Single parents

[Luvmyfam3]

I am soon to become a single parent. My husband has offered to let me have the DVC because he never was really into it anyway. I am VERY thankful because this may be the only way that I will be able to take my kids on a vacation..

Are there many single parent DVC owners out there? Do you find it difficult to take your kids to WDW by yourself?

Thank you.

 

[Candace]

I am married, but I have always functioned as a single parent for vacation purposes. My husband likes casinos, and I do not. He doesn't expect me to go to them (and I don't), and he does nothing with me and the kids in regards to vacations. One reason I bought into DVC was because I felt it was a great and relatively safe spot for me to vacation alone with my boys. There were times when they were younger that it was a bit hard to do what they both wanted in terms of parks, rides, etc., but DVC has been wonderful for us overall, especially for me travelling alone as a mom. I always knew on every trip that my needs and safety would be taken care of , and also on every trip that there would be something new and wonderful for us. You will do fine with your DVC as a single parent. How lucky that you get to keep it!

 

[mikesmom]

Before I was lucky enough to meet DH, I was a single parent with a son. We traveled to WDW approximately every other year from age 7 thru age 11 - on a VERY tight budget. WDW was a wonderful place to go together. It was not at all difficult and we were staying offsite for those trips, even took side trips to Cocoa Beach for the day. With DVC, your trips should be even better.

Good Luck

 

[BraveMom3]

I am not a single parent, but are for WDW vacations!!! My hubby can't be gone as long as we are (about 17 days ), and really can't take more than about 3-4 days of WDW anyway. Sometimes he'll fly down for 3 or 4 days of our trip, but other than that, I'm on my own with 3 kids, ages this trip (June) 9yoDS, 5 1/2yoDS, and 4 1/2yoDD. This will be our first trip with DVC, and we can't wait. I've been spending soooo much $ on accomodations for these long trips, and I'm hoping that DVC will allow me to slow down more and enjoy the resort as well as the parks. I love going alone with my kids. It's much less stressful when you are able to accomodate they're/your wants and not deal with keeping another adult happy. I was a little anxious the first time, but it turned out great!! I look forward so much to our trips each year as a time when I can play with my kids and hopefully keep the "no" word to minimum for a change!

 

[Alice Sr.]

I am a single mom and bought DVC because I think it's the perfect place to let my DD's start to explore on their own and allow me some level of comfort. I bought in "98" the year we divorced so I knew I could afford to take them on a decent vacation every year and I would be taking them somewhere they could eventually go to by themselves and I wouldn't worry about them so much My DD's are now 14 and 11 and the last couple of times we have taken friends down with us. I allow them to go around Epcot by themselves if they want to and it gives them a great since of freedom that teen types aspire to. Except the last trip was in Oct. & it was too close to 9/11 for me to feel comfortable about them going by themselves (and they felt the same way because they didn't push it) I don't know how old your children are, but I can't imagine any other destination where more reliable help would be available if the needed.

Good luck in the future and I hope you see pink skies at night.

Peace be with you,
Alice Sr.

 

[vernon]

Although I now have a girlfriend ( who lives in th eUS) I have done a few "single parent trips" . I think Disney has got to be one of the best places to take your kids. Younger kids are always going to love the parks.But particularly staying on site offers you the options , as they get older, of allowing them some freedom of going to parks on their own ( using WDW transport) in a realatively safe envoirenment. Again when they get to teens, if you're staying around Boardwalk you can allow them a little freedom in the evenings to walk about ( if they are with a sibling or friends). With Disney's varied recreation offerings it means if all they want to do for some of the vacation is lizzard around the pool, you can leave them to do that as well. I think my daughters now prefer HH and Vero as destinations, but thats fine for the time being. As they get older and have their own kids then the chance of taking your grandchildren to WDW and seeing it through their eyes is going to be great fun.

 

[Luvmyfam3]

Thank you SO much for your words of encouragement! Now, I'm really excited about us taking a trip to WDW! It's not planned yet, but I would really like to get the ball rolling. I'm also REALLY interested in going to Vero Beach and HH with them.

As for their ages, I have twin girls that are 10 and another girl that's 8. Thankfully, they have now gotten to the stage where they all love to ride the "big" rides, so at least I wouldn't have to worry about splitting up.

I'm sure sometimes we'll want to take friends and family, but I'm really looking forward to the times when just the four of us can go! I guess I had better do those trips soon when they still want to spend time with "just mom"! Haha!

Thanks again! In all of this mess, DVC is one of my very few silver linings right now!

