I think it’s safe to say that I’ve been to the Disney
Parks many times. In fact, people no longer act surprised when they find I’m
going or have gone; they just say, “Another
trip?!” Which I understand. (Because they’re JEALOUS.) Anyway, to the point. I’ve
been to Disney with adults, with kids, with lots of people, and alone. With a
fox, in a box, in the rain, on a train, etc. So I’ve experienced many points of
view when it comes to touring. Today I’m going to talk about touring with
someone who has special needs.
I have two pretty great sisters. One of them (age
21) has Asperger syndrome. It’s a spectrum disorder with some shared traits of
autism. Spectrum disorders are called such because they are many and varied,
but Wikipedia describes AS like this: “Asperger’s is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is
characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside
restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from
other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. Although not
required for diagnosis, physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are
frequently reported.” Saying that it’s been hard to deal with throughout our lives would be an understatement, but
just like anyone, our family just does the best we can.
When we got the
opportunity to go to Disneyland at Christmastime, I was so happy for her! It
was her first time, and I wanted it to be wonderful. Here’s where we need to be
careful – I’ve said it before, expectations can make or break a vacation.
Having realistic expectations is key. I knew this would be different from the
trips I’d taken before. I knew that we needed to plan far enough in advance to
prepare her for the trip. We could watch rides on youtube, plan where we wanted
to eat, and decide what shows were a must-see. In my sister’s case, she is extremely
routine-driven, so everything about this “vacation” would be outside of her
comfort zone, and when she gets put out of her comfort zone things get unpleasant
for everyone. So we tried our best to be as prepared as possible, which
definitely helped!
I wanted her to
have a Guest Assistance Pass so we could have the option of shorter wait times.
We weren’t looking for a “free ride,” but if the situation got too crowded or
uncomfortable things could get unpleasant for us and for those around us, so I
thought it would be a good idea, just in case. At the time of our departure I
couldn’t find a phone number to call for special needs services, so I just
called the Disneyland Hotel and they connected me to the right people (this is
a good tip no matter who you’re trying to contact!). They explained how to
obtain a Guest Assistance Pass at City Hall, right when you enter the park. A
doctor’s note is NOT required, but make sure they write down the correct number
of people in your party and the length of your entire stay on the card! I also learned
on this trip that there are different levels of GAPs – at first we were issued
just a “wheelchair” pass, which meant that we could use the wheelchair
entrances (usually the attraction’s exit ramp) to get to the front of the line.
This is great for most of the rides in Disneyland. However, the pass couldn’t
be used if the attraction had a wheelchair-accessible queue, which applies to
most of Disney California Adventure. I agree with this practice (in fact, I’m
familiar with it as my grandma used an ECV on our family WDW trip), but it didn’t
really fit what we needed, so I had to make another trip to Guest Services.
Once I explained, they very nicely stamped our pass so we could use it on any
attraction. So it helps to double check when the Guest Relations Cast Members
issue your pass. We ended up utilizing our Guest Assistance Pass about half of
the time. The person on the card always has to be in the riding party, so no
dice if they refuse to ride California Screamin’! Sometimes the wait isn’t
shorter (cough, Pirates of the Caribbean, cough), so try to be aware of the
regular wait times. We still used the Lines app from touringplans.com quite a
bit.
The GAP is can be
used for shows, too. We didn’t use it for parades or fireworks, but we did for
World of Color and it worked out pretty well. Even with a pass, try to get
there early, because those areas fill up quickly. In fact, we had a much more positive experience going to a
second showing of WoC, because of the way cast members guide your group to your
section in a (somewhat) orderly line. I know after that it’s every man for
himself, but it made a huge difference for us. We were able to have a smooth
transition to our seats, it was less crowded so we could sit together, and we
weren’t stressing about pushing or being pushed. Of course this depends on the
crowd levels when you visit the parks. If it’s not a crowded evening you might
be able to comfortably find a spot on your own with little or no drama.
 |
| view from the special needs yellow section for WoC |
A few other things
that helped us have an amazing “Sisters Trip:”
-
Earplugs and sunglasses! If you have a
loved one on the spectrum, you already know the sensitivity to light and sound
that sometimes makes Disney trips challenging.
-
We took a long break every day, and had
some early nights. This was so different for me; I am a rope drop girl and I
like to close the park. When I “take a break” that means sitting on the curb
drinking a cherry coke, not going back to the hotel! But it really worked best
for all of us. We were able to have quiet time during the day, and even plan
some special things at night while everyone else was in the parks. One evening
we dressed up and spent some time in the Grand Californian lobby. We listened
to the carolers and got our picture taken with Santa before our dinner
reservations at Napa Rose. Everything was slower-paced and quiet, which was
what we needed. It also made the nights we did close the park more fun.
-
We stayed on property. It’s more
expensive, but it’s convenient and special, and that made it more pleasant for
us to spend lots of time there during our stay. Also, walking through Downtown
Disney was much less stressful for my sister than crossing the busy streets.
-
We tried to have one sit-down meal every
day. When you add up the prices, it really doesn’t have to cost too much more (at
Disneyland, anyway!) and it’s a nice experience that’s calmer than going counter
service in the parks. Order a drink with refills and you’re already getting
some value. And at Storytellers’ Café you get free bread. (Side story – our waiter
there was SO sweet – when he boxed up our leftovers he snuck in an entire box
of bread and corn muffins without telling us! We had breakfast for the next day
and lived like kings. We still talk about it.)
-
We ended up planning two character
breakfasts. It was important for my sister to meet characters and I thought
this could be a good way to see a lot of them without having to wait in too
many lines or get disappointed because our line had been cut off. We still did meet
some characters in the parks, but going to these meals ensured that we got a
good breakfast (she sometimes forgets to eat or isn’t hungry, which makes her
feel wretched later!) and a lot of sweet character interaction.
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| Minnie & Friends character breakfast at the Plaza Inn |
-
This goes along with my “realistic
expectations” mantra: when she was overtired, we stopped, and we *gasp!* didn’t do everything. Once again, this
feels like Disney blasphemy to me, but dragging people around when they’re
tired and cranky really is about as fun as it sounds. So even though I wanted so badly for her to see Fantasmic! we
didn’t go. Being flexible is a good tip for any vacationer. But there will be
another time, and when we see it I’ll probably spring for the reserved seating
so she can sit down and eat while we wait.
I know some of these
suggestions involve spending more than you might otherwise. Every person is
different, and this is what worked for us. We had a long time to save and plan,
and it was absolutely worth it. She had a blast. We all had a blast. I look at these pictures and feel tears well up a bit, because she's smiling so beautifully and that's not something I always get to see. She wore
her “First Visit” button proudly every single day. I feel so fortunate that I
was able to enjoy such an experience with my sisters!
Being as knowledgeable
and prepared as possible helped us have an amazing trip. Hopefully this can be
helpful to others who are hoping to do the same!
