Summer or Holiday Fun with Kids on the Autism Spectrum

Looking for summer or holiday fun with kids on the autism spectrum?  Everyone loves to vacation, the hitch with having kids, is it’s not like you can leave them at home with a 5 pound bag of Cheetoes and wish them luck, or necessarily drop them off at the grandparents’ – let’s face it, most of us do not have that luxury.  So, what to do?  Something they will have a blast at and you will, too.   And since our three kids are on the autism spectrum, that goes triple.   But all of you with little kids, especially, face the same dilemma.

So, we went to three different places.  (Granted, the water park is good for only a few more months down here in So Cal, because it never gets cold until after Halloween.   The only reason I have a few cool winter clothes is because all three kids ice skate and compete, so I have plenty of opportunity to hang out in an ice house wearing them. )  We stuck with the theme park with a hotel stay, the water park, and the free pedestrian walk, because let’s face it, not everyone has that kind of money to drop.  We save for a year to stay in the hotel each time.  If you’re going to do it, do it right!

Raging Waters – the Water Park, San Dimas, CA

First off, let me say that this could’ve been bad.  It started out that way.  We started off doing the things we recommend other people do. We checked the website, we called the number.  We got the discount ticket coupon from Albertsons.  I talked to a perky girl that assured me everything would be okay.  Yeah, right.

We arrived when they opened, hoping to find some of those coveted free recliners under shade.  Seriously, what was I thinking?  I was thinking after spending $163 to get through the door, I didn’t have an extra $85-150 to drop on a private cabana.   We ended up going back to wait in the cabana line, only to at first be told there was nothing, and then sold the last of the premium cabanas at $150.  Ugh.  In the first hour, we’re over $300 and we haven’t even had lunch yet.  The kids were already incredibly squirrelly from having to sit around and wait while we sorted this out – and not being able to have fun in the water like they saw a bunch of other kids doing.   But, it didn’t end that way.  A big part of how great a place is doesn’t depend on when things go right.  When things go right, everyone’s happy.  It’s how they handle when things go wrong.  So, here are some tips for a water park:

1. Check the weather – we went when it was 105, but with the wind chill factor on some of the higher water slides, up on that scaffolding, it gets cold.  Wear a swim shirt or something similar to try and keep warm.  Otherwise you will freeze. And they will reduce road rash.  A lot of these slides are very rough and if you come off your matt you can get really scuffed up.  Girls, the temptation is to wear that tiny bikini but most of these rides at a high rate of speed and you can wind up flashing your bum just like Katy Perry did or more.
2. Call ahead or go online and make a reservation for a cabana.  Despite what the perky girl on the phone will tell you. Don’t assume they will be available when you get there, even if you get there when they open.  They have three different styles.  Sorry, they are expensive.   The cheaper ones are actually closer to the water and have netting to block out the bees – and there are a lot of them.  (If you have a bee allergy, bring an EpiPen.) If you can, piggy back with another family to split the cost, that would be ideal.  Most of what you’re looking for is a place to park your stuff and a place to relax while you eat.  If that’s not an option, have a speedy member of your party run ahead with a small collection of towels to save some space and then text you where to find them.  There are quite a bit on the far side of the wave pool and the kid’s area.  And no, they aren’t on the map, so you’re racing against people that have been there a dozen times blind.
3. Make sure there is an appropriate number of people in the cabanas next to you.   When we arrived at our “premium cabana” we looked over and saw the cabana next to us had 30 plus backpacks piled in it.  It turns out it was a lifeguard camp who was splitting the cost.  It was terrible.  And no, they aren’t supposed to do that.  The worst thing was, when we came back to our cabana, these kids were sitting in our area, moving our stuff and using our towels.  To say I was upset was an understatement.
4. If you can bring help, do it.  This applied to anyone with little ones or kids with special needs.  We were able to split up and go to different areas and rides that everyone wanted to do, but our littlest wasn’t big enough to go on.  We had our niece Jenna, who is great with the kids.  And by doing that, we were able to have a set meeting place, and set up times to meet after each ride, because we all know that waiting times are not all equal!
5. Bring a water tight container.  Cell phones don’t like sand and they like water even less.  You can get a water proof box at any sporting goods store.  If you don’t have time to pick one up try raiding your mom’s Tupperware.  It’ll get the job done.

Now, we pointed out that some things went wrong.  Raging Waters, however, has excellent customer service in Julio and Morgan, two people that helped us.  Julio was the manager for the cabanas, and when he saw what happened, they fixed it.  He found another cabana, had us moved, refunded our fee, and get us taken care of.  Now, unless you find an entire summer camp perched in your cabana, I would not expect a refund – but they did everything they could to make it right, and do it quickly.  It turned what could’ve been a mess into a fantastic day.  The kids had a blast – especially in the wave pool – but you’d better go out there with them – that water is deep.  The park also provides flotation devices for kids for free.

 

Disneyland a grilled cheese and the bowl of cheerios

We save up and stay in the Disneyland Hotel every year or so.  Why?  Because it really is a different experience, and with their Annual Passholder discount days, the prices come down out of the stratosphere a bit.  And quite frankly, we have never made the entire day.  Ever.  But with the hotel stay, we can go to breakfast in the park, go to the room, recharge, go swimming in the new awesome waterslides at the pool, hang around Downtown Disney, listen and dance to street performers there, take the monorail back to the park, putt around and actually be there to see the fireworks.  Generally, we upgrade to the concierge room – why?  There is a lounge attached, where continental breakfast, lunch and dinner are served.  There is also a plethora of drinks and snacks you can grab and take into the park.  At night, there’s wine and cheese for the parents, and fresh chocolate chip cookies and milk for the kids – and they turn off the lights and pipe in the music for a great view of the fireworks you can enjoy in complete comfort.  If you have a family of four, it’s totally worth it.

However, this time, it was a bit different.  When we got there, one of the waiters, Robert, greeted us.  This guy is a complete treasure.  He’s been there at least ten years, remembers us and just about every family that returns – even if it’s been years since they’ve been there.   However, the next morning, when we went up for breakfast, there was nothing our son, Alex, would eat.  He doesn’t like sugary stuff.  This has never been a problem in the past.  But this time, the woman just pointed at the buffet, “That’s what we have.”  When we tried to talk to her, she pretended she didn’t speak English, which drives me crazy.  I applaud anyone that speaks more than one language.  We both lived in Germany where we had to speak German and we frequently have to speak Spanish with some of Melissa’s family so we know how hard it is to learn a foreign language.  But when we’re paying a huge chunk of our hard-earned money we saved all year so we can stay here, it cheeses us off that Disney management would put someone out on the floor that is incapable of communicating with the customers.  Of course, we inquired as to the reasons why they stopped carrying Cheerios – the single most popular cereal on the planet.  Their answer was one every parent is familiar with, “I don’t know.” Apparently, it’s a mystery yet to be solved.   After complaining, we heard another party being told they can place an order the night before for if they have dietary restrictions.  Of course, nobody mentioned that to us.

Some dear friends took us to Napa Rose, Disney’s premier restaurant located at their Grand California Hotel. While the food is good, the wait was terrible.  We had to ask for something off menu for Alex, because they didn’t have anything, well, appropriate for a kid with dietary restrictions.  A grilled cheese or chicken nuggets.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Seriously, I know you’re a high end restaurant but you’re located in the most kid friendly place on earth, throw me a bone here.  Working in Hollywood, we’ve eaten in many 5 star restaurants and never had a problem.  The waitress informed us they don’t have anything like that, and left it at that.  No two slices of bread in the entire restaurant, eh?  She didn’t offer any solutions, either, or even offer to ASK the kitchen.  Your kid doesn’t have to be autistic to have dietary restrictions.  Determined not to let this ruin our evening, Andy went next door to the Storyteller Café (great place!), flagged down our favorite server, Jeff, who got Reggie at the front desk and Mike, the manager, involved.  I love these guys.  I think all he had to say to them was anniversary, problem and grilled cheese. In less than 10 minutes, Alex had a to-go grilled cheese, fries and a sampling of their bread to eat next door.  Which was a good thing, too, because the girls ate his fries.  You might think our food would be waiting when they got back but not so.  It took an hour and fifteen minutes from the time we ordered for our food to arrive.  Eventually, our host, Rob, spoke with the manager, and he discounted our bill.  I’d have rather had the food on time, and good service, actually.  I’m assuming it’s not the norm.  And when Mickey was late for Fantasmic, our friends commented, “He’s probably still waiting for his entree at the Napa Rose.”

