The first thing we did prior to our trip was tell our travel agent that we were traveling with our autistic child.  She handed us guide books for guest with disabilities. She notified the airlines as well as the hotel.  We traveled to Florida through Continental Airlines and they reserved the bulk head seats for us which was nice because it allowed the boys more leg room and we didn't have to worry about Ariel kicking anyone in front of us.  To keep Ariel's ears from popping during take off I brought plenty of Dum-Dum lollipops, as well as gum to chew on. 

Also find out what time check in is at the hotel as well as check out time.  Try to schedule your flights around those hours.  We stayed at the Old Key West Resort and their check in time was at 3 p.m.  We left Newark International Airport at about 12:45 p.m. so the timing was nice, however, we weren't so lucky coming back home .  We didn't realize that check out was at 11:00 a.m. and our flight wasn't until 4:35 p.m. (which was even further delayed due to bad weather back in New Jersey).   We were at the airport for a good 6 hours so as you can imagine Ariel was not a happy camper.  But we survived!!  Make sure to bring plenty of snacks and small toys!!

Being that we stayed on the Disney Property we were allowed to enter the park an hour before the public, that hour made a real difference!   Everything was nice and close and we didn't have to pay for parking.  Although Disney provides transportation to and from the hotel we still decided to rent a car.  We were also given a card "Your key to the World" which not only was used to get into your hotel room, but could be used as a charge card as well.  We used the card at restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.....I liked this idea because we didn't have to carry our actual charge cards with us.  Once we checked out of the hotel we were given one itemized bill with all our charges.  To read about other services available for those staying on the property go to Resort Benefits.

Isaiah posing with Mickey!!!!!!!!

As you can see Ariel wasn't too crazy about Flik!!

THE MAGIC KINGDOM:  The Magical Moment Parade, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Legend of the Lion King, Snow Whites Scary Adventure, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Mickey and Minnie's Country House, Toontown Hall of Fame and Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin.

ANIMAL KINGDOM:  Camp Minnie and Mickey, Kilimanjaro Safari ride, It's Tough to Be A Bug, Festival of the Lion King, Pocahontas and her Forest Friends, Tarzan Rocks, The Boneyards and Dinosaur.  We ate at the Tusker House which is located in Africa and the food there was delicious!!

EPCOT: We enjoyed visiting all the countries but our 2 favorites were Mexico and Norway. They offered really cute boat rides that the boys enjoyed.  Universe of Energy, Spaceship Earth, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and The Land.   Unfortunately we missed The Tapestry Of Nations Parade.

MGM Studios:  Pizza Planet, Al's Toy Barn in which the boys met Buzz and Woody, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Honey I Shrunk the Kids movie set, and Fantasmic (A MUST!!).

We were also able to obtain a Guest Assistance card which was valid at all four parks.  It allowed all 4 of us to utilize the entrance for guest with disabilities.  In case of mainstream access we were allowed to use an alternate entrance.  For those attractions using the fast pass (which were usually the most popular rides and shows) we were able to utilize the fast pass line with this card.  I strongly suggest you pick up this card at any of the 4 parks all you need to do is go to guest relations.  I brought a dr.'s note with me but they didn't even ask for it.  The card is valid for the entire time that you are there.

One of the things I liked about Old Key West is that it had a mini-kitchen so we were able to make breakfast and lunch.  We would eat out for dinner every night so to avoid waiting on lines we'd have dinner early at about 4:00 p.m. and then have an early evening snack if we got hungry.   Doing this allowed us to save some money.  Disney in August is extremely hot and humid.   We purchased those water bottles that have the rotating fans attached to take with us.  Those helped a lot, whenever the boys were hot we drenched them in water to cool off.  If you can, definitely buy them at your closest retailer.  We purchased them here and paid about $7.00 for each bottle.  Disney does sell them but they sell them for about $15.00 per bottle which can add up especially if each child wants their own which is what happened to us.

Also don't forget to pick up an official autograph book!!  As you visit the many Disney characters you can also get their autographs.  The books can be purchased at any of the souvenir shops.  You can also do what's called character dining in which you can dine with the various Disney characters.   Ariel truly enjoyed this!  We did breakfast at Olivia's Cafe with Pooh, Tigger and Eyore.  Make sure to make reservations for this because they do fill up fast.

Disney can become very tiring especially with all the walking.  We did take our stroller but you can rent them at all of the theme parks.  When the boys became tired we would leave and many times they just wanted to relax at the pool.   We followed their lead and just wanted them both to enjoy Disney so that it would be a memorable vacation.  Disney and their staff do such a great job in taking care of you.   There's so much to do there that a week just isn't enough time.  We first covered whatever it was that the boys wanted to do and then worked from there.  We had a fantastic time!!!

We LOVED Disney and do plan on going back again!!