First trip with our son with multiple special needs

[Schmeck]

The heat and humidity never got to us in August! I guess some people with certain health issues compared to others makes all the difference? We are fair skinned, normal/low weight, active, with low blood pressure. My younger daughter loves August, as she says 'I can feel my fingers and toes!' And yes, her doctor is aware of her circulation issues and has tested (negative) for a variety of conditions. I think the OP just needs to figure out what her family can handle?

There are great fabrics out there that wick the moisture away from the skin, BTW. Underarmour, Champion, etc, make tons of clothing that work great at keeping one dry.

 

[cmmc]

I've been on 2 trips with my disabled nephew (CP, Auditory Neuropathy, Seizures, Autism). When we went Disney was still using the GAC and we asked that Sean be given a place to wait out of the sun since heat can trigger his seizures. I'm hoping they will still be able to accomodate this.

We're going April 19-26, 2014 if we can get Sean's passport sorted by then - it's impossible to get a picture of him that meets all the passport conditions!

 

[clanmcculloch]

We're going April 19-26, 2014 if we can get Sean's passport sorted by then - it's impossible to get a picture of him that meets all the passport conditions!

If you're only needing the passport for the Canada/US border then try the NEXUS card. You fill out the application online and then you at the same time set up an appointment to get interviewed, photographed, retinal scanned, and fingerprinted. In Ottawa you can get this done at the airport (you need an appointment but they can do it there). Bonuses of NEXUS include being cheaper than a passport and it qualifies you for TSA Pre-Check at airports that have that (MCO does).

 

[JennyDrake]

Thank you very much everyone for the advice.

When we went in Dec 2010 it was COLD COLD COLD and our trip was honestly not that enjoyable because it was so cold.

We looked at the weather historically between August and September and it seemed to not be that different. Unfortunately August or September are really the only times we can go right now so we will just have to try our best to make it work I guess.

I was also there in December 2010 and it was FREAKISH cold. I'm there every year in early December and NEVER have I experienced the damp, wretched cold of that year.

I'm going to throw in my 2 cents--I'm from The South and I live in a rural house w/o air conditioning and I work outdoors a great deal (farm.) With that said, August heat at WDW is a whole new level of hot and humid. Even _I_ have issues with it. And if I may be so bold/rude, I think you are not giving enough consideration to this. September is still HOT during the day and while the temps dip at night, there is no break in the humidity.

I truly wish your family nothing but the best.

 

[Twice_as_Nice]

I appreciate everyone's input and advice but if we don't go in August or early Sept then we can't go. This is the only time my husband could get off of work with all of the other vacation and emergency time he has had to take.

So I guess we will just have to make the best of it.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Since it seems that you can't change the time of your vacation you should research all options out there for keeping the little one cool.

Being from here, I avoid the parks (an prolonged experiences outside) like the plague so I don't know the best tricks for the parks but my advice would be:

Look into a cooling vest to keep him cool, spray fans are fairly pointless when it's a heat index of 115.

Have a light jacket for indoors as it's often freezing inside.

Have a couple of changes of clothes per day. If you're out in the heat and not used to it (or even if you are) your clothes will be damp and sweaty.

Hopefully the little one's skin issue are only sun related and not heat related. Heat rash is easy to get in the summer here if you're sensitive.

Don't expect nighttime to be a huge relief. You won't have the sun to contend with, but the humidity doesn't drop so it's still sweaty and sticky.

I'm sure you'll be able to make the best of it but as a pp said, don't take the humidity at that time of year too lightly. Even folks who are in great shape/health can have problems with it as it can be pretty suffocating. Good luck!

 

[dsneprincess]

OP, check out Frogg Togg chill pads. We are from the "unhumid" north and we use them to survive the August humidity in Florida. They work great! I don't know they'd be ok with your son's skin, but worth checking out. They are washable and soft, so I don't see any obvious problem, but don't know for sure. I also use the UV shirts/shorts for my boys to cut down on sunscreen. Good luck, have fun and plan so it works for your family.....you deserve it!

 

[roobug]

Some things we use for our little guy to help with heat (we've gone in June and in July.) We have a citi mini stroller which has a pocket behind the seat. We place a large frozen ziplock bag of water in the pocket behind the seat, and wrap it in a sham wow - to help absorb any water sweating and also so the ice pack wasn't directly against him in the stroller. When we go inside we take it out and put it under the seat or on the sun canopy, and also put a blanket on him so the cold of the airconditioning wasn't a shock. We mounted a battery operated fan on the sun shade of his stroller. The ice pack usually lasted for about three - four hours we would go back to the hotel and replace it for the evening. We also had a supply of frozen wash cloths that we would give him to play with that helped cool him off. Although those were usually melted after an hour or so depending on where we stored them.

I never wore him at the parks because it would get him too hot - he stayed much cooler in the stroller with the ice.

