The Autistic World of Disney

Disney Cruise Line is number one in the cruise industry for high standards, level of personalized service, entertainment and boasts having the best Youth Clubs at sea with the longest running hours. The Youth Clubs are age appropriate and occupy almost an entire deck. I'm going to focus on the Youth Club for teens aboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, called Vibe. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder also have a Youth Club called Vibe, but it differs greatly in theme. The Vibe entrance on the Disney Dream. The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are the third and fourth ships in the fleet, they are the newest and are much larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, with many more activities. Having sailed all four ships in the fleet, I can personally attest to the fact that although the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are larger, you are not impacted by that at all, and even though each ship is unique in design, they are all familiar and you can easily navigate your way...

For years and years I dreamed about exploring the historic sites of Europe. As an art history minor in university, I had written countless essays on architectural and artistic genres, I had identified slide upon slide of famous sculptures and paintings, and I knew I could navigate my way through these incredible places from all the readings I had done. Europe had to wait, however, our son was unable to make the lengthy overseas trip, let alone be expected to stand around the countless museums and fully appreciate what he was looking at. What he could do, to his immense pleasure, was to visit Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and sail with Disney Cruise Line. We've sailed nine cruises on all four ships in the fleet, with the great majority of those sailings including itineraries of seven days or longer. These cruises laid the groundwork for my son and helped him acclimate to vacationing because there were many rewards all around him. It was on these cruises that we saw...

Back before the craze of Facebook and Twitter, I followed a Disney group on Yahoo and met many people who shared my love for everything to do with Disney. They understood me, didn't chide me or think I was fanatic. They got it! It was there that one of my friends made the Disney Parks Moms Panel, and I was like...oh neat! She began posting her photos of her training experience and what her responsibilities were and all of this helping people plan Disney vacations stuff, began to roll in my mind. So off I went to the website and became more and more interested in what it was all about. I joined Facebook and a few other social media outlets and gradually began to make life long friends who shared my passion and all of a sudden my 'fun' and 'helpful' life became centred around sharing my love for Disney and Disney Cruise Line. So I began applying yearly to the Disney Parks Moms Panel, with the hope of earning a spot which would then help me spread the joy of vacati...

After having sailed eight Disney cruises on all four ships in the fleet, we felt ready to head over and explore Europe with the peace of mind and comfort offered by the cruise line. Always keeping my son in mind and the consistency that he needs, it was only Disney Cruise Line for us. Andrew knows all the ships and can take you from bow to aft in a flash, with great ease and certainty, while stopping for some soft serve ice-cream along the way. The staterooms are consistent in appearance and layout on all the ships, the decor comfortingly similar with unique flourishes and dining rooms all familiar and captivating. These are the considerations that keep us sailing with Disney Cruise Line. If Andrew is at peace, then we relax and focus on memory making. Disney Cruise Line creates a safe and secure environment which fosters growth for our son. Both my children have grown up sailing with Disney Cruise Line and celebrated eight of their actual birthdays onboard. Booking port adventures t...

Walt Disney World's newest attraction at Magic Kingdom theme park, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, in New Fantasyland is sure to be a hit with guests. Disney Imagineers must have also considered their Autistic guests in designing every aspect of this attraction. While I will not have the opportunity until late October to personally experience this with my son, I was very excited to see a video of the interactive queue for this attraction. Everything about the queue is sensory driven and will definitely captivate many Autistic guests. The queue encompasses many sensory aspects and presents them in a fashion that fosters learning in a hands on and fun manner. The best way, in my opinion to learn. I will also use this video to acclimate my son to what he can expect while learning to wait for longer periods in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train queue. Thank you Disney Imagineers....no stone is ever left unturned and your attention to details is to be commended! Have a look at the video rele...

Recently, I had the wonderful opportunity to share my Disney Cruise Line experiences sailing with my Autistic son, with Special Mouse Podcaster, Kathleen Kelly. Be sure to look on the various links for travel at Special Mouse with Special Needs family members, you'll get lots of ideas, information and tips from people with first hand experience, right here by clicking on this link: http://specialmouse.com Below, please find the podcast where I share my Disney Cruise Line experiences with my Autistic son, Andrew. Thank you and enjoy.    http://specialmouse.com/cruising-autism-disney-cruise-line-033/ Andrew and his Dad on the AquaDuck on the Disney Dream. Andrew and his Dad on the AquaDuck on the Disney Fantasy.

One of the many aspects of sailing with Disney Cruise Line that you do not have to worry about, is your beverages. You don't need to buy a soda or water package or wear a wrist band. Most beverages aboard Disney Cruise Line are complimentary. Disney Cruise Line has twenty-four hour Beverage Stations near the pools and you can have as much as you wish. The Beverage Stations come equipped with soda/water cups and hot beverage, insulated cups, lids and straws. At these stations you'll find an abundance of soda, coffee, fountain water, ice, hot water. For the hot water, they provide a variety of tea and cocoa mixes. photo: Magical Kingdoms photo: WishUponAStarwithUs j.psarianos  photo: DisneyCruiseLineBlog You are allowed to use your own mugs, but they prefer that you use the cups they provide for hygienic reasons, which is number one on Disney Cruise Line's list.  Soda, coffee, milk, juice, fountain water and tea are also free in all the main dini...