Our Trip To Disney World

Our Disney Experience Please refer all ** marks to Disclosure statement at the bottom of my post, also feel free to visit my Disclosure Page on the bar on the right hand side of my blog. Links may be included in this post. Summary: Our trip to the wonderful world of Disney in a nutshell 😀 There are so many autism-related struggles from our trip, in my post I could not pinpoint them all in a specific section. For that reason, when I describe a struggle we had, I will underline it to make skimming the post easier. Traveling or vacationing with an autistic kiddo can be very challenging. I hope in my experience below, some of the strategies I used will help other parents of autistic kiddos also. Anticipation leading up to the big day: In the days leading up to our trip, I printed out a Disney countdown calendar, which was exciting for the boys because they could see how many days were left until our trip. If you are looking for one of your own, you can google search 'Disney countdown calendar' or buy one from Etsy. (If you plan to get more than one use out of it) I simply printed one out from the google search, enclosed it in a plastic page protector, and used a dry erase marker to mark how many days remain. This is a fairly cheap option compared to the fancy-dancy ones you can buy. Some examples are below: This is the one from Etsy, here is the link if you would like to purchase one yourself: here. Above is a printable from google search. This is not my work, here is the site if you would like one of these for yourself: here. Also, I showed the boys some YouTube videos of rides, the hotel we would be staying at, and the Disney World website to give them an idea of all the cool stuff we would be doing. They were really excited about it. And finally, I did some of my own research web surfing on things to know to make our trip a success. Hmm..maybe I will create a post on MY helpful tips. That's a great idea. The day before our trip Before we left, we decided it would be easier to meet up with Andy's mom (Liz) and brother (Paul), and to get the kids ready if we stayed at a hotel across from the airport. This one has a casino so everyone was all about it. We settled in to our room and went out for dinner. Afterward, we all had a dip in the pool. By then the kiddos were pretty tired so I took them back to the hotel room to get some sleep. I also turned in early. Everyone else partied at the casino for a while. We had to be up at 3 a.m., so I wanted to make sure the kids got some sleep. I had a hard time sleeping because I was also excited. Carter and Maddex in bed at the casino hotel before our big day. Flying in the sky That was a rough morning the next day, I was not ready to be up at 3 a.m., but the kids were. They were so excited it was easy to get them going. We arrived at the airport around 4:15 a.m., and the guest services desk opened at 5. We were first in line. The airport here is fairly small, around 10 flights on average, on one monitor, and that's all. Our flight left at I believe 7 a.m. As I am usually prepared for everything, along with Carter's meds, I put together a busy bag. I have done a YouTube video on this. If you would like to see it, I will include it below. In the busy bag, I packed some coloring books, puzzles, fidget toys, and crayons. Also some gum. This kept the boys busy during the flight. I had a book for myself, which I'll admit I did not even read because I got sick. Maddex and Andy also got sick. Maddex was terrified to fly, and Carter absolutely loved it. Taking off was his favorite part. I am okay once the plane is in the air, but take-off and turning give me anxiety. Once we reached our layover, we all took a little rest and those of us that didn't feel well took some **Dramamine. Luckily, they do make chewables for children, which Maddex was able to take. We had a short wait until our next flight which was good because there was time for the medicine to kick in. Click here to view the video on my busy bag. Waiting for takeoff on the plane!  Time to arrive & some time at Magic Kingdom Once we finally landed in Orlando, we worked our way through the airport, took a shuttle to the bussing area, and boarded a bus for a 45 minute ride to our hotel. We stayed at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This place was gorgeous! I absolutely loved it! I had never stayed in a five-star resort before, let alone any hotel with a pool boy serving drinks. Our bags were transported separate from our bus, and hadn't arrived yet when we checked into concierge. The man at the desk gave us our Magic Bands (which are also used as your room key, fast pass, and can be used to make charges to your credit card) and we went in search of food. At this time it was around 4 p.m. and the most we ate all day was a quick sandwich before our first flight and some crackers on the plane. We all sat down at the Grand