“MUMMY, it’s the best day ever” exclaimed Lexi as we watched the Sesame Street Parade at SeaWorld Orlando.
I looked at her little face and knew that despite my reservations about taking my daughter to Florida, I had done the right thing.
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Lexi, who is five, is one of the 700,000 people in the UK who has autism — a lifelong developmental condition that affects a person’s communication abilities, how they relate to other people and how they experience the world around them.
Like many autistic people, Lexi is sensory sensitive and troubled by loud noises, too many people being close to her and anything unexpected.
The thought of taking her on any flight has been enough to bring me out in a cold sweat.
So much so that we haven’t ventured farther than Cornwall for the last four years, where we can deal with any issues from the privacy of our own car.
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But the SeaWorld, Discovery Cove and Aquatica parks in Orlando, Florida, all owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, have partnered with The International Board of Credentialing and Continuation Education Standards (IBCCES) and have certified autism centre status.
Aquatica was the world’s first water park chain to be recognised, while Discovery Cove was the first all- inclusive day resort and animal interaction park in the US.
Staff at the three parks are specially trained and there are sensory guides as well as quiet rooms and ride-accessibility programmes.
Knowing there would be some level of understanding meant my husband Paul and I taking Lexi and brother Zak, 12, on holiday didn’t seem so overwhelming.
Our hotel, the Renaissance Orlando At SeaWorld, was just a short walk from SeaWorld.
It is family-friendly and nice without being so posh that you can’t relax.
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It offers a free shuttle bus to the other attractions in the area as well as one of the best malls I’ve visited.
The kids were delighted by the onsite pool — most welcome after a long day exploring.
And Lexi’s highlight was when staff offered children free temporary tattoos.
I last visited SeaWorld in 1996 and was amazed by how much it has changed.
Now, as well as sharks, whales and dolphins, the park is home to scary rides.
Zak loves a roller coaster so was delighted by the Manta, Mako and Kraken rides — and he didn’t allow me to wimp out of the challenge, either.
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Meanwhile, Lexi adored the watercoaster Journey To Atlantis, so much so that she went on it five times in a row. She’s incredibly brave and, as her brother puts it, “abnormally tall” — so was able to go on most of the rides at SeaWorld.
While we were there, the weather was unseasonably warm, which could have made the days more challenging. But we visited the quiet room for Lexi a couple of times, giving her the chance to cool down and decompress.
Away from the fast rides, we were able to get up close to the p-p-p-penguins on Antarctica: Empire Of The Penguin.
And we had another “best day ever” at Discovery Cove — best described as a paradise island.
The park caps visitors at 1,300 guests, meaning there is a laidback vibe.
While you’re there, you can snorkel in the grand reef, laze your way around the wind-away river and spy on the otters and marmoset monkeys.
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If you’re very lucky, you might even get the chance to kick back for a bit of R&R on one of the many sun loungers and read a book. Our day was made even more special because we booked a private cabana overlooking one of the dolphin pods.
It was the perfect base to go back to every now and then throughout the day, for shade and refreshments.
While we were there, we swam with the dolphins and took part in a SeaVenture, slipping on dive helmets to walk underwater on the “seabed” among the marine life.
Lexi was also delighted to pet a kinkajou, or honey bear — until it pooed on her foot. The only bad part of the day was having to leave.
Aquatica is a lot of fun and we all agreed our favourite rides were Roa’s Rapids and Ray Rush because we could all go on together — many, many times.
There are also some fabulous slides. But some are pretty terrifying — so while Zak got his thrills from vertical drops, Lexi and I had a ball playing in the areas designed for younger visitors.
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African-themed animal theme park Busch Gardens, in Tampa, Florida, is also part of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment.
It not yet partnered with the IBCCES but is working toward its autism centre, features a ride-accessibility programme — and has great rides.
It has some of Florida’s biggest roller coasters. SheiKra is a 200ft-tall is as bone-shaking as it sounds. And Lexi adored the Cheetah Hunt — even more so because we all rode it together.
One of the best parts of our day at Busch Gardens was Storytime at the Sesame Street Safari Of Fun — where the cast of characters includes autistic four-year-old Julia.
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The inclusivity of that experience meant the world to Lexi and she was thrilled to meet someone who’s “autistic, just like me”.
The park is home to more than 200 animal species and we met and fed 13-year-old turtle Tank.
His keeper was incredibly knowledgeable about the creatures in his charge and his impassioned chat about animal welfare made us realise that this is right at the heart of everything the park does.
The standout meal of our holiday was at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, near our Renaissance Orlando hotel. We all agreed we ate the meal, and portion sizes, of a lifetime.
The taste of the ribeye steak will stay with me for a long time, was also like a dream.
Of course, there were times while we were away when it all got too much for Lexi, and having somewhere quiet to take her to cool down was useful.
I’m not sure about “best day ever”, more like best week ever — and my heart sings that Lexi had the chance to experience it.
GO: ORLANDO
GETTING THERE: Flights from Gatwick to Orlando with Virgin Atlantic are from £300. See virginatlantic.com.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at the Renaissance Orlando hotel, at SeaWorld, are from £136 a night. See renaissance-hotels.marriott.com.
OUT & ABOUT: The best-value parks ticket – from £193pp at seaworldparks.co.uk – is the Discovery Cove Ultimate Package. Includes a day at Discovery Cove (with 30-minute dolphin-swim experience, all meals, snacks and drinks), plus 14 days’ unlimited entry to SeaWorld, Aquatica and Busch Gardens, with free parking.
MORE INFO: For dinner, see delfriscos.com/steakhouse/orlando/ and for more hols fun, see visitorlando.com.
