A ball of nerves, but we can do this!

[IntoTheLight]

Hello board! I've been lurking for a month or so now, reading this forum like crazy, thank you so much for all the great threads!

We're going to WDW at the end of Sept, which should be according to my endless research, touring plans etc, be one of the best times for a special need kiddo and his insane family to tackle the mouse. We'll be staying in The Nemo suite at AoA for 7 wonderful nights.

I was hoping to post a little bit about what I have planned, hoping for anyone to chime in with little bits of advice I maybe haven't come across in other posts? This post will be SUPER long, so thanks to anyone who makes it through!

We have 3 kiddos. Our 4 year old is a complex little dude. He's non-verbal, super sensory seeker, he can walk but for short distance with assistance. I've made a harness system for him that works great in dining chairs and for brief walking and we'll be using that. In addition to his sensory disorders he has spinal tumors, sleep deprivation induced seizure disorder and congenital pain indifference (which we discovered when he tipped over a high chair, broke 2 ribs and laughed through it.) Unfortunately with the CIP and being non-verbal comes using physical ways to express himself. Head banging, hitting, biting himself, etc. However when his needs are met and we're on our A-Game (ok, B-Game too) things go pretty well.

My MIL finally convinced us that Disney World would be a good idea and that we had enough adults (4 vs 3) to handle it, so we started planning and the month is finally here!

So, we have a 3 hours flight (DS4's first) and then all the craziness of WDW and here's my plans so far!

Day 1: The Flight-
We have a prescription from his Ped that will hopefully mean sleep and peace, but experience says this will be a nightmare. I will have his carseat for restraint on the plane. He doesn't watch more than 15 seconds or so of a movie but we usually can distract him with rolling wheels and will have lots of cars. We have three seats for mom, dad and DS4.

Night 1: 'Ohana for dinner. Could anyone describe the seating situation there? What kind of chairs, are they booths? Do they have high chairs and do they seem like a toddler could fit? Do they allow handicapped strollers into the restaurant?

Day:2 HS and MK, we have the magic bands so we can only get FP at one park per day, so Hollywood Studios we will brave without at rope drop, take a 3 hour break mid day and return to MK for my DD's Cinderella dinner while the boys go to Liberty. For lunch we plan on Pizza Planet Arcade. We have FP+ for peterpan, splash mtn and big thunder.

Day 3: AK and HS, FP Rides are Muppets 3D, Star Tours and Tower of Terror. Our dinner is at Sci-Fi. Any Sci-fi tips? Same chair question as above. How long do meals usually take to come out here? For fantasmic DS4 would have to remain in his stroller restrained, do they allow that? We did pack him ear protection as well, and he will LOVE the light shows.

Day 4 & Day 5: Breaks from the parks, dinner at T-Rex. Has anyone done the pony rides with a SN kiddo? He does hippotherapy at home and loves horses, but his are trained to deal with his need to touch and pull. Would anyone recommend skipping this with the disney ponies? My daughter HAS to ride them so we will be going, just hoping DS4 can too.

Day 6: MK, we have FP+ for Enchanted Tales, Speedway and Space Mtn. Are there any MUST DO's for autism spectrum kids? Dinner is at Be Our Guest, same high chair question.

Day 7: Epcot, FP+ for Soarin, Test Track and Character spot. Dinner is at Coral Reef. DS4 is totally in love with fish tanks, this will be the one restaurant I don't worry about him making a scene. Is there any way to get a table that touches a tank? Do they allow that? DH really wants to try Tangierine Cafe for lunch, what do we think? Autism friendly or can you recommend a close by quick service?

One more question about AoA, how is the soundproofing between walls? Night time is a bit of a noisy routine for us, I'm worried about the neighbors complaining. Anyone ever hear rambunctious kids next door?

Any other tips and tricks? I'm hoping that by shipping all our needs ahead of time and meticulous touring plans I can make this enjoyable for everyone. Am I allowed to post our touring plans here? From what I've read the touring plan is the most essential piece to making this puzzle work. Thanks again!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Make sure his car seat is flight approved. If it's not, they're not going to let you use it on the plane.

Have you tested the medication you're planning on using for the flight? I personally wouldn't ever give a kid a prescription meant to knock them out for the first time at the point where I absolutely need it to work. It'd be horrible if you did that and it turned out he had the opposite reaction from what he's supposed to (this is a relatively common issue even for folks who don't have disabilities).