Floridian Café, which would have been good for breakfast or brunch - it reminded me of a tea party café. They had doilies on the tables and fresh flowers. It was very cute. After we all indulged in some breakfast food, I was pretty tired. The boys (including Andy and his brother Paul) were ready to explore. They ventured out to Magic Kingdom while Andy's mom Liz and myself made our ways to our rooms to take a nap. Magic Kingdom is the closest park to the Grand Floridian, and the monorail will take you directly to it, or you can also take a boat from the GF dock. A half hour later our luggage arrived. Around 7 p.m. I met up with Liz and we met up with the boys for the fireworks show at Cinderella's Castle. Luckily the guys rented a stroller for the kids. (this is a good investment any time taking kiddos to Disney) The kids were so tired they fell asleep sitting up, waiting for the show. After that we carted the kiddos home and all got some sleep. Everyone was pretty tired, and the fireworks show was a good ending to our first day in the parks. We had passes to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Disney Studios. Once we had the kids settled, Andy went out to locate some food, and we discovered the Gasparilla Island Grill - a counter service similar to a fast food restaurant. They also offered refrigerated snacks and beverages, along with bakery items and a soda machine. After our late-night snack, we turned in for the night. We decided to buy the Disney mugs they sell at the counter service, which run about $25 a piece, but offer free refills for 14 days from first use. The soda machine had a lot of down time during our stay, it kept breaking, but when it was working it was great. Since the counter service was open 24 hours, at any time of day or night you could get a free refill and didn't have to order it through a person. Being an introvert myself, I found this very nice. The food they offer varies by the time of day: mornings offer bacon, eggs, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches; lunch offered hot sandwiches, and dinner offered burgers, fish sandwiches, chicken tenders, and mac and cheese. Late-night they had pizzas. They also sold alcohol here, two servings per person was the maximum allowed per purchase. However, if you needed a refill on those, you could always go back and buy more. It was nice to have a beer and watch the fireworks show from their patio every couple nights. Even though Cinderella's castle is far from the resort, you can still see the fireworks. Cinderella's castle before the fireworks show. Epcot  The monorail did not go directly to this one and we had to take it to the Transportation Center before we could reach the park. (I THINK - one park we had to do this, I am pretty sure it was Epcot) Even with that, this park was cool to see. It was very futuristic, with lots of Space-themed rides. We split up for this one, Andy and Paul went with Carter on Space Ship Earth, while Liz and I took Maddex to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. This was a very slow ride, similar to Frozen. After the ride we explored the area which had aquariums and even a Manatee. It was really cool! Then we stopped in at Club Cool and tried all the different kinds of free **Coca-Cola from around the world. There is also a **Coca-Cola shop in there with lots of cool things to buy. I didn't get anything from there but it was cool to see it all. Right outside is a huge fountain, with some shade to cool off. We met up after that with the others and decided to have lunch at The Coral Reef Restaurant. It was a bit pricey, but the scenery was really pretty and it was ocean-like. There were even aquariums built into the walls. We saw lots of sharks and fish while we ate lunch. I had the Mahi Mahi and it was really good. After that, we went on Soarin', which was a bit scary for me and Maddex, but everyone else loved it. I have never been on a virtual reality ride before and I would highly recommend it. We took a tour boat on Living with the Land and got to see a large farm of various crops including banana trees. Never in my life before have I saw a banana tree. As we were running short on time, we didn't explore the World Showcase. The Mouse Gear shop was worth stopping in - I got some pink Disney pajamas, a few T-shirts, and a magnet. The kiddos opted for some candy and Andy picked up an Epcot shirt. This shop is really big and has loads of Disney stuff from numerous characters. I discovered this was one of the few places to get boys' mickey ears. The boys didn't care for them much, but we did find a souvenir stand nearby that sold mickey hats with ears which Maddex got for his birthday and baby Mickey and Goofy stuffed animals to share with Carter. I wish we would have had time to go on Frozen, but the line was very long, and we couldn't get a fast pass for it. (always book your fast passes as far in advance