5 Mistakes I Made Resort Hopping with My Autistic Child

Thinking of doing some Disney resort hopping with an autistic child?

In January 2025, I stayed on-site at Disney for the first time with my kids. We had three non-park days, so I thought we’d take advantage of the free transportation and visit every resort. I made a detailed plan to see them all. If I’d been traveling alone, it would’ve been a great plan. But for my autistic teen, it was too much.

Each trip teaches me more about what works for Brie and what doesn’t. If you’re planning a Disney trip with an autistic child, check back for my upcoming post about how we did the parks and what made things easier (follow me on Facebook so you don’t miss it). As for resort hopping, here’s what I did wrong, what I’ll change next time, and tips to help you plan a smoother day.

If you’re just starting to plan your resort hopping itinerary, check out my Disney World Resort Hopping Guide and Resort Hopping with Kids for everything you need to know. For route ideas take a look at 8 Resort Hopping Itineraries, my Ultimate Disney Resort Hopping Itinerary (a 5-day plan to hit every resort), or my Resort Hopping Review (we saw them all in 3 days). For ideas on what to do at each stop, check out Things to Do at Disney Resorts.

Mistakes I Made While Resort Hopping with My Autistic Child

Disney Resort Hopping with Autistic Child

I underestimated how much walking we’d do.

We hit nearly 33,000 steps on our second day—more than any of our park days. That was too much for Brie. We took breaks where we could—beaches, Community Halls, even in the lobbies—but it was still more walking than she was used to. Since it was winter back home, we hadn’t been doing much walking ahead of the trip.

I overestimated how much we could do in a day

I didn’t leave us enough time to enjoy the resort activities. For most of the resorts, we just toured the lobby and did a quick walk around the grounds. We did squeeze in a few activities—like making s’mores, renting a surrey bike, DIY souvenirs in a Community Hall, and a horse-drawn wagon ride—but trying to visit 8 or 9 resorts in one day meant we had little time to enjoy what was actually there.

I underestimated how overwhelming the Resorts would be

Each resort has a different theme and a lot of sensory input. With park days on top of it, it was a lot to process. The lobbies were crowded and loud, especially in the afternoons. Even I was tired by evening. Brie was done by the time we got to the last resort the first two days and just wanted to head back instead of staying for the evening activities we had planned.

I didn’t build in rest days

We spent nine days at Disney, but they were all packed. Arrival and departure days were mostly spent in airports/flying. The other seven were filled with four park days and three resort hopping days. With every day packed, we barely had time for the pool. Evenings were too cold, so we only managed to get in once. If we’d had a rest day, we could’ve gone during the warmer daytime hours.

I didn’t prepare her for the resorts

On our first Disney trip 10 years ago, Brie and I did a full virtual walkthrough of Magic Kingdom on Google Maps and watched videos of every ride. Since this was her third trip and she’s older now, I skipped the in-depth prep. We just watched a few quick park walkthroughs and ride videos to help the kids decide what they wanted to do. I didn’t think to show her anything about the resorts—or see if there were activities she was interested in.

Tips for Resort Hopping with an Autistic Child

Limit the number of stops:Some kids might handle 5 resorts in a day, others may only manage 1 or 2.
Avoid peak times. The lobbies were quiet between 7:00 and 9:00 AM—by 10:00, they were busy and loud.
Plan breaks. Look at resort maps ahead of time and find quieter spots where your child can decompress. Community Halls are great if zoning out with a TV helps your child, and some of the beaches are quiet and low-traffic.
Prep visually. Show your child photos or walk-through videos of the resorts in advance, in the order you’ll visit. Show them the resort maps so they can see the layouts.
Create a schedule. I wrote out our resort list so Brie always knew what was next. You could also get pictures online to make a visual schedule.
Check in regularly. If your child struggles to communicate when overstimulated, plan time to stop in a quiet spot to check how they’re doing.
Bring the stroller (or rent a wheelchair for older kids who can’t handle too much walking). There’s as much walking as a park day—sometimes more.
Pack a resort hopping day bag. Include snacks, water, and other items you’d normally bring for a day in the parks. For a full packing list, check out my Disney Day Bag Packing List post.
Bring a sensory kit. Pack whatever helps your child stay regulated—Noise Cancelling Ear Muffs, Earplugs, fidget toys, etc. For a full list of what we pack in ours, see my Sensory Kit for Disney post (coming soon- follow me on Facebook to see when it’s posted!)
Be prepared for dietary needs. If you have a picky eater or food restrictions, look up menus ahead of time to make sure your child has options.
Plan meals in advance. Some children with autism struggle with making decisions, especially in loud or busy environments. Let them pick their meals in the morning and write them down so they’re not deciding under pressure. The My Disney Experience app includes photos for most menu items in mobile order, which can help if they need visuals to make a choice.
Use mobile order. It reduces wait times in busy areas.
Use alternate transportation if needed. Buses can be crowded and overwhelming. Uber or Minnie Vans can give your child a break.
Have a backup plan. Be prepared to abandon your plans and head back to your resort if your child reaches their limit. Have the quickest route ready, just in case you’ve overestimated how much they can handle.

Despite the mistakes I made, we still had a great time. Brie was overstimulated at times, but she was happy and able to handle it. There was only one time on our trip when she started to get upset over another child crying—but thankfully, I had planned for noise sensitivity. I’d packed her headphones in her sensory kit, and we were able to get them out of her bag for her before it escalated.

Now that I’ve seen every resort, I can say Riviera would be my top choice for staying with a child with autism. While I haven’t set a date for our next Disney trip yet, I’m eyeing early September 2026. Prices on David’s Vacation Club Rentals are just under $1800 for that week at Riviera, and a split stay with a Magic Kingdom-area resort would be ideal for us.

Next time we do Disney, we will definitely do some resort hopping again. But we’ll do things differently. Now that we’ve seen every resort, I’ll let Brie choose what she wants to do/where she wants to go, plan to spend more time at each resort, and give the kids more rest time. If the kids are not interested in something I want to see or do, I’ll go on my own and let them relax at our resort.

I’ll also plan a longer stay so we can have some resort days. Nine days seemed like enough time, but with four park days, three days of resort hopping, and short arrival/departure days, we had very little real downtime. That pace doesn’t work for an autistic child/teen. Next time, I’ll stretch the trip out to allow for slower days.

Need more ideas for Disney resort hopping? Check these out:

Planning a day at the resorts? Don’t miss these:

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Mistakes I Made While Resort Hopping with My Autistic Child

Tips for Resort Hopping with an Autistic Child

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