My sons trip to Disney

[Donnask8pro]

Well, we just got back from 10 days in Disney. My son is 11 yrs old with severe cerebal Palsy. Wheelchair, 90 lbs and doesnt walk at all.

We had a great trip.
The plane was no problem, we flew USA300 down. They gave us the first seat so I did not have to carry him down any isles. They than took away his wc/stroller. It went really well. We waited for some people to get off the plane, than when we did get off his chair was waiting. I used his dvd player without headphones and no one asked me to turn it down. I was happy with that also. Rental car, so no problems. Parked right up front eveywhere b/c we took his placard.
Disney days went really well. My biggest pet peeve was the companions bathroom. A. There were not enough and B. people with kids were using them and in there forever. Feeding babies and such. Yes, I did use Frist Aid as much as possible and that went really well. GAC, so no problems with lines. He only had 1 meltdown and we handled that. Got tough though picking him up to transfer him for all the good rides. But hey what are you gonna do? My DH did get stuck in an elevator for 45 minutes at OLCC. I thought it was funny. ALLStar Mov was nice and so was Royal Pacific. O'Hanas was the best food we ate the whole trip and Cape May Clam Bake was 2nd. We Love clams. I thought 1900 Park Fare was the worst at dinner. I have boys so I did not go for the atmosphere. I went b/c it was rated high. Well guess what? NOT.. Flying home on Airtrans was alittle tougher. They have business class first so we had to carry him back alittle but we handled it. They also did nbot stop me from using his dvd player without headphones. I just kept the volume low. Again his chair was there when we got off. We had a great trip. Dont know how soon we'll go back as a family. Just really hard with picking him up and transfering so much. We'll see. If you have any questions please ask away. I thought it was important to have someone tell the story from a handicapped family.

 

[michelle9343]

I am glad that your family had a nice trip. I also agree that transfering can get really hard. My DD is only 69 pds and some days I just can't do it myself. Her Dad has no problem .Your 2 favorite restaurants are also ours. We love O'hanas and Cape May is GREAT. I have also ranted a few times about the companion restrooms. I do use first aid but sometimes it is just to far away. I really hate when a total typical family uses so the child can have more room to Poop. Sometimes I have waited as long as 20 mins.The handicapp stalls are just not big enough to fit in .I always do understand if it is a Dad and his little DD because most men really do not want their little girls to go into the mens room.

 

[Donnask8pro]

I agree, the handicapped bathrooms are just to small. I had a comlplete meltdown trying to change his diaper. I ripped 3 of them trying. I finally gave up, opened the door and stood him up. I was furious by the time I was done.. LOL. Now I'm calmer..

 

[Karalynn]

I'm so glad you had a great trip!

I do have some questions.....


We are going next month My dd is 5 (almost 6) and also has CP. She is in a wheelchair and can't walk on her own. I know she is going to want to go on EVERTHING!!! And just wonder if there is anything I should steer away from.

Were there any rides that you didn't go on, due to roughness? Or any that you did and found to be too rough.

Were there any that you thought might be rough, and found that they were fine?




Also, did you do disney quest? If so, was it hard to manuver with the chair? Ds7 would be in heaven, just not sure if its worth spending the xtra $$ if its going to be difficult for her to play with anything, and we have major meltdowns to deal with. If you know what I mean?? Usually in arcades, we will sit her with an adult on a driving game and she loves it.


How about water parks? Again, not sure what she could go on, definately not a slide by herself, (plus the stairs!!!) but thought we could play in the wave pool and float on the river. Providing its warm enough to swim!
We'll wait and see about this one!

Thanks for any input!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have time right now for a lon g reply, but my DD has CP, is not able to walk (well, a few steps with someone holding her up at all times). She has been on everything over the years except Space Mountain, Big Thunder RR and Rock N Roller Coaster. The one ride she has been on that I would NEVER put her on again was Primeval Whirl. Other than that, a lot depends on how good your child's neck and trunk cpontrol are. My DD's are not perfect, but are pretty good, so she is OK on rough rides like Star Tours. For some people, that is way to much for their neck.

After I get back home today, I will split your question off from this thread (you will get more replies that way) and I will post more information.

 

[SueM in MN]

To the OP.
I thought I had replied to this thread, but I see I have not responsed here (until this morning). Glad you had a great time and thanks for the report on how things went.