As far as I know there's no reason you can't post your touring plan here. That said, I'd suggest making plans more based on areas (using some of the programs that give suggestions about shortest wait and least crowded areas) rather than we will do x ride at y time. WDW will be around in the future and there's no point in over-stressing yourself out to fit to a touring plan. Things are going to happen and to a certain extent you will need to be able to adapt (sudden ride closures, lines that take longer or less time than posted, etc.). Also be aware of things like height restrictions. I don't know how big your 4 year old is, but I know at 4 I wouldn't have been tall enough for Tower of Terror, for example. If it isn't in your plans already, though, I'd suggest trying to make it on the teacups at MK. I'm a sensory seeker and that's one of my favourite rides.

If you haven't checked out the FAQ Sticky on the disAbilities board and read the section about the GAC, I'd suggest doing so. You may find the GAC useful. Certainly it would help with bringing his stroller in queues so that he has his safe space.

Also, while getting up early and making rope drop, etc. will help you get more rides in, don't underestimate how much keeping a normal sleep/waking schedule will help your entire family be more relaxed. If your kids are used to sleeping until 10, they're going to be cranky if you're suddenly getting them up at 7 or earlier. If they're used to going to bed by 7 or 8, then pushing to stay late more than 1 or 2 nights, is going to result in their not being refreshed the next day. Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation. If you don't make it to everything, it's okay. I've never commando toured and I honestly feel like I enjoy WDW more that way. I tend to stick to general schedules with the knowledge that I can break them if I need to stop and rest or go back to the hotel or if something I wasn't planning on catches my eye. I don't make it to WDW often, but I see no point in trying to cram things in just to do them.

 

[IntoTheLight]

Make sure his car seat is flight approved. If it's not, they're not going to let you use it on the plane.

Have you tested the medication you're planning on using for the flight? I personally wouldn't ever give a kid a prescription meant to knock them out for the first time at the point where I absolutely need it to work. It'd be horrible if you did that and it turned out he had the opposite reaction from what he's supposed to (this is a relatively common issue even for folks who don't have disabilities).

As far as I know there's no reason you can't post your touring plan here. That said, I'd suggest making plans more based on areas (using some of the programs that give suggestions about shortest wait and least crowded areas) rather than we will do x ride at y time. WDW will be around in the future and there's no point in over-stressing yourself out to fit to a touring plan. Things are going to happen and to a certain extent you will need to be able to adapt (sudden ride closures, lines that take longer or less time than posted, etc.). Also be aware of things like height restrictions. I don't know how big your 4 year old is, but I know at 4 I wouldn't have been tall enough for Tower of Terror, for example. If it isn't in your plans already, though, I'd suggest trying to make it on the teacups at MK. I'm a sensory seeker and that's one of my favourite rides.

If you haven't checked out the FAQ Sticky on the disAbilities board and read the section about the GAC, I'd suggest doing so. You may find the GAC useful. Certainly it would help with bringing his stroller in queues so that he has his safe space.

Also, while getting up early and making rope drop, etc. will help you get more rides in, don't underestimate how much keeping a normal sleep/waking schedule will help your entire family be more relaxed. If your kids are used to sleeping until 10, they're going to be cranky if you're suddenly getting them up at 7 or earlier. If they're used to going to bed by 7 or 8, then pushing to stay late more than 1 or 2 nights, is going to result in their not being refreshed the next day. Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation. If you don't make it to everything, it's okay. I've never commando toured and I honestly feel like I enjoy WDW more that way. I tend to stick to general schedules with the knowledge that I can break them if I need to stop and rest or go back to the hotel or if something I wasn't planning on catches my eye. I don't make it to WDW often, but I see no point in trying to cram things in just to do them.

Thanks for the response!

Yes, his car seat is most definitely FAA approved, I'm a bit of a car seat safety nut. We did try out the meds, since he has a seizure disorder it's very important not to try anything new without quick access to an ER.

As far as the rides, the majority of them are intended for my DH and DS7, sorry I didn't mention that. I've mapped out all the playgrounds and places for a sensory seeking preschooler to blow off steam nearby them.

As my kids are early risers, rope drop is just for us! My touring plan design focused on getting to the hard to get on rides first, then circling around for the least amount of walking. I'm so glad we got the magic bands because getting the 3 fast passes ahead of time will make it that much easier to walk really, really slow. It's kind of a pain we can't park hop with them, but all in all I'm happy.

