So overwhelmed! Please help.

[Zigby]

Thank you all again! Your replies are so helpful, and are really helping me narrow down what will be best for our family holiday.

One thing I'm noticing a lot, when I put in the various possible dates, is that POFQ very rarely comes up. I assume because it is smaller and so fills up more quickly. If I'm not able to get a room in POFQ, where would you recommend as a second choice for quietness plus park proximity and ease of access? And is there any benefit to upgrading to Club level?

Thank you very much!

[xXxSammi88xXx]

We chose animal kingdom lodge. Lights are dimmed,its very peaceful. My autistic son finds it very calming there

[ely3857]

We stayed at POFQ with our coeliac child and they fed her well!

A number of years ago we choose POFQ as our hotel when the children were little specifically for its calm environment. The parks are wild enough for anyone so a nice calm hotel was key for us when we took toddlers.

[orlandonewbie]

I appreciate what you are saying about driving but I would recommend that you take your driving license and a credit card with you in case you change your mind. Sometimes when your dc are already overwhelmed the queue for the bus and then bus ride back can be a bit much. I was surprised the first time I checked the timings of the buses just how long it can take to get from place to place on Disney transport. Eg Port Orleans to Magic Kingdom is 15-20 minutes, to Animal Kingdom 20-25 minutes.
There is a car rental place on Disney property. I hate driving abroad generally but it’s very easy around disney.

[sijen]

Just an idea..……. we always book a villa - the space and flexibility is brilliant. I know you don't want to drive but you can get a transfer from the airport and use Ubers to get around - we always hire a car but I compared the price and there wasn't a lot in it. Just worth a thought.

[Sew109]

Originally Posted by MFras23

I fully appreciate what you’re saying here 🙂 we are a young couple with no children and the thought of hiring a car for us makes me stressed out! It’s great to not have any worries about driving. We have done Disney only this time but usually hit universal first for 4/5 nights and then Disney for 9/10 nights. It works perfect for us. We use FL magical tours for transfers, whilst they aren’t cheap they are absolutely amazing and so accommodating. I would highly recommend them.

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So you fly to Orlando get picked up by bus dropped at your resort and then collected a few weeks later and taken home. Do you not think you are missing all the other wonderful things that you can do in Orlando and further afield ? Driving in Orlando is so very easy I think if you tried it once when you were there you would realise that and then you would get so much more out of your holiday rather than being tied to public transport. I would say driving in th US generally is far easier than driving in the UK and Orlando some of the easiest the roads are wider, no roundabouts, good signage and generally the standard of the other drivers is higher than the UK.

[smoggy123]

I really don't think that not having a car would make you miss out, especially is it's your first time - there is so much to see and do within the 4 main parks ( plus waterparks and Disney Springs!) that you will struggle to fit it all in still! Especially as I expect your kids will want lots of down time around the pool

We went from having a car every day for our first and second trip, to a week in the middle of our 3rd trip, then just 5 days for our 4th...when we go next year we won't get a car at all.

I don't drive over there ( I left that to DH) but he doesn't enjoy it AT ALL. He gets very grumpy and stressed, and it's caused so many arguments, to the point where we know not to talk to him when he's behind the wheel. So the buses do us just fine.

My eldest daughter is autistic, and the last two visits we stayed at OKW which I cannot recommend highly enough.

The time before we took them to All Star Music which in terms of rooms is very similiar to POFQ. We found it a huge struggle to be all 4 of us in one room, as daughter needs a bit of time to herself when she is overwhelmed, and OKW is perfect for that. She could go into the bedroom and have some time alone, or sit on the huge balcony with her earphones in and just look out over the river/golf course and chill.

We found the resort buses great, never seemed to wait that long. In fact we found it more of a chew with a car on the days we DID take it to the parks because you aren't dropped at the door like with the buses...it can be a bit of a trek to get from wherever you are parked to the entrance. We much prefer hopping onto an air conditioned bus rather than dragging all our stuff back to an oven of a car at the end of the day.

I always do a daily plan, right down to what time our fast passes are, when/where we are eating and even show her the menu beforehand if we are going to a restaurant. This is printed out and she has her own copy so she knows EXACTLY what the day is going to entail.

Both my girls ( I have a younger daughter who isn't autistic) liked having their spending money split into little envelopes so they didn't spend it all at once. They kept them in the safe then got one out each day. Helped enormously!

Don't forget to use the lanyard system at the airport you are flying from, so the special assistance staff are aware.

I'm sure you will have a fantastic time and give your children some wonderful memories to hold onto forever xx

[MFras23]

Originally Posted by Sew109

So you fly to Orlando get picked up by bus dropped at your resort and then collected a few weeks later and taken home. Do you not think you are missing all the other wonderful things that you can do in Orlando and further afield ? Driving in Orlando is so very easy I think if you tried it once when you were there you would realise that and then you would get so much more out of your holiday rather than being tied to public transport. I would say driving in th US generally is far easier than driving in the UK and Orlando some of the easiest the roads are wider, no roundabouts, good signage and generally the standard of the other drivers is higher than the UK.

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Each to their own to be fair. I really enjoy not having to drive, and the thought of it incurs stress... so why would I do it when I am spending so much money on a holiday where the aim is to RELAX and have a good time.

There are other great things in Orlando, of course and we do get to visit those too. But we can use Ubers for that, for us this is the most relaxing and stress free way. Everyone is different.