Picture the Magic Kingdom on a high crowd level day: long stand-by lines for attractions, people pushing through areas trying to make ADRs, or FastPass times or just simply to reach that next attraction. For most people, this proves to be a minor annoyance but to them the magic of Walt Disney World is worth the inconveniences. However, to a child with autism, this can prove to be a sensory nightmare, and a such you will not find us in the parks on a high-level crowd day. As our Ben will tell you: “I don’t do so well in crowds”.
Children with autism typically tend to have noise sensitivities. That child ahead of you in the queue line with headphones on? Without the noise blocking mechanisms of those headphones, the noise would literally prove to be too painful for the child to tolerate it. Ben uses ear plugs for such attractions as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Haunted Mansion (in the stretching room where people tend to scream) and Dream Along with Mickey in the Magic Kingdom; Rock n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride, Indiana Jones, Mulch, Sweat & Shears, Backlot Tour, and Muppets in the Studios; Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin’, and Candlelight Processional in Epcot; and Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Festival of the Lion King, and Finding Nemo the Musical in the Animal Kingdom. Ben considers the Studios to be one of the noisiest parks.
Enjoy waiting in line? Well, nobody really does, but for children with autism, this is extremely hard. We have been so thankful for the Guest Assistance Card to help Ben with these lines. The current DAS card which replaced it has been helpful, but it does have more limitations than what we’ve experienced previously. See our earlier post here on the DAS card.
We have been blessed to have been able to move close to Walt Disney World, as Ben has loved Mickey Mouse ever since he was a preschooler. Mickey is such a calming force in his life. We accept, however, that there are certain times that we are not able to go into the Parks, such as the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve fireworks. He loves fireworks, but not the crowds. We are not always able to attend meets, as it depends largely on how Ben is that day. A high autism day means very little patience for waiting around, and what really is there to do with a crowd of people for a length of time? We have found the iPhone and its numerous apps to be a valuable tool in waiting in lines, but there are times that it can only provide so much entertainment before he gets bored with it.
We are thankful to our friends who understand and love Ben for who he is. He is an amazing child, and we wouldn’t have him any other way.
On April 13 2011, at our 100 day mark, we put out a list of 100 things that we wanted to do as Florida residents. See the original post here . We thought it would be interesting to see what we’ve done so far- our comments will be in blue. We’ll cover #1-50 today, and #51-100 tomorrow.
1. Resort hop. We have only ever stayed at POR-Riverside as a family, and we really want to experience each resort on property. So even though our current goal is to live 20 minutes away from Walt Disney World, we plan to do weekend stays at each resort, over the course of a year or two, and really take in the charm and uniqueness each resort has to offer. Nope not yet. This is something we still want to do.
2. Enjoy a Dole Whip 🙂 We’ve enjoyed them at Magic Kingdom but we still want to experience them at the Polynesian where you can disperse your own.
3. Attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Our first time next year
4. Attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party No, we haven’t, but between the two parties we’d prefer to do the Halloween party first, as you can experience most everything the Christmas party offers on the week leading up to Christmas on a regular day in the Magic Kingdom- well except for maybe the hot cocoa and cookies!
5. Go on a Disney Cruise! Right now with living in Wisconsin, the price of getting to the cruise has been a huge obstacle for us. We’re of the mindset that if we’re going to spend that much money, we’d rather spend it at WDW! Cruises are really very reasonable as long as you don’t have to travel over a thousand miles to get to one. Nope, not yet but still in the works!
6. Explore Animal Kingdom Park. There are so many areas of AK that we have not discovered simply due to the intense Florida heat, or lack of time available to us. We have done the basics, such as Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo & Friends and Kilimanjaro Safari, just to name a few. (There are more). But it seems that there is so much more to Animal Kingdom to take in, and we are looking forward to being able to do that in the cooler Florida months, when we have the time to dedicate to it. We have not explored all that Animal Kingdom has to offer, but we have done more. We find the cooler months are the best times to visit Animal Kingdom, and we tend not to even go in the hot, summer months. Jen will be touring the backstage areas on Thursday through a special promotion with Disney Parks Blog, so check back later in the week for a special post detailing that.
7. Go to Magic Kingdom in the evening just for the parades We have not done this, primarily because although we only live 25 miles from the Magic Kingdom, it takes us approximately 45 minutes to reach the parking lot, and another 15 minutes or so for monorail/bag check time. With the cost of gas prices, it is not cost efficient to travel two hours just to attend a parade.
