Family not excited, looking for recommendations

[Lisann]

We are going to Disney World next February.

Kids will be 6 (just turned 6 then), 12, and 14.
Husband is a combat vet and does not enjoy Disney. We have been once, 7 years ago.

The youngest is super excited. She wants a BBB makeover, to meet some princesses and other characters, eat at CRT, and hopefully go to a tea party if that’s back. I think I can meet those expectations.

12 yo wants to lounge around the hotel most of the time. She wants to shop, try different foods, doesn’t want thrill rides (but loved them age 5). She wants to eat at BoG. Zero interest in characters. I’m thinking Disney Springs and World Showcase could be really fun for her. Maybe a spa day at the hotel. Pretty much everything I suggest, she says no to.

14 yo wants thrill rides. He’s relatively easy going but will be bored with some stuff. He’s also interested in “any restaurant” and wants to try all food. He is interested in World Showcase and maybe Disney Springs. I’m thinking maybe after hours events for him. If the Day of Thrills Tour is back, maybe that. Also water parks. He’s excited about Galaxy’s Edge. We are going to do some Batuu bounding and also build sabers and droids.

Husband liked the firework cruise we did (pontoon boat at Epcot). That makes sense since he doesn’t love crowds. He also remembers liking Rainforest Cafe for the theming with the kids. He took our middle child to Aurora’s tea party and enjoyed that. Unrushed, uncrowded stuff appeals to him generally. His biggest complaint is “it was too planned out, felt like we were always rushing”. He wants to wake up, decide which park, and just do what we want in the moment. He despised trying to rope drop (despite being an up at 4 or 5am kind of guy). He wants one day off for every two in a park. Husband and 12 yo are sort of on the same page. They’d like to wander for a few hours, snack, ride whatever grabs their interest, then go back to the hotel within a few hours.

So I’m trying to do at least a couple of days without much planned. Animal Kingdom might go okay. World Showcase. Disney Springs. He wants me to do no planning but I know that will mean no fun restaurants, no BBB, and long lines for rides.

Any advice? I think we might have to split up a fair amount of the time to make everyone happy. Any suggestions for the two who just want to browse and take in the area? It’s sort of a hot mess of a schedule trying to accommodate everyone. Most likely there for 10 days. Trying to nail that down if I can come up with some sort of tentative schedule.

I do think I’m just going to accept that husband and older daughter might do a few things then leave for the hotel (perhaps with the youngest). Maybe try to do what my son wants with after hours or stacked evening rides.

I think in this scenario (and I feel your pain), I would only "plan" my table service restaurants. I would wing it for the rest, or have a loose idea of which park I want to go to. Now I know everyone is screaming at the page right now, but I've done many a trip this way. And especially since you are going in February, you will have a little less people to contend with.

Have each person in your party pick one thing they really want to do, and just have a great, casual and very different type of vacation next year. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it. Those types of vacations have always been my most relaxing and enjoyable in comparison to the planned-to-the-minute types of vacays.

Best of luck!

 

[starry_solo]

Congratulations on the suite!

 

[rollo]

We are going to Disney World next February.

Kids will be 6 (just turned 6 then), 12, and 14.
Husband is a combat vet and does not enjoy Disney. We have been once, 7 years ago.

The youngest is super excited. She wants a BBB makeover, to meet some princesses and other characters, eat at CRT, and hopefully go to a tea party if that’s back. I think I can meet those expectations.

12 yo wants to lounge around the hotel most of the time. She wants to shop, try different foods, doesn’t want thrill rides (but loved them age 5). She wants to eat at BoG. Zero interest in characters. I’m thinking Disney Springs and World Showcase could be really fun for her. Maybe a spa day at the hotel. Pretty much everything I suggest, she says no to.

14 yo wants thrill rides. He’s relatively easy going but will be bored with some stuff. He’s also interested in “any restaurant” and wants to try all food. He is interested in World Showcase and maybe Disney Springs. I’m thinking maybe after hours events for him. If the Day of Thrills Tour is back, maybe that. Also water parks. He’s excited about Galaxy’s Edge. We are going to do some Batuu bounding and also build sabers and droids.

Husband liked the firework cruise we did (pontoon boat at Epcot). That makes sense since he doesn’t love crowds. He also remembers liking Rainforest Cafe for the theming with the kids. He took our middle child to Aurora’s tea party and enjoyed that. Unrushed, uncrowded stuff appeals to him generally. His biggest complaint is “it was too planned out, felt like we were always rushing”. He wants to wake up, decide which park, and just do what we want in the moment. He despised trying to rope drop (despite being an up at 4 or 5am kind of guy). He wants one day off for every two in a park. Husband and 12 yo are sort of on the same page. They’d like to wander for a few hours, snack, ride whatever grabs their interest, then go back to the hotel within a few hours.

