Calling out to Parents with children blessed with Aspergers and who own a DVC?

[starnightstarsky2000]

Hello everyone,
Our DS Patrick is blessed with Aspergers (age 10) and we have stayed at POP in the quiet calm area behind Lady on our last two trips. But we really want to buy a DVC but don't know which one would be the best for him. He wants Bay Towers because he LOVES the Monorail but I have read some conflicting opinions about the "quiet and calmness" of Bay Tower. He needs a place where it is quiet and where he can relax he does fine in the parks, as we make sure to limit it to only 4 hours at a time. And he knows he can always tell us if he needs peace and quiet sooner. We are looking at Board Walk and OKW as those seem to be "quieter" but what do YOU DVC owners with blessed children suggest? Thanks everyone for your help!!!

 

[kirstenb1]

We own at OKW, but have tried Wilderness Lodge and AKL. Our younger dd with mild autism likes standing on the balcony and seeing the animals.

I on the other hand like the fact I can park right outside at OKW. We travel heavy, and lugging all that stuff down long hallways can get old. If your son needs quiet, as does our dd, OKW is a great choice.

 

[Cuddlemama]

Our family owns at Saratoga Springs. My 8 year old son has Aspergers and my 6 year old daughter has celiac disease. We determined quite a few years ago that a comfortable vacation meant a larger, more quiet room (separate bedrooms, preferably) and kitchen facilities.

Saratoga works very well for our needs. The rooms are quiet, the overall ambiance of the resort is laid-back and peaceful, but it's a quick walk to Downtown Disney or the Community Hall/Main Building for those in the family who do not want to feel isolated while DS and I are having some mandatory relaxation/calm time.

My son gets anxious in BLT or even in the Contemporary. It's oddly stark and frantic at the same time.

He does well at AKL-Kidani, but struggles a bit with the noise and smells and visual overstimulation of AKL-Jambo.

OKW was incredibly peaceful and comfortable (the closest to feeling like a HOME, I think) for our DS, but made the neurotypical kids and my DH feel somewhat stranded out in the boonies.

Let me know if you have any specific questions that I can help answer.

 

[starnightstarsky2000]

Kirstenb1 and Cuddlemama,
Thank you so much for your replies, one of the other questions I have is about the buses we never drive to Disney (we live in KS its a 2 day drive and yea not possible with our family) so we rely heavily on Disney Transport.

Our son LOVES the Monorail and Boats which is why we are looking at resorts that have this form of access to the parks (except of course for AK we know we have to take the bus there) but the wait for the bus is very hard on our son. As even in Oct they are packed which of course he doesn't do well so I guess my other question is how do you find the wait time convenience of the boat and monorail verses the buses?

Also any other thoughts you want to share about the resorts would be great too. We know we want a DVC we just want to get more personal opinions from those who have them currently so we know what to be prepared for. I know that is kinda of a blank question but well I am not sure what other questions I should ask. Thanks

 

[Cuddlemama]

If you want to avoid most buses, you need to look at resale contracts for Boardwalk or Beach Club. From those two resorts, you can get to 3 of the parks without taking a bus. You can walk to Epcot, take a boat to MGM or Epcot, and take the Monorail to Magic Kingdom.

 

[starnightstarsky2000]

Cuddlemama,
Ohh I am so glad you told me that I thought OKW was on the boat too so its Beach Club and Boardwalk I am thinking of. And actually we are looking at the resales so that is great to know.

 

[kirstenb1]

CuddleMama gave you great advice regarding boat/monorail access. I'm not sure if you've stayed at the DVC resorts. If you haven't, maybe check out the rates on the DVC rent/trade board.

Disclaimer---I haven't rented out our points, so I'm not trying to steer you to anything. We've been DVC'rs since 1993. But that board seems to have very affordable rates. With an ASD kiddo, it would be so helpful to test drive a resort before buying.

If you do buy DVC, I think you'll love the full-size fridge, washer/dryer etc. My younger dd kicks my butt everyday, and I really appreciate having a "home away from home" environment when we're on vacation!!

 

[madaboutMickey]

Cuddlemama,
Ohh I am so glad you told me that I thought OKW was on the boat too so its Beach Club and Boardwalk I am thinking of. And actually we are looking at the resales so that is great to know.

OKW does have boat transportation but it goes to DTD not any of the parks. And I might add that as an adult I found Boardwalk to be very noisy. We were staying in a boardwalk view room in late Jan. So maybe another area would be fine.

 

[bookwormde]

I bought OKW, more because of financial reasons. Like most Aspergers families we do not travel during the busy holiday times and I have allways been able to book other resorts at 7months as long as I had a little flexibility and was diligent.

You can buy OKW for 1/2 the price of BLT. We bring extended family most years and when there is enough we get an OKW Grand Villa which is a very special event since it is very much like having your own townhouse at WDW. I have not regreted buying OKW ,actually have been much happier that I though I might be (just incresed my number of points this year). If you are not in a hurry you can get 200+ points for less than 10k and the fees are amoung the lowest.

For many of us Disney dining is far from an every meal event so if you are in a villa having a kitchen makes life much easier and saves a small fortune.

OKW is about as laid back as it can get and most of the quiet pools are actually quite most of the time. If you get a canal from villa you can watch the boats to DTD go by.


bookwormde