Trip Reports
04-07-2006, 12:08 PM
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent
Comments: Beth Floro's friend Andrea and her family visited WDW in February. What makes this trip notable is the information Beth and Andrea provided on handicapped access and other such details.
My friend Andrea just got back from the WDW vacation that *I* helped her plan, and everybody had a wonderful time! <thank you, thank you very much> We used all possible guidebooks and many helpful tips from RADP. She came over this morning for a cup of tea and gushed out the following details, which have been pre-edited for your reading pleasure by my Swiss cheese memory...
The gang
Andrea & husband Terry (both 40-something), daughter Caren (13); met up for one day with FL college son Dan & his girlfriend Courtney, & Terry's Mom & Dad. Their most recent WDW trip was 1989.
Andrea has MS - her symptoms manifest with visual troubles, weakness in one hand and leg. She can walk w/o a cane but is very wobbily, and she has an electric scooter. She has to rest every afternoon, so they left the parks about 2 each day, then came back about 5 pm. Terry is on a special low-fat diet.
Travel Arrangements
Flew from Rochester NY to Orlando, US*Scare - uneventful trip. Got a rental car from Avis (no trouble), and a rental scooter from Care Medical.
Lodging
Stayed at the Holiday Inn-Niki Bird, handicapped room. It was "huge", large enough for the 3 of them, the scooter, & a regular wheelchair. They said they were considering holding a formal ball in the bathroom, so I guess it was roomy. Andrea said she'd rather try to stay on-site, but if they can't, they're going to the Niki Bird and nowhere else. Really liked it.
Disney / MGM Studios
Skipped
TZToT
Animation tour
Evita
SuperStar TV
Toy Story Parade
Did everything else.
Meals
Commisary
Especially Liked
almost everything!
Disappointments
No Sorcery in the Sky fireworks :-(
Dinosaur Gertie sold only hot drinks; no ice cream, no cold drinks! (What's up with this??)
Beauty & Beast show - they wanted to see it at night, but it wasn't shown after 4:30pm
Notable
For Muppets (and HISTA in Epcot) Andrea couldn't "see" the 3D effects, but enjoyed the "2D" show anyway. Rest of the family loved both. (Be sure to get in the theater chairs if you can, to get all the special effects.)
Indiana Jones show - Dan got picked to be an "extra", but said it wasn't much fun because he didn't get to SEE the SHOW. He didn't want to stand around and yell, he wanted to DO the stunts...
Monster Sound show - Dan got picked again. His "footsteps" were a little too quiet, but the rest was fine. He did enjoy this one.
Andrea's Favorite
Great Movie Ride (got the gangster)
Epcot
Skipped
Canada - ran out of time & energy
Meals
Coral Reef - 11:30 lunch, choice seats near aquarium, wonderful meal.
Especially Liked
Cranium Command
Living Seas
Journey into Imagination
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
El Rio Del Tiemp
Maelstrom
Living with the Land
Disappointments
Germany & Italy "had nothing to do"
UK shops not accessible for her scooter,
France's pastry shop was closed (gasp!!!)
Notable
Got their Epcot passports stamped everywhere
Andrea's Favorites
Wonders of China movie & "show" (live performers)
Living Seas
Living with the Land
Journey into Imagination
Magic Kingdom
Skipped
Treehouse (not accessible)
Tom Sawyer Island (not accessible)
Remember the Magic Parade
Meals
grabbed snacks
Especially Liked
Haunted Mansion
Alien Encounter
Timekeeper
Mickey's meet & greet
Lion King
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Spectromagic Parade
Hall of Presidents
Disappointments
couldn't find the wishing well at the castle
Space Mtn broke down while Terry & Caren were waiting in line. Andrea was waiting for them elsewhere & didn't know what was going on. They finally met up, but had lost @ 2 hours & had to re-do their planned schedule.
Sleepy Hollow (food) was closed. Terry had trouble finding something he could eat.
Jungle Cruise skipper was lousy.
Magic Kingdom CM's seemed "annoyed" at having to deal with a handicapped person.
At Haunted Mansion (you enter through the exit) one CM let her drive up to the ride vehicles on her scooter, another time the CM made her leave the scooter and walk. It was too far for her, and Terry had to go back, get the scooter and come pick her up so she could get to the vehicles. (You *may* wheel all the way up the exit.)