8. Have brunch at Chef Mickey’s 🙂 One of Ben’s favorite spots to see his buddy Mickey!
9. Ride the monorails, just for the fun of it We do so once in awhile
10. Start a new tradition of celebrating birthdays at Walt Disney World This a wonderful perk of living so close to Walt Disney World.
11. Ride Splash Mountain at night during Wishes We haven’t since moving to Florida- used to be a favorite thing to do while on vacation
12. Ride Big Thunder at night during Wishes See #11
13. Listen to Lou Mongello’s audio guides while on Main Street/Adventureland/Fantasyland/Liberty Square and take the time to absorb all the details No we haven’t but we should 🙂
14. Have lunch at Le Cellier Yes, one of our favorite places to eat in Epcot.
15. Watch Illuminations on a winter’s night, enjoying the fact that it is warm & there is no snow on the ground Yes & we enjoy the no snow fact not just at Illuminations but every month from November to May 🙂
16. Go to Universal Catie has been to Universal on a school trip but the rest of the family has not made it yet
17. Go to Sea World A few times- we especially love the new Antarctica attraction.
18. Explore the beaches of Florida–kids have never been to the ocean before. We plan to go to both sides of Florida: The Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean Yes and yes. We’ve been to Anna Maria Island and Treasure Island on the Gulf side, and Cocoa Beach on the Atlantic side.
19. Dinner with Amy and Craig Petermann No, it never worked out.
20. Being able to meet Facebook friends who do not live in Florida but come to Walt Disney World on vacation. Shelley Urick Jones , we look forward to meeting you! This is another awesome benefit of living so close to Walt Disney World, the ability to meet up with our Facebook friends! There are too many to mention here, but we love meeting up with you all!
21. Lou Mongello’s WDW Radio Meets of the Month We have been to some!
22. Exploring the city of Clermont and getting to know our new home city Yes we know our way around fairly easily. We really like the area and enjoy living here.
23. Spending time in the Parks with Stephen and Judy Demeritt We always enjoy spending time in the Parks with our friends.
24. Meeting Marilyn Johnson in person! Marilyn and her husband Dan were extremely gracious and made us feel very welcome after we first moved to Florida. We’re blessed to have met them.
25. Go to Gatorland Still on the bucket list!
26. Enjoy the Osborne lights at the Studios as many times as possible These are incredibly awesome and guaranteed to instill the Christmas spirit in you! We do try to go as many times as possible during the season.
27. Enjoy making new friendships with all our Facebook friends who live in Florida Absolutely!
28. Walking through the World Showcase at Epcot while our kids are in school. We have not been able to explore all the countries because of the kids not wanting to spend time there. Exploring the countries is still on our bucket list. We pulled our children from the public schools and homeschool them. Can we say field trip! 🙂
29. The various shopping opportunities, not only at Walt Disney World, but at the many outlet malls in Orlando and the surrounding areas. Ikea! Yes, IKEA rocks, and we love being able to visit any store we want to within a short driving distance. We have discovered a few Disney Outlet Stores in the Orlando Area, which can be hit or miss on the merchandise available, but definitely worth checking into it.
30. Just enjoying the whole adventure of relocating to a new state! 🙂 🙂
31. Day trips to explore Florida: cities in particular that pop into our heads for no particular reason are Tampa, Naples, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville. We have not yet had any day trips, but two that may happen in the next year are St. Augustine for the historical aspect of it (another field trip!) and Naples…..can we say Culver’s! Ok, that is not the only reason to visit Naples, but it’s definitely an incentive!
32. Shelling at Sanibel Island We have not done this yet; we have heard it’s not as good as it was in years past, but we would still like to visit.
33. Chuckling to ourselves in February when the temperature is 80 and sunny, knowing that back in Wisconsin it is probably blowing and snowing and bitterly cold. Will we miss snow? No we will not! We apologize to all our Wisconsin friends, but yes we do chuckle 🙂
34. Taking in Bob Jackson’s show at the Port Orleans Riverside resort! We haven’t, but the main reason is the noise level is just too unbearable for Ben. He has noise sensitivities and he can’t tolerate it.
35. Staying at the Port Orleans Riverside resort for old times sake! Definitely on the want-to-do-list SOON! We have eaten in the food court a few times.