We have 4 hour breaks in the middle of each day and my hope is to make it back to the hotel before anyone falls asleep. We're taking his transit ready stroller, which should mean he can stay in the stroller on the bus should he fall asleep. Naps are a top priority as his seizure's occur when he is over tired. At home he sleeps from midnight to 5am, then from 1-3pm. Our plan is to leave the parks by 12:30.

I do know about the GAC and will grab one, but from everything I've read here that's about getting extra help/considerations, not going to help much if we don't have a solid touring plan to make things easier. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I hope I didn't come off as pushy-must-see-everything mom. Really I feel like the hard core planning makes everything much more relaxed. Knowing how I'm going to handle a restaurant, what's the most efficient way around a park, will make everything a lot more fun. When mom has things mapped out, everyone has more fun.

Anybody have any of the restaurant advice? That's where I think I need the most info since there is a ton on the board about rides!

 

[tkbbmom]

I just wanted to add that my serious sensory seeker, qwirky kiddo loved the fast rides and they actually really helped him calm down. His faves at both 4 and 6 were the Tea cups spinning them as fast as possible and any roller coasters -- esp. Thunder Mtn, Mt. Everest, and R & R. The line can be a problem but the GAC -- at least 4 years ago in early Dec. -- helped tremendously as we were generally sent to the FP line or at least were able to wait away from the large majority of people in line and w/ people that seemed to understand our trying to keep ds from getting in everyone's space. We did use his stroller as wheelchair too.

I can't speak of Fantasmic because this is the first trip (at 10) that we've been brave enough to tackle it.

I also don't recall high chair sizes -- but it's hard for me to gauge since my kiddos have always been on the larger side for their age so generally were in booster seats very early. I do know for most TS restaurants we did a divide and conquer where dh would take ds out to play or keep him distracted while we waited. I have to say at Character Meal places the Characters were great about making sure he got to see them even if he had been away from the table.

Oh, I know you said you had a harness for him, but for my ds they gave us a Mickey head ID that he was to wear on his wrist (of course he couldn't stand that) but I was able to put it his shoe. The ID was so that a CM would recognize he was a "special needs" kiddo if he wandered off from us.

 

[DOREEN1779]

TREX may be sensory overload for your son. Really really loud different sounds and lights changing. Rainforest is less chaotic but still a bit loud. My son also loves the fast and crazy lights with rides but hates TREX. Does better at the rainforest but not happy. He really liked sci fi diner and coral reef and was comfortable in places like liberty tree tavern and via Napoli

 

[Betty Rohrer]

if you decide to let both kids ride the ponies remember one of you will have to walk each pony. it is a path not a ring. not sure haw your son will get on as most get on from a ramp type thing. be prepare for requests for a second ride. 4 year old grandson loved it, hardest part was getting him off as he was not ready for it to end

 

[lovethattink]

On another post you asked if anyone had restaurant help. I can help with some of them.

Day 1: The Flight-


Night 1: 'Ohana for dinner. Could anyone describe the seating situation there? What kind of chairs, are they booths? Do they have high chairs and do they seem like a toddler could fit? Do they allow handicapped strollers into the restaurant?

It's chairs at tables. The chairs are heavy and don't move too easily. The high chairs are like the kind you find at most restaurants; wooden, low back. Did you want him to eat in the stroller? Because you can call Disney Dining and request a table where you can use your stroller as his seat.

Ohana is kind of dark, low lighting. The fire from the grill makes a sizzling noise, he will notice if he is close. Further away tables don't hear the noise. If he is sensitive to smells, he will definitely smell the smokey smell of the fire throughout most of the restaurant, especially if close to the grill. An adult can escort him for the fun dining activities, ie. limbo, etc.

Day:2 For lunch we plan on Pizza Planet Arcade.

Pizza Planet is a dream for a sensory seeker. There are so many lights blinking, games giving off sound, noises in geneneral, etc. It's my son's nightmare restaurant. Way too much stimulation.

The seats here are a metal type seat. They are lightweight and easily move. They are also cold against the skin.

Day 3: AK and HS, FP Rides are Muppets 3D, Star Tours and Tower of Terror. Our dinner is at Sci-Fi. Any Sci-fi tips? Same chair question as above. How long do meals usually take to come out here? For fantasmic DS4 would have to remain in his stroller restrained, do they allow that? We did pack him ear protection as well, and he will LOVE the light shows.

Sci Fi seats two people per row of the car. There are also a few cars with chairs. And in the back of the restaurant there are picnic tables with seats with no backs to them.

The atmosphere is loud and dark. It's not a place to go for casual conversation as you can barely hear the person beside you. However, you can usually hear the people behind you.

