Need honest critique of our plans - children with ASD/SPD

[mshanson3121]

Okay, I would like some REALLY honest input on our tentative plans for our end of June trip. DH is thinking that the kids are going to burn out. We have never been away from home more than 5 days before (we'll be gone 15), and have never done more than 2 back to back days at a park before, and not at anything that compares to the the magnitude of Disney. Our normal vacations are at smaller, more low-key places. So this is really going to be testing the waters. Our in-laws will be flying in to meet us.

Our son will be just shy of 8, with significant SPD. Our daughter will be newly 5 with ASD (HF). They really both need to keep a routine as much as possible, which I think for us is going to mean keeping their evenings free, normal bedtimes etc... as much as possible. We have a house rented off-site with a private pool, we will be staying approx. a 12 minute drive from the TTC.

We are driving 27 hours from Canada (2 nights/3 days each way), though we are looking at possibly flying as well (posting a separate thread on that one). So here are our tentative plans:

We arrive in Florida Wednesday, hopefully around suppertime.
Thursday - free day. We plan on just playing in the pool, resting after our drive there, and then we're going to a 4:00 show of Hoop dee Doo.
Friday - Magic Kingdom with Pirate & Pal cruise that night (the only way we'll do fireworks, since they'll be too loud in park for DS)
Saturday - Sea World
Sunday - Hollywood Studios
Monday - Discovery Cove
Tuesday - Animal Kingdom
Wednesday - Magic Kingdom with BBB at 5:00 and CRT at 6:50. Staying for MSEP. (this is the last day that our in-laws are with us)
Thursday - Epcot
Friday - leave for home

We did not have any "free" days planned, as we wanted to see each park once, figured we'd want two days at MK, and we also really wanted to do SW and DC. We figured that DC is quite a relaxing day, and a nice break from the theme parks, so that it was really like a down day. I originally figured that we would do 9-5 days at each place, so that we'd have lots of time to see as much as we could see, while realizing we won't be seeing it all.

However, DH is worried that it's still too much. He thinks that the children are going to burn out, and that we need to plan either an entire down day or a couple half days. He pointed out that the kids aren't going to care how much they get to see (other than perhaps my son at Animal Kingdom, lol, he'll leave no stone unturned when it comes to animals), they'll just be happy to experience some of it, any of it. I know he's right.

So... thoughts? Is our plan doable? Do you think we should add in an entire free day? If so, would you drop your second MK day, HS or Epcot?(NOT dropping AK).

Or do you think it'd be easier to just plan on a couple half days? I could see HS being a half day for us, as well as Sea World.

 

[aaarcher86]

Personal opinion....

It's too much. You're throwing everything at the kids at once - longer vacation, Disney and other hot spots, several days of driving each way or possible flight, no breaks....

We usually do 8 park days with a day in the middle to rest and it's still sometimes a struggle for my aakiss, one with ASD among other things. I can truly understand the desire to want to see it all in the time you have, but that mind set has caused us to lose more on our trip because of meltdowns and overloads than it would have if we slowed down a bit.

As hard as you're going to try to keep the kids on a schedule, they're going to be off schedule being in these places. It's already outside the norm.

Have you ever done a theme park before? How did the kids do? Were they done after a full day?

 

[Mum23]

My kids don't have issues you deal with and they would not have been able to deal with your plans. We were typically out of the parks by 3-4 each day with one free day and they still had trouble (they were almost 8, 6 and 3 at the time we went).

Are Sea World and Discovery Cove a must? There is so much to do already and that would give you breather days which I think give the issues you have to work with would be very helpful. Just my 2¢

 

[lanejudy]

I don't think we've ever done more than 3 consecutive park days without taking a break. You have 7 park days in a row. Could you shift your first day (Thursday) that's noted as a free day to do a park that day? Maybe make it a half-day if you as parents need a break from the drive. It would kill DD to spend that long in the car getting there, and then hang around for a whole extra day. You could then shift your free today to maybe Monday.

We also only do one or two evenings as well, and try to stick close to normal bedtime and mealtimes. I think that's a smart plan. Also be prepared for breaks during the day; even if you don't leave the park take some downtime to relax and get a snack and people-watch or something.