So I’m trying to do at least a couple of days without much planned. Animal Kingdom might go okay. World Showcase. Disney Springs. He wants me to do no planning but I know that will mean no fun restaurants, no BBB, and long lines for rides.

Any advice? I think we might have to split up a fair amount of the time to make everyone happy. Any suggestions for the two who just want to browse and take in the area? It’s sort of a hot mess of a schedule trying to accommodate everyone. Most likely there for 10 days. Trying to nail that down if I can come up with some sort of tentative schedule.

I do think I’m just going to accept that husband and older daughter might do a few things then leave for the hotel (perhaps with the youngest). Maybe try to do what my son wants with after hours or stacked evening rides.

 

[rollo]

Thank you. It might also make him feel better to get through security (which is stressful for him) a little before walking into the parks!

We are going to Disney World next February.

Kids will be 6 (just turned 6 then), 12, and 14.
Husband is a combat vet and does not enjoy Disney. We have been once, 7 years ago.

The youngest is super excited. She wants a BBB makeover, to meet some princesses and other characters, eat at CRT, and hopefully go to a tea party if that’s back. I think I can meet those expectations.

12 yo wants to lounge around the hotel most of the time. She wants to shop, try different foods, doesn’t want thrill rides (but loved them age 5). She wants to eat at BoG. Zero interest in characters. I’m thinking Disney Springs and World Showcase could be really fun for her. Maybe a spa day at the hotel. Pretty much everything I suggest, she says no to.

14 yo wants thrill rides. He’s relatively easy going but will be bored with some stuff. He’s also interested in “any restaurant” and wants to try all food. He is interested in World Showcase and maybe Disney Springs. I’m thinking maybe after hours events for him. If the Day of Thrills Tour is back, maybe that. Also water parks. He’s excited about Galaxy’s Edge. We are going to do some Batuu bounding and also build sabers and droids.

Husband liked the firework cruise we did (pontoon boat at Epcot). That makes sense since he doesn’t love crowds. He also remembers liking Rainforest Cafe for the theming with the kids. He took our middle child to Aurora’s tea party and enjoyed that. Unrushed, uncrowded stuff appeals to him generally. His biggest complaint is “it was too planned out, felt like we were always rushing”. He wants to wake up, decide which park, and just do what we want in the moment. He despised trying to rope drop (despite being an up at 4 or 5am kind of guy). He wants one day off for every two in a park. Husband and 12 yo are sort of on the same page. They’d like to wander for a few hours, snack, ride whatever grabs their interest, then go back to the hotel within a few hours.

So I’m trying to do at least a couple of days without much planned. Animal Kingdom might go okay. World Showcase. Disney Springs. He wants me to do no planning but I know that will mean no fun restaurants, no BBB, and long lines for rides.

Any advice? I think we might have to split up a fair amount of the time to make everyone happy. Any suggestions for the two who just want to browse and take in the area? It’s sort of a hot mess of a schedule trying to accommodate everyone. Most likely there for 10 days. Trying to nail that down if I can come up with some sort of tentative schedule.

I do think I’m just going to accept that husband and older daughter might do a few things then leave for the hotel (perhaps with the youngest). Maybe try to do what my son wants with after hours or stacked evening rides.

Hi. Like your husband I to am a combat vet and suffer from PTSD and hyper vigilance. It starts hitting me on the way to the airport, panic attacks set in bad. I too don't do crowds or restaurants well, always very aware of my surroundings (I scope the place out and I know where every exit is and where almost every door leads to) before we're even seated. It took me a while to adjust to family vacations, but my wife and kids finally helped me relax a little and I was able to enjoy vacations. One of the first things I had to learn was to NOT plan much. I had everything planned to the minute and if anything was off, I got upset and it would ruin everything else. I mean literally down to when we would leave for breakfast and how long we would stay before hitting the first park. After I adapted to that I had to learn how to let others take charge so that everyone would enjoy their time too. So, I would let the kids pick the park. Once we got there, we would all get maps and then I would tell them to lead the way. That also taught them some map reading skills which was a bonus. That gave them control so that they all had enough input so that everyone was happy and if there were rides that someone didn't want to ride, we would do something else close by while they enjoyed the ride (there's a nice fruit stand near the Tower of Terror). the biggest thing I learned was to also get away from the Disney parks for a while too and see other attractions like Seaworld, Universal and Kennedy Space Center. The fireworks cruise is perfect! We did it our last 3 trips there. I got to avoid the crowds and the noise, and the fireworks blast were damped enough to not make me jumpy, plus the gentle rocking of the boat was very relaxing. Hopefully these ideas will help you a little.

