I must be crazy -

[adriennek]

I decided against the Guest Assistance Special Pass and decided instead to use the other great suggestions you all gave me. We were able to go on every 'major' ride that was important to Todd. (except Splash which was experiencing technical difficulties) We used the "Observation Room" for Finding Nemo - an excellent choice. We took a break in Great Moments with Mr Lincoln and lucked out to find The Liberty Singers as part of the show. Todd loved the music and clapped the loudest of anyone in the audience. He has memorized Lincoln's Gettysburgh address, so he appreciated "the real history" (his words) that the show represented.
The only near meltdown we experienced was when our fast passes for Space Mountain were finally valid and we walked all the way down the tunnel only to be told that the ride was down and to come back later. That one was tough. We sat down in the shade of Tommorow Land terrace and decided to ride the Monorail.
His favorite part of the day was being able to watch the fireworks from Main Street. Todd proclaimed them to be "speck tack ah lar" (phonetic spelling of his pronunciation).
This trip was such a success we are looking forward to trying a 2 day trip together in the near future.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for the wisdom and suggestions. MPers ROCK!

I'm smiling so big right now and I didn't even do anything to help. I'm just so glad you had such a terrific time and thank you SO Much for sharing your stories with us!!!

Yeah!!!!!! I don't know who I'm happier for - you for a great day with your great cousin or Todd for a great day with a great cousin like you!

[ESS Heckler]

@ Adrienne K.
I love that you and all the MP'ers "get it" when it comes to the magic that Disneyland can give to it's most special guests. Making the most of his day was made so much better with all the great help and advice and suggestions offered here.

[candles71]

I am so glad his trip went so well. Congratulations on being an awesome cousin.
The trip we took Whistler's cousin with us (he was 27 but functions in the 3 to 8 year old range, not autism), we had to laugh as someone called my name in Toontown as I was following cousin into Mickey's house. It was one of his cousin's from his dad's side who saw him and knew he couldn't be by himself so then look round until he found me. Cousin still talks about that trip and it has been 3 years. I am sure your cousin won't likely forget his awesome trip anytime soon as well.

[MammaSilva]

As the parent of a special needs adult who functions at about a 3 to 4 yeah old level I have to say the CM's at Disneyland, in all departments, totally ROCK and rock hard. We make multiple trips a year (pass holders for a reason) and while I have to admit we have on a rare occasion encountered a CM who was just not feeling the magic at the moment, our overall experiences at with CM's that help make the magic happen for all of us. I loved reading your report of your visit with your cousin and know that the memory you made with him that day will be something he treasures for ever.

[SigalTchelet]

It's stories like this that make me so glad I found MP. Everyone just wants to help everyone have a magical, wonderful experience! So glad you AND your cousin had such a special time together! I am thinking you had as much fun as he did, making it magical for him! He's a lucky guy to have you for a cousin!

[yellowrosedtxn]

It's stories like this that make me so glad I found MP. Everyone just wants to help everyone have a magical, wonderful experience! So glad you AND your cousin had such a special time together! I am thinking you had as much fun as he did, making it magical for him! He's a lucky guy to have you for a cousin!

I have to agree with this as well as all of the others that reside on the MP discussion boards. I love the people here for all of the help and support they have given to people, not only me, but to all of those that ask for help. I am very happy that you both had such a great time! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[Escape2Disney]

I'm so happy to hear the trip was a success! Kudos to you for all of the planning and compassion - it probably made a huge difference!

[bennette]

Okay, I have to say I thought you WERE a little bit crazy at first, mostly because I couldn't tell how much recent experience you'd had interacting with him and I had this brief moment of "What if he gets completely overwhelmed and it blows the entire trip?"

See how little I know?

Lots of Disney fans are a little crazy; it's the smart ones that plan things out in advance. I should have known better.

I'm so glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for the update.

[fairestoneofall]

I only lurked on this post, but I'm so glad you came back to share your experience. YAY!! I'm very very happy that you both had a magical day, that puts a very big smile on my face.

[Escape2Disney]

YAY! I'm so happy to hear you had a successful trip! Disney is wonderful for our special children