Personally, I've only done the Disney parks so I can't really give input as to the others on your schedule. And we prefer do Epcot in 2 days instead of cramming it all into just 1.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[redberyl]

Even with my healthy, neurotypucal nieces and nephews we dont go all day in the parks without a break. I would plan on downtime in the middle of the day, go back to the house for lunch, a dip in the pool, and rest a bit before going back to the parks.you really should consideradding a downtime day at least once, otherwise yes, youre going to burn out the whole family. Better to have less timevin the parks but enjoy it than to be miserable at the parks constsntly

 

[CoriM48]

My 7 year old is similar to yours (I also have a 5 and 4 year old) and I will say that we never go more than 3 days max without a totally unplanned day where we can stay in and play at the pool or they can play with their toys and take it easy. We wake up late and follow our routine (that's key for us, too) and they play with their toys and we kind of just hang around and let the kids direct the day. We are only in the parks for 5 or 6 days and always have a break day in the middle, even going at one of the slowest and coolest parts of the year (mid-November).

My personal opinion is that you do have too much planned...for almost anyone, but especially for kids who have never had this kind of vacation before. The sensory overload itself in the parks magnifies the stress and energy it takes for little kids, and I fear that if you don't plan for that down time, you will end up having to scrap plans midway through and miss something you really wanted. We over-planned the first trip and ended up having to scrap our entire day at Epcot because our son simply could not pull it together for another day without a break. Our last few trips have been highly successful with the built in break day. You have your free day the day after you arrive. Can you move that to a different day during your trip and go into a park the first day? After such a long drive, your kids might be primed for some action. I probably wouldn't consider Discovery Cove a break day because it still requires the energy, over-stimulation, non-independence, and walking that tends to fry our kids so easily.

I will say that my family differs from most in that my sensory kid has a lot of trouble with transitions, so for us, we get to the park at rope drop and stay until bedtime. We build in rest periods in the park (for example, we sit on the curb and wait the 45 minutes for the parade and he eats ice cream and just chills or we eat a snack in the air conditioned family care room which is fairly quiet and plays Disney movies). My son simply cannot switch gears out of the park and back to the hotel and then back to the park again. So if you think it would work for your children, I don't think it's a bad idea to plan for the whole day in the park (whole day being a decent bedtime). I would assume you will be in many of the parks past 5. The time flies while you are there, and it's hard to leave right as it starts to cool off. Plus you need to factor in at least an hour to get out of the parks and back to your car and the place you are staying, so even if you left the parks at 5, there probably still wouldn't be much time left for the kids to do much besides zonk out in bed.

I don't know if you are planning on getting strollers for both kids, but we get a stroller, even for our 7 year old, because he needs that safe space where he can pull the hood over and just feel safe while we are walking or waiting. The strollers have been game-changers for our sensory kid being able to enjoy the park.

I think you are wise to schedule two days in Magic Kingdom. It's going to allow your kids to get to experience a lot more of the fun that park has to offer without it being a stressful race. Good luck with your trip, and I hope you and your family have a magical time!

 

[3Gsandme]

I don't have ASD. That itinerary exhausts me just reading it. My daughter who is on the spectrum would be melting by Monday and my other two would follow her by Wednesday. It reads like a LOT. I know you said you're going to try and keep bedtimes, but it's still a lot.

 

[Allison]

It's really too much. I agree with everyone else. My kids wouldn't want to do a schedule like that.

 

[CoriM48]

I was looking over you plans again. Hollywood Studios could definitely be a half day, especially if you had a good Touring Plan for it. Animal Kingdom usually closes fairly early compared to the rest of the parks. I would pair those parks with your Magic Kingdom days (or a day off). It looks like both your Magic Kingdom days will be later days and that park is so big and exhausting. Cushioning those days with easier parks or rest days will help, too.

 

[mshanson3121]

Have you ever done a theme park before? How did the kids do? Were they done after a full day?

Yes. I mean, nothing on the scale of Disney, but we generally take a family vacation every summer (4 nights/5 days, 6-7 hours driving), and it includes a park. Probably our biggest vacation was New Hampshire, when we went to Santa's Village, Clark's Trading Post etc... We did a full day at Santa's Village, they did GREAT, DD had a meltdown because she didn't want to leave, lol. Did great the next day at the theme park too. By the last day, they were starting to lose it a bit. But, granted, they were also two years younger, so they were newly 3 and just shy of 6. Often I find the children do great when kept on the go, even with some late nights. It's when things slow down that they start to lose it (either if at the end we do a slow day, or once they get home)

 

[mshanson3121]

Are Sea World and Discovery Cove a must? There is so much to do already and that would give you breather days which I think give the issues you have to work with would be very helpful. Just my 2¢

Yes, they are, as the tickets are already bought. I do know from speaking to others that Discovery Cove is a really nice break from the parks, since it can be as busy or as slow as you want it. So, if the kids just want to hang out in the pool and sand, they can.

 

[mshanson3121]

Could you shift your first day (Thursday) that's noted as a free day to do a park that day? Maybe make it a half-day if you as parents need a break from the drive. It would kill DD to spend that long in the car getting there, and then hang around for a whole extra day. You could then shift your free today to maybe Monday.

