[kylsha]

Our first DW trip is Oct. 15-22. We are so excited. Our kids are 7 and 8. Our DD is open to most anything when it comes to rides and attractions, however, our son who will be 8 by then is very skittish. he is visually impaired and has blurred site with his glasses beyond 20 feet or so and fast moving things freak him out. I want this to be an enjoyable experience for him, especially since he has been through **** since he was a baby. We have already began preparing him for the air flight but now he has already started getting nervous about the fast rides, I assurred him that there is so much more to DW than "space mountain", etc. but I need to know the plan before we get there. A little too organized, I know but if you knew our son, you'd have a plan too. My DD and DH and I of course are very patient with him but we need great advice on the best theme attractions to entertain all. And of course my DH and I will do the split up thing for my DD so she doesn't miss out on the thrill rides. Any suggestions would be awesome. Sorry, I keep sounding like such a newbie. Just trying to cover all basis before the big trip.

[jk8]

Pirates of the Caribean would be a good one for all. I don't think Buzz moves too fast although I think there are strobe lights in there. The usual Pooh and Peter Pan are fun for all. That's all I can think of right now.

[llama]

First of all, never apologize for "planning" on this site. We're all compulsive planners. As for which attractions he would enjoy - stay away from speed. I'd start in Fantasyland. Nothing there really involves speed. Peter Pan might be a good starting point. It's so entertaining and beautiful. Kind of a gentle ride in pirate ships through the sky. Likewise It's a Small World, Dumbo, Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Snow White's Adventures is not fast, but it does have some scenes which scare younger kids (that witch pops up a lot). Mickey's Philharmagic requires wearing 3-D glasses. If he can wear the glasses, this show is wonderful! As mentioned before, Pirates of the Carribbean is great. In Tomorrowland try the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It will give you glimpses of Buzz Lightyear and Space Mountain, from a gentle "train-like" ride. A ride on the Railroad would also be great. The Jungle Cruise is slow and nothing pops up at you.

There really is so much to see and do without involving speed or anything too startling. I advise that you get a good guide book which describes the rides fully (The Unofficial Guide to WDW is great), and review each ride. Most of all, keep reassuring of all the fun he will have, and that no one will force him to do anything he's leery of.

[Baloo85]

Jungle Cruise...TTA...Peter Pan...Racecars...Carousel...Philharmagic...Buzz... Tom Sawyer Island...Country Bears...Pirates...Tike Room...Aladdin...Dumbo...Small World...stuff like that

[PrincessJill]

You are definitely not too organized. I think it's a great idea that you're planning everything out before you go. :)

There have been some great suggestions already. There was one other one that popped into my mind - what about Stitch's Escape? This one might get ruled out right away because it's dark and loud at some points, and it tends to frighten kids. But it popped into my mind because of the fact that it is dark - you spend most of the show listening to stitch move and feeling him "jump" on your shoulders, and smelling his nasty stitch-y smells. Again, this might not be a good suggestion, since a lot of kids are scared by it. The only reason I thought of it is because in my opinion it's geared toward other senses rather than sight.

[CaraMia]

My ds is a bit younger then your son (mine is only 3 yrs old) but ever since he was 2.5 he became very skittish. He refuses to go on any rides except the tea cups. We decided not to force him to do anything he doesnt want to do or let it upset us. It just so happens that he LOVES meeting the characters and getting autographs. We spent alot of our weekend doing that with him.

My advice, if your son really does not want to do something, dont force him. He will have a good time without the rides in his own way.

[hanwill]

If he is scared of dark spaces, use those light sticks that when snapped light up. I took those and my three year old got on the haunted mansion! It worked great anywhere- even if it was losing its power- and it wasn't bright enough to disturb others.

[tink74]

I have a DStepS (7) who absolutely loves thrill rides, and my DS (8) gets afraid in Pirates, so I completely understand where your coming from.

You mentioned that your son had some blurred vision issues, so I would give a second thought to any of the 3-D movies or circular rides (teacups!), or try them out yourself first. If darkness is a problem, the glow sticks can be comforting.

One thing I have learned though, forcing a kid on any ride they don't want to go on will ruin a trip! Disney has a great kid swap option (one parent waits with the child while the other one rides and then they switch....also the waiting parent has the option of bringing 2 people back on the ride with them, so you can take DD again with no wait, which we consider a bonus!)
Just be really flexible with your plan, and you should be fine!

[Huakai]

If your son likes animals, then he will probably enjoy AK. There is so much to see there and it is really a laid back park. Some children really like Epcot too, and he might enjoy talking with Crush at the Living Seas. Check out this thread for some fun things to look for in the parks. Any rides that you have questions about, please just ask. We are all here to help each other and we want your trip to be extra special for the whole family!

