Even More Travel Bug Bites

After having such a wonderful trip to Disneyland with my wife and son, we decided that we couldn't wait until next year to have another travel adventure. We wanted to book a vacation a little closer to home and just a little bit more relaxing.

So we have booked a fall get away to the San Juan Islands of Washington State. My wife and a co worker were discussing family trips when she (the co worker) mentioned their annual trip to Orcas Island. Her children (who are now adults) have amazing memories going out every year and meeting up with newly made friends.  They stayed in very nice waterfront cabins that are completely cut off from the internet. This may scare some of you but there is an appeal to not being reachable by every website on the universe.

After some quick looking around we discovered that they have an accessible cabin that sleeps 10, and also an apartment attached to their lodge. Unlike most accessible rooms these are both waterfront. After contacting them on Friday asking them about the accessibility of the apartment (door width, is there a ramp, how wheelchair friendly are the grounds) and getting a reply on Easter Sunday (cheerful and full of major details including an offer to move some furniture and creating a make shift ramp),  we booked the apartment as we do not need room for ten. I will share what I find about the area in future posts but let me just say that I am very much looking forward to cooking some seafood, Riding my handcycle, taking some pictures, and hanging out in a beach chair watching my kid play in the cold water of the Puget Sound.

Not that I don't love my Disneyland vacation but it will be very nice to connect to nature again.

Return the Conquering Heroes

It has taken me several weeks to figure out exactly what I want to post about this vacation. After all, this is my frst trip to Disneyland with a little kid (all  previous trips were with teens or adults), the first trip as a family. So it seemed to deserve a special post.  I can say per usual that the new and referbished Disney rides are gettting better accessibleized every trip I go. The Little Mermaid ride is prime example of that with it's roll in car with room for the family. The King Arthur Carousel has had a ramp added so that I could ride it along with my wife and son whjich was nice. The fear that my son wouldn't like the rides or be afraid to go on an atraction were totally unecessary, as he is quite the daredevil (whom I will have to keep up with when he is a little older and a little taller). It was a wonderful family vacation with the great Disney magic that I have beome spoiled to expect. The staff at the parks and hotels were top notch. My travel agent let them know that it was my son's first visit so that he had a special pin he could wear which blew his mind. He even got to meet the mouse himself. All in all it was a great vacation until we got sick. Yep we were exposed to a bug before our trip and went full blown sick the day before we were suppose to fly out (which really puts a damper on the close down on your vacation).

I have to say that it was still great to go down there. I rode some rides that I never had any interest in (until my son came along I had never explored the kiddie rides). It's a Small World has a specialized boat for people who want to stay in wheelchairs (which I knew, but it is still nice), I have heard that Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland both have a vehicle that has a wider opening for easier transfers (although we didn't ride it so I cannt tell you how easy the transfers are), in Toontown Mickey and Minnie's house are accessible for wheelchairs (if not a little tight in spots). In DCA the new Little Mermaid  ride has it's own ride vehicle that I can roll up on and ride with two other passengers. The Monster's INC ride has a roll up ride vehicle too and if you plan it just right you can go on it more than once in a row. SWEET!

There is a lot of construction going on with the addition of Carsland, and Buena Vista Street. This leads to some bottle necks and weird detours that do not flow as smoothly as previous trips. All that accounted for it was still a great family vacation with  wonderful Disney magic. We will definately go back....when my son is a little taller.

Kid Friendly restaurant choices in Disneyland

Here is a handy list that we had on our phones and on laminated index cards for food choices inside the Disneyland Resort. These were great when trying to find food that wasn't fried and also that were kid friendly. I hope they help you if you are heading to the happiest place on earth. Please excuse my shorthand but I am not quite a proficient smart phone typer.

Disneyland food choices



Main Street

Plaza Inn BLD

Refreshment Corner (Mikey pretzel + chili) Blue Ribbon Bakery ( yogurt veg) Fruit Cart


Adventureland

Bengal BBQ

Tiki juice bar ( Dole Whip)

Tropical Imports ( fruit stand )

New Orleans Square

Blue Bayou ( lunch )

French Market ( salad lunch)

Royal Street Veranda( soup)

Critter Country

Hungry Bear (L/D)

Fruit Cart (Kids power pAck)

Harbor Galley (soup&salad)

Frontierland
Riverbelle (BLD) fruit
Fantasyland

None

Toontown

Clarabelles (power pack salad sandwich)

Daisy's Dinner (pizza, applesauce )

Pluto's Doghouse (Mac-n-cheese, apples )

Tomorrowland

Tomorrow land terrace (fruit plate, vegiburger, sandwich)
 Reds Rocket Pizza Port (pasta/salads)
Fruit Cart tomorrow land terrace


DCA

Backlot

Fairfax Market ( fruit)

Schmoozies

Studio Catering Co. ( sandwich, salad)
Golden State

Taste pilots grill (burgers,ribs,)

Cucina Cucamonga (Mexican)

Lucky fortune cookery (Asian)

Pacific Wharf Cafe (Powerpacks, kids turkey wrap, soup,sandwich)

Paradise Pier

Boardwalk pizzeria & pasta (l/d)

Corndog Castle

Paridise garden grill ( l/d, kids meal, skewers)



Hotels

PP

PCH grill ( character breakfast, dinner)

DLH

Coffee House (breakfast fruit yogurt)

Goofy's Kitchen ( buffet Mac n cheese)

Tangara Terrace (bld, Hawaiian food yogurt. Vegi and to go)

GCH
White water snacks

Storytellers cafe