The Autistic World of Disney

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...

Disney Cruise Line will not leave anything out of your vacation. You'll never miss out on the magic and pixie dusting when sailing on the Disney Fantasy because your little girl can be transformed into a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and your little boy can become a pirate at The Pirate's League, for which I will outline in the latter half of this post. In fact, everyone can become a pirate over at The Pirate's League. Photo: The Walt Disney Company Photo: Disney Cruise Line  Your own Fairy Godmother in training will greet your child and will create a transformation of magical proportions. You can select one of many treatment options, such as: Disney Diva, Pop Princess or Fairy Tale Princess . All of the Princess costumes are available and come complete with the wand, shoes and crown. There are also a variety of costumes available which are exclusive to Disney Cruise Line such as: Captain Mickey Mouse, Princess Minnie Mouse, and First M...

The flowers, oh those flowers, the floral aromas, the lushness, the gentle, balmy breezes continuing all day long in beautiful Honolulu was just the beginning of my walk in complete paradise. I never in my wildest dreams imagined what awaited me as I stepped off the airplane into the mostly open air Honolulu airport on a beautiful late afternoon.  The open air walkways at Honolulu International Airport. Here you can look at the airplanes which are a mere thirty feet away.                                                                                      ...