Tips about Planning and Special Needs

We were just at Disney in March 2009. My husband has autism. He has a difficult time with crowds and noise. We were able to get a guest assistance pass for him, just like children with autism. He was able to ride one ride with the family and then go away and have alone time while the rest of the family waited in the standby line and then he could ride the next ride with us using a Fastpass. It allowed him to ride the rides with us and still not be overwhelmed by the crowds and noise. - Tracey Brake

We have been planning a March 2009 family get-together at Disney World since last summer. Trying to read up on and make all the right choices has been overwhelming. Your AllEars.Net site and newsletter helped a lot. We are all driving from Canada and we are staying off-site, so attraction ticket prices with foreign exchange rates added on has been a wait-and-see decision. Until a trip to one of the Disney Stores in the Toronto area in February, that is. Much to our delight (and financial relief) we learned that the attraction tickets (including the 6.5% Florida tax) are currently priced in Canadian dollars and the prices are comparable to all of the other US-priced tickets out there. The brochure price is what you pay, as no other taxes are added. Our family group of 12 adults and one child are very happy to pass this information on to all of the Canadians who are planning a trip to Disney World in the near future. - Anne Hewton

WDW's accessibility for wheelchairs is second to none, but even with gentle ramps and elevators there can still be problems. My wife not only uses a wheelchair but is very claustrophobic: queuing is a nightmare for her. I chatted to a cast member in Epcot who directed me to the Guest Relations desk. I expained that we didn't mind waiting our turn, but we couldn't physically wait in the queue. No problem -- we were issued a special pass to show to cast members at each ride. While not every attraction has a solution, many rides have alternate entrances, or can let people in through the exit... made all the difference in the world for her. Thanks, Disney! - Matthew Webber

I always take a spiral notebook along and leave it out in the room for "where we will be" notes. As family returns to the room/villa, they can see that, "Mom & Dad went to the main pool at 3:45 p.m., back to room at 6 p.m.," so they know where we are, and if they have time to jump into their suits and join us; or "left for Epcot at 9 a.m., remember dinner res 6 p.m. in Canada," etc. This notebook travels with us from year to year, and is fun to look through once in awhile! Of course, cell phones make communications like this not quite as necessary as in past years! - Karen Jacobi

Forgive me for recycling these old tips I learned a few years ago. I am a planner and before I leave home (UK), I prepare all my "mousekeeping" tips in separate envelopes with a little message of thanks and the date to be given. This saves a great deal of time -- more time for the World -- and a lot of scrabbling in purses and wallets for the requisite amount. Before travelling and when changing my currency I always ask for small denominations so I am prepared for those immediate gratuities (luggage, valet parking, etc). I am already writing my envelopes for our next trip, September '08 -- Boardwalk Villas!

We took a short trip to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and it rained quite frequently. We have two children in strollers, and the best thing we bought prior to the trip were two $10 stroller covers. Our girls were comfortable and dry, even when it was pouring and windy. There were a lot of people using ponchos, but we noticed that they did not stay on the strollers like ours did. When it stopped raining, we put them in the storage area under each stroller (ours are the larger umbrella strollers). - Angie

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

If you're a teenage girl (like me) and you're going to Disney, bring your cellphone or iPod with you! It's nice to be able to listen to your music while waiting in line. Another thing: make sure you put your name and address on everything -- with iPods or mp3 players, stick some white tape on the back and write your info with a pen or marker, because Disney will return items if they find them! - Stephanie

I thought that Alice McNutt Miller's post about money saving tips was spot on. Our family has enjoyed Disney World every few years and I always consult the AllEars® tips database while planning. One tip that I would add to Alice's list is considering travel during the room-only discount periods. This way you can combine frugal and fairly extravagant if you're willing to move from value/moderate to deluxe for a few days (especially to the BoardWalk area). Our kids felt like it was two vacations in one. - Jack

Don't be too quick to dismiss the Deluxe resorts. For the UK visitor, free dining is usually not available at the Value resorts, while the Quick Service plan is included at the Moderates and the regular dining plan comes with Deluxe or Villas. We have found that it can often work out cheaper for us to book a villa when free dining is included than it would be to book at a Value resort and buy a dining plan or just pay for food as we went along. - Debi

We traveled in December and noticed how the food available at the counter service restaurants has gotten healthier - giving more choices to those with Celiac Disease. Sit-down restaurants were wonderfully accommodating, of course! I did find out that one counter service location in each park has gluten-free pizza available. It is not on the menu, you have to ask for it. In Magic Kingdom it was Pinocchio's and at Epcot it is in the American Pavilion. Just ask Guest Services as the location may change. I also found gluten-free brownies and cookies in Wilderness Lodge and some of the counter service restaurants. I still brought an easy breakfast to eat in our hotel room to save time, but once I went out I didn't have to worry! What a pleasant vacation it was for this Celiac mom! - Kaercher Family

I print out clear labels with all of our information and bring along extra to label everything that we get new at the parks, from our cups to our PhotoPass. The extra labels are great in case you do forget to label something before you leave and the clear labels blend right in. - Cara Martin

I recently returned from Coronado Springs and found that it was not very friendly to limited mobility people. I had a standard wheelchair and had to depend on my family for all transport. Usually I can walk to almost anywhere... not true at Coronado Springs. If you go, rent an ECV or expect to be pushed everywhere or go nowhere. I had to use my car to go anywhere in the resort and the walk from any parking space to the Dig Site was also too long. I was very disappointed. I would call Coronado Springs the most handicapped-unfriendly of the Disney resorts -- Pop Century was better! - Nadine Edelman

My 10-year-old son had scout camp this summer. I wanted to include a few essentials in his backpack, but I knew they would end up lost at the bottom. I got a plastic coupon organizer (the accordion wallet type) and put bandages in one section, bug repellant in another, along with hand wipes, sunscreen, etc. It worked so well that I have added the coupon organizer to my "Disney supplies." I think it will keep our trip backpack organized as well! I plan to add in individual packs of over-the-counter medicines. - Beth Spellman

In response to the recommendation to wear Crocs at the parks, after seeing everyone in Crocs on our trip to Disney in 2006, I decided to wear them on our trip this April. (My kids are quite fans of them as well.) By Day Two, I had blisters on the tops of both feet. At a visit to the nurse for much needed bandages at the Magic Kingdom, she confirmed that quite a few people stop in due to blisters from their Crocs. By the end of the week, my one son had blisters as well. We still love our Crocs, but definitely suggest taking bandages and a backup pair of shoes! - Kelly P.