Sensory Processing Disorder and wait time for parade

[Disney for my boys]

My son who will be barely 5 when we go to Disney World in October has Sensory Processing Disorder. He is sensory seeking so he has to be constantly moving, jumping, running, etc. Eventually he gets overloaded and has a melt down. I am thinking about getting a DAS card to use for some of the lines that I think would just be too much for him. I am concerned about when he gets overloaded and needs to stay in his stroller in order to calm down. I understand that I can get a special tag to put on the stroller to make it a wheel chair. Does that work for double strollers? I will have a double because I will be bringing my one year old also. I was also wondering about the parade. I don't think my son would handle a long wait next to the parade route in order to get a good spot. I think he would be in full melt down mode if we stood in the same spot for 30 minutes. I heard there are wheel chair spots for the parade. If I got the wheelchair tag for the stroller would I be able to get there just before the parade starts and get a spot near the front? Is there any other suggestions to avoid a long wait at the parade/wishes and still get a good spot?

 

[SWofDisorder]

There is a stroller as a wheelchair sticker at least there use to be pre DAS. I hope they still have it.

There are areas for wheelchairs during the parade but go early as they do fill up fast.

I don't have any other suggestions for the lines. Try to use the fastpass, be at the park at rope drop, do the slow loading rides first, like dumbo.

Finally be able to adapt and change to meet your son's needs. When it is time to leave the park, go.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . There are areas for wheelchairs during the parade but go early as they do fill up fast . . .

1) Yep.
2) Wheelchair folks tend to get there 45-60 minutes early.
3) If not, the spaces are all gone.
4) It is just not big of an area. *

* Think of the local mall. Yes, they have handicap spaces. But, frequently there
are simply not enough for the demand. WDW fireworks or parades are like that every night.

 

[Golden Rose]

We have a child with a sensory processing disorder, too, and we've taken him to WDW many times. We've found that he simply can't handle long days in the parks, and we just allow for it. The crowds, the noise, the lines, and the sometimes intense experiences of the rides just overwhelm him eventually. We pick a few things we want to make sure we do, and we do those first, and then consider anything else a bonus. Honestly, I don't think he's ever done more than 6 hours in a row in the parks without needing to go back to the room and crash, and if he does that many, he's too overstimulated for the day, and doesn't want to do anything else. We usually can only do 4 hours at a time, including a meal, because much longer and it ceases to be fun for him.

We usually just skip the parades. For us, between the waiting, and the crowds, and the short temper of people waiting (and who are often incredibly unsympathetic to people without very obvious disabilities, since they assume you're trying to abuse the system), we just decided it wasn't worth the struggle. We can't get there early enough to get good seats because he can't manage the waits, either. If we got there early in the day, he's usually ready to go before the parades anyway.

I will let you know that for me, it was very hard to let go of the experience I dreamed of my son having at WDW, and to figure out how to let him have a wonderful visit on his terms. We often go into the park for a few hours, go back to the room and let him unwind (often in the pool) and go back for a couple more hours. He doesn't care about riding every ride or seeing every parade - I cared more than he did. I had to train myself to remember that it was about creating a magical experience for my children rather than wanting to do as many cool things as possible. He does consider it one of the most amazing places on earth, but he simply can't do the long days where you try to do anything and everything.

Good luck, and have a wonderful vacation with your children!

 

[Disney for my boys]

We have a child with a sensory processing disorder, too, and we've taken him to WDW many times. We've found that he simply can't handle long days in the parks, and we just allow for it. The crowds, the noise, the lines, and the sometimes intense experiences of the rides just overwhelm him eventually. We pick a few things we want to make sure we do, and we do those first, and then consider anything else a bonus. Honestly, I don't think he's ever done more than 6 hours in a row in the parks without needing to go back to the room and crash, and if he does that many, he's too overstimulated for the day, and doesn't want to do anything else. We usually can only do 4 hours at a time, including a meal, because much longer and it ceases to be fun for him.

