Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MENTAL PREPARATION BEGINS
with realistic expectations about your Disney vacation
and consideration of what each adult and child in your party most wants and needs
from his or her Disneyland experience. Getting in touch with this aspect of planning
requires a lot of introspection and good, open family communication.
DIVISION OF LABOR
TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU AND YOUR PARTNER
need and what you expect to happen on
the vacation. This discussion alone can preempt some unpleasant surprises mid-trip.
If you are a two-parent family, do you have a clear understanding of how the par-
enting workload will be distributed? We've seen some distinctly disruptive misunder-
standings in two-parent households in which one parent is (pardon the legalese) the
primary caregiver. Often, the other parent expects the primary caregiver to function
on vacation as she (or he) does at home. The primary caregiver, on the other hand,
is ready for a break. She expects her partner to either shoulder the load equally or
perhaps even assume the lion's share so she can have a real vacation. However you
divide the responsibility, of course, is up to you. Just make sure that you negotiate a
clear understanding before you leave home.
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Try to schedule some time alone with each of your children—if not each day, then
at least a couple of times during the trip.
TOGETHERNESS
ANOTHER DIMENSION TO CONSIDER
is how much togetherness seems appropriate to
you. For some parents, a vacation represents a rare opportunity to really connect with
their children, to talk, exchange ideas, and get reacquainted. For others, a vacation af-
fords the time to get a little distance, to enjoy a round of golf while the kids are enjoy-
ing the theme park. The point here is to think about your and your children's prefer-
ences and needs concerning your time together. A typical day at a Disney theme park
provides the structure of experiencing attractions together, punctuated by periods of
waiting in line, eating, and so on, which facilitate conversation and sharing. Most at-
tractions can be enjoyed together by the whole family, regardless of age ranges. This
allows for more consensus and less dissent when it comes to deciding what to see and
do. For many parents and children, however, the rhythms of a Disneyland day seem
to consist of passive entertainment experiences alternated with endless discussions of
where to go and what to do next. As a mother from Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
reported:
