On our first family trip to Disney World, we knew we were probably not going to get on any rides. So why go? There is more to Disney World than just the rides. There are attractions, shows, food, character dining, character meets, photo ops, resort activities and the good ol’ Disney magic. Our fun ride-free Disney World experience was an enjoyable adventure.
At the time, our little guy was very slow to open to the idea of amusement park rides, so we understood he would probably say no to every ride suggestion. Our family autism-friendly vacations don’t have to look like everyone else’s, as long as we have fun and make memories. Even without rides, we had the pleasure of seeing my son meet his then hero, Mickey Mouse.
Walt Disney World Theme Parks
Walt Disney World is located just outside of Orlando, Florida. The magical world is comprised of 6 different theme parks:
- Magic Kingdom
- Epcot
- Animal Kingdom
- Hollywood Studios
- Blizzard Beach (water park)
- Typhoon Lagoon (water park)
Additionally, an area right outside of the main parks with shopping and restaurants is called Disney Springs.
You must purchase tickets for each park that you want to enter and the prices can vary. You can also choose to purchase a Park Hopper ticket that lets you visit more than one park in a day.
Our Itinerary at Walt Disney World
Our ride-free Disney World experience itinerary was a 5 day/4 night trip that included 2 days in the parks and 2 days resort hopping and resting.
- Day 1 – Arrival – All Star Music Hotel
- Day 2 – Magic Kingdom
- Day 3 – Monorail, resort hopping, Disney Springs + fireworks
- Day 4 – Animal Kingdom
- Day 5 – Breakfast and back on the road to Rochester
How We Planned Our Ride-Free Disney World Vacation
Tip #1: Picked a less busy time of year
We went in late April when most school spring breaks were over. It was less crowded and the weather was better than a hot mid-summer visit. We never felt cramped moving through the parks and lines were reasonable. The hotel rates were also cheaper than if we would have visited in the summer.
Tip #2: Included a rest or non-park day
For our visit, we chose to only visit two parks: Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. On our arrival day we checked into our All-Star Music resort and explored the hotel. We enjoyed the hotel playground, ate, and ventured into Orlando to do a little shopping at a plaza we found.
In between our park days, we had a rest day. A day with nothing scheduled gave us the freedom to move slowly and allowed our kids to play and explore uninterrupted. No lines, no schedules.
Tip #3: Stayed flexible
We knew a ride-free Disney World experience was a possibility for us. That idea didn’t deter us, but instead made us excited to see what else there was to do. Autism families know all to well that sometimes you have to stay flexible and meet your child where they are. For us, that means remaining flexible.
While some families can choose to spend all day in the parks, we understood that we could not. We were always open to going back to the hotel if things got too overwhelming (a benefit to staying at a Disney hotel).
Tip #4: Use the My Disney Experience App
The My Disney Experience app was super handy! Months before our trip, I downloaded the app at the recommendation of my sister-in-law. More than just a park map, with the Disney app you can see ride wait times, make restaurant reservations, order and pay for meals and find see the time events are starting. I was able to use the app to plan our days at Magic and Animal Kingdom to book charater visits with Mickey Mouse. This app is also how you manage your Lightening Lane, Genie and Genie + purchases.
When the app is linked to your park tickets, it is your method of entry and once linked to your hotel, you can use the app as your hotel room key. There are many other features of this free My Disney Experience app for you to explore to make the most of your time at Disney.
Picking Which Parks to Visit
With so many options, it can be hard picking which parks to visit. Budget, time and potential sensory overload meant that would we could not visit them all. I chose the two parks based on what I thought we could enjoy the most.
Magic Kingdom
It’s hard to imagine a visit to Disney World without a visit to Magic Kingdom. Many of the classic rides like It’s a Small World and Dumbo the Flying Elephant are in Magic Kingdom and of course, Cinderella’s castle.
Our time was spent walking around, watching musical performances, taking lots of pictures, and watching the Main Street parade. We also took a ride on the Walt Disneyworld Railroad. The train is about a 20 minute ride around Magic Kingdom.
The other highlight in the Magic Kingdom for us was meeting Mickey Mouse at the Town Square. We were able to meet the talking Mickey on our visit and our little guy, like most, felt super special that Mickey had a conversation with him! Talking Mickey was unfortunately retired in 2018.
