Walt Disney World, Autism and Why I’m Nervous About Our Next Visit

We are in full-blown countdown mode until our next trip to Walt Disney World. We hop a plane in just 10 short days and while we are all super excited to go to our favorite place on Earth, I of course have a long list of things to do before we leave, which adds just a tiny bit of stress to my days. As I’ve gotten older I’ve tried to get better at writing and keeping lists so I don’t forget anything, plus it feels really good to cross things off the list and feel like I accomplished something. Getting ready for this trip is a little different, though, and now that it’s getting closer I’m beginning to feel a little bit anxious about how things will go. I shared a while back that Disney made some changes to their disability program, or Guest Assistance Card, and have replaced it with the the Disability Access Service. When I shared the changes I also shared that I believe Disney is doing the right thing and I also shared that I was nervous about what a visit would look like for our family with the new system in place. I have since seen many visitors share their experiences with the new DAS and there have certainly been some really positive stories shared, while others have been less than pleased. I do believe it is like this for anything in life because you truly cannot please every person all of the time.  I honestly think that Disney is doing their very best to accommodate all of their guests with special needs, but no system is perfect and I’m sure they are learning as they go and receive feedback from families. As I prepare for our upcoming trip I’m spending a lot of time thinking about Cody’s needs and how we have truly benefited from the Guest Assistance Card at all of our visits to Walt Disney World in the past and I’m holding out hope that the new system will work just as well, even though there will certainly be a learning curve and adjustment period. Cody sometimes struggles with changes, but I have faith in Disney and believe in my heart their number one goal is to make my family’s time in their parks as magical and stress-free as ever, especially since we’ll be celebrating Cody’s and my birthday there again this year!