The Autistic World of Disney

Families sailing Disney Cruise Line have ample opportunities to do things together allowing them to create special memories. After all, Disney Cruise Line is number one for entertainment and Disney Imagineers leave no detail behind, bringing unique experiences to people of all ages and abilities. All four ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet provide consistent activities and entertainment. People of all ages and abilities are accommodated where possible and no one is left behind. "When it comes to pleasing everyone, the difference is Disney."  (Disney Cruise Line) Family Lounges Many lounges offer fun daytime activities for families such as games, music and dancing. The Disney Magic offers Fathoms which is inspired by the ocean, the Promenade Lounge , a wonderful retreat where families can enjoy a refreshing beverage, snack and can even surf the internet. D Lounge  the family entertainment centre loaded with many Hidden Mickeys and offers dancing, family karaoke...

Many guests benefit from the hard copy 'Personal Navigator' which is full of daily news, events and activities, delivered nightly to each stateroom. Now, Disney Cruise Line has added an extra convenience to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App for mobile devices, delivering the same convenience but with an added benefit called the  'Onboard Chat'. Currently, the Onboard Chat is only available on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. The Onboard Chat allows guests to communicate with other members of their travel party and new friends who are on the same sailing by using a convenient 'Chat Number'. The Chat Number adds protection and privacy allowing guests the feeling of safety and security. Through this feature guests share a unique identification, not stateroom number as is the situation with the Wave Phones . Disney Cruise Line has taken extra measures to protect adults and children by using the privacy feature, as well, the primary guest on the reserva...

Disney Cruise Line guests sailing the Disney Dream this past week, had the opportunity to participate in the ever popular Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend at the Walt Disney World Resort before their 'dreamy' cruise. The event ran for four full days and participation was high featuring over 26,000 runners. Participants, from over sixty countries and from all over the United States ran the route through all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, the ESPN Wide World of Sports and through the Walt Disney World Speedway, in Orlando, totalling 26.2 miles. All photos in this post are courtesy of Disney Cruise Line and Disney Parks Blog Posts. Over 700 participants then went on to sail on the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Dream, where once stopped at Disney's Castaway Cay, those participants ran the Inaugural Castaway Cay Challenge. This 5K event gave runners the opportunity to be surrounded by the lush, exotic surroundings during their run ...

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...

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...

The re-imagined Disney Magic , the first ship in Disney Cruise Line's fleet, just completed an historic renovation in Cadiz, Spain, and on October 25, 2013 began her first passenger sailing from her new home port in Miami, Florida. Having sailed multiple times on all four ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, I have a knowledge of the vast similarities and subtle differences of each ship. The ships are designed to evoke a sense of familiarity yet each ship has its' own unique flair. The Disney Magic echoes this sentiment in replicating areas that are popular with patrons, yet Imagineers have added a unique decorating design to the Disney Magic. My post will focus exclusively the Adult Entertainment aboard the Disney Magic, specifically the lounges and nightclubs  in the Adult Only area called After Hours.  After Hours is comprised of three lounges, two new ones exclusive to the Disney Magic called Fathoms and Keys . The third lounge, O'Gill's Pub ...

We've been visitors to the Disney Parks since 1998 and will never stop going. Raising an autistic teen who loves Disney is a powerful force in our lives that gets us to the Disney Parks without question. Our very first cruise with Disney was back in August of 2005, a land and sea which we figured was a smart way to visit Walt Disney World and sail on the Disney Wonder. We were right! I of course tacked on more land days at our Disney resort before and after the cruise making it a nice land/sea/land....it was fabulous. Since then, we've completed eight cruises and are proud Gold Castaway Club members with the ninth cruise in the near future. Most importantly, we've sailed all four ships in the fleet and love every one of them. I would like to share my tips for saving some money, because the cruises, believe it or not cost as much as a typical Disney Parks vacation and in some cases much less. Book Early Booking as far out as possible, will give you lower rates, a much ...

Many people find trip preparation and planning daunting at best and that's understandable. Factor in travelling with a special needs family member and the planning takes on another dimension. Deciding on what to bring from home to make your loved one more comfortable and meeting their unique needs takes a lot of forethought and planning. As Platinum Castaway Cay Members with Disney Cruise Line , having sailed on all four ships in the fleet, is testament to the fact Disney does it right. Why else would we keep returning and not travel with any other cruise line? Once you make your special requests known to them, Disney Cruise Line makes every effort to accommodate and make your trip as effortless as possible and positively memorable. Here are a few things that I do to make my cruise 'magic'al, 'wonder'ful, 'dream'y, and 'fantas'tic! Photo: JackiePsarianos Make Special Arrangements: I call Disney Cruise Line and make arrangements with the ...