36. Christmas shopping at Downtown Disney Every year- we love the atmosphere at Downtown Disney!
37. Riding down the Sassagoula River from Port Orleans Riverside to Downtown Disney (and vice versa) No not yet.
38. Exploring the cities of Lake County Yes, we’ve visited Leesburg, Fruitland Park, The Villages, Mt Dora, Eustis, Astatula, Tavares, Lady Lake, Minneola, & Groveland
39. Visiting Celebration for leaf drop (to replace the Fall we will be missing in Wisconsin) No not yet
40. Being there for opening day of the new Fantasyland No, but we were for opening weekend 🙂
41. Resort hopping at Christmas to see all the different Christmas decorations This is in the plans for this year. We have been to the Grand Floridian, to view the Gingerbread House and the Christmas decorations, which are incredible.
42. Counting garbage cans to make sure the Demeritts caught them all 😉 No.
43. Trying on every hat that is sold on Disney property We’ve given up the practice of trying on hats, after a cast member friend of ours mentioned how everybody tries on hats and do you really want to put something on your head after hundreds of people have put it on their head? Um, no.
44. Food and Wine Festival 🙂
45. Enjoy a carrot cake cookie No, but we have enjoyed a Butterfinger cupcake. Actually it was too rich for our tastes, would not buy it again.
46. Visit Star Wars weekend Yes
47. Dinner, lunch and/or breakfast with Lou Mongello Not yet, hoping to one day!
48. Movie at the Downtown Disney AMC theatre We saw Wreck It Ralph there before it was released, courtesy of a special meet-up with Disney Parks Blog.
49.Trying all 500 flavors in the Coke Freestyle Dispenser Not all the flavors- that would take gobs of money & tons of time.
50. DisneyQuest We love DisneyQuest. It was the main reason we renewed our premium passes this year.
Ever since the rumours started a few months back that Disney would soon be changing the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) program to a new system or doing away with it altogether, we’ve been waiting for the official word to come. A few weeks ago that word came and the GAC was set to change over to the new Disability Access Service (DAS) effective October 9th. You can find Disney’s official statement and FAQ on the program at this link. Our first visit to a Park under the new program was this past Saturday, October 12th. Here is our experience at the Magic Kingdom.
We started our day with a stop at Guest Services at City Hall. The line was shorter than we typically encounter and we were met at the door by a very nice CM, Vas, who brought us inside. He asked a few questions on Ben’s needs and began filling out a form on his iPad entering this info. He used the iPad to take Ben’s photo and then went behind the desk to pick up the printed DAS card. They are no longer hand-printed, they are printed out using the info supplied to the CM, the Guest’s photo, the issuing Park and the time frame the card will be good for. Vas explained that as Annual Passholders we could only get the card for 14 days. He told us this was due to the fact that Disney is still testing and refining the process and they want to be able to make changes as needed. He also went over the program in detail explaining how the card works. We take the card to the Fastpass entrance of any attraction where the CM will note the current time, the wait time and the return time on the back of the card. The return time is based on the current wait time minus 10 minutes. So if the current time is 3:00pm and the wait time is 30 minutes, the return time will be 3:20pm. We can return any time after that return time, there is no time limit as with a Fastpass. We also learned that if we are given a return time and decide to skip that attraction, we have to go back to that attraction and have the return time crossed out, even if we don’t ride, before we can get a new one at another attraction.
Next we had Re-Entry Passes (sometimes referred to as Re-admittance or Re-ad cards) explained. If a Guest has a cognitive disability that could cause melt-downs when waiting to board or re-ride a favourite attraction, Disney will issue Re-Entry Passes to allow for immediate use of the Fastpass queue to enter. These look like and are used just as Fastpass tickets (photo below). We were issued 1 pass apiece for 3 attractions, a total of 12 passes for the 4 of us.
We entered the Magic Kingdom and decided to first get a set of Fastpasses for one attraction to plan around. We got these for Winnie the Pooh and also received a set for Mickey’s Philharmagic. Our plan was to get a DAS return time, enjoy Mickey and then go forward from there. Jen went to get a DAS time at Under The Sea. The CM was confused at first, it seemed this was the first one she had done, but quickly had the card filled out. We were given a 30-minute return time and then went into Philharmagic using those Fastpasses. After enjoying the show we walked over to Under the Sea and arrived just at our return time. We entered through the Fastpass queue where the CM crossed out the entry and let us enter. We showed the DAS card again at the second CM and entered in.
After riding Under the Sea we still had some time before we could use our Pooh Fastpasses so we used the Re-entry Passes to ride Barnstormer. To use these passes we do need to show the DAS card as well, although the CM at Barnstormer didn’t ask to see it. We were asked to see it when using the passes at Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear however. Afterwards we used our ‘regular’ Fastpasses at Pooh and then moved to Tomorrowland where we used the Re-entry Passes at Space Mountain and Buzz and also rode TTA. At this point my energy was spent for the day and we headed home.
