Disney vacation advice needed

[Guest guest]

Hi all

Well the hubby and I have decided to take the plunge. We are going to take the

boys to Disneyland in March and I'm feeling totally overwhelmed trying to make

the arrangements. Any good advice? I know we want to take the wheel chair and

spend a couple of days so that if we need to leave on one day for Aden to calm

down its not a waisted trip. But other than that I'm feeling a little lost.

This will be our first family vacation actually going anywhere. We usually stay

home and camp in the living room for vacation.

The previous times that we have traveled with Aden were OK mainly because we

really didn't want him being too awake or involved since we were going for

funerals. Per Drs advice we used ample amounts of Benadryl to keep Aden sort of

out of it most of the time.

This time I want him to be able to enjoy the trip, so I guess repeated doses of

Benadryl are probably out.

Anybody been there done that with some good tips to share? I'd love to have em.

Hugs

Mom to Aden 8 DS ASD ADHD and Aren 5 ADHD

Sent from my iPod

[Guest guest]

,We have a 5 year old now that has DS and AS.  About a year or so ago, we took her to Disney World and had a great time with her.  The first thing that I would counsel you on is to make sure that you plan for the weather well.  We did this, but it ended up being way way hotter when we got there than we thoguht it was going to be.  Consequently, we did not get to spend alot of time at the parks, basically only the morning, as it would get too hot for her ot handle the heat.  So instead we went swimming alot to combat the heat.  Not sure if yours have the same issue with heat, but it is something to watch out for.

Next, make sure that as you arrive at the first park to enter on your very first day that you stop at the front gate and ask them for a Child With Disabilities Pass.  Disney is INCREDIBLE about making sure that kids, especially kids with special needs, are taken care of at their parks.  When you have this pass, you are able to skip everyone and go to the front of the line on every ride.  This way you don't have to worry about waiting in line for 30-40 min and try to explain to your child why you are waiting, which we all know is impossible.  You can avoid any meltdowns and issues this way.  Of course this does not guarantee that they won't have issues on the rides themselves with beign scared or what not, but that is something that you will only know once you get on the ride.  This was a life saver for us.  There was no way with the heat and with our little girl have DS and a sever form of AS that she would ever handle waiting in line.  Also, make sure it is the child with special needs pass and not just a regular fast pass.  The regular fast pass makes you come back at a designated time where as the child with special needs pass lets you just go to the front of the line immediately.

Also, I would suggest that you plan the time at the parks to be during a time of the day where your boys are the freshest.  That will help alot, as I am sure you already know.  But just thought I would reiterate that as it helped us alot to keep this in mind.

The night time at the parks is really cool as well, so make sure you plan for that possibility.  They have a really cool parade at night that I am sure the boys would love.  It is full of lights and music and characters.  Our little girl was mezmorized by this parade and we wish we would have done it more times than just the one time we did it.

I hope this helps you out and I hope that you all have a great time!  I know that you and yoru husband will have some anxiety and stress leading up to and I am sure while you are there.  But just know that Disney is phenomenal about taking care of kids and making sure your stay is fun.  They have a special focus on kids with special needs and just make sure you are vocal about askign for what you need and someone will be there immediately to help.  We were filled with anxiety and stress before going there, not knowign what to expect, but we had a GREAT time and will do it again in the near future!

Have fun and blessings to you guys.  Let me know if you have any other questions.  My wife and I are happy to help you out in any way.Rob Father to Ragen DS and AS and Lucy DS