DisMomAmy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2007
- Messages
- 7,994
Hi Everyone!! I had one of those moments today, you all know them, a moment when you appreciate how special Disney is to you and your family.
It started earlier today when we went snow tubing!! There's a place not too far from us that has a BIG hill, with tow lines and everything, that offers snow tubing. For Christmas, my dad, who lives in Oregon, bought gift certificates for our family, my brother's family and my mom (which was really nice since they are divorced). Well we couldn't figure out a time to go with my brother so we went today with my mom. The actual tubing was a ton of fun, but we spent way more time waiting than riding down the hill. The ticket line was long, the tow lines were long, the lines to ride down the hill were long, the line to get hot chocolate was long & the line to return Zachs safety helmet was long! We spent a lot of time waiting today! We had 3 hour tickets but only stayed about two hours. We went down the hill 3 times!!
The kids really liked the tubing, but they had had enough of the waiting. And it was starting to take its toll on me & Tim as well.
Disclaimer: I don't like to talk about the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) a lot here because I worry about people (lurkers) who will take advantage of the accommodation and people who will think we are taking advantage of something. But I'm going to mention it here because its such an important part of why our Disney experience is magical. I'll also say that we do what we can to avoid crowds so we aren't taking advantage of the system... we use Tour Guide Mike to visit the least crowded parks, we arrive at rope drop whenever possible, we follow a touring plan (loosely if I let them), but without without the GAC we wouldn't be a Disney family and that would be a shame.
So back to dinner... We were talking about our tubing experience today and how wed had fun, but that we werent anxious to go back very soon. Then the subject turned to Disney. I mentioned how experiencing something like tubing today makes me really appreciate the magic of Disney and how amazing Disney is for our family. Most families can enjoy the time waiting in line together and have fun just hanging out together, but for us its a nightmare. (Today Zachary just kept flopping himself on the ground and in the tubes and Alex kept kicking the tubes into other people and other irritating behavior.) Going to Disney allows us to just have fun together. Yes, there are moments that we are too tired, have been out in the sun too long, need a snack or meal, but waiting in lines doesnt ruin a vacation for us. The GAC makes that possible for us. Its not just the GAC and the fact that we can avoid very long lines & heavily congested areas, its the fact that we can enter through a FastPass queue like other average folks. There are other amusement parks that offer special accommodations for kids with disabilities, but that usually involves being put at the front of the line. Its a great way to help kids with autism, but its also a great way to have people stare at you and whisper. For families like us, whose kids dont outwardly appear to have a disability unless you look for a while or have a special understanding of autism, it can be extremely awkward. I should probably just get over it, but thats easier said than done
While our outing today wasnt an amazing experience in itself, it helped me (and Tim) appreciate why we love Disney and why we spend the money we do to go there. It gives us the opportunity to spend time together as a family just having fun!
And thanks to all of you for providing me with a place to share my love of Disney!
********************************************************************************************************************
I also have a resource to share during dinner Zach asked if he could watch the Disney video. I assumed he was talking about the Disney Planning DVD that had just come in the mail. We started to watch it the other day but hadnt finished. Then he reminded me about a PowerPoint slideshow that I had found last year on a website called hiyah.net. If you go there, click on downloads, scroll down to Going Places youll see Going to Disney World. Its kind of long, but its a photo slideshow that walks you through all of the Magic Kingdom - include some of the smaller details, like finger scanning. There are a few inaccuracies, like a picture from Tower of Terror during the section about The Haunted Mansion, but otherwise its a great resource for kids who need to know what to expect ahead of time. I was so surprised that Zach remembered it!! We watched it after dinner and he loved it. Whether you have kids on the spectrum or not, you should check it out.
It started earlier today when we went snow tubing!! There's a place not too far from us that has a BIG hill, with tow lines and everything, that offers snow tubing. For Christmas, my dad, who lives in Oregon, bought gift certificates for our family, my brother's family and my mom (which was really nice since they are divorced). Well we couldn't figure out a time to go with my brother so we went today with my mom. The actual tubing was a ton of fun, but we spent way more time waiting than riding down the hill. The ticket line was long, the tow lines were long, the lines to ride down the hill were long, the line to get hot chocolate was long & the line to return Zachs safety helmet was long! We spent a lot of time waiting today! We had 3 hour tickets but only stayed about two hours. We went down the hill 3 times!!
The kids really liked the tubing, but they had had enough of the waiting. And it was starting to take its toll on me & Tim as well. Disclaimer: I don't like to talk about the Guest Assistance Card (GAC) a lot here because I worry about people (lurkers) who will take advantage of the accommodation and people who will think we are taking advantage of something. But I'm going to mention it here because its such an important part of why our Disney experience is magical. I'll also say that we do what we can to avoid crowds so we aren't taking advantage of the system... we use Tour Guide Mike to visit the least crowded parks, we arrive at rope drop whenever possible, we follow a touring plan (loosely if I let them), but without without the GAC we wouldn't be a Disney family and that would be a shame.
So back to dinner... We were talking about our tubing experience today and how wed had fun, but that we werent anxious to go back very soon. Then the subject turned to Disney. I mentioned how experiencing something like tubing today makes me really appreciate the magic of Disney and how amazing Disney is for our family. Most families can enjoy the time waiting in line together and have fun just hanging out together, but for us its a nightmare. (Today Zachary just kept flopping himself on the ground and in the tubes and Alex kept kicking the tubes into other people and other irritating behavior.) Going to Disney allows us to just have fun together. Yes, there are moments that we are too tired, have been out in the sun too long, need a snack or meal, but waiting in lines doesnt ruin a vacation for us. The GAC makes that possible for us. Its not just the GAC and the fact that we can avoid very long lines & heavily congested areas, its the fact that we can enter through a FastPass queue like other average folks. There are other amusement parks that offer special accommodations for kids with disabilities, but that usually involves being put at the front of the line. Its a great way to help kids with autism, but its also a great way to have people stare at you and whisper. For families like us, whose kids dont outwardly appear to have a disability unless you look for a while or have a special understanding of autism, it can be extremely awkward. I should probably just get over it, but thats easier said than done
While our outing today wasnt an amazing experience in itself, it helped me (and Tim) appreciate why we love Disney and why we spend the money we do to go there. It gives us the opportunity to spend time together as a family just having fun!
And thanks to all of you for providing me with a place to share my love of Disney!
********************************************************************************************************************
I also have a resource to share during dinner Zach asked if he could watch the Disney video. I assumed he was talking about the Disney Planning DVD that had just come in the mail. We started to watch it the other day but hadnt finished. Then he reminded me about a PowerPoint slideshow that I had found last year on a website called hiyah.net. If you go there, click on downloads, scroll down to Going Places youll see Going to Disney World. Its kind of long, but its a photo slideshow that walks you through all of the Magic Kingdom - include some of the smaller details, like finger scanning. There are a few inaccuracies, like a picture from Tower of Terror during the section about The Haunted Mansion, but otherwise its a great resource for kids who need to know what to expect ahead of time. I was so surprised that Zach remembered it!! We watched it after dinner and he loved it. Whether you have kids on the spectrum or not, you should check it out.
). 
Disney! 
We probably should have gone after school on a week day. 