 

[TutuluvsDisney]

i enjoy long stays at Disney. We go with a crowd of 9 and everyone has different styles of vacationing. We definitely plan a No-park day after three park days. On the "rest" days we go to the stables at the camp grounds, Disney Springs for shopping or bowling or the movies, or just swim combined with a rental of a boat. Many of the hotels have community centers for the younger kids and games around the pools. You and you youngest can go to BBB while the rest of the family goes with Dad to do a MK backstage tour or an animal excursion at AK.
Get everyone to list their favorite parks and favorite activities for each park. Your oldest can do more rides while you go with the girls to watch parades and shop and dont forget the shows. Live entertainment is one of my favorite parts of all the parks.
We try to schedule one meal together - if it is summer one during lunchtime and for winter one evening meal together. I schedule lots of reservations for each day at the 60 day mark. if needed, you can cancel a reservation the day before. If schedules allow, we plan to meet at a favorite counter service when we are all in the same park. If you dont like to rope drop, then the evenings are the best times to ride the more popular rides. We all like to meet for a fireworks dessert party once on every trip.
The best way to reduce the stress of Disney is to take a break for time around the hotels in the middle of the day - esp in summer when it is hot. It is so relaxing when you plan to have a few down days during a long vacation.

Enjoy your time together but dont require 100% togetherness.

 

[Goofypaul123]

We are going to Disney World next February.

Kids will be 6 (just turned 6 then), 12, and 14.
Husband is a combat vet and does not enjoy Disney. We have been once, 7 years ago.

The youngest is super excited. She wants a BBB makeover, to meet some princesses and other characters, eat at CRT, and hopefully go to a tea party if that’s back. I think I can meet those expectations.

12 yo wants to lounge around the hotel most of the time. She wants to shop, try different foods, doesn’t want thrill rides (but loved them age 5). She wants to eat at BoG. Zero interest in characters. I’m thinking Disney Springs and World Showcase could be really fun for her. Maybe a spa day at the hotel. Pretty much everything I suggest, she says no to.

14 yo wants thrill rides. He’s relatively easy going but will be bored with some stuff. He’s also interested in “any restaurant” and wants to try all food. He is interested in World Showcase and maybe Disney Springs. I’m thinking maybe after hours events for him. If the Day of Thrills Tour is back, maybe that. Also water parks. He’s excited about Galaxy’s Edge. We are going to do some Batuu bounding and also build sabers and droids.

Husband liked the firework cruise we did (pontoon boat at Epcot). That makes sense since he doesn’t love crowds. He also remembers liking Rainforest Cafe for the theming with the kids. He took our middle child to Aurora’s tea party and enjoyed that. Unrushed, uncrowded stuff appeals to him generally. His biggest complaint is “it was too planned out, felt like we were always rushing”. He wants to wake up, decide which park, and just do what we want in the moment. He despised trying to rope drop (despite being an up at 4 or 5am kind of guy). He wants one day off for every two in a park. Husband and 12 yo are sort of on the same page. They’d like to wander for a few hours, snack, ride whatever grabs their interest, then go back to the hotel within a few hours.

So I’m trying to do at least a couple of days without much planned. Animal Kingdom might go okay. World Showcase. Disney Springs. He wants me to do no planning but I know that will mean no fun restaurants, no BBB, and long lines for rides.

Any advice? I think we might have to split up a fair amount of the time to make everyone happy. Any suggestions for the two who just want to browse and take in the area? It’s sort of a hot mess of a schedule trying to accommodate everyone. Most likely there for 10 days. Trying to nail that down if I can come up with some sort of tentative schedule.

I do think I’m just going to accept that husband and older daughter might do a few things then leave for the hotel (perhaps with the youngest). Maybe try to do what my son wants with after hours or stacked evening rides.

Sorry to hear about the PTSD and thank him for his service. Shades of Green is a great spot especially if you like to golf. OK so I don't really know the rules on here but I'm going to give you a couple of recommendation's that some people might not like, but hear me out. Let me start by saying that I'm probably one of the biggest Disney fans you could ever meet. I live in MA but take at least 2 trips down a year for 10 days at a time with my wife and five kids all of which are around your kids age (15,13,11,8,3). We do make a couple of reservations for fun restaurants in the park but they are limited. Being DVC members we usually take advantage of having the full kitchen or the grills at our rooms but when we don't, we eat at Disney Springs. We get over there early and put our names in at T-Rex or Rainforest and then walk around and shop, or grab a cocktail and walk around and watch performers. OK this is the part that might get a little controversial for some on this website, GO TO Seaworld for a day! Since my kids were born I have spent a combined 1 year in Disney parks and probably 3 years if you add up when my parents started taking me in third grade. We have done Universal studios but they charge so much for what you get and can be really crowded. Sea world on the other hand will leave you shocked. I challenge Disney or Universal to say they have better thrill rides than Sea world, not going to happen. Crazy rollercoasters and the coolest animal shows along with deals that cant be beat in the Orlando area. We usually buy our tickets through AAA but you could get an even better deal being a Veteran, which reminds me that they do an unbelievable job thanking veterans at every chance they can even having them stand up before the Orca show so a couple of thousand people can cheer for them. If you go mid week the place is empty so you don't feel rushed at all and you can get a ticket to the park with unlimited eating all day for half the price of a Disney ticket, and now that you are full from eating all day you can go back in the evening and use the pool without worrying about reservations. It doesn't hurt that you can get a Bud light every ten feet either. I'm not saying that you turn your family Disney trip into a Seaworld trip by any means but give it a shot for a day. The program at Seaworld is called "Waves of Honor" and being a veteran you will get 50% off and its an 18$ uber ride from your hotel. I do not work for Seaworld but typing this did get me excited to go in April

