The Autistic World of Disney

We've completed twenty-four trips to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort and Aulani combined, just finished our eighth cruise with Disney and another cruise in the near future and they ask, "why Disney all the time?" Well that's easy, here's why. Last week my husband gave me the green light to hunt around for our next vacation and I was elated when Europe was in the mix. For some reason, land tours popped in my head so there I was comparing different companies and what they offered. I even contemplated the famous River Cruises. I found a wonderful itinerary encompassing five countries over a span of two weeks and was ready to book it but something was bothering me. My gut wasn't right, something was askew. Meanwhile, the prices with the other companies were very high, the price of a full year's tuition. Yes, that's all we compare things to around here, tuition. Bless my daughter's sweet brain and efforts, but it looks as if our tuition road will...

A recent solo trip as a guest at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort allowed me greater freedom to explore. By habit, I always look at things from an autistic perspective and the benefits thereof. This resort opened August 1, 1997 as Walt Disney World's first moderate/convention hotel and it's vast. The theming was inspired by the explorers who searched for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold, thus embracing a Southwestern United States/Mexican theme. You can see this in the elements used such as stucco walls, mosaics with vibrant colours, a Mayan Ruin themed pool and Spanish style Haciendas. Photo: Jackie Psarianos Access to El Centro The layout follows Disney's typical formula of a  main building, El Centro (check in/concierge/gift shop/food court) with the resort room buildings (1,915 rooms) radiating from there. The walking at this resort can be daunting at best but do remember, the Cast Members are willing to golf cart you to your building. All reso...

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 ...

 Travelling involves a lot of planning and preparation at best, then factor in the pre-planning when a special needs child is involved, and you've got to think about a lot more. Our son is a teenaged autistic, energetic and very happy guy. He's always on the move,......always, and he's very strong. I have to think about where I'll be with him, what might arise and how he might react, be it positively or adversely. I have to check to see if there are family restrooms, because he needs supervision in those areas and I have to always make sure that I'll have a back up exit plan that's ready to be implemented at a moments notice. When planning for our seventh cruise with Disney back in 2011 on their newest ship at the time, the Disney Dream, I streamed videos of anything I could find about the ship. Contacting Disney Cruise Line, they were wonderful in sending me their planning video, which was a useful and informative aid. Disney Dream (photo: Disney Cruis...