Disney?

[izzi'smom]

Just got off the phone with a Disney World rep who tells me that because of Izz's Crohn's we are eligible for a guest assistance card (like a fast pass) to minimize wait time. Any other tips? I have a hotel res that I need to use by November and will be taking Izz (5) and Xavier (2). I am somewhat concerned by restrooms and how long the lines may be...they can be quite long at some of the other theme parks I have visited.

 

[AZMOM]

Ang - we went last year and actually Didn't request accommodation (clearly we should have!). We didn't have a problem with restroom lines. If you have a ast pass for the ride lines, you've got what you need!

J.

 

[kimmidwife]

Angie,
We have been to Disney many times. They have tons of bathrooms. I don't think we have ever had to wait. Just make sure to bring the crohns card with you to show people if you need to cut the line in the bathroom.

 

[DustyKat]

No advice here, I have never been there. But I'll keep on dreaming...

When I was a kid I use to watch The Wonderful World Of Disney on TV and thought it was the most fab place ever! :lol:

I bet the kids will have a blast! anda:

Dusty.

 

[Tesscorm]

Oooh, you'll have sooo much fun!!! :yoshijumpjoy::yoshijumpjoy:

Like Kim said, tons of bathrooms... Stephen and I went in August and I don't think I ever had to wait. But, just have your Crohn's card, in case - I can't imagine anyone would begrudge you a space in line! (Wish I'd known about the guest assistance card! :ytongue

 

[tots]

Crohns card?

 

[Crohn's Mom]

Ang - no worries on the bathrooms there! There are plenty and usually no lines ! Do take them up in the fast pass for rides tho!! well worth it !

 

[dannysmom]

We've been there several times and once we used the disability accomodations for my oldest son (back issue) - it was wonderful! I do not recall ever waiting in a long line for the bathroom. Just be aware that some rides can last a bit long (ie Small World may be ~15 minutes). Enjoy!!

 

[Dexky]

When are you going Ang?? I hope for your sake, it's early spring or late fall. The crowds and the heat of summer turn the "most wonderful place on earth" into a living hell, especially with two small kids to keep up with.

^^^Dusty^^^, when you were a kid Disney World was a swamp!!!

 

[Tesscorm]

oohhh, you may have crossed a line there Dex! :ylol2: Better keep your head up! :ybatty:

 

[SarahAnne]

Angie, I went to Disney World last year around the end of February. Had my 4 & 7 year old with me. I didn't have a Crohn's card, and I was a little worried about the bathroom situation. Like the others said, there are tons of bathrooms! I never had to wait, most of the restrooms in the restaurants are right inside the front doors, several times I used them when we didn't even have reservations.

I was really nervous, but the bathrooms were actually my smallest issue. Even in February, it gets really hot during the day in Orlando. My biggest problem was getting fatigued with all of the walking and getting overheated. I brought lots of bottled water and gatorade in the backpack, and tried to rest in the shade whenever I could. I wasn't my healthiest during the trip, but I wouldn't take it back for anything. I have pictures of my family smiling and having a good time, and we have wonderful memories that we still talk about.

With Crohn's we don't get a lot of "fun" time, constantly worrying about whether we should eat or not so we don't hurt later or have to go to the bathroom. If she's up to it, I say go and have fun!

PS - the staff at Disney is AMAZING! They are so customer oriented, especially when it comes to kids. If Izzy has any issues at all while there, they will bend over backwards to help her out. Have fun, I'm so jealous!!

 

[imaboveitall]

How great for your two, that dollfaced girl will fit right in with the Princesses. :heart:
We've been three times and also lived in Fl many years and I second what Dexky said...do not go in summer! The heat is punishing.

 

[Lisa]

Awesome Ang!!!!!...TOLD YOU that you should call! lol....

I agree - bathrooms are plentiful.....and if anything happens the staff if VERY accomodating!

When we were at Disney/Magic Kingdom a could years ago with Tori (and our friend Melissa) - Tori took a spill on Huck Finn's Island - running down a slope she went SPLAT.....scraped up her knee pretty badly.....

We had EMS come out to take care of her so we didn't have to trek to the first aid station - they were there in 5 minutes or less.....got her bandaged up....AND Tori got a fast-pass/skip to the head of the line to see Ariel!!!.....we have pictures of her smiling away, knee bandaged up sitting next to her favorite princess.....

Have fun and take LOTS of pictures!!!!!

 

[izzi'smom]

Dex...I once went to universal in july...those misting fans are wonderful but I will never visit again in the summer, especially not with two kids in tow. Dusty I am *sure* there areforum members that will put youup for a week in there homes and look out dex...I envision a knitting needle in your eye courtesy of dusty lol!

