Our Trip Is Getting Closer, Have Attraction Questions

[Disneylvr]

We have just one month and one week to go! We are excited. Last weekend we made a trip to the airport to show DD the ticket counters, baggage claim, security checkpoints and watched planes take off. She seemed excited and laughed and clapped everytime a plane took off. We are creating a social story for her.

Plans are coming together but I have a couple of attraction questions. Madelyn is now over 40" tall and can ride Splash Mountain, Soarin, Test Track.... On Soarin will she be secure in her own seat with just a belt? In the car she sometimes tried to squirm her way out of seatbelts and Soarin has me worried. She will sit between DH and I if she rides. Otherwise I think she would love this attraction.

I have the same question about ToT since this attraction now uses seat belts. Madelyn isn't afraid of the dark and is a sensory seeker but is there anything else about ToT that might bother her?

Test Track? I just want to make sure she will be safe on these thrill rides and can't squirm her way out of the belts.

And the last question, for now, is about the Haunted Mansion. Is it possible to skip the stretch room? I think this will be too much for her because there would be allot of guest crowded together.

Thanks!

 

[Leah's Mom]

We have just one month and one week to go! We are excited. Last weekend we made a trip to the airport to show DD the ticket counters, baggage claim, security checkpoints and watched planes take off. She seemed excited and laughed and clapped everytime a plane took off. We are creating a social story for her.

Plans are coming together but I have a couple of attraction questions. Madelyn is now over 40" tall and can ride Splash Mountain, Soarin, Test Track.... On Soarin will she be secure in her own seat with just a belt? In the car she sometimes tried to squirm her way out of seatbelts and Soarin has me worried. She will sit between DH and I if she rides. Otherwise I think she would love this attraction.

I have the same question about ToT since this attraction now uses seat belts. Madelyn isn't afraid of the dark and is a sensory seeker but is there anything else about ToT that might bother her?

Test Track? I just want to make sure she will be safe on these thrill rides and can't squirm her way out of the belts.

And the last question, for now, is about the Haunted Mansion. Is it possible to skip the stretch room? I think this will be too much for her because there would be allot of guest crowded together.

Thanks!

My daughter is now 16 (autistic) and LOVES the rides at Disney. Our first trip was about 7 years ago and I was afraid about how "secure" she would be in the seats. It never seemed to be a problem. We just always put her between us and I'm sure I had my arm over her (just a reaction).
Have fun! Disney is heaven for these sensory seeking kids!

We're going in a week too! My DD is also a red head! Look for the girl with her fingers in her ears and laughing non stop! That's us!

 

[mazz1]

my two children both have autism and i can answer some of your questions

firstly i would check in with guest services and talk about your childs needs and see if the GAC would be of any help, i would also collect a guests with disabilities guide book whilst you are there too, it has individual guides to each ride and access info, suitability etc

to answer some of your questions

we have skipped the stretch room on haunted mansion before (just see the cast member at the fastpass or entrance)

with soarin i'm sure she will be fine, i sometimes have a escape artist depending on his mood and we fastened him in with the lap belt and then each sat either side holding hands, if you can, try to get a front row seat on this ride for the best experience it's worth waiting a little extra for, both my kids loved this ride

with ToT i was terrified, the kids loved it again it's lapbelts and handles on the armrest in between each seat, we put the little one in the middle and held onto the handles with a adults hand gently over the top of his

i cannot remember test track i think the belt is similar to a seat belt in the car so you would buckle up and then either hold hands or keep your hand over the buckle to prevent it being undone

i'm sure there's a lets all hold hands song that might come in handy? but cannot remember it, i think it was barney and my two have well outgrown barney

now they are bigger i use the "pls hold mummys hand, i'm scared and you are so brave" as the hand holding excuse

 

[SueM in MN]

ve a couple of attraction questions. Madelyn is now over 40" tall and can ride Splash Mountain, Soarin, Test Track.... On Soarin will she be secure in her own seat with just a belt? In the car she sometimes tried to squirm her way out of seatbelts and Soarin has me worried. She will sit between DH and I if she rides. Otherwise I think she would love this attraction.

One thing to keep in mind comparing car seat belts to ride seat belts is that the ones in the car have some 'give'. You can pull on them and make them tight, but if you lean forward slowly, they loosen a bit. If you move forward quickly, they allow a little movement and then lock. She probably is using that ability to move the seatbelt to squirm out.
Seatbelts in rides are not like that. When you lock them into place, they are locked and there is not any 'give'.

Soaring should not be a problem. The seats are similar to lawn chairs in a way, leaned back a bit, which does help all by itself in keeping you in your seat. There is a seat belt, but there is also a small crotch strap (for want of a better name) that 'the smallest aviators need to use' (according to the boarding video). Even if she is big enough not to need to use it, I'd suggest using it anyway to help secure her more. We use it for my DD and my MIL even used it because she was a bit apprehensive about being so far off the ground.

Here's a link to a youtube video of the preshow that shows the seatbelt and the extra strap. I think with the extra strap and her sitting between you and your DH, she won't have a problem.

I have the same question about ToT since this attraction now uses seat belts. Madelyn isn't afraid of the dark and is a sensory seeker but is there anything else about ToT that might bother her?

