Child with autism- stay onsite or offsite?

[Briansmom]

We have a nine-year old son with autism and dev delays and I am trying to plan the first trip for him to WDW. I would love to stay onsite at POFQ just because, after all, it is staying on a Disney property and we all know how awesome that is! I am choosing POFQ also because it is quieter than the Value resorts... I think the Values have too much going on and don't offer a place for our DS to get away from all the sensory stimulation.
But then I got to looking at the houses available very close to Disney..... 4 bedroom houses WITH a pool....and am thinking...so much more space for us to chill during our down time. But the down side is us having to drive in and park, etc....and the time it takes to do that.
Anyone out there with experience with this particular situations that could give me some advice/opinions? We have had to wait so long before our DS was able to handle WDW....I want his experience to be wonderful.
Thanks so much!

[mttafire]

In short..ONSITE. You wont regret it.

[gerald72]

Even if you wanted to try a value resort, you can stay at an out-of-the-way building, on the backside by the parking lot. It's quieter and less sensory overload.

[Mickey'sGirl]

I personally think that your choice of POFQ is a great one! It is quiet, small, clean, comfortable and we like the food choices at the food court there. Also, it is so close to Riverside, where you could go to rent a boat for an hour or go fishing. Both of my son's (DS9 and DS3) have ASD's and we always leave the parks at some point during the day to "chill".
1 - It is so convenient to do so when you are already on site
2 - You can make use of the Extra Magic Hours (only available to resort guests), which extends your park hours, and your flexibility.

Have a great trip!

[Nate's Grandpa]

I would definitely stay onsite.

Try to stay as close to the parks as you can. This will allow to travel back and forth during the day. We have not tried this yet, but I have read here and elsewhere that a perfect resort for an autistic child is Fort Wilderness Cabins - plenty of room and privacy and a boat ride from the MK.

As you probably already know, there is a "special needs" pass available at Guest Relations. This is a great pass for autistic children. We have not asked for it yet, but Nate's speech therapist got it for her twelve year old daughter who is severely autistic. She had the time of her life!

Good luck!

[bkfree]

I also have an almost 9 year old son with autism,PDD. I agree that onsite works best for us. We usually stay at the Yacht Club because it is relatively quiet, lots of options within walking distance and , really important, all the rooms have balconies. We usually fax the resort ahead of time and let them know that we have a son with autism and a large balcony with a nice view is really calming for him and doesn't feel so hemmed up in the room. They have always given us a great room with a nice view of the lake,marina, lighthouse and Boardwalk area and this works out wonderfully.
Another thing that staying onsite does for us is that my son has trouble sometimes with transitions. Getting in our car and driving back to the offsite house, he would get upset because he thought his trip was over. BUT,staying onsite and riding the monorail or bus back to our hotel, he just looked at our resort as another one of the parks and he did not have to transition away from the fun.
I want to say that our son does amazingly well at WDW. We have never had to utilize the special needs pass. He is less anxious about a ride if he can spend a little time in line to check our the ride and the folks getting on and off of it. WDW has always sprinkled some fairy dust on him each trip, it seens during each visit his speech improves, his sensory issues diminish a little more,he becomes more social and we can see the progress continue at home. WDW is also one fo the few places that he loves so much that he is just a regular guy for the week. From the TS meals, to the rides to the characters themselves, he has the time of his life.
Our dream is to be able to one day buy a DVC membership so we can go more than once every other year.
Have fun!

[TammiMcMan]

I think in this situation, you know your son the best and how he would handle being on site vs off site. Kids that I teach have done it both ways with great success. One family stayed at the Nick Hotel, which I figured would be way too over stimulating, but their boys loved it.

A few things to consider are whether you'll need to take afternoon breaks. It can be easier getting back to your resort as opposed to leaving the park and coming back. If you stay on site though, you'll need to decide if Disney transportation will work for you. On a good day, you could see buses every 10-15 minutes. On a bad day though, that way can extend 20-30 minutes.

