Published Sunday, October 14, 2012: http://www.disneygals.com/2012/10/welcome-autumn-barnes-to-guest-author.html
From DisneyGals:
Welcome Autumn Barnes to Guest Author Sunday!
Please join the Disney Gals in welcoming Autumn Barnes to the Guest Author stage today. Today Autumn takes the opportunity to set the stage for her first Disney Park trip with a special needs traveler. She is on her magical Disney vacation as we speak and will be following up this post upon her return. Please join us in following her journey and learning how to prepare for this unique experience right along with her!
First Let's Learn About Autumn: I am that girl. You
know the one you say "oh you're going to Disney? You NEED to talk to my
friend Autumn she's a Disney Guru". Yup, I will admit it I am a Disney
junkie. I start sentences with things like "It's what I do, It's what I
live for, to help poor unfortunate tourists, like yourself, poor souls
with noone else to turn to", or throws "hakuna matata" into
discussions that have people stressed out. It was recently said by a very dear
old friend "If Aut isn't wearing PSU or Disney gear something is wrong
with the universe, or she is in desperate need of a laundry washing day."
My nighttime routine is Phineas and Ferb, yes yes I am a bit to old for
cartoons but that's ok because they make me happy.
I have been hooked on all thinks Disney as far back as I can
remember, and I sucked my awesome military husband Drew into
that addiction when we got married. I got his stack of internet
security textbooks, piles of computer equipment and language based on tech, he
got my pile of Ariel collectible dolls, a mountain of Disney movies,
and a joint purchase into DVC two years into our union. I adore helping people
learn about the Disney as a whole, but really my true addiction anymore is the
parks. Our bucket list contains very few items, to see every Disney
theme park, and hotel/resort that is not at a theme park on earth in person.
Prior to September 2012 I was just your average Disney trip planning friend
that had all their knowledge from trips to WDW or online, but after I was able
to help my dental hygienist save a good chunk of money on free dining this
fall I caved, listened to what my friends and family had been telling me for
years to do and became a Disney Travel Specialist with Wishing Well Travel
because I wanted to properly help others save money while having a magical trip
and getting to know all the amazing parts of my "second home".
Thanks to taking that course I know have an even better understanding of WDW,
and actually know useful things about the parks I haven't been to.
Traveling to Walt Disney World with a Special Needs Individual
“Walt Disney World Vacation”,
usually to most people in their thirties these words brings to mind family
vacations with the kids, except in my house. My husband and I don’t have kids, we are in all technicality
the definition of “DINK”s. We have several nieces and nephews, but when we
travel, it is just us, as we tend to go to Disney during the school year. For
us planning a Disney trip means, check the calendar and find a weekend that works
for us, find an airfare sale, book a room through DVC, and have the husband
drop a leave chit. There are no worries
about missing school, getting kids through security, naptimes, ride height
restrictions etc. UNTIL now that is.
A few months ago we learned a good
friend’s husband would be deploying in October. I knew that this trip was hard
on her as their son is classified by the military as EFM (Exceptional Family
Member). Their son has this
classification because he was born 4 months early, has a heart condition, a
g-tube that they use for night time feedings, and he is autistic, but the thing
is the kid is one of the neatest kids you would EVER meet, health issues and
all. So, after finding out this
deployment news and knowing we would be in WDW 2 weeks after dad deployed, my
husband and I discussed it and invited Mom and “E” to come with us in
mid-October to WDW. A few weeks later
Dad’s leave date was revised, and now he is coming with us as well, which is
great because it gives them a family trip, and let’s Dad be there for E’s first
trip to Disney.
Going into this adventure though I
realized I was walking into a WHOLE new world. Not only would we be traveling
with a toddler, something we had never done before, but we would be traveling
with someone who was special needs.
Being the research junkie I am I started looking into what we needed to
have, do, expect to make the trip smoother for everyone involved. At first I had some issues finding in depth
info but then a person I met on a DVC board, who was also great enough to offer
personal experience, pointed me in the right direction. This post will cover what
I have learned, the second post which will appear later in October after we get
home will go over how much of this info was spot on, any extra tips I have
learned, and just a general how it went for those wondering how the DINKS did
with a toddler on vacation.
