Grumpy's Trip report 6/27 -6/30 (long)

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

Cast of Characters

Grumpy_Disney_Dad- Myself a 35yr old Baloo Sized Male with Mobility problems
Mom- 50ish female
DD8 Disney first timer

Day 1

We checked our bags at ASmu at 730am and got our tickets. It was great, they already had a room for us but said they would go ahead and send our luggage to the room so we could make it to MK for the park opening. As we walked out to the buses, the MK bus pulled up. The Pixie dust was working in our favor already when we got to MK the turnstyles werent opened yet so DD8 took this time to start on her pin trading adventures with a cast member. When the turnstyles opened we were herded into the area infront of the train station to watch the park opening. It was a neat show and my DD8 got hit with her first sprinkle of pixie dust ( I carried glitter in my pocket to sprinkle on her at various times through out the vacation) At rope drope I hobbled over and rented an ECV, that would turn out to be the wisest decision of all time. We wandered down Main St and had our Pic taken with Photopass. We then headed off to Tink's Treasures to see if DD8 could awake Tink. The CM told us Tink wsnt there that day (She was off watching the Lost Boys in Neverland) DD8 and Mom rushed overto Dumbo and walked right on while i took pics of DD8s first Disney ride. We then gathered FP for Pooh and went to ride Pan's Flight and IASW with no waiting. IASW is great looking after the rehab and i would highly recommend it ! The CM's were fantastic and allowed us to roll right in with my ECV. We returned to ride Pooh and i was impressed with the improvement over Toad's Wild Ride. Nest we were off to ride the Teacups. With our heads spinning, we decided to take a break and watch Philharmagic. THIS IS A MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE!! By this time our PS for Cindy's was ready so we headed over there for an awesome lunch with the princesses. After lunch we headed to Tommorrowland to ride Space Mountain, Buzz's ranger Spin (I am still the family champion), TTA, CoP and Astro Orbiters. We rolled on each ride except Astro Orbiter it was a 30 min wait) thanks to the Cm's that saw i had mobility Issues.After that we decided to grab FP for splash Mountain and ride Thunder Railroad.(Gee It was terrible that we had to ride BTMRR around twice since they only load handicap cart from 1 side ) We stopped by and rode Haunted Mansion then cruised over to Toon Town to wait for our Splash mountain FP to come due and saw Mickey and Minnies houses, caught Pooh , Tigger, and Eeyore at the fair. By the time we finished up there it was starting to rain pretty good so DD8 and Mom decided to catch the train around to frontierland and i would motor over there and meet them at PoC. while they were on the train it was raining and lightning so bad the train stopped at Main St and shut down. They walked to PoC from there while I invented a new ride fording the rivers in Fantasyland (I call it Mickey's Great ECV Rafting Ride ) Due to all the lightning Splash Mountain was shut down so we waded through all the people seeking shelter in the PoC Plaza and walked right on PoC. It was a little chilly because we were all soaked but the ride was fantastic. I couldnt believe with all the people just standing in the plaza that noone thought to get on the ride. After PoC we decided to call it a night and head back to ASmu to grab some dinner The buses were running very fast and we waited only 5 min to get on 1. The crowd levels were high but evrything seemed to be moving quickly. I admit we did use a lot of FP and were very lucky that the CM's allowed us to roll on most rides with the ECV. I was just amazed at the number of people standing around with no plan of what they were going to do. I saw whole families with the same "deer in the headlights look" my DD8 had.

