Families with autistic/SID children, where do you stay?

[Nik's Mom]

It's me again. I'm struggling with the resort decision yet again. I asked about the values, and received some good info from you all. But DH and I are looking into all resorts and I'm wondering which resorts you all stay?

We have a nearly 7 year old autistic ds, and a nearly 4 year old with SID. The youngest one has MAJOR sensory issues, so too much stimulation (loud music, too many colors, etc) is a recipe for disaster. Our oldest ds would start to melt down if he had too much activity around him. He definitely needs quiet, relaxing walks and little corners of the resort to hang out and relax after visiting the parks.

We've stayed at WL (loved it), AKL (loved it), Poly (nice, but not again), and POR (loved it). I'm looking at maybe AS Music family suites, Coronado, Ft Wilderness camps, POFQ, or anywhere else I guess. I'm lost. We'd like good transportation, a hotel that has nice areas to walk around.
Any advise? Where do you all stay?
Thanks!

 

[Disneylvr]

I am thinking the All Star resorts might to be too full of activity and color for your son. I have a friend that stayed in the Fort Wildernes cabins with her 6 year old ASD son and they LOVED IT. It was the perfect place to escape to after an overstimulating day in the parks.

 

[Tissa]

I agree with the Ft Wilderness cabins. More space and a full kitchen plus no neighbors sharing walls with you.

 

[minkydog]

We stay at Ft Wilderness, in our pop-up. But if we didn't have a camper we'd still pick FW cabins. It's so much more relaxing for Christian, for all of us really. We can fix some of his meals, have plenty of room ot run and shout. I don't find the transportation to be a problem. In fact, one of the things we love about FW is the boat ride over to CR or MK. We can almost always count on that boat ride to wind things down at the end of a long day.

If we couldn't stay there, I guess I'd pick POR. It's pretty laid back. But not one of the deluxes--too much activity and too many people to bother. We love our boy, but he's a loud one.

 

[D'AngelosdoDisney]

All of the all stars are way too hectic. I have stayed at movies and music and they are the same... colors, music, lots of kids running ect... If this is a real issue you are better off at another, calmer resort.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Since our little guy is newly diagnosed with SID, we still have a lot to learn. I have always been so focused on how things will effect our autistic ds, now I have to accomodate 2 special needs children. A hotel with a relaxing atmosphere is extremely important. I don't mind paying more money at all. I will definitely look into the FW Cabins. We would need a car for this resort, right?

 

[jodifla]

Since our little guy is newly diagnosed with SID, we still have a lot to learn. I have always been so focused on how things will effect our autistic ds, now I have to accomodate 2 special needs children. A hotel with a relaxing atmosphere is extremely important. I don't mind paying more money at all. I will definitely look into the FW Cabins. We would need a car for this resort, right?

You could get by without a car there, but it's a lot of bus riding. One bus gets you around the campground, another gets you to different parts of Disney. And you need to take the first bus to get to the second bus.

I would also suggest Old Key West. It's a really serene place.

 

[AJKMOM]

After our 8th trip to WDW with our autistic son, we bought into DVC. It's the best thing we could have done.

 

[minnie61650]

It's me again. I'm struggling with the resort decision yet again. I asked about the values, and received some good info from you all. But DH and I are looking into all resorts and I'm wondering which resorts you all stay?

We have a nearly 7 year old autistic ds, and a nearly 4 year old with SID. The youngest one has MAJOR sensory issues, so too much stimulation (loud music, too many colors, etc) is a recipe for disaster. Our oldest ds would start to melt down if he had too much activity around him. He definitely needs quiet, relaxing walks and little corners of the resort to hang out and relax after visiting the parks.

We've stayed at WL (loved it), AKL (loved it), Poly (nice, but not again), and POR (loved it). I'm looking at maybe AS Music family suites, Coronado, Ft Wilderness camps, POFQ, or anywhere else I guess. I'm lost. We'd like good transportation, a hotel that has nice areas to walk around.
Any advise? Where do you all stay?
Thanks!

The playground at All Star music was very quiet when we stayed in October.
My granson had it all to himself the three afternoons we went there.
Also any of the pathways behind the builings are quiet.
But I sense you are very unsure about the All Stars because of some bad reviews you have read.


My vote (since you said in another post that you would like to stay at an affordable resort this visit) would be that you return to POR. It is an afforable resort , you said you loved it when you stayed there in the past and best of all you are familar with the grounds and the check in process so you will know how to prepare for a stay there.

