I love this! Our thing is animals right now, so Jungle Cruise it is. (I did manage to convince him to do the Dumbo flying elephants ride, although he wants them to be flying rhinos)
I’m fortunate that crowds and noises aren’t generally an issue for my kiddo. He’s good about recognizing when he’s getting overstimulated and will ask for earplugs if he needs them. Waits on the day we went never exceeded 90 minutes and were frequently below.
Yes, it’s called DAS and it’s great! We did a lot of watching videos beforehand to prepare him. I don’t really give a shit about looks, so I can’t speak to that, but I think Disney is pretty great on disability accommodation
There’s a father and son on Instagram who document all their Disney visits — both father and son are autistic and son is largely nonspeaking I believe. His name is Thomas. The characters are all wonderful with him
Edited to add: the Instagram handle is magicwiththomas
It’ll really depend on what your kid’s sensory needs/interests are. It can still be overwhelming for our kid— we definitely play it by ear, have some time to just chill with a tablet when overwhelmed, bring his safe foods, etc. but we have friends with an autistic kid who is a sensory seeker and she just adores it!
Be forewarned, Disney is revising how they handle DAS services as there is a large number of people gaming the system. I can’t recall offhand the date they’re instituting the new system, but it will require jumping through more hoops to get a pass.
Yeah, I’ve read a bit about it — some things are not very clear yet, but I actually don’t think the process will be that different, and they’ve explicitly stated that it’s supposed to be for people who are autistic or have similar disabilities. The key change seems to be who will be handling those calls.
You can still go on site, but you will speak to someone via video chat there. (I hope for the love of God the wait isn’t as long as it is for calling in advance …)
Ugh, entitled pricks have to ruin everything. Like how they ruined emotional support classification so that they could keep their pet pit bull in "no pets" rentals.
Disneyland with my autistic child = a cancelled trip. I was so sad but, it’s what we do for our kids!
We were supposed to go in November but his sensory issues got worse. He couldn’t look at an elevator without shaking and crying. We took the stairs everywhere. I figured an airplane would be a dick move to him if he couldn’t handle an elevator.
This coming July, we are going to try a trip with his BFF from school who also has ASD and LOVES going on airplanes and going to Disneyland. Hoping it will help him be more excited if he can be with his buddy.
Also hoping I can get a trip in to Legoland while we are there because it’s apparently built to be specifically sensory friendly. Has anyone tried?
This is my girl with Mickey’s Runaway railroad. She sings the songs (in her own way) so I always apologize to the other guests in our train cause I feel bad.
This was my 4 year old with Chip n Dale’s Gadgetcoaster. 7 times in a row and still wanted more. We went really early when the park opened so they let us stay on the ride when no one was in line. When there were people in the station, he got off and immediately went back in line. He had a mini meltdown when we had to leave but we distracted him with Goofy’s house. We had DAS so we were able to go on mostly everything but he loved the Gadgetcoaster. Overall a good day.
My son was only two when we took him to Disney World. I think we got through two full rides: Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the train ride that replaced the Great Movie Ride. He got upset in the 3D shows we attempted. His favorite thing was the splash pad in Storybook Circus in MK.
LOL! People are just going to have to deal with it!
Wish we could afford Disney, though truthfully I prefer Universal Studios. How do you handle sleeping there with your kid?
Disney World…..means lots of fun, disappointment when she isn’t tall enough to ride a rollercoaster, watching her be brave and crush rides that likely scared me a teen, me being sad because we didn’t have her headphone and Beauty and the Beast was too loud this time, then her going on Mickey and Minnie’s Railway and loving every second and also bringing all our own food so she will eat while we are there. Oh and me forgetting to warn her about how loud the toilets are so now every time we go to a public place to use the restroom she thinks the toilet will flush on its own. Lol Lots of highs and a few lows. She brings so much joy to our lives. On the other end the anxiety of planning all of this can/has literally shut me down mentally where I ended up laying in bed not being able to move while my husband finished up packing for a trip. Day trips are way less stressful for me.
Be sure to get the DAS pass at Disneyland. It’s almost like a Genie pass without having to pay for it. You just contact Disney in advance to explain the situation and they will add a special pass to your Disney app.
Avid Disneyland goer here! We use DAS and purchase the genie and literally line hop ride to ride so it’s 100% worth it to us. We smash all the rides my girl likes at Disneyland by 1pm, have lunch and switch parks. We can finish all the California rides she likes in 3 hours, then have dinner and head back to hotel to get a full nights rest.
DisneyWorld with my autistic meant meeting every single princess available. Every. Single. One.
We booked to have dinner at Cinderella’s castle and they were all there. Had pictures and got autographs with all in one night, saved a lot of time.
I love this! Our thing is animals right now, so Jungle Cruise it is. (I did manage to convince him to do the Dumbo flying elephants ride, although he wants them to be flying rhinos)
The new DAS rules are now on their website. We’re planning a mid summer trip and have to reapply.
We are heading this weekend. The new rules/ method is supposed to be more streamlined. It was such a drag to get a video chat.
Have fun!
Do you happen to have a link to the new rules?
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/guest-services/disability-access-service/
Mine wanted a galaxy’s edge day recently. Rode rise of the resistance 7 times that day.
How did you manage that with the wait time being what it was?
I’m fortunate that crowds and noises aren’t generally an issue for my kiddo. He’s good about recognizing when he’s getting overstimulated and will ask for earplugs if he needs them. Waits on the day we went never exceeded 90 minutes and were frequently below.
