Adventures In Mickey Land - May 27-June 3 UPDATE 6/15 Page 2 #23

[Disneylvr]

Cast of Characters

Me (Michelle)- age 38 and lifelong Disney freak
DH (Jim)- age 36, forced to love Disney by marriage
DD (Madelyn) - age 3 w/autism, new Disney fan (we hope)


Let me preface by saying this was my 20th trip to Walt Disney World. The trip was almost cancel because our dog Daisy got very sick right before we were to leave. Our vet encouraged us NOT to cancel our trip and they kept her in their animal hospital which was the best place for her. It broke my heart to leave her as she has been a member of our family for over 11 years.

Our dd was medically diagnosed with autistic disorder in January of this year although we "knew" she had autism long before that. We needed the "official" diagnosis for educational purposes (first IEP) and she has since received an educational diagnosis for autism and attends special preschool full time. She only had a week between regular school year and extended school year so that is what determined our vacation dates! We were worried about it being Memorial week with the crowds and heat but we planned to rest midday at our resort. We so needed this trip as it has been a stressful year for our family.

Originally we booked a package for Port Orleans Riverside for the trundle bed which I thought would be perfect for Madelyn. Unfortunately they could only put it as a request and we might not get one. I also started feeling a monorail resort would be a better location for us since we planned to spend a lot of time at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot and if Madelyn was having a bad day we could easily get back to the resort via monorail. Cost does matter to our budget so we had to go with the cheapest room (garden wing/standard view) at the Contemporary and even that was was a major expense. Our package also included 7 day MYW hopper passes for the 3 of us. Madelyn turned 3 in March and we did the honest thing although it was obvious we could of easily gotten away with saying she was 2 especially since she is non-verbal. I felt better about purchasing a pass especially since we planned on getting a Guest Assistance Card for her.

We planned this trip less than 2 months in advance and by that time all the cheap airfares were long gone. I couldn't find anything less than $400 so we decided to drive (from St. Louis) stopping on the way down in Macon, GA and on the way home in Chattanooga, TN. My trip report will include the drive there and back since it may have useful for families with special needs.

So, my next segment will start with the drive from St. Louis to Macon, GA. I will also be posting photos. Thank you for reading!

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi, Michelle!

Really looking forward to hearing more!

Kathy

 

[MagicMe]

Looking forward to reading your trip report!

 

[TLinden16]

I can't wait to hear about your stay! The rooms at the Contemporary are really nice--it's great to be on the monorail.

And is that your little girl in your avatar? She's a cutie.

Thanks for posting!

 

[Minniespal]

Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Disneylvr]

May 27th Has Arrived

I was awake by 3am anxious about the trip and about our poor dog Daisy who was in the animal hospital. I didn't want to leave her but the vet said we shouldn't cancel our trip. We knew the animal hospital was the best place for her. All of the packing had been done the day before and I was just waiting for Jim to wake up so we could finish loading the car and be off! We managed to leave our house by 4:30am with Madelyn wide awake but still in her jammies. My hope was that she would quickly fall back asleep once the car started moving but that didn't happen! Since Jim and I both drive klunkers we rented a full size car for the long drive to down to Disney World (just over 1000 miles) and got a beautiful red Chevy Impala Limited Edition. We loved that car and just might buy one for ourselves. We brought a lot of things and they all neatly fit in this car. Our plan was to make it all the way Macon, Georgia today.

By 7:00am we were ready to stop for a bathroom break and ended up having a quick doughnut breakfast as well. The reststop was in southern IL just north of Paducah, Kentucky. We got Madelyn dressed since she showed no signs of falling back to sleep. She really does well on car trips and that amazes me! It was here that I got out the portable DVD player so she could watch Dora the Explorer in the car. It worked out at first but then she started using the stand as a foot rest (she craved deep pressure on her feet, legs and back due to the autism) and was tipping the player over.