as you can, at least a few weeks). The Food & Wine festival wasn't scheduled to start for a few weeks after our visit so we didn't get to participate in that and I was really hoping I could so that was a bit of a bummer. During the end of the day, it started to rain and we purchased some ponchos. Liz and I were ready to take a rest so we left the kiddos with the guys for the remainder of the evening. They went on Space Mountain, a completely dark roller coaster and also Mission: Space which is inside the big Epcot Ball. Riding the monorail Andy, Maddex, Carter, and Paul relaxing in the shade Myself and Andy in front of Dinosaur Queue to Soarin' Maddex and a manatee Seahorse from one of the aquariums in the Nemo ride Disney Studios / Resort Day Andy, Paul, and Liz went to Disney Studios and rode the Rock 'n Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. This park seemed to be more themed for adults so the kids and I stayed back at the resort this day to do laundry and just hang out. The laundry service was the same as any other laundromat, just in the hotel and only a few washers and dryers. I found it easier to just do laundry rather than pack more clothing - I do not enjoy hauling around loads of luggage. I stopped at the counter service, got them some lunch, and after we headed over to the Water Activity Pool which has a water play area and some slides. All the pools also have lawn chairs and umbrellas. Carter had a hard time here as the play area was small and there was not much for him to do. This resulted in one of the few meltdowns he had. After we were there for 10 minutes, he whined until I decided we would leave. This was not a huge deal, but it was not expected behavior. The remainder of the day Maddex and Carter watched Disney cartoons and I took a nap. Andy, Paul, and Liz This evening Andy stayed back with the kids while Liz, Paul, and I checked out Mizner's Lounge. There is a band that plays near it, but when we stopped in they were not playing. After some time in the lounge we decided to sit outside the counter service and just chat under the stars. With the heat in Florida, it wears you out. I was ready to call it a day. My boys outside of the hotel Animal Kingdom This day was probably the most humid day during our trip, and since this park is all covered by trees, there isn't much of a breeze. I would suggest going to this one either later in the evening or on a less humid day. We started out at Pandora. The whole area was surrounded by alien-like (or avatar themed) fake plants and lights. This was Andy's favorite. We waited in line for 3 hours to go on The Flight of Passage - which was really cool since it's a virtual reality ride, but also terrifying because you are flying in the sky on the back of a banshee. Maddex was absolutely shook and would not talk to any of us after this ride, he was very upset. I screamed my head off, I don't do heights. Even though it wasn't a real in the sky ride, it sure FELT like it. I was surprised how well Carter did waiting in line for this one. He was a little bit scared of it too. After that, we decided to get some lunch at Pizzafari, which was pretty good. They had paper straws, which are not really that great since they get soggy. Animal Kingdom did NOT have straws anywhere else so I tucked some extras in our park bag. Next we went on a safari-themed adventure. First to the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and then Kilamanjaro Safari. As we were well though the day by then, we wanted a water ride. I was excited about this one, but it turned out to not be as great as I planned. We went on Kali River Rapids, which was pretty much a floating tube down a lazy river - nothing thrilling about it, and I didn't even get wet! The whole ride lasted only a few minutes. We waited in line for 2 hours and it was NOT worth it. Carter had a hard time here as he had a soda and did not want to carry it around, which led to a small meltdown. I would put the soda in my park bag, he would ask for it, and then I would put it back away. This went on for 15 minutes on and off before I finally told him to just hold onto it. Even though he was a bit whiney this could have been a lot worse. I think the heat was just getting to him. Luckily they did have water fountains (we call them bubblers in Wisconsin) in the waiting line. I don't remember where we stopped for supper, but we did get a Dole Whip on the way, and it was delicious. The extra straws came in handy here as they only gave us a spoon and these started to melt right away. While we waited for it to get dark, the guys and Carter went on Expedition Everest. This roller coaster is cool because at one point it goes backwards. This park was my favorite, probably just because of the Tree of Life which was really pretty, especially at night time. We saw the Rivers of Light which was a very cool light show in the evening, and it lasted quite a long