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thank you. I asked about somewhere else and he’d rather stay at Disney. He sort of feels it’s a safer environment but he is interested in Ft Wilderness. He likes hiking and outdoors stuff.

Does anyone know if it’s hard to do stuff like archery, canoes, fishing boats, horseback riding spur of the moment? I checked and carriage ride availability last minute is pretty low but maybe that’s different. A couple of days at Ft Wildnerness could be a nice break from the parks doing stuff he enjoys. And I could still take the 14 year old to a park at night if he wants.

I have not actually stayed there, but it definitely has a nice woodsy feel. Around the holidays people in the camping section decorate thier campsites, and it was great fun to walk around and see everyone's creativity. I've also been to Hoop De Doo, and that was lots of fun. Definitely that should be booked in advance if that appeals to your family.

From the fort Wilderness beach, you can see the fireworks. When we went, it was a bit noisy (other guests talking), but otherwise the view was pretty good. Last time I saw fireworks in the MK hub, we were packed pretty tight. Personally, I prefer watching MK fireworks from a spot like Ft. Wilderness. Epcot isn't so bad, but MK's Hub can be very packed.

One spot we lucked upon in MK is watching fireworks from over by Splash/Pecos Bills. (Or what was formerly Splash). Hardly anyone was over that way, and while it wasn't at all a perfect view, there was something very magical about it. We kinda had the space almost to ourselves.

In prior years, it was easy to rent a boat. We have also often found the smaller shuttle boats quiet and relaxing; the ones the take you around the lagoon. The captains are awesome!

I also will add again that offsite there are a number of FL state and National parks to consider. Honeymoon Island is AMAZING! It is over near Tampa/Clearwater. Inexpensive, no plans required, relaxing, beautiful, tons of shells, opportunities to see wildlife, etc. There are a number of easy trails. You can also rent kayaks to see the mangroves.

If you are flying, you might even get cheaper flights flying into Tampa. Some airlines now allow open jaw. You fly one way into Tampa, then home via Orlando. Tampa is about 90 min from WDW (traffic allowing), while MCO is about 30 min to WDW (traffic allowing). Some car rental places will ding you, but other won't. Sometimes you'll even get a lower price!

The Everglades are about 3.5/ hours south, and are also an amazing place to visit. Feb is deal time to visit. You'll see lots of wildlife, no need to plan. It is best to arrive early in the day. Big Cypress is easy. Over that way an amazing fruit stand called Robert is Here. It is best if you just happen upon it. Everyone should visit Everglades/Big Cypress at least once in their lifetime! (though part of the watershed runs closer to WDW.)

The National parks also do something for children called the Junior Ranger Program. Each park is slightly different. Oh, if one of your kids is in 3rd grade they get free admission all year! (or did a few years ago.) Anyhow Junior Ranger program is free or a nominal fee in each park. Children get a packet/booklet. It has information and activity pages. Different ages get different books that are age appropriate. If they complete a certain number of pages they get a free badge and a park ranger conducts a short ceremony. The books have all kinds of information, too. Like where to look for certain things.

I have not been in some years, but FL has a number of parks with freshwater springs. I have been looking into them, and hope to visit one soon. Some allow swimming, tubing, canoes, etc. Some draw manatees in winter. One has a neat restaurant where you cook your own pancakes and add blueberries, etc. It sounds fun (De Leon Springs, FL)

Near WDW are airboat rides. I have not done ones near WDW, but did do one in the Everglades. It was a great way to see the Everglades. We did not book it in advance, but we did have to wait about 45min for the next airboat tour. That was probably 6-7 years ago though.

One more quirky place to consider...If you are thinking of going near Daytona, find Boondocks restaurant in Port Orange. It is very casual but right on the water, and very Florida. (Even neater is a place in Pompano Beach FL called Cap's Place. You take a free shuttle boat out to a tiny island restaurant. That is more like 3 hours away for WDW though.)

Closer to WDW, on north side of Orlando is the Harry P Leu Botanical gardens.

I think if you are able to venture off WDW property, there are many options that do not require advance planning. It is often helpful to get up early, but not required. One decent source of information for options in the immediate Orlando area is VisitOlrlando website. There are also good websites for the state and National FL parks.