We were making good time! By the time we reached Nashville, TN (6 hours into the trip) it was time to put more gas in the car. We stopped at a gas station/restaurant/quick shop just south of the city to fill up. Jim took Madelyn inside to change her diaper (he is a wonderful, hands on daddy) so I called the vet for an update on Daisy. The news was not good. She still wasn't eating and was growing weaker, the diabetes had done too much damage. I asked Dr. Zeis if it was time and he said yes, he felt it was. He said if she was going to come around she would of started inproving by now. She had already been at the animal hospital for 3 1/2 days. When Jim and Madelyn got back to the car we made the decision to have Daisy put to sleep that morning. I called the vet back and told them our wishes. It was a very sad morning. We tried our best to go on.

By lunch time we had reached Chattanooga, TN and we were getting hungry. Jim and I are both fans of Chick Fil A restaurants and we have so few of them in St. Louis. We kept seeing signs for them on the road but of course now we couldn't find one. We ended up settling for a combination AW Rootbeer and Long John Silvers. The restaurant had a 1950's theme. Jim and ordered Long John Silver's chicken and frosty mugs of rootbeer (yum!) and a hot dog w/fries for Madelyn. She didn't eat the hot dog which became a trend for the entire trip unfortunately. She nibbled on a couple of fries, a hush puppy and drank her milk. I don't know why I feel it necessary to add this but the restrooms were filthy and had no changing tables. We are working on potty training with Madelyn but for the most part she still uses diapers and pull-up. And of course two exits later there WAS a Chick Fil A! Oh well.

By 1pm we were on our way south I-75 towards Atlanta where we ran into a traffic jam. Thankfully we still had a full tank of gas and the jam was fairly brief. South of Atlanta we began to get very tired, restless and so ready to stop for the day but we still had an hour or so before reaching our hotel in Macon, GA. Some how it became my fault that we hadn't reached the hotel??!!! I think we were both just tired and stressed from the events of the day and Madelyn was the only cheerful one. We did give up on the DVD player because she kept knocking it off the stand. We reached the Best Western Inn and Suites by 5:30pm Eastern Time which meant we spent about 12 hours on the road stopping about every 3 hours.

The Best Western was decent but I am not sure I would give it the AAA 3 diamond rating it shows in the book. They had turned the air conditioning off in the room so it was hot and musty/moldy smelling when we opened the door, the ceiling had obvious leaks.... I quickly turned the air on to the coolest setting possible. The room did have a nice sized fridge though and the hotel had an indoor pool and free continental breakfast.

We were starving but our choices were limited to some BBQ place, McDonald's and Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel was our choice but we were concerned about it being too crowded on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend but we got a table right away. Madelyn doesn't always do well in restaurants so we made sure she had one of her chewy tubes chewy tubes with her. She has oral motor issues and chewing on it helps to comfort her in stressful situations. Jim ordered the chicken and dumplings, I had chicken fried steak and Madelyn got pancakes because I knew for sure she would eat them! I was right too. The meal was excellent and our happily full tummies rolled back to the hotel where we watched part of the NASCAR Busch race and then went to bed by 10pm. Madelyn slept in her Dora the Explorer blow up bed. Thank you SueMN for the recommendation!

Tomorrow, we arrive at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World!

 

[lauren_elizabeth]

Can't wait to read the rest of this report and found out how your daughter reacted to seeing DISNEY WORLD!!

 

[dreamsofdisney]

Looking forward to hearing more! You'll be so glad you documented this trip. It's amazing how quickly you forget the little details! My son also has Autism. He's thirteen now and we've gone every year (except one!) since he was six. No matter how tough things are with PPT/CSEs, therapies, meds, placement concerns, behavioral or language issues, social concerns, etc. Disney always seems to be a magical place for us! We'll be back in one month from today!