There are definitely advantages either way you go. As some of the previous posters pointed out, Disney truly does an amazing job with these special children. I don't think you'd regret staying on site, but couldn't go wrong with either choice.

[vamaggie]

We stayed at WL and found it to be very relaxing and serene (as long as you are not near WCC!) It is a short boat ride to MK and also Fort Wilderness. I do not have a situation like yours but we have found that with children, staying on site seems to make the days go easier and feel less rushed (to get everything done before driving off site to the hotel). When the kids got a little "wired" from all the stimulation, we found going back to the room an easy ride. You know your son best but whatever you decide, some for a magical 1st trip!!

[LibertyTreeGal]

I'd vote for onsite -- talk with Magical Journeys, I bet they can help with getting you hooked up with someone who can get you in a quiet room They are awesome!

Also, I'd recommend buying the Passporter for traveling in WDW with Special Needs. They just came out with a new edition, I believe, or at least a new printing. I am certain it covers travelling with autism

[LibertyTreeGal]

Another thought -- Magical Journeys can often also book you into a DVC Villa, which have kitchens and are less trampled through than the normal resorts. Terrisue was able to book us one at the exact same cost as a standard!

[Von-Drake]

I have a 4 year old son with Autism. He has been to Disney a few times and the first time was offsite, the second time was onsite at the POP. I would recommend staying OnSite. POP worked out good for him. We requested a non-preferred room in the 70's which put us on the backside and was not too close to any of the oversized hotel decorations. We were able to get back to the hotel when we needed using Disney Transportation. Our biggest problem was how tired our son was at the end of the day when we returned to the room for the last time each day. He would fall asleep on the bus ride, but then we would have to wake him up for a shower when we got back, then it would still be a while before he settled back down and went back to sleep.

I might have already written this next piece, but it was so wonderful I want to write it again. My son's favorite movie during our last trip was Peter Pan. And when we were walking to the POTC, we saw Peter and Wendy walking to their meet and greet area. We asked for a quick photo and the Cast Member said as long as it was very quick so a line would not form. We quickly told them our son's name and explained he has Autism and they are in his favorite movie. We got our picture and went on to the POTC. Immediately after getting off the ride, we rushed to the meeting spot for Peter and Wendy. They were still there so we waited in line and when we got there, they remembered his name and were so wonderful and patient with him it really did seem Magical. When they called him by name his face lit up and he just beamed. That was the best part of the trip, a close second was his playful hook fight with Captain Hook about an hour later.

Be sure to tell us how the plans and trip work out.

[Briansmom]

We stayed at WL and found it to be very relaxing and serene (as long as you are not near WCC!)

Ok....I give......what is WCC? It's Friday and my brain is tired and old

[Briansmom]

I'd vote for onsite -- talk with Magical Journeys, I bet they can help with getting you hooked up with someone who can get you in a quiet room They are awesome!

So you are saying that booking through the Disney site is not the best way to go for getting reservations?

[TammiMcMan]

Briansmom, WCC is the restaurant "Whispering Canyon" at the WL. Sort of rowdy and loud, but lots of fun.

As for booking, you can certainly go through the online Disney site and do it all yourself. Or you can use Magical Journeys. They're a sponsor of this board and travel agents that are Disney experts . They can help take some of the stress out of planning and often have the best info regarding discounts and other specials that may make your vacation even better.