We usually just skip the parades. For us, between the waiting, and the crowds, and the short temper of people waiting (and who are often incredibly unsympathetic to people without very obvious disabilities, since they assume you're trying to abuse the system), we just decided it wasn't worth the struggle. We can't get there early enough to get good seats because he can't manage the waits, either. If we got there early in the day, he's usually ready to go before the parades anyway.

I will let you know that for me, it was very hard to let go of the experience I dreamed of my son having at WDW, and to figure out how to let him have a wonderful visit on his terms. We often go into the park for a few hours, go back to the room and let him unwind (often in the pool) and go back for a couple more hours. He doesn't care about riding every ride or seeing every parade - I cared more than he did. I had to train myself to remember that it was about creating a magical experience for my children rather than wanting to do as many cool things as possible. He does consider it one of the most amazing places on earth, but he simply can't do the long days where you try to do anything and everything.

Good luck, and have a wonderful vacation with your children!

Thanks so much for the advice, we do plan on having a mid day break for both kid's sake so that should help a lot. I think I may just plan on getting a fast pass for the parade and sticking there for wishes so that there is not such a long wait. I think if I have a fast pass I should be ok to get there 20 minutes early and just hang out on the grass, especially if I use a stroller as a wheelchair pass and put it in our spot. What about Fantasmic? Are there wheelchair spots for that as well? Do I need to get there really early? We will be going during down season (October) so I would hope I could get a spot without having to wait an hour.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We generally skip the parades because my DD does better if we take a break from the parks in the middle of the day. This year, she is really wanting to see the new Festival of Fantasy Parade in the MK and the Jammin Jungle Parade in AK. She's made such great strides in the past year that I think we'll be okay for those.

You may want to consider getting FP+ for the parades if you want to do them. This will get you into a reserved viewing area. I'm not sure how much before the parade you need to show up. I hope someone who has done this will pop in and give their experience. The FP+ is available for both the Festival of Fantasy Parade and the Main Street Electrical Parade, as well as Wishes, Illuminiations, and Fantasmic if you want to attempt the evening shows.

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks so much for the advice, we do plan on having a mid day break for both kid's sake so that should help a lot. I think I may just plan on getting a fast pass for the parade and sticking there for wishes so that there is not such a long wait. I think if I have a fast pass I should be ok to get there 20 minutes early and just hang out on the grass, especially if I use a stroller as a wheelchair pass and put it in our spot. What about Fantasmic? Are there wheelchair spots for that as well? Do I need to get there really early? We will be going during down season (October) so I would hope I could get a spot without having to wait an hour.

FP+ for the parade is on the hub in front of the castle. no grass, all sidewalk. You would need to be at the FP+ entrance at least 20 minutes before they start letting people in to get in line to go in not before parade if you want anywhere near the front row. You can remain there for Wishes but the ropes will come down and the crowds will fill in around you, you will have to stand to see and it is crowded. The Wishes FP+ is on grass off to the side of the castle. This is not a prime viewing spot for the night parade but a great option for the fireworks and for personal space around you.

If you are talking about FP+ for the daytime parade, it is in the same spot in front of the castle, given the new parade you would need to arrive even earlier and it is hot to sit there. I would suggest finding a spot over in Frontierland. (1) Less crowded and less overwhelming (2) Parade comes there first so less time to wait (3) It would be possible to get a spot then one of you take your DS off for a bathroom break, snack or walk while waiting since you have a stroller there to hold his spot next to the other parent.

Agree with above the wheelchair viewing areas are small and packed way before any parade. Also if it gets too crowded they only let one person stand there with the chair/stroller. I have used these and don't recommend them.

 

[Sefoti]

We are bringing my daughter who is also a seeker and doing a das. She really is struggling with it now. Last year it was probably the worse experience of my life. She was slamming her head into the concrete and made it bleed on more occasions then I can count on one hand. This year we are going prepared that we may just need to leave and call it a day or go swim if it's too much. Waiting around for a parade will probably not happen but they have fast pass plus options you can look into getting. We will probably do that.

