Good point! I'm really nervous about this trip. Everytime we're out somewhere and it doesn't go well, I wonder if I'm making a mistake taking my DS 4 to WDW. When we went in February, we didn't take him because I had never been there and didn't know if he could handle it. He'll be a bit older by September though. He seemed both jealous and happy when he saw the pictures of his siblings and the characters. I really want this to work out with him - for him.
I would love to convince him to do a ride or two. He'll probably refuse rides, he will not ride anything on a regular basis (like at Chuck E. Cheese, or the carosel at the mall -- both are always a definite NO). I don't mind for most of the rides, but his favorite favorite movie is Finding Nemo, and I think he would LOVE the Nemo Ride. He loves aquariums and fish, and he would like it if he gave it a chance. I've been showing him videos of it from YouTube and it doesn't seem scary, so he might be okay at first. He really watches the videos and seems interesting in the whole process. My question is what if at the last minute he refuses to get on it. He might be fine walking right up to it, but if he won't sit down on it (we're actually planning on him sitting in between my husband and me) is there any way to gracefully exit the ride without riding it? Also, what if he goes on it and halfway through gets hysterical?
Also, we have FD and are doing Character Meals b/c my daughter wants to (and I need to let her enjoy things - The problems both her brothers have does affect her a lot and it is so important to me that her needs are met and she feels special too.) However, my DS doesn't always like to sit for long periods of time (and he doesn't really eat much and may have no interest in eatting while there.) If he needs to get up and walk around for a few minutes, or just have a break from it - can I take him outside for 5 - 10 minutes and then come back in? Mostly they are buffets we are doing.
My DS 13 needs clear cut explanations of exactly what is going to happen for each situation. If he feels like he doesn't know what to do, or what is going to happen, he tends to panic. When he is too crowded, he tends to feel insecure, overwhelmed, and if there are too many people he gets very anxious. But he loves rides, so it's important that I explain to him what the ride lines will be like. Does anyone have any suggestions for that?
TIA