Overall our experience was very positive. The CMs were all helpful and everything worked smoothly for us Saturday. With good planning; by using Fastpasses (and Fastpass+ once available), the Re-entry Passes and the DAS card this program should work out well for our particular needs. We can see how this program might still need refinement for families coming on vacations and for those families with different needs. It does work differently for those needing extra accommodations, such as using strollers as wheelchairs, etc., as well.
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Please let us know if you have any questions and we’ll do our best to help answer for you. Please feel free to comment below or reach out to us on Facebook and/or Twitter.
On Monday, April 15th, Jen and I took Ben and Catie to LEGOLAND as part of their Homeschool Days. Ben has been waiting since before we moved to go, even though it didn’t open until October, 2011. 🙂 LEGOLAND is in Winter Haven, FL on the site of the old Cypress Gardens and is conveniently located 45 minutes from Orlando and Tampa. Here’s our experience.
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We decided to arrive at park opening so that we could see and do as much as possible. This time of year, LEGOLAND is open 9:30am to 6:00pm most days; but those hours vary by the season. We were surprised by some of the differences to our usual days at Disney or SeaWorld. First, we parked within just a short parking distance of the entrance. There are no bag security checks, but there are also no carry-ins (except for water bottles). And the turnstiles were very quick and easy with no finger scan. Then we were in.
The park wasn’t very busy this day, mainly as this was a day for Homeschooled students and their families to come and enjoy the park. So we had very little (if any) wait for any of the rides that we went on. There is no fast pass type system here, so all of the queues are together; but most rides do have a quiet area where children can sit, wait and build with LEGOs while the parents wait in the lines. LEGOLAND Florida is the largest LEGOLAND Park in the world, but it isn’t too big to enjoy in one day.
You start your park adventure walking through The Beginning, the entrance area. Here you’ll find Guest Services, the Annual Pass Center (and they do have a dedicated AP office as they take your picture which is on the AP), The Big Shop (their LEGO Store), the Market Restaurant (an indoor ‘food court’ that serves a variety of food items) and the Island In The Sky (a 150 foot high platform that gives you a view of LEGOLAND and the area).
Once you leave The Beginning you can branch out in various directions. We entered into Fun Town. Fun Town lives up to its name with tons of LEGO fun. Here you’ll experience a simulated LEGO Factory Tour, The Grand Carousel (a double decker carousel featuring LEGO horses), a Florida Greenhouse, several shops (including a ‘Pick-a-Brick’ shop ($8.49 for a ¼ pound bag of Lego pieces), a LEGO Friends shop and LEGO Studios – dedicated to LEGOs from TV and Movies), the Wells Fargo 4D Theater where you can see 3 different 4D movies (we saw Spellbreakers and LEGO Racers, both awesome!), 3 snack shops (Ice Cream, Slushies and Granny’s Apple Fries) and the Pizza & Pasta Buffet (a sit-down buffet restaurant). We had a lot of fun touring Fun Town. We did stop for ice cream at Sunny’s Ice Cream Shop; and the scoops there are very big. So, unless you’re very hungry or really love a lot of ice cream, one scoop may be plenty. 🙂
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From here you can enter Miniland USA, the heart of LEGOLAND. Plan to spend at least an hour of your day here, this is just the most amazing area. We’d also recommend visiting here toward the start or end of your day while the sun isn’t directly overhead as there is little shade as you walk through. Here you visit Florida in general, Daytona International Speedway, the Kennedy Space Center, Pirate Shores, California (LA, San Francisco and Hollywood), Washington DC, Las Vegas, New York City and, the newest addition, LEGO Star Wars Miniland. You walk through and the details are amazing! In several areas, stop and push the buttons and watch (and listen) for the surprising actions that take place. This was one of our favourite parts of the entire day (and I particularly enjoyed the Star Wars area – too bad you can’t take things with you).
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Next we went into LEGO City. This is a child’s paradise. You can drive your own boat at Boating School, earn your LEGO driver license at Ford Driving School (ages 6-13) or Ford Junior Driving School (ages 3-5), take a flight on an inverted rollercoaster in the Flying School or compete against other families to put out a fire in the Rescue Academy. The ‘Big Test Live Show’ is here, watch as the Fun Town Fire Department teaches you about fire safety during this funny show featuring acrobatics and comedy. There is LEGO City merchandise at the City Shop and you can enjoy a fried chicken dinner at the Fried Chicken Co. restaurant. This area also has the entrance to the LEGO Waterpark, but we didn’t make use of that on this visit.