Fort Wilderness is rustic but it can be spread out. It also has horses and a petting farm there so if your children have allergies or are sensitive to strong orders you might not want to stay there. If those issues are not a problem then the extra space in the cabin would be nice for your family.

Relax and have fun at Disney!
I hope you have a very enjoyable stay.

 

[dzorn]

We stayed at the All Star Movies for two nights last year. Emma loved the larger than life figures. She is on the higher functioning side and it takes an lot to over stimulate her. We are going in May this year and Staying at PORS. We would have stayed at movies again but we are taking my sister.

Denise
Mom of Emma & Rachel

Disney Bound in May
Cannot wait.

 

[minnie61650]

I just wanted to add that I love the pools at the All Stars.

There are no slides at the All Star Pools.

That is one reason I love the pools at the All Stars.
The young children can enjoy the pool and the squiting fountains and not be bumped into by the older children who are rushing for the slides.

That makes for a lot less chaos and less noise.

When we want slides we go to BB or TL.


Otherwise we enjoy seeing the children having fun in the pool at the All Stars.

The pools at The All Stars are very kid friendly.

When staying at the All Stars you can use any of the All Star pools.That means 3 main pools ,3 quiet pools and 3 kiddie pools to chose from.

The All Star Movie Fantasia pool has Mickey.

The Calypso pool at ASMU has Donald Duck.

And the Surfs up pool at All Star Sports has giant surf boards.

Here are a few pool photos.

All Star Sports pool.

All Star Music Donald pool.

All Star Movies Mickey Pool.

All Star Movies kiddie pool.

 

[Grace&Carolinesmom]

I have no personal experience with the resorts as I have our first trip to the world in May but I do have a daughter that I believe is autistic-high functioning (she has not gotten an official diagnosis yet b/c of some VERY conservative doctors but that is a whole new thread in itself)

If we were trying to go more budget minded, I would think CSR to be a great choice. Although the resort is spread out, by requesting a building closer to the main building for medical issues (which autism IS) you could have a delightful stay. There are the quiet pools and the large theme pool as well as the playground for the kids to play. Because CSR is a convention hotel, the pools, playground, and buses will not be as crowded as conventioners are in meetings all day.

The food issue: children with autism generally are picky eaters due to sensitivities and allergies. CSR has a TS restaurant, a large food court with many options, AND room service. If the kids are having a bad day(or night) you can order room service or get your food "to-go" and bring it back to the room to eat.

For our first trip we have chosen the CR wing rooms. We couldn't afford the tower but with an AP disc its not too bad. We chose it b/c of its proximity to MK, dining options, room size, and the "convention" factor making the pool and playground less busy. If dd is having a meltdown at MK we can walk back to hotel if needed. DD also does not do well waiting so we wanted to minimize bus time. We figure we will only need the bus for AK and maybe MGM. We can use the monorail for everything else.( not going to the waterparks or DTD) I have also found the hotel to be very responsive to her allergies and I have been emailing one of the sous chefs there regarding food ingredients and bringing in some special dietery items.

Just my two cents. Good luck. I am sure you will have a magical time wherever you choose to stay

 

[Nik's Mom]

I never considered a CR wing room. I'll have to look into that. We can swing a deluxe, but we are trying to keep costs down to allow us to go on other little weekend trips during the year. If we go deluxe, we will definitely have to cut out those weekend trips. I'm off to the resort board to check out CR.
Thanks, again!

 

[flynnmnstr]

Our autistic DS 4 does really well there. When he was younger and we really couldn't stay in hotels because just the new experience was too stimulating for him. He wouldn't go to sleep until 2 am and we would end up wondering why we choose to go on vacation. We went to the Dolphin for the first time with him when he was about 17mnths old because my DH had a business trip that we decided to add a family getaway onto. He did really well there and we've been staying there ever since. Its great because they have a great pool but also have a quiet pool. You can walk around the property or walk around the lake to BC/YC and Boardwalk.

Now he asks us every day if we are going back to the "Dolphin Fish". I think he likes the hotel better than the parks. To be honest I think the best thing we've done for Alex is to keep returning to the same hotel. The consistency is the best thing for him and makes our vacation go much more smooth. Good thing we absolutely love the hotel and probably would choose to stay anywhere else anyway. The location to the parks, discounts and hotel ammenitites (especially the pool and restaurants) make it a great place to be.