Animal Kingdom
The second park I picked was Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was a fit for our family because we like animals, and the Kilimanjaro Safari experience was one I felt confident we could complete. It was the only “ride” of our trip. For a family of animal lovers that likes to visit zoos, this was a perfect fit.
Our other activities in Animal Kingdom included listening to many of the lives bands and meeting safari Mickey and Minnie.
Resort Hopping
I discovered before our trip that resort hopping was a thing! Although we stayed at All-Star Music Resort during our visit, we took the chance to check out some of the more expensive Deluxe resorts at Disney.
While you can not use the pool or other facilities at a resort that you are not staying at, it is free to walk around. You can however, make reservations for the restaurants at the deluxe hotels. Many of the Deluxe hotels offer character dining experiences at the table service restaurants.
We drove over to a deluxe resort, the Grand Floridian. You can not park at the other resorts unless you have a restaurant reservation. However, since it was off-peak and not busy, the parking attendant was nice enough to let us park. The lobby, the pools and the finishes let you recognize quickly that it is a far different price point than the value catageory hotels.
Hopping on the monorail is also a good way to visit multiple resorts. We road the monorail. It stops at the Grand Floridan, Polynesian and a few others resorts. From the All-Star resort we also were able to catch the complimentary Disney bus to Animal Kingdom Lodge. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is a place to catch a peek at animals without going into the Animal Kingdom theme park. Over 30 species of wildlife can be found on the grounds.
Fireworks on the Beach at Polynesian
The Polynesian is within walking distance to the Grand Floridian. I had my first Dole Whip at the Polynesian – it’s like a pineapple smoothie. They have an impressive pyramid style pool and a private beach. It has become our family tradition to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks show from the Polynesian beach.
Watching the fireworks from the beach of the Polynesian allows us to skip the crowds inside of Magic Kingdom. Prior to the start of the fireworks show, there is the Electrical Water Pageant in the lagoon between Polynesian and the Grand Floridan. We also chose to watch the fireworks from there because it wasn’t as loud.
On a different Disney World trip, we resort hopped over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the animals on the savanna. I highly recommend checking out that deluxe hotel too.
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is an area outside of the parks that offers lots of shopping, hotels and movies. We spent an afternoon at Disney Springs for an early dinner at the T-Rex Cafe. The dinosaur themed T-Rex Cafe is a very popular place for families to visit.
The lifelike dinos, huge fish tank and colors are attractive to most kids. It wasn’t very crowded, but our son wanted to sit as far as he could away from dinos. Every 20 minutes or so the restaurant shakes with a fake meter shower, colors flash and things start to make noise which was a bit overstimulating. We ate quickly and he was never really comfortable.
The Longest Road Trip Ever
To save money and because we weren’t ready to try getting on an airplane, we drove from Rochester, NY to Orlando, FL. It was probably the worst road trip my husband and I have ever taken! We’ve been taking road trips since our first born was a few months old. It was just very poor planning on my part that lead to two sleepy and cranky adults, the kids were fine!
For us, part of the fun is always getting there. Long road trips are enjoyable when planned properly. We drove the complete 20+ hours without a hotel stay. It is our preference and we like to be on our own schedule. Having a car while in Orlando was also a bonus.
If you choose to fly, you can like for flights direct to Orlando. Some families will rent a car from the airport while others may choose to catch an Uber or Lyft.
Don’t Be Scared to Take the Trip
Donʼt let the idea of long lines, travel, and crowds scare you away. If visiting Disney World is something you think your family will enjoy, you can for sure have an autism-friendly experience at Disney World that doesn’t include rides. When we took this trip, we didn’t know about social stories, accessability accomodations, and things that would have helped and we still had a great time.
For families that do want to experience the rides and attractions, Disney World has a lot of accommodations to make the parks accessible for families with special needs. From Rider Switch, Break Rooms, wheelchair rentals, to the Disability Access Service (DAS), and Sensory Experience Guide, there are many resources to make your visit less stressful. The DAS is designed for guests who, due to a developmental disability like autism or similar, are unable to wait in a conventional queue (line) for an extended period of time.
While it is not a disability service, many autistic families can benefit from using Lightning Lane Entrances, Genie and Genie+ services. There is an additional cost, but being able to shorten wait times might make the experience more enjoyable.
