Pre-Trip Planning for Mom and Daughter's first solo vacation - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Pre-Trip Planning for Mom and Daughter's first solo vacation
After splitting with my ex, things were tight. Learning to budget for me and my daughter was tough. Last year I got a new job and we moved. We aren't rich by any means, but we get by. So, this year, I decided I needed a vacation - its been 5 years. I started looking into a vacation for us. What better way to put the past behind us and move on than going to Disney?
I originally looked at September as I know that is the cheapest time of year. I knew money would be tight, no matter what, so I was looking for the cheapest way to do everything.
Then, I saw the Buy 4, Get 3 Free special. Turns out, by staying at Pop Century during daughter's spring break, I could get tickets with Park Hopper and Water Park options and the QS Dining plan for about what I would have paid for hotel and tickets in September. It was like getting the DDP for free - and then some because when I booked, I found out about the $200 gift card!
We now have 3 weeks and I'm getting excited. I have tenative park plans, but we have no specific dining plans. As we are on the counter service plan, we'll just take it day by day. We are going to be very flexible on this trip. Mom (thats me) is doing her best to not overplan and overschedule, driving both of us crazy. We have 2 goals on this trip. They are: (1) forget the rest of the world and its woes for one week and have silly, ridiculous fun and (2) relax!!!
I wanted to do Disney this year because, yes, I know the magic can always be there, but my little girl will be 10 in April and soon she will be too "cool" to hang with mom.
So, that's my pre-trip report. I look forward to sharing pics and my trip report with all of you when we return.
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Sounds like you more than deserve this vacation and I'm so happy for you that you got that great deal. I love Pop Century it's my favourite value resort. Doing the QS plan will mean that you can be more relaxed in your planning so I think you will achieve your goals for sure and I for one look forward to reading all about it when you get back.
I hope that you and your dd have a magical time at the world
__________________
Heather - "I'm Tinkerbell's biggest fan!"
WDW - August 1997 Off Property
WDW - January 2005 AKL
WDW - May 2006 Pop Century
WDW- november-dec 2007 pop century
WDW- dec/jan 2009/2010 pop century
WDW- oct/nov 2012 art of animation
WDW- sept 2013 port Orleans riverside
WDW- july 2015 beach club
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
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Pre-Trip Planning for Mom & Daughter's first solo vacation - Part 2
Okay, so this weekend, we did some planning. Went and bought some things we might need - water shoes for her, new suit for me, new suntan lotion as ours has expired, and an extra memory card for the digital camera.
I did forget to pick up the water cameras for our water park trips. So, this weekend after I get paid, I'll pick those up, along with any snacks we are taking along.
We're doing QS dining plan, so things will play fast and loose this vacation (provided mom can learn to let go). This is our schedule:
We arrive Sat. March 28th around 5pm. Once we check in we're heading to Downtown Disney for the evening.
3/29 - Magic Kingdom
3/30 - DHS
3/31 - Typhoon Lagoon/Epcot
4/1 - Animal Kingdom
4/2 - Blizzard Beach/MK
4/3 - Epcot
4/4 - Our flight doesn't leave until 8pm, so we'll have most of the day to go back and visit whichever park we'd like to.
I'm going to aim for either a character meal or a nice place to have a celebratory lunch or dinner in. Daughter's 10th birthday is 2 weeks after our visit, but those dates were blocked out/filled for the Buy 4/Get 3 special. Plus, I'd have had to take her out of school. As it is, we're going on her spring break.
So, keep your fingers crossed for a last minute ADR, though in all honesty, both of us could live without.
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