The Two of You: A Single Parent’s Perspective

As a single parent, you can sometimes feel like certain things are out of your reach, such as affording that extravagant present for your child at Christmastime or planning a Disney vacation. 

I am here to tell you that a Disney vacation is possible, even if you are a single parent. Having never been to Disney World myself, I assumed I could not afford a vacation for me and my five-year-old daughter. Luckily, I had a good friend who was a Disney travel agent who gave me a quote. I was pleasantly surprised at the cost. We decided to book our trip to Florida and see one park per day for three days right before she entered kindergarten.

After I got over the imagined cost hurdle, I then began to worry about our safety. I had family members tell me that it wasn’t a good idea to travel by ourselves. (We had traveled by ourselves before, but not out of our home state.) I had good friends who are Disney regulars tell me that I would probably lose my daughter at some point in the parks. Say what?! I went into full panic mode. They advised me to make identification cards with my name and cell phone number on them in case my daughter got lost so she would have something to give to a Disney employee. With trepidation, I made the cards and explained to my daughter how to use them if she got lost.

Luckily for us, we did not have to use the identification cards. Even though I get motion sickness easily, I made sure to go onevery ride with my daughter so we would always be together, which I believe reduced the risk of her getting lost.

The highlight of our trip was Toy Story World at Hollywood Studios. It had just opened, so we were very excited to see Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and the gang. It did not disappoint! We had Fast Passes for the Slinky Dog ride and got seated at his tail. It was a bit thrilling for a kid’s roller coaster.

We also had a great experience with our hotel, The All-Star Movies Resort. The shuttle service was timely, consistent, and convenient. The food was better than expected. And there were fun activities to do when we weren’t visiting the parks. We spent a lot of time at the swimming pools and watched movies outside.My daughter was even content watching Vampirina on repeat in our hotel room. I ordered room service one night and was very pleased with the quality and value of the food.

I don’t ever want my daughter to feel like she is missing out on anything because of her single parent status. I want her to have an even better childhood than I did. Going to Disney World by ourselves has given me the confidence to plan future vacations and has silenced the inner voice that used to tell me: “Am I doing enough? Can I handle this?” I am enough, and I can handle this. And you can, too.

• 

• 

• 

Article submitted by Lisa Campos