Hi, I am new here.,..

[Shanka]

Hey everyone! My name is Samantha and Make a Wish is sending us to Disney World this January. I have 5 children, Corey (14-aspergers, Sensory integration, anxiety), Asia ~my Wish Child~ (11-Pyridoxine Dependency seizure disorder, Celiac Disease, Asthma, OCD, Severe allergies, etc), Raven (8), Raina (6), and Sienna (3-pyridoxine dependency seizure disorder, autism, sensory integration disorder, etc etc) We will also be traveling with a seizure alert service dog called "River" (female yellow lab)
We have never been to Disney before and haven't even flown with 5 kids and a service dog. We are flying form Canada with West Jet. Make a wish has been wonderful and has planned everything right from the stretch SUV ride to the airport down to the stay at Give the Kids the World. I am looking to connect to others who have "been there, done that" as well as people who might be there at the same time as us. (at Give the Kids the World) I'd love to find out how Service dig friendly Disney is and whether anyone has taken a service dog to Give the Kids the world resort. I look forward to getting to know some of you here.

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome, Samantha.
I'd suggest you start by visiting the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of the board. If you don't see it, there is a link to it in my signature.

In post #3 of that thread, you will find a whole section of links about MAW trips. There are links to things like the MAW website, as well as the Give Kids the World Village website and some links to people's trip reports about MAW trips.
There is also a link to a thread on the Community Board that was set up to give support and information to people who are going on WISH trips. Don't be intimidated by that thread - it is very long, but the people are very friendly - just join in. The first few pages of that thread have sort of a compilation of helpful information, so check them out.

There are also some other areas of the disABILITIES FAQs thread that might be helpful - look around, especially on post #3.

 

[mrsksomeday]

The thread on the community board is "Wish Trippers Unite" . It is a huge thread, they have many links in the first post.

Welcome to the Disabilities forum and the DIS, this is an excellent place to gather information for your trip.

 

[mechurchlady]

Welcome aboard to a fun board.

You have to read up the autism thread as they have many wonderful tips for travelling with kids and I have used a couple on my 83 year old mother. There is info on celiac and special diets in the FAQs. I have celiac and there at a good number of members or their family that are on special diets. I have SID and it is a very wide disorder. I find the austism thread to be of the most help for me about my SID quirks.

Autism and SID are so varied that if you need help make sure you list what the kid has like hugger, avoids crowds, oversensitive to sounds, loves sounds, or phobias. Trust me, this board probably has seen what ever your kid has. Except in the summer there are no problems with service dogs in WDW. There should be tips in the FAQs and if not I can probably dig up a thread or two. I am pretty sure they will take your dog at the wish village.

Big warm hugs and chocolates
Good luck on the Wish Trip
Laurie

 

[SueM in MN]

I am pretty sure they will take your dog at the wish village.
Laurie

That will not be a problem since service dogs, by law, are allowed where ever the person with a disability needs them to go (there are a few exceptions, but those are not related to lodging). I'm quite sure that there have been quite a few service dog 'guests' at Give Kids the World' over the years.

There are some Service Dog thread and general Service Dog links on the disABILITIES FAQs thread.

 

[Shanka]

Thank you all for the links. Oh, yes, there is no problem with the service dog ataying at Give the Kids the World. Make a wish has even set up free food for the dog! It is just so magical and we aren't set to leave until January 18th! I have a lot of reading to do!! I am excited to "meet" all of you!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Welcome aboard

 

[dclfun]

I just wanted to mention that for your service dog you may want to be sure what kind/brand of food they are providing. If it's not the same as what you feed your SD at home, there could be resultant tummy troubles. As I'm sure you know it's not a good idea to switch foods suddenly.---Kathy

 

[LauraVV]

We went to Disney last year and both of my children have service dogs. We've flown a lot with the dogs. We were once on a flight with friends and had four or 5 service dogs on the same flight. At the end of the flight people in back of plane were shocked to see so many dogs leave.

You might want to ask your agency if your dog has ever flown before. The noise can hurt your ears and be kind of scary if you've never flown before. Some dogs may need a dose of Benadryl for their first flight. Be sure to ask your vet about the appropriate dose.

The service dog and its supplies are considered medical supplies so you should keep the dog's supplies in a separate suitcase. This will mean that the suitcase cannot be counted as one of your bags. We took our food with us because it can cause nausea to change foods.

January is a wonderful time of the year to visit Disney. We've decided that's when we'll go the next time we make it there!

 

[LauraVV]

Here's a pic of our first morning at Disney.

 

[Shanka]

Ah Laura, your service dog looks a lot like ours! No, River has never flown before. In fact, she was owner trained, not agency trained. I have 20 years of dog training experience and River is very highly trained. She is even able to alert for seizures before they happen! The benedryl is a good idea, thank you. I doubt she will need it but I will ask her vet about it. I am still waiting on her IAADP membership card though. I wish they'd send it quicker! Oh, and one more question... is there much grass at Disney for her pee breaks?

 

[zumbergc]

about the benadryl. Make sure you do a test run on the medicine on the dog before the trip. When your in the air, you don't want to find out your dog and the benadryl don't mix.

She always says, don't try something new, when you don't have access to a vet. (especially when your in the air).

Have a great wish trip!!

 

[LauraVV]

I am still waiting on her IAADP membership card though. I wish they'd send it quicker! Oh, and one more question... is there much grass at Disney for her pee breaks?

Well, the membership cards take forever and a day but they do save us money! We stayed at the Poly and near a field/open area. It was ideal for us and the dogs. While in the parks just ask a CM to show you where to take your dog. They usually took us to an out of the way place behind a fence. It worked very well.