The Jungle Cruise CM discouraged her from even trying to get into the boat w/o Terry. (My comment - She would have needed more than the token "hand" to make it down the steps, and maybe was expecting too much help here. Terry showed up and they rode.)
Pirates CM insisted she switch from her scooter to a wheelchair for the queue, and then refused to help her get TO the ride vehicle, so she ended up waiting for Terry again.
Adventureland Challenge - After 35 minutes the CM announced that it was over. Terry (who had refused to ask anybody for help or directions) was only about 1/2 way done, and is still stewing about it. You'd have to know Terry. ;-)
Notable
Parade Viewing from Handicapped area at the Hub was excellent, and family members were allowed to stand there too (not always so).
Andrea's Favorites
Toontown (Mickey's Meet & Greet)
Haunted Mansion
Disney Village Marketplace
They had wanted an "old fashioned" picture, like the one they got there in '86, but they were told the camera had burned up and not been replaced. Said "World of Disney" was almost *too* big & crowded. Liked R & R Bookstore & Rainforest Cafe (20 min. wait at 11am).
Character Breakfast
Fulton's Crab House - *Loved* it! Have done others in the past and say this is the best by far.
Pressed Pennies
Used the "shiny" recipe from RADP and found the coins had tarnished again by the time they got to the parks. They made just a couple of squishies and were satisfied.
Care Medical Scooter
Andrea had a flat tire in one of the parks! The inner tube actually blew out, and part of the tire hit Caren! Caren was not hurt, but very shaken up. They had Caren checked over and waited for WDW to call Care for some help with the scooter. After a long wait and no progress, they called Care directly, and someone was there with a new scooter for her in 15 minutes.
What I Got Out Of It
A huge mug, @ 20 oz., with a picture of Mickey in the Morning. He's wearing a red bathrobe & white gloves, and is slumped at a table with a cup of coffee and the "Morning Mouse" newspaper. The famous *ears* are drooping, the eyes are at half-mast, and I swear you can see stubble. I LOVE it!!
If you've read this far and want to know more about "scooting" at WDW, see Deb's Disney Digest at http://www.wdn.com/dwills/wchair.htm
Travel Method: Plane, Rental Car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Infrequent
Comments: Beth Floro's friend Andrea and her family visited WDW in February. What makes this trip notable is the information Beth and Andrea provided on handicapped access and other such details.
My friend Andrea just got back from the WDW vacation that *I* helped her plan, and everybody had a wonderful time! <thank you, thank you very much> We used all possible guidebooks and many helpful tips from RADP. She came over this morning for a cup of tea and gushed out the following details, which have been pre-edited for your reading pleasure by my Swiss cheese memory...
The gang
Andrea & husband Terry (both 40-something), daughter Caren (13); met up for one day with FL college son Dan & his girlfriend Courtney, & Terry's Mom & Dad. Their most recent WDW trip was 1989.
Andrea has MS - her symptoms manifest with visual troubles, weakness in one hand and leg. She can walk w/o a cane but is very wobbily, and she has an electric scooter. She has to rest every afternoon, so they left the parks about 2 each day, then came back about 5 pm. Terry is on a special low-fat diet.
Travel Arrangements
Flew from Rochester NY to Orlando, US*Scare - uneventful trip. Got a rental car from Avis (no trouble), and a rental scooter from Care Medical.
Lodging
Stayed at the Holiday Inn-Niki Bird, handicapped room. It was "huge", large enough for the 3 of them, the scooter, & a regular wheelchair. They said they were considering holding a formal ball in the bathroom, so I guess it was roomy. Andrea said she'd rather try to stay on-site, but if they can't, they're going to the Niki Bird and nowhere else. Really liked it.
Disney / MGM Studios
Skipped
TZToT
Animation tour
Evita
SuperStar TV
Toy Story Parade
Did everything else.
Meals
Commisary
Especially Liked
almost everything!
Disappointments
No Sorcery in the Sky fireworks :-(
Dinosaur Gertie sold only hot drinks; no ice cream, no cold drinks! (What's up with this??)
Beauty & Beast show - they wanted to see it at night, but it wasn't shown after 4:30pm
Notable
For Muppets (and HISTA in Epcot) Andrea couldn't "see" the 3D effects, but enjoyed the "2D" show anyway. Rest of the family loved both. (Be sure to get in the theater chairs if you can, to get all the special effects.)
