Manufacturing Magic

We just got back from a lovely vacation to the Mouse House in Florida.  Overall, it was a wonderful week filled with true excitement and wonder from both our sons.  Our tender Little Bug was genuinely content to be part of the atmosphere and drank it in while still mustering some bravery to try new things.  Our Little Bro, the adrenaline junkie, couldn't get enough of the rides and characters. It's a true shame he has 15 more inches to go before he can tackle the bigger coasters. He'll tell you as much, too.

Honestly, despite the fact that we didn't take a single nap break, usually opened and closed the parks, and I had to go it entirely alone for a solid day at Anim@l Kingd0m after Appa got food poisoning, I'd dare call this hardcore week of Disney an easy vacation.

That is in no small point to a small red card we were issued, the guest access card.

I've been reading about it for a while.  It's a card Disney will issue for people with invisible special needs, people who might need accommodations that aren't outwardly apparent.  They are specific for each person and although easy to get, often come with a pretty negative response when other guests see you use them (we didn't experience anything like that, for the record). They can provide accommodations for a variety of things, but the two accommodations I was concerned for was the ability to wait in an alternative line with more room (should he get into one of his fits we've been seeing lately and have no where to go while trapped 20 minutes deep in a small confined line) and the ability to wait in a shaded area when available (Little Bug gets severe heat stroke very easily).  It isn't meant to allow you to skip lines or shorten your wait, but the reality is, it usually does.

I was wavering up until we walked through the gates as to whether or not I would request one for Little Bug.  Appa seemed highly skeptical of the idea, and I could see his point.  We try very hard to walk the fine line of treating Little Bug like a typically developing child and not limiting our expectations for him and providing him accommodations that will make his life easier. In this case, we very specifically chose this particular week when crowds are at their absolute lowest levels to go. We bought him a new device to help distract him when he got antsy.  We had his chewie necklace and oils for his sensory diet.  We very specifically made sure he loaded up on protein each morning (a must for his medication to work its most effectively).  In short, we had covered every base we could cover to make sure he was at his best to enjoy his trip.

But the fact remained that even with all our planning, wait times for his favorite rides that he would insist on doing over and over could at times reach 40 minutes or longer. Could he wait in a 40 minute confined line? Yes. Could he do it over and over? Maybe. Would it make for a positive experience for him? No. Would it potentially ruin his ability to participate in 4 days worth of 40 minute lines? Very likely.

So I knew that the guest access card could potentially help our family enjoy a more stress-free experience, but it also meant limiting what we thought Little Bug could do, which never feels good as a parent.

Long story short, we got the pass and it was such a blessing.  We only used it when the sun was beating down on us or when the lines got longer than what we thought Little Bug was emotionally and physically up for at that time (which, towards the end, got less and less, I will admit). But that card gave us the confidence and freedom to plan our days in a way that allowed us to experience everything we wanted to try, as many times as the boys wanted to.  Without it, I am confident that Little Bug would have melted down more than once, which would have resulted in fewer fun experiences for both boys.  With it, we knew we could experience a more typical Disney day, and we did just that.

So at the end of the vacation, both Appa and I agreed that getting the card was the best move for our family.  I'm grateful to Disney for recognizing that some people need different things in order to have their most magical experience.  I'm relieved that in this case, Appa and I also recognized that Little Bug needed something different in order for him to have the best experience he could.  I'm hopeful that we won't need a guest access card for our next visit, but for this trip, it really made the trip for one little boy.

When Little Bug has been talking in his sleep the last couple days, he routinely loving murmurs two words over and over: "Disney World."

As a parent who wanted to give her son something very special, that is all I need to hear to know we made all the right choices this time around.