 

[Disneylvr]

May 28th - Part 1 Arriving at the Contemporary

We showered the night before so we got out of bed at 6:00am, packed up the few things we got out of the car for one night, enjoyed the free continental breakfast (Krispy Kremes for us, Frosted Flakes for Madelyn) and were on the road by 6:30am. We were pretty much the only car on I-75 for the first couple of hours so we made great time! We would of made better time had there not been so many construction zones with reduced speed limits. By the time we reached the Georgia/Florida border the traffic had picked up considerably.

We stopped at one of the last exits in Georgia to fill up and use the potty. We gave Madelyn a snack and some milk too. She is such a happy traveler! Once we got back on the road I said “who can spot the first palm tree!” Jim won that contest and spotted one at the Florida Welcome Center/Rest Area as we passed by it. Are there no palm trees in Georgia?

We didn’t stop again until a rest area close to the Florida Turnpike which looked so 1950’s! I wished I had taken photos of it but we were getting very anxious to get to our destination of Walt Disney World!!!

By 1pm we were on I-4 and getting closer and closer. We followed the signs that said Magic Kingdom exit since that is the closest park to the Contemporary. It was such a thrill to see that first Disney sign welcoming you. I took a photo of it through the windshield. Notice the squashed love bugs!!!???

Next we came upon the pink and purple Magic Kingdom parking lot entrance sign so I knew we were really getting close! The love bugs are really piling up on the windshield!

Jim followed a WDW bus towards the Contemporary and suddenly from behind the trees there it was, what a beautiful sight! I know many of you say the Contemporary is dated and very ugly but I am the nostalgic type who loves the original resorts and attractions at Walt Disney World. And the coolest thing about the Contemporary is that the monorail goes right though it!

After showing the gate guard our confirmation papers we pulled up to the check-in area. I left Jim and Madelyn to deal with luggage services while I went to check in. The line was only 2 people with 4 Cast Members checking guests in. I waited maybe 30 seconds before I was being helped. The Cast Member took my papers and started typing in the computer and said “Good news, you have been upgraded to a garden view.” I had booked the cheapest view (standard/parking lot) so it was nice to receive an upgrade without even asking for one. Sure tower would of even been better but we knew the quiet and isolated garden wing was best for Madelyn. Our room was 7336, 3rd floor, North Garden Wing. Sure maybe I should have been disappointed that we didn’t get one of the new renovated rooms in the South wing but I much prefer the location of the North wing. Rumor has it that the north wing is going to be torn down to make way for a new DVC. The Cast Member also informed me that the Contemporary is now a totally non-smoking (rooms) resort.

Jim and Madelyn had left most of luggage with the valet but we drove the car ourselves to park it in the North Garden Wing parking lot. We planned to take the monorail to Magic Kingdom and Epcot but would use the car for the Studios, Animal Kingdom and Downtown Disney.

We will had a few items to carry up to the room ourselves (the cooler, the stroller…) but it only took one trip. We opened the door to room 7336 and the air conditioner immediately came one. I knew then that it had a movement sensor on it. Madelyn took a look around and burst out in tears. In all of our excitement we had forgotten about her needs and I didn’t realize this transition was going to be difficult for her. She was also exhausted.

Jim held her and she fell asleep almost immediately on his shoulder so he laid her on one of the queen beds and covered her up with a towel since her blankies were in a bag still at luggage services. Her bedrail came just a few minutes after we arrived in the room but I had to make a call to luggage services so they would bring our luggage up to the room.

Jim and I were hungry so he stayed with her while I went downstairs to the Food n Fun Center. A cheeseburger, chicken tenders and two new refillable mugs came to $44. I immediately filled my up with cherry slushie. The Food and Fun Center was quite busy due to the Baptist Families convention that was being hosted by the Contemporary but not overly busy. I took the food back to our room but there were more than enough empty tables had we wanted to eat there. In fact I never saw the Food n Fun Center extremely busy which always seems to be the case at the moderate resort food courts where we usually stay.