[SoThisIsLove]

I think what Huaki said is a VERY good idea! AK and Epcot would be perfect, becuase there is more sight-seeing then rides. It takes a very long time to get through all the countries, so that could keep him occupied if he doesn't get bored, and the wildlife at AK is fun.
Also, you could try the water parks. Because of your DS' vision, he might not like the slides, but there is plenty more to do, you can just swim around in the pools!
Downtown Disney is fun, too. I like to shop do it is my paradise, but there are some stores I bet he would like. If the leggo models are still there, he would probably enjoy that.

Well, hope this helped!

[ddoll]

You guys are the best. What wonderful suggestions you've all contributed!

Our youngest DS is 10 now, but has had some fear issues in the past (real issues, he's had PTSD). He's come a long way, but there are some things he still won't go on. He's now old enough to specify exactly what things frighten him, ie: rapid drops and loud noises in the dark.

To minimize his fears, we've always encouraged him to try something once to see if he likes it or not, and then we emphasize that Disney is for fun. If something is not fun for him he should skip it. And this hasn't been easy for us to enforce with the older brothers wanting to goad him into going on some of the bigger rides! But he can now recite that mantra back to them when they try it.

If you know something will frighten your child, then by all means skip it. Otherwise, I'd say let him have the option of trying new things.

[quakercub]

Some of the shows, particularly at MGM and Animal Kingdom (AK) would be perfect. They don't involve the audience moving at all and are fun for just about everybody. At MGM, there's Indiana Jones Stunt Spectular (because of his vision issues, just ask a cast member and they'll be happy to get him up front on any show). Also at MGM: Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid and Playhouse Disney. At AK: Pocohantas and Her Friends, Flights of Wonder (trained bird show), Festival of the Lion King, Tarzan Rocks (this one is LOUD). Also the two walking trails have lots of animals to see. And, of course Fantasy Land at Magic Kingdom has already been mentioned as well as World Showcase at EPCOT. Have a great time!!

[SoThisIsLove]

About the shows, if your DS can't see so far behind the audience because of his sight, you could always ask to sit in the front.
A few years ago, I skinned my kneecap (i mean literally, I had like no skin left on it ) The bandage on it completely stiffened my leg so I couldn't bend it and I had to sit on the edge of the benches during shows so I could stick my leg out to the side. When I told a CM this, they let me sit in the FRONT ROW during Fantasmic so I would be comfortable and so I could stick my leg out infront of me. CMs are so cool!

[disneygrandma]

As they have mentioned above - just test him out and let him go where he is comfortable. I might recommend that he might really love to interact with the characters. Suggest that you go back to the entrance to Toon Town at MK about 9:45 am. They usually open up about 10:00 and the characters are there to greet you and walk with you in a parade down to Toon Town. Then the characters set up in the Judges Tent and Mickey's tent for meet and Greet. This would allow him to go up to and hug, interact and have pictures and get autographs. I bet he would love getting an autograph book and getting as many autographs as you can. Take pictures and then match them with the autographs when you get home. If he likes Woody and friends you can find them back in frontierland and Buzz is usaully around Tomorrowland. If you can't find them, just ask any CM and explain that he has vision problems and they usually give you the royal treatment.

You can meet the Safari Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald at the meet and greet area at AK back by the Lion King Show. Also consider a couple of character meals. I personally really like Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary Hotel, Donald's Breakfastosarus at Animal Kingdom and the Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom.

At EPCOT the Caravan Bus usually comes to the front about 10:00 - 10:15 each day - right up by the Leave a Legacy Tiles. Also many of the countries in the World Showcase have characters. Robin Hood and friends & Pooh and friends at United Kimgdom, Princess Aurora (sleeping beauty), Belle and Beast at France, Aladdin, Jasmine and Genie at Morocco, Snow White and dwarfs at Germany and Mulan and Mushoo at China. I really hope you all have a great time.

Each day Disney has a schedule available right next to the maps for each park and many of them have character meet & greet times on them.

[tjmosby]

If your going to Disney World. you might want to invest in a Pal Mickey doll also....
It will give your child a weath of information as he walks around the parks and let him know when Disney characters and things of interest are around the next bend.... He may be less frightened if mickey gives him some up coming information. You should have seen my Grandmother jump when she turned a corner one time and Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee were standing there..
We have already gotten a pal mickey and our 2 year old will be using it on our trip next month......
I'll keep you posted on it entertainment value.....