Disney Trip Need Help Asap

Bone Saw

Ok I have promised my boy for 2 years now a trip to walt disney world and I wanted to take advantage of this week off from school to go (despite putting the bent job on hold), however as a single custodial father/workaholic/buisness owner/not enough time in the day and there is only one of me, I screwed the pooch. Apperently you need to book at least 4 days in advance to any of the theme parks and hotels, I was discovering this while pulling an all nighter trying to book this stuff last night My intentions were to go thurs-monday so as to minimize time out of school, thats not going to happen now but I must deliver, so it'll be next fri-tues.. So my question is, in all this haste I don't know squat about disney, never been there, my son is in a wheelchair so what attractions are more interactive as opposed to "ride oriented", what rides are better suited for handicapped access which ones are a waste of time. I just want to maximize the quality of his experience, also He absolutely has to go to sea world, is that an all day thing, half day??? how much time needed??? So to summerize arrive in MCO fri mid afternoon, depart tues mid/late afternoon, what theme park should we go to and what to stay away from... TIA
oops, Nate can you please move this to off topic, I wasn't thinking :-)

dougchips

Took my daughter a year ago. Sea World was the big hit with her, you can spend a full day there. You can feed the dolphins and sting rays. About 20min +/- from Disney a little pricey but worth it. Locate Ripleys Believe it or not, not sure of the name but down the street there is an up-side down building (same as ripley's) that is alot of fun for kids. They have a "earth quake room" that shakes a little, all the cool mirrors, a bubble room with big 2" bubble thingys, we spend all day at this place and she wanted to go back.

Disney....lots of walking and overpriced food. We went on the coasters not sure how much you can do there with a kid in a wheelchair. Not sure about the 4 days in advance thing, we bought our park tickets the day of or night before, if you buy a multi day they are good I think forever. You will end up renting a car? if so you can stay off property.

Bone Saw

thanx dougchips this is exactly what I'm looking for please keep the ideas rolling, I bought some time so I have a few days to get an attack plan together

dougchips

http://www.ripleysorlando.com/ this is the ripleys place down the road from the one we went to.

http://www.wonderworksonline.com/html/default.htm this is the place we went to. THe whole area is full of places to go to. The building will blow your mind being up-side down.

snapper21

Don't know if they make them wheelchair accesible as they should, but... Considered renting an RV and mixing a father son campout into the deal? Should be camping areas around it.

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recruit4meisner

I was just there a few weeks ago, Universal is much better than Disney IMO... maybe you can get a room there?

DecksEtc

Bone,

From what I know, Disney is pretty good as far as being wheel chair accessible. The times I've been there I remember seeing lots of people in wheel chairs and they appeared to be getting around pretty well. All of the theater type shows/rides are wheel chair accessible and they make a point of reserving areas for wheel chairs. There are usually a few of the theater type shows at every theme park.

If you're staying off site, getting tickets won't be a problem. I assume the 4 day thing is regarding staying "on site".

As far as specific parks, Animal Kingdom is pretty cool if he likes animals and the safari "vehicles" have spots reserved for wheel chairs too. He'll likely want to see Magic Kingdom - all kids do. Make sure you get a good spot for on of the parades, always a big hit. Since you only have a couple of days, I would skip Epcot (personal choice to NOT go to). Another one he may like would be MGM Studios. They have a movie lot tour that has wheel chair access.

Overall, I think you'll find that there is lots to do that his wheel chair won't restrict him from doing. As I think about it, other than the roller coasters, there really isn't too much that he won't be able to enjoy.

Have fun yourself too!

T.Peterson

Years ago we took a troop of handicapped girl scouts to disneyland. A simple call to guest services got most of our questions answered, including the local lodging that provided the best handicapped access.

Kisskissame (sp) located just a couple of miles from Disney world has some wonderful lodging that is alot better priced than those hotels that are right near Disney.

I hope you enjoy your trip

Stone Mountain

Last time we went nearly everything was wheelchair accessible.
We drove down from Toronto, and decided to stop in Orlando as we drove by. We got a motel on the spur of the moment, no problem.
All of the attractions have same day tickets available. I suppose only if you want to stay on the grounds would you need a reservation.
Definately rent a car. There is SO MUCH to do, you simply cannot cover it all in 3-4 days.
For a young boy, Disney is THE place to go. They have a visitors centre/guest services offices, which you can probably access from your home, and they will help you plan your days there with the idea of maximizing your son's visit.
There are also all sorts of restaurants. My kids absolutely were blown away by the NASCAR Restaurant. Food's not bad, and the displays are great.
Doesn't matter what you do, you'll have a wonderful time. whatever you miss this year, you can get next year.
Steve

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Stone Mountain

I agree with Terry. Skip Epcot. Concentrate on FantasyLand, and MGM. then do Universal, and/or Sea World.

