honugirl
One of those darn ECV users out to ruin YOUR vacat
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2007
- Messages
- 3,355
So, I was there from 9/6-9/24 (I got two extra days because of radiologist/oncologist/endocrinologist conferences in Boston).
The ECV made life so much easier in terms of not being sore at the end of the day and I wasn't dead tired either. I was able to get up and do stuff each day for the whole day, which hasn't been the norm lately. My boyfriend did make me park it in each land and walk through the ride queues. He said me being on it made him feel like he was there by himself. Towards the end though, I think he started to be "OK" with it, or more "OK" with me having to use it.
The last two days I was there by myself. It was a bit confusing trying to use it on the ride queues then since I wanted to explore as much as possible and had been there for 2 weeks already, I was starting to fade a bit. Some rides you go part way, and then exit, some you have to transfer to a wheelchair to do (I skipped those because I couldn't push the chair up the winding lines myself). They were accommodating at Star Tours when I explained I was by myself, I was able to ride the ECV in, but I think that was an exception to the rule (and a manager approved it). I also learned that during MNSSHP, they change the ride line for wheelchair users and ECV users at the haunted mansion the hard way. I went the normal way and got yelled at...
You have to enter through the exit, staying to the right to the rope, not through the ride queue and splitting off at the hearse. Big thunder was very accommodating, ToT was too. You're supposed to transfer to a wheelchair, but once again, I couldn't push myself up, so they let me go the back way (remember this if you're alone in an ECV, ask at the regular line and they might let you go through the exit and up the elevator instead).
Go visit John on Pirates of the Caribbean. If you're lucky, you'll find him in the off-loading dock singing, "Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho, It's time to get out of the boat!"
Ginger is incredibly helpful at the Haunted Mansion. She asked a zillion questions to see if I could do the stretching room or not (I could because I could walk a short distance and stand for 5 minutes). Todd, Richard, Bill, Joe, and the rest of the guys (and gals) at the Jungle Cruise are really good too. They have to put a rope on the boat to steady it for any wheelchair/ECV parties, so you have to wait for the rope boat to come around. Watch out for Richard though... he'll try to pretend to put the rope around you!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha. Go to Mickey's Star Traders, if you find the 6 hidden Mickey's in the mural you can get a Magical Moment's certificate. The family fun parade will only be this week, then apparently it is no more... (according to Guest Relations). They let you ride your ECV in it! Very cool!
If you have park hopper passes, the best day to go to MK right now is before a MNSSHP. It is DEAD. I went this past Tuesday and won my only dream, a dream fastpass. It was so dead that I didn't even use any of the tabs so I now have a really nice souvenir. In fact, on many of the lanyard attractions, fastpass wasn't even open.
If you want to be in the parks later than 7 pm, just hop to a different one.
I went to the barber shop and got pink and pixie dust. It was very cool (I'm still picking pixie dust out of my hair...) All day CM's were joking about it, ranging from, "Did anyone tell you that you've got things in your hair?" to "I think Tinkerbell sneezed on you."
I'll write more tomorrow. It's late. All in all, it was a good vacation. I cried when I had to leave. My boyfriend didn't understand why I was crying. He couldn't understand that for two weeks I got to feel like a "normal" person (as normal as you can be in an ECV). I didn't have to be poked, prodded, or worry about test results or doctors or anything medically related. I just got to have fun. Of course, people do tend to ignore you (ECV blindness), little kids run in front of you, people will push their strollers in front of you, you'll find it hard to merge into traffic in places, and you'll endure never ending comments in the bus queues (it can be exhausting...) but I did find that when I was alone, the CM's really went out of their way to make my day great (don't tell my BF, but probably the best day I had there was without him...
). I won't hesitate to rent an ECV again, and I can't wait to go back. In fact, I bumped my 10 day park hopper up to an AP premium so I can enjoy the magic more often. I even already booked bounceback for next September. Yes, I am an addict....
Hello, my name is Honugirl, and I am a Disney addict.
The Serenity Prayer for ECV using Disney Addicts (created by me at 3:47 am, so if it's a little strange, you know why...)
Walt, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change (such as giant lines);
courage to change the things I can (such as deciding to have a totally magical day even when someone changes the speed on your ECV while you're on a ride and you accidentally crash into a wall...);
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, one park at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships (or the cobblestones that make you feel like you're on the Belgian Blocks at Test Track) as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world full of non-Disney believers and rude people as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He (or the cast members) will make all things right
if I surrender to the Disney Magic (or the lure of a Dole Whip);
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Forever.