Day 2
We decided to split this day between MGM and Epcot. We started our day at MGM with ToT and oh boy i was a bad tour guide on that one. I made DD8 and Mom ride that one and they wouldnt speak to me for 15 min. DD8 hated it and cried, Mom hated it and screamed. The good thing was DD8 was proud she rode it afterwards but vowed she would never ride it again. After ToT we headed to RnR and grabbed FP's for 2 hours later.We cruised over to the Honey I shrunk The Kids Playground and let DD8 play for a while before catching Muppetvision 3D and shopping at the gift shop. Mom is a HUGE Kermit fan and was dissapointed at the lack of Muppet Merchandise available. Next we decided to head to Star Tours and Millionaire. We walked right on Star Tours and DD8 and Mom bothed loved it. Millionaire had a huge line so we decided to pass on that and go use our FP for RnR. Mom and DD8 both agreed with me that RnR is our favorite ride. We grabbed some lunch at Backlot and headed back to the hotel for a little bit of rest time before heading to Epcot. Of course when we got to Epcot about 430pm , the first thing we rode was Spaceship Earth. DD8 sat wide eyed through the entire ride. After that we headed to Test Track to grab a FP then headed over to Soarin and walked right on after fighting through the flocks of people waiting to get into seasons food court. SOARIN IS A MUST SEE. I think it one of the best simulator rides I have ever rode. By this time it was time for dinner at Norway so we took the long way around the showcase, not really stopping but just sightseeing as we went. Dinner at Norway was fantastic and all of us loved it. AFter dinner we headed to TT to use our FP. DD8 decided she wanted to work for GM just so she could build a ride like this in her house. We then cruised through The Seas and were disappointed becuase it was a weak version of teh aquariums we have at home. By this time it was almost Illuminations time so we grabbed a seat near Mexico and enjoyed the show. Very good show and excellent laser effects. After the show we headed upstream against the crowds and exited via the International Gateway. we enjoyed a nice boat ride passed Boardwalk, and Swan and Dolphin before arriving at MGM to catch a bus back to ASMu. MGM was just about to close so we had about a 20 min wait in line line with 50 hyper Brazilian teens. Even though they were loud while we were waiting , they settled down once we all got on the bus.

Day 3

Today was our day for Typhoon Lagoon and DD8 was excited about swimming with the sharks. We got to TL about 10 am and walked ride into Shark Reef. DD8 shot an entire roll of film there and had no problems floating across the lagoon. The only problem I had was that the masks they use there do not allow the use of glasses with them , so i just turned my mask backwards, put my strap on my glasses, and used the snorkel. After Shark Reef, we headed over to stake out a spot near the wave pool. We found a good shady spot and dropped mom off at the bar while DD8 and I splashed in the wave pool for almost and hour. We picked mom back up and then headed for a trip on the lazy river. After circling the park once DD8 and I left mom to circle again while we went to ride Mayday Falls then Crush N Gusher. It was a tough climb up the stairs for me with my Injured leg but it was worth it . Crush N Gusher is WILD. DD8 really liked it and wishes Water Country back home would build 1. After riding Mayday Falls, we grabbed mom and got a bite to eat before heading back for 1 last trip around the lazy river. This time while we were floating we saw Lilo and Stitch waving to us. DD8 loved this since is one of her favorite characters( she says he acts like I do) By this time thunder Boomers were heading in and we headed out of the park to get ready for dinner at Ohana's . We caught the bus from ASmu to MK then rode on the boat over to the Poly. After Dinner we hopped in the front set of the monorail and headed back to MK.Since we missed Splash Mountain on monday, we caught the train over to Frontierland and grabbed a FP for it. Since there were no ECVs available this night We hopped the train over to Toontown so DD8 could ride Barnstormer. My leg wasnt up to standing for 30 min so Mom and DD rode it while i watched from a bench. After Barnstormer we headed to the bridge between the Hub and Tommorrowland to catch WIshes. I think this was the highlight of the trip for DD8 when Tink flew right over our heads. Thank goodness we had just had a potty break or she would have wet herself from excitement. when Wisshes finished we wandered our to the HUb found a good curb seat, grabbed a snack and watched the last Spectromagic for the day. By this time the park was closing so we headed back to the hotel and snoozed. We still didnt get to ride Splash Mountain

