Just a big bunch of thanks!

We are going in December too! Dec 2 to Dec 9. This will be our 3rd trip with our DD10. She was 5 the first time she went and love it. Simon will have a blast! Everyone has already given such great advice! Definetly read up on the parks before you go, otherwise you waste so much time trying to figure out what to do. Have a great trip!!

Ali,
Did anyone tell you about getting the special guest pass for the parks if your child has any kind of special need? All you need is a letter from your dr on his/her letterhead. Present the letter at the guest services of the first park you enter. They will provide a pass for a special entrance for each ride. You can use it each time or only as needed.
This was something Kelli Crowe mentioned on her website. My son has sensory issues and so we got a pass, but fortunately never had to use it. It relieved alot of pressure just to have it if we needed it.

wow...and now you can write a book about all the cool stuff about WDW that you never knew...

we loved watching the video-it really got the gears going!!
I did forget that the characters are big-Evan wouldn't stand next to many of them.

That is a GREAT idea about the pass, Patti offered above!
Mmm hopefully you wont need it either, but good to have.
SO happy that Simon is so excited already... you guys are SO smart to be showing him the DVD.
Bx

Oh yes- I just noticed someone mentioned the Epcot "candlelight parade" - it's the Candlelight Processional with the Voices of Liberty, a massed high school choir, a cast choir in the shape of a Christmas tree, an orchestra and a celebrity narrator telling the Christmas story. It's quite a wonderful experience at Epcot if Simon is up for it - http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/h_cpfaq.htm 3 shows an evening, if you watch the last show the Epcot Illuminations fireworks show happens right afterwards at 9pm.
Also about the character autographs - someone mentioned that they're all really neat - characters are actually trained in each signature so that every Cinderella, every Captain Hook, etc. all have the exact same signature. Pretty cool. :o)
Oh yeah, one more thing! I don't know if she's there during the Christmas party fireworks, but Tinkerbell "flies" down from the top of the castle right before the fireworks start at the Magic Kingdom. Look for her to the right (if your back is to Main Street and you're facing the castle) just before they start - there'll be a spotlight on her.
Have a wonderful time!!

ali, i don't know if someone mentioned this before, but you might want to let Simon know that the characters are REALLY BIG..way bigger than on video..i've seen too many unhappy photos 'cause kids are so freakin' frightened..
have fun!!! i can't wait to take my kids!

Hi Ali.
This is my first post ever, but I'm so excited that you're taking Simon to Disney. I am a scuba diver at the aquarium in Epcot and if you are interested I can get you a behind the scenes tour of the dolphins, manatees, and everything you ever wanted to know about Nemo. They just re-did the entire "living seas" to incorporate Nemo and it is just fabulous. Let me know if you guys would be interested, it's a very fun place to work. I hope you have a great time!
Jackie

Hi Ali,
We just returned from Disney World in September (my father took our entire family, a total of 11 of us) and we had an absolute blast. Our almost 8 year old daughter is autistic and has been on the GFCF diet for 4 years. I'm sure you know, but at each character breakfast they cook according to your child's specifications. After years of taking Skylar's food with us when eating out, to watch the smile on her face when the chef placed the pancakes in the shape of Mickey's head in front of her is an image I will never forget. Our entire family cried when we heard her squeal that "This is cool food that won't make me sick!".
Disney is so awesome with special diets! Skylar truly was treated like a princess the entire week we were there.
Have a great time! Live it up!
Julie

Mickey's Christmas party is SO FUN. They give out hot cocoa and sugar cookies - YUM! We're going to Orlando in December for just a few days to visit friends and Mickey's Christmas party is the only "Disney" thing we're doing. We did it a few years ago - the weather at night is JUST the right temperature and it's not too crowded so you hardly have to wait in line for ANYTHING (except cookies!).
Just a few warnings! There are fireworks - not sure how Simon feels about that (not sure how my sensitive little Jack will feel about that either). And also only a limited number of the attractions are operating - but that's not really a big deal if you're going to the Magic Kingdom during the day, too.
Have FUN! Depending on when you're going, maybe I'll see you there! If so, I'll say HELLO and that I read your blog. Oh my gosh - would I TOTALLY look like a crazy scrapbooking stalker!?

Of all the places to eat we liked the following:
Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom (Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeoyre are there.
Wilderness Lodge Cafe @ Wilderness Lodge(Great huge portions and a LOT of fun)
Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Resort...huge buffet and Mickey characters are there!
I liked Sci Fi Cafe at MGM cause you actually sit a drive-in setting, though food was mediocre.
Hope that helps some!

I'm from germany and we make some days of our honeymoon 2005 in Disney World. With Pooh too. he's my favourite and we have a planning Video and lots of books too. Especially Birnbaums Disney Planner 2005. It's very good with many coupons. I think you will love it!

