Good mail.

Have fun! I love the Disney parks. Simon will love it!
I don't remember what the name of it was, but my mom bought a book about disney world before we went several years ago, it had suggestions for resturants that were fun for different age ranges, and the rides that were best suited for different ages. It also gave the phone #'s for the different resturants. We made reservations for all of our dinners and never had to worry about waiting to get in. Hope you have fun! and the AEzine this week is great!

Ali,
Good for you for going on vacation! I hope Simon has a wonderful time. I took my now 12 year old son to DisneyWorld when he was
3 1/2. He hated the rides and cried and cried each time I tried to get him on one. He was also terrified of the characters talking to him. However, he LOVED the parades and the musicals. Go figure! There's so much to do at DisneyWorld that you will be able to find what is right for Simon.
Have a great time!

Good for you! I hope you have a fabulous time. We went to Disneyland when my daughter was 4 1/2 and it was the perfect age. Old enough to handle all the stimulation, yet young enough that it was very magical. We went back to the hotel to kick back in the afternoon and it was a nice break.

Sign up for the newsletter from www.allearsnet.com. Wonderful tips and tricks about WDW.
But above all, have fun. It's their "Year of a Million Dreams" right now, dreams can and will come true.

Mousesavers.com was extremely helpful!

how awesome!
I am dying for my chance to order a donna bag-she brought hers to the store when whe was just here. Very cool.
The best Disney advice I can give is fast-pass what you can, and plan to go to the parades. That way you can be sure to see many characters. It rained a lot when I went, and we didn't see many characters other than in the parades.

*SO* cool that you are taking a vacation! :) that is awesome! Simon will love it! He is such a good age for that, huh? :)
your post from yesterday cracks me up! Els

Oh...you're are going to have such a good time! Taking your child for the first time is one thing, but since this is your first trip, this makes it extra special.
My best advice for you is just to relax and have fun. There is so much to do and see it is amazing. Definitely do the trip of the Nations at Epcot (go over to the United Kingdom. It is the only place in Disney you can get good beer...i.e. Bass and Harp). Soarin' is a must ride for everyone. It's truly amazing and you'll want to ride it again and again.
Get yourself one of the guide books to the parks. It is invaluable. It will have reviews of the restaurants, rides, hotels, you name it. My husband and I read ours cover to cover before we went and we were glad we did. Just go to Barnes and Noble and look them up. Any of them are good.
How fun! I'm so excited for you!

Disneyworld is an amazing place. My husband and I went about 4 years ago. We plan to take our son (who is 3 this week) when he reaches age 5. I HOPE THAT YOU ARE STAYING ON SITE AT A DISNEY RESORT. The resorts are unbelievable and the convenience to the parks/transportation and activities are astounding. Our favorite park was the ANIMAL KINGDOM. If Simon loves animals/dinosaurs this park may be the one to make the most time for.

Hey Ali,
We have been to Disneyland twice in the last 2 years and here is my advice...DON'T think you will get to do everything....you will probably be disappointed! DO use the fast pass process...it does get you on/in the things that are really popular without standing in as long a line. Get a few pictures, but EXPERIENCE the experience with Simon...a mom who spends her entire day documenting every little thing on film misses out on the pure excitement her little one expresses around EVERY corner! Do a little each day, but plan on being back to the hotel early enough for Simon to rest up for the next day! Serious overload! You absolutely MUST see the fireworks one night if Simon likes them. They are AWESOME, and must be seen from inside the park to get the whole experience! Have FUN, hold hands, and laugh...cause Dreams really DO come true!
Cheers, Shari

can you say fastpass.
Epcot- go to every country and your child can make a mask.
Parades and shows are a must,

I live in the Tampa Bay area and due to proximity we have been to Disney quite a few times, each time we had a great time. The one thing that the kids still talk about is the character meals. Their favorite was the one in the tavern - forgive me my mind just went blank - it is located in the "western" themed portion of the Magic Kingdom, near the Country Bear Jamboree (which is also fun). They do a family style dinner and the characters come to the tables and muck about with the kids (the adults too!). Also the character breakfast at the Grand Floridian is very laid back and awesome. That is #2 on the family list. Check them out and have a wonderful time!!

have so much fun!
i have only been as an adult
and then with my kiddos for the first time last fall
it was amazingly nostalgic feeling
even thought i never went as a kid
made my son sick onthe tea cups
woops
my tip
don't make your child sick on the tea cups:)
kellicrowe

If you request concierge service at your hotel (if they provide it) they usually have a private lobby with food throughout the day, drinks and addtitional fun stuff for the kids. It also gives the added bonus for turndown service- that usually includes a little prize on your pillows each night. (it does cost extra each day- but we loved it and it is so worth it.) (At least it was at the Disney Californian Hotel in California.)
Also, Disneyland in December is amazing- so I am assuming Disneyworld will be just as good or better- the parades are a lot of fun and be sure to eat at a character themed/involved restaurant- I am sure your little man would love it! Our fav is Goofy's Kitchen in Calif.- maybe they have one in Florida.)