 

[Darth Insidious]

I think in this scenario (and I feel your pain), I would only "plan" my table service restaurants. I would wing it for the rest, or have a loose idea of which park I want to go to. Now I know everyone is screaming at the page right now, but I've done many a trip this way. And especially since you are going in February, you will have a little less people to contend with.

Have each person in your party pick one thing they really want to do, and just have a great, casual and very different type of vacation next year. You might be surprised how much you enjoy it. Those types of vacations have always been my most relaxing and enjoyable in comparison to the planned-to-the-minute types of vacays.

Best of luck!

Thank you. It’s nice to hear people have been able to sort of do things spontaneously to an extent.

 

[Darth Insidious]

Congratulations on the suite!

Thank you! I’m super excited and I know the family will love it

 

[Darth Insidious]

Hi. Like your husband I to am a combat vet and suffer from PTSD and hyper vigilance. It starts hitting me on the way to the airport, panic attacks set in bad. I too don't do crowds or restaurants well, always very aware of my surroundings (I scope the place out and I know where every exit is and where almost every door leads to) before we're even seated. It took me a while to adjust to family vacations, but my wife and kids finally helped me relax a little and I was able to enjoy vacations. One of the first things I had to learn was to NOT plan much. I had everything planned to the minute and if anything was off, I got upset and it would ruin everything else. I mean literally down to when we would leave for breakfast and how long we would stay before hitting the first park. After I adapted to that I had to learn how to let others take charge so that everyone would enjoy their time too. So, I would let the kids pick the park. Once we got there, we would all get maps and then I would tell them to lead the way. That also taught them some map reading skills which was a bonus. That gave them control so that they all had enough input so that everyone was happy and if there were rides that someone didn't want to ride, we would do something else close by while they enjoyed the ride (there's a nice fruit stand near the Tower of Terror). the biggest thing I learned was to also get away from the Disney parks for a while too and see other attractions like Seaworld, Universal and Kennedy Space Center. The fireworks cruise is perfect! We did it our last 3 trips there. I got to avoid the crowds and the noise, and the fireworks blast were damped enough to not make me jumpy, plus the gentle rocking of the boat was very relaxing. Hopefully these ideas will help you a little.

Thank you so much for sharing. Your comment about the fruit stand really made me think. Maybe less planning, get a DAS return time, and let them just wander until it’s time might be nice.

 

[Darth Insidious]

i enjoy long stays at Disney. We go with a crowd of 9 and everyone has different styles of vacationing. We definitely plan a No-park day after three park days. On the "rest" days we go to the stables at the camp grounds, Disney Springs for shopping or bowling or the movies, or just swim combined with a rental of a boat. Many of the hotels have community centers for the younger kids and games around the pools. You and you youngest can go to BBB while the rest of the family goes with Dad to do a MK backstage tour or an animal excursion at AK.
Get everyone to list their favorite parks and favorite activities for each park. Your oldest can do more rides while you go with the girls to watch parades and shop and dont forget the shows. Live entertainment is one of my favorite parts of all the parks.
We try to schedule one meal together - if it is summer one during lunchtime and for winter one evening meal together. I schedule lots of reservations for each day at the 60 day mark. if needed, you can cancel a reservation the day before. If schedules allow, we plan to meet at a favorite counter service when we are all in the same park. If you dont like to rope drop, then the evenings are the best times to ride the more popular rides. We all like to meet for a fireworks dessert party once on every trip.
The best way to reduce the stress of Disney is to take a break for time around the hotels in the middle of the day - esp in summer when it is hot. It is so relaxing when you plan to have a few down days during a long vacation.

Enjoy your time together but dont require 100% togetherness.

Thank you. Great suggestions.

 

[Darth Insidious]

Sorry to hear about the PTSD and thank him for his service. Shades of Green is a great spot especially if you like to golf. OK so I don't really know the rules on here but I'm going to give you a couple of recommendation's that some people might not like, but hear me out. Let me start by saying that I'm probably one of the biggest Disney fans you could ever meet. I live in MA but take at least 2 trips down a year for 10 days at a time with my wife and five kids all of which are around your kids age (15,13,11,8,3). We do make a couple of reservations for fun restaurants in the park but they are limited. Being DVC members we usually take advantage of having the full kitchen or the grills at our rooms but when we don't, we eat at Disney Springs. We get over there early and put our names in at T-Rex or Rainforest and then walk around and shop, or grab a cocktail and walk around and watch performers. OK this is the part that might get a little controversial for some on this website, GO TO Seaworld for a day! Since my kids were born I have spent a combined 1 year in Disney parks and probably 3 years if you add up when my parents started taking me in third grade. We have done Universal studios but they charge so much for what you get and can be really crowded. Sea world on the other hand will leave you shocked. I challenge Disney or Universal to say they have better thrill rides than Sea world, not going to happen. Crazy rollercoasters and the coolest animal shows along with deals that cant be beat in the Orlando area. We usually buy our tickets through AAA but you could get an even better deal being a Veteran, which reminds me that they do an unbelievable job thanking veterans at every chance they can even having them stand up before the Orca show so a couple of thousand people can cheer for them. If you go mid week the place is empty so you don't feel rushed at all and you can get a ticket to the park with unlimited eating all day for half the price of a Disney ticket, and now that you are full from eating all day you can go back in the evening and use the pool without worrying about reservations. It doesn't hurt that you can get a Bud light every ten feet either. I'm not saying that you turn your family Disney trip into a Seaworld trip by any means but give it a shot for a day. The program at Seaworld is called "Waves of Honor" and being a veteran you will get 50% off and its an 18$ uber ride from your hotel. I do not work for Seaworld but typing this did get me excited to go in April