Indiana Jones show - Dan got picked to be an "extra", but said it wasn't much fun because he didn't get to SEE the SHOW. He didn't want to stand around and yell, he wanted to DO the stunts...
Monster Sound show - Dan got picked again. His "footsteps" were a little too quiet, but the rest was fine. He did enjoy this one.
Andrea's Favorite
Great Movie Ride (got the gangster)
Epcot
Skipped
Canada - ran out of time & energy
Meals
Coral Reef - 11:30 lunch, choice seats near aquarium, wonderful meal.
Especially Liked
Cranium Command
Living Seas
Journey into Imagination
Honey I Shrunk the Audience
El Rio Del Tiemp
Maelstrom
Living with the Land
Disappointments
Germany & Italy "had nothing to do"
UK shops not accessible for her scooter,
France's pastry shop was closed (gasp!!!)
Notable
Got their Epcot passports stamped everywhere
Andrea's Favorites
Wonders of China movie & "show" (live performers)
Living Seas
Living with the Land
Journey into Imagination
Magic Kingdom
Skipped
Treehouse (not accessible)
Tom Sawyer Island (not accessible)
Remember the Magic Parade
Meals
grabbed snacks
Especially Liked
Haunted Mansion
Alien Encounter
Timekeeper
Mickey's meet & greet
Lion King
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Spectromagic Parade
Hall of Presidents
Disappointments
couldn't find the wishing well at the castle
Space Mtn broke down while Terry & Caren were waiting in line. Andrea was waiting for them elsewhere & didn't know what was going on. They finally met up, but had lost @ 2 hours & had to re-do their planned schedule.
Sleepy Hollow (food) was closed. Terry had trouble finding something he could eat.
Jungle Cruise skipper was lousy.
Magic Kingdom CM's seemed "annoyed" at having to deal with a handicapped person.
At Haunted Mansion (you enter through the exit) one CM let her drive up to the ride vehicles on her scooter, another time the CM made her leave the scooter and walk. It was too far for her, and Terry had to go back, get the scooter and come pick her up so she could get to the vehicles. (You *may* wheel all the way up the exit.)
The Jungle Cruise CM discouraged her from even trying to get into the boat w/o Terry. (My comment - She would have needed more than the token "hand" to make it down the steps, and maybe was expecting too much help here. Terry showed up and they rode.)
Pirates CM insisted she switch from her scooter to a wheelchair for the queue, and then refused to help her get TO the ride vehicle, so she ended up waiting for Terry again.
Adventureland Challenge - After 35 minutes the CM announced that it was over. Terry (who had refused to ask anybody for help or directions) was only about 1/2 way done, and is still stewing about it. You'd have to know Terry. ;-)
Notable
Parade Viewing from Handicapped area at the Hub was excellent, and family members were allowed to stand there too (not always so).
Andrea's Favorites
Toontown (Mickey's Meet & Greet)
Haunted Mansion
Disney Village Marketplace
They had wanted an "old fashioned" picture, like the one they got there in '86, but they were told the camera had burned up and not been replaced. Said "World of Disney" was almost *too* big & crowded. Liked R & R Bookstore & Rainforest Cafe (20 min. wait at 11am).
Character Breakfast
Fulton's Crab House - *Loved* it! Have done others in the past and say this is the best by far.
Pressed Pennies
Used the "shiny" recipe from RADP and found the coins had tarnished again by the time they got to the parks. They made just a couple of squishies and were satisfied.
Care Medical Scooter
Andrea had a flat tire in one of the parks! The inner tube actually blew out, and part of the tire hit Caren! Caren was not hurt, but very shaken up. They had Caren checked over and waited for WDW to call Care for some help with the scooter. After a long wait and no progress, they called Care directly, and someone was there with a new scooter for her in 15 minutes.
What I Got Out Of It
A huge mug, @ 20 oz., with a picture of Mickey in the Morning. He's wearing a red bathrobe & white gloves, and is slumped at a table with a cup of coffee and the "Morning Mouse" newspaper. The famous *ears* are drooping, the eyes are at half-mast, and I swear you can see stubble. I LOVE it!!
If you've read this far and want to know more about "scooting" at WDW, see Deb's Disney Digest at http://www.wdn.com/dwills/wchair.htm