We I returned to the room our luggage still hadn’t arrived but Jim and I sat on the couch (which converts into a daybed) with the table and had our late lunch while Madelyn napped away. I opened the curtain to see our “garden view” which actually turned out to be a view of Bay Lake if you looked beyond the trees. Our room was so quiet and we never once hear our neighbors in their rooms although I am sure they heard us (Madelyn).

Finally our luggage arrive (it took 45 minutes) and we unpacked and then waited for Madelyn to wake up so we could head over to Epcot! Stay tuned.

 

[Disneylvr]

May 28, 2006 Day Two – Part 2 Monorail/Epcot

Madelyn finally woke up around 5pm and was upset to find herself in unfamiliar surroundings. Change and transition can be difficult for some typical 3 year olds but it is worse for children with autism. We got out her familiar toys and even the portable DVD player so she could watch Dora the Explorer and have a quick snack before going to Epcot.

Once Madelyn seemed calm we walked over to the Tower and made our way to the 4th floor. She still seemed a bit nervous so we sat on one of the padded benches in the Grand Canyon Concourse (area around the shops/monorail) and let her watch the monorail come and go. She watched with these big round eyes but the crying did stop and every once in awhile I saw her smile.

We watched the monorails for about 15 minutes and then went upstairs to board one. We did bring her stroller with us everywhere we went as she doesn’t have great stamina, she has some spacial issues and the stroller feels “safe” to her if situations get overwhelming. Our monorail came in less than 5 minutes and we were on our way to the Transportation and Ticket center where we were supposed to transfer to the Epcot monorail. A nice family took this photo of us.

Madelyn was enjoying the monorail ride so we stayed on at the TTC and just made the full circle to all the Magic Kingdom resorts. One thing Jim and I noticed was the narrator’s voice is different which was disappointing. Like I said earlier I am the nostalgic type. After making the complete loop we transferred to the Epcot monorail. Epcot was very crowded and it took about 20 minutes just to get through security and the turnstiles. Our very first stop was Guest Relations so we could pick up a GAC for Madelyn.

A GAC is short for a Guest Assistance Card which allows guests with disabilities certain options like alternate entrances, use of stroller as a wheelchair… Those are the two features we needed on our GAC for Madelyn because she absolutely would make it through a long, crowded line for an attraction and her stroller makes her feel more safe. The line at Guest Relations was pretty long too but all 3 of us waited in the line and Madelyn, bless her heart, started to melt down and panic almost immediately. This was actually a good thing because then they could see we indeed needed the GAC. I simply told the Cast Member Madelyn’s needs, no doctor’s note was required, and we had our GAC within 2 minutes. It was valid for the duration of our vacation and for all 3 of us. The GAC had a stamp to allow us to use alternate entrances (when available) at attractions and allowed us to use the stroller as a wheelchair.
Now that we had the GAC it was time to have some fun! First stop was Spaceship Earth which was a walk on so it wasn’t necessary to utilize the GAC. Madelyn was fine on the ride and just watched. She particularly liked the scene with the stars on the ceiling. I think Spaceship Earth is my favorite Epcot attraction as I am not a big thrill seeker.

Before checking out other attractions we realized Madelyn needed a real meal as she hadn’t eaten anything, other than snacks, since breakfast. We stopped at the Electric Umbrella because we knew they had chicken nugget kids meals. I took Madelyn to a table, which was very difficult to find, while Jim waited in the long long line for food. I think about 25 minutes later he came to the table I was holding and I was doing everything possible to entertain Madelyn who was getting very restless. She absolutely refused to eat the chicken nuggets so her dinner consisted of milk, applesauce and Mickey cheddar crackers. I glad that you and get kids (and adult) meals without fries. Jim and I just had iced tea.

After leaving the Electric Umbrella we heard the fountain music playing so we stopped to watch. I have never considered this an attraction until now because Madelyn LOVED the fountain. She probably would have been happy watching it for an hour if we would let her. She settled for 10 minutes.

