3-2-1 Happy New Year!!!!!

I just wanted to pop in one last post for 2009. I hope that my journeys have been of some help and maybe a little entertainment for you all. I look forward to sharing my journeys in the comming year and some tips that may make your travels a bit smoother. I wish you safe travels wherever they may take you, and that you have a happy and safe new year.

Pimp My Rides

Since I was last in Disney land they have made some great strides to accessibilize some of their most popular rides. Haunted Mansion has a specific "Doombuggy" that allows a transfer straight across to the seat, and they can and will stop the ride if you need it (there is also a wheelchair ramp so no need to go through the broom closet). Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was an extremely tough transfer in 2005 as you needed to transfer up and over a rail into the seat bringing your feet through a narrow opening. Now BTR has a specific car that opens to a transfer seat (on both sides) and even the feet area opens, though it is still a quick transfer (between 30-40 seconds). The most impressive change for me was Space Mountain. They now have a car that is off the main track that you can take your time to get into (I have heard that there was a transfer seat upon request) then when you are safely secure in the ride vehicle the cast members hit a button and the car slides on to the main track and you are catapulted off into Walt's dark ride. It is very nice not to have to stress out about the transfer!

Toy Story Mania (at Disney's California Adventure) and Buzz Lightyear (at Disneyland, in Tomorrowland) both have roll in vehicles with a seat for one to accompany you (these were both a blast and I highly recommend both). The steam trains and monorail each have a special car that you and your party can ride on which I personally enjoyed. However the most impressive changes were on the Jungle Cruise and Small World. These rides both have a dedicated boat that has a lift to bring your chair on so absolutley no transfer is needed. This was nice because you can rest on these rides and save your strength for a tricky transfer like Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

As always Disney's California Adventure is ADA compliant and does its best to make accomodations. I do applaud Disneyland for making these accomodations and look forward to seeing what they will do in the future. Enjoy the pictures we were able to take and I hope this helps you with your ride planning.

Loading on the ramp Boat for Its a Small World.

Disneyland Railroad accessible rail car.

Loading Ramp for The Jungle Cruise.

Lift turned and a gentle lowering of the platform

Or 3 rides in 1.

Now where that head hunter.

Monster's INC ride vehicle (similar to Toy Story Mania and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster vehicle)

Improvise on Arrival

Greetings all and I hope everyone is having a great holiday season (whatever that holiday may be). I have returned from the Kingdom of the Mouse (better known as Disneyland) and I have much news that is good for mobility impared folks like myself as well as those who get around without assistance (or just able bodied). There is a ton to tell so I may break it into smaller details in later blogs but I will give an overview so that those of you traveling might use what I have found out in your trip planning.

First off the entire trip didn't go without glitches. The flight on Horizon/Alaska air was what I have come to expect from them, which is to say good and uneventful. We had a bit of a quick connection to meet up with our plane but it wasn't far and it was even in the same terminal (which is not always the case).

Where the trouble hit us was once we got to Orange County Airport. We had booked a shuttle to take us to Disneyland from the airport. Our travel agent (a good friend to us and this blog who has booked many DL trips) contacted the Disneyland Magical Express (operated by Greyline) who told her not once but twice that they had buses that were accessible that made the trek from Orange County airport to the Disney Resorts every half hour. They said if one bus didn't have a lift the next one would.

This as it turns out is only a half truth, or a lie depending on where you hear it. After we got off the plane and lugged our stuff to the ground transportation station we went to meet our bus. Once there an uninterested Greyline employee (who seemed to be irratated that we interrupted her) asked us what time we had been told that our bus would be there. We explained that we had not been given a time, and what our travel agent had been told. The Greyline employee informed us that not only did we need to make arrangements for an accessible bus, but that there were no accessible buses making the route to the Orange County Airport, only at LAX. When we asked her what suggestions she might be able to give us (as we had paid for the seats on their bus and had not been told about the need to make further arrangements), she just told my wife that "it wasn't her problem and that we should have made reservations" and told us to check at the Super Shuttle stand to ask for help as she packed up her belongings and left on the bus. Let it sink in, SHE left on a bus stranding two passengers with (as far as she knew) no knowledge of the strange city they were in, and one of whom was visibly disabled. Not the way I would have handled the situation (I was trained that if there is a problem that I was to find a solution to assist the customer). Needless to say we will never use a Greyline bus if we can avoid it, and I plan to contact their corporate offices because this would have been catastophic if it were a non-seasoned traveler.

My wife and I decided that we were going to roll with the punches and I went to the Super Shuttle kiosk. They were extremely helpful. They informed me that they didn't have a vehicle with a lift in the area and that it would take a few hours to get one here (as they contract with a third party this did not come as a surprise) but they did ask me if I could transfer and when finding out that I could  they walked me over to the porter and explained my situation and were given a taxi to Disneyland (that we had to pay for but it did get refunded to us). Total props to our cab driver as he assisted my wife with folding my chair and sticking it in the trunk. All that and he got us there in record time. Way to go Yellow Cab of Anaheim!!!

