wonderful time & don't over plan!
Geri

 

[campinggal]

I just did a solo Disney trip with my 6 1/2 year old daughter this past October.

I would agree with all of the above posters- have some things planned but allow for some flexibility too. I made a point of having some down time back at our hotel in the afternoons.

Having Priority Seatings for meals helped minimize the waiting time to sit and eat. Actually, those worked like a breeze- I don't think we had to wait more than 10 minutes for our table. I picked restaurants that I thought we would both enjoy- after all, it was my vacation too. We ate at O'hana, Boma, Liberty Tree Tavern and Chef Mickey's to name a few. Both Chef Mickey's and Liberty Tree Tavern are Character Meals and were my daughter's favorite.

Pressed pennies was a great souvenier and we had fun looking for the machines in the various parks. I came armed from home with rolls of pennies and quarters to use in the machines.

I also took a night 'off' and my daughter did a 'Kid's Club' for a few hours while I got a massage and had some alone time. It was a nice break for both of us. She got to spend time with other kid's and I had a break.

We had a great time and are ready to go back. I think it will be a 'girls vacation' for many years to come.

Have a blast!