Our next attraction was Living with the Land. The Standby Line was 30 minutes long so we got out the GAC for the first time and were allowed to use the Fast Pass line. Even that line (about 10 minutes) was almost too much for Madelyn and she started to tantrum and kick the rope posts until I got out her chew tube. Jim thinks this attraction is boring but Madelyn and I like it. She enjoys movement of any kind and I enjoy seeing all the plants.

After Living with the Land we went over to the Living Seas. The line for Turtle Talk with Crush was HUGE and I didn’t see a disabled entrance. So we skipped it for now and just concentrated on the aquariums. Madelyn loves the aquariums in the pet stores so we thought she would really like this attraction. And for the most part she did. Unfortunately we had to life her up to see all of the smaller aquariums. I especially like the one with the baby clown fish like Nemo. They are so pretty!

Madelyn like the big aquarium as well and I had Jim and her sit down so I could take a picture. Right on cue a big school of fish swam by.

I guess we spent about 30 minutes inside the Living Seas. We thought about doing one more attraction but we were tired from the long drive so we opted to go back to the room. Since Madelyn really enjoys the monorail we made a great choice in staying at the Contemporary but it still takes 30 minutes to get back to the resort but it felt good to sit down and soak up the air conditioning. On the way out I took a photo of the “Thank you for visiting Epcot” topiary that is part of the Flower and Garden Festival.

Once back at the Contemporary Jim and I realized we were hungry. I had read a trip report on the DIS Boards of a family, also staying at the Contemporary, who had a child with autism that opted to have room service so they could enjoy a sit down meal in peace. We decided to give it a try just this one time. Jim ordered a club sandwich and I ordered penne pasta. The food was just okay but we did have a peaceful meal while Madelyn played and watched TV.

Jim made the daybed into Madelyn’s bed and it worked perfectly! We were even able to use the bedrail on it. Madelyn has to press her feet or back against something (it is a sensory issue related to autism) and if there isn’t a wall or bedrail she will just fall right out of bed. Thankfully my plan to use the daybed worked perfectly! She fell asleep pretty quickly and even slept through the 10pm Wishes fireworks which we could see from our room!

Tomorrow, Animal Kingdom!

 

[Juliah]

Michelle,

Thank you so much for sharing your vacation!

 

[OhMari]

Nice report. My nephew is autistic, he just turned 8 on June 1, so I know a little bit about your dd's autism. My sister and her husband took their sons last April to WDW and I told her about the badge for her son and she said it was the best thing for their family-they had a very special trip-especially riding the train at the MK for 2 hours.

 

[KathyRN137]

Hi, Michelle

Yes, it is possible to have a great WDW vacation with an autistic child as long as you flex your plans around her needs! As you may know, my DS(8) is autistic: his first trip to WDW was at age 5. You're definitely doing things right!

Can't wait to hear more!
Kathy

 

[bigbabyblues]

I'm enjoying your report, thanks for sharing!!!

 

[PoohGal05]

I am enjoying reading your report. Looking forward to reading more.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

Enjoying the trip report. I can't wait to hear the rest. We also have a daughter w/autism and stayed at the CR. (I am probably the one you read about that ordered lots of room service and food-n-fun center food so we could eat in peace in the room w/o worring about disturbing others as DD doesn't do well in TS restaurants) I look forward to reading about your experience at the pool. I will sit tight and wait

 

[Disneylvr]

Enjoying the trip report. I can't wait to hear the rest. We also have a daughter w/autism and stayed at the CR. (I am probably the one you read about that ordered lots of room service and food-n-fun center food so we could eat in peace in the room w/o worring about disturbing others as DD doesn't do well in TS restaurants) I look forward to reading about your experience at the pool. I will sit tight and wait

Amanda you are the one who recommended eating in the room so thank you for that tip!!!