 

[Jenn]

Awesome! we just went last Nov and the weather and crowds were great. I had thought about looking into this, but Alex was doing well on remicade then and didn't. He just got fatigued early, so we never tried to do everything on every day, picked favorites. Hardest for me was not worrying about the money and just enjoying it! Hope you have a great time.

 

[izzi'smom]

I am somewhat concerned about fatigue (it is a huge issue or us right now...she falls asleep daily)...I am probably going to get a double stroller for both of the kids and take my lumps for letting a 5 year old ride in a stroller, just like I do at home!
We like to take walks when it is nice out here, but pushing a 1 year old in a stroller while trying to carry a cramping/needs to go potty *now* four year old was *really* difficult last summer...I generally have the double stroller but ask her to walk at least part of the way to get some exercise. It also helps that I can run with them in the stroller to get her to the restroom asap!
Jenn, It may be that we visit in October or November to give me plenty of time to plan!
I like to save money where I can (ie bringing most of our own food, buying trinkets off-site) but am really good about just letting go while we are on vacation. It's what I live for...and I want my kids to just have fun!

...and thanks, Lisa, for the tip...you ROCK!!

 

[Lisa]

Double stroller is a MUST!....and don't worry about having a 5 year old in one...I've seem MUCH older kids being pushed around in them! lol.....

If you stay off-site and have a car, there are PLENTY of grocery stores etc to get food, Wal-Mart is nearby (5 minutes off 192).....etc etc.....TONS of souvenier places around too.....hubby and I have been there enough times we know where most of the 'must know' places are.....

OH- and on International Blvd there is a visitor center where you can get ALL KINDS of coupons - for shows, attractions (Ripleys' etc)....even for 'gifts' at some flea markets (which sell NEW items - but cheaper!).....the gift when we went was a key chain - but Tori likes those!!!

 

[Tesscorm]

Ang, if you are staying on Disney property, their food plan was worthwhile! I'd never really looked into it in the past but, as the last trip was just Stephen and I, for some reason, I actually had a look at it... It was well worth the money!

 

[DustyKat]

Hahaha sucked in Dex, a knitting needle in the eye for you...:voodoo:

 

[Chloeem]

Sounds like a great plan. Sometimes these guys need a break from the daily routine. Have only been to CA Disney years ago. That is nice they have a fast track pass. I hear you about the potty business. Sounds like you should not have a problem. It will give her something fun to look forward too.

 

[dannysmom]

even healthy 5 year olds use the strollers - they are very sturdy! I agree -- a must!

 

[Jenn]

LOL, I pushed my older son around in a stroller when he was 5 and perfectly healthy, along with the younger at 1. I wouldn't worry about it!

It's great you have the option to go during school hours before they get older!
We stayed on-site at the cheapest one, all-star sports. Still recommend having a car, much faster/convenient than the buses. We bought a cheap styrofoam cooler and filled it with ice each morning/evening as our fridge, didn't want to pay extra just to have an inefficient noisy tiny one in the room. So lots of breakfasts in the room, snacks packed, mostly just paid for dinners. It's a challenge, but totally worth it. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of trip for

... just wanted to add that I'm environmentally conscious, felt guilty about the styrofoam- but it was gone within 10 min. of leaving it by the ice machine so at least someone else re-used it too! (we flew in, could only manage so much)

 

[LindaS]

I just got back from Disney. As others have mentioned, they have tons of bathrooms, I never had to wait. However, the TP in the bathrooms really irritated me, so I carried wet wipes. If there is nothing on the menu at a restaurant that your daughter can eat, ask to talk to the chef. My son has food allergies, and at every restaurant, the chef came out and talked to us, and several times made something for him that wasn't on the menu.

A stroller is so helpful. My son is 7, and I almost wish we had one for him this past trip, just because of all the walking. If Izzy doesn't fit in a stroller, rent a wheel chair (which is what I ended up doing on our last trip). You can also rent a nicer stroller from Orlando Stroller which they will deliver to your hotel for you.

There is a board specifically directed to going to Disney with disabilities, http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20. There is a Crohn's specific post there that might have some help for you.

 

[kimmidwife]

Angie,
Who do you call about the assistance card? We just bought our tickets for Disney in April.

 

[Johnnysmom]

Angie,

We lived in Orlando for 3 years and went to Disney all the time! I think Spring is actually the worst time to go. March and April are so busy it is not fun. October, November are slow and you will have warm weather. December is busy for Christmas and can be cold. It can get into the 30's at night there and 40's durning the day.

