Getting Excited...Only Two More Months To Go!!!

[Wheelin In Disney]

I'm getting really excited about my trip to Disney World in late January. I don't know why. I've been to Disney in previous years, but I guess the real excitement will be riding the bus to and from All-Star Movies where we will be staying, to the parks.

When my mom, boyfriend, and I went toward the end of January of this year, the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! Hardly any rain while we were there. We stayed at the All-Star Movies resort, which is where we'll be staying again this next year, and while my mom attended meetings all day (or most of the day), my boyfriend and I had a blast going around the parks on the buses.

The only thing we both had to deal with, was the staring. Due to my boyfriend's disability (Traumatic Brain Injury), he walks with a limp and I have one of those stroller extension handles that snaps in and out of the push handles on my adult-sized Quickie 2 wheelchair, almost making it look like an adult-sized stroller with big real wheels.

Some people gave us looks like we needed someone to be with us all of the time, as they thought we were "mentally-disabled" (to which we both aren't), and what really bothered me was when they were watching me walk.

During one day when my mom was with us, my boyfriend wanted to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority ride that takes you in a circle around the park at EPCOT. From reading the guidebook, we knew that my wheelchair couldn't be taken on the ride, and since my mom was with us, she was able to watch it, without me having to worry about someone taking it, as it had been "stolen" from us once before.

I use a cane now for short-distance mobility, in addition to my 2 wheelchairs and walkers, but back then, I had only my boyfriend to hang onto when we went up on the moving escalator to go on the ride. I wished I had my cane back then because it would've been very handy for a ride like that.

Anyway, my balance coordination is awful as of now, and back then, it was about the same. My boyfriend has use of only one arm, and he hasn't quite figured out the "special way" to hang onto me to prevent me from falling.

So, here we were going up on the esclator thing, and as we got on, I didn't quite figure out how to balance myself, so I wound up falling backwards. Luckily, there was someone behind us to offer a helping hand, and I was glad for that, as he was able to see that I had a visible physical impairment, and understood. But, it was the person behind him that really made me "tick".

Once, we got off and into the moving cars, she had the nerve to mention that she was going to report me to the police, because she thought I was drunk, when it was really the fact that I have scoliosis, and my gait walking/trunk position, is terrible.

But, other than that, we both had a good time and look forward to going again. Since I have my cane now, I may take that along too-just in case, for the rides in which I can't take my Quickie 2 wheelchair on.

Samantha

 

[pampam]

We'll be their the same time, but are staying at ASMu. Wear your lime green ribbon and maybe we will see you. My daughter uses a quickie wc and has DS.

 

[Wheelin In Disney]

All-Star Music was a great place to stay, and I liked the food court area.

Maybe, we'll see each other on the bus. I don't know, or even remember if Movies and Music combine their pick-ups and drop-off of passengers. It's been such a while ago, that my mind kind of foucuses on the next thing to look forward to, after one exciting thing has passed (which is usually summer camp).

I'd have to say that out of all the four theme parks, Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Studios are my favorite. My mom is going to try and take my boyfriend and I to Universal Studios too this year, but I've haven't been there in a while. Are there any rides/atrractions worth seeing/doing??

Samantha

 

[SueM in MN]

Have fun.
Do you have a cane holder for your wheelchair? That might be a good accessory to have.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority is pretty hard for anyone with a disability because of the moving ramp and there is no way to avoid it.
On this page of the official Universal website , you can click on the wheelchair symbol and it will take you to a place where you can download a copy of their rider's guide for people with disabilities.
You can do the same thing on the Islands of Adventure website.

 

[pampam]

As i recall, ASSports and ASMu combine busses. Usually ASMo has its own bus.

We've been to Universal, but it can't hold a candle to WDW. Perhaps it's because we've been to Universal in California, but we didn't care much for the one in Fla. In Fla we had to line up for this, and then we had to line up for that. In California, the tram ride took us to see the sets for movies ( Europe, Old West, Back to the Future etc) as well as Jaws, King Kong, the parting of the Red Sea, the eartthquakes, and when we saw the Bates Motel, or the house for Great Outdoors it was the actual house used in Phsyco, or the Great Outdoors. There was a sense of history that the park in Fla didn't have. Just my opinion.

My daughter liked the Back to the Future Ride, but she's pasionate about Disney.