 

[Disneylvr]

May 29, 2006 Day Three – Part 1 Animal Kingdom Morning

I woke up bright and early (about 6am) while the rest of my family slept in. I love the bathroom at the Contemporary as it is so big and bright. I was able to get ready and not disturb Jim and Madelyn. By the time I was ready they were both starting to wake up. Unfortunately this is the earliest we ever got up during our vacation

Since we drove to Florida I brought a big box of breakfast foods and snacks (granola bars, single servings of cereals, breakfast cookies, crackers…) so we could eat breakfast in the room to save time and money. The day bed is actually a little bench sofa which we used to sit at while we ate breakfast. Madelyn is a VERY picky eater so having dry cereal and milk in the little fridge for her was mandatory.

We drove to Animal Kingdom (Madelyn loves the parking lot trams) and parked in the Unicorn lot. We arrived about 20 minutes before opening and joined the huge line waiting to get in. We talked about what to do first and decided to go to Dinoland so Madelyn could ride the Triceratops Spin which is just like Dumbo but usually has a shorter line.

Dinoland was pretty much empty (everyone went right to Everest and the Safari) so Jim and Madelyn got right on Triceratops Spin. I took photos from the ground as rides like this that go around and around make me ill. At first Madelyn was a little scared but once the ride started she loved it. I couldn’t get any photos of her smiling and laughing. Children with autism often enjoy the sensation of spinning or rocking and this was right up Madelyn’s alley!

The next attraction we tried was It’s Tough To Be a Bug. Probably not a wise decision but wanted to see how Madelyn reacted to a dark 3D movie We didn’t need to use the Guest Assistance Card to get into the theater since they were already letting guests in and it wasn’t crowded so we sat near the back on the aisle in case we needed to make a quick escape. Everything started out okay and Madelyn just sat on Jim’s lap but once the acorns starting popping that was it. She didn’t cry or scream at all but she did hide on Jim’s shoulder for the rest of the show and was obviously scared. We won’t be doing this attraction again with her.

This is where I wish we would have taken the stroller in line as our GAC allows us to so. She was too scared and overwhelmed to walk in the huge crowd as they exited the show so we had to carry all 35 pounds of her to where the strollers were parked. Maybe it wasn’t such a long distance away but it sure seemed like it!

It was only about 10 am but it was sure heating up outside. Animal Kingdom always seems hotter than the other parks. We took a break in the Africa section and got drinks for everyone. I saw that the line for the safari was 30 minutes long and increasing by the minutes. We used the GAC and got into the Fast Pass entrance. We chose to carry Madelyn instead of taking the stroller because the wait in the wheelchair line was actually longer than the Fast Pass line (15 minutes as opposed to less than 5).

This probably wasn’t a good time to take a safari ride. We hardly saw any animals (I don’t blame them as it was already HOT!) and the ones we saw were asleep or hiding in the shade. Madelyn did enjoy the safari although I think the ride was a little rough on her.

We just missed the 10:40am Festival of the Lion King Show so we made our way over there for the 11:40am. We used the GAC and were seated in the theater first with the wheelchair guests. The Cast Members were so nice to us and helpful in finding the best seat in case we needed to make a quick exit. Thankfully that wasn’t necessary as Madelyn really enjoyed the show especially the tumble monkeys! My only regret is now that the theater is enclosed and dark it is really hard to get good photos of the production.

After the Lion King show we realized it was just getting too hot, crowded and Madelyn needed some down time at the resort. We did a little shopping on our way out and saw my favorite animal, the giant anteater, in the Oasis which was a treat! I have been visiting her since Animal Kingdom opened.

Stay tuned for swimming at the Contemporary, Chef Mickey’s character dinner (a real learning experience) and an evening at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[gopack]

Enjoying your trip report!

 

[lalapodip]

I too am enjoying your trip report! Thanks for your details. My DS is 11 and severely autistic. I am debating between staying at the Contemporary and Coronado Springs for our (surprise) trip next April. The Contemporary, being on the monorail, sounds perfect for us, but we plan to be there at the same time as my sisters, and cost is a factor for all of us (they need one room at Coronado & we need two - all 5 of us can stay in one room at the Contemporary, plus I've always wanted to stay there). Keep up the good work!