How can I make DD’s 18th birthday special?

[WhatWereTheSkiesLikeWhenYouWereYoung]

It’s my eldest DD’s 18th next week. She has ASD and doesn’t have many friends, so a party was not really her thing. She decided she’d like to go to Disneyland in France, she loves it there and hasn’t been for many years.

For context I am a skint single parent. But I really wanted to make this happen for DD and so I raised the money by selling vodka jellies at Glastonbury, came home with a big wedge of cash and booked Disney very last minute this week.

We leave on Tuesday, just me and her. I had to go straight back to work after Glastonbury and have been non stop all week, working out the logistics of Disney in my befuddled, exhausted post festival state.

I know going to Disney is a massive and expensive thing but I really want to think of some little things I can do to make the day special for her on her actual birthday. And I don’t think I have the brain power for it right now. I have a bracelet to give her as a little gift but that’s literally it, and I think it would be a bit rubbish for her to wake up on her 18th and only have that (OK so we’ll be in France and she’ll be in Disney that day but even so).

Can anyone inspire me of little (non expensive) things that will make her day special? I’m thinking sentimental or tacky, she kind of likes tacky in an ironic way! She is the loveliest girl, very alternative in the way she thinks and dresses (anime kind of style). I am honestly burnt out right now and my brain is stuck.

Balloons and decorations all around the house?
Birthday girl badge to wear for the day?

Maybe make or have made a special birthday cake with an anime or Disney theme? Add some sparklers and toppers to it for the pizazz

A wish jar for the year. Write all the things you love doing together and new places to visit and pull one out each week. Nothing extravagant, movie night, pizza for tea, roller skating in the park. Maybe get a Disney cookie jar to store them in or write on Mickey shaped notes.

Anime style portrait?
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You sound like an incredibly lovely mum.

how about a little washbag filled with new toiletries to use that day? Bath bomb etc? Might not be her thing but thought you could do it fairly inexpensively.

Thinking sentimental, would she like a framed photo of you both? Or her as a little girl?

Buy some Disney Mickey Mouse ears that say it's my birthday! You can even get some that say I'm 18 from Etsy. Might sound cheesy but lots of people wear them at Disney and your DD will feel special all day as hopefully people will keep wishing her happy birthday! Or matching Disney T-shirts for you both.

Thanks for the suggestions so far, there’s some good ones 😊. I am a bit limited as we are flying on Tuesday so don’t really have time to order anything now, unless it happens to be on Amazon Prime! I could go into town tomorrow but have a lot of other stuff to do before we go away and I’m working all day Monday and Tuesday morning before we leave…aargh

It's probably too late to do a photo book but can you collate some of your favourite pictures of her from the past 18 years and look at them together on the Eurostar? Can family members and friends share their favourite memories of her when she was younger and collect them together? Can they also share a memory of when they were 18 and what they did for their birthday or around that age? Perhaps a piece of advice they wished they'd been given or something they wished they'd done? Also, what the world was like in 2004 when she was born and what's changed since then.
Primark always have loads of Disney stuff in. How about some new PJs for her trip? Or a wash bag with some toiletries for the trip. They do a metal water bottle with Minnie Mouse ears and a whole load of other things too, all of which will be a million times cheaper than anything you buy in Disneyland.
Who else will be giving her presents? Do you have any influence over what they will give her and when? For example, if it's going to be cash, giving it before your trip will mean your DD has some spending money.

A photo book

a bottle of bubbly (champagne or Prosecco)

nice cake, can be from supermarket

balloons definitely

my youngest is 18 soon, we are going to DLP in November to celebrate.

Character.com have Disney pjs and I think a Minnie housecoat on sale cheap

In the padt we have had blow up animals, hobby horse & palm trees as decorations.

A bag with her favourite treats.

Let your hotel know and maybe ask for a special birthday breakfast?

Sweets for the train
18th ’look I’m an adult’ cup - look in cheap card shops
List of things she can now do as an adult
Photo shoot of the two of you in Paris

like the wishing memory jar!

Give her some of your vodka jellies 😂

Yes to sweets and bars of chocolate from the Pound shop in a gift bag.

Thank you all so much! I have just ordered a tacky tiara, sash and balloons set on Amazon, I think she’ll like it (her bedroom has just been redone and it’s ‘princessy as fuck’ - her words 🤣). Think I will try to dash into town tomorrow and go to Primark and see what delights they have. Don’t want to go nuts as anything I buy has to come to france and we only have hand luggage. There’s a shop in Paris which sells her kind of clothing (it’s very niche) that she really wants to go to, and I said I’d buy her something in there so that will be her big present, it’s an expensive shop she has warned me. But that won’t be until the day after her birthday and I just want her to have a few little bits to open on the actual day.

Think I will pick up a bottle of champagne or fizzy something when I’m there, she’s only very recently even tried alcohol (honestly I sometimes think I should get a maternity test, she can’t be my child 🤣) but even if she doesn’t want to drink it I’ll take one for the team.

She will get presents from other people, mostly money I believe so she’ll be loaded compared to me. And she’s so sweet and lovely and not grabby at all so she won’t be expecting much, I just want to make the day as lovely as possible for her.

that All sounds great!

if you’re looking for a bottle of fizz, you could try crémant- it’s fizzy white, a bit like a French cava or Prosecco (though I’m sure the French winemakers wouldn’t like me saying that!) 😂. It’s delicious and a good bit cheaper than champagne

Contact Disney customer services and explain she's 18 etc, I'm sure they'll do something special