Just back with 4/12 year old ds with autism

[have2getaway]

We stayed for one week at the Coronado Springs Resort and were absolutely thrilled with the accomodations! This is the perfect resort for any child with autism or sensory issues. The buses were NEVER crowded. We took a trip over the the All Star Resorts to check it out one day and were very thankful we did not stay here. It would have definitely been sensory overload for our son. The rooms were new, clean, quiet, and very peaceful. My son loved the pool!

Get the GAC! In case you didn't hear me the first time, GET THE GAC!!!! Without this our trip would have been a disaster. With the GAC, we were able to ride all my son's favorites: Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh with little to no wait. My son LOVED the characters, but he refused to do anything that had to do with theaters. We did not let this impact our trip. We simply stuck to the things he enjoyed doing. This was easy since he is our only child. Meal times were somewhat rough, but we found that he LOVED the character breakfasts and he also LOVED the children's clubs. We took him first to the Neverland Club and we were VERY impressed! He also went to the Mickey Mouse Club and the Cub's Den. He requested that he NOT go to dinner with us and instead go to a club. We listened to him and I think it made our trip more enjoyable for everyone. He loved the Lilo & Stich Breakfast at O'hana and actually participated in the parade around the restaurant--YES, I started crying because I couldn't believe he did it! He also enjoyed the Playhouse Disney breakfast at MGM. The dinner in the castle was quite a thrill as well.

We stayed at Magic Kingdom for the most part. Our son didn't enjoy Epcot or Apricot as he mistakenly called it. His favorite thing was to watch the Electric Water Parade on the beach at the Polynesian. We did this twice. It is a NOT TO BE MISSED. If you have a child that won't watch fireworks, this is a great alternative. The boats light up into various animals and light music is playing throughout. You can go to the beach to watch it even if you aren't staying at the resort. Please let me know if you have any other question.

 

[cindy17]

That's great that your trip went well! Coronado also worked out very well for our ASD 12 year old son. It's so peaceful! I agree about the GAC. When my son was much younger we used it constantly, but as he got older, we realized that we needed it less and less. My husband likes us to be as "normal" as possible on vacation so we only used it when necessary. However on our last, very difficult trip for our son, we should've used it much more. We really didn't think he'd need it, but we should've gotten it much earlier on in the trip. Live and learn.

 

[riu girl]

Glad you had such a great trip. We also took the kids to Ohanas last trip for breakfast. It was so incredible. Glad your son enjoyed the parade time. It was so much fun to watch all the kids with their smiling faces.

My fondest childhood Disney memory was watching the Electrical Water parade from the CR (only 3 disney resorts back then).
Staying offsite this upcoming trip but have schd. in the Electrical water parade and Wishes from the Poly beach. Can't wait to share this moment with the kids.

I agree with last poster about the GAC. As your son gets older, you may not require it as much. Last trip (Dec 31-Jan 8) we were hoping for a GAC free trip. But due to heat the first few days as well as crowd levels, we did use it here and there.

 

[TEWINOHIO]

That is great! Glad you had a good trip. And it sounds like your DS handled it really well!

 

[JohnnySharp2]

With the GAC, we were able to ride all my son's favorites: Peter Pan, It's a Small World, Winnie the Pooh with little to no wait. My son LOVED the characters, but he refused to do anything that had to do with theaters.

Our son is just the same, anything like 3D type rides or stage shows he just wouldn't have the patience for.
You just have to adapt to the rides your child enjoys - which you obviously did.

 

[SueM in MN]

Glad to hear your trip went so well.
For anyone reading who is wondering what a GAC is , it's a Guest Assistance Card, a tool WDW uses to let Cast Members know what sorts of assistance is needed by people with disabilities (mainly invisible ones). There is information about GACs in the disABILITIES FAQs thread. It's one of the later posts, so keep paging thru until you find it.

 

[mbb]

...... and actually participated in the parade around the restaurant--YES, I started crying because I couldn't believe he did it! ....

It really is where magic lives, isn't it?

So glad you had a wonderful trip

 

[irish_trip_mom]

We were there the last week of September. We have two sons with autism, but at various points on the spectrum. My more afflicted son today was scripting Magic Kingdom to my husband, then took me by the hand, to the front door. There is a suitcase sitting there (we'd borrowed from my sister for our trip, haven't returned it yet) and he grabs it, and says "go to Disney World!" If it was just that easy, little guy!

Our trip was worth every bit of effort we did to make the dreams come true!

 

[hookedup]

I am so glad you had a great trip! I always love to hear when families have great experiences. We have taken 4 family trips to WDW for our vacations since our ds was almost 3.
I know most of my friends/family don't understand why we always go there for our family vacations but we haven't found any place else that works for us so well.