» Navigation » Orlando Vacation

 

Want to improve your odds of having a great trip to Disney when someone in your party has health conditions? Going on a Disney World vacation is a unique experience and advance planning will enhance anyone’s trip. Yet when you’re dealing with special needs and health conditions, it’s more essential to do your research as far in advance as you can.

Disney World is a top vacation destination, so making reservations and securing any support you’ll need should be done as early as possible. Consider following some of these steps to improve the odds that you’ll have a magical trip: 

1.  Choose vacation dates.  Did you think this step sounds too simple for a list such as this? Picking a date can be more complex than it seems when you’re dealing with special needs and health issues at Disney World. 

Consider crowd conditions because they can totally change your trip. Bigger crowds will translate into much longer lines for transportation, food and attractions. This means standing and waiting for longer periods. Almost everything will feel crowded. Navigating a stroller or wheelchair becomes much more challenging. This can feel stressful for some people.

If you want to get a sense of crowd conditions, check out www.Touringplans.com. They offer crowd size predictions for each day, at each of the main Disney parks.  Don’t be discouraged if you must come during a peak crowd period. There are a lot of things you can do to minimize the problems associated with crowd issues. There are tips throughout our book, Walt Disney World with Disabilities.  We’ve had some great times at Disney, even during high crowd conditions.

Consider the impact of weather conditions.  For example, the high temperatures and humidity in the summer months may feel too challenging for some people.  Although it’s not quite as cold as in other parts of the country, during the winter it can actually get nippy. In fact the temperature will often pendulum swing dramatically and quickly, occasionally even dropping to the freezing mark. You may find this comfortable and even refreshing while you’re roaming the parks. However, swimming may be a challenge on cool days. Although most of our Disney vacation homes offer pool heat in the neighborhood of 82-84 degrees, but when the air is cold many people prefer to stay out of the water.  Yet there are usually some hardy folks having a great time in the water anyway.

Also consider the seasonal allergens in Florida, which may not coincide with what you would experience in other parts of the country.  You’ll find more details on variables and how to time your trip with health issues in the book Walt Disney World with Disabilities.

 

2.  Choose and book your hotel.  When traveling to Disney you’ll find that this may be a bit more complicated than at many other vacation destinations. First decide if you wish to you stay in one of the Disney World hotels or Kissimmee hotels.  If you choose a Disney resort, picking the right hotel for you can take some research and thought because of the many price level, theme and amenity options.  We really love the themes and perks that the Disney resorts offer us, yet for many people there are some great reasons to book elsewhere.  For example, there are vacation homes that offer the privacy and quiet of a private home.  A complete, working kitchen will allow you to prepare some or all of your meals yourself.  These homes afford you a great deal more space than single hotel rooms, with the privacy of individual bedrooms.  Plus we find that compared to hotels, there can be a pretty sizable cost savings with a vacation home.

For private vacation homes, you may wish to check out OrlandoVacation.com.

 

3.  Plan your entertainment and pick dates.  For those who are dealing with health issues, this is particularly important.  This includes researching and evaluating the parks, rides and attractions for compatibility. Take the time to choose those that are appealing, and narrow down your choices to those that will be comfortable, both physically and emotionally.

Walt Disney World with Disabilities is packed with details and inside information that can help you determine which rides and attractions are best for you, and which you should avoid.  This book offers the most complete descriptions you'll see anywhere of the emotional and physical experience of each show and attraction.  It also includes practical tips to help you remain more comfortable on some attractions, and it fills you in on details that will help you thrive in the parks and resorts with health issues.

After we determine which attractions you would like to experience, we create our own day calendar. We divide each day into three sections labeled morning, afternoon and evening.  We then fill the days/sections with the name of the parks we’ll be visiting.  We also fill in the times where we may just be hanging out at the pool or enjoying other areas of Disney such as Downtown Disney World. We find that this process allows us to plan steps 4 and 5.

 

4.  Reserve Disney Dining.  Disney allows diners to do this as early as 180 days ahead for most of their restaurants.  There are throngs of people who make use of this option, and in order to get your first choice of times and places, we recommend you call as far in advance of your trip as possible.

If you have health issues that impact your diet, visit www.Diz-Abled.com and read through the Menus/Dining Support section first.  We share the menu for each restaurant, along with its policies for handling their guests’ special dietary requirements.  Additionally, we’ve included many direct phone numbers that will enable you to talk with the actual restaurants’ chefs.  In the book Walt Disney World with Disabilities you’ll find a lot of practical advice on handling dietary issues throughout Disney.

 

5. Reserve Non-Disney entertainment.  Orlando has many wonderful parks and attractions. We recommend securing your reservations as early as possible for outside entertainment.  The same crowds that descend on Disney also take part in the other happenings in the Orlando area.  There’s a wide variety of choices, so start your research early!

I know this appears to be a full-time job! However, keep in mind that while you plan you’ll get to enjoy dreaming about your awesome vacation! I hope you have a blast!

Walt Disney World with Disabilities is written by Stephen Ashley. You can purchase it here at Amazon.com or through the main website a www.Diz-Abled.com.  When you’re on the website, check out the articles other resources that will help you to create a magical trip to Walt Disney World even with health and/or emotional issues.