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From here, move into the LEGO Technic area. The Aquazone Wave Racers are a fantastic ride as you zoom around on your own ‘jet ski’ carousel while dodging water cannons. On the Technicycle, you fly higher the faster that you pedal and the Project X Technic Test Track rollercoaster is a high-speed thrill ride. You can shop in the Extreme Zone which features ‘extreme’ LEGO products, Florida-themed merchandise and many clearance items. You can eat indoors at the Lakeside Sandwich Co. which features pre-made sandwiches, wraps and bakery goods or outdoors at the Drivin’ Drive-in where you can grab a hot dog and chips.
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Next up is Pirate’s Cove. Here you’ll see the water ski and action show, The Battle for Brickbeard’s Bounty. And you can grab a burger at Cap’n Brickbeard’s Burgers. This is an outdoor eating area, but there is a covered area with picnic tables and fans; and with a view of Cypress Gardens across the waterway. This is where we ate lunch and these burgers were excellent. There is also a chicken sandwich available. Take a moment here to look into the bordering waterway and you’ll see many wild turtles and the occasional alligator. But watch your food, the birds here are “burger hunters”. One landed on Ben’s burger (luckily he had finished) and then flew off and grabbed another child’s burger right off his plate. 🙂
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Cypress Gardens is next, a quiet area which kept the garden atmosphere of the park’s predecessor, Cypress Gardens Park. You can enjoy a leisurely stroll through the gardens and watch for the LEGO Southern Belles and the 74-year old Banyan tree.
From here you can enter the Imagination Zone, an area devoted to using your…imagination. Enter past the giant LEGO Albert Einstein and let the fun begin. You can build and program your own LEGO Mindstorms robot, build and test a LEGO race car, play and build with the LEGO Hero Factory and try the latest LEGO videogames in the WB Games Zone. Enjoy the Kids Power Towers, where you pull yourself up a 30-foot tower and then ‘free fall’ back down. You can grab lunch and get a pressed sandwich at the I-Zone Panini restaurant.
Moving on you enter the Land of Adventure. You’ll enjoy Safari Trek, a LEGO jeep trip through Africa featuring many LEGO animals. You can thrill on Coastersaurus, a dinosaur themed old-time wooden rollercoaster, enjoy a bouncing ride on Beetle Bounce and explore the maze of the Pharaoh’s Revenge. We loved the Lost Kingdom Adventure, a dark ride through Egypt firing your lasers at targets to earn points and defeat Sam Sinister. You can snack on Waffle Spears (warm chocolate-covered waffles) and have lunch at the BBQ Pit which features a Barbecue Pulled Pork sandwich on pita bread.
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Next is LEGO Kingdoms, where you visit medieval times and the LEGOLAND Castle. The main attraction here is The Dragon, an awesome dragon-themed rollercoaster that travels through the castle before launching you on an exciting coaster ride. We were able to ride this back-to-back; jumping off and then right back on. LEGO Kingdoms also features the Royal Joust for kids to age 12 ride horses through scenes where they will joust with targets along the way, The Forestman’s Hangout – a tree and rope-climb area and Merlin’s Challenge – a high-speed rambler-type ride. You can shop at the King’s Market and enjoy lunch at Castle Burger; which serves the same menu as Cap’n Brickbeard’s with the substitution of a chicken salad for the chicken sandwich. This is another outdoor eating area but not as shaded and quiet as Cap’n Brickbeard’s.
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The final area, and one we didn’t visit, is DUPLO Village; a play area for toddlers. Most of the rides here are temporarily closed while the expansion ‘World of Chima’ area is constructed – to open this summer. There are still play areas open here now, primarily DUPLO Farm, and this area also features an area for new mothers to nurse their babies.
The newest area, The World of Chima, is under construction and is scheduled to open this summer. This area will feature rides based on the new LEGO product line and TV show, The Legends of Chima, as well as characters from the show.
We found LEGOLAND to be very fun and we do plan on going back. This isn’t a park just for children as some might say, we had plenty of fun as adults. But if you have kids, they will absolutely love this! I’ve added some information and links for you below and below that are some photos and videos to enjoy. Please let us know what you think of LEGOLAND if you’ve been and we hope we’ve given you enough information so that you can plan your visit soon.
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Official LEGOLAND® Florida App
This is an extremely helpful app, available for both iPhone and Android. It helps with planning, buying tickets, finding places to eat and it even has a function that locates your car in the parking lot.
Wishes And Pixie Dust 