The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin' Spectrum Mom

Favorite WDW Attractions Without Tickets: Animal Watching at Animal Kingdom Lodge!

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Welcome to those of you joining me from YOURFIRSTVISIT.NET and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2^nd stop on our Magical Blogorail!

This month’s topic is “Favorite WDW Attractions without Tickets.” One of my favorites can be found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge and Kidani Village – animal watching at one of several resort savannas.

Photo: luxurytravelmavens.com

You don’t have to be a guest at either of these resorts to experience and enjoy the "savanna views." Public areas offer panoramic views of a private wildlife preserve dotted with streams and elevated kopje (rock outcroppings) populated with more than 200 free-roaming animals and 130 birds.

Visitors have free access to animal watching 24 hours a day and are provided with Wildlife Field Guides to assist in identifying the various species of animals and birds; although it may be preferable to visit when you can attend fun programs led by Animal Specialists. These friendly cast members are always happy to talk with you and answer any questions you may have.

photo: dreamsunlimited.com

So, pull up a rocking chair and sit a spell. Let’s see how many animals we can find!

Family trip - 2009

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is CapturingMagical Memories.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to re-board:

1st Stop ~ YourFirstVisit.net

2nd Stop ~ The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin’ Spectrum Mom

3rd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories

Final Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Make a joyful noise!

Take a (Sensory) Break on the TTA Peoplemover!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Welcome to those of you joining me from YourFirstVisit.Net and to those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 3rd stop on our Magical Blogorail!

This month we're discussing our favorite "Take a Break" sit-down attractions. Mine is definitely the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover in the Magic Kingdom!

This leisurely 10-minute tour of Tomorrowland is the perfect anecdote to park-touring fatigue syndrome. The attraction loads continuously, so there is rarely a long line. When crowds are low Cast Members will let you go 'round a second time if you'd like. And if there's room, you can even put your feet up! Ahhh....

I find that the Peoplemover is an excellent choice when my son with autism needs a mini-break from the multi-sensory cacophony of the theme park environment. Gliding along the linear-induction track, he is soothed by the gentle movement of the car, the relaxing sound of Disney-New-Age music and, if we're lucky, a lovely breeze on a hot afternoon.

Come on -- let's take a ride!

Thank you for joining me today! Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Teal Loop is Heidi's Head.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Loop should you happen to make a stop along the way and wish to re-board:

1st stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories

2nd stop ~ YourFirstVisit.Net

3rd stop ~ The Many Adventures of a Disney-Lovin' Spectrum Mom
(You are here!)

4th stop ~ Heidi's Head

Final Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic

Thanks for reading!

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

Friday, March 15, 2013

In honor of St. Patrick's day I'd like to share my favorite recipe for corned beef and cabbage -- enjoy!

Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage

2 medium onions, sliced

1 (2 ½ to 3-pound) corned beef brisket

1 cup apple juice

¼ cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons orange peel, finely shredded

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

6 whole cloves

6 cabbage wedges

Place onions in crockpot. Trim away fat from the corned beef brisket. Place brisket on top of the onions.

In a bowl combine apple juice, sugar, orange peel, mustard, and cloves; pour over brisket.

Place cabbage on top of the brisket.

Cover; cook on low setting for 10-12 hours or on high setting for 5-6 hours.

Autism, Disney's FastPass+ and the Guest Assistance Card: What Will the Future Hold?

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Rumors about the future of the Guest Assistance Card have been swirling on Disney discussion forums and blogs for the past year and have reached a feverous pitch since Tom Skaggs announced plans for the FastPass+ ticket this past January. As you may or may not have heard, FastPass+ will be a "NextGen" system that allows guests staying at a WDW resort to reserve multiple ride and show times in advance of their visit, instead of having to collect individual FastPass paper tickets on the day of their visit. Visitors will make their reservations via Disney World's new My Disney Experience website and mobile app, using a process that Disney calls MyMagic+.

I have been anxious to discover how this will affect families like ours who have relied on the Guest Assistance Card to make our Disney vacations do-able. As I’ve noted many times, the GAC has been a true lifesaver for our family, helping my son with autism to negotiate the theme parks despite his numerous sensory and communication difficulties. In fact, I honestly doubt that our family could manage Billy’s autism symptoms while at Walt Disney World without the accommodation provided by the GAC.

