New to the group

I am new here too! I am sorry your son has had a bad experience at school. Disney seems to be the best medicine to raise those spirits.

A good thing about a 9 day trip is that you can spread out your time in the parks, take advantage of your resort and go slowly.

Lisa

http://allears.net/pl/dis_aut.htm

There are a lot of resources available to help make your WDW trip a success. This link is just a start.

I am sure that there are some others that may be able to point you toward some more in depth and detailed information.

I think you're going to like it here. I can't wait to hear what you think of Art of Animation. I'm dying to stay there. I think the suites look so cool!

So to avoid meltdowns (which to be honest are sometimes unavoidable), I suggest taking a break from the parks mid-day and heading back to the hotel for a nap or to relax by the pool. So many people hesitate to do that because they don't want to miss anything, but I think the long marathon days are the biggest cause of meltdowns.

As far as things to do, it depends on what your family likes. Are you big ride junkies, are you more inclined to spend time visiting with the characters, or are shows more your speed? There is so much do. Tell us more about what your family likes, and I'm sure you'll get tons of advice!

Hello Janelle and Welcome!!...so glad you have decided to join us! There is definitely alot of resources for parents of children with autism traveling to Disney World. I'm so sorry that your son had an awful experience in school...a trip to Disney is well deserved.

Janelle to the best Disney blog.

Oh Janelle no , you did nothing wrong at all I promise. I didn't mean it that way. We ask everyone to post an introduction thread of there own, but most people do post first on another thread and that's perfectly alright. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, if we don't know the answer I'm sure we can find it for you.

I'm sorry you son had difficulties with his school and hope you husbands surgeries are over and he had healed well or is healing well. What time in Oct are you going? Does your husband just not like crowds or is it because of his back?

With the Food & Wine Festival in full swing and Halloween approaching, it may be a little busy in the parks, but the World Showcase should be the busiest.

Your first Disney trip will be really magical and with a nine day vacation you will have time to immerse yourself into the "world". It sounds like your family has been through a tough time, so I hope you enjoy your trip and make some magical memories for you all to experience and remember.

Welcome Janelle, don't worry about posting incorrectly, they don't mind and will sort it out for you! (I'm still newish that is why they!). I hope you have a fabulous trip. I haven't been to Disney in October for 10 years and in a previous life but the crowds weren't too bad back then. Obviously things have changed with the Food & Wine but from what people say if you avoid Fridays and Saturdays you should be OK at World Showcase. Are your children excited about their trip?

Hey, Janelle! Welcome!

The Not So Scary Halloween Party is so much fun! And it's fabulous that you're going to be there during Food and Wine Festival. My advice on Food and Wine when you have small children and/or folks who don't like crowds, is to avoid the evenings! A lot of folks tend to enjoy eating and drinking around the World Showcase, and things can get crowded back there quickly.

I also agree with Kris' suggestion that you come back to the room to chill in the middle of the day. Come back, take a swim, have a nap, eat a snack, change socks and shoes, and head back for some evening fun!

Also, did I see mrhub make a suggestion for you to check out AllEars.net to read their guide to visiting Disney with children with autism? That's a great suggestion. Lots of good, additional info on planning your trip over there, too!

We're glad you've joined us!

Hi. so glad you joined the group. Everyone here is so knowledgeable and friendly - you will get great advice.

Do you think your family could make rope drop sometimes in the morning? This can really help with avoiding crowds once the gates open, but it does mean you are usually in a line for a bit. Would that bother your DH's back? We've found that by being there by 8:15 a.m., we're usually right at a RFID gate, so you don't feel so crowded. Plus most of the time you get to chat with the CM's, and that's always fun. Once the gates open, the lines for rides, etc. aren't bad for the first couple of hours. Then you can eat a leisurely lunch, see things that don't get crowded, or go back to the resort for a rest without feeling you are missing anything.

We just returned from a stay at POP, and I walked over the bridge to A of A one evening and wandered around. I think you will love it. The cars section is so cute and fun, plus the pool looks like a great place to hang out.

What price are you talking about going up? What are you looking at exactly?

If your talking about the 30% discount offer, yes that ends June 14.

No the price shouldn't just go up randomly

The price shouldn't go up randomly, but the resort you are looking at may sell out of the lower cost rooms, maybe? If you book with a Disney Authorized Travel Agent, then you just pay a deposit up front, the balance is due later, about 4 days before check in. This way, your room is locked in. AND, the agent will keep track of any specials and get in touch with you if there is something that will save you more money.

When Disney runs these specials and discounts, there are a limited number of rooms and a variety of views. It is possible that the resort you are looking at has booked up all of the standard view rooms and is now pricing you an upgraded view.

Yes you may have missed it if you had not booked your room yet. What ever room type you where looking at may have sold out for your hotel.

I'm so glad your child's school is working with you to make this happen! I think early mornings are a great idea, plus out of the park time, just to avoid major overstimulation. Does he have headphones? I've seen some of the children in my kids' school wearing headphones in the cafeteria, to keep the noise under control.

P.S. You can never over-prepare for a trip to Disney!!

I was reading somewhere just recently (here maybe? I can't remember) that someone was having the same issue. Not being able to get the same low price that they had gotten earlier. The advice was to clear out the cookies. If the Disney site knows you are looking, they said, it can adjust to try to get the most out of you.

I am not too sure how much of that I believe, but, at the same time, I have not actually tried it to find out. SOO, maybe, on the off chance that this is what is happening, clear out your cookies and try again. Does the site anticipate that you might jump in and purchase if you think the prices are going up?

THEN, let me know if it changed anything. Anything is worth a shot to save $1200!!!???

Janelle, you have to make sure you are putting in the exact same things, same room type, same dining plan, same tickets!

You should alway clean out your cookies it's always good practice, but will this have anything to do with the price you are getting, absolutely not! Did you go in under special offers the first time and not this time? You may not have had the same options chosen the first time you did it.

WDWfanatic, I don't know where you heard this one, but I think somebody is yanking your chain here.

This was just on a thread that I was passing through. I might have been lurking on Lines. For some reason I just remembered that I had read this just in the last week or two.

I have read the same thing about airfares just recently also. I wasn't too sure that I believed it, but we "were" talking $1200.

And Janelle for finding the age issue! Glad it is all back to the original plan!

Great Janelle, glad to hear you found the problem.