Single Dad visiting with 2 children

[MO-5]

I will be bringing my 9 & 4 yr old children to Disney for a little bit of fun. Being a single Dad I have a potential issue with some height restrictions. I know about the child swap when 2 parents are available. Does anyone know of a solution with just one parent?

Thx.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Sorry, I wish I could help. I am sure someone will be along shortly with some help.

But I just wanted to say.....

I Hope You Have A Magical Vacation

[WishingStar2006]

Gee, that is a tough one. I'm a single mom and have taken the boys to WDW many times, but they are closer in age so met the height requirements around the same time so I didn't have this problem. I don't think there is a solution unless you le your 9 year old ride alone on rides that the 4 year old can't OR only do rides that the three of you can share and come back for another visit in a year or so....now that's a great idea!!!!

Have a great trip!

[kakn7294]

The only solutions that I can think of are either to allow the 9 yo to ride alone or to hire a babysitter for the 4 yo so you and the older child can ride the thrill rides together. Otherwise, I think you might have to miss some of those attractions and wait until the younger one is a little older and taller. Have a great trip!

[Ian]

I'm not a single Dad, but I have done the parks alone with my two kids (DW had to cut the trip short due to time off at work issues). My DD was 6 at the time and DS was 2.

We just skipped the rides where height was an issue. To be honest, there really isn't a workable solution without hiring someone to help out. You're probably going to have to bite the bullet and bypass those attractions.

Not sure of your financials, but if they're substantial you might want to look into hiring a VIP Tour Guide for part of your trip. They will look after the four year old while you and the nine year old ride, I think. But they're very pricey.

[BigRedDad]

That is a tough one. If your 9yo is comfortable waiting in line by himself, then he will be able to ride some of the rides. There is no way I would leave my 9yo alone in charge of a 4yo while I go wait in a line to get on a ride. That just would not happen.

I would plan accordingly and realize that you are going to be the one that has to miss out on height restricted rides. Also, you want to discuss with your 9yo which rides he will be comfortable going on alone.

[Buttercup]

Just a thought - your 4 year old might be tall enough for some height-restricted rides.
Last year, our 4 year old was tall enough for Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Kali River Rapids, and more. All of which, he LOVED (and he's not a thrill ride kind-of boy - very nervous). I believe he was 43 inches tall last year on our trip.

So you might be able to enjoy some thrill rides after all!

[Rekenna]

Just a thought - your 4 year old might be tall enough for some height-restricted rides.
Last year, our 4 year old was tall enough for Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Kali River Rapids, and more. All of which, he LOVED (and he's not a thrill ride kind-of boy - very nervous). I believe he was 43 inches tall last year on our trip.

So you might be able to enjoy some thrill rides after all!

I was just going to say about the same thing. On our last trip we had DS11 and DS3-and they both could ride many of the rides together (now DS3 isn't afraid of anything and DS11 is a Nervous Nelly-so I'm not sure what your situation is).

The only rides coming to mind as far as height-Space Mtn, EE, ToT, RnRC (these are probably the scariest too and are the only ride DS3 did not ride). Splash has a pretty big drop, DS11 wouldn't go and DS3 couldn't get enough-he would still be on there if I had let him.

So measure your kids, find out what they are willing/not willing to tackle as far as scare factor and I think you are good to go! One of the great things about WDW is that most of the attractions are for families with members of all ages, heights and sizes. No worries-turn that frown upside down! Concentrate on going with the flow and moving at their pace and you guys will have a great time!

Have fun!

[wdwfansince75]

One possible approach...Most resorts offer in-room child care, or have a child care facility...do the morning with both kids, and while in the park, get Fast Passes for the rides you and the 9 year old really want to ride....The FP's tell you when you can get another FP....and although there is a time window on the FP, they are really good from time of first use to closing for that day....For most parks, you can get 3 or more FP's by 1 or 2 PM...head back to the resort and turn the 4 year old over to your child care provider....Head back to the park with the 9 yo, and use the fast passes...and maybe do a stand by or so....My guess is that you could get 2 or 3 rides and still be back at the resort in time to recover the younger child....Depending on your resort, and budget, consider a Character Meal or so in conjunction with that strategy....Would probably work best for DHS and MK....

And don't be shy about telling CM's what you are doing...Attending CM's can give you extra FP's, so you can ride twice, as if you had a Child Swap pass....No sure thing, but doesn't hurt to ask.

[murphy1]

The babysitting service will even send someone to go into the park with you if you wish, I've heard about them doing that. personally, we just skip anything one kid doesn't want to do, but I understand wanting to do all of it.