[tnpoohbear]

Stay onsite. I have a son with autism who is now 14. I have been taking him to WDW since he was four and we stayed first off site and then the rest of the time onsite. He loves it. Because he is sensitive to sound I always ask for the top floor or the resort. I also take ear plugs for him if he needs it at night to sleep or at some of the shows, etc. that are too loud. My DS also uses a wheelchair at WDW because he has arthritis but you can take a letter from your doctor and get a special assistance pass. It keeps you from having to wait in line so long. I think they will take you through the handicapped lane. My DS will not go the Tough to be a Bug Show because it stills scares him. He does not do the scary rides and rollercoasters but he loves WDW, especially Animal Kingdom he loves the Safari ride the best. He also like collecting the smashed pennies. Try staying onsite one time and see how it works! We are so glad we did.
By the way we have stayed at the following All Star Movies - three times, AKL - twice, Grand Floridian, Pop Century (son did not like Pop), POR

[wedway76]

You began your thread saying that you would love to stay at the POFQ. I say if YOU want to stay there, then stay there. I think either would work out for your DS, so stay where YOU want to stay. It is your vacation too and if it would make you happy to stay there then you deserve to stay there.

Your DS is lucky to have a mom who cares so much about him and always puts him first, with everything else being equal pick the place that you would like.

[pink]

My brother is 11 and he has autism. We usually stay onsite and it works out great. The one time we stayed offsite it was diffulcult because the extensive traveling/parking made him restless. So I definitley recommend staying onsite!

Also, in association with what someone else said get the Special Assistance Pass. It helped us tremendously. They either let you in through the handicapped or fastpass entrance and no questions asked when you present it! It's a real help. My brother doesn't know the pass is for his disabilities so he just calls it his "Super Fastpass."

Have a great time!

[MsMin]

Another vote here for onsite. Remember that there is a lot of difference w/ autistic children so despite someone having a child and doing great in one location - your family could be different. So I recommend being as cautious as possible on this trip. Travel on and off site is difficult. Excessive stimulation with autism triggers their mood and behaviors. Remember too that everyone's psychic defenses weaken as the day goes on. This means that even for adults it's more difficult to not react emotionally as the day wears on. So even physical rest does not restore the defenses as would a good nap. So what does this mean? It means to plan the scarier or more stimulating rides in the a.m. and quieter less stimulating as the day wears on because even a rest time may not restore your child's defenses which are limited w/ the autism and because is his age.
I think that WDW provides an excellent therapeutic setting. Where else can you get so many "rewards" so quickly with novel stimulus?
I wish more parents would take advantage of the setting.
Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. I don't work with PPD or Autism at the moment but I had about 10 on my caseload in the work I did before this. planning helps and you are already a step ahead. I do think Pop is very stimulating and it wouldn't be my first choice. I would go w/ POFQ b/c it does seem quieter and a little more room and you may be spending a little time in the room. Time of year may make a difference too w/ your planning.

[#1donaldfan]

On site for sure. I really like the POR resorts. Please look into POR AB, as there are more quiet pools which are less crowded, and thus very much more enjoyable for "playing" outside the parks. Whichever ones you choose onsite, you really can't go wrong. Staying in a house off site will surely offer you more privacy and be much more quiet, but the time and aggravation of driving to the parks every day would be horrible. Have fun choosing and have a great trip.

[Meteora]

Hi there!

I agree with most of the other posters that on-site is probably your best option. However, if you want to consider off-site, I can give you some info., as I've stayed off-site a lot. We usually stay about a mile off Disney property, and it takes between 10 and 20 minutes to drive to Disney, depending both on traffic and where you're driving from/to. For instance, DTD is only about a ten minute drive (maybe less), but the MK is pretty far into Disney property, so it takes a bit longer. I wouldn't say it's an overly long drive--it seems to go pretty quickly, especially if you're looking out the window for Disney landmarks--but it's definitely longer than it would take to get to any resort on property. Also, if you're staying until park-closing, you can hit some major traffic on the way out, though this has only happened to us once or twice in many, many years of staying off-site.

One of the few perks of staying off-site is quick access to thins like supermarkets and pharmacies, so you don't have to eat out for every meal and have access to reasonably priced sundries in these days of not being able to bring sunscreen on a plane.

Still, I would say only stay offsite if your primary concern is the amount of space you will have.