Disney World Vacation 2018

Two days after Christmas we headed to Disney World for several days with my extended family. I will admit that I was nervous going into the trip, not knowing how Clara would do with the crowds and potty training and the likelihood of sensory over-stimulation.

She. Did. So. Well.

Was the trip perfect? No. But did she exceed our expectations in every way? Y.E.S.

She was a rockstar and not only did she survive Disney, she thrived and had fun!

This trip was a great reminder that you might assume something would be too much for your kid, but you never truly know until you try. Had we passed on this opportunity, I would not have the memories of Clara's grinning face while flying through the air on Dumbo.

As long as Clara had her headphones and typical comfort items during the day (iPad, light-up toys, strings to twiddle), she did great! She had zero pee accidents and went in the family restrooms successfully during the park days. Only one BM accident (only pooped once PTL) and thankfully, that occurred in our hotel room.

Camille was completely taken by the magic of it all and it was so fun to watch her expressions of joy. Each and every moment was "her favorite!"

Day one was spent at Magic Kingdom. Day two a free day at the resort to swim and relax. Day three was spent at Hollywood Studios.

If you are heading to Disney World and you are a parent of a child with special needs or disabilities, you must take advantage of their disability access service. Clara's stroller was tagged as a wheelchair so we were able to push her right up to each ride, and the stroller was waiting for her immediately when the ride was over. This was a lifesaver and total game-changer.

Another perk to their disability access service? You don't have to wait in line. No, you don't get to walk right on any ride, but they will give you a return time to walk on instead of waiting in line. So say a wait time for a ride is 60 minutes, they give you a return time of 50 minutes and then you walk right through the fast pass line. AMAZING and again, game-changer for Clara's overall experience.

A few A million pictures from our trip . . .

Chef Mickey's for dinner on our first night was a great way to ease into the trip after a super early morning and a day of traveling . . .

Magic Kingdom on our first full day. . .

Although a bit loud, the "It's A Small World"
 ride stole the girls hearts with all the details, lights, and movements. 

Clara was gifted these monkey noodles (pink rubber thing in pic) for Christmas from my sister, Ashley, and it was the MOST PERFECT GIFT to keep Clara's hands busy during the day.

We all rode the Barncoaster ride together! The girls first "fast" rollercoaster. They didn't love it (don't know until you try) and at the end, as we were waiting for our car to pull back in to unload, Clara threw an epic fit! It was quite stressful and she even lost a shoe over the side of the car in the process. But, Disney gave us a voucher for new shoes!
(For the record, my dad, who was riding with Clara, said that when the ride started Clara totally relaxed and smiled the entire time. So . . .  who knows what triggered the fit at the end.)

Camille got to play the part of Chip during "Enchanted Tales with Belle," and her world was MADE. 

Look at that smile behind her Chip poster. 

Again, look at that face! 

Dumbo was her FAV!

We ended the day watching Elsa turn Cinderella's castle to ice! 

Rides not pictured that were a hit: Peter Pan & Winnie The Pooh.

Hollywood Studios . . .

Group pic! All 17 of us. 

Sophia The First was the only character that truly got Clara's attention. Clara was GRINNING SO BIG and kept looking back to smile at her!! 

Clara used her iPad during the Frozen show to tell us "I want to go for a walk." Huge!
This is what school has been teaching her to do when she needs a break, before she becomes overwhelmed.
Basically, instead of throwing a tantrum you can ask to be excused. SUCCESS!

This pic makes me laugh so hard. Clara snuggled up to this random man on a bus ride on our way to Disney Springs. She fell asleep and the man was so sweet to not make me move her. :)

Video above is from the Disney Jr. Dance Party. So much fun! 

Disney World, we hope to visit you again in the future! Thanks for being so disability friendly and for making all of my soon-to-be-five-year-olds dreams come true! What a memorable way to ring in 2019!