When selecting a vacation destination there are a lot of things to take into consideration: is there something for everyone to enjoy, will the weather be appropriate for what you want to do, is the hotel one that everyone will like? When you have a family member with special needs there may be additional accommodations you need to think about, and some destinations are more special-needs friendly than others. Here are 11 destinations in a wide variety of categories that everyone in the family can enjoy on your next vacation.

Theme Parks

• Morgan’s Wonderland: San Antonio Texas is the home of the only theme park in the world where every single ride is completely accessible to guests with disabilities. This fully wheelchair-accessible park features more than 25 elements including rides, playgrounds and other attractions. Anyone with special needs is admitted free of charge, no questions asked.


• Disney World & Disneyland - Disability Access Service Card (DAS): This card allows guests with disabilities to receive a return time for attractions based on the current wait time. A DAS is designed to accommodate guests who aren’t able to wait in a conventional queue environment due to a disability. A DAS can be issued at Guest Relations main entrance locations.


• Holiday World: Located in Santa Claus, Indiana, Holiday World welcomes all children with special needs and their families once a year for "Play Day" where all discounted admissions of $10 will be donated to the East Seals Rehabilitation Center, an organization that provides services to maximize the independence of children and adults with disabilities. Holiday World also offers a boarding pass year-round for individuals with disabilities, which allows an individual with up to 3 companions to pre-schedule specific rides without waiting in lines.

Cruises

• Disney Cruise Line - Special Services: If you or someone you’re traveling with is disabled or has special medical needs, you can fill out a Special Services Information form before departing. This form allows you to arrange for a wheelchair access and/or ground transportation lift, specify if you need a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, provide notification of medical equipment arrangements if needed and more.


• Royal Caribbean Cruises - Autism of the Seas: Royal Caribbean has partnered with the Autism Society to create “Autism of the Seas” where trained cruise staff will assist families with a child who is autistic with respite, private activities and services on Royal Caribbean cruises. The trained staff will assist with all types of developmental, cognitive and intellectual disabilities.


• Princess Cruises – Disability Services: Princess Cruises fleets offer more than 350 wheelchair-accessible cabins across of variety of stateroom categories. Additional equipment can be requested such as toilet seat raisers, shower stools and bed boards. Princess Cruises also accommodates for sight and hearing disabilities by offering an “all-in-one” kit including telephone amplifiers and visual smoke detectors.

Specialized Tours and Programs

• The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD): Located in Winter Park, Colorado, the NSCD provides adapted sports and recreation programs for all types of disabilities and ages. The NSCD takes individuals with disabilities on all sorts of adventures such as skiing, kayaking, biking, rock climbing and much more.


• Monterey Bay Horsemanship and Therapeutic Center (MBHTC): This fully inclusive equestrian center is located in La Selva Beach, California, where they provide exciting, rewarding and meaningful activities that individuals with special needs can enjoy. Children and adults can ride, learn, play and interact in carefully designed programs customized for each person's individual needs.


• Museums: Many museums create a list of programs that are designed with special needs individuals in mind. The Brooklyn Museum in New York City provides private tours for individuals who are blind or have low vision so they can encounter the world of art through rich verbal descriptions, smell, taste and tactile experiences. The Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia has accessibility and inclusion trained staff to help families, and offers a "Quiet Space of the Day" area for people needing a sensory break. At the Boston Children's Museum, service animals are welcomed, there are regularly scheduled ASL interpreted programs, and the Morningstar Access Program opens the museum to kids with special/medical needs at scheduled time throughout the year so they can enjoy the museum with less concern regarding crowds. The entire Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is accessible by ramp and elevator (except for the Gravity Room in the Attic) and trained staff members assist guests with special requests and items to borrow such as wheelchairs, sound-blocking headphones, sensory blankets and vests.


• Park City Resort, Utah: One of the biggest ski destinations in all of Utah is also one of the most accommodating for physical disabilities. This resort works with the National Ability Center to make adaptive skiing programs the whole family can enjoy, with revamped attractions that are more wheelchair accessible.


• Smugglers’ Notch – SNAP Program: Located in Vermont, the Smuggler’s Notch Adaptive Program (SNAP) offers nine adaptive activities including swimming, hiking and horseback riding for children and adults of all abilities to enjoy in a supportive environment. Experiences are tailored to meet the needs and goals of each individual and, depending on the individual needs, Smuggler’s Notch also offers an inclusion program which offers the opportunity for the adaptive guest to socialize with peers while still maintaining the support they need in group activities.

Travel has been shown to improve your health and well-being physically, socially and emotionally. There are no special needs that should stop anyone from the enjoyment and benefits of seeing and discovering new places, having unique experiences, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

See a vacation here that interests you? Call your AAA Travel Consultant! One of the many benefits of planning your vacation with a AAA travel expert is that we will make sure all of your concerns about needing special accommodations are addressed and solved.

AAA Travel Consultant