One thing I can think of is that you don't know how many drops you will have until the ride is over. A computer randomly assigns the number of drops and how high you will go on each drop.
The seat belts would be the same as on other 'seatbelt' attractions. They are better than the lap bar they had before.
With the lapbar, DD sat between DH and I; since we are larger than her, the lap bar was held out to our size, meaning she was pretty much free. She has a lot of extensor tone (meaning that when she's excited, she is like a stiff plastic doll that doesn't bend at the hips or waist). We managed to keep her in for that, so I don't think you will have much trouble with your DD.
This is a pretty good video of TOT from youtube. The screams are pretty typical. I don't know if that would freak her out, but wanted to mention it.
Here's a picture of the seats from allears.net, so you can see the seatbelts. Almost all of the attractions with seatbelts have similar ones.

Test Track? I just want to make sure she will be safe on these thrill rides and can't squirm her way out of the belts.

Test Tracks seatbelts are almost the same as TOT's. We don't have trouble keeping DD in her seatbelt for that, although because of her spasticity, we have trouble keeping her from sliding down the seat. Even if she slid down the seat all the way, the seatbelt would keep her in under her arms. So, I would not worry about falling out.

And the last question, for now, is about the Haunted Mansion. Is it possible to skip the stretch room? I think this will be too much for her because there would be allot of guest crowded together.

Thanks!

yes.
When you come to the hearse on your right, before the regular line gets to the tunrstiles to go into the buidling, there is a small 'gate' marked with a wheelchair symbol. If you are using a stroller as a wheelchair, you would use that entrance anyway.
A CM will come to let you past the 'gate'. Just tell the CM that you want to bypass the stretching room and they will board you at the exit.
I think it's a good idea to skip it. The stretching room itself gets full and when you are going out of it for boarding, you are entering a dark area, with lots of people who have no idea where they are headed, just that they are following the line. The queue gets gradually narrower and narrower as it approaches the boarding area. By the time you actually get to boarding, the line is one person wide.

 

[Disneylvr]

Thank you everyone!!! We are so excited that this trip Madelyn will be able to ride some of the thrill rides! She was too short in 2006 and only 3 years old. She sure loves to go fast! We got her a GAC last time and we will be getting one for her this time as well just in case we need to use it. We will utilize Fast Pass as much as possible too.

 

[SueM in MN]

firstly i would check in with guest services and talk about your childs needs and see if the GAC would be of any help, i would also collect a guests with disabilities guide book whilst you are there too, it has individual guides to each ride and access info, suitability etc

Just FYI for other readers, there is a GAC (Guest Assistance Card) FAQs section in the disABILITIES FAQs thread near the top of this board.
That thread also has links to the text for the Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities for each park.

i cannot remember test track i think the belt is similar to a seat belt in the car so you would buckle up and then either hold hands or keep your hand over the buckle to prevent it being undone

Just to ease your mind..........
All the ride restraints (seat belts, etc) are locked once you close them and they can't be opened until the CM releases the lock on your ride car at the end of the ride. The CM has an indicator light for each seat belt, so they can tell if one has not been closed before the ride starts. Before dispatching your ride vehicle, the CM will have each person tug on the strap attached to the seat belt. That is another check to make sure it is securely locked.

 

[Disneylvr]

Thank you Sue! The You Tube videos really helped. I haven't been on ToT for awhile and had forgotten how much screaming there actually is. Probably because I was screaming myself! I am wondering if that would really frighten Madelyn.... Do people scream on Soarin? I haven't been on that ride because in 2006 anything Madelyn couldn't ride, I didn't either. I am glad to hear that the ride restraints are very secure so I won't worry too much about that aspect anymore. I also didn't know that Soarin had the crotch strap which will will use for Madelyn.

 

[benjackal]

Hi we just returned from Disney World and I have 2 children with mild Cerebral Palsy and was also concerned about the restraints. We rode absolutely everything and as stated above, the lap belts and bars are tight and have no give once they are locked in. I think there will also be enough to keep her attention in the environment that she might not even think of squirming out. You are right beside her on every ride as well!

I heard no screams on Soarin' - mostly oohs and aahs and laughter.

Have a great time!

 

[SueM in MN]

I heard no screams on Soarin' - mostly oohs and aahs and laughter.

Have a great time!

I agree. I have not heard screams on Soarin'
The first part (where they are lifting your ride cars up into position) is in total darkness. I have heard some 'mild fussing' then by some of the younger kids who did not like the sensation of being lifted up and forward in the dark. After the movie starts, it's all 'oohs and aahhs.

Well, maybe not quite all. If you have shoes or sandles that could slip off, you are supposed to remove them so they don't fall off while you are in the air. On one ride, we took DD's shoes off. She spent the whole ride obsessing and whining about her shoes. From then on, we have made sure that she has shoes wee won't have to take off.
So, that might be something to think about - also if she has any lovey with her, it will need to go in the bin underneath the seat.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Another thing on Soarin; when you use the stroller as w/c (and do, cause that line goes on forever), they put you in the back (lowest) row, or at least always have for us. I knew my DD and DS were safe, but that made me feel much better than if we were at the top.