Walt Disney World with Autism- Part 2, trip reports

Last year we took our kids to Walt Disney World twice.  It was their fifth and sixth trips.  We went in June for Star Wars Weekends and we went again in November/December to experience everything the holidays have to offer at WDW.

We went to Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood
Studios in June

Even though Nathan had been to Disney several times before and it truly is his favorite place in the world, Star Wars Weekends and the holiday celebrations were both new for Nathan- and pretty overwhelming for him as well.  Usually, we go to Disney World during slow weeks in order to avoid crowds and make it less stressful for Nathan.

It was very hot, and crowded during Star Wars Weekends,
even Drew had a hard time dealing with it.

We went to Star Wars Weekends the first weekend in June- the day after Florida schools let out for the summer.  Between schools being out and the Star Wars Weekends events, Hollywood Studios was packed to the gills.  Add to that the 90+ degree temperatures and the fact that Nathan doesn't really like Star Wars, I knew we would be heading toward a meltdown.  We made this trip with a large group of my husband's family.  His parents, sister, brother-in-law, nieces, his 2 aunts, and his cousin and her 2 daughters.  I had warned everyone ahead of time that if Nathan got overwhelmed I would be taking him back to the hotel.  He was not interested in the Star Wars parade, so while the rest of the family enjoyed the parade, he and I went to the Magic of Disney Animation and took an animation class (the Magic of Disney Animation and the animation class are now closed).

While the rest of the family saw the Star Wars parade, Nathan and I took
an animation class- sadly this attraction is now closed.

We stayed until early afternoon on Saturday.  Nathan was getting really upset by the heat, the crowds and just ready to go.  So Nathan, my father-in-law and I headed back to the hotel- where we ate, went swimming, and took a nap!  The next day was much of the same.  We did a couple of rides and one show with the family.  But when Nathan started to show his exhaustion, he and I found some gluten free french fries, and chicken nuggets and sat in a nice air conditioned counter service restaurant for while.

One of our favorite things about Disney World is that we
can get gluten free food!  The air conditioning at the ABC Commissary
was a great rest for the both of us.

Then we bought some cotton candy and sat on a bench under a tree while we waited for the rest of the family to be done.

Nathan and I found a bench under a tree to sit while we waited
for the rest of the family, we loved people watching

After we got home, it was announced that 2015 was the last year Star Wars Weekends will be held at Hollywood Studios.  I'm glad we were able to go before it left.

When we went back to Disney World in November,
Nathan so was excited, he flapped his way through the airport.

The day after Thanksgiving, we headed back to Orlando, for another 10 days at Walt Disney World.  I'd never been to the parks during the holidays, so I was really excited (much more excited than I was for Star Wars!).  This time we traveled with my parents and my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins met us for the first few days.  I didn't really think that the holiday festivities would be overwhelming for Nathan, he loves Christmas.  I was wrong.  On our first full park day- the Saturday after Thanksgiving- we went to Hollywood Studios at night to see the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights (which is also leaving the parks, meaning the crowds were even bigger than Disney had anticipated).

Most of our family loved seeing the Osbourne
Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights,
Nathan hated it and was completely overwhelmed
that's why he's not in the pic with us

Nathan actually fell asleep in his stroller and he woke up when the lights and music went on.  I think that scared him.  To say it was crowded is an understatement.  We could not move.  We were in the middle of this crowd, packed in like sardines, and Nathan was freaking out- which means Jason and I were freaking out trying to get him out of there.  I think the combination of the "dancing" lights, loud music and insane crowds was just too much for him.  We tried to find a way out of the crowd but ended up going in the wrong direction and realized when we got to the end of the street, we had to turn around and walk back.  Luckily I was able to speak to a man who works at the park and he let us through a back area so we didn't have to go back through that crowd.  That experience freaked Nathan out for the next couple days when it came to anything having to do with Christmas.

We were very excited for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party,
Nathan was still traumatized from the night before and would
not dress up with us.

 The following night we went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.  Nathan was very upset and didn't want to be there.  He didn't want to see the Christmas parade, he didn't want to see the Christmas fireworks, he didn't want to even hear the words Christmas lights!  We just went on rides and avoided anything having to do with Christmas.

Nathan sat in his stroller looking terrified

As the week went on, the parks emptied out and Nathan was much less bothered by the Christmas decorations and had a great time.  I think the first weekend we were there was still really crowded from Thanksgiving which added to Nathan's anxiety.

At Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Nathan
did go on a few rides with us, and eventually had fun

I know that for many families (including ours) going anywhere with a child with autism is stressful.  But Walt Disney World is a great place to take your kids.  Walt Disney World offers a DAS (disability access service) pass for people who needed it.  Nathan would never be able to wait in a line for a long time.  He would go into sensory overload and have a meltdown.  With the DAS, a member of your party goes to an attraction and gets a return time based on how long the line is- for example, say the line for Toy Story Midway Mania is 70 minutes, you will be able to come back in 70 minutes and ride the ride without waiting in the line.  To get a DAS, just go to guest services at any park and ask for it.  I have heard about some people having issues when requesting the DAS, but I've never had a problem.

Getting a DAS for Nathan has always been easy.  This time
we got it at EPCOT.  The castmember will have to scan everyone's
magic band so you're all linked together.

But the most important piece of advice I can give you is to just be prepared.  Plan ahead, make dining reservations, make your FastPass+ selections, and make sure you have time to take breaks- but most importantly be willing to throw that plan out the window if your child has a meltdown!

By Monday, the crowds had cleared out and Nathan was back
to his regular self, and enjoyed every second of being
at Walt Disney World!