Thank you. I definitely want to go to Sea World. Older two want to go back to Universal too. Husband says not this trip. He thinks it will be too much but said we could go back in a year or two to hit Universal, Sea World, and Discovery Cove. I’ll keep the idea of just a simple Sea World day though. It also goes with the no specific plans, just wander the park thing he likes.

 

[Darth Insidious]

I have not actually stayed there, but it definitely has a nice woodsy feel. Around the holidays people in the camping section decorate thier campsites, and it was great fun to walk around and see everyone's creativity. I've also been to Hoop De Doo, and that was lots of fun. Definitely that should be booked in advance if that appeals to your family.

From the fort Wilderness beach, you can see the fireworks. When we went, it was a bit noisy (other guests talking), but otherwise the view was pretty good. Last time I saw fireworks in the MK hub, we were packed pretty tight. Personally, I prefer watching MK fireworks from a spot like Ft. Wilderness. Epcot isn't so bad, but MK's Hub can be very packed.

One spot we lucked upon in MK is watching fireworks from over by Splash/Pecos Bills. (Or what was formerly Splash). Hardly anyone was over that way, and while it wasn't at all a perfect view, there was something very magical about it. We kinda had the space almost to ourselves.

In prior years, it was easy to rent a boat. We have also often found the smaller shuttle boats quiet and relaxing; the ones the take you around the lagoon. The captains are awesome!

I also will add again that offsite there are a number of FL state and National parks to consider. Honeymoon Island is AMAZING! It is over near Tampa/Clearwater. Inexpensive, no plans required, relaxing, beautiful, tons of shells, opportunities to see wildlife, etc. There are a number of easy trails. You can also rent kayaks to see the mangroves.

If you are flying, you might even get cheaper flights flying into Tampa. Some airlines now allow open jaw. You fly one way into Tampa, then home via Orlando. Tampa is about 90 min from WDW (traffic allowing), while MCO is about 30 min to WDW (traffic allowing). Some car rental places will ding you, but other won't. Sometimes you'll even get a lower price!

The Everglades are about 3.5/ hours south, and are also an amazing place to visit. Feb is deal time to visit. You'll see lots of wildlife, no need to plan. It is best to arrive early in the day. Big Cypress is easy. Over that way an amazing fruit stand called Robert is Here. It is best if you just happen upon it. Everyone should visit Everglades/Big Cypress at least once in their lifetime! (though part of the watershed runs closer to WDW.)

The National parks also do something for children called the Junior Ranger Program. Each park is slightly different. Oh, if one of your kids is in 3rd grade they get free admission all year! (or did a few years ago.) Anyhow Junior Ranger program is free or a nominal fee in each park. Children get a packet/booklet. It has information and activity pages. Different ages get different books that are age appropriate. If they complete a certain number of pages they get a free badge and a park ranger conducts a short ceremony. The books have all kinds of information, too. Like where to look for certain things.

I have not been in some years, but FL has a number of parks with freshwater springs. I have been looking into them, and hope to visit one soon. Some allow swimming, tubing, canoes, etc. Some draw manatees in winter. One has a neat restaurant where you cook your own pancakes and add blueberries, etc. It sounds fun (De Leon Springs, FL)

Near WDW are airboat rides. I have not done ones near WDW, but did do one in the Everglades. It was a great way to see the Everglades. We did not book it in advance, but we did have to wait about 45min for the next airboat tour. That was probably 6-7 years ago though.

One more quirky place to consider...If you are thinking of going near Daytona, find Boondocks restaurant in Port Orange. It is very casual but right on the water, and very Florida. (Even neater is a place in Pompano Beach FL called Cap's Place. You take a free shuttle boat out to a tiny island restaurant. That is more like 3 hours away for WDW though.)

Closer to WDW, on north side of Orlando is the Harry P Leu Botanical gardens.

