The Autistic World of Disney

Hearing a diagnosis for our two year old son Andrew, ten years ago did not stop us from continuing our much anticipated vacations at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Since our first visit in 1998, for the grand opening of Animal Kingdom theme park, we were bitten by the Disney bug and have now proudly completed twenty-three trips to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, a trip to Disney's Aulani in Ko Olina, Hawaii, seven cruises with Disney Cruise Line with another booked to celebrate my childrens' birthdays this August on the Disney Fantasy. Nothing stops my family and I'll tell you why. Walt Disney World is the BEST place for anyone. A lot of people may think it's sensory overload, especially for an autistic child, but for us it proved to be a place where we could feel like a 'typical' family and be welcomed and made to feel at home. We never expected our son to make so many developmental milestones while there either. Even from our Disney resort, Cas...

Starting Them Young Seeing my youngest interact with Mickey Mouse for the first time brought tears to my eyes. It didn’t matter that in the future my son would not remember that precious moment, but to me, seeing his face light up and hearing his infectious giggle was timeless and a memory I will never forget. One is never too young to begin visiting Walt Disney World! Why we ventured there while in my second trimester with my second child because we had a five year old who just had to meet Cinderella and Prince Charming. So off we went and here is what I discovered on our early treks out to the Happiest Place on Earth. Bringing an infant or toddler to Walt Disney World is not intimidating in the least.   Walt Disney World is perhaps the easiest place to take small children because everything revolves around making people comfortable and happy. I always found it very helpful pre-planning by reading all I could and would look forward to receiving my Planning a Trip ...

Shop ‘till You Drop Staying on property makes shopping in Walt Disney World a breeze. You can use your Key to the World card for charging and don’t have to worry about carrying money around. Shopping at any store at the theme parks and Downtown Disney   allows   you the convenience of having your parcels sent back to your resort, where they’ll be waiting for you at your resort gift shop, simply present your receipt. Or, if you like, the store will ship your merchandise home for a very reasonable fee. Some stores charge shipping amounts by the total bill and others charge by weight. Sometimes, especially with those large, bulky souvenirs, it’s best to have Disney package them securely and have them shipped home, where you’ll have something to look forward to upon your return. Each theme park has an assortment of gift shops with different themes according to the section it’s in, and there is always an assortment to fit all budgets and tastes, believe me there’s something...