My three kids had the best time getting the character autographs. When we got to our first park, we bought a special Walt Disney autograph book and a pen for each child...it was such a thrill to find one of the characters and run to get their autograph. I took pictures of each child with the character, and we included those in their autograph books. They are still a favorite.

Awesome, way to go.....i'm sure it will be a much needed vacation after the excitement recently.
we've been there a few times. our first trip my little bro was 5, we rented a stroller (awesome idea!!) they can get in it when they are tired, to watch a parade, or just to carry all the stuff you're going to buy! don't plan to see everything, just won't happen. it leaves the ecxitement of going back again to visit though. If you've already seen the parades, it's a good time to get on the rides(the line ups are shorter because most are at the parade!)
disney has signs throught posted for "picture perfect" spots.
best piece of advice....Go with the flow and have FUN!
all the best guys! :)

Hey Ali,
I'm taking one of your classes in Tampa and I'm super excited.
We went to Disney over Labor Day and I got one of those cheesy guidebooks - I think it was called The Unofficial Disney Guide Book - or something like that but it was about 3 inches thick. I skimmed most of it but got some great information. We had been before and waited in long lines and had a miserable time (at Magic Kingdom). This book totally outlines a game plan so you don't have to wait in line. It gives you a step by step, go to Dumbo, then Peter Pan etc. so that you hit all the typically long-wait rides before they get lines. Anyway we got there right when the park opened at 9am (a must) and by 11am we had done something like five rides and got pictures with 5 characters. I have kids ages 5, 4, 2 and 6 months so this is still mind blowing to me! In the past this amount of time would've allowed for one ride and a lot of map reading and deciding. If you're intested email me and I'll look it up for you - I got the book from my library.
Kate

we live in florida, so we do disney a LOT (a few times a year). here is my best advice... get there early in the morning, when the gates open (or maybe even a few minutes before, we have been chosen to "open the parks" with the characters before and even got to ride on Dumbo with Mickey and Minnie- can you even imagine the photo ops with that!!!!). ride the rides early (they are less crowded), go eat lunch in a sit down resturant (you need to sit down) and then take an afternoon nap or pool dip when the park is the most crowded. then head back around 4 or 5 when the parks start to clear out some more. we take our own breakfast stuff in a cooler and heavy snack/lite dinner stuff to eat after our nap/swim in the afternoon. hope this helps- email me if you need any other tips!

I haven't been with my children yet, but we are planning to in the next year. This website was recommended to me:
http://www.tourguidemike.com
It is amazing!
Have a great time!
Christie

I will see you in Tampa! I have a reservation in your first class! Glad you are making a family vacation out of it! We are planning to take our son to a character breakfast over the Christmas holiday.

Ali, I am so happy that you are going to take a real vacation!, you guys deserve some rest.
I am sure that little Simon will enjoy it, and you too!, the walks are long and a bit tiring but is worth it, make sure you wear comfy shoes and clothing every day and also, take a jacket! you may think that Florida is not cold but you will be surprised, we went in Christmas time 3 years ago and it was super cold!, the only bad thing that I can say about Disney and Orlando is that they don't have nice food, well... at least not affordable everyday meals, don't know about the expensive restaurants in or out of the parks. The best meal that we had was at Wolfgang Pack's restaurant, everything else was pretty awful so watch out!, but I do want to mention that we absolutely loved the smoked turkey legs that you can get in any of the parks.
Our favorite one was Epcot and Magic Kingdom and we really loooooved downtown disney in the night time (specially the Ghirardelly coffeeshop!)
Ali, enjoy your trip, please give Simon and the Disney gang a big hugh from me!
Yanah

The best is the Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld. Totally invaluable. Keep in mind about the fastpasses-Simon may not be interested in the rides that use the fastpass. Read as much info as possible before you go, even then it will be overwhelming for you and Simon. When our kids were little we did early morning stuff and then swam and napped in the afternoon then went back for dinner and evening entertainment.

Hi Ali,
My best tip - get the book "PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs" by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma; it is fantastic for families with a kid on the autism spectrum. Info about quiet places, gf/cf food, etc. And you probably already know you can request a Guest Assistance Card at Disney City Hall at the first park you visit; it will be good at all the Disney parks you visit and help reduce your wait times. I would have skipped Epcot with my ASD son; it just wasn't interesting enough to him. It would have been more fun to go alone with my husband. Have a great time!

I just went to WDW for the first time last December. You have to do Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party if at all possible. There's nothing like snow on Main St. Also, Osborne Lights in MGM Studios is fantastic. All of the fireworks shows are good, but if Simon doesn't like the really loud sounds, the Holiday Wishes can be seen from the Polynesian, The Grand Floridian, or the Wilderness. Illuminations in EPCOT can be seen from the Boardwalk I believe. Even better, if you plan it right, I think that you can ride the monorail around and see both shows at the same time. Anyway...I could go on for hours about this. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! As you can tell, I love to talk about it! :

I highly recommend signing up for access to TourGuideMike.com and getting the book "PassPorter's Guide to WDW for your Special Needs".
Mousesavers.com, allearsnet.com, and the disboards.com are also great sites.