That's an idea. DH was really insistent that he's going to need a break after driving that long, and at some point we need to go grocery shopping for our stay there. We could do a morning at a park, then come back and rest. MIL and I could go grocery shopping while DH, FIL and the kids stay at the house, relaxing. Could even see about changing our Hoop dee Doo to 6:00, to give a little more rest time.

 

[mshanson3121]

Even with my healthy, neurotypucal nieces and nephews we dont go all day in the parks without a break. I would plan on downtime in the middle of the day, go back to the house for lunch, a dip in the pool, and rest a bit before going back to the parks.you really should consideradding a downtime day at least once, otherwise yes, youre going to burn out the whole family. Better to have less timevin the parks but enjoy it than to be miserable at the parks constsntly

We considered going off site for a mid-day break, but I know that will be harder on our kids than staying. Transitions can be hard. So trying to transition them out of the park after just a few hours will NOT go well at all. So we'll risk a meltdown from either, if it's from DD, that will then wear her (and us, lol) out, which means the rest of the day will be shot. To say nothing of just the hassle of packing everything up, driving back to the house, turning around, getting kids loaded again, driving back, parking again (much farther away this time), getting back into the park. Plus then, we'll be there later, and it will be pushing back bedtimes. So we figured it was better to just stay in the park for the day, and try and take a rest in the park, focus on indoor shows/rides to beat the heat etc...

 

[StirlingSilver83]

My son is 8 with ASD and I usually have breaks figured into our daily plans. Some days he needs them and other days are good days and he can stay in the park longer. Make sure you schedule in some lunch breaks...maybe do some character meals. If you aren't planning on taking breaks mid day I suggest a sit down table service lunch so everyone gets out of the heat has a nice lunch and has time to relax a bit. Also for Sea World I know I tried to take my son when he was 3 and again when he was 5. Again he has ASD he's also HF, but he just could not sit through the shows. Last year when we went down to Disney we just skipped Sea World altogether bc I didn't think he was going to be able to sit through the shows. This year we are attempting Sea World again bc he's older now, and he actually wants his little brother to see Sea World bc he thinks his little brother will love it, lol. Sea World is a ton of walking as well bc you are trying to make show times and walking back and forth and fitting in some rides in there as well. My son loves Shamus Happy Harbor. I think your schedule looks ok but maybe you should schedule some breaks in as well. That way the kids won't burn out.

 

[mshanson3121]

My son is 8 with ASD and I usually have breaks figured into our daily plans. Some days he needs them and other days are good days and he can stay in the park longer. Make sure you schedule in some lunch breaks...maybe do some character meals. If you aren't planning on taking breaks mid day I suggest a sit down table service lunch so everyone gets out of the heat has a nice lunch and has time to relax a bit. Also for Sea World I know I tried to take my son when he was 3 and again when he was 5. Again he has ASD he's also HF, but he just could not sit through the shows. Last year when we went down to Disney we just skipped Sea World altogether bc I didn't think he was going to be able to sit through the shows. This year we are attempting Sea World again bc he's older now, and he actually wants his little brother to see Sea World bc he thinks his little brother will love it, lol. Sea World is a ton of walking as well bc you are trying to make show times and walking back and forth and fitting in some rides in there as well. My son loves Shamus Happy Harbor. I think your schedule looks ok but maybe you should schedule some breaks in as well. That way the kids won't burn out.

Oh we definitely planned on taking breaks during the day - a full hour for lunch each day, some sit down shows (parades, indoor shows whatever) where we could sit and take a break etc...

I'm curious, how long are the shows at Sea World? That's basically all we're going to SW for is the shows and exhibits, as aside from the Penguin ride, neither of our children will probably do any of the rides there.

 

[mshanson3121]

So.... playing around with your suggestions, what does this look like for a schedule instead:

Thursday: 1/2 day at Sea World (maybe a 9-1 sorta thing?), Hoop dee Doo at 6:00
Friday: MK with Pirates & Pals cruise that night
Saturday: morning free. Have a 12:00 lunch at Sanaa, then head into HS around 2:00ish.
Sunday: FREE!!!!
Monday: AK
Tuesday: Discovery Cove
Wednesday: MK with MSEP
Thursday: EP (sleep in, head in around 10 or 11)

Or we could flip the Sea World and HS, and spend the morning at HS on Thursday, and head into later Sea World Saturday afternoon. The only reason I was considering keeping HS on Saturday, was if we decided to stay for the early Fantasmic show, then it's immediately followed by a day off. Plus since the majority of what they're going to do at HS is going to be the shows, I figured they might be kind of "showed" out by the night, and less interested in HDDR. I know Sea World is shows, but a very different kind. I want to make sure that any late nights are followed by free mornings.