time too. I will say, stroller parking for the Rivers of Light was a nightmare, after the show the park was closing and we eventually just abandoned our rented stroller since we couldn't find it - the park employees both told us two different areas our stroller would be and we just wanted to go back to the hotel. We took the shuttle bus back to the GF and called it a night. This was probably the longest day we had out in the parks. Myself and my Love ❤ Giraffes from the safari Elephant from the safari Don't remember what this animal is called but...safari Maddex, Carter, and Andy Alligators from the safari Mom and baby elephant from the safari Rivers of light More rivers of light Queue from Avatar More from Avatar queue The tree of light lit up after dark Magic Kingdom (again) As we didn't get to see everything we wanted to in this park, we decided to go back and check out a few things in Frontierland, Adventureland, and Liberty Square. We started out with the Haunted Mansion, which was a very cool "haunted" ride, not very scary, but it was worth seeing. The line wasn't that bad either. Next we went to Pirates of the Caribbean, which was one of my favorites. I liked that it was a water ride and on this one I did get pretty soaked. I was not expecting that! There were some tiki towers that misted and spouted out water, which was great because it was so humid out. I don't remember what these were called. We stopped for lunch at Peco Bill's, which had a taco bar and was really good. The gas afterward, not so much. This restaurant definitely gives you a good value for the price and has room for stroller parking inside the restaurant. After lunch, we went to Splash Mountain, another one of my favorites. The line was very long, at least an hour and a half, but I feel like it was worth it. The ride lasted a little while and we got a picture from this one. Maddex was so scared he had an accident. After that, Andy, Paul, and Carter went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while the rest of us hung out in a sitting area and rested in the shade. Before leaving for the day, we waited in line for the kids to meet Mickey. Maddex was so excited, but by the time it was his turn to see Mickey, he was scared. I don't think he realized how big the real-life Mickey would be. We couldn't get a good picture because he hid behind the curtain the whole time. This was a nice experience for Carter though. Definitely worth the wait. Since this was the last day we were visiting the parks, we decided to take a boat back to our hotel, this was the kids' first time on a boat and they loved it. Carter and Mickey Myself and the boys riding the boat back to the hotel Pirates of the Caribbean I don't know this character's name but Carter wanted a picture Splash Mountain (Maddex is terrified!) Myself and Cinderella's castle (love this one) Resort day Our last day we decided to just hang out at the pool and relax at our resort. I had already started packing up our things. We went to the Courtyard pool which also has a bar and some food. They offer free ice water and have bathrooms, along with towels and life vests for the kiddos. This was a really nice pool, we stayed here all day and all got sunburnt. Even with sunscreen, in the middle of the afternoon it seemed that it got really hot. I was sunburned for 2 weeks afterward. This was also Maddex's birthday and he got a free birthday cupcake from the counter service 👍 The bar was nice, and they had staff that would bring your drinks or food to you. I thought that was really nice. I had a few coolavas (coconut and strawberry flavored slushee with I believe vodka and rum). Andy picked up some lunch for us from the Gasparilla and we all ate around the pool. Since we had to be up early, we all turned in early for the night. Maddex enjoying the pool What a view! Poolside The housekeepers left this in our cleaned room, thought it was cool Before my sunburn relaxing at the pool Maddex's birthday cupcake Going Home Again, we had to be up super early since the Disney bus shuttled us from the GF to the airport. We checked in our bags at the bus station and they were shuttled to our plane. This was nice because we didn't have to lug them around with us. Nothing like some luggage to slow down two young boys. I was glad we didn't have to deal with that. We were a few hours early for our flight and had some McDonald's at the airport. Carter had a meltdown when he was told to eat his food instead of drink all his soda. This resulted in some crying and not being able to play with his toy (from the happy meal), but he did eventually comply and was content with the fake binoculars he got. Maddex had a rough time going home in general. I expected a little bit of this - what kid would want to go home, when they spent a whole week (including their birthday) at Disney World? He had another accident mid-flight and I swear everyone on the plane