The high chairs are the same as the rest of the restaurants, wooden with a low back. Meals take about 15 to 20 minutes to come out.

It's been years since we did Fantasmic. I know we were parked in the back of the rows. His Convaid Cruiser sits low and is tilted, so he could not see any of the show from it.

Day 4 & Day 5: dinner at T-Rex.

T-Rex is loud. Flashing lights during meteor shower. There is a giant sand box for fossil digging that was a huge hit with my son. So glad we waited til after dinner to show it to him. They give the kids paint brushes to play in the sand. There is a water station to attempt to clean them up after.

Day 6: MK, we have FP+ for Enchanted Tales, Speedway and Space Mtn. Are there any MUST DO's for autism spectrum kids? Dinner is at Be Our Guest, same high chair question.

We've eaten at BoG three times. They had a problem with us bringing the w/c into the restaurant. The paths for the servers are narrow and they have huge dessert carts to push through. They allowed us to use the w/c to get him to the table, then we had to park it outside.

I've got to run. Will be back to comment more later.

 

[IntoTheLight]

Thank you for the answers!

Lovethattink- Your post is soooo helpful! Thank you for taking all that time.

He's about 37 lbs, but still very compact , it's fairly easy to carry him around and he *should* be ok with those wooden high chairs. He can't quite fit in the baby high back style anymore. I have a system to harness him into a regular chair, but the booths may be an issue. Maybe I can call ahead to get one with chairs in the back? Hmm.

Thanks also for the tips about Pizza Planet and the sand box! He's going to have a blast, AFTER DINNER!

I don't know how sensory sensitives do it. I can't imagine if these were things we had to avoid! You all are wonderful!

Betty- We have about 10 times the pony ride cost budgeted for it! My daughter will likely want to spend 2 hours there too. Did you call ahead?

tkbbmom- You have a brave kiddo! I'm sort of one the fence with some coasters because he can be so unpredictable and once your ON, your on. What would you say is the best one to just get a taste for it on?

 

[lovethattink]

Day 7: Epcot, FP+ for Soarin, Test Track and Character spot. Dinner is at Coral Reef. DS4 is totally in love with fish tanks, this will be the one restaurant I don't worry about him making a scene. Is there any way to get a table that touches a tank? Do they allow that? DH really wants to try Tangierine Cafe for lunch, what do we think? Autism friendly or can you recommend a close by quick service?

Any other tips and tricks? I'm hoping that by shipping all our needs ahead of time and meticulous touring plans I can make this enjoyable for everyone. Am I allowed to post our touring plans here? From what I've read the touring plan is the most essential piece to making this puzzle work. Thanks again!

Coral Reef is one of our favorite restaurants. There are three levels of dining. While most people prefer to be right up at the tank, we prefer the 2nd or 3rd level from the tank. We usually eat and early lunch right at opening or a very late dinner. The noise level in there can get very loud. JJ usually has to wear his ear phones at some point.

The tables right up at the tank seat between 2 to 4 guests.

I love the Tangierine Café. But our son won't eat anything on the menu except French fries. So we usually get him food before we eat there. The lamb platter is my favorite. Dh gets a lamb wrap.

Seating is very limited there. Part of the restaurant they turned into a shop, so that took away two really huge booths and 2 tables. There is ample outdoor seating.

I know so many recommend a touring plan, but we just can't follow one. We have to play everything by ear. But if you are looking for a touring plan, I'd recommend either Touring Plans which you have to pay for, or EasyWDW which is free. For character M&G, I'd recommend KTP's website (free) or his character App (small fee) for times the characters are out.

Just an example of our playing it by ear this past weekend. We went to Animal Kingdom. We arrived at opening. Got DS a GAC and older ds a PAP. This was time consuming and ds's patience was shot. We stopped to become Wilderness Explorers, got the book, learned the hand sign, and went to one WE stop. Ate breakfast at Pizzafari. Rode Triceratop spin twice. His park day was over. He had to go back to the resort and to rest. We spent most of the day in the room. He felt better by the campfire and we went to there resort's campfire. With that, his day was over. And we were back to the room.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

pony rides unlike the trail rides, are first come first served. we did on a weekday morning in mid Aug and were the only ones there. as I said the hard part with 2 riding is each needs a parent to lead the pony which makes pics hard

 

[IntoTheLight]

pony rides unlike the trail rides, are first come first served. we did on a weekday morning in mid Aug and were the only ones there. as I said the hard part with 2 riding is each needs a parent to lead the pony which makes pics hard

We're pretty lucky that we're bringing my super in laws along and outnumber kids 4 to 3. DH is taking one kid to DisneyQuest that day, so 3 vs 2. I can only pray that's enough lol.