 

[aaarcher86]

Yes. I mean, nothing on the scale of Disney, but we generally take a family vacation every summer (4 nights/5 days, 6-7 hours driving), and it includes a park. Probably our biggest vacation was New Hampshire, when we went to Santa's Village, Clark's Trading Post etc... We did a full day at Santa's Village, they did GREAT, DD had a meltdown because she didn't want to leave, lol. Did great the next day at the theme park too. By the last day, they were starting to lose it a bit. But, granted, they were also two years younger, so they were newly 3 and just shy of 6. Often I find the children do great when kept on the go, even with some late nights. It's when things slow down that they start to lose it (either if at the end we do a slow day, or once they get home)

I'd kind of use that as a tool.

Even if the kids make it through the full day, they're going to be exhausted. You walk 6-8 miles on average. I sleep best at Disney because I'm so exhausted! Tired special needs kids are going to melt down more often. Think about a time when you were go go go for a week and how hard it was. Now add all the extra stimuli and ASD, etc on top of it!

My kids were 8 and 7 for our Sept/Oct trip. We'd not take mid day breaks either (and never have) with the kids, so I don't necessarily think you absolutely have to. Our days are typically a character breakfast, a QS lunch, and a character or sit down meal for dinner. We like to do a lot of character meals to cut down on lines we will need to wait in at the park. Just go at their pace. We eliminated strollers this last trip, and with my ASD daughter being a 35 lb now 9 year old, I was worried!

The heat, sun, and crowds are going to drag you down faster than anything. As much water as we pumped into ourselves in September, my youngest still ended up dehydrated and throwing up one day. It's brutal. It won't be just a typical day walking around.

I think if you're really set on seeing and doing everything you've listed you'll just need to go into it knowing that he plans might change based on the kids. If you can have that mindset and not be frustrated or disappointed if it doesn't all go according to plan then you should be okay. I'd really try to find a down day. I've done 7 straight days with just DTD in the middle as our break, and it was not pleasant!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Oh we definitely planned on taking breaks during the day - a full hour for lunch each day, some sit down shows (parades, indoor shows whatever) where we could sit and take a break etc...

I'm curious, how long are the shows at Sea World? That's basically all we're going to SW for is the shows and exhibits, as aside from the Penguin ride, neither of our children will probably do any of the rides there.

I haven't been to Sea World in 3 years but I think the shows are about 20-30 minutes long. The Pets Ahoy show is the absolute cutest and actually my sons fav show. My kids don't do the rides at Sea World either but we are planning on doing the Penguin ride...we are going to do that first thing at RD bc my son can not wait in long lines with a lot of people. It totally stresses him out and he will meltdown and thats the pits having a meltdown in a line of people. You will need to also check out Shamus Happy Harbor. Its a bunch of kiddie rides and a splash pad its another fav part of the park for my son.

 

[DLgal]

Have your kids ever been to Orlando in the summer? How do they tolerate heat? I have two kids on the spectrum and one of them is very heat sensitive and guess where we learned that about him? Needless to say, that was our WORST WDW trip ever. We went for four days in August (after successful trips in December and April previously). My son (7 then) literally cried his way through Epcot one hot morning and was trying to ONLY walk in the shade. I felt terrible for him. All our plans went out the window. We spent the majority of our trip in the hotel room or at the pool. We threw bedtime out the window and went to the parks for like 2-3 hours after 7pm. It was awful.

I think you should seriously consider completely ditching the plans and just go with the flow once you arrive. It is much easier to follow your kids' cues and make a plan based on how they are doing, what they are interested in, etc. I also worry about the fireworks cruise. Are you SURE your kids will enjoy that? You will be on a boat with no quick way out if one or both melt down. My same son with the heat sensitivity is noise sensitive too and even with peltor ear protection, can only tolerate fireworks from a FAR distance and indoors. He watched them from our room at WL while one of us was in the park with our other son watching them. He wore the earmuffs inside the room...

I know all kids are different and everything but many with ASD/SPD share similar sensitivities and it sounds like your plan is full of sensory overload and potential triggers.

 

[mshanson3121]

They both love boats and we've done many 3-4 hour long sailing trips. They've both also been to Monster Jam shows and were fine with ear protection, so I know they'll be fine with the boat cruise.

As for heat... they both do okay in the heat. Even though we're in Canada and our overall temps are lower of course, we do always get a brutal heat wave in July where we live, normally in the 90s each day with HIGH humidity (equal to Floridas). And those two fools will be outside running laps around the yard, lol.