must have hated us. Smelling poop your whole trip home is not ideal. Since we didn't have our luggage, I couldn't change him either. Next time we fly, I'm including extra clothes and some plastic bags in our carry-on. For the remainder of our flight, the boys did well. They watched a movie and shared a pair of headphones. Once we were finally home, I could see the boys already missed Disney. This however was a really cool trip and we all have some great memories. I would love to go again, maybe in a few years when the boys have more stamina for walking around the parks all day. Watching movies on the way home What's been going on at home lately? First off, I'll admit this post is a LOT later than I intended, by 2 months. With all going on that I mentioned in my last post, I have some catching up to do. Also, with Halloween, parent-teacher conferences, and Andy getting sick, my time has been spent elsewhere. Halloween was good - the boys trick-or-treated for a good 2 hours, around our whole neighborhood. They both got a huge bucket of candy. Carter was a creeper from Minecraft and Maddex was a solider from Halo. And then the parent-teacher conferences. I always find these awkward because there are only 15 minutes to talk about progress for the whole quarter. At least this year I got a progress report from both teachers for all the things they forgot to mention. It was also nice to see the kids' school work and projects. I'm a proud mama ❤ Sickness around the house. So far only Andy has caught the flu - I anticipate the rest of us will probably get it, but fingers crossed that doesn't happen. Since he usually takes care of the kids in the morning, I've been doing that and checking in on him too. I haven't had time for much this week. Luckily yesterday I was able to get to the store when he was sleeping. Also, I am still struggling with too much sleep. I may have figured out why this is happening. Along with the new medication I am on, I believe I could be feeling some symptoms of depression. I have always been someone that enjoys working and keeping myself busy. Since I have been home the past half year, as I have mentioned before, I am sleeping up to 16 hours a day. I spent some time applying for jobs, and I received one call back from a temp agency. I will be able to work first shift as the boys really do not need me home. There hasn't been any issues with school so luckily I no longer need to make myself available to be home all day. With that, it's about time I get back to work and have a little bit of structure for myself. This would also help me get back in a gym routine, I haven't gone for the past two weeks. I've been reading.. This is a new section I am going to include in my blog as I do enjoy reading and always have a book at home I'm spending time with. I just thought it would be nice to include that for all those readers out there looking for something good to read! Currently I am reading Rebels of Eden by Joey Graceffa. This is the last book in the Eden Trilogy, set in a future time after the apocalypse has happened. In the books, Joey goes on to paint the picture of a post-fail world that was rebuilt by a scientist, and now the remaining survivors live in Eden and are controlled by the EcoPan. The plot of the story is the main character, Rowan, discovers a whole new world in Eden, outside of her home (which she is kept in due to laws of Eden), and discovers a community of individuals like herself. In the trilogy, she must save these individuals from their horrible fate. I have really enjoyed these books so far, and I am hoping this one has a good ending! Read it for yourself and find out! The first book is Children of Eden, next Elites of Eden, and finally Rebels of Eden. You can purchase the books from Amazon here. My closing thoughts Disney World was a great experience and I will never forget it. Even though Carter had a few meltdowns here and there, and Maddex had a very rough time, I was glad we could take the kids on this venture and would do it again. Thank you Liz for bringing us all with you, this was nice. I am glad to have some pictures to look back on, so I will never forget this experience. I know this post was late, but better late than never! I am still working on getting into a routine, and until then, my posts may be a bit sporadic. That's all for today. Follow me on social media to stay in the know how of my posts and vlogs. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate your support! Have a great day 💓 **Disclosure: Reviews of products & referenced links are not sponsored by any affiliates and are solely the opinion of the Author; these are strictly opinions and honest advice, which should not be considered consumer or health guidelines. The Autism Soup and/or The Author are not responsible for any injuries or damage due to procedures listed above. Please consult with your doctor in regards to health concerns.