Once we arived at the Grand Californian Hotel were told that our room was ready (even though we were early) and that we could head up any time (which we did as we were dressed for Seattle cold weather and were a bit warm). When we got to the room it was the exact room that we had stayed at for my 30th birthday. My travel agent (Mary @ AAA) had told the Disney folks some details about the last room we stayed in and they figured out where it was and made sure we got it again (Disney employees are great about these little touches). We freshened up a bit (ordered up some extra towels and a shower bench, thanks Kennedy at the Bell desk) and started exploring the Christmas decored hotel and parks. I loved all the decorations in the lobby and was amazed how great the tree looked all trimmed out in Mission style ornaments (with subtle holiday music in the background).

We made our way into Disney's California Adventure and headed to get some food at the Paridise Pier section of the park. I got to be honest after two and a half hours on a plane the mediocre Mexican food was pretty tasty (although the Asian style rice bowls a few days later was markedly better) and is usually how my wife start our park adventure. We then went over to Soarin Over California, a flight simulator style ride that takes the riderup and over an IMAX screen throught the various merits of the state of California. It is one of our favorite rides because it is an easy transfer (from the wheelchair to the ride chair which is about the same level and has many hand holds) and it is a slow immersion into park life.  Next post I will give some details about accesible rides (or newly accessible revanps) and some pitures too!!

Take what you need, need what you take

I have decided to give myself a little challenge for this next trip of mine and see if I can manage to get everything my wife and I need in two carry-on bags. In and of itself this may not sound like a Herculean feat but for me and my wife (both constant overpackers) it will be a challenge.

We will be in California for 5 days and for the most part it will be very casual clothing. However we also plan to go to a nice-ish eating establishment so we can't just be in shorts all the time. I am taking a page from noted one-bag traveler Rick Steves and not bringing anything I cannot buy at my destination, or wash out in the sink and dry. We are also skipping the uneccessary toiletries (like our own shampoo) as they do have that at the hotel (or the Target just a few blocks away).

As a disabled person there are things I have to take that will take up room. I manage these by being creative. Cathaters are basically like packing peanuts to buffer and fit in-between most anything in my bag. I have to take a supply of pills which fit in a quart size zip lock bag (they need to be in their Rx bottles or you will get to meet some very serious people from the NTSB). I also have to take a supply of latex gloves which I also remove from their boxes and stuff into a baggie. I am wearing my heavy clothing and shoes on the plane so that will take up less room. I am also layering so I will shed some of those layers when we get to the room and hanging up the extra clothes.

Hear is a list of what I have packed so far:

4 pair of underwear

2 t-shirts

2 shorts (one Khaki, one that can double as swim trunks)

1 polo shirt (for our nice night)

1 pair of socks

extra pair of jeans or khakis

1 pair of workout pants (yes I am one of those people who work out on vacation)

1 razor & travel shave kit

1 pair of sandals

5 days of catheters

5 days of latex gloves

Pills

1 spare pair of sunglasses (as I have lost them on vacation before)

spare inner tube

tire changing kit

Yes this seems like a long list but I assure you it does all fit nicely into a carry-on bag with some room to spare for souvenirs on the way back. We don't usually pre-pack, but since we're trying to limit ourselves to just two bags, we did a trial run last weekend and it all fit great and was under the weight limit. By the way, before you travel, check your specific airline's regulations about baggage size, weight, and contents. Don't forget the liquid restrictions and be sure to put all such items in a quart-size baggie.

I will let you know when I get back how my little experiment went and if there were things that I needed that I had to hunt down while I am there.

Just a over a week until we are on vacation and I can't wait!

Wordless Wednesday (or I need a Vacation)

Quick post for a quick tip.

Keep all of your travel documents together. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people juggling their carry-on, laptop case, and water bottle trying to get their tickets for the gate attendant. This just irritates the people behind you so here is an easy solution. REI, AAA, Target, and I am sure other fine retailers out there have cool little dossier holders that you can keep all of your travel paperwork together in a nice neat little case. This will alleviate your stress trying to not spill your triple shot non-fat mochaccino with whip. It will also let you not be the guy everyone wants to see seated by the bathrooms in the back of the plane (you know who you are, from my last trip. Like I said easy and quick.

Leave the driving to ART

I have not used the Anaheim Resort Transit system in my previous trips to the Disneyland Resorts because it was not set up as user friendly as it is now. The cost of gas going up must have made the folks of Orange County rethink mass transportation because from what I have been able to see it looks pretty manageable to use. Most all buses use Disneyland or the Anaheim Garden walk as a hub and do loops to and from the shopping center to the parks and back (they also make trips to the stadiums, convention center, and the Block at Orange , another large shopping complex). This allows you some away time when you get that bit of claustrophobia that is common when dealing with large crowds.

I think I will like it because I can hop the bus at Disneyland, ride comfortably to Target or Safeway, pick up some bottled water or snacks for the room (I get the craving for fruit or healthy-ish snacks after a day of park food) that won't make me need to take a mortgage on my house. All the buses are wheelchair accessible and if further assistance is needed they have other accommodations to help by calling them up. Prices seem to be reasonable as they sell passes for 1-5 days (1 day=$4, 3 day=$10, and 5 day=$16) and there are kiosks to purchase them at most of the major stops (Disneyland being one of them).

The ART web page is easy to navigate and has a good map, although you may want to print it out because otherwise you have to view it through a tiny window and don't get the whole map at one time. Our plan is to check this out on the trip and I will let you know any pros or cons to using this instead of, or in addition to, renting a car.