Unfortunately there are reports that abuse of the GAC has reached epidemic proportions at Walt Disney World. Unscrupulous members of the public have caught on to the fact that Cast Members cannot legally question whether or not a guest has a disability, making it an easy system to exploit.

When you take the growing concern on the part of Disney regarding abuse of the GAC and add it to speculations that MagicBand GAC uses will be limited to once a day per attraction, or once every allotted amount of time, you end up with one very nervous Disney-loving spectrum mom!

Thommy Sandvick wrote an interesting blog on this topic on DISunplugged titled, Guest Assistance Cards Vs. FastPass+: Let the Battle Begin.

The idea behind FastPass+ is having a very controlled guest flow for the attractions which is why FastPass return times are now being enforced. So the new restriction on return times in coordination with guests reserving attraction times in advance potentially create a well-managed, positive experience for the guests (and Disney’s bottom line because less time in line means more time in gift shops). But there’s one variable in this tight knit system, and that’s the GAC. Just how much of a variable is it?

When Radiator Springs Racers opened in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure, the large amount of annual pass holders utilizing GACs created a reduction of fast passes available at the popular attraction by as much as 33%. Additionally, Guest Relations’ cast members were stationed outside the entrance of the attraction, giving people with a GAC a return time based on the current stand-by wait time. So if the wait time was 2 hours, they were given a hand written pass to come back in 2 hours and then enter the FastPass return queue. Eventually this reached the desk of George Kalogridis who commissioned the Guest Relations team to come up with a way to reduce the expectations of those using the GAC and create more restrictions around it.

Naturally, as a family member of a legitimate GAC user, I am concerned by this. I consider the accommodations that Disney has made for my son to be a privilege and not a right and I appreciate the difficulty that Cast Members face when attempting to distribute the GAC fairly.

But this FastPass+/MagicBand thing has me nervous. Our next WDW vacation is in June and I do not like planning our trip with such a huge unknown variable looming on the horizon. So, I decided to go straight to the horse’s mouth, so to speak, and ask the experts. I posted this question to the Walt Disney World Moms Panel:

Hello! For many years we have used a Guest Assistance Card at WDW so that our son with autism can better tolerate his sensory issues while in the theme parks. Our next trip is in June. How will the GAC work with the new MagicBand technology? Thanks!

I received an upbeat, albeit vague, reply from Angelo (a Moms Panel Dad):

Hello there Kathleen,

Having used the Guest Assurance Card (GAC) on a few of our visits, I know how worthwhile it is for those people who truly require it. As of right now, the use of the card is the same as in the past. The MagicBand technology has not been rolled out 100% just yet and is still in testing. I do not see any major changes to the GAC for you or your son with the technology before your trip in June. Thank you, Kathleen for your question! Maybe we'll see you in June! We'll be there the second week! Have a magical day!

Thank you, Angelo; I appreciate your prompt reply. Honestly, though, I think I’ll have a much more magical day when reliable information becomes available about FastPass+ and the Guest Assistance Card. I have a feeling that it will make or break our future Disney vacations.

Conquering Resort Room Clutter!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Welcome to those of you joining me from YourFirstVisit.net and to those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail!

The theme of this month's loop is lesser-known Disney travel tips; mine involves resort room organization. It seems as though all the travel guides tell you what to pack for your Disney trip, but then forget to tell you how to keep all that “stuff” neat and tidy during your stay! It doesn’t matter if your accommodations are compact (read: Value Resorts) or more roomy (read: DVC Villa), you are less likely to waste valuable time looking for things when you are trying to make rope-drop or tripping over stuff in the dark on your way to the bathroom if you have “a place for everything and everything in it’s place.”

Here are a few light, packable containers/organizers that can help you maintain control you’re your family’s resort room clutter:

1) Pop-Up containers. These hampers double as carriers when paying a visit to the laundry room.

You can designate one of these pop-up mesh cubes for each family member's things or one for each category of items (snacks, toys, etc.)

If you are driving, you can use one in your car as well!

2) Over-the-door organizers. These are essential when sharing a tiny bathroom. (I prefer the ones with clear pockets; they make it even easier to find smaller items.)

3) Suction Hooks like these provide great little places to hang swim goggles, wet bathing suits or anything else you’d like to hang in the bathroom. (They stick to glass or tile.)

4) Under-the-bed garment bags. Don’t just toss stuff in the corner! Make use of the space under the beds or stack them on the top shelf of the closet!