For those that did Disney

Any tips? I am so confused by all the hotel choices and stuff to do. Any hotels better for a child on the spectrum? Currently he does not seem to have many sensory issues but his attention span is still close to nil.

All suggestions greatly appreciated!

Re: For those that did Disney

We did Disney last May and had a fabulous time.

We stayed on property - at the Boardwalk. It was so close to Epcot and MGM. Could walk to both. It was just enough 'Disney' to make us feel like we are still on property without being all in your face overwhelming.

We would hit the parks as soon as they opened and head back to the hotel around 3pm. We'd have an early dinner and if DS was still in a good mood, we went back out. If not, we hung by the pool or took walks on the boardwalk.

The biggest unexpected piece of help came in that little red and white card we got at Guest Services. It's called a "Guest Assistance Card" or a 'GAC'. I brought a letter from our pediatrician stating that DS had autism and had some trouble waiting in crowded areas. And that we would request an alternative waiting area. It also stated that DS had no concept of danger and was required to use his stroller to keep him safe in lines. So we explained all this to the rep at Guest Services and they issued us this card and stamped it with "Alternative entrance to attractions" and "Use of stroller as wheelchair". So we were able to keep DS in the stroller until we were ready to board rides and they had the stroller waiting for us when we got out of the ride. We didn't have to leave it with all the other strollers out in the front. Not to mention, we never waited any more than 10 minutes to board a ride - which was invaluable. We would not have been able to enjoy the vacation with our son without that small little pass. The lines were long and he would panic if we were in tight spaces with a ton of people. That pass really made our investment of a vacation worth it for our family. I went back to the customer service desk to hug the guy who gave us the pass. Get the pass. Hands down, best thing you can do for your special needs kiddo in Disney World.

Have a great trip! FM me if you have any questions.

Re: For those that did Disney

We went in March. We stayed at Art of Animation.
We did Magic Kingdom and Epcot.

Like the above poster wrote, we also did the pass and "Use stroller as wheel chair" pass (for my DD). Best thing Disney has for our kids. Made the trip very smooth and enjoyable.

For those that did Disney

Ditto what everyone said above....the pass for "stroller as a wheelchair" is a life saver for sure! We went to the parks in the mornings first thing and stayed past lunch...then went back to the hotel and went in the pool then went to dinner, whether in a park or downtown disney. I try to keep DD pretty close to her schedule at home so I don't get things to out of wack. The main advice is not to push your child and to know their limitations. Its ok if you don't see everything in the park. I'd rather see half the attractions and have a great time then see everything and have a screaming kid. One morning DD told us she just wanted to do the pool and "hang out" and thats what we did. If she's happy we are happy lol. Disney is great and you'll have wonderful time. We go twice a year and always have alot of fun.