wishes

[stubb]

hi

my eldest son has downs he is 21 we love the fireworks but it is always so busy and i worry that he will get lost I know this is a silly question really but is there anywhere you can see the fireworks without getting crushed? We go next week, I might go into guest relations and see where they rec to stand.

Thanks

michelle

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I think Fantasy Land is a great place. The fireworks are shot off from the rides and behind, so you are literally surrounded by them. If you stand at the ropes by Snow White, you will be able to see Tinkerbell. Ask the CM to alert you as to when she is about to fly so you can look in the right spot.

It is also not nearly as crowded as Main Street, so your son should be okay. Like I said, it's my absolute favorite place to watch, but then, I might be biased since that was where I did my first CP. Good luck!

 

[blondietink]

I have an 18 yo son witn Down syndrome! I's a small world. He has many physical problems so he rides in an adult sized travel chair that we push. Otherwise, if he got tired he would just squat down where ever he was and prople would trip over him. He would wander away and get lost if he wasn't sitting, also.

Anyway, we have found that the bridge to Tomorrowland is a great place to watch the fireworks, and there usually aren't many people there. Also, in front of the Chrystal Palace is good, but there are usually lots of people standing there and the trees hinder the view some.

Good luck! We are going in August.

 

[lovetoscrap]

After the fireworks are over find a nice bench to sit on and wait. Maybe get a snack or do some people watching. The crush of people all leaving at once is where I am always scared I will lose my kids. Trying to keep together can be very difficult and overwhelming. I prefer to just find a nice spot to sit and look around and then leave about 30 minutes or so later.

Have a great time!

 

[Talking Hands]

The rose garden to the right of the castle is another good place to watch Wishes.

 

[PatMcDuck]

My 18 year old has Downs, too, and we also use the travel chair for him at WDW. He would also do the "wet noodle" if he got too tired, and just plop. Sean has Autism too, so he just wanders off with no sense of danger. And he is pretty much non-conversational. So, the chair helps us in several ways.

I had a cheap and not so comfortable travel chair, but recently picked up a beauty Convaid chair on ebay. (never used). It was expensive, but we think he will use it for decades (it is adult sized).

 

[blondietink]

Most interested in your post about the Convaid chair ... what is it exactly? What makes it different than a travel chair?

FYI - my son is largely non-verbal, too, so if he got lost he could never tell anybody who he was. Also many autistic tendencies. I think we have a lot in common.

I would pm you, but I haven't figured out how to do that yet as I am fairly new to these boards.

 

[GrumpyMom25]

Hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread here. We just ordered a Convaid Cruiser Stroller for our son who is 9 years old, has DS and is Autistic. Due to really poor muscle tone he didn't start walking until 6 years old and because of visual issues (we believe) he's very cautious and slow when walking. We're keeping our fingers crossed that his stroller will arrive before we leave for our trip. We feel alot better knowing he's seated in a secure place while traveling through the park. He's also non-verbal.
Oh, and if you're using a chair and pick up a Handicapped Pass on your way into the park, there is a seating area in front of the Castle.

 

[blondietink]

I know there is a handicapped seating area in front of the castle for parades, but are you saying there is one there for the fireworks, too?

My son had open heart surgery when he was 8 months old, didn't walk until he was 3 yo, has a hearing loss, visual impairment, speech impairment, autistic, very low muscle tone in his torso and face and had scoliosis surgery when he was 16 yo.. We call him our million dollar boy.

Did you know that Make A Wish considers kids with Down Syndrome for their trips to Give Kids the World? They sent us to Disney World in 2005 and GKTW was full, so we got to stay at the Beach Club Resort! Perhaps you would consider this for your 9 yo.

 

[GrumpyMom25]

We used the handicapped seating area on the circle which has been right across from the walkway into Tomorrowland. It's perfect for viewing the fireworks and seeing Tinkerbell fly. We've always just stayed there throughout the nightime parade (which there isn't going to be on this trip) and watched the fireworks after.
I had noticed since joining this board that there have been children with DS taking trips through Make A Wish. We've never looked into it. This will be Charlie's 3rd trip to Disney with our family, he has 4 siblings. I would expect that they would not want to send a family of 7 to WDW. I also thought that since he has been a couple of times that I would hate to take a chance away from a child who hasn't been there yet.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

Grumpy: I don't know that it is specifically because of DS that these kids are going on MAW trips. MAW is specifically for children with life threatening illnesses. Many kids with DS have heart problems that would qualify as life threatening, and that is why I think they get to go. it's certainly worht looking into ,but MAW won't be your organization of choice if your son does not have any life trheatening issues. Dream Factory grants wishes to kids with chronic illnesses, so if your son does not qualify with MAW he may qualify with Dream Factory.