 

[Nik's Mom]

I never thought about the Swan/Dolphin. That seems like a great choice, since you can walk to Epcot, or take the boat to MGM. I'll have to keep my eye on those great discounts.

 

[mbb]

The decisions and options seem endless, don't they?

Have to say we've never been disappointed in our choices for WDW resorts.
We've been to ASMusic, Polynesian, Old Key West, Beach Club Villas, and Boardwalk Villas.

We went to lunch at CSR just this last trip..and am thinking that this might be the spot that might work for you, like Grace&Caroline'sMom said.

We strolled around the grounds, which are just lovely. You could use the little golf cart bus service too, if walking wasn't part of a good plan, occasionally.

Having the option of the big pool/slide, and then the littler quiet pools (no slides) would offer lots of flexibility for swimming, too.

Just my two cents as well - let us know what you decide

 

[3kidsmommy]

I just had to add my 2 cents here...we just got back from WDW last night. We rented a condo with my 3 children, 7yo with autism and SID, and it was wonderful!!! We stayed in Windsor Hills and had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and room to spread out. This meant Chandler slept and was NOT constantly being inundated with all things Disney. Windsor Hills was only a 5 minute drive using back roads (thanks to the DIS member who gave those to me!) Although I love staying on property, we will never stay on again. The extra space made all the difference in teh world. We didn't have to look for quiet spots and we had a kitchen available for our picky little guy. LOVED it. Just another option you might want to check into. Also, I will add that our days AT the parks were limited---Chandler could only take about 5 hours in a park before it was just too much---too many people, too much sound, too much noise, etc. That was fine by us. We used the swimming pool a lot and still got to see a few things Disney...

 

[jodifla]

I just had to add my 2 cents here...we just got back from WDW last night. We rented a condo with my 3 children, 7yo with autism and SID, and it was wonderful!!! We stayed in Windsor Hills and had 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and room to spread out. This meant Chandler slept and was NOT constantly being inundated with all things Disney. Windsor Hills was only a 5 minute drive using back roads (thanks to the DIS member who gave those to me!) Although I love staying on property, we will never stay on again. The extra space made all the difference in teh world. We didn't have to look for quiet spots and we had a kitchen available for our picky little guy. LOVED it. Just another option you might want to check into. Also, I will add that our days AT the parks were limited---Chandler could only take about 5 hours in a park before it was just too much---too many people, too much sound, too much noise, etc. That was fine by us. We used the swimming pool a lot and still got to see a few things Disney...

Just a note: DVC accommodations offer all this, but on site.....

 

[robin09]

Hi Niks Mom..

I have my 7 year old dughter who has aspergers, sensory problems, ocd and an allergy to color dyes. (she is also labeled with adhd, but I just can't seem to see it).. but that's another story.

Last August, thanks to alot of help and advice on this board we tried Disney All Star Movies. We asked for a quiet room and received a room on the 2nd floor by the Mighty Ducks. The pool here was basically empty. We were thrilled. The walk to the bus was a little hectic for us.. she always had to do the same walk, pose for the same picture by the dalmation dogs with the tv. I wouldn't trade it at all, with her sensory problems the walking and running was necessary to be able to relax a little on the bus.

We avoide the fireworks every night, as I know her fears... the busses were basically empty at the times we used it.

We are going back again this AUGUST and trying Pop Century. I have older children and this little one is really getting me to smell the flowers...

 

[andijean]

We stayed at Coronado for our trip in December and I agonized and researched each resort. We loved Coronado and it lived up to everything I expected! The reasons I chose it was b/c of it being convention resort it was sooo quiet. Great for DS! All rooms had fridge, so did breakfast in the room everyday versus trying to deal with another sit-down meal. The pools weren't crowded. Main had some people...quiet pools very quiet, but it was December. The DIG SITE. For our DS sand is very calming and after a over-stimulating day at the park, we would take him to the dig site in the evening. Not a soul there. Also, swinging is very calming for these kids and the dig site has those too...not all resorts do. We did Disney tranportation and CSR does not share buses, so that was easy and not too crowded. Good luck to you! It sounds like you are on the right track. I found that putting the extra time into picking the right place was worth it. Oh, also I had to prioritize what was most important for him, b/c there wasn't one resort that had everything. Like, for us sand was near the top of the list.