Disney Cruise Line may not be the cheapest family vacation choice, but it's definitely worth the splurge.
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Traveling with a special needs child to Universal Orlando requires careful planning and preparation. To make sure you have a smooth and stress free vacation, here is a list of last-minute items to make sure you bring: 1- Medications: Bring all necessary medications for the entire duration of the trip, as well as extra medication in case of unexpected delays. It's also a good idea to bring a copy of the child's prescription in case they need a refill while on trip. (Personal Tip - I always make sure that if I don't use a 'chain pharmacy', that my local pharmacist has the phone number to a pharmacy local to Universal where they can communicate in case of needing additional medication)
2-Medical Devices: If the special Needs Child requires any specific medical devices, such as wheelchair or mobility aid, don't forget to bring them along. You may want to bring extra batteries or chargers for these devices if needed. (Personal Tip - we usually rent a wheel chair or larger stroller to use 'as wheelchair' or a scooter. Less things to worry about packing. So, make sure you bring the confirmations on these if you go this route.) Today we are going to continue our discussion about Why a Special Needs Family Should Use a Travel Agent to Plan their Vacation. Last time we talked a bit about Expertise, Personalized Service and Saving time.
Today we are going to start a series on reasons Why a Special Needs Family Should Use a Travel Agent to Plan their Vacation. Special Needs Families have a set of unique reasons why a Travel Agent can be beneficial to them. Let's spend some time and delve into a few of them today.
Let’s end out the month with my Top five Must Rides at Universal Orlando!
(Disclaimer, this list was compiled by my thrill junkie special needs son. Although I do agree with three of his five choices!) Today we will talk a bit about My top five Tips for Special Needs.
Being the mom of a Special needs child/adult with cognitive disabilities and a grandchild with an amputation, this is a very important discussion with me. Our family has been in this Special Needs game since 2005 so we are well versed in the ever changing rules at both Disney and Universal. For a first timer, it can be not only daunting and full of anxiety for the parent, but if not managed well can be a trigger for meltdowns with the child. This is another one where it is hard to narrow it down to just five, but here it goes. Today we will talk about MY top five restaurants in the Universal Orlando property. For this I will include only sit down or table restaurants, only City Walk and one per park, and those you will probably need a reservation for. First, let’s start with the whole reservation thing. No, this is not like Disney where you have to get up early and hope that your favorite restaurant is available. (At least not yet.) And yes, pre covid no reservations were needed, and staying at a Premier Resort got you priority seating. However, after Covid, much of this changed. Limited seating and staffing shortages made it nearly impossible for the more popular restaurants to handle all the people that wanted to get in. The waits outside more popular restaurants were HOURS long. Now, reservations are not required, but are recommended. I’ve seen the long lines of people waiting to get into a restaurant while my family glides on in. I’ve seen the dirty stares. I’ve heard them being told two hour waits. And the priority seating? It means a one hour wait . So, now on to my top five. My # 5 top restaurants at Universal Orlando is The Cowfish. I really don’t think this one gets enough love. It has a wide variety of both hamburgers and sushi along with a blend of the two. The number of different type of hamburgers is astounding! The different types of sushi keeps even my sushi loving guys happy (yuck). This is one that we frequently see one to two hour waits, but tons of availability online for reservations. My #4 top restaurants at Universal Orlando is Toothsomes Chocolate Emporium. Even if you don’t do a real meal here, you HAVE to stop by the sweets shoppe or at least grab a milkshake! They are out of this world! It is a steampunk style ‘factory’ that earns it the nickname the Chocolate Factory! We make it a point to eat here EVERY trip and have never been disappointed. Well, maybe once during our first few post covid visits when they didn’t have the full menu back we were a bit disappointed. My #3 top restaurants at Universal Orlando is Big Fire American Fare. While we have only visited once, it has become our new favorite. (why did we wait so long to visit?!!!) The smores dessert is to die for! The previous restaurants were all in City Walk. Now let’s see what the parks have to offer. My #2 top restaurant at Universal Orlando is from Universal Studios Park. Lombard's Seafood Grille is a fantastic place to have a nice relaxing sit down lunch. Our first time there was lunch because we couldn’t get a dinner reservation. That sealed the deal! It was an excruciatingly hot October day and the cool inside was a perfect compliment to sitting beside the water eating a seafood lunch. But don’t worry, they have other things as well. This has also become a tradition for us. We always have a lunch att Lombard's! It is worth every cent! My #1 top Restaurant at Universal Orlando is from Islands of Adventure. Mythos. The Fork, Knife, and Spoon Grilled Cheese and Tomato soup alone gives it a top spot on the list. My steak loving son says the lamb there is perfection in a plate. The atmosphere is unbelievable, and the cool temperature is perfect on a hot day! Are you hungry yet? One of the services I provide for my Universal Deluxe Planning Package is to make reservations for my clients. I also give recommendations based on their family's personal likes and budget. If you want to check out all the restaurants that take reservations, here is the link. If you would like to have someone on your side and help with the planning of your vacation, click here to schedule a chat!
How does the AAP work and how is it different from the Express Pass?For my Disney Clients, you are all familiar with the DAS or Disability Assistance Pass. Universal has a similar pass and call theirs the AAP or Attraction Assistance Pass.Let me start out by saying this is NOT in any way shape or form a guide on how to ‘scam the system’ or ‘get over’! This is intended as an overview for those clients who truly need the AAP. If this is you, and you have more questions after reading this, please schedule a call and we can go over how I can help you with planning your trip. As most of you know, my specialty is Special Needs Travel.
A Disney vacation is an investment and no matter what your budget, it is important to me that you get the BEST VALUE for your vacation dollars. Here are some of my favorite tips for saving money in the theme parks.
One of my favorite ways to save a little money (and time) is to have a few essential items delivered to my resort hotel.
Grocery delivery has become extremely popular at the Disney resorts and the number of options has exploded. In this blog, I walk you through your options and some of my favorite items to order. |
AuthorMost of the content is written by people at JMorris Travel. Every once in a while we will have a guest blogger, usually it is part of our 'family'.Always with a nod to Family Travel! Archives
January 2024
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