Successfully navigating Walt Disney World with a child on the autism spectrum relies on utilizing the park's robust accessibility tools, most notably the Disability Access Service (DAS). This service allows guests who cannot tolerate waiting in a conventional queue to receive a return time based on the current wait, allowing the family to wait elsewhere (in a quiet area or getting a snack) before riding. By combining DAS with the "Stroller as Wheelchair" tag for safety and identifying quiet break zones in advance, families can minimize sensory overload and meltdowns.
There’s so much planning that goes into a Walt Disney World vacation that it all may seem a bit overwhelming… now imagine visiting the parks, but with a guest who has a disability; Autism to be exact. That’s exactly how my family traveled to WDW the week of 1/18-1/24/2023.
Here’s the backstory and why this post is highlighted on traveling with a guest(s) who have autism. My oldest daughter who is 4 years old was diagnosed as non verbal ASD (autism spectrum disorder) when she was 2 years old. Part of my daughters diagnosis is her inability to control her emotions when situations are out of her control… and let’s be real Disney can definitely offer those situations, but it’s figuring out how to navigate through them that make for a magical time to be had by all!
Navigating Disney with Autism can definitely be a challenge if all sources I listed above are not available to her.
For my daughter in particular being in places with too many people and too much noise can cause her to get overwhelmed and over stimulated very quickly, which in turn can lead to meltdowns that include tantrums, needing to wrap herself in her special blankey, finding a safe space to decompress (for my daughter it’s in our stroller wagon “wonderfold wagon”, that we needed to get special permission to bring into the park) and using a Binky.
Thankfully Disney is extremely accommodating to children (and adults) with special needs. In our case it was getting a special tag that allowed our stroller wagon into the park and to be deemed a wheelchair for my daughter this way she never had to get out of her safe space even on the different transportation systems (buses and skyliner) unless my daughter wanted to.
The DAS service was a lifesaver for us!
When it came to fireworks we avoided these at all costs as they are too overwhelming for my daughter. Which is ok because along with the loud noises comes large crowds. We did however, manage to get my daughter to sit through Fantasmic which has loud noises, fireworks and lights. In order to get my daughter to stay calm during the show we brought our stroller into the theater along with my daughters blanket and Binky. She was able to sit in her safe space with her sources of decompression and enjoy the show just like any other child!
Waiting on lines are super tough for my daughter and luckily Disney offered us a solution to that. 30 days prior to leaving for our vacation I was able to register my daughter with DAS. DAS is a disability service that Disney offers it’s guests with special needs allowing them to make reservations for rides once they have entered the park and then wait on a shorter line once it’s their time slot rather than waiting on the longer lines. Disney does offer a paid service called genie+ and lightning lane, but DAS is a free service and one that requires a pre qualification for prior to arrival on your my Disney experience account. It involved a quick FaceTime between my daughter and a cast member then some questions for me. Overall from start to finish the process took me less than an hour. The DAS service was a lifesaver for us! My daughter who would’ve missed out on so much had she had to wait on a line was able to do everything that she was tall enough for with minimum wait times! I can’t stress enough how wonderful the DAS service is!
Meeting characters were hit or miss for my daughter.
If it was a masked character my daughter struggled to go near and take a picture. However, the face characters such as the princesses were a huge hit for my daughter! The princesses were extremely kind and patient with my daughter. They held her hand during the meet and greets, let her touch their outfits to help her with her sensory needs to build rapport with them and took their time with her. Each princess got down on my daughters level and made sure she was comfortable and wanted to take a picture. Each princess interaction was more heart warming than the last! This mama shed a few tears seeing the happiness from my daughter and the pure love and understanding coming from each princess!
Accommodations at Disney’s Art of Animation resort
As far as rooming accommodations went we stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation resort which gave us 2 forms of transportation to the parks; bus and skyliner.
The skyliners were preferred since just our family members would be in the vehicle whereas the bus was packed to the max with strangers which overwhelmed my daughter. Another reason why we chose to stay at AOA was for the pool! The Big Blue Pool along with the Finding Nemo Splash Pad were a huge hit for my daughter, especially since swimming/ water play rank number 1 on her favorite things to do list! We specifically stayed in the Finding Nemo Suite since it was centrally located to the main building which housed check in, food court, gift shop and arcade, as well as being a few steps away from both the pool and skyliner.
Our room had 2 full bathrooms, 2 queen beds (one in its own separate room and the other was a Murphy bed that turned into a table when not in use), 1 sofa bed, 2 tvs, and kitchenette with a sink, fridge and microwave. We’ve stayed at this resort 3 times now and will most definitely stay again! It is one of my families favorite!
Overall Disney and its cast members were very accommodating to my daughter and her needs which is why we choose to return year after year!
While visiting the parks we follow my daughter's lead and mood. If she’s having a good time then everyone else in our party most likely is too! We take our time and space our park days out.
Taking rest days every so often to let my daughter decompress makes for a much easier and more magical time for everyone involved! The parks can be tough on anyone with all the walking and experiences to do, so even if you’re not traveling with a guest who has a disability I still highly recommend taking some rest days between park days. Your feet and body will thank you!… your wallet may even thank you too.
As a disclaimer, it’s important to remember that Autism does not look the same in every child. Just because some of our experiences and resources at Disney worked for my daughter does not mean it will work for your child.
These are simply suggestions that you can try to make your trip more magical! Of course, your travel advisor will help you tailor your vacation to your family's needs this way every guest involved in your travel party can have a magical time! My family and I are looking forward to booking our next magical vacation to Walt Disney World and possibly even the other Disney parks sooner rather than later!
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should you know about Walt Disney World with an autistic child?
Successfully navigating Walt Disney World with a child on the autism spectrum relies on utilizing the park's robust accessibility tools, most notably the Disability Access Service (DAS).
2. What makes Disney hard to navigate with autism?
Crowds and noise can overwhelm a child very quickly, which can lead to meltdowns, needing a familiar blanket, or needing a safe space to decompress. Disney is very accommodating, though. In our case we were given a special tag that allowed our stroller wagon into the park and had it treated as a wheelchair for our daughter.
3. What is the DAS service, and does it help?
When it came to fireworks we avoided these at all costs as they are too overwhelming for my daughter. Which is ok because along with the loud noises comes large crowds. We did however, manage to get my daughter to sit through Fantasmic which has loud noises, fireworks and lights.
4. How did the character meetings go?
If it was a masked character my daughter struggled to go near and take a picture. However, the face characters such as the princesses were a huge hit for my daughter! The princesses were extremely kind and patient with my daughter.
5. What was Disney's Art of Animation Resort like?
As far as rooming accommodations went we stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation resort which gave us 2 forms of transportation to the parks; bus and skyliner. The skyliners were preferred since just our family members would be in the vehicle whereas the bus was packed to the max with strangers which overwhelmed my daughter.
