Kidani, HRH & BLT in 6 nights- Yes! We are THAT crazy!Nov 04-10,2009 OBX 4/16/10

podsnel · Dec 27, 2009

Well, here I am again, with another tale of what we did and how we did it. I'm Ellen, official Disney nutcase assigned to planning all vacations for my dear family. Of course it is my pleasure to plan these trips, and I feel very, very fortunate after having planned this one- because on THIS trip, we were ALL going to WDW for the first time in 2 years. Hopefully. There was no issue with myself, or my DH (Pods), or with our 2 younger sons, DS12 (Tyler) and DS10 (Timmy). We are all very happy to go, go, GO! wherever and whenever we can. The issue was with DS15 (Sean). Sean is a beautiful, intelligent, sweet young man who happens to be autistic, too. And his autism very often gets in the way of fun things like....going to summer camp (when he screamed for an hour and wouldn't get out of the car) or going to Florida to visit his Grandma & cousins (which he let us know when he wouldn't get out of the car at the airport). Fun, fun stuff. :rolleyes:

I guess Sean had decided he would prefer to sleep in his bed- ONLY. Makes it a little tough to go anywhere that way. But, I was DETERMINED he was going to WDW in November 2009. Because we have been going to WDW every other year for most of his life. And WDW, well, he loves it there. And the CMs are SO KIND, the characters SO WONDERFUL to him... it is a TRULY magical experience for us all, and I was NOT going to give it up!! :thumbsup2

So, I dug my heels in, and over the course of a year, we were successful in getting him de-sensitized to hotel stays (by taking him on overnights to various Embassy Suites in NJ). All that was left would be getting him on de plane! Well, how about getting him into the airport even? Off the plane? Onto the DME? Into the hotels? Into the parks? Out to dinner? Oh boy, this is a little more challenging than it sounds. A 15 year old throwing a tantrum like a two year old is NOT ever a good thing and really needs to be avoided as much as possible. Soooo....

What I did was make a book for him. It's about 40 pages in length. And it details EVERYTHING we would be doing over the course of our trip to WDW. Along with photos. Photos of EVERYTHING...Newark airport. The Continental plane. The monorail at the Orlando airport. DME. ALL the DVC villa rooms (including photos of the pull-out chairs, thanks to some very kind DIS friends! :hug:

) and the HRH room. Even the shower stalls. Every park and every ride we know he loves. Even every restaurant we had ADRs for. And we read this book together everyday, several times, for a month before D-Day- November 4th. And everyday, about 100 times a day, I asked him, "Where are we going on November 4th?" to which he would reply, "Walt Disney World". "How do we get to WDW?" "On the airplane." Until, it was finally November 4th, and we were waking him up to get into our van and go to the airport. But would Sean do it? Would he be able to conquer all of his inexplainable fears? Would we FINALLY be going on a family vacation with our whole family, or would he be escorted home from Newark Airport at the final moment by our friend Ann who was kind enough to wake up so early and ride along in our van with us just in case? Would he be spending the week with my cousins Sheree & Henry again (the saints who watch him for us when we do go away without him)? Stay tuned to find out!! :goodvibes

DB&KS · Dec 27, 2009

I have followed many of your past reports and I am happy to be on board for this trip also and I just wanted to say you are a great writer of trip reports and I can't wait to follow along. We just stayed at Kidani for the first time, which is our home, and we absolutely loved it. Can't wait to go back!

TinkGirl · Dec 27, 2009

Can't wait to find out what happened. I'm a special ed teacher and have several students with autism. I LOVE your detailed book idea! It sounds like something great I can tell parents about. My students are really young, so they often need picture schedules/stories and lots of forewarning when our daily routine is going to change.

Tinks "SS" · Dec 27, 2009

Yeah!!!

I just posted on the last one that i couldn't wait for this one to start. Guess i got my wish huh?? So looking forward to reading more and i already know from the last one that he made it but love how you prepared him. It's awesome!!

podsnel · Dec 27, 2009

Well, we pulled up to the airport drop-off, and Sean wouldn't get out of the car. :sad2:

He slammed the door shut. And Pods got out to get the luggage from the trunk, and I got out and tried with Sean one more time...

"Shawnee, please get out of the car. It's time to go to WDW. Let's GO!"

And when Pods looked up from the luggage....

Sean was standing next to me on the curb. :yay:

He had opened the door on his own, and hopped right out! We were so proud of our son. He was doing it!!!!! And not too long after that, he was doin' THIS-

And he was an absolute angel on the flight- we were in heaven! Soon we were on line for the DME-

And finally, finally, FINALLY, we were checking in at Kidani- I think it was about 12:30. And our 1 BDRM SV was READY!!!! So, of course, up we went to the third floor to check out our room very quickly while we dropped off our luggage- we were running late for an ADR at the Crystal Palace, our traditional 1st meal at WDW. Luckily, we were in one of the first villas off the elevator- our location was PERFECT!!!