One thing we did while we were there is to have dinner at the princess castle in the magic kingdom. You have to call about 4 months in advance for a reservation but it is totally worth it. You get to go into the castle, meet all the princesses, have a 5 course meal in air conditioning. And it did not cost any more than if you were to eat at any of the restaurants. Our daughter loved it! You can do lunch or dinner. All the girls wear there princess dresses to the lunch/dinner which you can buy there but they are about $75 at the park. They are a little nicer but you can pick up one at the disney store for $30 and bring it with you. (We made the mistake of not bringing one the first time.)


Have fun, I am sure Izzi will love it!

Tiffany

 

[Mayflower537]

My family just got back from Disneyworld, and it was pretty crowded at Magic Kingdom one of the days we were there and lines in the bathroom were a non-issue. So I don't think that will be a problem for you.

We did fast-passes for most of the rides that offered one - what a great idea! So to be able to do that anyway b/c of Izzie's condition should guarantee you get on the rides with little to no wait at all. I think the most we waited with a fast pass was probably 5 minutes.

Agreed about the princess outfit, if she is inclined to wear one - they are $64 inside Magic Kingdom, so definitely buy ahead of time to save some dough.

I wouldn't sweat it about pushing a five-year old around in a stroller - I saw tons of kids who looked a lot older than that in strollers the whole time we were there. I think it was stranger that with a 6 and 4 year old, we DIDN'T have a stroller, LOL.

We had a blast - more fun than I anticipated. I hope y'all do too.

 

[lookame]

I went in November last year. I had some difficulties with food(the burgers all have whole grain buns and grapes come with basiclly every meal) I only had trouble getting to one bathroom from a picnic type area in animal kingdom and that was because it was quite a bit away from my table and I got confused how to get out of the picnic area. Lines weren't a problem. Take it slow and don;t try to rush around and do a whole lot of things. At one point I had to sit and rest for a half an hour till my tummy settled(there's a bunch of shows you can go and sit and watch if she needs a break)

Now since we went in November we didn;t need the assistance card and I read that it can actually be longer lines for the assistance card as well. So wether it'll come in handy is up in the air. Also, don;t worry about pushing a 5 year old in a stroller. We brought a stroller for my son(5) and it came in handy especially late at night when he would pass out, it also helped when he got tired and didn;t want to walk.

In all it's a great place to go. Disney is very disability friendly place.

 

[nighttowll]

Hi Izzi's mom

I hope your trip goes great. Since no one has mentioned it, I wanted to point out that when you go to get your GAC from guest relations you can request a special pass that let's you designate your stroller as a medical stroller. This means it gets treated just like a wheelchair. The pass which you attach to the stroller lets you take the stroller into the lines with you, even if strollers aren't allowed in line or in cases where a stroller might not physically work due to space or stairs it let's you go in the wheelchair line.

Also the GAC is not a fast pass card although it works that way a lot. Tell guest relations exactly what you need the card to do for you, shaded resting place, the ability to leave line and return due to bathroom breaks, etc. They will mark the card with different symbols that let other cast members know what accommodations you need.

And as I'm sure you know, all restaurants will work with you as far as diet, so if there is somewhere you want to eat don't worry about the menu. You can make special requests online ahead of time, and the chef will come to the table to confirm everything when you get there.

Something else I don't think was mentioned is the Babycare/First Aid centers. They offer a nice area to sit in the air conditioning and have other amenities like microwaves. I want to say I have read that they also have a refrigerated area where they can store meds, but I may be wrong about that. I'd definitely want to call before I counted on that. But they are a nice quiet place out of the way to give meds or take a break.

The only other thing I can think of is medical and first aid which are pretty great. If you haven't yet, I'd check out the medical section of a disney guide book for a list of doctors who make room calls. Its much easier to have a dr come to you in your room, then to try navigating your family in an unfamiliar city, especially if you don't have a car. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World has a good list of doctors who specialize in making hotel room calls.

 

[ChampsMom]

Wish I would have known about the card - very cool!

About FOOD! Any restaurant at Disney will accommodate your food needs! Simply ask to speak with a manager and they will do what ever you need. I did that with my son and it was GREAT! He was able to eat every where we ate as a family.

My youngest is on the Autism Spectrum and I was able to get him a "Disability bracelet" at Busche Gardens - I never even thought about getting one for Crohn's kid, sigh... We are getting season tickets this year - thanks for the post - I'll have to remember that for him!!

Have a blast! Disney is our favorite vacation spot!! IF you are staying in a resort, ask about Disney Quest, it is located in Disney Downtown! You get one free entry (per family member) when you stay at a Disney Resort hotel. It is 4 floors of every video game you've ever played and all free (once you are through the doors - if you have to pay it's like $35/pp!) If you get hit by rain or find an extremely hot day - it's a FUN place to hang out!