I think if you are able to venture off WDW property, there are many options that do not require advance planning. It is often helpful to get up early, but not required. One decent source of information for options in the immediate Orlando area is VisitOlrlando website. There are also good websites for the state and National FL parks.

Thank you so much for these great ideas!

 

[Creido]

Go slowly. Stay around the edges. Patience is your friend. The last thing you want to be is a theme park commando.

 

[gottalovepluto]

... Anything that gets him out of crowds is a win for us. I know it’s Disney so there are going to be crowds but I definitely appreciate any tips!

pg 14 has some helpful hints on quiet places in different parts of the parks. Link
Although I don’t think the trails in the early afternoon at AK are particularly quiet. The best hint is if he wants a quiet break to ask a nearby CM. They know all the secrets to the immediate area and might be able to point out some place you’d never have noticed on your own.

Some thoughts:

-consider stacking G+ for evening at DHS as it’s much quieter in the evening than day but be aware of Fantasmic letting out because that dumps like 7,000 people (not exaggerating) into DHS after the show is over

-there are small daytime fireworks at MK, if that is a trigger for him research it and make him aware

-I like the trails at Animal Kingdom in the morning. Tiger trail opens at 9am and I think the Gorilla one does too so they aren’t crazy early and they are very quiet when they open. The crowds are busy slamming Avatar land so that whole side of the park is pretty quiet even though the park is open before those trails open.

-Watch out for Toy Story Land at DHS. Thing is so dang small it feels person to person for most of the day to me.

-if you’re in the parks at closing and everyone is exiting en masse find a place to step aside for a while and let the crowds pass. There is no rush. CMs will let you know if you need to move and that will likely only happen after the area has emptied out anyway.

-I don’t like the rope drop crowds either, I try to time entry after the EE crowd has pushed through but before the masses are let in. This is hard with only a 30 min window but some parks like DHS & EP tend to let EE crowds in earlier than the official EE opening. I darn near got trampled trying to rope drop 7DMT once, definitely don’t do that.

-No weekends at EP

-EP festivals are better for lunch than dinner if looking to avoid crowds.

-TS dining puts him on a schedule but it is my favorite way to get away from the crowds, QS has no schedule but I get no crowd relief from it.

-research online PTSD and WDW. You/he may find some really helpful tips and tricks as you are not alone in traveling to WDW with PTSD

 

[StevieB81]

My son has PTSD also and we use DAS in the parks and it helps him significantly. There are still waits in the cue (LL) but most aren't too bad. Some are walk-on. His anxiety goes up the longer he is "trapped" in a line with strangers but can be helped by focusing on something other than being in line. Play Disney and cue interactions, along with some very focused conversational interaction take his mind off it long enough to get through even a longer DAS cue. It also helps to put him in the middle of our group to kind of shield him from the rest of the cue. While you're waiting for a return time, you can eat, hit up a show, take in the atmosphere, or even ride something with a short standby wait (if you can find one). The in-park DAS reservation system is pretty flexible and easy to use.

Our last several trips have all been 10-14 nights. It is way more relaxing, for us anyway. I feel like less would be not enough and more stressful. Imagine that? Different people travel in different ways. Who could have guessed? We are also a few hours in the park at a time and then relax at the hotel or do something else kind of people. We do at least one table service meal each day and usually hit a park in the evening for a couple of hours. Park hoppers are very helpful to keeping things flexible. The deluxe extra evening hours are great for a much less crowded experience. If you only want a few hours in the parks, on those days I would go a couple hours before the park closes and stay until the end of the extra hours.

My son also uses earbuds for noise and they are helpful. I also agree with using the first aid areas, if needed, for a place to decompress. My son got triggered a couple trips ago and was heading toward a full blown panic attack. The first aid station was calm, quiet, and the CMs were incredible. He got turned around in pretty good time without losing his ability to function.

It sounds to me like you have a good initial plan and a great attitude to have a good trip. Park hoppers, DAS and extra evening hours are really going to help your husband. I hope you have a great trip. Maybe you should add an extra day or two

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I’d recommend skipping Disney and going to universal. Much less stressful. No planning needed. Much more fun overall. A Disney vacation is much less of a vacation than it was 7 years ago. It’s now a lot more like going to the DMV or having to complete a lame homework assignment.

 

[Darth Insidious]

pg 14 has some helpful hints on quiet places in different parts of the parks. Link
Although I don’t think the trails in the early afternoon at AK are particularly quiet. The best hint is if he wants a quiet break to ask a nearby CM. They know all the secrets to the immediate area and might be able to point out some place you’d never have noticed on your own.

