Disney World Part One

by Jared Wayland

The Happiest (And Most Accessible) Place on Earth- PART ONE

I was fortunate to spend a week in Walt Disney World in Florida with my family recently. There were 9 members of my family on this special trip, as we were celebrating my mom’s 60th Birthday! It was also exciting for my wife and I because it would be our son’s first trip to Walt Disney World as well as his first trip out of the country (and on a plane!). While I could write a whole blog about my travel experience (maybe a hint at my next blog), I really want to focus on the lengths that Disney has gone to make the Walt Disney World experience accessible for those of us with disabilities that affect our mobility.

Once we touched down in Orlando, it was off to our pre-arranged accessible transportation so we could get to our resort (Disney’s Boardwalk Resort) as quickly as possible. It was about a 30-minute ride to the resort, which was full of anticipation, as we had never stayed at the Boardwalk before and had heard so many great things. When we pulled up to the front doors, it was just as beautiful as I had imagined. Modeled after a turn-of-the-century east coast boardwalk hotel, it felt as if I had just rolled back in time! Checking in to the hotel was a breeze, and it was nice to be able to use my Stretto’s iLevel technology to have a face-to-face conversation with someone at the front desk (they also had a lower cut-out for wheelchair users who cannot raise themselves up). We also had booked an accessible room which gave me lots of room to maneuver around and featured a roll-in shower as well as an accessible balcony overlooking a gorgeous courtyard. The resorts’ pools (all 3 of them) also had chair lifts for me to transfer into which lowered me right into the pool so that I could enjoy swimming with my entire family.

Now…enough about the hotel (I could write a whole blog on that as well), and onto the theme parks! In terms of transportation to and from the parks, Disney World offers several accessible options, including buses, monorails, boats, and the new Skyliner gondolas. The drivers and staff on these were very attentive to the needs of guests with disabilities and made sure that everyone was safely and comfortably accommodated. All of these have designated spots for wheelchair users so that they are able to just roll on and not have to worry about transferring to another chair. I LOVED riding the skyliner as it gave such a great view of the entire Disney World property from a vantage point not often seen!

Head over to Part Two to hear more about my Disney adventures!