Credit: Disney
Upon planning one of my last trips to Walt Disney World, a lot of friends had one and one thing alone to say to me.
“Are you nuts?”
That was the consensus among friends and family when I told them I would be taking my daughter, who was just shy of 5, to Disney World by myself. At Christmas. Most people told me that I was brave or crazy – or both.
I can understand their surprise. A Disney vacation isn’t for sissies. It’s huge. There are thousands of people. It has been known to bring otherwise hale and hearty adults to their knees.
Yet, here I was, thanks to my husband’s work schedule, braving it for six days. Alone. Without another adult to pick up some of the slack, to push the stroller, to ride the Teacups six times in a row.
But I did it anyway. And it…was…awesome.
It took some planning, and a bit of mental prep. But I did it. Sure, there were some bumps along the way, including an epic meltdown in Epcot that will make the “tell future husband” reel, but overall, everything went well.
Here are some of the reasons I think it worked:
1. Stay on Disney grounds – Sounds obvious, but it really made all the difference. Instead of trying to figure out if I was on the Osceola Parkway or Palm Parkway or actually somewhere outside of Tampa, I could sit back and relax while someone else drove.
2. Have a plan – By nature I am a planner, but more of the “We’ll hit Magic Kingdom on Tuesday” variety than the “We’ll get Dole Whips at 4:10 pm” type. When you are flying solo, though, you need to fall somewhere in the middle. Being able to tell my daughter “We’re going to the Magic Kingdom today, and after lunch we’re going back to the hotel to rest” was much easier than trying to get a 5 year old to tell me what she wanted to do, or winging it and paying the price of an overtired kid.
3. Accept that you can’t do everything – This goes for just about everyone, but it’s especially true if you are the only adult in the group. I love the Haunted Mansion, but I wasn’t sure how the princess would react. So we didn’t do it – I wasn’t going to take the chance on a bad experience without backup. She can do it when she’s older and has a better grasp of pretend vs. real.
4. Plan meals you will enjoy – We had six table service meals during our stay, and five were character meals. The sixth was Via Napoli, because I had never been. The princess was fine, even if she didn’t really like her meal.
5. Make it easy on yourself – My daughter hasn’t used a stroller in over 2 years, but she did at Disney. Was it a pain at times? Yes, but I didn’t lose her while we managed the post-Wishes crowd. I purchased PhotoPass (now MemoryMaker) so I would be in some of the pictures. I used the My Disney Experience app to check wait times. I requested a room near the bus stop to avoid long walks. All little things, but they made a difference.
6. Say “yes” more than saying “no” – My daughter wanted to ride Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel five times in a row. I did not, and normally, I would shift some of that responsibility to her dad. But I just went with it, and tried to keep some perspective: What else do you really have to do that is more important? I thought so. Instead, I chose my battles: She still had to brush her teeth before bed and was not allowed to talk back, but two chocolate croissants for breakfast? Whatever, go for it.
Were there were moments when I questioned my sanity during our trip? Of course—but I probably would have had them even if her dad was there with us. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. We have a wonderful shared memory now, and she’s already talking about when we can have our next solo adventure.
I should say, in the spirit of full disclosure, that I wouldn’t recommend taking a younger child alone, and I’m not sure I would be able to handle more than one, unless the kids are older and a little more self-sufficient. Disney is not a place to let the kids outnumber the adults, in my opinion. But otherwise, if you think taking the kids by yourself is nuts, you might be surprised. It’s not only doable, it is actually a lot of fun.
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