Blog - Page 3 of 3 - Magically Capable

26Nov 2018 by chicagocraftgal

Ride Suggestions for those with Severe Osteogenesis Imperfecta or Ankylosing Spondylitis at Disney

Blog, Planning, Ride Reviews, While You're There

We have some friends whose eldest son has Osteogenesis Imperfecta (Brittle Bone disease). He's had countless surgeries and visits with doctors. Despite all he's been through, he is one of the most cheerful and forgiving people I know. This family inspires me. Their son has some very real limitations and obstacles in his life, but they are always looking for ways for him to do as much as he can. They are the inspiration for this post because every family deserves to have magical memories. As with Autism, there is a spectrum for those with Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Some are mildly affected and don't ever really realize they have it. Others are much more sensitive. My friend's son is somewhere in the middle. When they went to Disney, their son was…

13Nov 2018 by chicagocraftgal

Priorities to Consider in Choosing When to Visit Disney World

Blog, Planning

We Want to Go to Disney. When Should We Go? One of the first things you need to decide when are planning a Walt Disney World vacation is when to go. This is especially true of families with disabilities or special needs. You should take a good look at your family and their needs to determine what your priorities are and how that affects the time of year you want to visit Mickey Mouse. A few examples of things you might ask yourself: Does your child(ren) have a hard time keeping up with school? If so you may be limited to school holidays and summer breaks. Do you need as few people around as possible? Then avoid peak times like summer and the week between Christmas and New Years…

09Nov 2018 by chicagocraftgal

Understanding FastPass+ at Disney World

Blog, Planning, While You're There, While You're Waiting

What is FastPass+? FastPass is Disney's reservation system for rides. The system is slightly different in California versus Florida. The system in Florida is controlled through your "My Disney Experience" account on your official Disney World app. It is also called FastPass+ in Florida. Who Uses It? And How Does it Work? Anyone with a Disney World park ticket can use the FastPass+ system. You basically "reserve" a time slot to ride a specific ride during a one hour window on a given day. There are only so many allotted slots per hour reserved for FastPass+. Once those slots fill up, guests either have to reserve an earlier or later time, or go with the standby line. You will still have some waiting in the FastPass+ line, but is significantly…

27Oct 2018 by Tiffiny

Gear for Travel – Autism Hat Tutorial

Blog, Craft Activities, While You're There, While You're Waiting

Has Your Child Ever Had a Public Meltdown? What do you do when you get stares and glares?My fifth child was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD when he was four years old. He is my fourth boy and fourth child on the Autsim specctrum. At that point I dreaded going on outings because one of my four boys would inevitably have a meltdown. I talked to a friend about something I could do that would indicate my child had Autism--especially when we were in the midst of an overwhelm. I had heard of handing out explanation cards, but that seemed to require me to take my attention away from my child in the midst of his crisis. My friend had successfully used Autism t-shirts for her son. I seriously considered…

09Oct 2018 by Tiffiny

Review of Vintage Mickey

Blog, Movie Review, Reviews, Special Needs-Specific, While You're Waiting

After the planning is done, you may be looking for things to do with your family like I was. Walt Disney once said, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." So, following Walt's advice, I decided to start with the mouse that started it all. I looked online to see if I could lay my hands on Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse film. It turns out it is part of a collection of short films with Mickey Mouse starting in 1929 called, Vintage Mickey. When I was looking for an image for this post, I found that Disney has now uploaded Steamboat Willie and other original shorts to YouTube. This review will include our Autism Spectrum (ASD)…

02Oct 2018 by Tiffiny

Movie Review–“Ant-Man and the Wasp”

Blog, Movie Review, Reviews, While You're Waiting

I'm going to make this easy--Go see this movie. Ant-Man and the Wasp is fun and action-packed and gets back to what Marvel does best. This is our review from a high-functioning autism point of view. What we knew going in: This movie was to take place "before" Infinity War. Scott Lang was under house arrest after the events in Germany which happened during "Captain America: Civil War." We knew Hope had been given the Wasp costume with significant upgrades and that Hank Pym used his tech to shrink both buildings and cars. After watching "Avengers: Infinity War" we were looking forward to getting back to a simpler and hopefully more light story line. It did. At times jokes and the use of giant ants almost bordered on cheesy, but…

28Sep 2018 by Tiffiny

Timeline for Planning a Walt Disney World Vacation

Planning, While You're Waiting

I recently spoke with a Disney cast member family. We were talking about why Disneyland and Disney World were such different experiences. Disneyland is the kind of park you can make a spur of the moment decision to go to. Disney World takes a lot more planning. According to my friend this was a deliberate decision so Disney can provide two different types of experiences. Because Disney World is so large and insular, you should be aware of the ideal timeline for planning. Keep in mind it is not impossible to plan a last minute trip to Disney. I've done it for families who found last minute airfare deals. You just have to modify expectations when you do last minute planning. Ideally you decide you're going to Walt Disney World…