Hi Ali, We're headed to WDW Dec. 9-14th so we'll keep an eye out for you! My son is almost 4 1/2 and I have a 21 month old also. My older son has some mild sensory issues and loved Disney last year (he was 3 1/2). Two problem areas were the fireworks and the train whistle of the steam locomotive in the Magic Kingdom. He's more prepared this year, but just 2 things you want to be on the lookout for. Disney can be a sensory overload but there are plenty of quiet moments too and I'm sure you'll plan accordingly. My son also loves the monorail because it's so quiet and moves at a consistent speed. Make sure you plan to take a ride, even if it's just in a big circle for the experience! Enjoy your first Vacation at WDW--- you'll never forget it! Audrey

Ali-
A big WOOHOO for you and the family! Our family absolutely loves Disneyworld! We are members of the Disney vacation club (a timeshare) and we've gone to WDW at least once a year for the last 10 years. We went twice this year! We love, love, LOVE it! One thing that we did this year was try the Disney Dining Plan. Assuming you are staying on property, this option can be added to your package. As someone said before, the food prices are pretty outrageous, so this may be an option. I believe cost will depend on the package you have. Since we are members, it was handled differently for us. If I remember correctly I read that they can also accommodate those with special dietary needs. My husband and I witnessed the chef come out and discuss menu options with more than one family at more than one restaurant. We went to restaurants that we had never been to before. The California Grill was probably our favorite. It was a little too SHE-SHE POO-POO for our 12 year old but my husband loved everything from the sushi, to the desert. We also had awesome seats for the fireworks. I figured out the cost of the plan vs. the actual cost of the food and our savings was in the hundreds of dollars. Well that's my two cents. Hope Simon enjoys the characters and the attractions. If he likes Buzz be sure to hit Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom for Buzz's Space Ranger spin and Fantasyland for the Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Adventureland has Aladdin's magic carpet ride and Goofy's Barnstormer is a roller coaster in Mickey's Toon Town Fair that's perfect for little guys! Have fun, take lots of pics and get a photo pass every chance you get. They are great for family photos and character shots. At the end of your stay you can purchase a CD with all your pics rather than buy individual photos. I think I paid about $100 for it, but I have the release for the photos and can have as many made as I want. Just a thought. Take Care and Congrats to Chris on his win. Wish I could be in your classes, really enjoyed being in your album track in Atlanta.

Disney has a pass equivalent to the Fast Pass for children with disabilities (autism included) that allows the entire family to the front of the line. You might want to check it out.

You guys will love it. Two word though, COFFEE for you & Chris and naps for Simon!! I would walk down to our hotel coffee place every morning and get a huge cup. It gave me enough energy to make it through the day. Plus, every afternoon we would take the kids (2 & 4/12) back to the room for the little rest. This helped a lot.
It is the greatest thing to go with your child. You get to see Disney World through their eyes. It is magical.
We also made a point to not get mad at the girls the whole trip, some days were harder than others. It worked though. You will see parents yelling at their kids, kids crying their eyes out and all you think is, "you saved & planned for this vacation and this is what your child will remember."
Have a wonderful time.
Sara M

Hi Ali,
One of "The Cousins" from Cku Atlanta here. Disney is one of our favorite spots to go and we will be there over New Years Eve. We have been over 20 times but I got the Passporter book last time and I think it has some of the best Disney advice I have ever read. Also at www.disboards.com you can see all kinds of Disney info. My other piece of advice is get to teh parks early when they are less crowded and then you can leave to enjoy your resort in the afternoon. Be sure and get a Disney Mr. Potato Head! Have fun!

We just returned from Disneyland - My little guy age 4.5, ASD, had a blast! Noah was scared of extremely loud noises - unfortunately, the rides seemed really noisy. If that's an issue for Simon, you could get him used to earplugs ahead of time. Also, as others have said, they do offer a GUEST ASSISTANCE pass if your kiddo has trouble waiting in lines. I went to the guest relations desk with Noah and explained that Noah, with ASD, had trouble waiting in lines for long, that he'd start pushing people, and presented a doctor's note. They gave it to me right away with no problems. When you're at the ride, you just hand to the cast member at the front of the lines and they'll direct you where to go. It was awesome, not having to wait in the super-long lines that is so rough for my son, and made for a wonderful experience. We could even use it for the character greeting areas, and I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how nicely they treated Noah. They talked to him by name, and asked him which color car he'd like. If you don't need it at first, you can always change your mind and get it later. And I have also heard that they are accommodating for GF/CF diets. Other parents on an autism listserv may know more. I know you'll have a fantastic time!
p.s. we must have spent $50 or more on bottled water while we were there - UGH!....we found out later that you can ask some of the larger eating places in the park for a large cup of ice and they'll direct you to a water fountain. :)

We just returned from WDW and had a great time. Two thoughts: 1. use the Photopass service ALOT! In addition to taking your photo as a family (novelty, huh?, a Mom would be in the picture), they will take the same picture with YOUR camera. What I didn't know was you can purchase all your digital images for $99. We only had them take about 10, so not really worth it, but if you take advantage of it and have them take every single photo they can, it can really be a great deal. Also, 2. Don't try and do too much. WDW can be very very overwhelming if you push too hard and try and see everything. We skipped every single nighttime event (parade/fireworks) b/c our 5 and 4 year olds hate loud noises...we ended our days around 5, took a rest and a swim and took it easy at night. You'll have a great time...can't wait to see the photos show up in some of your layouts! See you at Get Croppin' in Feb! Carol P.S. The most (and best IMHO) characters are at MGM!!

My son was about Simon's age when we spent a week at DisneyWorld. My best advice for your is to rent a stroller. I know, he probably hasn't used one in a long time, but those little legs get tired trying to walk the park all day. I also found that if we knew we were going to have to wait in line for a while, that was the time to have something to eat. Waiting doesn't seem so long if you're eating!