We went out to catch the MK bus.

Except, there wasn't one. For a looooooonnng time. :sad2:

I think we must have missed the last one when we were briefly up in the room. And we watched multiple buses go by for other parks...but none for MK. And the troops were hungry. And Sean will only eat french fries (and pb&j on certain kinds of bread) for lunch, so Sanaa was out. And we were waaaaayyy past our ADR at this point, sadly. So we chose to hop a bus over to the Mara, and had a nice lunch there.

Tyler was excited to grab these babies for his dessert- he loves zebra domes!

Pods & I shared some flatbreads. This one was veggie with olives & pesto-

This one was chicken, corn & mozzerella

Tyler had a burger-

Timmy had chicken nuggets, adult size-

Sean had a couple of orders of fries, as well as most of his brothers'! This is probably the biggest reason for us not to do the DDP- very hard to eat $40 in french fries a day, even for Sean!

The Mara is a very pretty counter service restaurant, I had really never noticed before, and this was my 3rd time staying at AKV. The ceiling is beautiful.

Well, we were soon again waiting for a bus to MK....and we just couldn't hit one. So we made an executive decision, and chose to get on the EPCOT bus instead.

But would it all work out? Remember, Sean was counting on the day to go a certain way, and, for the past hour or so, we were striking out! :scared1:

You'll have to wait and see...in the next post.

podsnel · Dec 27, 2009

DB&KS said:
I have followed many of your past reports and I am happy to be on board for this trip also and I just wanted to say you are a great writer of trip reports and I can't wait to follow along. We just stayed at Kidani for the first time, which is our home, and we absolutely loved it. Can't wait to go back!

THANK you for saying such nice things! You are really, really great for my self esteem!! :goodvibes

I am so glad you are reading along again- this is the first one I'm writing about all of us away together, so i hope it will be very special. Isn't kidani fantastic? Like you, we're also very happy we can call it home. :goodvibes

TinkGirl said:
Can't wait to find out what happened. I'm a special ed teacher and have several students with autism. I LOVE your detailed book idea! It sounds like something great I can tell parents about. My students are really young, so they often need picture schedules/stories and lots of forewarning when our daily routine is going to change.

Hi! I'm so glad you're reading! The book helped him a great deal- I combined it with a calendar that I had written brief, basic descriptions on (going to WDW, going to Universal, going to WDW again, going home). It takes away all the unexpectedness of the day, and I think that's what frightens so many autistics- the unknown. The more familiar Sean is with what is coming, the easier it is for him. I hope it will help your students!! :hug:

Tinks "SS";34774041 said:
Yeah!!! I just posted on the last one that i couldn't wait for this one to start. Guess i got my wish huh?? So looking forward to reading more and i already know from the last one that he made it but love how you prepared him. It's awesome!!

I saw!!! I'm so happy you got here so quickly!! :goodvibes

And thank-you, we're all so glad that preparing him WORKED!!! :thumbsup2

ckdsnynt · Dec 27, 2009

Ellen:
Glad to see you have a new TR. Caught up for now and can't wait to read the next installment.

podsnel · Dec 28, 2009

ckdsnynt said:
Ellen:
Glad to see you have a new TR. Caught up for now and can't wait to read the next installment.

That's great!! I'm so happy you're reading along!! :yay:

SusanWasHere · Dec 28, 2009

Great post! I can't wait to keep reading it! I'm also a Special Ed teacher - from NJ

I've been working with autistic children for 16 years - and will never work with any other population. They are the greatest kids and teach us so much about ourselves. Doing the social story with your son was great - that's a method we use for so many things that scare our kids. Dentist visits, surgeries, airplane rides, toileting, pretty much anything! Carol Gray has a lot of amazing books about social stories - not sure if you've heard of her or not. A lot of parents have found her ideas so helpful. And it's funny what you said about the fries - for some reason fries are a favorite food of children with autism, lol. We've gone on class trips where we literally just ordered a dozen servings of fries for all the kids, lol. :rotfl:

Looking forward to reading more! :thumbsup2

kid-at-heart · Dec 28, 2009

Love your TRs! You are such an upbeat person and write such funny reports that reading them improves whatever mood I am in for that day. I am glad Sean was able to join the family for this trip. :goodvibes

podsnel · Dec 28, 2009

Our plans had to take a turn because it was getting later than we thought, and we decided to just go to Epcot and save MK for another day.