Day 4
This was our last day at WDW, so i gave DD8 a choice. We could either go to AK (which she hadnt seen yet ) or she could pick any park she wanted to visit again. After packing the car she decided we were going back to MK . That turned out to be a fantastic choice even if we never did get to ride Splash Mountain. When we got there about 915am, we rented an ECV and headed to the barbershop to get DD8s haircut. Micheal the head barber was st awesome and we even got to say hi to the troops over in Iraq that the Main St CMs were filming. After the haircut we headed to Main St. Bakery for a delicious breakfast. While we were eating outside we saw the trolley performers. Since we had not caught Tink in her store on monday we headed back there and did see her flying around today. DD8 was thrilled to get to see this. We then headed over to Frontierland to get another FP for Splash Mountain and ride BTMRR again. After riding BTMRR we headed off to Tommorrowland so DD8 could ride the Indy Speedway. On our way there we stopped in for autographs of Woody and Jessie and got a bonus when Meeko and Pochahontas showed up too. We got to Tommorowland and walked right on Stitch since there was no waiting. I know a lot of people hate this ride but I thought it was very cute. On the way back to the Indy Speedway, Mom and DD8 decided to take 1 more spin on the Astro Orbiters while I said farewell to Tommorrowland on the TTA. We met back up in front of Startraders and had a cool convbersation with Push the Talking Trash can before we headed to the Speedway. Again thanks to a great CM we rolled right onto it. After riding the cars we decided to head back to frontierland to use our FP for Splash Mountain. On the way there we were waylaid by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum who grabbed DD8 and taught her a secret handshake for about 10 minutes Just as they finished signing her book and getting their pictures taken, the bottom fell out of the sky so we did a U turn and headed back to Cosmic Rays for some lunch and to wait out the storm. After lunch the rain showed no signs of quitting so we decided that Splash just wasnt meant to be this trip. We headed back to Main St to pick up a few last souvenears and check out our Photopass Pictures. While Mom was standing in line to get the pics, DD8 and i saw Pinochio and Gideon all by themselves with no other guests around them. DD8 and gideon played a game of tag while Pinnochio signed the autograph book. When the 3 of them were done playing, I took DD8 next door to Tony's and had her ask the Hostess if Lady and Tramp were in. Of course the hostess said the were in back eating spaghetti and took her autograph book back for them, tony , and joe to sign it. We took 1 last spin around the Lagoon on the monorail, grabbed a bus back to ASmu and finally hit the road about 430. I have to say that this was a near perfect vacation and thank all the members on this board for the great tips that made it so special. I also want to thank All the CM's at Disney for making DD8's 1st trip there magical

 

[Shelby5514]

Nice report, thanks for sharing!

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Enjoyed reading about trip. We just came back ourselves on the 1st and had a great time.

 

[WaltDizzygirl]

I'm so glad you made this report. My husband has mobility issues as well and I wanted to ask a few questions. How much are the ECV rentals? Can they be rented at all 4 parks? Did you need a note from your doctor to bypass the lines? Or did the CM's just see you and send you to the handicapped line?

 

[Grumpy_Disney_Dad]

I'm so glad you made this report. My husband has mobility issues as well and I wanted to ask a few questions. How much are the ECV rentals? Can they be rented at all 4 parks? Did you need a note from your doctor to bypass the lines? Or did the CM's just see you and send you to the handicapped line?

The ECV cost $40 a day to rent but you get $10 back when you turn them in. They canbe rented at all 4 parks but if you switch parks during the same day they are subject to availabilty. No i didnt need a note from my Dr. except for soarin. What you do is take the note to Guest Se3rvices at each park and they give you a mobility pass. The only CM that even asked for that was at Soarin . The rest of the rides i just went up to the Cm at the fastpass entrance and they either let me roll on or gave me a hand written return FP . I f you have any other questions feel free to ask

 

[agnes!]

WaltDizzyGirl -

The disABILITIES board has some great regular posters & good advice. If you have more questions, I'm sure they could be answered over there .

One thing some WDW guests with mobility issues do is rent an ECV from an outside vendor, like Walker Mobility. That way you are assured of having your ECV every day, without being concerned about the parks running out of them. Also, I understand that most(maybe all?) the WDW buses are equipped with wheelchair/ECV lifts and that you can roll right on to the monorail on your ECV.

There is also something called a "GAC"(Guest Assistance Card) that can help guests with any kind of special needs to be able to enjoy all that WDW can offer.

agnes!

 

[daisy_77]

Thanks for sharing...great report!