Kim

 

[ducklite]

I'm not a single parent, however I have taken my son to WDW without my husband or another adult. The first time was when he was about eight.

The hardest part was that he was too old to go into the ladies room with me, and I certainly couldn't take him to the mens room. So we did bathroom breaks at the same time. I always made sure that the bathroom had only one entrance/exit, and each time he was given a specific spot to "stick like glue" to the wall when he came out to wait for me. He was always there.

Now that he's 16, it actually sounds like it would be nice to go with just him in order to get some quality time together.

Anne

 

[mikesmom]

It IS nice to go with them alone as teenagers. DS and I went for 3 days in January of 2001. He was 18 at the time. Since he was away from his friends, girls, cell phone, etc., the distractions of adolescence were not there. It also didn't look so uncool to be hanging with Mom. We really got some good quality time in - actually had real conversations. I was afraid he'd be bored or fuss about the time he was missing at home with his buddies and not want to go again. But he's up for a repeat performance. I recommend the trip.

 

[fkj2]

I'm not a single parent, but I would take an older mom, a niece and nephew to WDW.

The only problem I had with the kids when they were smaller was at the pools. Some of them (like SAB) get soooo crowded. I remember taking them to River Country and trying to get my mom situated. I turned around and the niece, who was probably around 8 or 9, was GONE! I kept looking everywhere for a red swimsuit. Talk about panicked! Anyhow, her brother knew where she was but until I could see her myself...well, it was high anxiety.

Wasn't really her fault; she was just so excited but I learned a valuable lesson from it.

 

[BraveMom3]

Regarding the bathroom situation with sons, I ran into a problem with that for the first time last year when my oldest DS was 8 1/2yo. I could tell that he did not want to go into the Ladies bathroom with us, but I just told him that it was okay, and that the ladies in there know and understand why he was there. I don't know about this trip, though. He'll be 9 1/2yo. It's not like people are walking around with no clothes in the open, but I may let him use the Men's room, and just tell him if he's not out in certain time, I'm coming in!!!

 

[DisneyHumbug]

Not to get too graphic, but when my DS was younger, I would ask him #1 or #2 ? before he went into the men's room. That way, I could judge if it was taking too long. I would have no problem going into the men's room to see if he was ok - sorry guys! Thank goodness, it never came to that!

 

[disneycrazed139]

I am not exactly single Mom, but many of my trips have been with only my son. My DH actually has a child from a prior relationship so we spend a considerable amount of time apart.

I agree it is an excellent place for women to take their kids without the husband. I have had fun when my husband did come, but some of the most special memories I have created have been alone with my son. I do not regret a single trip. I hope that he will look fondly at memories down there as he grows. I also think that it is the ideal place for teenagers--whether Epcot, MGM or Downtown Disney.

Since we are buying SSR, I think he will be quite happy as he grows up.

I miss him being little so much, but this is a way we can continue our time together hopefully well into his teen years and beyond.

 

[Disney Doll]

Sorry about your situation. When I have encountered difficult times, my mother always says "This too shal pass" and she's usually right!(Don't you just HATE when your mother is right???? )

Anyhow, I don't have kids, but it strikes me that out of many places where you could go on vacation, WDW would be one of the safest for a woman alone with younger children. Obviuosly, you'll still need to be careful(no late night walks alone, no walkig through secluded areas alone, use all the locks on your doors), but it is my understanding that there is much more security(in terms of plainclothes,cameras etc)at WDW than we relaize.

 

[betslinc]

I was a single parent for years. One of the reasons I became so enamored of Disney is because it was so easy to travel with my kids there. I am sure you have had some difficult times with your situation, looking forward to vacations has helped me get through some of my own. I wish you all well!

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

My mom & I are by ourselves. We love Disney. We have been going there every year since 5/2001. We SHOULD have gotten into DVC then. But we didn't know! We thought it was an icky timeshare & said we didn't want any part of it. Even going to the walkthrough, I felt like its not for us/we can't afford it. Boy were we wrong!!!! We are spitting the cost (I pay her back.) I am also in a wheelchair & its been hard to go on vacations. There was always worry that I couldn't join in or the room wouldn't be accessible. Well those days are gone!! We have never had a problem with Disney. All the cast members are GREAT. Esepecailly on the Disney Cruise Line!!! I have taken 2 Wonder cruises & loved it. I hope to go on the Magic soon!

Allison an associate
Offically DVC 7/23/03
Home: BCV

 

[kaw1106]

How about taking a friend? My best friend and I thought it would be fun to go to disney together with all of our kids. We thought we could all share a two bedroom.