Some thoughts:

-consider stacking G+ for evening at DHS as it’s much quieter in the evening than day but be aware of Fantasmic letting out because that dumps like 7,000 people (not exaggerating) into DHS after the show is over

-there are small daytime fireworks at MK, if that is a trigger for him research it and make him aware

-I like the trails at Animal Kingdom in the morning. Tiger trail opens at 9am and I think the Gorilla one does too so they aren’t crazy early and they are very quiet when they open. The crowds are busy slamming Avatar land so that whole side of the park is pretty quiet even though the park is open before those trails open.

-Watch out for Toy Story Land at DHS. Thing is so dang small it feels person to person for most of the day to me.

-if you’re in the parks at closing and everyone is exiting en masse find a place to step aside for a while and let the crowds pass. There is no rush. CMs will let you know if you need to move and that will likely only happen after the area has emptied out anyway.

-I don’t like the rope drop crowds either, I try to time entry after the EE crowd has pushed through but before the masses are let in. This is hard with only a 30 min window but some parks like DHS & EP tend to let EE crowds in earlier than the official EE opening. I darn near got trampled trying to rope drop 7DMT once, definitely don’t do that.

-No weekends at EP

-EP festivals are better for lunch than dinner if looking to avoid crowds.

-TS dining puts him on a schedule but it is my favorite way to get away from the crowds, QS has no schedule but I get no crowd relief from it.

-research online PTSD and WDW. You/he may find some really helpful tips and tricks as you are not alone in traveling to WDW with PTSD

Thank you so much for the suggestions!

 

[Darth Insidious]

My son has PTSD also and we use DAS in the parks and it helps him significantly. There are still waits in the cue (LL) but most aren't too bad. Some are walk-on. His anxiety goes up the longer he is "trapped" in a line with strangers but can be helped by focusing on something other than being in line. Play Disney and cue interactions, along with some very focused conversational interaction take his mind off it long enough to get through even a longer DAS cue. It also helps to put him in the middle of our group to kind of shield him from the rest of the cue. While you're waiting for a return time, you can eat, hit up a show, take in the atmosphere, or even ride something with a short standby wait (if you can find one). The in-park DAS reservation system is pretty flexible and easy to use.

Our last several trips have all been 10-14 nights. It is way more relaxing, for us anyway. I feel like less would be not enough and more stressful. Imagine that? Different people travel in different ways. Who could have guessed? We are also a few hours in the park at a time and then relax at the hotel or do something else kind of people. We do at least one table service meal each day and usually hit a park in the evening for a couple of hours. Park hoppers are very helpful to keeping things flexible. The deluxe extra evening hours are great for a much less crowded experience. If you only want a few hours in the parks, on those days I would go a couple hours before the park closes and stay until the end of the extra hours.

My son also uses earbuds for noise and they are helpful. I also agree with using the first aid areas, if needed, for a place to decompress. My son got triggered a couple trips ago and was heading toward a full blown panic attack. The first aid station was calm, quiet, and the CMs were incredible. He got turned around in pretty good time without losing his ability to function.

It sounds to me like you have a good initial plan and a great attitude to have a good trip. Park hoppers, DAS and extra evening hours are really going to help your husband. I hope you have a great trip. Maybe you should add an extra day or two

Thank you so much. It’s good to hear the long trip with a few hours in the park at a time worked well for others in a similar situation.

 

[DL1WDW2]

Make sure you are aware of the First Aid locations including Disney Springs . Trying to remind myself . Just in case…I know MK and Epcot …need to research. Everybody should be aware! I have visited just for aspirin or bandaid

I would plan ways to be with family inside the parks but in a different way.
For instance I can only enter MK by the ferry boat enjoying the fresh air trip in front of boat… then enter and go to Starbucks and sit under the yellow umbrella tables ( they are red on the other side by piano player…)
And watch crowds and enjoy view of castle while family has fun I remain calm and might go onPeopleMover or Carousel of Progress.
At Epcot the new Connections Cafe is perfect for front of park but I also enjoy waiting at the new Creperie Restaurant if I can get a window seat .
Feels like I am actually in Paris as I watch the guests walking past . Can relax with a nice fresh fruit or salad with crepe and fresh orange juice and cup of coffee served in a real cup! Also has benches to watch the SkyLiner . Maybe ride SkyLiner It is okay to request a gondola for family only !
The only place to unwind at HS would be Pizza Rizzo cause they have an upstairs with balcony view. They serve a small side salad with slice of pizza.
Also think AK early morn entry with the RainForest reservation … but I think they have an outdoor seating area with lots of green landscaping .
And at Disney Springs,there is nothing as wonderful as sitting inside or outside the Starbucks with the activity of the Aerophile giant balloon !
(Close to Orange Parking Garage)
This is also the location of the Coca Cola Gift Shop which has an amazing fun upper balcony seating area with bar to order Coke Floats and a Coke Flight of mini drink samples including the Beverly ! Haha my name is Beverly for real .

That’s how I do Disney nowadays cause I refuse to pay extra for Genie and $ILL$ .