 

[blondietink]

FYI - for Make a Wish, size of the family does not matter. I know families that have taken grandparents, personal care aides, etc. We only went with the 4 of us. The best thing about it was front of the line access for character greetings in both WDW, Universal and Sea World. Also, free pictures at Universal and Sea World. As soon as a CM sees the special button that a make a wish child wears, they immediately take the party to the front of the line. We were told that this was not the case at WDW, but everytime we stood in line for a character greeting, we went right to the front with the CM announcing that there was a wish child here. What we like best about our stay at BC instead of GKTW, was we got to use the EMH's. When we were going into the MK one night, a CM stopped us and talked to us about how he volunteers every week at GKTW for parents night out. I explained to him that we did not qualify for parents night out because of personal care issues with my son. He then went on to ask if we liked staying at GKTW villas. I stated we had hoped to stay there, but they were full so we were staying at the BC resort. His words: "My, my ... you sure did get the upgrade. Enjoy your stay and hope to see you again around the parks!"

In other words, it really was a very special trip. So, if I were you, please consider it. For all the trials and tribulations you go through having a child with DS, it is nice to actually get a "reward" like a Make A Wish. My son sees 7 specialists over an hour away and when he had his scoliosis surgery, we had to go 150 miles one way. Yes, I am tired of medical personnell, but now that my father's health is getting worse (he is 85), I am proud to steer my mother in the right direction, ask the right questions and generally be helpful.

 

[SandrainNC]

My 7 year old also has Down syndrome too. We watch from in front of the castle but not right on Main Street. Up one of those paths that go off to the left (if you are facing the castle). Not right in front of Crystal Palace but one path up from there. We were there in June and it wasn't very crowded at all. Nothing compared to Main Street!

Have a great trip!

Sandra

 

[GrumpyMom25]

FYI - for Make a Wish, size of the family does not matter. I know families that have taken grandparents, personal care aides, etc. We only went with the 4 of us. The best thing about it was front of the line access for character greetings in both WDW, Universal and Sea World. Also, free pictures at Universal and Sea World. As soon as a CM sees the special button that a make a wish child wears, they immediately take the party to the front of the line. We were told that this was not the case at WDW, but everytime we stood in line for a character greeting, we went right to the front with the CM announcing that there was a wish child here. What we like best about our stay at BC instead of GKTW, was we got to use the EMH's. When we were going into the MK one night, a CM stopped us and talked to us about how he volunteers every week at GKTW for parents night out. I explained to him that we did not qualify for parents night out because of personal care issues with my son. He then went on to ask if we liked staying at GKTW villas. I stated we had hoped to stay there, but they were full so we were staying at the BC resort. His words: "My, my ... you sure did get the upgrade. Enjoy your stay and hope to see you again around the parks!"

In other words, it really was a very special trip. So, if I were you, please consider it. For all the trials and tribulations you go through having a child with DS, it is nice to actually get a "reward" like a Make A Wish. My son sees 7 specialists over an hour away and when he had his scoliosis surgery, we had to go 150 miles one way. Yes, I am tired of medical personnell, but now that my father's health is getting worse (he is 85), I am proud to steer my mother in the right direction, ask the right questions and generally be helpful.

Thanks so much for the info Barb. We may have to look into it for a future trip. I certainly know what you mean about being tired about all the trips to the dr. (even tho I'm extremely thankful for each and every one of them). Charlie didn't arrive with the typical heart problems associated with DS but he did arrive 10 weeks early, having his first cataract surgery at 6 days old. It's not fun watching your 2 1/2 lb. newborn being prepared for surgery. Charlie does have a list of at least 7 specialist that we visit thoughout the year. He has DS, Autism, Cataracts, Glaucoma, Asthma, Hypothyroidism, Reflux and Celiac Disease. He's one sweet little guy tho.
Oh, I should also mention that we've had some very nice encounters with CM at Disney. Our favorite was our waiter at Chef Mickey. He came to us and whispered "Who is his favorite character?" We answered Minnie. The CM went and got Minnie and brought her to our table. Charlie was in heaven, was able to get even more hugs and cuddles. The CM then went and got Charlie a little Minnie figure to bring home. I was very touched.