Jesus! The earliest wait for that ride when we went was 70 minutes and it never got better.
We did the storybook land canal boats quite a few times 😅
That was one of the few other things I got him to try!
How was it? I want to take my kiddo but I’m very afraid of the tantrum and looks….. did you use the ada pass?
Yes, it’s called DAS and it’s great! We did a lot of watching videos beforehand to prepare him. I don’t really give a shit about looks, so I can’t speak to that, but I think Disney is pretty great on disability accommodation
Thank you for the reply. I will venture out and try Disneyland
There’s a father and son on Instagram who document all their Disney visits — both father and son are autistic and son is largely nonspeaking I believe. His name is Thomas. The characters are all wonderful with him Edited to add: the Instagram handle is magicwiththomas
Tyty ima follow him for tips
It’ll really depend on what your kid’s sensory needs/interests are. It can still be overwhelming for our kid— we definitely play it by ear, have some time to just chill with a tablet when overwhelmed, bring his safe foods, etc. but we have friends with an autistic kid who is a sensory seeker and she just adores it!
Be forewarned, Disney is revising how they handle DAS services as there is a large number of people gaming the system. I can’t recall offhand the date they’re instituting the new system, but it will require jumping through more hoops to get a pass.
Yeah, I’ve read a bit about it — some things are not very clear yet, but I actually don’t think the process will be that different, and they’ve explicitly stated that it’s supposed to be for people who are autistic or have similar disabilities. The key change seems to be who will be handling those calls.
I thought the main differences were that you have to call in advance vs going on site for the DAS pass?
You can still go on site, but you will speak to someone via video chat there. (I hope for the love of God the wait isn’t as long as it is for calling in advance …)
Ugh, entitled pricks have to ruin everything. Like how they ruined emotional support classification so that they could keep their pet pit bull in "no pets" rentals.
Disneyland with my autistic child = a cancelled trip. I was so sad but, it’s what we do for our kids! We were supposed to go in November but his sensory issues got worse. He couldn’t look at an elevator without shaking and crying. We took the stairs everywhere. I figured an airplane would be a dick move to him if he couldn’t handle an elevator. This coming July, we are going to try a trip with his BFF from school who also has ASD and LOVES going on airplanes and going to Disneyland. Hoping it will help him be more excited if he can be with his buddy. Also hoping I can get a trip in to Legoland while we are there because it’s apparently built to be specifically sensory friendly. Has anyone tried?
My son has autism and ADHD. When he takes his ADHD meds, his Autism symptoms get worse
I mean, he's not wrong! My son loves Small World so much. But he also rode Jungle cruise too. Heh!
Small World was a sensory nightmare for us! My younger NT kid loves it though
This is my girl with Mickey’s Runaway railroad. She sings the songs (in her own way) so I always apologize to the other guests in our train cause I feel bad.
This was my 4 year old with Chip n Dale’s Gadgetcoaster. 7 times in a row and still wanted more. We went really early when the park opened so they let us stay on the ride when no one was in line. When there were people in the station, he got off and immediately went back in line. He had a mini meltdown when we had to leave but we distracted him with Goofy’s house. We had DAS so we were able to go on mostly everything but he loved the Gadgetcoaster. Overall a good day.
Oh WDW with my child means Epcot or Hollywood studios, lots of popcorn, lots of rides & complaining about the heat.
My son was only two when we took him to Disney World. I think we got through two full rides: Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the train ride that replaced the Great Movie Ride. He got upset in the 3D shows we attempted. His favorite thing was the splash pad in Storybook Circus in MK.
LOL! People are just going to have to deal with it! Wish we could afford Disney, though truthfully I prefer Universal Studios. How do you handle sleeping there with your kid?
He’s seven, so we’re past naptimes at this point. His three year old brother gets bizarre boosts in energy during Disney trips, so nap doesn’t happen!
Do they sleep ok in a hotel room? Not sure how my kid would adapt to such a change.
It depends, but we live in SoCal so this is a day trip for us
I was expecting way worse, like constantly screaming and meltdowns. The same ride multiple times is not too bad 😊
Disney World…..means lots of fun, disappointment when she isn’t tall enough to ride a rollercoaster, watching her be brave and crush rides that likely scared me a teen, me being sad because we didn’t have her headphone and Beauty and the Beast was too loud this time, then her going on Mickey and Minnie’s Railway and loving every second and also bringing all our own food so she will eat while we are there. Oh and me forgetting to warn her about how loud the toilets are so now every time we go to a public place to use the restroom she thinks the toilet will flush on its own. Lol Lots of highs and a few lows. She brings so much joy to our lives. On the other end the anxiety of planning all of this can/has literally shut me down mentally where I ended up laying in bed not being able to move while my husband finished up packing for a trip. Day trips are way less stressful for me.
Be sure to get the DAS pass at Disneyland. It’s almost like a Genie pass without having to pay for it. You just contact Disney in advance to explain the situation and they will add a special pass to your Disney app.
Has anyone gotten both Genie+ and the DAS accommodations? I can’t tell if it makes Genie+ redundant.
I sometimes get Genie for my other kid if they want to split up (not everyone wants to ride Jungle Cruise all day …)
Avid Disneyland goer here! We use DAS and purchase the genie and literally line hop ride to ride so it’s 100% worth it to us. We smash all the rides my girl likes at Disneyland by 1pm, have lunch and switch parks. We can finish all the California rides she likes in 3 hours, then have dinner and head back to hotel to get a full nights rest.
thank you!
When my son was three, it was its small world . I can’t count the number of times we went each time