We ALWAYS do MK first on our trips with Sean.

We ALWAYS do Crystal Palace on our first day with Sean.

Well, that wasn't happening today. And I guess we were getting over-confident because things were going so well. So we just skipped that part of our day. But...for Sean, that meant we were deviating from our plan. Our plan that was in writing. In a book. That he knew by heart. The book that helped him to feel safe, and secure in a world of unexpected and unwanted surprises. :sad2:

Uh-Oh!

We got to Epcot, and went to buy Sean his ticket (DH & I have DVC APs, and I had gotten tickets online before leaving for T&T, just in case Sean wasn't going to come). And he started to get upset. So we purchased a 3 day pass for him, knowing we could add-on as we went. But Sean was NOT going into the park. He was just not ready. Because this was not the plan. :sad2:

Oh boy. Are we stupid, or what? :faint:

So Pods stayed outside of the EPCOT entrance with Sean, and the rest of us went into the park. UGH. The single rider line for TT was only 5 minutes, so we went for that. And with our matching tie-dyes (that I had made at the HHI DVC), I guess it was easy to see we were a set, so guess what? They put us all together anyway! :woohoo:

We love that ride! And we were so bummed Sean wasn't with us, because it is one of HIS favorites, too. Oh well, hopefully we would have plenty of rides later... :sad2:

Anyway, we were deciding what to do next, and I called Pods to see how it was going....guess what? They were IN EPCOT!! :yay:

He had promised Sean popcorn, so that's what they were looking for when we found them. Ahhh...what a relief! Here's a cautious Sean, FINALLY in the park-

We made our way back to the front to hit Guest Services for our GAC. Then we found a photographer to take our family's photo to commemorate this very special occasion!

We stopped for a minute to look at the fountains-

Before heading back to TT for our first of what we assumed would be many, many TT rides.

Well, you know what they say about when you A$$-u-me something. A few minutes into the wait, it was announced that TT was having technical difficulties, and we should come back later. Uh-oh....this is the perfect situation for a melt down....but...Sean was fine. He just turned around and walked out like this was something that happens every day. :scared1:

We were shocked- and sooooooooooo relieved!! We headed over to Mission Space, which he didn't want to ride, so he waited with Dad while the others of us rode.

We went over to the Living Seas to ride Nemo, but 2 minutes into the building, Sean didn't want to go in, so he stayed outside with Dad.

A quick look at the manatees and we were back outside-

To head over to Soarin', where it was pods' turn to ride with the boys. Sean and I went looking for some space for him to burn off some energy, and found a little spot over by Imagination where he could run around-

First, he sat quietly and played with the calculator on my phone.

Then, he ran around like aspeed demon, which he usually does.

I guess this might sound like a "bust", being that he was saying no to so many attractions. But it is actually the opposite of a "bust", this was all a huge success. Because look at him- he was somewhere other than our house or his school, and he was happy. So, SO happy!

Life...is good. :hug:

Tinks "SS" · Dec 28, 2009

OH Ellen!! I think you are going to have me crying this whole TR!! tears of happiness that Sean is enjoying the world again. This last post got me good. Doesn't help that yesterday's church sermon was about living everyday like it was your last and make the most out of your life. Been close to tears for 2 days. lol. Very special and thanks so much for sharing this wonderful success story!

dvc4life · Dec 28, 2009

Ellen - so glad to see you have started another trip report. I'm so happy that Sean was able to go with you on this vacation. Those photos of him in your last post are wonderful. He looks so happy.

Can't wait for the next post.

DB&KS · Dec 28, 2009

count me in on the crying (happy tears).....and that is one of the thousand reasons I love Disney, it can make anyone smile if you let it! :wizard:

Great memories for your family! :cloud9:

podsnel · Dec 29, 2009

SusanWasHere said:
Great post! I can't wait to keep reading it! I'm also a Special Ed teacher - from NJ I've been working with autistic children for 16 years - and will never work with any other population. They are the greatest kids and teach us so much about ourselves. Doing the social story with your son was great - that's a method we use for so many things that scare our kids. Dentist visits, surgeries, airplane rides, toileting, pretty much anything! Carol Gray has a lot of amazing books about social stories - not sure if you've heard of her or not. A lot of parents have found her ideas so helpful. And it's funny what you said about the fries - for some reason fries are a favorite food of children with autism, lol. We've gone on class trips where we literally just ordered a dozen servings of fries for all the kids, lol. Looking forward to reading more!