The ECV made life so much easier in terms of not being sore at the end of the day and I wasn't dead tired either. I was able to get up and do stuff each day for the whole day, which hasn't been the norm lately. My boyfriend did make me park it in each land and walk through the ride queues. He said me being on it made him feel like he was there by himself. Towards the end though, I think he started to be "OK" with it, or more "OK" with me having to use it.
The last two days I was there by myself. It was a bit confusing trying to use it on the ride queues then since I wanted to explore as much as possible and had been there for 2 weeks already, I was starting to fade a bit. Some rides you go part way, and then exit, some you have to transfer to a wheelchair to do (I skipped those because I couldn't push the chair up the winding lines myself). They were accommodating at Star Tours when I explained I was by myself, I was able to ride the ECV in, but I think that was an exception to the rule (and a manager approved it). I also learned that during MNSSHP, they change the ride line for wheelchair users and ECV users at the haunted mansion the hard way. I went the normal way and got yelled at...
You have to enter through the exit, staying to the right to the rope, not through the ride queue and splitting off at the hearse. Big thunder was very accommodating, ToT was too. You're supposed to transfer to a wheelchair, but once again, I couldn't push myself up, so they let me go the back way (remember this if you're alone in an ECV, ask at the regular line and they might let you go through the exit and up the elevator instead). Go visit John on Pirates of the Caribbean. If you're lucky, you'll find him in the off-loading dock singing, "Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho, It's time to get out of the boat!"
Ginger is incredibly helpful at the Haunted Mansion. She asked a zillion questions to see if I could do the stretching room or not (I could because I could walk a short distance and stand for 5 minutes). Todd, Richard, Bill, Joe, and the rest of the guys (and gals) at the Jungle Cruise are really good too. They have to put a rope on the boat to steady it for any wheelchair/ECV parties, so you have to wait for the rope boat to come around. Watch out for Richard though... he'll try to pretend to put the rope around you!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha.
Go to Mickey's Star Traders, if you find the 6 hidden Mickey's in the mural you can get a Magical Moment's certificate. The family fun parade will only be this week, then apparently it is no more... (according to Guest Relations). They let you ride your ECV in it! Very cool! If you have park hopper passes, the best day to go to MK right now is before a MNSSHP. It is DEAD. I went this past Tuesday and won my only dream, a dream fastpass. It was so dead that I didn't even use any of the tabs so I now have a really nice souvenir. In fact, on many of the lanyard attractions, fastpass wasn't even open.
If you want to be in the parks later than 7 pm, just hop to a different one. I went to the barber shop and got pink and pixie dust. It was very cool (I'm still picking pixie dust out of my hair...) All day CM's were joking about it, ranging from, "Did anyone tell you that you've got things in your hair?" to "I think Tinkerbell sneezed on you."
I'll write more tomorrow. It's late. All in all, it was a good vacation. I cried when I had to leave. My boyfriend didn't understand why I was crying. He couldn't understand that for two weeks I got to feel like a "normal" person (as normal as you can be in an ECV). I didn't have to be poked, prodded, or worry about test results or doctors or anything medically related. I just got to have fun. Of course, people do tend to ignore you (ECV blindness), little kids run in front of you, people will push their strollers in front of you, you'll find it hard to merge into traffic in places, and you'll endure never ending comments in the bus queues (it can be exhausting...) but I did find that when I was alone, the CM's really went out of their way to make my day great (don't tell my BF, but probably the best day I had there was without him...
). I won't hesitate to rent an ECV again, and I can't wait to go back. In fact, I bumped my 10 day park hopper up to an AP premium so I can enjoy the magic more often. I even already booked bounceback for next September. Yes, I am an addict....Hello, my name is Honugirl, and I am a Disney addict.
The Serenity Prayer for ECV using Disney Addicts (created by me at 3:47 am, so if it's a little strange, you know why...)
Walt, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change (such as giant lines);
courage to change the things I can (such as deciding to have a totally magical day even when someone changes the speed on your ECV while you're on a ride and you accidentally crash into a wall...);
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, one park at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships (or the cobblestones that make you feel like you're on the Belgian Blocks at Test Track) as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world full of non-Disney believers and rude people as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He (or the cast members) will make all things right
if I surrender to the Disney Magic (or the lure of a Dole Whip);
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Forever.
