With pigtails, a fanny pack, and plastic minnie mouse ears, I was in second grade when my love of Disney World began. From family vacations, dance trips, choir trips, and even a quick stop at the Magic Kingdom during my honeymoon, I’ve visited the parks at random intervals for the past 20+ years. I’m not a fanatic or Disney expert, but I do have some very fond memories.
But I got to experience Disney World in a completely new way through the eyes of my own children. And it was magical…and hot and exhausting.
Celebrating birthdays in Disney World
Harper just turned 5 years old. FIVE. I can hardly believe it. It feels like a major milestone. We’ve moved through baby, toddler, preschool, and now onto kid. When we got the Down syndrome diagnosis five years ago, I had no clue the positive impact it would make on my life.
My parents started a tradition of taking their grandchildren on a special trip for their 5th birthday. The trips have varied according to the grandchild’s interest. So, when it came time to select Harper’s trip, I was voting for Disney World.
What was supposed to be an intimate trip of Harper, myself and my parents, turned into a bigger party. Because my dad is not a stickler, he is flexible when it comes to traditions. And Harper is special, so she got to bring more people with her on this trip. There was just so much to celebrate, so the more the merrier! My sister and her family joined my family and our parents for a week in Florida to celebrate not only Harper’s birthday, but also my dad who turned 60.
Disney World Disability Pass
Disney World can be an overwhelming place. The crowds and lines can be hard for anyone to navigate. But Harper isn’t your typical five year old. She has Down syndrome, so we always have some extra challenges wherever we go.
I was super excited to learn about Disney’s disability pass and I made sure to register Harper for it. And it worked amazingly. It was such a gift to enjoy the park more seamlessly with little line waiting. Instead of waiting in line for the attraction, we were free to roam the park until our designated waiting time was up. I’m thankful for the accommodations that Disney provides for people with a disability. They truly make it so much more accessible and enjoyable.
Down syndrome in Disney World
Harper loved riding the rides, so much that it took some brute strength to get her out of the ride everytime. Her sweet giggles as we spun, glided, and moved through the storythemed rides was such a delight. Harper has few words, but her body language overwhelmingly let us know that she was having a good time.
Fairly quickly Harper’s stamina wore out and although we had the stroller and we could have gotten it classified as a wheelchair to roll her right to the start of the rides, we ended up carrying her a lot more than we were anticipating. There is a lot of parking the stroller and walking to the ride or the bathroom or to get food. But she would get bursts of motivation to walk.
After we rode the Frozen ride in EPCOT it exited into the Frozen giftstore and Harper giddily picked two toys. She got a sparkly purse she slung over her shoulder and a little Anna doll with accessories in a carrying case. After we purchased the toys, she proudly strutted her way out of the store to the stroller holding her goodies. Let me tell you the toys were worth every penny watching her strut her stuff through the park.
Navigating the Disney Gift Shops
I thought that the kids would want everything in the million gift shops they saw in the parks, but they actually were very reasonable. Which made it super fun to tell them yes to the treats they desired. It was super cute watching their eyes light up when we let them pick out toys and sweets. Eli was especially cute carrying toy boxes the size of him!
A Fun Day Away From the Parks
We built in a rest day to our Disney adventure, but it ended up being a super fun day too. The resort we stayed at had a water park and the kids loved it. If the sun was beating down on us as we supervised the kids on the waterslide, we would have been there forever. It was so cool to see the growth of our children being able to slide down the slide and get back in line to go down again all by themselves.
No Trip is Perfect
It wasn’t a perfect trip. We had our fair share of tears and fights, but overall our Disney vacation was really fun. And the accommodations that Disney provides for people with disabilities worked out really well for us. So much that I’m already thinking about our next trip!