Hi Susan! I'm so happy you're enjoying this! :goodvibes

That is incredible that you have been working with autistic kids for 16 years! Are you in a school district, or at a special ed school? I have heard of Carol Gray, I think I have one of her books and read it a while back. They do social stories with him at school, too- we actually did one this September for him, going back to school in the fall. He was having a VERY difficult first day back after breaks (wouldn't get off the bus, lots of tantrums), so the teacher made up a social story for him and we read it constantly before he went back. And there was no problem, we were sooooo happy! Which reminds me, I really need to do that with him for next Monday when he goes back after this break!! :eek:

Thanks for bringing that up!! :thumbsup2

Oh- and Sean, on one of your trips, would need 3 or 4 lg fries just for himself. :faint:

It's always amazing to us that he is in such great shape- with his diet of fat, carbs, and fat! Wish I had his metabolism...

kid-at-heart said:
Love your TRs! You are such an upbeat person and write such funny reports that reading them improves whatever mood I am in for that day. I am glad Sean was able to join the family for this trip.

Well, that's so nice of you to say! :goodvibes

I truly appreciate alll your praise, and now, because of YOU, I am in a good mood for the rest of the day! :goodvibes

Thank-you!

Tinks "SS";34780950 said:
OH Ellen!! I think you are going to have me crying this whole TR!! tears of happiness that Sean is enjoying the world again. This last post got me good. Doesn't help that yesterday's church sermon was about living everyday like it was your last and make the most out of your life. Been close to tears for 2 days. lol. Very special and thanks so much for sharing this wonderful success story!

I'm glad they are tears of joy! And I promise to make you laugh them away, soon (I hope)! That sermon would have me in tears for a few days, too. It is a good way to live- everyday to the fullest. Count every blessing and appreciate all you have. Always good to strive for, not always easy to do, right?

dvc4life said:
Ellen - so glad to see you have started another trip report. I'm so happy that Sean was able to go with you on this vacation. Those photos of him in your last post are wonderful. He looks so happy.

Can't wait for the next post.

Hi Chris! Glad you found me! :goodvibes

And I love those pics of Sean, too. When I was sitting there with him, I felt so at peace and so relieved because he was happy- which is a BIG contrast to the month leading up to the trip, where I felt completely stressed out and worried every second of the day. Thanks for reading along!

DB&KS said:
count me in on the crying (happy tears).....and that is one of the thousand reasons I love Disney, it can make anyone smile if you let it! Great memories for your family!

Me too- I love Disney for the same reason. It always amazes me when someone says they "hate that place". All I can ever think is they must have done it wrong and missed all the good stuff! :rotfl:

limace · Dec 29, 2009

Love those pics of Sean smiling and happy

. Keep the report coming! I'm tapping my feet impatiently!

courtneylauren · Dec 29, 2009

Great TR. Can't wait to read the rest.

What does HRH stand for?

podsnel · Dec 29, 2009

limace said:
Love those pics of Sean smiling and happy . Keep the report coming! I'm tapping my feet impatiently!

Hi!! I will!! We had pods' family here for Christmas today- mega posting will begin again tomorrow! :goodvibes

courtneylauren said:
Great TR. Can't wait to read the rest.

What does HRH stand for?

I'm so glad you want to read! :goodvibes

HRH is the Hard Rock Hotel. You know. In that other park on the DARK side..... SHHHHHHHH....... :rotfl:

courtneylauren · Dec 29, 2009

podsnel said:
I'm so glad you want to read! HRH is the Hard Rock Hotel. You know. In that other park on the DARK side..... SHHHHHHHH.......

Ahh no wonder I couldn't figure out what it was!!

SusanWasHere · Dec 29, 2009

podsnel said:
Hi Susan! I'm so happy you're enjoying this! That is incredible that you have been working with autistic kids for 16 years! Are you in a school district, or at a special ed school? I have heard of Carol Gray, I think I have one of her books and read it a while back. They do social stories with him at school, too- we actually did one this September for him, going back to school in the fall. He was having a VERY difficult first day back after breaks (wouldn't get off the bus, lots of tantrums), so the teacher made up a social story for him and we read it constantly before he went back. And there was no problem, we were sooooo happy! Which reminds me, I really need to do that with him for next Monday when he goes back after this break!! Thanks for bringing that up!! :thumbsup:

I've worked in both private and public schools. I got my start at Eden Institute in Princeton. I am now in a public school district teaching a K-1 autistic class. They are pretty high-functioning, most with Asperger's. I'm glad the social stories work so well - such a great tool! Looking forward to the rest of your report. And I have to say, I have trouble going back to school after breaks too :rotfl:

Kidani, HRH & BLT in 6 nights- Yes! We are THAT crazy!Nov 04-10,2009 OBX 4/16/10

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