Back from our first ever DLP holiday

[WhoWhoWhoWho]

We went on our first ever DLP holiday this year, 30th August to 2nd September (3 nights in santa fe, two full days to explore).

DS aged 6 is autistic and Disney Mad, however at home he cries at the drop of a hat and has been traumatised in the past by the appearance of dressed up characters so taking him on my own was a bit of a gamble.

I am a closet disney fan but a bit of a wuss when it comes to rides.

I shouldn't have worried about my son, he was soo excited and happy the entire time we were there, had his pics taken with the characters, was VERY daring and we went on almost every ride he was tall enough for.

I had to be daring to go along with his sudden change in personality and so we went on LOTS of rides together, the only one he went on that he wasn't keen on was Crush's coaster but I was so surprised and proud of him going on Big Thunder Mountain and riding the RC ride TWICE!!

I got loads of lovely pictures too.

We had a disabled pass and this was an absolute godsend, we could not have done the holiday without it. The staff we encountered were all really nice and helpful, and I was impressed with the way they policed the disabled viewing areas on the parade routes especially.

We ate in Cafe Mickey, Pizza planet, Annette's diner, and Mc Donalds (for a quick supper instead of an evening meal on last night). The nicest of these eating experiences overall was Pizza Planet which I was surprised about. Food nice and fresh lots of space, reasonable price for DLP, and play area for DS. Cafe mickey was great for the character interaction (got several nice pics) but the food was nothing to write home about - well worth it for the characters though.

I cannot think of a single low.

Oh... the shuttle bus. Horrible. On my own with sleeping DS in his wheelchair being shoved and jostled at the road kerb as people tried to swarm over/ round/past me and the wheelchair. I may have growled and shouted! We only did this once and thankfully he slept through the whole horrid experience. Thankfully the walk between hotel and park was short and pleasant.

 

[DLPdaft]

Aw that so great that your DS enjoyed himself so much (and you can come out of the Disney closet now ). Thats it, admit it, you're hooked ..... so, when do you think you'll be back ??

 

[WhoWhoWhoWho]

My son was talking about going back next year before we even got there!

I would like to go again next year, It would be summer hols time again as we have an annual term time break to the coast each May.

DS wants to go on holiday to paradise falls next (from the pixar movie up) - I've yet to break it to him that there isn't an actual identical place in real life (something similar wouldn't cut it for him), plus South America would be rather far and rather expensive!

 

[WhoWhoWhoWho]

and yes... I am DEFINITELY hooked!

 

[dlpSteve]

Glad you had a nice time and sounds like you are hooked, welcome to the big happy club

I'm also glad to hear you liked Pizza Planet as ate there some years ago and didn't like it. When we go back 'd love to take my little boy there as he loves Toy Story, almost as much as Cars, so to hear the food is good is very encouraging.

 

[WhoWhoWhoWho]

DS LOVES toy story so he couldn't wait to go into pizza planet! We found the food in Pizza Planet fine, it's an all you can eat/drink (extra charge for hot drinks only) and you helped yourself to what you wanted. On offer were:
- 2 or three types of pizza
- 3 kinds of pasta
- 2 kinds of pasta sauce
- salad stuff including a cous cous salad, and all the usuals
- a choice of dessert options including pieces of fresh fruit (I stuck a couple of HUGE apples in my bag for later!), fruit salad, I think they had yoghurts, and several different slices of sweet pies/ cakes.
- the usual cold drinks.

It was nothing fancy but all the food was nice and fresh and good value in DLP terms I thought. I got to relax with some space around me while DS played in the play area after we'd eaten.

 

[cherrymarzipan]

Hi,

Glad you had such a great time!

I’ve only just seen this and know what you mean about the scrums for and on the shuttle buses. Did you know that with a disabled pass you can request a mini bus pick up and travel from and to the hotel? We have a son with severe learning difficulties and have used this service on occasion. Our son can walk but his balance is poor and he is slow to get on and off the bus (although he actually loves them) so at busiest times when he is too tired to walk we have requested it and it is a real help. You can ring reception to reserve it from the hotel and from City Hall for a return. The other advantage is that it drops and picks up from the disabled car park which is closer to the park and avoids the crowds.

Hope this helps with the next trip.

 

[WhoWhoWhoWho]

I did not know that cherrymarzipan! I do recall seeing mini buses though. Thank you that is useful information for next time we go. As I say it was a pleasant walk anyway but good to know about if we went and the weather forecast wasn't promising for the day.

 

[kizzabel]

Great to see another person bitten by the bug, you are among friends here

Its great to hear that your trip was so enjoyable. It sounds like a really magical trip.

Did you both like the Santa Fe? We really liked it.

Pizza Planet sounds like a good idea for DP and DS for the lunchtime when DD and I will be at Auberge. Plus its free for under 3s!

Your DS sounds very brave! We screamed our way thru RC Racer! And that was two 25 year olds

 

[Ware Bears]

Glad you had a great time.

 

[Brummig]

Glad you had a great time! Our ds is now 8 and we first took him to Disney when he was nearly 3. He has autism too. We have now been 11 times, but we feel he gets so much out of each visit. At first he wouldn't go near any of the characters, but now he loves them apart from Rabbit who for some readon is still scary!). Like you we have found the disabled pass a godsend, and the staff have generally been really helpful.
We stayed in Santa Fe first time, then Cheyenne, but now we take our campervan. Its never a relaxing holiday, but that's not why we go - we love it and are planning our next trip for November.