 

[Golden Rose]

Thanks so much for the advice, we do plan on having a mid day break for both kid's sake so that should help a lot. I think I may just plan on getting a fast pass for the parade and sticking there for wishes so that there is not such a long wait. I think if I have a fast pass I should be ok to get there 20 minutes early and just hang out on the grass, especially if I use a stroller as a wheelchair pass and put it in our spot. What about Fantasmic? Are there wheelchair spots for that as well? Do I need to get there really early? We will be going during down season (October) so I would hope I could get a spot without having to wait an hour.

We thought about trying the FP+ route for the Festival of Fantasy parade on our trip next month, but the thought of waiting for even an hour in the heat while we wait for the parade to get to the spot has convinced me that even that won't work for us. If we manage to still be in the park by the time the parade starts, we're going to try to find a place to watch in Frontierland near the start of the route, as others have suggested on this board.

We're starting to face the need to split up our group some days, because DS hits his saturation point pretty early in the day, and his little sister doesn't want to leave for any reason whatsoever. (She doesn't do well waiting for parades or shows, but she doesn't wait well for things because she's 3!) I know she'd love the parade, so I've thought about just keeping her and letting him go back to the room with his grandmother, but I'm also afraid he'd be sad about what he's missing. I haven't got it all figured out, and will just play it by ear next month.

As far as Fantasmic goes, we've honestly had the best luck doing one of the restaurant meals that gives you the reserved seating area. We've been able to go to our seats about 30 minutes before the show, and get great seats. It is the only way I will try to do Fantasmic.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

a couple of problems using wheelchair area to watch parade is only one maybe 2 nonwheelchair people allowed with wheelchair. also your stroller as a wheelchair could be in a row behind wheelchairs that got there before you. plus they do pack the area close if busy, wheelchairs are almost touching. no place for a child to move around

 

[sleepingbean]

We have seen that if you can claim your space in advance, the little kids can still jump and spin and play for a long while until 10-15 minutes before parade starts. We bring toys and books for our kids, but we see other kids who stand and bounce, spin, hula hoop, toss a ball with their seated parents etc.
But if the parade is just too much stress, there will be so many other things you can do. Have a great trip!

 

[clanmcculloch]

We are bringing my daughter who is also a seeker and doing a das. She really is struggling with it now. Last year it was probably the worse experience of my life. She was slamming her head into the concrete and made it bleed on more occasions then I can count on one hand. This year we are going prepared that we may just need to leave and call it a day or go swim if it's too much. Waiting around for a parade will probably not happen but they have fast pass plus options you can look into getting. We will probably do that.

I've found that it's actually even better to just plan for shorter days and for resort time. My itinerary is always set up as 2 park days followed by a resort day because my sensory seeker/avoider (yes she's both) can only handle so much park time. In addition to those break days I also plan for the park days to only run from rope drop until right after lunch and then we spend the rest of our day back at our resort. Between this and planning for being in the least crowded park on park days and figuring out touring plans that keep us out of lines we almost never have meltdowns any longer. I used to try to push for longer days but this pretty much guaranteed meltdowns which meant nobody was happy. Now we really enjoy our trips a lot more. My sensory child tends to stay in the room a lot while DH and I alternate taking in the resort activities and swimming with our other child. Now that our sensory child is old enough and mature enough and capable enough to stay in the room alone DH and I now even get to enjoy resort activities together with our youngest. We really get our money's worth out of our resort because we do all sort of things around our resort.

Less is sometimes more!

This does mean that we almost never see parades. Now with FP+ we were actually able to see a parade for the first time in a long time and now that DD16 is maturing and learning more coping strategies we were even able to return to the park in the evening for dinner and evening parade (we left the park in the morning at 11:30 to make sure we had enough down time in between). No way could we do this more than once in a trip though.

Honestly, building your plans with limitations to what a special needs child can handle in mind really does result in so much better of a trip.

 

[Kay1]

Another parade option is to wait in a wide open spot, near the train station in the MK is one, but try to get there at the last minute. You can see most everything from a bit of a distance without bothering anyone and having a bit of space around you. If you're up to it, you can lift your son to see his favorite parts.

Enjoy!