Welcome to planDisney, Rosemary!
Oh, my. Your daughter is in for the trip of a lifetime when she heads to
Walt Disney World with her senior classmates!
Rosemary, I am a high school teacher who has chaperoned well over a dozen of our senior class trips (plus my son's high school choir trip, too), so I'm thrilled to be able to help you send your daughter off with everything she needs for the most magical experience possible.
First, cash is accepted at most venues, but I tend to travel without a large sum with me. Consider sending your daughter with a debit card if you can. This is a great way to help her budget the funds you think she'll need when dining and shopping around the world. Should she need cash, there are
ATMs located in each of the parks,
Disney Springs, and, depending on where she'll call home while visiting, many hotels have them in/near their lobbies, too.
If she is an authorized user of your credit card, this is also a form of payment that's accepted in just about every location.
My favorite way to send one of my own children to the parks with a little money in their pocket for meals and such is to give them a
Disney Gift Card. For quick access, pick up a card at your local retailer, then register it on the website. Once you register the card online, you can even add money to it if needed by purchasing an electronic gift card (that arrives by email) and transferring that balance to the physical card your daughter is carrying. Online, I'll often combine the value of several gift cards onto one, ensuring that the kids have what they need on just one card. If you belong to a membership club that offers a discount on these cards, you'll even be able to help those Disney dollars go a little further. The balance on these cards does not expire, so if she doesn't use all of it, just tuck it away for future fun.
Rosemary, your daughter and her friends are about to experience one of the many highlights of their senior year--I'm so excited for all of them! When heading to their senior class trip, I always tell my students "You will never be in this place with these people at this time in your lives ever again. Savor every moment." I hope she does, too!
As you sprinkle the final dashes of pixie dust onto your daughter's upcoming trip, be sure to send additional questions our way. We love to help!
Andrea H