The first step was researching
where the first aid stations were in the parks, as well as where the closest
hospitals were and providing that info to Mom and Dad just in case Dad’s
command asked for it. Because we are all military this isn’t exactly weird to
us, we know EFM families have extra rules/regs to follow, primarily just to
ensure the ensure the safety of the EFM member. To be extra safe I made sure the hospital I
found was a Tricare friendly hospital. So now we know Celebration ER is the
place for us in case there is an emergency that does require an ER run.
Disney
has something called a Guest Relations Card (GAC) for people with certain
disabilities or medical conditions. I have learned this card can be obtained at
Customer Service in the front of each park and that you do not need a Doctor’s
note to acquire it, though we have gotten one from E’s doctor just to be safe. A GAC is good for the entire length of your
trip, and there are actually different versions of this card. We will be renting a stroller card as E does
not do well with crowds and the GAC allows him to keep it in the lines. There is some conflicting information online
as to whether different cards are issues for different disability/mobility
issues, or if the card is stamped. But it DVC customer service confirmed there
is a card, and that it is issues for several different reasons, but that we will
need one to keep the stroller out of stroller parking. E also qualifies for a GAC because he is sensitive
in heat because of a heart issue, and possibly may need to use the alternate
entrance line as he is Autistic and is immune compromised, all of these things
qualify him for a GAC on their own. A
GRC does not mean you jump to the front of the line, but it is suppose to make
things easier on the person with the disability. I have read up to five people can accompany a
GAC holder on rides, so this will work well as it will be E and four adults. In
my research it is also suggested you put your GAC in a badge holder where it
can be easily seen to make it easier on Cast Members, and I would assume to
draw less direction attention to the person with special needs. Another person suggested we attach it TO the
stroller but I am not sure how that will work since it is a rental, I am
planning to ask Customer Service which method the Cast Members prefer.
In
addition, another concern was E has a g-tube for his nighttime feedings. I know from experience the Disney hotel staff
at Saratoga Springs where we are staying is wonderful. However, I also wanted
to ensure that E’s feeding tub and IV pole will be left alone and not moved around
during the day if the cleaning staff comes to the room. This seemed to be rather easy to handle, all
I did was have the DVC booking agent put a note in our reservation info that
there would be medical equipment in the room and we would like them to not move
it. I also reconfirmed there would be a
Pack and Play in the room as this makes it easier on E’s parents for his
feedings.
The
biggest concern we have had is the flight security checkpoint NOT the parks
because as we all know Walt Disney World is the MASTER of customer service. Mom wants to travel with three packages of
feeding formula on the plane in her carry on to be safe, and has concerns with
the security area so I started looking up info to help relax her. The TSA site has provided some info, but to
be honest to me it looks like have updated their website recently and removed a
good deal of traveler information that I had shared with others before, as well
as the “Disability Notification Card for Air Travel” form they state is
available online, but the link redirects to an error page. Because E has an inhaler, his feeding pump, meds,
etc. there is a LOT of info I had to look for on the TSA website. What I have
learned through their sites is it seems he can travel with his meds and liquids
because they are prescription/medical supplies but that they may be tested, or
they need to have a copy of the prescription info with them. The most important thing I have found it the
“TSA Cares Hotline” for those who have disabilities and are planning on
flying. Per the TSA site “TSA Cares is a
helpline to assist travelers with disabilities and medical conditions. TSA
recommends that passengers call 72 hours ahead of travel to for information
about what to expect during screening. Travelers
may call TSA Cares toll free at 1-855-787-2227 prior to traveling with
questions about screening policies, procedures and what to expect at the
security checkpoint. TSA Cares will serve as an additional, dedicated resource
specifically for passengers with disabilities, medical conditions or other
circumstances or their loved ones who want to prepare for the screening process
prior to flying.” A TSA agent will provide info to the travel based on their
specific needs, and if needed will also coordinate with your local TSA office so
that they are prepared for you when you arrive for your flight. To ensure Mom
does call the TSA three days before we leave I added a “to do” on my Google
Calendar just to be safe.
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