Hi Clare,
Welcome to planDisney!
With your arrival date next July, I am happy to see that you have time to prepare for this visit! My girls are the same age as your oldest daughter and one is on the autism spectrum, so I will share what we have done on past trips. First, given that your daughter would struggle to share a bed with her sister, my first suggestion is to choose a different resort hotel - there are
Disney Resorts Collection hotels with standard rooms that can accommodate five guests so your girls would not have to share a bed. I know Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is a gorgeous resort hotel but having an extra bed sounds like it would be quite helpful.
Disney's Contemporary Resort, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney's Beach Club Resort, and Disney's BoardWalk Inn have room options that include two Queen Beds and one Day Bed. One of our girls will take the Day Bed while the other takes a Queen Bed. You could also try a family suite at Disney's Art of Animation resort hotel.
As you continue to plan, I also suggest reviewing all of the
Services for Guests with Disabilities, especially the
Services for Guests who are Neurodivergent. Prior to our visits, we also review the menus of the dining locations we plan to visit. Everyone in the family makes sure they can find something to eat at each restaurant. This exercise is particularly helpful for our daughter with autism because she likes structure and likes to be prepared. To view a restaurant menu, just go to the homepage of the restaurant, click on View Menu, and then select the meal period. Topolino's Terrace - Flavors of the Riviera, for example, is one of our favorite character dining locations for breakfast. You can
view the breakfast menu here.
We also create as much structure in other ways. We make
advanced dining reservations as soon as our
booking window opens. Both of our girls like to do special experiences during our visits. So, we always take a look at the
Enchanting Extras Collection and try to book one experience that fits within our budget. Our daughter with autism loves the
Nature Experiences so we have done Caring for Giants and Up Close with Rhinos. These two experiences were also the perfect amount of time for our family. Finally, I always create a daily schedule in a shared document so the girls can see the plans for each day. If we decide to make changes, we try to give the girls plenty of notice so everyone has time to adjust to the change in plans.
Clare, I hope you are able to adjust that resort hotel. If you do switch and still want to spend some time at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, consider dining at Boma - Flavors of Africa and then spend some time enjoying the views of the savannas after dinner. In the spirit of Tiana, I am sending a wish to the Evening Star trusting that you make the best decision for your family!
Magic and memories,
Donyell