[GrumpyFan]

The babysitting service will even send someone to go into the park with you if you wish, I've heard about them doing that.

I was going to suggest the same. We met some students a few years ago who were contract baby sitters and worked at both Disney and Universal. I'm not sure who they worked for, but with as many parents that come to Disney with kids, there has to be a few of these services in Orlando. I would just ask the concierge at the front desk for recommendations.

[tys_mommy]

Is there a grandparent or family friend that can tag along with you - they can stay in your room with you and if you have the finances you can even pay for their ticket - but assuming that this person would be close to you they may offer to do that themselves.

[Patricia]

This has happened to me.

My two older boys were much older than my youngest. One evening we dropped the youngest at the Cub's Den at Fort Wilderness Lodge (for a few hours) while we did stuff without him. He had a blast with the other little kids.

You can also go through all the queues together as a family and let the 9 year old ride alone. I know I went through several queues (many times) with my kids and never got on the ride myself.
ToT comes to mind here. If you do this, you'll be forwarded to the ride exit area to wait for your 9 year old.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

You can also go through all the queues together as a family and let the 9 year old ride alone. I know I went through several queues (many times) with my kids and never got on the ride myself.
ToT comes to mind here. If you do this, you'll be forwarded to the ride exit area to wait for your 9 year old.

But can you take a child through the que that is not tall enough to ride, such as MO-5's 4-year-old?

While I really have no idea, from what I have read on Intercot, Disney will not allow anyone to enter the que if they are not tall enough to ride the ride, even if they promise not to ride. But I could easily be wrong.

Anyone have any first-hand experience with this question? Will they allow a 30" child to enter the ToT que if accompanied with a parent and a taller sibling when the parent intends to only let the taller child get on the ride?

[kakn7294]

But can you take a child through the que that is not tall enough to ride, such as MO-5's 4-year-old?

While I really have no idea, from what I have read on Intercot, Disney will not allow anyone to enter the que if they are not tall enough to ride the ride, even if they promise not to ride. But I could easily be wrong.

Anyone have any first-hand experience with this question? Will they allow a 30" child to enter the ToT que if accompanied with a parent and a taller sibling when the parent intends to only let the taller child get on the ride?

Yes, they will if the queue allows for an exit at the boarding point. If you are stopped and questioned, just explain that you are putting one child on the attraction and then exiting to wait for him/her at the end of the ride.

[beksy]

I don't know your situation but one idea is to try to spend a partial day with each child one-on-one. You could do the child-care services for the younger one one afternoon and hit the parks to let the older one pick the rides or ride the ones that the younger one can't. Then on another day the older one could do something like the pirate adventure thing at the GF (not sure of the name) and you could take the little one to the park for him to pick his favorite rides to go on. Then each would have some special time with just dad. Have a great trip!

[magicofdisney]

But can you take a child through the que that is not tall enough to ride, such as MO-5's 4-year-old?

While I really have no idea, from what I have read on Intercot, Disney will not allow anyone to enter the que if they are not tall enough to ride the ride, even if they promise not to ride. But I could easily be wrong.

Anyone have any first-hand experience with this question? Will they allow a 30" child to enter the ToT que if accompanied with a parent and a taller sibling when the parent intends to only let the taller child get on the ride?

I was in the park with my 4yo son and one of my 9yo daughters. We attempted to enter the Space Mountain queue because I didn't want her walking through it alone. The CM stopped us because my 4yo was not tall enough. I explained the situation to him and he gave me an instant fastpass so we could get through quicker. At the loading zone, my son and I exited while she got on the ride. I'm sure this option is available most everywhere.

[Goofy4TheWorld]

Well, if the OP is okay with his 9-year-old riding the attraction alone (and the 9-year old is okay with it too) I think that this would be a reasonable way to accommodate his situation. I originally thought to myself that you would always want to use Fastpass to ride these attractions so that the little one's time spent in lines with no "ride" at the end would be limited, but it appears from the previous poster's comments that the CM will give the 9-year-old a Fastpass as soon as you explain the situation, just like they do for the baby swap. (I guess he could also board using single-rider lines, where they exist, to limit time spent standing in line for the little one.)

Another useful bit of information I have learned on Intercot. I would have never even considered the possibility of a small child entering a que until now!

[MO-5]

Thanks for all the wonderful responses. We've talked about it here and decided to just skip any rides the little dude isn't tall enough to go on. He's 42" right now w/o shoes, so we should be able to hit enough to keep everyone happy. We can't wait. Thanks again!



Jim