Oh, in case you’re wondering, we called that night and placed an order for Cheerios the next morning. When the next morning came, no Cheerios.  Again.  Instead, they had a Cheerio-like cereal.  What?  At no time during any of the earlier conversations did anyone mention Cheerio-like, Cheerio-ish cereal.  If they had, we would have said no.  What else do you have?  Little kids aren’t so easily fooled.  And honestly, the faux Cheerios tasted terrible, even to me.

The moral of this is – Disneyland is a great place to stay, but not everyone will be a Jeff, Mike, Reggie or Robert.  Sometimes you get a waitress that can’t be bothered.  The good news is, once we made our concerns known to a manager at any of these places, it was dealt with quickly, professionally and compassionately.    Shannon, the manager at the concierge lounge, Mike at the Storyteller, Phillipe at the Napa Rose.  They all handled things very well.  Like I said, it’s not when things go well, it’s the actions of the staff when things go wrong that shows the character of an organization.

 

Universal Studios City Walk

As we move beyond the summer and look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas vacations we wanted to end this article with one more story.  You see, we live about a mile from Universal Studios.  You’d think working in the movie business, it would be the last place we would want to spend any time, but to be honest we really enjoy it.  Why?  Because it’s fun and it reminds us that we are in the business of telling stories to make people happy.    With that in mind, here is a tale, we hope you will enjoy, of when Bella met the escalator.

 

Bella vs. the Escalator

Two adversaries, different as you can see,

At fair Universal, where we set our scene,

Between little Bella and escalator “B,”

Harken mother’s warning of evil machine.

From forth the fatal clash of these two foes,

Coveted Sketchers would be lost in strife;

Whose misadventure’d would catch little toes,

And the Minnie Mouse socks, their life.

The fearful passage of downhill stairs,

And the continuance of mother’s warning lend;

From evil’s grasp Daddy did pull by hair,

Though feet it missed, now frightened heart to mend.

An emergency stop did with it bring

A glooming manager who declared time to shop

And go we did to replace her things,

While we wait, the mess they did mop;

For there never was a story of more woe,

Than that of Bella

And the little toe.

Now, she didn’t actually lose her toes, just the shoes and socks.  With a kneejerk reflex that only a parent can get, Andy reached out and pulled her out by her ponytails – because the escalator didn’t stop and it didn’t let go.  The manager of Citywalk was horrified – they had just paid to have the escalators replaced, and they are SUPPOSED to stop with any obstruction.   Visions of Bella’s mangled feet (and enormous lawsuit averted, to some small degree, in this litigious society) were probably swimming in her head.  We would like to commend Universal Citywalk, because they handled it the way you would hope.  The manager (sorry, I totally spaced her name!) was courteous and helpful.  She had the EMT’s check out Bella, who, although scared, was okay.  Then the manager took her up to the Sketchers store and bought her new shoes, and over to the cool Sock Store to get her a few pairs of socks.  They cordoned off the offending escalator and called in the company maintenance to get over there immediately.  So, no, in case you’re wondering, we did NOT sue.  They fixed the problem, took care of Bella, and did their best to make things right and prevent anyone else from potentially being hurt.  We go back there all the time – and the escalator has been in perfect working order ever since – although Bella makes a point to never get near the bottom.  She does the little “hop” to make sure.

 

Now we have arrived at the end of our story, the part where we’re supposed to tell you all what we have “learned” from all of this.  How we are now better people for the experiences we have endured.  Yeah, we’re not buying it either.  Here’s the long and short of it.  Reputations are fragile things. Especially, it seems, today.  Why?  One of the major reasons is price.  A family of four will spend $400 just to walk in the door.  When you add in meals, snacks and souvenirs it can easily top $1,000 for one day of fun at a theme park.  With the economy in such terrible shape, families have to do more with less.  That’s a lot of money for an optional expense.  So here’s the point – to the theme parks, your reputation is only as good as your employees.   To the families, try to have fun, no matter what happens.  It will be an amusing story later.  Let’s face it – no one wants to hear what a fantastic time you had in Paris.  The story you will tell is getting stuck on the Paris Metro with a rabid dog and a Jewish family from New York.  Whether it has a sour or happy ending depends entirely on you  – and your kids (and you!) will have more fun if you’re not cranky the entire time.