Lovethat- more great info! Thank you.

Sooo I keep having panic moments. I'm overly packed, over preped and all that's left is waking up having dreams something went screwy lol.

I was trying to decide which stroller to bring. His big one with all the bells and whistles or the Maclaren. It would be sooo much easier to fly with the Maclaren, though it doesn't recline for naps and we don't own a basket.

But in an effort to get excited about everything I made a cover for the stroller and think I now need to take this one. It just came out so cute!

 

[stitchlovestink]

Hello board! I've been lurking for a month or so now, reading this forum like crazy, thank you so much for all the great threads!

We're going to WDW at the end of Sept, which should be according to my endless research, touring plans etc, be one of the best times for a special need kiddo and his insane family to tackle the mouse. We'll be staying in The Nemo suite at AoA for 7 wonderful nights.

I was hoping to post a little bit about what I have planned, hoping for anyone to chime in with little bits of advice I maybe haven't come across in other posts? This post will be SUPER long, so thanks to anyone who makes it through!

We have 3 kiddos. Our 4 year old is a complex little dude. He's non-verbal, super sensory seeker, he can walk but for short distance with assistance. I've made a harness system for him that works great in dining chairs and for brief walking and we'll be using that. In addition to his sensory disorders he has spinal tumors, sleep deprivation induced seizure disorder and congenital pain indifference (which we discovered when he tipped over a high chair, broke 2 ribs and laughed through it.) Unfortunately with the CIP and being non-verbal comes using physical ways to express himself. Head banging, hitting, biting himself, etc. However when his needs are met and we're on our A-Game (ok, B-Game too) things go pretty well.

My MIL finally convinced us that Disney World would be a good idea and that we had enough adults (4 vs 3) to handle it, so we started planning and the month is finally here!

So, we have a 3 hours flight (DS4's first) and then all the craziness of WDW and here's my plans so far!

Day 1: The Flight-
We have a prescription from his Ped that will hopefully mean sleep and peace, but experience says this will be a nightmare. I will have his carseat for restraint on the plane. He doesn't watch more than 15 seconds or so of a movie but we usually can distract him with rolling wheels and will have lots of cars. We have three seats for mom, dad and DS4.

Night 1: 'Ohana for dinner. Could anyone describe the seating situation there? What kind of chairs, are they booths? Do they have high chairs and do they seem like a toddler could fit? Do they allow handicapped strollers into the restaurant?

Day:2 HS and MK, we have the magic bands so we can only get FP at one park per day, so Hollywood Studios we will brave without at rope drop, take a 3 hour break mid day and return to MK for my DD's Cinderella dinner while the boys go to Liberty. For lunch we plan on Pizza Planet Arcade. We have FP+ for peterpan, splash mtn and big thunder.

Day 3: AK and HS, FP Rides are Muppets 3D, Star Tours and Tower of Terror. Our dinner is at Sci-Fi. Any Sci-fi tips? Same chair question as above. How long do meals usually take to come out here? For fantasmic DS4 would have to remain in his stroller restrained, do they allow that? We did pack him ear protection as well, and he will LOVE the light shows.

Day 4 & Day 5: Breaks from the parks, dinner at T-Rex. Has anyone done the pony rides with a SN kiddo? He does hippotherapy at home and loves horses, but his are trained to deal with his need to touch and pull. Would anyone recommend skipping this with the disney ponies? My daughter HAS to ride them so we will be going, just hoping DS4 can too.

Day 6: MK, we have FP+ for Enchanted Tales, Speedway and Space Mtn. Are there any MUST DO's for autism spectrum kids? Dinner is at Be Our Guest, same high chair question.

Day 7: Epcot, FP+ for Soarin, Test Track and Character spot. Dinner is at Coral Reef. DS4 is totally in love with fish tanks, this will be the one restaurant I don't worry about him making a scene. Is there any way to get a table that touches a tank? Do they allow that? DH really wants to try Tangierine Cafe for lunch, what do we think? Autism friendly or can you recommend a close by quick service?

One more question about AoA, how is the soundproofing between walls? Night time is a bit of a noisy routine for us, I'm worried about the neighbors complaining. Anyone ever hear rambunctious kids next door?

