I am usually not a spontaneous person. I am a meticulous planner when it comes to almost everything that I do, something that can come in handy but can also be detrimental. So when I learned I’d be going to Disney World only 3 weeks before the trip, it was a very spontaneous decision. Some may be thinking, 3 weeks? That’s plenty of time! But for me, the weeks leading up to my departure were stressful. It didn’t seem like enough time for me to meticulously plan everything out like I usually do. In the end, everything ended up being fine and it was definitely a unique experience.
The reason I was going to Disney World was a slightly uncommon one. My step sister, her boyfriend, and her 4-year-old daughter had had a trip to Disney planned well in advance and they asked me to join them to be a sort of nanny for her daughter. Basically, I just had to take her home from the parks early on the nights that I’d be there. My flight would be paid for, my park tickets would be paid for, I would only miss 3 days of classes, and I was getting a free trip to Disney. It seemed like a pretty good deal, so despite my anxiety about flying alone for the first time and missing schoolwork, I couldn’t pass it up.
I’ve been to Disney twice before, once when I was in first grade, and once when I was in fifth grade. This trip was a lot different than my past trips, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still fun in its own way. During my trip I experienced a lot of new things. I have only flown a few other times in my life, and never by myself. I was nervous at first, but once I got to the airport I realized it was no big deal. Flying is still not my favorite, but I am thankful that everything went smoothly for me, especially since I was alone.
Once in Disney, I realized how annoying it is to try to navigate Disney World while also pushing a stroller. Having to leave it in stroller parking before every ride, having to fold it up while getting on the bus, and just having to push it through big crowds of people was enough to test my patience. My takeaway from this part of the trip was basically that I am never taking my small child to Disney World unless they can walk the whole time!
I also experienced being in Disney theme parks by myself for the first time. Some people may not enjoy this, but as someone who enjoys alone time and who also loves Disney World, I loved it. On the day when we had park hopper passes, I stayed in Animal Kingdom to ride a rollercoaster while my step sister, her boyfriend and her daughter headed to Hollywood Studios. Despite getting lost while looking for the exit and walking around in circles in very hot weather, I had fun being able to explore by myself for a little bit and then simply take the bus to meet them at the next park.
Something I also went through for the first time, which I hope no one else has to experience, is being sick while in Disney World. I was only there for 3 full days, as I arrived on a Thursday night and left on Monday morning, and for 2 of those days I was sick. On Saturday, I woke up with a sore throat which was very inconvenient because we were going to two parks that day and I had no medicine with me. I ended up spending ridiculous amounts of money on cough drops because I simply couldn’t go without them. On Sunday, which was our day at Epcot, I felt like death. My sore throat was gone but by then I had a runny nose and a terrible head cold. All I wanted to do was sleep but instead I had to walk around in 90 degree weather, which is weird when you have a cold. Once I was actually at the park, it wasn’t so bad. I was able to forget about my sickness for the most part and have fun. I was actually thankful that I was there to babysit because leaving the parks early in the evening benefitted me too.
To state the obvious, I definitely would have done a lot of things differently if I had gone to Disney World with friends or older family members, but I knew I was there for a reason. I have to say, there are some things I would not have even thought to have done if I hadn’t been with a 4-year-old, and I would’ve missed out! I am still so happy I was able to go on this spur of the moment (for me) trip, no matter the circumstances!