 

[dianemom2]

Since you've been to Disney before, you will know how to get around and will make the right choices for your family. We were there last June. It was quite hot so we went back to our rooms mid-day to relax. We also took things much easier than when we went and the weather was cool. We found benches in the shade and lingered longer over meals. We found that those cooling neck wraps were wonderful. We would put them in ziplocked bags of ice to cool down. Then we'd wrap them around our necks. They really worked well to cool us off.

 

[Twice_as_Nice]

The neck wraps are a great idea and the ziplock bags of ice. I am writing all of these down.

I have been planning our dining ADR's and I was thinking of doing our sit down table meals in the afternoon. I thought this would give us a time to rest and get out of the midday heat which would be the worst.

Should a deal come up before we leave we may end up switching to a monorail resort and shortening our trip to do it instead, since we are likely to spend the majority of our time at Magic Kingdom.

The kids are really looking forward to spending some time in the resort pool this time and also taking the boat from POR to downtown disney.

I'm crossing my fingers that maybe just maybe the extra year older for the baby and the fact that he is growing better now weight wise might help with his skin and sun issues. IDK I can always hope.

 

[dianemom2]

If you are going for 10 days, buy park passes for only 7 or 8 days. That will force you to have days at the resort to relax and swim. Those nights you can do your dining at some of the fun resort restaurants instead of in the parks. We've learned the hard way that you need a day or two off from the parks. Otherwise you come home so tired out!

 

[clanmcculloch]

Should a deal come up before we leave we may end up switching to a monorail resort and shortening our trip to do it instead, since we are likely to spend the majority of our time at Magic Kingdom.

Take a look at renting DVC points. At this point I'm doubtful that you'd be able to get something at VGF but you could probably get something at BLT. A good company for easy renting is http://www.dvcrequest.com/. There are slightly cheaper ways to do it but this is by far the easiest and they're a highly reputable company.

 

[Jaya]

I took a relative who has a hard time with heat to Epcot. Knowing that she'd overheat, I had her wear a long-sleeve gauzy loose top of mine over her tank top. During the day, we'd soak the top in the bathroom, wring it out well and she'd wear it wet. The evaporation (even with the high humidity) kept her cooler (not cool, unfortunately, but at least cooler). She'd take it off in the cool attractions and it would be nice and cool when we went back outside.

 

[mom2rj]

Another hint for neck wraps or washcloths is to take many gallon ziplock bags, and fill them and freeze them overnight. In the a.m., stop by the ice machine and fill another double bag, always double bag, and put a few washcloths in. At each meal, ask for ice water to go, with more ice than water for medical use. Refill the bags with new ice,

My daughter has dysautonomia and does not regulate her body temp. 4 hrs is usually our limit, sometimes a little longer in the evening. I've put the bags in her wheelchair wrapped in towels behind her back and legs. Her wheelchair lays her down so this helps. We've rarely had a leak with double ziplocks filled about 2/3 of the way.

Blessings and prayers,
Stephanie and RachelJoy

 

[JBS2]

We went to WDW last year in mid-September (14th to 22nd to be exact) and our DD9 has severe CP and heat intolerant but she did fine. We would go early in the morning and hit the rides, do a TS for lunch and then go back to the resort so her siblings could swim and she could nap. DD was eligible for the GAC at the time but we really only used it a handful of times because the crowds were not that bad. We kept her cool with towel wraps and those spray fans and kept her hydrated with a "podee bottle".

Like I stated, we only used the GAC a few times and mainly in the afternoon when it started to get hot and DD needed to get out of the sun.

 

[Andianna]

Bless you hope you time will work out for your family. I am sure you will work it out as to what is best for everyone. Two suggestions are the first aid center is air-conditioned and a quiet place if you need a short term hideaway. The second is a good vented hat will help protect the face and head from sun. I hope you and your family have a magical time

 

[OurBigTrip]

[Guests whose disability is related to mobility don't need the pass because most of the lines (at WDW, at least) are wheelchair accessible. Guests in wheelchairs that also have issues that make it difficult for them to wait in the line can also get the pass, provided they explain their needs to the CM at Guest Services.

 

[Schmeck]

Most of the queues are shaded so the sun shouldn't be too much of an issue in line. More so, the sun going between attractions, just getting to the park, etc, would be my concern. A good stroller with a big sunscreen and even a light piece of fabric to drape over the front (with a battery fan) would help for more issues than what comes up in a queue.

Also, reports are that the FP+ queues are snaking out across the park, no shade, etc. I'm thinking standby would be less sunny and hot right now.

 

[JBS2]

You need to keep in mind, that it is not necessarily the sun, but rather the heat that is dangerous for these kids (and the elderly). A DAS would allow the OP to keep her son in an air conditioned building while waiting for her DAS time and the FP+ line will not be as bad in August/September.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Some of us have to skip the attraction if the FP line is too long. That's how we handle FP queues that are long. I know that certain ones tend to be slow so we go to those attractions early before the FP line backs up which is also when my DD's coping abilities are still higher. It's called planning. If we don't go then, we don't go at all.



My DD can't cope with heat. We manage to enjoy WDW in August mostly by PLANNING properly. Most queues are air conditioned so by being in queues you're already in an air conditioned building.