Any other tips and tricks? I'm hoping that by shipping all our needs ahead of time and meticulous touring plans I can make this enjoyable for everyone. Am I allowed to post our touring plans here? From what I've read the touring plan is the most essential piece to making this puzzle work. Thanks again!

First let me say...What an awesome job on that Stroller cover!!! Wow!!! Super Cute!!!

My biggest suggestion... is regarding day 3 @ HS... I would not waste a FP on Muppets! Most of the time the theatre isn't even full!! I would DEFINITELY change that out to a FP for TSMM!! I don't know anybody (normal ) who doesn't at least "like" TSMM! It's so much fun!! And that is a ride you want a FP for! It's the most crowded ride in HS. and EVERYBODY in the family incl the 2 y.o. can go on TSMM!!

 

[IntoTheLight]

First let me say...What an awesome job on that Stroller cover!!! Wow!!! Super Cute!!!

My biggest suggestion... is regarding day 3 @ HS... I would not waste a FP on Muppets! Most of the time the theatre isn't even full!! I would DEFINITELY change that out to a FP for TSMM!! I don't know anybody (normal ) who doesn't at least "like" TSMM! It's so much fun!! And that is a ride you want a FP for! It's the most crowded ride in HS. and EVERYBODY in the family incl the 2 y.o. can go on TSMM!!

Hmm, I really thought about that but I actually had planned to ride TSM the day before at rope drop. We are park hopping so FP+ only works at one park per day. Is TSM worth riding twice?

 

[staceyeid]

Hi!! Just chiming in as a mom to a 2 1/2 yo who just returned from 9 days at Disney World.

We hit the parks pretty hard 4 days in a row and adults and DD were exhausted! The beach on day 5 was a welcome rest (a day at resort pool would have accomplished the same but DH loves the ocean). Next time I would do no more than 2 park days in a row.

We didn't have magic bands but last week was super quiet at the parks so it really didn't matter. I find using the crowd calendars (Undercover Tourist is my go to) and picking only parks that are Green or Yellow is a must. We went to HS on a yellow day and even then it was pretty crowded due to the small park size (at least it feels small and cramped to me).

Have an idea of what rides u want to hit (sounds like you already have this) but adjust along the way. I'm a major planner and spend months researching and tweaking and planning but have learned the hard way to just go with the flow. Sometimes we even found unexpected treasures like waiting less than 10 min for BOG lunch due to the little mermaid line being too long.

Love the stroller cover but you may want to think about sun protection. We debated bringing our maclaren but are so happy we took our city mini baby jogger with full sun shade. It was super easy to travel with (gate check for free, I recommend getting a gate check bag from any baby store or amazon if you don't already have one as our bag is already filthy and ripped) and besides the Soarin building at Epcot and ride lines could take it anywhere (and I'm sure they will accommodate you and DS as needed). It also offers much more storage which came in handy for umbrellas, water, etc.

You are going to have a wonderful time and make memories to last a lifetime. You've done all the hard parts and now you deserve to sit back and enjoy all of your hard work. Everything will be fine. Many things will not go according to plan but you have researched enough to have a list of alternatives at the ready. Just being on Disney property is magical, you may find some of your favorite times will be splashing in the pool or practically passing out in the bus/car after an amazing park day.

All the best!!

 

[stitchlovestink]

Hmm, I really thought about that but I actually had planned to ride TSM the day before at rope drop. We are park hopping so FP+ only works at one park per day. Is TSM worth riding twice?

If we can, we ride twice in the same day!!

HS is one of our favorite parks for different reasons...we enjoy the street performers, the ambience... I am a park hopper and I go to a park for a few hours in the afternoon and then return to my hotel to freshen up and then go to a different park for the evening. I will visit the Studios probably 3 times at a minimum on any given trip. And I will ride each time I go to the Studios if at all possible.
Last trip, we were there for 12 days and we probably rode at between 8 and 10 times. Of course, it is one of our favorites. But it is a great family ride. I would bet money your kids will LOVE it!

 

[IntoTheLight]

Stacey- Thanks for the reply. We actually do have a sunshade and rain cover etc for both wheelchair strollers, it's just not pictured. We can't rent for many reasons including foot restraints, chewing and damage, his special equipment and the fact that it would be impossible to get him through an airport without one. For my daughter we are renting an apple stroller though!

Stitch- I really had no idea it was such a good ride for everyone! I thought it would be one of those that my older son and husband would go on while everyone else may not. I changed our FP+ to ride that instead and we'll just try for the muppets queue. Thanks!