Walt Disney World is one of the most popular travel destinations for families in the United States. While the beloved Disney attractions and character experiences are popular among children, many adults enjoy Disney vacations as well. One mom loves Disney so much that she decided to take a solo trip to Disney World. She admitted that she experienced a bit of "mom guilt" because she left her kids at home when she went to Disney, but she also had her reasons for choosing to travel without her children.
"This is your sign to take the trip mamas!" the mom, Maddie, captioned an Instagram reel about her solo trip.
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Some people thought it was 'sad' or 'embarrassing' for the mom to go to Disney World without her kids.
Some social media users were not impressed by the mom's decision to book a Disney vacation without her family. Maddie explained in the caption for the initial video that she usually goes to Disney World with her family. "I love taking family vacations to Disney and I do 99% of the time!" she wrote. "BUT every now and then it’s SO NICE to let loose and be a kid without the kids!"
"Embarrassing," one person commented on the video.
"Adults going to Disney without kids is sad," another person wrote.
Others couldn't understand why the mom would leave her kids at home only to be surrounded by other children every day at the Disney theme parks.
"Who leaves their kids at home to go hang out with thousands of other children," another person reacted.
Others defended the mom.
Though many were critical of Maddie's initial video, which showed her saying goodbye to one of her kids then dancing alone with a drink and Minnie Mouse ears, others jumped to her defense when she shared a follow-up video about her trip.
"Disney was made for everyone to enjoy!" Maddie captioned the second video. "I know it’s not everyone’s idea of an adults only vacation but it’s our happy place!"
"There is absolutely nothing wrong with this!" one person commented. "Looks like you had a great time! ."
Another person added that they "could only dream of a disney trip without my rugrats in tow!!!!"
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Maddie explained that her trip was work-related.
Of course, Maddie had fun on her trip — but she also went for "research," she explained in the follow-up video. She explained that she's a Disney travel agent, and some of the experiences she had on her trip were "exhausting" and "not something [she] wanted to subject [her kids] to." Additionally, it was extremely hot when she went in August, so she didn't think it was the best time to take her kids with her.
She also wanted 'me time.'
When she wasn't working, she wanted to have some time to herself, which can be hard for parents to do. "Parents, I know I don't have to tell you how hard we work at our jobs and do for our kids. It's a lot," Maddie said in her video. "It can be hard to take time for yourself and that's exactly what I did."
By traveling solo, Maddie was also able to enjoy some things that she normally cannot do when traveling with her children, such as riding roller coasters and trying different Disney cocktails.
"I love roller coasters but half of my kids aren't tall enough and the other half hate them," the mom explained.
She added that although she didn't get drunk while on her solo Disney trip, she did drink more than she "would have been comfortable with if [she] had had [her] kids with [her]."
She's traveling with her family soon.
Maddie's kids didn't join her on her Disney vacation this time, but she loves traveling with her kids, and they'll be joining her on a trip soon, she explained on Instagram.
"I love taking my kids to Disney and the best memories I have at Walt Disney World is with them," the mom said in a video. "But this time was just for me."