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realpurty2

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disn...tyGSDetailPage

Also, the Sheraton is supposed to have excellent accessible guest rooms with roll in showers and lower beds etc.

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joasis

Sounds like a plan Bone, my first call would be to Disney Guest Services, and Universal also has one, and explain your needed conditions, and see what a friendly girl in the office can do for your trip. You might find that "all booked up" crap vanishes with a call from one of these people, and they can also set up a "schedule" so you won't miss anything age appropriate for your child.

Something cheap skates like I do is look on E bay for vacation packages...and they have a hook,....the time share BS you have to listen to...but they can get tickets and slots during peak times, and in return, you have to listen to the sales pitch for 2 hours...cheap to pay if all you hear is no way.

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slickshift

There's plenty to do/book last minute
I've never got tix/rooms ahead of time (we don't stay @ Diz though)

Depends on how old he is as to the FantasyLand, Epcot thing
The newer parts/rides are more w/c accessible
But mostly they are real good about that

SeaWorld is very w/c friendly
And so is BushGardens if your heading that way
If he like the animals, might like those two better'n The Diz

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Bone Saw

Seriously, thanx all 4 the input, like I said, never been b4 no idea what it's all about, Im just trying to make it happen for my boy (he is only 8 once ) Hell out of haste I almost redeemed 100k one pass miles on the fare absently mindedly before I looked into the admissions and accomodations , guess it's a good thing Im not a travel agent. I bought some time till next weekend and also to try to get this beast of a deck done, so I got some planning to do, thanx again

K2

For info only.

"Make a wish" does Disney trips for handicaped children, (they do more than just the terminally ill). All expenses, some cash, and no waiting in lines for the rides etc.

I know a family that got one of these trips. They loved it.

You don't have to be poor to qualify.

Bone Saw

I can think of a few things alright

Nathan

Didn't read through all the posts but did read through the first one.

Disney is awesome and is great for kids. I saw someone say Universal was better but after living there for 3 years and going to both parks countless times I think Disney is the way to go and there is a lot more to do.

The holidays are VERY busy for Disneys so you want to make sure you get to the park early each day because once they hit the max number of people allowed in the park they wont allow any more in. But you should be able to buy tickets at the front gate assuming it's not overfilled for the day. Expect long lines for the holidays.
It's expensive but I would buy a hopper pass that allows you to visit as many parks as you like. Well worth the extra money.

In my opinion the park that is both the most kid friendly and has good wheel chair access is Animal Kingdom. There is a lot of great stuff there and is a mix of rides, sights, and animals. There are also a lot of great shows there and The Lion King is very cool! The best ride there is the Saffari ride. This is a must ride!

I believe Disney has special wheel chair access lines so you may be able to beat a lot fo the crowds. If they don't (although I think they do) you can use the fastpass tickets which give you special time to come back and then you can wait in a shorter line. Your park pass allows you to get one fastpass ticket at a time however if you look on the back of the fastpass machine there is a small black button. Push it and it will give you all the tickets you want

As far as where to stay I'm sure a lot of hotels are crowded for the holidays. If you have trouble finding one PM me and I'll give you a list of towns that are 30 mins out or so that may be cheaper and have more openings.
There are also quite a few RV parks around there if you have one including one on Disney property.

Let me know if you need any more help or have questions. I know that place pretty well.

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mickeyco

I'll chime in with a few of my favorites, if you're driving (it's on the way down)and you or your son like cars/racing, it's worth stopping at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, http://www.garlits.com/ , you can get through it in a few hours, makes a nice rest spot. Another one I like is Gatorland, http://www.gatorland.com/ , it's in Orlando, I've been there a few times and everyone I've brought has liked it. There's also a swamp boat tour down the road from Gatorland. Once again if you're driving or have a rental the Kennedy Space Center, http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/, isn't to far of a drive and you can go to the beach (it's right there). Daytona beach has a nascar museum (Hooter's restaurant conveniently located across the street), beaches and a boardwalk. Sea World is great, one of my favorites.

boman47k

Makes me wonder if that is the place my parents were at when the picture of them in glass bottomed boat ( I think) was taken. Would have been back in the late 40's or early 50's. Some kind of tour boat.

God luck Bonesaw and don't get lost at Hooters and forget the boy!

Squrtgun

If it's a glass bottom boat more than likely it was Silver Springs in Ocala,Fl.